Jay-Z's Masterpiece

Ahki: Welcome back to another week, another episode of the Record Report. As always, it's Samad.

Vance: And this is your boy Vance B, live from the back rooms.

Ahki: Live from the back rooms. We both are low-key. you know what I'm saying? I got I got the whole tap background over here. So so this week we we picked the perfect album at the perfect time. I promise you, we picked this but album before it was in the news cycle. yeah, this has been on our our our sheet for months, I feel like. We talked about this months ago.

Vance: Ha ha. Yeah, that's what I'm saying. It's pretty. It's pretty back there.

Ahki: So it's not like, hey, you just hopping on to the bandwagon. Like we got we got perfectly needed. Like it's in the Apple notes. this week we are visiting one of the greatest albums of all time, one of the greatest artists of all time. we are listening to Jay-Z's first album, The Classic, Reasonable Doubt.

Vance: Yeah, let's get it.

Ahki: Reasonable Doubt released June 25th, 1996. Again, like I just said, this is Jay-Z's first album. it was mostly produced by Kent Clark Clark Kent, Irv Gotti, aka by that time he's gonna buy different name. DJ Irv, DJ Premier, DJ Ski, who had a resurgence with the Dame Dash, Pilot Talk. If you like a currency fan, you know like DJ Ski Beats was was like he has a resurgence around that time. He also made one of my favorite hip-hop songs, Luccini, by Camp Lowe. And also had people from like Nobody, Peter Panic. it says Dame Dash, but I don't think it's actually true that he made any beats. a wonderful album. Features included the notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blas, Jazz O, who was Jay-Z's rap mentor, if you will. and I think this is Memphis Bleak's first verse. Ever is the this coming to coming to age verse. an amazing, amazing album. It was led by singles and Foxy Brown, a young Foxy Brown, a new Foxy Brown. singles are included, Ain't No Nigga, Can't Knock the Hustle were like the two big singles. I'm sure there were other ones, but I know those are the two that they were made videos for. I probably missed someone more. Dead Presence had a video, but actually the Dead Presence video wasn't the video wasn't the song that made it on the album, so maybe that counts too. This is one of my favorite albums. Like this is one of my this is like it it encapsulates a certain time of hip hop that I was like really there, that that really was like becoming like a a mainstream force for his ability to be like artwork. Jay Z was a new artist. This is his first album, like I said, so he didn't have like some push or like it was it was a very low publicized album 'cause it was done independently through Priority Records and Rockefeller. So it wasn't even like a major marketing major majorly marketed album. The album did not even really sell well. it did well with critics, which aged well for most of them. so yeah, it it it is it is a pivotal, pivotal, pivotal album because it is the launching pad for Jay Z. And I think that a lot of the a lot of the skill set that we've seen evolve to today, even like that most recent freestyle. How he was rapping, the word play, how he was so cerebral with his storytelling, the cleverness of his bars, double entendres. Yeah, it's is it is this is masterful. I think there's a book, I don't remember what it was called, but I was reading like excerpts of it, and the guy said this is like Shakespearean and there's how he is just world building and making full songs around emotions and experiences. And it's like I said, cerebral might is the only really word I can describe it 'cause it just feels so if you can feel the songs, on when you're listening to it. but Vance, you you you were visit listening to the album, you revisited to this classic body of work. What what was your impressions as you listened to this album again?

Vance: Man, man. I'm not gonna lie, when I first heard this album, I was kind of a I was definitely a late bloomer. it was definitely in college. Around the time that Blueprint Three came out. excuse me. It wasn't necessarily because, you know, of the reception that Blueprint Three received at that time. but I I wanted to just go back and listen to what Jay-Z was in the past because w at that time I was too young to actually listen to specifically that album. And the only thing that I did remember from that album were the videos that came out because they were available to watch on the box. So when I first heard it, it was actually yeah yeah I saw your face when you when I said that. Man man a box was dope as hell, bruh. I know I don't want to derail it, but like

Ahki: Yeah, I remember the box. Yeah, I remember the box. I remember the box. Yeah. Until Eminem came out and they were just spamming it and just kept playing Eminem songs over and over again because people kept calling. In my opinion, that's when it kinda got a little for the most people got kinda turned off is when like the alternative pop acts started to enter turn started to like dominate so much I feel like it wasn't as balanced. But that's your story. Go ahead.

Vance: If you don't know Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, no. I I I understand because there was a lot of like rock and like heavy metal and shit that in there. And I do remember that. I will say though, it did yes, yes. At one point, it felt like you were getting just different kinds of music. Like just a whole variety. What MTV should have been in the the the 80s, it this the box was specifically what the 90s MTV should have looked like.

Ahki: Yeah, yeah. It was balanced. I felt balanced. Yeah. Yes. Mm-hmm.

Vance: in some cases. And then they bought they bought the box out and then the box became MB MTV two. I remember when the when the box air you know went off air. I remember it because immediately T V two showed up. I digress.

Ahki: Yeah. Mm-hmm. MTV two, yeah. Which which what was just really big point, which really sucks because to your point, which is a great point, I learnt about so much I learned from about corn. Remember that video? I think it was corn. It was like a it was like a bullet that went through or like a storyline. It might have been. There's the song I can't remember the song, but I remember that video. I remember it's the first time I saw like Sum Forty One. they I think they played an Alanis Morset song on there once or twice.

Vance: Yeah Yeah. I think it was freak on the leash. No, no, it was o Yep.

Ahki: I saw Aaliyah on the Aaliyah songs on there. I actually

Vance: Yeah. I saw what's it gonna be by Busta Rhymes and Janet Jackson on there. Yeah, like

Ahki: Yeah, yeah, yeah. I I I even swear to god, I feel like as a kid I remember seeing the Jay Z did President's video. I don't remember the song. I remember s I remember the visual of it. 'Cause I just remember him in New York and like and like in the with the Lexus and as a kid, that's what I imagined New York was always like. 'Cause that it all on all my references for New York was that, like video wise, like I don't remember Nas videos. I'm not sure Ilmatic had videos as a kid. I was too young for that. But like ninety six, I remember seeing some of his videos. I remember that ninety six.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Mm.

Ahki: Pretty sure it was 1997. Maybe it wasn't, but I remember being a kid seeing it like the big old wood frame TV like on the floor, big joint. And my only f my only frame of references for New York was that video in New York Undercover.

Vance: Yeah. Yes, yes. Mm

Ahki: That's my own that's what I thought New York was like and when I went, that's what I did look like. And my like that's what New York is. That's where it all came from. So yeah, the box, man. Shout out to the box. Great we need a box documentary. We need a box documentary. We do.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. We do. We do. I didn't find out until like my later years that it was actually based down in Miami. So it made sense why you had a lot of southern music come out of the box as well. You know what I'm saying? Long bef yeah, long before Southern music was popular.

Ahki: Mm-hmm. Yeah, they had Trick Daddy on there too. Yeah, yeah. And they had JT Money. Ay, ay, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I remember that video. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow. I had no idea. That was so that's really a that's really amazing though. That them

Vance: Yes, yeah. What about drama? Lamb, live, lamb, lamb. Yeah, bro. Yo, my gosh. My gosh. So such a it was such an error. my god. You

Ahki: Yeah. Them being in Miami was so inter I did not know that, but that makes a lot of sense 'cause it was really like a diverse set of songs on there. Like like I like you said, wow. I didn't know that. I thought it was New York based, so I just assumed it. good point.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. I it it the reason why I I or the thing the way that I found that out was that I was watching the Wu Tang clan series and they mentioned the box on the you know in the series when they played the the Rock song. So when it actually came out, I was like, Yo, this is this is pretty dope. And and specifically I remember seeing Jay Z's album.

Ahki: yeah. Mm-hmm. Okay.

Vance: or or or a piece of Jay-Z's project, Reasonable Doubt, through feeling it. That video was definitely one of the ones that circulated for me. Yeah, bro, that that video was so fly. I just remembered the sample just being so dope. It was it was such a good project or or s or a video particularly. And it was just so cool. So by the time I got to listening to Reasonable Doubt in College

Ahki: Mm-hmm. Yeah, that was a video, yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Vance: I knew about feeling it. I knew about Can't Hunt Not the Hustle. I knew about the the the singles. But specifically, it was my first time actually learning about the the the the the album itself and what made Jay-Z Jay-Z before all of the stardom was was there. So yeah, man, I'm just glad that look, you know, going back to this project, even after 30 years.

Ahki: Mm-hmm.

Vance: it still feels like I'm drinking a fine wine. And that's how I appreciated it whenever I played any song off of this project. I do I do understand how at the time it could have been overshadowed because we were just getting so much good music and Jay-Z had a lot of composition. but I do appreciate the what this album brings to the culture and also

Ahki: Mm-hmm.

Vance: There's just so many memorable moments from this album that we'll probably get into, but that are a part of hip hop and American culture in general. so I don't I don't just feel like this is just a rap album. I feel like this is a piece of American history and American art. And Jay-Z encapsulars encapsules a time where hip hop was growing very quickly.

Ahki: Yeah. Uh-huh.

Vance: and being a little bit more diverse than how those stories in New York specifically was being told.

Ahki: Hmm. That's a good that that's that's amazing. Yeah. wow, I I that's true. It is it is definitely American history. I wasn't thinking that big, but it easily is. by the way your camera is out.

Vance: Thank you. I know, I'm trying to fix it right now. I don't know why it just went out like that. no.

Ahki: might be an audio only episode. Who know? We'll see. But let's keep going because we won't gonna stop, right? It says not accessible. Say you gotta use Chrome Edge or something like that. Man, it's technology dog. I don't know what to tell you.

Vance: Yeah. I'm using Chrome. I'm using both Chrome and Edge. What? Yeah. Technology be technology and you feel me. But go ahead, continue. I'm listening. I'm talking.

Ahki: Hey, so we're the by the rules of the process, you're supposed to go first, but I'll go first while you figure out your screen. And if not, we'll just keep it moving. What what's works best for you? Cool.

