This is monstrous. Joe has become the master of the deceptive street single. It seems like every year he releases some mind crushing leadin to a forgettable or corny full length. He could have saved New York years ago had he just consolidated his efforts.
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For me it’s kind of hard to take anything serious a NY rapper says these days. That city has changed drastically over the past few years, definitely not what it was in the 90’s when it was strong and still “grimy.” For it to come back alive the environment needs to change. Artists are products of their environments hence you have the new NY blipster rap.
I’m not saying I don’t like this, I just would’ve loved to see the response if Jay had dropped this single using those punchlines over a sample this potentially gimmicky attached to a video this full of shallow landmarks. This is a naked and somewhat cheap play for the nationalistic NY pride he turned his back on a long time ago when Miami was poppin. Again not a bad song but “why’s it always gotta sound like the next man’s shit” Joe?
Eh Joe’s never been much on the lyric/delivery front. He gets it done, but that’s about it. Not so much lowered expectations IMO as par for the course.
What Fat Joe made is outdated. You can’t revive NY rap by just going back to what killed it in the first place which is it being overtly NY with an over the top video going along with it at a time where NY isn’t what it’s depicted in the music. NY rap is dead. Goodbye! It’s basically the same comment, Abraham.
Jay hasn’t rapped with this much energy to a beat this nice in six years.
I don’t think this is a regressive beat either. Throwback, sure. But it’s dynamically modern, the drums are mixed uniquely, the guitars are distinct even the hardest classic boom bap was never this kind of hard. Show me a true school beat that sounds like this. “Made You Look” is really the only point of reference, but I’d say that was similarly retro but original.
What killed New York rap is people not doing it well. To that end, this is fairly well done.
“Made You Look” isn’t really that great of a comparison because it was so over-the-top intentional with the “Apache” loop. I mean, great record but this isn’t as obviously thrown back.
And what killed New York City is douchebags from the rest of the country moving here en masse and bringing their terrible taste and culture with them [/snark]
I dunno, Theifs Theme & Hip Hop is Dead, PSA, Come On Baby, You Don’t Know, (Basically any number of Just Blaze Beats featuring raging guitars playing with soulful vocal snippets) some bomb squad shit, Real N******* dont die, Signifying Rapper. I suppose no song ever made is EXACTLY like this one but you’re not telling me there’s not a very established familiar approach at play here? I don’t want to be a hater but if we’re gonna belabor the issue, Fat Joe 5 years ago sounded nothing like this. Not even on grimy shit like “Yeah Yeah Yeah” You could argue Don Cartagena and his shit on Capital Punishment was like this or take it back to DITC, but in my intangible and totally unfair opinion that was when he ACTUALLY sounded like that as opposed to transparently trying to sound like that. Its like he’s dick riding the nostalgic NY thing that’s big in the city right now just like he dick rode Khaled and Ross when they were hot and based on the video and the whole thing it seems like he’s clearly striving for I dont even understand how thats up for debate.
Fat Joe does not and has never rapped well. He was tolerable ten years ago but even then he was weak by the standards of the time. If New York is going to re-emerge as a creative force in rap music, I do not want Fat Joe to be involved whatsoever.
You seem to vaguely dislike Joell Ortiz but I don’t understand why. On some days it feels as though Ortiz is the only gifted rapper left in New York who hasn’t been in the game 10 years or more. He might not fit this beat but I would rather hear him on it than motherfucking Fat Joe.
In fact, if you exempt the irredeemable Joe Budden, every member of Slaughterhouse has been doing more-or-less excellent rapping in the traditional multisyllabic ’90s style, and any of them would have eaten this alive. That said, their album was mostly lousy, because Fat Joe appears to have significantly better instincts as to how to craft a great rap single than they do. Which is unfortunate verging on agonizing.
beat is nice, joe does his thing…i guess. this dude’s style keeps changing though, and i think it probably has to do with whatever ghostwriter he’s working with. i pulled out don cartagena the other day and was actually pretty impressed with his lyrics, but i’m pretty sure pun wrote most of that album. listen to joe’s rapping now, and pun’s influence is sorely missed.
