Ya'll know I'm a musical nerd and consummate hip-hop head. One of these days, someone will pay me to break down the relative artistic merits of DJ Premier vis-a-vis Pete Rock, but until that day comes you'll have to endure posts like this. For those of you who ain't into "underground rap", this might be a "skip me" post cause it's prolly a little too "inside baseball" for everyone. But if the shoe fits, here's a trio of new jawns in steady rotation on my iPod. But are they good (Jam) or janky (Slam)? That is the question. Here's my verdict, show me yours.
Today, I'm peeping a handful of lead singles from a trio of artists about to drop their debut solo albums. Cop them headphones and go in.
Nicki Minaj Feat. Sean Garrett - "Massive Attack"
Like the typical mixtape rapper, Nicki Minaj aimed for the fences with her first official single, and boy, did she ever strike out. Since I don't get out much, I'm gonna assume this is one of those songs that "only sounds good in the club". It sounds like a botched musical abortion to my ears, with all the shrieking synths, messy congos, annoying a$$ed Sean Garrett's nonsensical hook, and Nicki's Lil Kim circa 98' flow. Pass. - Slam It.
Big Boi - "Shutterbug"
Boi Boi's always been OutKast's version of Phife Dawg/Pras/Rapper Big Pooh. You know, that other guy who's routinely outdone by his partner to the point that you wonder if he could have even gotten a rap deal if he wasn't a member of a successful group. That said, it's hard for me to not like this song, cause damn, what's not to like? The beat's amazing, the autotuned hook is an 80's throwback, and Big Boi's usually pimptastic boasting is actually tolerable for once. And if you'll excuse me, I'll now brace myself for the onslaught of outraged OutKast stan emails. - Jam It.
J.Cole - "Who Dat?"
Jay-Z's handpicked successor to the Roc Nation throne finally stopped dropping mixtapes and rolled out his first legitimate single earlier this week. I'm from NC, so of course I'm rooting for J. Cole to be this year's Drake, minus the vocoders and those annoying limpwristed hand motions. Sadly, while I like this song, it's not going to do much to dispell the notion that Cole's just another lyricist without any concept of how to make songs that girls like. Cause face it, girls buy albums, and if you can't make something they like, you aren't getting airplay, and you are going to be washing dishes at a Sizzler in Fayetteville very soon. Then again, Jay-Z is this guy's mentor, so this is probably one of those "street singles" that will be followed soon by a "radio single" featuring Trey Songz or some such nonsense. Which naturally, will turn off a rap purist like me, and a month from now, I'll be here complaining about how "I don't like the direction J. Cole's headed in". Anyways, for channelling "Takeover"-era Jigga, and making something that thumps in the headphones, I'll leave the future where it is and just enjoy this song for what it is. - Jam It.
Question: Jam or Slam? Which of these tracks do you like, and which ones are wack?