Vance: You're right. Yeah. I'm I'm following anything.

Ahki: Yeah, cool. So it's fine. It's fine. You can try to figure it out. So I will say, narrowing this down to one song, to three songs, is extremely challenging. I know that's why we made it that's that's like part of the the challenge that we made it to. It's like can you narrow it down to three? Because some albums are really good and you like picking three songs is and if you ask me tomorrow, it actually might change. Some of it, not all of it.

Vance: Yeah. Yep, sure will.

Ahki: emotionally heavy songs that it's just like it connects to you depending on your mood. I say I'd like to say I'm going with the evils.

Vance: Yeah. Mm.

Ahki: Right. So that is my that was my the f my first choice of picking. I don't know if I ranked them in three, but I just put down three songs. First and foremost, having Prodigy and Snoop Dogg on the hook just just like it's just like it's it's like it was meant to be the perfect record. so he got the the the Murder was the case sample from Snoop and then

Vance: Okay. Yeah. Murder was the case that they gave me.

Ahki: Secret Society. He's trying to get the what song is that? The Ashatcha remix. Took both joints, DJ Premier, been who he is, chopped it up. I think that he Premier even said like Jay-Z picked the samples, I'm not mistaken. I could be wrong. But yeah, like he really knew what he wanted to mail how he wanted to craft the song. And listen to the song forever. It's always been about is is it's like a it's about temptation really. It's about like

Vance: But Yeah. Mm.

Ahki: the the the paranoia of what comes with success good and bad well good and bad reasons how you get success but it's like yeah he was selling drugs that's what the whole concept the whole album is based around his experience as a drug dealer but like man this is like power like money corrupts all type level stuff like even like the second verse right so second verse is really about him betrayal of a friend over like trust and money and how it just turned them and how it turned both of them into cold people. Right? He starts the verse off with We used to fight for building blocks. Now we fight for blocks with buildings to make a killing. We you and I grew up together as kids playing. And now you and I are at war over these blocks and the money that we're making. And close as his friends when we first started, grew apart as the money grew, soon grew blackhearted. Yo, the money is there and it is ruining our is ruining our relationships, it's ruining our spirit. It has now turned us into these dark human beings who no longer see each other as worthy of living due to who got it, right? Then he says

Vance: Mm. Yeah.

Ahki: He says, thinking back when we first learned to use rubbers, you never learned. So in turn, I'm kidnapping your baby's mother. That is crazy. That's crazy. Right? So G just said we grew blackhearted. We grew blackhearted. So we're no longer those kids of building blocks. And now here I am, because me, you and I are beefing and we going through that war. I'm kidnapping the mothers of the your mother's your child's mother.

Vance: Damn. Damn. Damn.

Ahki: as a way to get information from her because the rest of what you really was asking about he took her up to figure out where he was at so you could find him. and then he said he says at the end like who could ever foresee we stay up all night at slumber parties now I'm trying to rock his girl to sleep. What? All the years it was real close now I see fears through her tears know I'm wishing that we was still close. What

Vance: Yeah. Mm god damn.

Ahki: That that that that is like yo, that is like that is sinister. But but it's it's a reality of like how you lose yourself when you get so in encapsulated with the evils of whatever the your the the temptation may be for you and how far you're willing to go from who you once were. I I think this is this is it is so like poetic, it is spiritual, it is like it's riveting.

Vance: Damn. Yeah.

Ahki: and to say that a twenty-year-old kid did this about his experiences and how life has forced him not forced him based on the decisions he made, based on the decisions that he had to decide from, bas based on the choices that he had, and this is who he turned out to be, is part of it is like very impressive that you can see it that way. But also it's part of it's scary to be like, damn, what makes a person get to that point? But yeah, man, each each each verse further and further just it just f it's it's it's I don't know, man. Then he even ends the song with dear God, I don't I wonder can you save me? I can't die. I can't die. What? It's it's it's it's it's

Vance: Yeah. I can't die, I can't die, I can't die. Yeah.

Ahki: But it it's to me it's it's temptation. It's is you got success, but here's the paranoia that goes with this success, with the way you chose to become successful. Here's the paranoia of your decisions. Here is the the guilt that weighs heavily on you for the decisions you make. Look who you once were, look who you are now. Man, it's that's that is that is that is that is art to communicate that emotion. And then lay that over the beat and how it sounds like a horror film.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah, actually that I I I I would like to segue to the production of the track because that is actually one of the reasons why I like this song so much. of course the use of Snoop Dogg's murder was the case and I shot you by LL Kouje and Prodigy was cool and and many others on the on the track. It was really dope. I think specifically the chords that were being used. was very intriguing for me because it did give it that horror tone that I've am very that that attracted my ears. specifically that's a sample from Alan Toussaint Go Back Home which is really cool because even the message that the original song Go Back Home is kind of giving you is about just returning returning home. You're tired. You're so you're sick. of of of dealing with you know the stresses or or or a lost love and things of that matter. So to actually hear the original track and then go to what it became and to see how Jay-Z tweaked that sample with the two other samples and create this gym with a storium tagged along. it just added those layers necessary to keep me align throughout the entire track and to honestly be one of my favorites off of this project alone. Now top three, that's pretty tough, but specifically for for me at the time of first listening to this strong to this to this album, this song was the one that made me go back to it consistently, as a as a college student. So yeah, this this was definitely a dope ass track. And then the production itself was was so dope, man. Like DJ Premier killed that shit and continues to make really good music with this style of sampling. Something that is very respectable to people who are into like the production game and like myself.

Ahki: What made me appreciate this album the first time, it's gonna be pretty ironic how I got to this. So long s if you listen to the podcast for a long time, I gotta go through the whole history, but my brother was not a big Jay Z fan. And a lot of the music that I listened to early on would be taking my brothers, my mom as well, taking their CDs and listen to 'cause they had a bunch of C Ds. so a lot of my earlier music, whatever comes from whatever they had in my li their library. But you get on other people as some of the people that or the Some of the older guys that I grew up with, it was like a one group was like big, biggie, other one was like big Tupac. So that was a remember as a kid growing up, they would always like get us to say like each other's lyrics. That's why I know so many big lyrics now, because that they was just catchy to learn so young. But then the Jay-Z thing was always there. And I don't remember Reasonable Doubt growing up. I remember some of the videos, like I said earlier, but the music, I don't really know it. I know I listened to it a little bit more sometimes. But what really made it stick out, it wasn't when it came out, maybe like a couple years later. But when Food and Liquor dropped, that is when I listened to this album for like that inspired me to listen to this album. Maybe not the first time, because Food Liquor dropped in 2000 and what? 2004? two thousand three Winnipho Liquor Drop.

Vance: I think like two thousand five because it had to be after it had to be after late registration 'cause that's when he first had his big his big run. And late registration was two thousand five, I think, or two thousand four.

Ahki: Two thousand and five, yeah. Yes. Yeah, yeah it was. That's a good point. Yeah. So I remember Foolin' Lugger cause Lupe has a has a song.

Vance: two thousand six, September nineteenth.

Ahki: Two thousand six. Cool. I remember 'cause I I went to the Sam Goodies to buy that in Montana. I know, I remember. Yes, sir. And I bought the T I album. T I no not it was I'm serious? Trap music. And I didn't know that damn thing was I didn't know that was clean. They did back then you couldn't sell music that with the labels to kids. I didn't realize that. But anyway, Loopy has a song on there. I'm a I'm a

Vance: wow. That plash from the past. Mm.

Ahki: I don't feel like trying to figure out what the song is called. There's a song on there and he says, couldn't listen to Jay-Z because Jay-Z said he didn't pray to God, he prayed to God E. And I did not get the line when he said it. I didn't understand it. So when I go back, when I was 16 when Food Lucky came out, so maybe it was 16. So when I was 16, 17, I listened to Reason Without and my mind was blown. I remember that. I remember when I listened to it and I was like, this is the some of the best writing I probably ever heard at the time and still think it's true. But this first the the what I love about this song is it is a gradual descension, descend descendance of a person into Despair into darkness into whatever happens. And it's so interesting that a person the person that made this song is not a person that interviews talking about he's a great capitalist. the first verse is like, the shit is wicked in these main streets. None of my friends speak, we all trying to win. Cause then again, maybe it's for the best though. Cause like we were all friends. We was all cool to kick it, but I'm now I'm looking back, maybe us not being together. It's cool, and then he kept like building it up. I used to say fuck my skills, never prayed to God or prayed to pray to Gody, that's right, it's wicked, that's life. The wordplay on that part is just mind-blowing. Listen to how he did it. so the first hook is just like the mindset, in my opinion. How the first verse is the mindset of like becoming this person. Then the second is like versus like this is who I am now. This is what it this this is what that has got me doing. And then the third verse is like, now you end it. You you've descended into madness. You've now done crazy stuff, and now you're actually committing like violence. and I and I would imagine growing up in the nineties and the things people saw was happening then is what has inspires us and things that he was probably doing around that time because he was in a very violent industry. And I I think for a twenty year old somebody who is new to songwriting, this is very deep, very expansive, but I also understand why this album did not sell a lot 'cause I would imagine this is not something that people were like ready for. They call this the mafioso rap. which comparative to Wu Tang, which is like, you know, what was Only Before Cuban links like Mafioso Rap or Nas when Nas did second albums Mafioso rap, Cool G Rap, Mafioso Rap. so it's like that's like a mafioso realm that he was doing. But man, this is one in my opinion, this is one of the best songs in J T's category. I mean a catalog.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: And I I think it's just some of the it's some of the best songwriting just on like how cerebral it is and how it just it pulls you in and it is just the vision, it's just brother. This is one of the ones, man. I probably should have said this on the end, because I don't want to be this this this thorough with the rest of the songs. But yeah, that's my that's my first choice. The evils. Yeah. I don't think it's any bad first choices, to be honest with you.

