Ayo whattup… You now in the presence of the grand imperial Cocaine Biceps Deluxe. Welcome to the Cappucino Lounge… Feel free to caress the luxurious velvets n furs on the walls n shit. Make yaself comfortable. Im yall host Big Ghost aka Thor Molecules the great aka the illustrious Phantom Raviolis aka Shampoo Bracelets the panty melter aka the divine Galaxy Knuckles aka ya boy Broccoli Bundles or the magnificent Volcano Hands… otherwise known as the mighty Hands of Zeus hisself. Im glad yall could make it today nahmean.
So as promised…we gon talk bout the latest release from the one n only Pusha Ton today. I dont kno bout yalls but for me personally this was one of the most anticipated joints of the year. Matter fact if you a thoro dude in the slightest way this was the MOST anticipated release of the year jus off the strength of the quality of work that the younger brother of Gene “(No) Malice” Thornton Jr. been puttin in for years now. Thats not sayin Kanye n Hov n Drake aint had three of the most anticipated albums of this year already… Not to mention the return of Dre’s prized pony Marshall “Berzerk” Mathers still on the way n shit. But I personally really dont think any of those albums lived up to the expectations that was set for em before they dropped namsayin. Yeezus pushed the boundaries but I think deep down almost anybody who heard that shit woulda preferred 9 more “Bound 2″ type joints on that shit. But hey…yall free to lie to yalselves namsayin. MCHG was coo… It was a dope album… but Jay dont wanna take more than 5 minutes to put together a verse these days…n the cracks n dents in his armor startin to really show nahmean…especially when he gettin outshined by the Orlando Bloom of rap on the NWTS closer “Pound Cake” (cake…cake cake cake cake). Speakin of that shit…lotta yall white iphone owners was disappointed wit the lack of tearjerkers on the latest Drake joint too. Personally I thought it was a step in the right direction for ey’body favorite Jewgro to get in touch wit his masculine side n flex his ability to rap without breakin into a melancholic ballad halfway thru each track tho. Eminem decided he was gon make it impossible to not disappoint his fans n add some unnecessary pressure to his own self by namin his latest “comeback” The Marshall Mathers LP 2… I aint gon bother finishin that last thought cuz you already kno what the fuck Im sayin yo.
So wit Weezy jus stackin more n more bricks on his lego tower of post-No Ceilings failures n no new albums from Nas or Kendrick on the horizon that left it to up n comin niggas like Chance The Rapper n underground heroes like Killer Mike & El-P aka Run The Jewels to save the year from bein bout some bullshit. We did get a quick EP n some features from the homie Action Bronson. We also got Schoolboy Q set to drop…hopefully… amongst some other shit. But other than that…the year was kinda light. It was also some shit that was dope from my mans Gangsta Gibbs n Boldy James n some other folks too… Far as Im concerned tho…album of the year still up for grabs bruh. Me? I had put my bread on Pusha-T a while back. Was I wise to bet it all on dude? Lets find out…
1. King Push – This shit was supposedly produced by Joaquin Phoenix. As in this dude..
As in Commodus from Galdiator. As in the dude who played Johnny Cash in a movie once… AWMJUSSAYINTHO… That was the rumor. Turns out it WASNT produced by Joaquin Phoenix tho. Son had merely passed the beat on to Yeezy n it was actually produced by a dude named Sebastian Sartor…who supposedly is the son of Lars Ulrich.. who is the drummer from some band called Metallica. As in these dudes…
Ionno man… But this shit go hard regardless of whoever the mystical snow nigga that produced it really is yo. Shit sounds like the soundtrack to the final minutes of a crackhead’s life. I kno…dark right? On the hook he talmbout IM KING PUSH…I RAP NIGGA BOUT TRAP NIGGAS I DONT SING HOOKS…
This muthafucka knocks tho… Shit might gon have a Muslim eatin pork rinds n baby back ribs on Ramadan b. I fucks wit it.
2. Numbers On The Board – MY GAWD YO…. See thats how I reacted when I first heard this shit. Im like this nigga dont een wanna move units I guess b… How you gon drop some bare bones raw ass shit like this in 2013 fam? Like you really dont see niggas rappin wit orchestras n lasers on stage n shit… You cant have no pyrotechnics n laser shows to some rawdog shit like this son… David Letterman not tryna let you jump on stage wit his blind gay band leader n perform shit like this my nigga. This for niggas who spit on they hand before they beat. This for muthafuckas who wash they armpits in the sink at the club n shit like that. This shit so pure it shoulda had a Diamond D remix witta Big L verse at the end. Yall dont kno nothin bout that. Don Cannon, Kanye n 88 Keys all got they names in the credits.. so Ionno who did what but this shit bangs. You turn this up in the whip n its like you can hear the pavement breakin underneath you namsayin. I fucks wit this.