yeah it sounds way too rock influenced for me, especially the drum programming/mixing, not to mention lazy sampling (its nice that they got the hendrix version, but its a rock standard, surely they could have sampled another version that was more aggressive so it fit better w/ the rest of the beat) im not even gonna touch joe’s rapping
True monstrousness doesn’t come from a bombastic riff. Like “Safe 2 Say” this tastes good on the first bite, but feels hollower with each successive listen. It isn’t just that it is a blatant retread of Thief’s Theme and 99 Problems. There is something superficial about this beat, even when it seems to be hitting the sweet spot. Fat Joe simply lacks the presence or strength of character necessary to make something truly substantive. There is loudness here but no guts beneath it.
blah, joe and joell are both pretty lame tbh. But shit, Joe discovered Pun, while Joell’s trying to revive his spirit, and failing miserabley. So in that sense, Joe > Joell.
and Noz, did you notice he stole that line from Gucci, on Wasted? “Gucci no hippie, this song like Jimi”
Didn’t the UK’s Hijack on their monstrous hardcore rap track, Phantom of the Opera er… hijack this sample before Thief’s Theme, Hip Hop is Dead and Hey Joe! To be honest I think this is Fat Joe’s best track since That White!
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:01 pm
For me it’s kind of hard to take anything serious a NY rapper says these days. That city has changed drastically over the past few years, definitely not what it was in the 90’s when it was strong and still “grimy.” For it to come back alive the environment needs to change. Artists are products of their environments hence you have the new NY blipster rap.
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:02 pm
Fat Joe with guitar riffs sample >
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:41 pm
sounds like his version of “Thief’s Theme”
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:42 pm
that sample is dope tho
September 3rd, 2009 at 4:45 pm
@ Dinero there are still plenty of grimy corners of NYC.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:03 pm
I’m not saying I don’t like this, I just would’ve loved to see the response if Jay had dropped this single using those punchlines over a sample this potentially gimmicky attached to a video this full of shallow landmarks. This is a naked and somewhat cheap play for the nationalistic NY pride he turned his back on a long time ago when Miami was poppin. Again not a bad song but “why’s it always gotta sound like the next man’s shit” Joe?
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:12 pm
It really sounds like Jay wrote this, actually. Not sure if that’s what you were implying…
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:18 pm
I’m implying if it weren’t for lowered expectations those verses would come off lame and is totally Fat Joe very consciously putting out NY rap.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:19 pm
But in no way shape or form do I want it to sound like I’m agreeing with Dinero reading that comment made me dumber
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:28 pm
Eh Joe’s never been much on the lyric/delivery front. He gets it done, but that’s about it. Not so much lowered expectations IMO as par for the course.
The beat goes, though.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:38 pm
What Fat Joe made is outdated. You can’t revive NY rap by just going back to what killed it in the first place which is it being overtly NY with an over the top video going along with it at a time where NY isn’t what it’s depicted in the music. NY rap is dead. Goodbye! It’s basically the same comment, Abraham.
September 3rd, 2009 at 6:51 pm
Jay hasn’t rapped with this much energy to a beat this nice in six years.
I don’t think this is a regressive beat either. Throwback, sure. But it’s dynamically modern, the drums are mixed uniquely, the guitars are distinct even the hardest classic boom bap was never this kind of hard. Show me a true school beat that sounds like this. “Made You Look” is really the only point of reference, but I’d say that was similarly retro but original.
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:03 pm
What killed New York rap is people not doing it well. To that end, this is fairly well done.
“Made You Look” isn’t really that great of a comparison because it was so over-the-top intentional with the “Apache” loop. I mean, great record but this isn’t as obviously thrown back.
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:05 pm
And what killed New York City is douchebags from the rest of the country moving here en masse and bringing their terrible taste and culture with them [/snark]
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:25 pm
I dunno, Theifs Theme & Hip Hop is Dead, PSA, Come On Baby, You Don’t Know, (Basically any number of Just Blaze Beats featuring raging guitars playing with soulful vocal snippets) some bomb squad shit, Real N******* dont die, Signifying Rapper. I suppose no song ever made is EXACTLY like this one but you’re not telling me there’s not a very established familiar approach at play here? I don’t want to be a hater but if we’re gonna belabor the issue, Fat Joe 5 years ago sounded nothing like this. Not even on grimy shit like “Yeah Yeah Yeah” You could argue Don Cartagena and his shit on Capital Punishment was like this or take it back to DITC, but in my intangible and totally unfair opinion that was when he ACTUALLY sounded like that as opposed to transparently trying to sound like that. Its like he’s dick riding the nostalgic NY thing that’s big in the city right now just like he dick rode Khaled and Ross when they were hot and based on the video and the whole thing it seems like he’s clearly striving for I dont even understand how thats up for debate.