Vance: I agree with that. Yeah. That's a good first choice. That's a good ass first choice for real. Honestly. Yeah. Yeah. I I yeah. Yeah. That's why I'm probably just gonna go with the literally the first track off of the off of the project and go with Canton out the hustle. Yeah, dawg. I like this song. Spa not only because of that that fucking bass line, man. god. But then like

Ahki: Amen with that. Amen with that.

Vance: The the the beginning is also iconic in some cases because I've heard so many other rappers use that beginning or they make it their own by doing the same shit but kind of switching it up. I like definite I definitely like the addition of Mary J. Blige's singing. Wait. Yeah

Ahki: You know that was Scarface, right? That was a Scarface, that was a Scarface, it was like a play on Scarface. It wasn't him, but that was like the play on Scarface. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That was kinda cool. That was kinda cool. Yeah.

Vance: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. That was dope. Cause like that was the that was the scene where that was the scene specifically where Scarface was fuck Yeah, he was fucking around with one of the dealers and he was like, big guy, you wanna make big bucks? Yeah, yeah. Yeah, one of my favorite one of my favorite movies. So like that already caught my attention to just start the entire the entire project out.

Ahki: He was talking to the Yeah. And Big Bucks yeah yeah yeah. And then the do was a the dude was a rat. Yeah yeah yeah.

Vance: But for it to go from something as intense as that scene to just go to some smooth shit with a bass line that is very similar to what I might hear from maybe Maxwell or maybe D'Angelo to and to rap over it and become man that shit that shit caught my attention and I was just I was just vibing out with the entire song. And then I of course I love the the the chorus. The chorus is super dope. Who you think you are? Maybe one day you'll be a star. Like that shit was that shit was fire. there was there were just so many specific layers of R and B throughout this song that made me like it when I was, you know, a a a college kid and in in into this day, you know, as an adult. I just think that this shit was just so good. And one of the reasons why this album kind of stands the test of time, just due to the use of its sound and skill. the way that it was created and things of that matter. this was produced by nobody as well as Sean Kane or Sean C. but yeah, man, like just the the the the the way that it kind of started everything out. And also in some ways lead the album as a single. it was very low key, but going back to it and then also remembering the videos makes it a highlight for me, aside from just the production alone and Mary J Blash as always. So yeah, this is my this is my number three currently.

Ahki: Yo, great choice. Also, Sean C was a member of the Hitman. And the Hitman did a lot of stuff. A bad boy, a lot of hits, like they was big. I mean he was wasn't he was in that collective. I think he also was a part of the team that did American Gangster for Jay Z, but I could be wrong. Yeah, I I th I could be wrong. I could be wrong, but I do think so.

Vance: Mm. Mm. that would be dope. That would be dope. I don't I don't see it because I'm looking at his catalog right now. He did work with Big Pun and he also worked with Akon. So

Ahki: But wasn't he in the Hitman? Wasn't Shaw C in the Hitman or was different Shawnee C?

Vance: Let me see. I'm looking now I'm looking at wait, I'm looking at

Ahki: yeah. so that was him. Hey, yeah, shit. I'm glad I got that one right.

Vance: Let me go. Yes, he was a part of American Gangster. And yes, he was a part of the hitman. Yeah, he was yeah, yeah. So you were right. He also co-founded the Executioners. That's dope. Yeah, that's

Ahki: wow, I didn't know that. I didn't know that. Well Premier wasn't Premier in the Executioners? No, he was on the song with Executioners.

Vance: yeah.

Ahki: Man, I absolutely love this song. and I think it makes sense picking it. Not only was it the single, it's like the it was like the preeminent Jay-Z song for a good while. like the the song, the song that you put next to him, probably up until Blueprint, song on Blueprint, and then maybe even Empire State building at some point in time, Empire State of Mind.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: In in this song just about ambition and hustle. Like every song to me on this album is about some love, some emotion that he was trying to convey through it. And this is the ambitious, ambitious version of him you get. And I love that he was playing the wordplay around I'm flexing on everybody. but he was also flexing on wordplay. He had speed raps, he had slower raps. The melody is like slower up, but he was still like chrome socks beaming. Steven Peri for you, I you scheming, stop dreaming, I see your body steaming. Jay-Z would wrap that super fast years ago and he but like on Hawaiian Sophie Devon really fast. But once, in my opinion, when he figured out how to slow his rhymes down to tell better and tell stories, I think that made the him a better songmaker, because the way just the way his mind works to how he creates songs. the like you said, the baseline is crazy. I even love I guess that that the hi hat when it first come on, the t t in the background. I love that. I just Yeah, it does. It does. It's very vi that's probably why I play so well live when he did when he do this live.

Vance: Yeah, yeah. It's very it feels very neo-soulish in some cases. Yeah. Actually, I just found a sample. Like that that beat is sampled. I mean of course it has v v vocal samples, but it's sampled by Marcus Miller and much too much. Yeah.

Ahki: Yeah, yeah, for sure. For sure. Do do do. Marcus Miller. Yeah. Mm. Yeah. Yes, sir. Uh-huh. I I I absolutely love this song. It isn't a it's a song that's on my playlist for my my my my get I'm feeling like ambitious, if you will. I love it, man. I I I I love the braggados of it. I it makes you feel like

Vance: That shit is dope too, the song. Yeah.

Ahki: funny they say this in the song, The Money and the Thing. It feels like a a calmer version of money in the thing. Like like like the the post party, like after you leave the party on the way home and money in the thing is like I'm headed to the club. I just I just cat I just I just bust the check. I'm out there go to the club and spend my money. This feels like dog I just I'm leaving the same feeling you get from feeling it really. But it's like but it's the ambitious side like dog I'm I'm

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: I'm I'm out here trying to you know what I mean? It's it's it's a it is a wonderful song and Mary J. Blaz to your point and I think this is when she became like the hook R and B hook person, the R and B rap hook person 'cause after this everybody was like, I gotta get Mary J. Blaz on the hook. Your all I need is a perfect example and that became like a meg mega hit for her.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: She just adds like a realness to it, just the way she sings, the soulness of her voice, her read on a popular sample, but in another way. so it wasn't like you know what I mean? Melissa Morgan, right?

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It was an interpolation of hold on, I'm looking at yes. Fool's paradise.

Ahki: Yeah, so yeah. But that but that song doesn't even feel like this. It's a totally different song. Did it did it did it. So yeah, I I absolutely this is this is the wordplay it is this is so it is I don't even know what the words describe it. I gotcha. I gotta you let it gotta let you know the time like my vado mamado, stack chop stack rocks like Colorado, Waddle off the champagne, Chris style bottle bottle. That is

Vance: Right.

Ahki: It's not just he's rhyming to rhyme. He's actually like painting a picture of like, dog, we got, we got, we, we, we celebrate. It's a celebratory. Cause this is the last verse. Like the money is in. We good. We cashing it in. Like I'm I'm up. and it's is is a visual. You imagine him, and he it all matched. yeah, man. I even love the JC does his thing. He did it with the the freestyle, the Roberta Roberta Flack slash Lauren Hill slash killing me softly wordplay verse. He did the same thing I hear on my favorite versus the favorite part in like the whole the US Open World on the Play. I got you. I got the US Open Advantage Jigger. That's a great double. US Open because he's selling drugs, which is really annoying. Advantage Jigger. Advantage Jigger. Advantage Jigger. US Open. It's tennis term. La Tiger, son, you're too eager. I think that is so amazing. Cause the La Tiger is like the little tiger on your shirt. like it's the it's the the yeah, the brand. Tennis brand. It's a tennis. It's a tennis known for being like a tennis brand.

Vance: Ha ha ha ha. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. The brand. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: Then he even put like the before that he said I skipped the whole bar which said serve like samprus. Serve like samples play fake rap is like a campus. Campus is the two word word because the campus is also the name of the sneakers, the Adidas sneakers, which is the samplers. I don't know, man. It's just amazing. It's just it's it's just layers, brother. It's just it's just layers, man. I just I just think I just appreciate the level of creativity and damn.

Vance: Good as fuck. Yeah, it's good as fuck. Hell yeah. I'm just like, why are you saying all of these things? I'm just going through Mary J. Blige's discography. And just to yo, yes. Yes. Around this time, she was in production for Share My World. yeah. Yeah. Yeah. which the singles for is Love Is All We Need. I can love you. I can love you.

Ahki: Yeah, man. Yeah, man. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Crazy, ain't it? Yeah, amazing album. Amazing album.

Vance: I can love you. Everything missing you in seven days. Like this was kinda like when she was in her her dark aesthetic, right b and I think Mary was probably the darkest that she's been, 'cause that's the same project that had all that I can say and then your child. And then right after that she dropped No More Drama, which had family function or family affair, excuse me. so just to Kind of just as kind of go back and see her encapsulated into this darkness. Cause some of her earlier albums were some of her darker projects before she kind of was celebrated across the entire music industry. it w it was really dope to actually see that. And like you said, she was able to provide hooks after this song. This but this was the big one that really attracted a lot of people not only to Jay Z but also what Mary J. Blash could do in on rap songs. There's a reason why they call her the queen of hip hop R and B. For sure. For sure. It's songs like this. Hell yeah. So yeah.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, man. It's also some of the some of the best songwriting. if if I was to tell somebody, hey, do you want to see like some elite level songwriting? This would be one of the ones I would say. of being in a hustle and all that comes with it. and growing up with a family full of entrepreneurs, I I absolutely understand the how great that feeling can be. my turn? Alright. So this is a little bit more chill, but I think the chill song really resonated with me. again, I think one of the most

Vance: Yes, sir.

