Interlude I: Ya'll Betta Find a Plan "P"

I'm a fiend for making Best Of playlists for my favorite artists.  When one my top dogs has a new release, my first thought is getting the new material listened thoroughly and quickly so I can get my Best Of playlists up to speed.  But don't get me wrong - if one given album release has eight worthy songs, they are all going in to the Best Of playlist.  I don't limit what I put in.  By the same token if a release is just garbage I don't force putting something in the playlist just to say I have something from that album.  These playlists mean the world to me when I don't have time to navigate (gym, car, work, shower time).  It just makes my life a lot easier. 

As you can imagine, in operating in this way, I lose some of what the artist intended - the order, entirety, and ups and downs.  For this reason I love diving into albums that can send me back for more. There are only a few things better than that; an undoubtedly, something a Peso-built playlist just cannot do. 

A few years ago, Rock the Bells rolled out a new theme where artists would perform an entire album, typically their most popular (although why the f' is Common performing Be? Resurrection or Like Water for Chocolate easy).  I have been to Rock the Bells the past three years and I might touch on those at a later date.  Again, this is an interlude, and like I enjoy my music, I don't mind hopping around from thought to thought like a bunny a little with this whole thing.  I'll try to keep at least past memories in order as if not this could quickly turn into some Leo in Inception, third-level, spinning coins on the floor type shit.  A promise I am making to you.

Well, unfortunately they cancelled the 2011 Rock the Bells event in DC (really in Columbia, Maryland, but who cares).  Although this essentially felt like Nasty Nate taking my fruit cocktail, the comrades and I went forth and got tickets to the show at Governor's Island in New York City.  The list of great acts is long but the stand out to me from the very beginning has been my excitement to hear Mobb Deep perform Infamous in its entirety...in New York City...at Rock the Bells.  (I mean Nas is that dude and the great but I have seen him quite a few times.)

As I was showering without a loofa in the 336, Prodigy's flow on "The Start of Your Ending" popped up in my mind.  This was the first shower I had taken in years where I did not have music actually playing in the background - unchartered waters if you will.  I have this ritual of showering with very, very loud music - it's deafening.  I give myself a window of five to eight years before a hearing aid will be a necessity.  The price you pay for music. 

That darkness just wasn't going away on the ride home.  I needed to listen to the whole album.  My wife and I were tired from a late night on Saturday as we got to rock with the Jamla family at the Garage in Winston-Salem, which was literally a garage (so hot) with music.  Those that know me know that I can pretty much sweat on the drop of a dime.  Live hip-hop is one of the only things in the world where I can sweat and just accept the fact my shirt is soaked all the way through.  Most times (who am I fooling, like 70%, okay 80%) in my life I am pissed off and just want to drink a huge glass of ice water, sit by a fan, and derobe.  

This past Saturday was no different.  But wow, big ups to the Jamla family and everyone else involved  for putting on a great show - thoroughly enjoyed it.  I'm excited for every one of you.  I respect the work you are putting in in a big way and can also tell that you love what you do.  We listen a lot to Jamla in the Peso household, but the response from my better half when I asked if she had a music preference on drive home was, "let's listen to that Jamla playlist."   

I was not arguing, but just got to keep HaLo from performing "Boom Bap for the Radio" next time she is in the building.

We got home and I had a few things I needed to achieve quickly: shower with a loofa, listen to The Infamous, and make sure we enough wine to take us through True Blood.  

The loofa was everything I missed and imagined.  I told you liked to be FRESH.

Say I were to "review" each song, well, each would have a similar comment underneath.  The same five adjectives come to mind.  Even with all the similarities, each track is so shockingly complex and different in its own grimy, yet magical way.  I'm also not in this to review anything.  I review enough during a regular workday.  Enjoy is the right word. 

Crystal Johnson sings a dope hook on "Temperature's Rising".  Heavy melodic, deep beat, with Havoc starting the story.  Hearing this play out is ill, even though both Havoc and Prodigy had what I would consider to be mediocre verses.  I feel like this duo is justified in what they are doing; it was what they had to do, what they knew to do.

Another track I love is "Trife Life".  I've always loved Prodigy's comfort with the mic.  He's poised.  P doesn't feel like if he jumps off beat that he will lose anyone along the way.  It doesn't matter the speed of his rhyme or whether or not he stays with the same rhythm from one bar to the next - he's dragging you with him whether you like it or not.  I love the story he is unraveling. 

Finally, my favorite.  There's no other way to put it: "The Start of Your Ending (41st Side)" is the perfect introduction to this album.  You can always pretty much count on Prodigy bringing flame to the mic in his earlier ears - just filthy.  I mean seriously.  But the amazing thing about this song is that Havoc's first verse is honestly what roped me in to loving this one from the beginning.  Add to Havoc's verse his very own melodic, dark production topped with a Prodigy verse on point and its game over.  I feel like I'm getting pulled in to some deep shit.  It's about to happen:

"Survival of the Fittest", "Eye for an Eye" (with Nas and Raekwon), "Right Back at You" (with Big Noyd, Ghostface, and Raekwon),  "Drink Away the Pain" (with Q-Tip and co-produced by Q-Tip), and "Shook Ones Part II" are hip-hop gold, and further having "Give up The Goods", "Up North Trip", "Q.U. - Hectic" (with Darc Nature), "Cradle to the Grave" as SUPPORTING tracks is silly and unfair.  

This is as classic as it gets, fam.