September 3rd, 2009 at 7:26 pm
*Excuse the double negative
September 3rd, 2009 at 8:44 pm
this video looks way too much like 99 problems
September 4th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Fat Joe does not and has never rapped well. He was tolerable ten years ago but even then he was weak by the standards of the time. If New York is going to re-emerge as a creative force in rap music, I do not want Fat Joe to be involved whatsoever.
You seem to vaguely dislike Joell Ortiz but I don’t understand why. On some days it feels as though Ortiz is the only gifted rapper left in New York who hasn’t been in the game 10 years or more. He might not fit this beat but I would rather hear him on it than motherfucking Fat Joe.
In fact, if you exempt the irredeemable Joe Budden, every member of Slaughterhouse has been doing more-or-less excellent rapping in the traditional multisyllabic ’90s style, and any of them would have eaten this alive. That said, their album was mostly lousy, because Fat Joe appears to have significantly better instincts as to how to craft a great rap single than they do. Which is unfortunate verging on agonizing.
September 4th, 2009 at 1:10 am
beat is nice, joe does his thing…i guess. this dude’s style keeps changing though, and i think it probably has to do with whatever ghostwriter he’s working with. i pulled out don cartagena the other day and was actually pretty impressed with his lyrics, but i’m pretty sure pun wrote most of that album. listen to joe’s rapping now, and pun’s influence is sorely missed.
Cuban Link would’ve murdered this.
September 4th, 2009 at 2:32 am
I can’t feel this at all, in any way.
September 4th, 2009 at 12:32 pm
yeah it sounds way too rock influenced for me, especially the drum programming/mixing, not to mention lazy sampling (its nice that they got the hendrix version, but its a rock standard, surely they could have sampled another version that was more aggressive so it fit better w/ the rest of the beat) im not even gonna touch joe’s rapping
September 4th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
the westcoast is what killed ny…..
September 4th, 2009 at 2:56 pm
I don’t dig it. Jimi’s too good for a half assed rap
September 4th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
yeah this video really is a bootleg “99 problems”
September 5th, 2009 at 7:58 pm
This is a pretty great song in theory but it does suffer from Fat Joe.
September 6th, 2009 at 7:04 pm
True monstrousness doesn’t come from a bombastic riff. Like “Safe 2 Say” this tastes good on the first bite, but feels hollower with each successive listen. It isn’t just that it is a blatant retread of Thief’s Theme and 99 Problems. There is something superficial about this beat, even when it seems to be hitting the sweet spot. Fat Joe simply lacks the presence or strength of character necessary to make something truly substantive. There is loudness here but no guts beneath it.
September 7th, 2009 at 2:55 am
fat joe >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> not enough >>>s in the world >>>>> Joell Ortiz
September 7th, 2009 at 3:57 am
would be better if it didn’t sound like he ran out of breath on the 2nd verse
September 8th, 2009 at 12:08 am
man david you are retarded.
September 8th, 2009 at 6:39 am
blah, joe and joell are both pretty lame tbh. But shit, Joe discovered Pun, while Joell’s trying to revive his spirit, and failing miserabley. So in that sense, Joe > Joell.
and Noz, did you notice he stole that line from Gucci, on Wasted? “Gucci no hippie, this song like Jimi”
September 8th, 2009 at 6:42 am
* but it’s on like Jimi
it’s mealy mouthed, but still. I hope we don’t see a Joe and Gucci collabo..
September 8th, 2009 at 11:18 am
Sounds like Joel Ortiz wrote this.
September 8th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
what’s up with the dudes drinking Sam Adams at the stash spot that gets robbed?
September 8th, 2009 at 7:48 pm
Sam Adams isn’t hip hop
September 29th, 2009 at 5:03 pm
Didn’t the UK’s Hijack on their monstrous hardcore rap track, Phantom of the Opera er… hijack this sample before Thief’s Theme, Hip Hop is Dead and Hey Joe! To be honest I think this is Fat Joe’s best track since That White!
October 10th, 2009 at 8:07 am
I gotta say. Even after all the hype and hate. This is my fucking joint.