Ahki: One of Jay-Z skill sets, man, and this is one of the things I think separates him from a lot of people, is his ability to be vulnerable. And he was very, very, very extremely vulnerable on the last album. The last song. Some of the album, some of these streaming services have two extra songs on the last part of the streaming services. Regrets is the last song. Can't let the hustle is the first song. Everything else is just things that have been added on over time. Just want to add that for the listeners. Regrets. You start off with ambitions. We talked about the evils and some of the paranoia, but regrets. And I if Jay Z did an interview, he said he picked regrets last because at the end of the day, when you lay down, that's all you that's what you got with you after you're living this life is the regrets from the decisions you made. And I was like, Brother. He starts the verse off with I sold it all from crack to opium in third person. I don't wanna see them. So I'm rehearsing with my people in the GM. Yo, that is again, growing up you know, around these industries, I think is it is it hearing people talk about their experiences and everything else and, you know, whatever, whatever. He's laying out that he has now matriculated some level of his drug dealing to the piece where I don't have to do hand in hand 'cause I'm watching what happens. And I I think that's he he's but he says it in in three s in three lines. I've done it all. I've done it all. Right? I've sold it all, but now I'm in third person because I don't even want to see them. I can't deal with them. I can't even see it no more, yo. Just give me the money. I don't want to look at I don't want to see I don't have I don't have to look at the people no more. So I'm rehearsing my peoples in the GM from a remote location in the BM. So I'm just watching it happen. I'm I'm low key scoping the whole situation like damn metamorphic how the dope turns to cream. What? What? What

Vance: Mm.

Ahki: What is is changed? They went from drugs to cash. But one of these buyers got eyes like a Korean. It's difficult to read him. The the windows to his soul was half closed. I put the key in. He just said three different things. One of the buyers, I don't trust the buyers. His eyes is too small. I guess he's trying to pick on the almond eyes that Korea Koreans have. It's difficult to read him. I can't really see his eyes, right? It's

Vance: Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: Can't say this now in today's rap. I have almond eyes. I feel like I can comment on this. it's difficult to people say all the time to me. I'll take it. It's difficult to read them. The windows to his soul is half closed. I'm in the car. My windows is closed. I put the key in. I'm about to pull off. Pulled off slow, hoping my people flee in. What? What?

Vance: You said it, not anybody else. Yeah.

Ahki: Coppers was watching us with nighttime binoculars. This time they got us exchanging dope for dollars. What? What? I I I just I just I I I think I waiting on a call from his kin, not the coroner. I didn't die, I went to jail. I'm still here, but I need somebody to call me. Phone in the hand, nervous, confined to a corner. Dog, I'm sitting in a corner. Yo, get me out of here.

Vance: No

Ahki: Bees of sweat, second thought to my mind. How can I use this stress and live with these regrets? What? This time, stress, I'm giving this shit up. Fuck. That's what he said. That's what he said. And I love that he did the hook himself. I'm glad the hook is him. This is number one rules to your set. In order to survive, you gotta learn to live with regrets. Brother, that is his life, man. That's life.

Vance: Mm. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: That's the number one rule, man. You gotta learn to live with regrets. And through our travels we can separate and never forget. In order to survive, you gotta learn to live with regrets. In this life, I'm I'm I would I would love I didn't read his book, The Code it, but I wish I did before we did this. I would love to have known if is this is like a mantra he created based on life that he was living. And did that did that did that transfer with him into the music business?

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: Dog, I really love this. Like I this is one of my favorite albums ever. like it's just I know the lyrics without even like reading and listening to it. I listened to the joint so many times because it's it's such a bro, I feel like humans, we all have regrets, right? Good, bad, big, small, middle. Some is not a big deal. Some can be a big deal to others, small deal to us, vice versa.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah, we do.

Ahki: And to have him to use his experiences in a very volatile, violent, fast paced lifestyle and to say These are the regrets that this life comes with and this is how I'm dealing with it. And it's not fucking easy. It's tough. My mom's crying because I inside is insides of dying. Her son trying her patience, keep her heart racing. A million beats a minute. I know I push you to your limit. Now it's like the first part of the the joint is like, dog, I'm I'm my regrets is like the actual instances of my direct decision making, right? I'm in this shit because I decided to do this shit. And now here we go. Now I'm in jail living my living the I'm dealing with my consequences. Second verse. My mom is stressed the fuck out, dog. I'm pushing her to her limit. I'm like, I had family members who was definitely in this lifestyle. Like I I I know the I know the the the toll it takes on our family members. that on the on the people to try to like get them on the right track, but also support them when they're going through what they're going through and being there for them and like driving all the way out or staying up late at night, can't sleep because you're concerned about that. That is a that is that is a that is a very real visceral feeling. and for him to talk about like dog I had to learn to live with the regrets. These are decisions that I was making, man. I can't turn back. Time waits for no man. Can't turn back the hands of time. Like I'm in it now. I can't go back. Like, and I and I was talking to somebody the other day. Try not to ramble, cut me off if I forgot to. I was talking to somebody the other day. And he said to me, he said, fuck, what did he say? What did I just that just remind me of and I just forgot that fast. I was talking to somebody the other day, he said to me. Fuck man. I don't remember it'll come back to me later. But I I I think We talk about the cycle and how we can get caught how how he easily he as a child, just growing up in poverty, how he easily just got into the cycle of of poverty and you know as a kid he found himself locked up and he found himself you know before then doing some bullshit and getting caught up and then he was in it and he he he you know got stabbed in prison and the whole he gave me the whole gamut man he's a young guy too kinda look like probably like around our age range to be honest and he was like man like I had look myself in the mirror and say yo how'd how did I how did I how did I get here? Right? So he he was dealing with his own regrets. Like dog, what what what were the decisions that I was making? So now, you know what I mean? So I I loved I I love that man and I feel like I've never sold a drug in my life. All right. But I I think that there is a a realness of emotions that you can connect with you know I mean about to hide them in a hit rock bottom no answers for this trick questions no time shit stressing bro if you ain't been in a fucked up situation feeling with regrets dealing with that shit and you like yo my heart racing I'm stuck in this shit I gotta figure it out man I don't know if you live life I don't know if you live life you know what I'm saying

Vance: Yeah, no bullshit. No bullshit. Yeah. Shit. Even at a young age, you're living in the fast lane some way. And if you're not, you should. Shit. That's how you learn.

Ahki: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. And one hundred percent. D V down the fast life man is how you learn and then this this is this is the verse right here, right? 'Cause you know, I lost so many people growing up, right? Like you you lose people young over dumb shit. And the third verse is one of my favorite Jay-Z verses. Cause is is essentially so the first verse is like dog, I fuck these are the regrets of my decisions, right? Boom. Second verse is this is the the consequences of my regrets is in is me having to deal with how I'm fucking up my mother and my family. And then the third verse is the regrets of losing a friend of mine who was in this shit with me. He died. I miss him. Long as I'm living, he's living through memories. He's at a kill with all my suicidal tendencies in heaven looking over me or hell keeping it cozy. He is is the duality of like dog, I know I you know what I mean? I might not be going up there based on life that I'm living. I think that's honest, yo. That is an honest assessment, dog. I know I might not make it up there, so he's either up there or down there. You feel me? I'm coming. Life is she said what it's supposed to be. Remember, Nikon? Meet you with friend, me and him feuding. I think it's beautiful that he's like, dog, I'm talking to my man's dog. Like, this is what we're going through. but you know, you know what I mean? Think the guns can stop. What? But saying you're a roommate, no bullshitting. What? But my hustle is going too well to hit him.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: They just want you to be miserable with them. I don't know, man. I just it's it's I I don't even I don't know. And I didn't even get to the I ain't even I ain't even get to the production of it. I didn't even get to production of it, yo.

Vance: Ha ha ha Yeah, the I I can I can at least like take some take some take some part in that. so the sample for it is It's so beasy be It's So Easy Loving You by Hubert Long Hubert Laws and Earl Clue. That is the name of the song and the artist. I d I I mean you kind of said it, you know, best, honestly. I I always skip past this song, but

Ahki: I could talk about this forever.

Vance: I never realized the impact that it had on you. particularly through this, through this listen. Cause like when I listen to it, when when you go through the entire album, there's so many different bangers on here. And then by the time you get here, this is kind of like a calm rest. But what what I didn't necessarily know is some of the more important themes that have that are being talked about in this in this song. Because it's so low key, the sample is low key itself. So for me it it was a different experience because for me I'm just like, all right, I know I'm at the end of the song. I I mean on the end of the album and I know eventually we're gonna go back and, you know, play through everything again. But I didn't know how s deep the context of the song was, until you're act you know, you actually explained it and I think that makes me want to go listen to it again because, you know, I appreciated the sample. I appreciate appreciated kind of the in-credits feeling that this song gave me, but I didn't I didn't understand the the the the entire context. So this this is yo, this is a really good selection. I I didn't realize how important it was. not only to you but just into the entire essence of the album.

Ahki: Man, that's a great point. also I think you might have said it just now, maybe then for the last song. The bass line in this joint is just groovy. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, man. It's Peter Panic. Peter Panic is his name. I don't think he I don't know what else he did. I never heard of him before, but he did this song. Man.

Vance: Yeah. It's fire. Yeah. It's groovy as hell. And I like the way that it navigates. Yeah. I like how it navigates through the song. You know what I'm saying? Yeah. Yeah. Who produced this? Who who produced this song? I'm looking now. Yeah.

Ahki: It's not that the album is just impactful for me. It's that hearing it 16, 17, 18 in that age range, and then listening to it throughout life, as life grew and I would listen to these different songs, each song became different things that I would listen to different parts different soundtracks if you will. like I had this joint burnt off lime wire and the little C D book lit in my car underneath my underneath my seat, right? So I had the little Jay Z reasonable a hundred percent. Well I I had the C D book under the joint. Under you gotta keep it under 'cause if you get it'll get too hot if you leave it behind. But somebody for one somebody might break your window and steal it. Or it might melt. You know what I mean? The pe the plastic might melt on the Yeah.

Vance: Yeah sign of the times. Yeah. Yeah. Yep. Yep. Yup. Yep. And then you just gotta clear Yeah. man, that should be the worst.

