Alright, I'm being over ambitious once again with the titeling. One reader even recently called me "Hip Hop's Ignorance At It's Finest" (T-Shirts coming soon and all over print hoodies too!) I don't know. I do know that I ride for my people, and I also know that I have listened to this music and have been immersed in this culture for over twenty years and I listen to pretty much everything that comes out. Everything from everywhere, serious, real talk, I'm comin' real, never fake, just sayin', word up, to the extreme, I rock a mic like a vandal, o.k. lemme quit. I've had too much pumpkin juice.
Anyway yesterday afternoon I had the distinct honor of being able to join Bun B and Cory Mo for a lil private listening session to the tracks Bun has already knocked out for his next solo album, 2 Trill.
I know, I know, I know, I know, I already know already that you already know already that I am a huge Bun B fan. I admire the dude as a writer, an all around artist and a person and well yes he's one of my favorite MC's in the game, and well he's hands dow THE best MC in the game, no question no comparison on any level ever whatsoever, go ask yo mama.
Those are just facts, if you happen to have an affinity towards someone else, go ahead and have that. I'm just sayin'.
Maybe I'm just geeked to have been one of the first people to heard all this stuff yet. Call me a hip hop nerd, but I am excited. Dude has taken them to the next level. Anyway, I don't have any mp3s for you, but I did take some notes and will tell you what I heard so far.
Dude is killing it. I'll say straight up that I of course loved Trill, but personally there was a little something missing from it. Listen to it close and you'll hear all sorts fo messages and meanings and such, cuz Bun doesn't just drop a bunch of pap and hope to sell. But see, I talk to Bun sometimes. We talk about politics, we talk about the environment, we talk about the war on art that America hath waged, we talk about a lot of shit and dude is extremely informed.
So when Trill came out, honestly I was hoping to hear a song in which Bush was beaten like a pinata on a birfday, the Iraq war was reduced to a blip in our history books, and one where Bun teaches the kids in the hood why styrofoam cups are contributing to global warming. But alas and alak, I didn't hear it.
On 2 Trill, the President of the South is at his lectern, telling fools things they need to know. He's still Bun B, the underground king of the gutta, yes, but on 2 Trill he's bringing more knowledge than any rapper you can name right now. And that's a good thing for me and yooooooooooooooooooooooooooua.
Anyway, the listening session went down at Cory Mo's spot. I tried to get Cory to smoke a spliff mixed with a lil tobacco like how we did in Canada, but he wasn't havin' it on this side of the border.
He don't have to on this side of the borda.
Anyway here's the breakdown of what I heard:
"City of Syrup" - Produced by Cory Mo and featuring Mike Jones and Slim Thug.
Apparently Cory pitched this song to Mike a couple years back and Mike was with it but in the end it didn't make the album. Bun was going through some old stuff with Cory and heard this beat and immediately reacted. He got Mike and Slim to come in and round off the track and honestly, the beat is fire and it's a great Houston anthem, on par with Still Tippin', but it's really only the tip on the iceberg.
"Gangsta" - Produced by JR Roten and featuring Sean Kingston.
O.K. This was song number two for me to hear, and while both are jammin' in a basic song kind of way, I was a lil nervous. The song is real, if you really listen to it. Bun breaks down a lot of realities, but it; sjust radio ready enough to possibly be a big one. Not my favorite by any means, but it's good.
"Get Yo Issue" - Produced by Big Time
My favorite by all means. Big Time is one of the most slept on producers in the game. I don't know what happened between him and Swisha House, but he's the dude that helped form their whole sound back in the hey day. When he left them he kind of slowed down a bit - by todays standards anyway - but time and time again he keeps coming with that real fire. On this one, Bun takes crooked cops, preachers and politicians to task over a raucous, maniac, out of control beat that goes every which way but loose. He starts off each verse with a line like "Hey (Mr. Policeman) I hear you're trying to save some people today." Then proceeds to break down said policemans, politicians and preachers on points that nobody could ever argue with him. Like,he comes realer than I have heard anyone come in a while on this one, and the beat just SLAMS!
"My Block" - Produced by Jazze Pha
This is some classic hood shit from a classic combo.
"2 Trill" - Clinton Sparks camp?
The title track is a soulful, yet sinister jam that I will assume is gonna be a big single at some point.
"If It Was Up To Me" - Produced by Blackout, Junior Reid on the hook
WOW! "Get Yo Issue" is one of the greatest songs of all time, and this one right here is the most meaningful and poignant track on the disc. Dude goes ALL OUT on this one blasting all the ills of the world. He tackles politics, the environment, the lack of education in this country, man, he goes all out. He says some shit like we need to go to the "Doors of City Hall and Kick Them Hoe's Down," and even says some shit like "Since no one else is gonna do it, it's gotta be me, mayne." Which is true, hardly anybody else with a voice to the people is gonna say shit. Dude even talks about how so many places are ripping down projects and replacing them with condos and goes real deep into that whole situation. It's real mayne, a real look at America 2007.
"My Paper" - Produced by Big Time
This is pretty much the hardest song I've heard in ten years. Really.
"Damn I'm Cold" - Produced by CHOPS and featuring Lil Wayne
Gotta say I got real excited when I heard that my dude CHOPS was gonna be on this album. Seriously, I beenknowing him and his manager for some time now, and like 4 years ago he started really pursuing working with some of the folsk down here. Through sheer persistance, he's made it onto two of the hottest rap albums this year, and I'm pretty sure both songs are gonna be singles. If Cham doesn't make "We Breakin' Up" a single, he's nuts, and honestly I can't see Bun NOT making this a single. He and Lil Wayne both kill their verses and then trade off line for line in the third. Mayne, this shit is real mayne, I'm trying to tell you. What I've always liked about CHOPS is that he doesn't sample, he plays everything and makes his songs really melodic and musical, this one is no different, and it knocks.
"22 or Better" - Produced By Enigma
Another one of them straight up classic anthems.
"Unititled" - Produced by Mr. Lee
We've heard a lot of Mr. Lee production in the past couple years, but none on the level of this one. The shit is over the top. You'll hear it.
Anyway, I just feel crazy good to have been able to hear some of this shit in advance. It'll be out in early 2008 on Rap-A-Lot and it's gonnan change das game.
Listen to me now, believe me later on. In the future.
Also, Bun said this is what hath been fueling his fire. Ya don't kneaux beautx that Frenchy's, you better ask somebody from this town right here.
Anyway, that's that, wish I was as eloquent as Bun is coming on this record, but I'm not. I'm also a lil tired from a wild Halloweekend with these buddies right here. It's been a while since you've seen the girls, so here they go....
And Eva wanted you to see the skull on her face.
