Re-doing classic rap songs seldom ends well for anyone, anywhere. It is inherently awkward shit. Don’t get me wrong: flipping lines, stealing hooks, chopping samples, or using those instrumentals for a freestyle, that’s all valid & vital stuff. But even when Elzhi did a painstakingly re-imagined version of Illmatic with a killer live band, something was still off. These kind of re-creations fall flat because it’s too stale, too rote. They can’t let go of their reverence for the source material enough to write their own song.
“[NEW 2024]” the title slug adds, helpfully. Yes. There are other versions of “Microphone Fiend” in the public domain, and I assume most readers are familiar with at least one of them. Kurupt’s take is on point, no question. Not a single syllable out of place. Growing up, I always thought of him as the West Coast gangsta who loved New York Style rap. Years later I found out he was just from Philly, home to an inordinately large percentage of incredibly talented rappers, per capita.
You have to kill your idols. It’s not an ad slogan or even a metaphor, you have to kill them. Kurupt’s bars here are hella adequate, but so what? You got to re-write somebody else’s homework and you didn’t do a worse job. I’d call that a bare minimum but I’m feeling generous today. Summer is here.
Rakim without the divine mathematics or jazz influences is a lot less interesting. The man himself will be back in rotation soon: allegedly, he’s dropping a new album called God’s Network: Reb7rth on June 26th, but the rollout has been a little weird so far. We’ll see. I’m always curious to see icons of the artform returning to the arena, but hopefully someone else was picking his beats this time around.
It’s been a surprising monthlong streak of strong leaks & singles promoting … Tha Dogg Pound, I shit you not. And it’s on Death Row Records, too. “Surprising” because most of it is really damn good. The best halo effect of the Hip Hop’s 50th Anniversary spectacle will be projects like this: legends getting back together for the sheer fun of it & making new music. Those albums will be dropping for years to come; great art takes time.
I have total confidence that Kurupt over some trunk-rattling G-Funk/Mobb Deep hybrid strain beats will make for one of the best road trip albums that 2024 has to offer us. His eye for detail and his predator sense of humor remain intact. This here is nothing much, though. I’d rank it higher, but like I said: inherently awkward shit. Two Dickies.