Ahki: Yes sir. Yes sir. Showing our ages. But it's it's it's it's just it's maybe because I I think I think Jay Z is just a skillful songwriter. But and I and I think one of the reasons why this is not like this over time, yes, it's when platinum is so it caught up to it, people caught onto it. I think the reason why it was not like big

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: then because it didn't have those like those massive radio things. But the music ages amazingly because these are this is my issue with a lot of rappers, a lot of musicians, but specifically rappers, is they're no longer communicating emotion through song and then constructing songs and world building. This is sent this is a this is a a nineties mafioso drug dealer.

Vance: Yep.

Ahki: Paranoia, ambition, celebration with women, me schooling the little homies, cause he got in the game, like I got in the game, shopping, flashing, regrets, it flexing his lyrical skills trying to get out of it. So I'm gonna go to the the I'm gonna go to the the open mic and freestyle, like repping my city with but Biggie it it it politics usually wild which is a fire song. politics of the game, I think it's just it's just layers of real life think like politics usually well play that before you go to work. You can be like, this is how these people be at work. Just dealing with the politics of like people. Is is it's just is masterful in how it was crafted, but I also understand why he had to dumb it down on so many albums after this to become more palpable to the listening public. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, I I agree. I agree. I I I want to say something to that, because that is important. I feel and what you say about current rappers is also important. I think that there's a level of desperation that Jay Z had when he made this album, and you could see it not only in the way that the song that the songs are produced, the way that the the the album is concepted. but also the way that he's rapping and telling you these stories. It feels more as if he's rapping at a sense of desperation because it feels like this is his way out. maybe compared to somebody of this caliber, and I'm not saying all artists are of you know, cut from this caliber, but you got a lot of people who might have a level of comfort or maybe a plan B that they can actually rely on that's not illegal. compared to Jay-Z's life and can make music on the side and also live their own life because they have maybe a nine to five or so. I think with this album, because Jay Z was also competing at a high level when it comes to the different artists that were actually a part of the New York scene at that time, I think that that that that desperation shows throughout this entire album.

Ahki: Absolutely.

Vance: Along with him just being able to tell his story with the concept that he has. We gotta remember, like he was competing with DMX at the time. Like he he talked about in interviews, like being in battles against DMX. And also, of course, we know that Nas was popping at this time as well. So it's like he's al he's already coming in with so many other competitors. That doesn't even include maybe some of the other New York-based artists that are making hits that are

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: Maybe one hit wonders or you know, they had their own side character quests and shit like that. But like he was competing against so many different he he had to be competing against so much talent at this time. And with this album, it felt like desperation, a sense of desperation. And I think that's that shows in songs like regrets in some cases. So I just wanted to rebuttal that because I think what you did say is important. When it comes to the level of desperation that maybe artists have back then compared to the level of desperation that some artists may have now. even when you do have artists that come in the game that come from maybe the same life as Jay Z, some artists have that same level of desperation. Stove what's his name, bruh? Stoveguide? I think that's his name. No, that's not his name. It that's Stoveguard, yeah, he has it. Yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Ahki: him he has it yeah he has it he has it he has he he has the wordplay i don't know if he can make the body of work and give you those different elements i think he's crafty he makes great bars he's very intelligent can he has he given me the evils yet i don't know i haven't heard it but maybe it exists i can go like let's do it has he he he can he can give you a feeling it he can give you brooklyn's finest

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: Can he give you a can't can I live? Can he give you regrets? Can he give you the evils? I will love if he could. I think if he gets that part, it'll be a different element. but yeah, yeah, that's a good point. That's a great point.

Vance: Yeah. He would ha he would have to put out a like a studio album, you know what I'm saying? And I feel like Clips is like one of the last versions. Yeah, one of the last versions of that too. Because they come from that era where, you know, it was kind of dying off for more of the flashier versions of rap.

Ahki: Clips is closed. Yes. Yes. Yes. One hundred percent. Yeah. A hundred percent. The clips definitely have this skill set and I and I think I also think I would love to test this theory out and do a puff survey one day. I actually think rappers don't write no more and I think that is stifling their ability to flesh out full ideas.

Vance: Yeah. yeah, they they punch in now. That's a technique now. They punch in a lot of their lyrics.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah. Punching in they and they text too. They t they they type it. I'm talking about like JJ had to write he said he'd write bars, put it in his pocket, keep on living, write a little bar, put in your pocket. The skill of it, it requires your brain to activate something different. So I would be curious to know if they actually feel I mean t like Tyler the Creator said, I think he still writes rights. You know what I mean? So I think that I think that actually does it create but anyway, what's your what's your next one?

Vance: Yeah. well you you kinda mentioned it. It's politics as usual. come on, man. Like, yeah, that's man, that's that shit is dope. Now you know why I'm why I'm there. First of all, it's produced by Ski Beats. So I didn't even know. I d I didn't know. I didn't know until I listened to it as a college kid and this about the time I was already listening to the first Poly Talk to come out. and

Ahki: A meant to be. Great choice.

Vance: Not really knowing who Skeebies was, but just knowing him from his catalog with currency. But man, like politics as usual was was and continues to be a staple for me whenever I go through this entire project. excuse me. The sample of it is specifically Hurry Up This Way Again by the stylistics. uses the hook and the riff. And I also like the fact that I don't know if those are real vocals as the chorus. Or it's specifically just maybe chops up chops of the stylistic sample. But that it's me, it's me, it's me, it's me, it's me, it's me, it's me again. That shit is always attractive to the ears for me. And it's one of the reasons why I appreciated Reasonable Doubt because despite some of the darker themes that this project has, the the the production is very smooth. It it it it gives off that Mafia Yelso vibe. And I think that's something that I appreciate because as somebody that originally started out look by listening to R and B by listening to you know, alternative rock. You see those small additions to the track and it makes you appreciate it outside of the lyrics that are being given. I like the fact that you also mentioned the idea of politics. I didn't really realize the the the the importance of politics and how that's being used maybe at a place that you're working or maybe around the people that you may know or the community that you're a part of. I didn't realize how much a play much had played a role in my life until I listened to this song. And I kind of saw specifically how those ideas played in maybe a workplace, you know, of the past. You know what I'm saying? This definitely tickled my funny bone when I was listening to it through my my my my retail days back in twenty thirteen, twenty fourteen. So yeah man, this this one continues to be a hit for me. It's on my Bentley's and Beamers playlist, you know. And also that sample is also in rotation as well. Man, you can't go wrong with the stylistics, but man, I I love the fact that he managed to just kind of throw around the beat. And also Ski Beats, for this to be a project that Ski Beats was truly a part of and to see him kind of move into you know, the Dame Dash record label and kind of assist with currency's sky currency's pilot talk series. That's also s super dope as well. and also I feel like we need to give Ski Beast a little bit more of his flowers, man. Cause it's beats like this that really make him a legendary producer. And a lot of times I don't hear his name thrown around when it comes to great producers in general. So yeah man. This was this was this is definitely my number two.

Ahki: What a great choice. I absolutely love this song. And this was on my like, every song was on my like, how do I wind this down? But this is like one of my my last ones. you it's it's you need this song. No, no, no. It was one of my last ones I took off that I was like, I gotta I can't I narrow it down. I absolutely love this song. I I love after the like the the energy change from can't knock the hustle to this.

Vance: That's your last one?

Ahki: This is a great segue into Brooklyn's finest, which is another get your energy going because it's a more fast pace of a song. To your point, the stylistic sample, beautiful, wonderful, perfect sample. Hurry up this way again is a banger. I love the samples. You said is really get the Isaac Hayes sample on the last song. You got this sample, you had the Marcus Miller joint. it's it's it it's some it's some it's some bangers, like it's some real like

Vance: Yeah, yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: Amazing songs on here. like samples, different decades, yeah, yeah, yeah, all over the place. Eighties and seventies. Yeah, yeah, that's a great point. Well, yeah, true. Cause you got the Snoop Dogg and the prodigy sample too. Yeah, I I absolutely I I think it just adds to the world building, man. I think it did just a great job of just building this world of this experiences, songs as you might hear out

Vance: From different decades too. Yeah. Nineties too. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: ca those are popular songs too. Those are like singles. So those are like songs that, you know, moved. So I I think that's important that those are like that was a feeling. yo, I I just I I absolutely love I just love the song. I think it's a wonderful song. Ski beat said this a ri this beat was supposed to go to Camp Low but th they got something else. They got a they got a banger. They got a cup s they got some bangers for him anyway. So yeah. yeah yeah yeah.

Vance: Mm. Yeah, this is it. What? Luchini pouring from the sky. Let's get rich. What?

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah, this is one of the ones. anything else on political politics as usual?

Vance: Man, nah, nah. I think I said I I I think I said what I said, man. I mean it's it's just really good production for me. and then well and then what you added about, you know, how it relates to, you know, our normal lives in many cases, I think that kinda hit a funny bone as well for me. There were a specific time in my life, so yeah.

Ahki: Beautiful. Mm-hmm. Man, my my last song produced by Irv Gotti. I I think Sean C also played up part of it too. Can I Live? I play this song whenever I got like a presentation. I play this song. Whenever I have to do like a work thing, like a public speaking thing for work, or whatever I gotta do, I play this song because for one, the syllables throughout Just help me get like my tongue working. Like pause. That sounds crazy. Remove any like remove me from being like tongue tied or like just helps me like be ready to speak a lot. and also the layers of it is it it it it is I don't know if can I live is like the introspection song. I don't know if it's like a intrinsic, like I got this is the reason why I have to do like trying to survive.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: The the 'cause he says it. He says we hustle out a sense of hopelessness, sort of a desperation. He's he opens the song that and through that desperation we become addicted, sort of like the fiends we accustomed to serving. So you might you he sets he sets this up beautifully with Can I Live because he's gonna also tell you throughout the album 'Cause can I live comes after twenty two twos after the the evils. So it's like explaining to you twenty two twos in my opinion is him trying to like this is my way out of drug deal. This is my way out of this life. 'Cause it goes the evils, which is like the the the thr the threat of the the the stress and the threat of the of feeling it. Cause feeling it is like I'm on a high. I'm hit I'm lit. We up. We up. We we poppin' miles. Dead precedents is like the dog. We getting the money. We get in the scratch. Can I live

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Sh. We're getting this bread right now. Yeah.