3. Sweet Serenade (feat. Chris Brown) – So this shit got Rihanna’s assailant/sometimes lover Breezy on it n was produced by Swizz “Lemme Do The Hook On Ya Songs n Fuck The Whole Shit Up” Beatz. Guess this was the compromise for havin two raw ass tracks wit zero mainstream appeal kickin the album off. I get it tho…you gotta cater to the demographics that actually pay for music…cuz the last two tracks only appeal to muthafuckas who can relate to the mind states of niggas who rock 40 Below Timbalands n Champion sweatpants wit the one leg pulled up. And as we all kno…niggas who rock 40 Below Timbs n Champion sweats wit one leg up dont pay for shit b. They not jumpin on itunes n downloadin ya shit never ever ever yo. They might gon cop a bootleg cd n give ya shit some burn on the low maybe but they not helpin you pay ya bills. But lo n behold…aint no Swizzy vocals on this shit…no LIFE CAN BE SOMETIMES RIDICULOUS bullshit or none of that.. n Breezy usin his “male voice” n his shit sound like it was recorded in a cupboard so it aint like he beltin out no sweet ass falsetto Fine China type shit on this track. Matter fact this shit kinda dark n grim…n I fucks wit it.
4. Hold On (feat. Rick Ross & Kanye West) – Not gon lie… the Kanye 808s & Heartbreaks autotune crooning be kinda gettin on my nerves yo. This the first joint so far that got any commercial appeal at all. So this the first real compromise on the album namsayin. Like you aint hear no shit like this on the Clipse “Hell Hath No Fury” joint…which is a classic n a damn near flawless album in my book. But that shit also aint even sell 250k to this day. That shit went double asphalt b. But lets face it yo…the vast majority of muthafuckas buyin albums is niggas wit white iphones n females who hate rap. Plain n simple. Now as a rap artist…you can talk all this keep it thoro shit n be forced to live strictly off tour n merchandise bread or you can get summa this cake from sellin records too. How you do it is up to you tho. But from what I understand bout major labels…they dont fuck wit you if you dont sell no records son. They jus leave ya shit on the shelf til you beg em to release you from the contract n thats usually the best case scenario most the time. Now if you doin ya little mixtapes n free shit or you be droppin ya joints on a independent label you dont necessarily gotta play the game like that namsayin. But son aint on no independent label.. this is Def Jam which is basically the NBA for rappers yo. Now even tho this got some glossy coatings on it niggas still kept it all the way raw (not you Kanye).
“Scorin from the heights but I wanted mine purer Aryan…blonde hair…blue eyed… like the Fuhrer”
Theres levels to these bars son. That shit is poetry right there yo… Ey’body favorite former corrections officer turned imaginary cocaine czar spit a solid verse too…
“Godbody n mind…food for the soul When you feedin on hate, you empty my nigga…it shows”
“Fuck coppin em Foams…when you coppin the homes”
I mean these aint jus ya usual Rozay drug kingpin fantasy bars…son really tryin to kick some knowledge forreal. Shit bout to get ugly at the next Freemasons meeting b. Now me personally…would I prefer that these muthafuckas had came wit some MILLIONS MILLIONS IN THE CEILING CHOPPAS CHOPPAS IN THE CLOSET type shit again? Most definitely. But I aint gon front. Ion dig all the Yeezy weepin in the rain type autocroonin but I cant front on the track itself nahmean. Niggas bodied this shit n dropped jewelz on the track at the same time nahmean. Overall I kinda fucks wit it.
