For the last few months, the soundtrack for my 2.5 mile drive to work has been sponsored by the good people at XM Satellite Radio. This gives me about 10 minutes to enjoy three songs. In what promises to be an inconsistent and irregular regular feature here on MGF, I thought I’d offer up what I thought about what I heard”¦
XM Channel: 66-Raw (Uncensored, Uncut Hip Hop)
Pauly X – “Sour Dough”: It’s been about 15 years since the passing of the Cross Colours Amendment, which banned such early 90s African-American fashion staples as those denim shorts/overalls combo with one strap unbuttoned, British Knights shoes and Los Angeles Raiders/Kings gear. Often overlooked was the “X Addendum”, which was passed at the height of the Malcolm X craze from the same time. In addition to those ubiquitous “X” hats, all references to the slain civil rights leader became verboten in pop culture. (In 1992, NBC’s A Different World successfully petitioned for an exemption.) Anyways, this is a four-minute track about making money that refers to the streets as “the concrete jungle”. Cutting edge, that Pauly X.
E-40 featuring Kanye West & Ice Cube – “Tell Me When to Go (Remix)”: So, is the “new” E-40 a fad or phenomenon? After years of flying below the national radar with nonsensical singles such as “Nah Nah”, Vallejo’s hero embraces the Bay Area’s hyphy movement for his first chart-topping smash. And, when Lil’ Jon is the producer getting all the credit, Armageddon can’t be far behind. Kanye and Cube lend a whole lotta nothing to the remix, but a cut like this isn’t in every club for its lyrical content. “Now, gas”¦brake”¦dip. Now, gas”¦brake”¦dip.” See? I told you so.
Ludacris – “War With God”: Luda’s latest is off the brand new Release Therapy album. And, true to form, he continues a career long trend of dropping singles (and guest spots) that I generally like”¦while, not liking them quite enough to ever cop one of his albums. A little bit of Ludacris goes a very long way and a 60-70 minute CD is just too damn much. To his credit, he’s dialed down his usual loud-moufed style on this one, while very subtly cranking up the arrogance to “100”. It’s obviously a diss track, but in public, Ludacris is being coy about who the subject is. It’s even more obviously about Chingy (or Rick Ross or T.I. or Young Jeezy), who are all deserving choices for any rapper’s anger.