Ahki: Is the I have to survive this. This is the desperation of it. Right. So thinking about it like that, right? Cause he says it throughout the first the first part. We hustle our sense of hopeless. And I've always remembered this because I've always think throughout work and doing community work, I this is like the great way of my mindset. It's like people don't wanna do the things that they have to do. They do it because they have to do it. Like Most like people don't rob you the first time, even like a less like a like a dumb kid doing peer pressure, but people are not gonna rob you because it's fun. They most likely don't that shit because they have to do that. Like you know what mean? Right, it's hopelessness. Like the hopelessness gets us here. And he said we hustle, we h our hustle came from that. So it's like either we do this or we do this, but

Vance: It's a sense of desperation. Yeah.

Ahki: Michael Beasley said on Shannon Sharp show, he said, People got mad at my decisions, but they never got mad at my choices. It's like, these are the choices that I have to decide here. And Jay Z said the same thing. We we're we're desperate. We're depressed. We're desperate. We gotta figure it out. So This actually, I think, explains his capitalistic mindstate. The brother probably needs some therapy to unpack this all these years later. But he says it. He says, through that desperation, we become addicted. So like the fiends we servant. So we become addicted to the greed. The greed is now our addiction, right? He says it on the evils when he's like the dope terrans of cream is metamorphic, how it changes. Like it's it's it's like it's a spiritual feeling, how it changes.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: He's saying it on a this all the joint. He's like, we become addicted to the greed, the fast life. All the things I'm gonna regret at the end of this is this. So this is like the the intrinsic motivation. So he says it. He says, he says, I keep my head, both of them where they're supposed to be. Hose each you so trap and clap from close feet. I don't sleep, I'm tired. I feel wide like hold I feel wired like coding. The I keep my head both of them where they supposed to be is so clever to me. Because he he's saying, Keep my mind where it's supposed to be, and I keep my other head where it's supposed to be. Because you can get sidetracked and get clapped from close feet. But if you listen to what song was that? What song was that Regrets me? What was that what song was it where he was that regrets where he said well the evil the evils two songs two songs prior, he saying

Vance: Damn. Bars. The Evils.

Ahki: I kidnap this girl and I'm feeding her money to tell me. So he said, he said, We first learn to use rubbers. You never learn, so return kidnapping your baby's mother. So on this song, he says, Hose to get you sidetracked and clap from close feet. So he's like, it's in the same mindset. So me and my man's at war. He didn't learn his lesson because he didn't use the rubbers. I did, because I learned from him not to do that. Now he so I think that's just it's a it's a great.

Vance: You never learn. I'm using your weakness against you. Yeah, yeah.

Ahki: look into the psyche of somebody and how they see all of this. a brother got admired me from four fiends away. He just told he just told us in the beginning of the song, the people who's serving, the drug dealers, they are also addicted. So is he saying the fiends, like the the fiends I'm selling or the fiends that work for me? 'Cause on regrets, he said I'm I'm removed. I'm watching from away. So it's people before you get to me. I think that is just amazing layering, bro. That's just that like this is what 50 Cent listens to when he does that bullshit power. Like, how do you make a street stale feel like this? It's like this. He says from selling cane till brains was fried in like we fucked we fucked up our brains from selling so much drop. He said, I can't lie, and at the time it never bothered me because I'm young, we desperate. You know what I mean? I gotta do something. It didn't even bother me, bro. I didn't even register what I was doing. I think that's crazy. My squad have now never I lost the set the hopeless is gone. Yo, that is and he's he's he and he's using it and he's using words to explain all of this stuff without like overdoing it, because he slowed his his rap pace down.

Vance: Yeah. Right. I lost I lost the sense of hope. I lost the sense of hope. Yeah.

Ahki: So now you can understand it. Because like I said, Hawaiian Sophie Jay-Z, it would have been so fast. You'd have been like, dog, what did he just say? Did he did it, right? But in the song, he says it laughing hard. Laughing hard. Happy to be escaping poverty. However, brief, it doesn't even matter how long I got it. I'm just happy to be out of it. Because I was hopeless. Duh. This is like. This is like this this this is like, in my opinion, the Shakespearean of hip hop. Like it is it is it it is clever wordplay. It's as entendre, doubles, even a couple triples in there somewhere in the album. And then he's painting this, he says, laughing hard, happy to be escaping poverty, however brief. I know this game got valleys and peaks. I know I'm gonna be up, I know I'm gonna be down. Expectation for dips for precipitation. We stack chips hard leave. My youth, I used my youth, I used to be the sooner CM Mellon, no more big willy, my game is going before you call me Willin. Then he says I'm trying to be like Rayful Edmunds with like a big DC drug dealer, Channel 7 News, Round Several Jews, head dead in the mic. Like that's what I wanted to do. I wanted to be that guy with the whole thing and the joint in the joint live at the main event. That was me, Battleship the Mine. And he started he start bragging about it, right? Better ship to Maui. Me and you are here. We at the casino flaunting, throwing big money. Live at the main event. Better trip to Hawaii on it. Presidential sweeps and residential for the weekend. Confidential speaking and calls that you're peeking. So it's original dah dah yeah, yeah, yeah. I I think that that like it's it's only like two verse, like two verses, right? Yeah. One long verse, one short verse. Yeah, man. We don't lease, we buy as you should. My confederation, detonation, explode on detonation, overload the mind of the sedation. When it boils the steam, we all fiends. We gotta go through this. Even righteous minds go through this. True this. The street school spend our money foolish. Bond with jewelers and watch for intruders. What? I keep one eye open. Need this says recruited lieutenants but ludicrous. Dreams are getting a cream. Let's do this. It gets tedious. So I keep one eye open like CBS. You see me stressed, right? I just, man, I I I I don't have the words to describe the magnificence of this. I'm trying to find it as I go. But it's.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: Introspective is is the rhyme schemes are all over the place, but like it makes sense though. It's not like throwing words out there. And he's using like these two counts where he's rhyming these two birds with these two w bars with these two bars in out and then he comes like to the end. yeah.

Vance: Yeah. That's your heart dog. Yeah.

Ahki: Yeah, yeah. The recruited ludicrous recruited lieutenants with ludicrous dreams of getting cream. That is a crazy ROM scheme. He says recruited lieutenants with ludicrous dreams of getting cream. So that's the the so lieutenants ludicrous let's do lieutenants let's do this ludicrous tedious dreams of getting cream

Vance: Yeah. with ludicrous dreams of getting crane. Let's do this. It gets tedious.

Ahki: You see me on open like CBS. You see me stressed. That is like, bro, like the you see it. The ROM scheme is is crazy, dog. He's r like it's like boom, boom, boom. Like the ROM scheme. Dog, I think that's so magnificent, dog. It's like it's just yeah man.

Vance: Can I leave? Yeah, about I do I do I I hate to cut I hate to cut you off, but I do think you bring up a interesting point about like the JD's J J J D's Jay Z's cadence throughout this entire project because it's way different from the later albums that he would drop even to this day. I mean I mean of of I I yeah, in many ways. I d I think the the the the the the

Ahki: Go ahead, go ahead, go ahead. Yes. Mm. You think so?

Vance: Cadence that he had in the rap scheme that he had or rhyme scheme, excuse me, that he had for this album compared to something like even the the blueprint and what in in some cases some people think that is his best album are entirely different. But that be that comes with time, you know, and and also working with other artists who are not from New York and him finding different ways to kind of hop on beats with them.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah.

Vance: While also finding his own way over to pop in that matter. I do think that he has found a way to develop his music. But when we think about desperation and and probably some of the resources mentally that he had within his rhyme scheme and his rhyme repertoire, I do think that it makes this album entirely different from some of his later projects for sure. I do think you still get hints of that in the project after this, but I I personally believe that you know, songs like this really showed a lot of that anger, but also that hustle and hope and stress that he was going through. And I also think that that sample of Isaac Hayes and also the beat itself produced by Irv fucking Gotti, which is surprising.

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah. Crazy.

Vance: Right. It was surpr that surprised me. Because so for for the longest time I thought Irv was just a CEO of music exec, but come to find out he was making Beast 2. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: He made beats too. He made beats. Yeah, not a lot. But he made a couple. He made he was he was in the lab. There's actually a documentary and I was trying to find it. I just had a strong I just couldn't find it. No, it used to be on YouTube. But it was like the making of Reasonable Doubt. And like Irv was on it, Ski Beast was on it, and Clark Kent was on it. I think Jay Z was on too. I saw clips of it, but it used to be like a f the four joint. And he went song by song, bro, and it was amazing. It was amazing. Just it just the level. Dame Dash was on it before he was out his fucking mind. I got I can't find it. I was trying to find it. I can't remember what it was called, but it like

Vance: You gotta send me that shit.

Ahki: Making a reasonable doubt or something like that. But bro, they gave you all the details about like how it started. Talk about how they gave Mary J. Blash ten thousand dollars and a and a brown paper bag to pay for her because the label didn't want her on. So they didn't pay the label, but they paid her directly. But then the label said you can't be in the video. but Dame Dash Yeah, but Dame Dash brought her to the studio because they was like friends.

Vance: Yeah. yeah, I remember that.

Ahki: They talk about like the the the shitty studios they was using and it was like gambling in the hallways talk about how they got the biggie verse. it was it was it was it was it's a it's a well done documentary. I just can't find it. It was well done. Well done. I don't even know who produced it or who was on it, but it was it was well done. Well done. Yeah, I'll f I'll I'll keep looking and trying to send it to you, but it was fire. It was fire. It was great. It was great, it was great.