From left: Ab-Liva, Pusha, Common, 2Chainz, Kanye, Big Sean
5. Suicide (feat. Ab-Liva) – Niggas at Def Jam musta lost they damn minds yo… This shit is reckless b. This is REALLY like some Hell Hath No Fury shit all over again. I aint eem playin when I say this shit make me wanna cop a kilo on consignment n snort the whole brick right muthafuckin now. Im liable to do some irresponsible shit while listenin to this muthafucka b. Ya boy liable to make some bad decisions n act out in a very irresponsible way right now yo. The sound of that money countin machine dont help matters none my nigga. I cant be held accountable for my actions right now…not if niggas is gon make songs like this n release em to the public. Yall reckless for that… Ionno how Pharrell can go from makin electro french disco n happy ass Captain & Tennille type shit to joints this filthy son. This shit jus dirty bruh. Im disgusted. Im makin faces like I jus walked into a room witta dead raccoon hangin off the ceiling fan right now. I might gon order a pizza jus so I can punch somebody in the face right now dawg. Word is bond I might gon bicycle kick the pizza man thru the skylight if this shit is playin again when he get here. The boy Push takin aim at certain inviduals in these bars too…
“I build mine off fed time n dope lines…You caught steam off headlines n cosigns”
“Young niggas cliquin’ up wit my rivals Like the Bible dont burn…like these bullets dont spiral”
“Like I cant see the scene that you mirrorin ya idol But a pawns only purpose is completely suicidal”
Ab Liva did his Ab Liva thing on this shit too. He might actually be the last rapper on earth still doin the Young Chris whisper flow that Hov made famous. Bars was on point as usual tho. Not like it really need to be said it but I all the way fucks wit this shit right here.
6. 40 Acres (feat. The-Dream) – When this shit started n The-Dream began to gently serenade the delicate synthesizers that kicked this shit off on some probable bitchmade shit…I admit I had my finger hoverin over the skip button ready to keep it movin to the next track namsayin. But seein as I take this shit I do kinda seriously.. I resisted the temptation n ended up lettin that shit marinate for a quick minute n next thing you kno…Im gettin pulled into this shit like when the tractor beams on the Death Star was pullin the Millenium Falcon towards it in the first Star Wars joint. This might be the realest shit on the album so far b. This shit introspective than a muthafucka… My nigga givin you a glimpse inside his soul on this shit namsayin. Thats my word. I love this shit yo.
7. No Regrets (feat. Young Jeezy & Kevin Cossom) – This shit got that same Cruel Summer/GOOD Music feel that the Hold On track had. So its no coincidence they was both produced by Yeezys snow nigga Hudson Mohawke. Kanye aint had nothin to do wit this one tho. Not gon lie…it aint my favorite song on the album. This was a definite compromise to add some commercial appeal to the LP tho. This coulda been a song by like 100 other rappers out right now. It aint wack but its definitely on some filler shit. Snowman kinda went in tho. He simplified the shit outta his flow but this might be my favorite Jeezy verse in a minute. It probably gon get some burn in the club but at the end of the day its a million of these celebration of success type songs out chea… It aint no automatic skip for next time but this aint the type of song thats gon be remembered forever or nothin neither. Ion really fucks wit it tho.
8. Let Me Love You (feat. Kelly Rowland) – By now..if you like me..yall probably noticed its a whole lot of singin ass muthafuckas on these hooks. The one thing they all did right so far is nobody tried to get on some Whitney Houston shit n SING like they was gettin they chance to shine for dolo in the church choir for the first time ever n shit. If this was Beyonce on the hook… I got a feelin she woulda tried to overpower the track nahmean. Kelly on the other hand…she kno what she doin. She approached this shit like she was Faith Evans in ’95 addin her vocals to a Chucky Thompson production that Puffy was gon take half the credit for. Like on some cool laid back shit… Which was perfect for this shit since Pusha channeled the ghost of M-a-dollar sign-e on this joint namsayin. Dont sleep on Pastor Ma$e neither cuz son had bars for days yo…n this shit kinda like a tribute to the jiggy/shiny suit era of rap. All thats missin from this is a Mad Rapper skit tacked on at the start or some Puffy ad libs. Word. I fucks wit it.
9. Who I Am (feat. 2 Chainz & Big Sean) – This beat tough. Like this shit might gon put some holes in the walls at my crib if I dont turn it down right now. Got damn yo… But after Pusha spit his little short ass verse n a hook 2 Chainz comes in n lowers the lyrical bar for a minute. Next up is Sean doin his Big Sean “I cant find the beat” thing. Ionno who taught son how to rap but he need to talk to em cuz they missed some fundamental shit there yo. Its like niggas might kno how to drive but they got one foot on the brake n one foot on the gas pedal. This jus basic shit son. But he part of the Def Jam/GOOD music family so somebody hadda been lookin out for dude n threw son on the album anyways. I aint sayin son CANT rap…but what they might coulda did for this particular track after they heard how lost n bewildered that nigga sounded was drop the beat out n let his part be some acappella shit. I still fucks wit it tho.