Vance: I gotta figure out. I gotta I gotta find out what Yeah, 'cause I I do think that w like d and again, that's a part of not only like the history of rap, but just American history in general. Some of the things some of the things that were happening maybe in the music industry that led Jay Z or even Mary J. Blige down this road because Mary J. Blige was also dealing with specifically the situation with Case and how

Ahki: Yep. Yeah, she was.

Vance: She didn't get a credit for touch me, tease me. but she still showed up in the video even though she wrote the song.

Ahki: Sh she was also in like an abusive relationship. She was battling her own drugs, her own her own problems with drug abuse. so yeah, it was a lot going on at around that same time too, and the stuff you mentioned and like working on that album. So yeah, man. But it it all came out in a wash, man. And nowadays it's a beautiful song they're able to do together. What is your last song?

Vance: My last song is going to be, it's probably gonna be another single. It's probably gonna be Feelin' It. Another Ski Beats produced track. And one that always is a hit for me whenever I come back to this project, which I do a lot, honestly. I I

Ahki: Great song.

Vance: Again, it it it was definitely something that I remembered from just seeing the videos as a kid, you know, watching the box, you know, and even When I was in college re-listening to the album, I actually started listening to the album because of this song. I heard it on the 420 mix. back when 420 was still kind of a cult holiday in some cases. And they played it during the mix, and I was like, damn, I forgot about this song. So it it it forced me to go back through this project and enjoy some of the gems. and some of the lessons learned from this album. that level of desperation, that level of not feeling like people give you the respect that you you deserve as an artist or as a or as a rapper in some cases when you are in those battles. and despite all of the hurdles and obstacles that are told within the story of Reasonable Build Out as well as the the the creation of the project feeling it is the song that you're s you know it feels like you're celebrating it it it when it comes to the entire movie that this album is this feels like the club scene when they made it to the top they already passed the montage of Dead Presidents this feels like it's the the the the the the the celebration the the the the party moment And I that was just something that I always appreciated. because when it comes to a lot of the darkness that this project, you know, eludes, this was the light for me. and continues to be the light when it comes to all the darkness. I do like other songs off of this project. definitely I'm trying to look for it right now, but it's the one with Memphis Bleak. coming of age. Like th that tells the story of him trying to mentor somebody else. But every single time I go to those other songs, it makes me want to go back to feeling it. and aside from it just being a great song to just DJ at the right time and at the right moment, it it it just once again sh spotlights the talent that Jay Z had as a pop rap rapper in some cases as well. I wouldn't say pop like Drake popped, but it showed that he can make rap songs that could, you know, top billboard charts. And this was one of those, yeah. And this was one of those successful ones. It reminds me of Big Pimpin. Songs like that or

Ahki: Crossover. It didn't do it didn't do really good though, dude. How well did it do? I don't even know how well this did. I don't remember the cereal.

Vance: I don't think it yeah, I don't I don't think it it was like a platinum song a platinum hit, but I definitely know that it was it was successful on the box for me. Hold on. How successful was filling it by Jay-Z? Feelin' It by Jay-Z featuring Mecca and produced by Ski was a moderate commercial hit but a massive critical success. Released as the fourth and final single from his debut album, Reasonable Doubt, in April 1997, it peaked at number 13 on the built U.S. Billboard hot rap charts. While it didn't dominate mainstream radio like his prom like his later pop-its, it became an enduring underground classic.

Ahki: Yes, that was pretty good.

Vance: It was also sampled by Ahmad Jamal. Well or or it sampled Ahmad Jamal. Yeah, to be exact. But yeah, nah, man. I d this is this is definitely hey, this is definitely one of the tracks that I continue to listen to to this day. And one of the first tracks to introduce me to Jay Z. So of course I'm gonna make it my number one.

Ahki: Samples Majuma, yeah. So I'm about to blow your mind, right? You but you're gonna be like, what the fuck? Did you just say? So, I love this song. It should have been on my list. And I don't know why I took it all, probably just because process of elimination. I'm so happy you picked it. Second verse. Also, great song, great hook. Ski Beat said this beat was originally for him, but then Jay-Z heard it and he took it. There's two bars that has resonated with me for my entire life, and this really made me love the album because I was a little bit older. So around 17, 18, I'm listening to this album. It is at that age when I am driving to the Eastern Shore to visit my family, visit my cousins, right? So I'm playing this across me and my brother be driving down there, be visiting, dah dah da, we doing stuff, right? Is for one, it's a it is a great song to play when the weather is nice with the windows down, you just blast their music. I feel like it was made, literally made for that. It is it is amazing. There's a line where he says, 95 south and poppy on the hill and shit. And all the towns like Cambridge that I killed with shit. Cambridge is where my family is from.

Vance: Yep. Yep. I agree. Mm.

Ahki: Right. That is where his man, Emery Jones, who will go to jail a few years after this for drug something for a long time. My family and Emery's family were intertwined in the same industry, and they also received similar consequences for their participation in said activities. and

Vance: I like how you cla just just professionally said.

Ahki: Wonderful. And I heard these stories before I heard this song. Before I knew the song even existed. My uncles, my cousins, they would say, like, man, Jay-Z used sell drugs out here all the time. I used to, right? So I was a part of them. And then they my uncle used to tell yeah, he used to go to Easton and get his stuff. Right? Poppy on the hill and shit. That's Easton.

Vance: That's crazy. Yeah.

Ahki: That's this the town. That is the town. When you're driving to Cambridge, when you're driving to Salisbury, when you drive in Ocean City, it goes you get off Saint Pass Annapolis, you go past St. Michael's. It's a town. I can't remember what the town is called. Boom, you drive past that fucking town. And then you go to another big town, like a big town on the shore. It's Easton. It's a big point. It's airplanes that goes there. There's a lot of people with rich money with airplanes that comes there.

Vance: shit.

Ahki: Maybe that's why he was buying, 'cause of the airplane right there.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: I never tune together to right now 'cause it's like it's it's known for having like airplanes. It's like a pretty you know, you can you can land look and land a private plane there easily. They do it they do it to this day. so you damn, I never thought about that. I wonder if that's what they were doing. Anyway, and then but Cambridge was one of the cause Cambridge is a really black ass city, right? H. Rap Brown, the civil rights activist, went through Cambridge. It's a historically area. Harriet Thoman is from that area, right? Isn't is a very black ass

Vance: Ha ha

Ahki: town. and I actually as I gotten older I've come to hate this line a little bit more. When I was young, I was that's cool. He name dropped Cambridge. It's a random ass fucking town. Now that I'm older and I and I talk to my cousins and I I talk to my aunts and tell me how crazy it is and how bad it is. It sucks to hear I know in a recent interview Jay-Z said I I never I never took advantage of nobody. But I'm like, dog, you was selling cracked at Cambridge, dog. Like, I can tell I I I can tell you the neighborhoods don't look like they weren't so cracked to in the nineties and eighties. So as I've gotten older that has kind of like fuck with me because I've seen I know what the town is like now and how how how it's just it's in bad shape. It's a rural town, it's small. You know what I mean? If you're growing up, if you're not good at sports and if you're not super, super smart and you like black. It's hard to get out of that motherfucker, bro. You if you don't work at the hotel or the Walmart. you might not be you might just be stuck up in that joint, having babies and shooting up stuff and and and the violence is crazy. So in retrospect, I look at it a little bit of di a little bit of different 'cause I've seen like the the not saying it's all his fault, obviously, but like from what that from what that caused, you know what I mean? Like years later, like seeing it from noticing it from when I was a teenager to seeing it now and knowing how those cyclical systems work. He talks about it throughout this album.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: It always resonated with me because it was like fuck it, like he connected to that. That was so random to me. But yeah, man. That would that was that was yeah. Emery Jones is still like, you they got they got people out there still that they still like, you know, stay in touch with and people that knew Jay. And my brother went to high school out there, he would tell me stories about, yeah, this person got pictures of Jay-Z in the house and shit like that. 'cause we say like on on on Reason Without my my man down in Maryland, like he was like shot him out, right? Shot of like look yeah, yeah, yeah. So some even say he took that he took that charge so cause Jay was starting to bubble because he got arrested in two thousand. So, you know, Jay just Jay was gonna went on to drop blueprint.

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: The following right after that's I think if I'm not mistaken, that was the album after Emery got dropped. Emery got arrested and he shot him on blueprint a couple of times. So yeah, that's one that's one thing that that that that sticks out to me. and then he says one part he says I'm in the ring. Nope, nope, nope, nope. He says, he says, he says he says I got got the girl with the girdles to conceal my bricks. What song is that?

Vance: Mm.

Ahki: What part first is that? Is that this one? Yeah, transaction gentlemen. Is life is still a bitch? Is life is no my click is rich, the click is rugged. Where is it at?

Vance: I think that's the last verse. Yeah. Yeah. Really shit.

Ahki: 'Cause it's braggadocious, right? You you're you're you're you're not thinking about the regrets, you're not thinking about consequences. And in this song, wherever it is, he says she I got her on I got her with a girdle to conceal my joint to ship it out. But then if you listen to You Must Love Me, which on the album came out after this, he says how much he regrets and talk about how much this person must love him, to risk her life to get on the bus to do that same thing. So there's like a cr a great evolution from

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: Man, I'm just celebrating. I'm in the moment. I'm having fun. And then the album later he talks about like God, this woman must really love me to risk her life for me. I just think it's a great this evolution of a man. And I think that's one of the things about JC that I really love is that you see a evolution of an artist, of a person, of how he sees things, and it and it and it and it truly flows, man. Like great, great, great record, bro. Like this is I don't think you could've that'd been no bad ones, but this is a great song to pick to close it out with, man.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. This is a fire out. yeah. yeah. I had to. I had to.

Ahki: What's your what's your final thoughts? I know I was talking a lot, but what's your I really love this album though. What's your final thoughts? I mean, how do you how do you sum all this up?