10. Nosetalgia (feat. Kendrick Lamar) – I aint gon beat around the bush on this one… Imma jus put it to yall like this… This might be my favorite shit I heard all year… The beat jus IGNORANT. Ionno what else Im pose to say bout that. Niggas aint eem put a hook on this shit…minus the KRS-One/BDP vocals from The Bridge Is Over nahmean. Other than that its jus some straight rawness on this track. This like some shit for niggas who be havin a discman in the whip wit the cassette adapter in the deck namsayin. This for niggas who rock head to toe Carhartt n keep razors under they tongue… Im talmbout niggas who…back in the day..seen those livin large cats pushin the drop Saabs wit the gold BBS rims n the Gucci upholstery n all that come rollin thru they hood n use to smack em for they whip yo. Like..niggas who use to jus run up on cats who was really gettin money without no weapons or nothin n jus slap a nigga n take his car nahmean…slap you out ya moccasins n shit. Word is bond..I can smell the Newports comin outta the speakers when this shit come on son. Fuck is niggas thinkin puttin this out there when we got rappers wearin leather gowns n off the shoulder sweaters n shit?? This aint the right climate for all this gutter shit son. But somehow one of these raw ass joints done slipped thru the cracks (no pun intended tho) n here we at in 2013 experiencin the devastatin effects of Reaganomics all over again but in musical form yo. This shit is lovely. I aint een decide who between these two niggas spit a harder verse. Ey’thing bout this joint is perfection b. The beat…the rhymes…not to mention Nottz did his thing on the boards. This shit too real yo. Niggas is goin to hell for this shit… This the anthem right here. Shouts to Tee $. You kno what time it is.
11.Pain (feat. Future) – Another banger. No I.D. n Kanye did they thing on the beat. I aint a fan of Future in no shape or form tho… but its a whole lotta yall that fuck wit son. Personally I woulda rather heard a whole lot of anything else on the hook. I woulda settled for dolphin mating calls or the sound of a garage door openin n closin but thats jus my own personal preferences. I aint mad at the rest of the track tho. Push came thru on the bars n the beat knocks. Shit is aight.
12. S.N.I.T.C.H. (feat. Pharrell) – This shit kinda cold yo. The subject matter is some self explanatory shit thats ALWAYS relevant…
“Break ya heart when the man you call ya brother be the same one that settin in motion all them undercovers”
Pharrell playin the snitch on this track n sings the hook as a response for his devious ways n shit. Its some real shit. Ya peoples thats closest to you aint always gon be ya peoples once they loyalty put to the test nahmean. Its niggas out there who might gon roll on you to get outta a traffic ticket yo. Shit is mad real in the field… Its niggas out chea that might dime you out to avoid a fine for throwin some trash on the street. Either way this a perfect way to wrap up the album. I coulda used a little less autotune personally… like maybe none. But I still fucks wit it.
So thats that… The best way I can describe this album is like this yo…When Pusha focused n he puttin that ether in the mix n he REALLY really cookin up that base we get shit like King Push n Suicide n Nostalgia n 40 Acres etc..the shit that leave half ya body numb…the dopamine jus be takin over ey’thing at that point namsayin… Like he comin wit that mad belligerent shit that makes niggas who was born in the late 90s get wild confused like YO…WHY THIS TRACK AINT GOT NO MELODIES B?… like THAT to me is whats poppin yo. When he start cuttin wit the baking soda n you aint gettin that pure like on No Regrets.. or he got other less potent niggas all in the mix leavin they impurities behind like 2 Chainz n Big Sean…its a whole different product yo. When Terrence starts playin by the rules…that shit aint givin you the same fix namsayin. Thats a whole different sensation at the end of the day yo. Like if it was more Nosetalgia n Suicide type joints on this muthafucka it coulda been another Hell Hath No Fury. One of the main isssues I had wit this shit was its way too many damn features on this shit for a 12 track album. If I had my way it woulda been a whole album wit jus Pharrell n Nottz beats n the nigga Pusha spittin dolo wit like 2 features on the whole album. Aint actually no garbage on this shit tho son…which is rare. Its jus some different potency levels n whatever whatever. The shit I DO fucks wit I fucks wit HEAVY tho…so that shit gotta count for sumn namsayin. Its summa the realest shit of the last 10 years on this muthafucka. But what yall wanna kno basically is…is My Name Is My Name the album of the year to me? …n my answer is yeah…..so far.
Aight peace.
I gives this shit 4.5 HARD Zeus Slaps outta 5
http://www.bigghostlimited.com/mnimnreview/
100% C/S