Vance: I mean, I just shit. I I'll say it again. I mean, I think that this album is more than just a great hip hop album, but I think that it's a piece of American history. I think that because of w how it was crafted, the different components, the people that were involved who later on became titans in this industry, whether they were in front of a microphone or you know, in the studio booth. Like I feel like this album created so many people's careers in so many ways. And it reminds me of like a great a great team that wins a championship. Now I understand that because of the competition that was develop that that was around at the time, it was a little bit tougher to get out and it didn't get the respect commercially that it did compared to some other songs. Or songs that he later made down the line. But I really think that this album not only exudes parts of his life that we we we as fans talk about and learn from, but I feel like because of some of the things that he talks about, it showcases what America was to in this decade and the essence of hip hop growing into becoming something a little bit darker. And a little bit more serious compared to what it was in the 80s and maybe the the the late 70s. So I do think that this album is kind of one of those pieces of art that should be debated in classes, should be talked about when it comes to maybe the zeitgeist of of hip-hop in general. And I think that like I aside from me being able to go back through this project and enjoy it as entertainment, I think that it is a case study for what w what desperation and rap really looks like and how successful it could be if artistry is done thoroughly and detailed in a way for it to stand out and stand the test of time.

Ahki: Mm-hmm. Facts. Yeah. Yeah. I it's I think it talks it it speaks to elements of the human experience that I think all people can relate to in different facets. I like like I said, I didn't sell I'm not a drug seller. I have no name, but I I'm familiar with the world, but even if I wasn't, regrets, anxiety, ambition, emotion, exuberance, feeling great, you know what I mean?

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Ambition.

Ahki: ambition, you know what I mean? Feeling feeling like loving your craft and being the best at your craft, celebrating where you're from and and and and like that or like when I'm having fun with my wife, like like those those emotions are communicated through songs. I think that's the skill. Like you listen to this joint at a certain age, you'll be like I just I just connect to it based on just what it's doing. So Yeah, man, it's it's it's the truth. Now, we gotta talk about the elephant the rumino before we get up out of here. How do you feel? What are your thoughts on the Target Jay-Z? No, the Target Jay Z. We can talk about the Roost picnic too. We talk about the Roost picnic too. But we talking about the album. We gotta talk about the album. What you think? What you think?

Vance: shit. Ruth Pignick. We we definitely gotta talk about Ruth Picnic. We definitely gotta talk about Ruth Picnic. I I don't know. I feel like this is one of those moments where we watch somebody that we grew up with become a part of the the level of capitalism that they can reach at their highest potential. we're watching it with LeBron in some cases. And I think that this is kind of one of those moves. I'm not sure why he decided to specifically do Target. Not necessarily that, you know, well, I kind of have an issue with Target. I I mean I stopped buying after the boycott the boycott s started, but I didn't necessarily partake in the boycott. I was just like, I'm not really fucking with Target like that. But I'll you would just think that somebody who is quote unquote tied to the culture would just have a little bit more critical thinking to say, hey, maybe this might not be that best of an idea, especially an executive. That's just me, you know? Like it the the the the whole target boycott was in the news earlier this year because there was misinformation on whether the boycott ended or or not or didn't. You know what I'm saying?

Ahki: Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Vance: So I I just think that there was a lot of insight that could have you you could have used to actually say, hey, maybe maybe maybe I should, you know, choose Walmart or maybe choose a a record store that actually sells records or maybe a boutique a boutique record shop to sell my project. I just felt like selling it at Target is gonna be accessible, but With everything that Target is a part of right now, was it really the smartest thing to actually do? Nah, not really. And I feel like it just showed me that even though Jay-Z is a great artist, he is a great ca he is also a great capitalist. And I think this this is a big sign another big sign of it. Cause this is not the first thing that he has done of this caliber. He also made you

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah.

Vance: Get a fucking Samsung Galaxy to listen to Magna Carta Holy Grail. And then on top of that, he also made you get Sprint. So you can listen to full, full, full. So I just feel like these are like old person esque deals. But at the same time, I do feel like they're very innovative ways to push the industry. so I don't think, but but I to be very clear, I don't think that this is one of those things. I just think that this was just a bad or or or not so thought out thoroughly decision to do so. Because we don't really know if the boycott has really ended. there the there were two black women that said that the boycott has not ended. I'm listening to them instead of the pastor who said that the fast was over. So there's a lot of misinformation regarding the entire movement, and because of that.

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: I just felt like it wouldn't be smart to hey, we're gonna work with Target. Now, granted, I do think for playing devil's advocate before before you speak, I do think that it is important to have those black businesses at Target because Target was touting that. However, I also understand that it's kind of hypocritical to invest in an administration that fucking hates people of color and being a part of the fall.

Ahki: True.

Vance: of of of of a certain group of people. So I also have a problem with that. so it it's kinda hard because as much as I might jam to Jordan Ward being played in a Target commercial, I also understand that this company is moving like severe capitalists in in in in other cases. So it's definitely a two edged sword.

Ahki: Yeah. yeah.

Vance: Specifically with Jay Z and even Target in general.

Ahki: I'm not trying to I don't want to drag this out longer than it needs be. I hear I hear you. I hear you. I'm not disagreeing with you. But also I know what the space that I'm in, and and and I don't expect everybody to move at the same wavelength that that I feel like I'm trying to work towards. So that's cool. Here's my thing with the Jay-Z target thing. And I use the first straw man argument everyone uses. So the first argument everyone uses is well. Kendrick did it, J. Cole did it, and y'all had nothing to say about it. I do think it's different. I think one, Jay-Z is at a point of his career where he owns it. He owns it. He owns it. Biggs owns it. Dame don't own his share no more. So Jay-Z really has all the power because Biggs is his man's and Biggs ain't gonna piss him off. And he let Biggs do a lot with the 25th anniversary. He was like doing a lot of pro more heavy. So so I don't think Biggs would step on anything that he's doing. And Dame doesn't have the ability to do so. So what do you gain from working with Target? You're Jay-Z, bro. You can put this in any other store. You can put this anywhere. So, right. So, my whole point with him is why did you pick Target? Like, even if the boycott is over, right? Like, even let's say by the way, I still don't fuck with Target. and it's not even on a it's not even on a participating in a boycott thing. Like, I just don't like.

Vance: Right.

Ahki: Y'all did what y'all did. Y'all ain't worth it. Fuck y'all. Like it is what it is. Like it it it ain't even no, it ain't even no malice. It ain't even like everybody got joint. I don't really fuck with. Yo, bro, I can't tell you unless I've in the target. I might have been in there one time, maybe twice, to grab something quick for my wife. But she still goes more than me. But she goes once she stopped going as much as she was going to. But I don't even really I I don't and it was like the boycott helped me, gave me a reason to stop fucking with Target.

Vance: Yep. That's kinda how I feel, yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: but for my my point with Jay-Z is like, bro, you haven't you have a habit of doing he does with the NFL. We over protesting. We over that. We over that. We o like who are you to say what we over with? Who are you? Cause you cause you benefit, cause you getting paid from this? We over there because it benefits your dollar and they just so happen hired you when they end the shit. Come on, dog. Like

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. I I forgot about mentioning the NFL. That's like yeah. Right.

Ahki: So, my thing with the Jay-Z, you a capitalist. Go ahead, bro. Be a capitalist. But you got to get the smoke to come with being a capitalist. That's all it is to me, bro. Be a capitalist. Go ahead. Get your money. But you got to get the smoke. And my brother called it. He said he's a whore for money. That's what he's become. Disrespectfully, he's a whore for money. And that's not a sexist claim, dog. That can be, that is, that is a ambiguous term. That can to anybody.

Vance: Yeah. That's a no yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: Okay, that can go to it's not it's not women only. That can go to anybody. So my thing with Jay is like, bro, you didn't you didn't have to do this. You didn't have to do you could have did it any you don't have to you don't Target needs you. You don't need Target.

Vance: That's true. Right. And it would have been cool to actually get this album maybe through a like like w once again a boutique distributor that that provides vinyls. There's so many new companies that are starting to pop out that actually sells new vinyl for albums that are available on streaming services. And it would have been cool to maybe get that project, you know, through a different, you know, distributor. But like Target, bro, like I just I kind of just felt like

Ahki: Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Come on.

Vance: It i it really gave me the four four four vibes when he tied that album to sprint and title and I was just like, Why? Because nobody was really even using that c that service anymore. Like it felt out of touch.

Ahki: But I but but even but even I I get that though because he it was out of it c you can say it's out of touch and I I don't disagree with that. But I understand why because he had a stake in title and he wanted to get ears to title. You know what I mean? Which makes sense, right? So I can tell myself, even like to your point, like it wasn't really using, da da

Vance: Which makes sense. Yeah, that makes sense.

Ahki: Sprint with sprint. So all of that being true, but in my mind I'm like, well, he's trying to get people onto the title app. You trying to get people to go to Target? You trying to get people to go to Target, dog? The fuck out of people like vinyls is back in and you're gonna partner with I just saying like

Vance: He's being a capitalist. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: Taylor Smith does that. Go out, bro. Do what you like. Do do what you gotta do, man. But I get it. But you gotta get the smoke to come with it. Especially when you tell yourself, you know, I arrived the day Fred Hampton died. Real niggas just multiply. you know, you call yourself Shake Herrera, you talk this pro black. You know, I mean there are black places you could have sold this to too, Mr. Black. You know what I mean? You feel me? So that's that's that's my issue with Hove is like you did you didn't need Target, Target needed you.

Vance: Yep. Yep.

Ahki: if you're gonna be in the business of giving people that need you the platform why not give it to other people who need you who can actually benefit from it so you know what I'm saying

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. I mean your wife did it, you know? When she put when she when she made that website full of black businesses, you know what I'm saying? Like, yup.

Ahki: You feel me? Some some of them sold vinyls. I mean, he could have picked certain certain distributors throughout the city. In LA, you go to here. In Baltimore, you here. DC, you go here. As many a as a myriad of ways he could have did it. And still would have worked worked out and everybody could have won. So I don't I don't understand why he would do it. It feels like he's just doing a color capernick part two. And I'm just like, dog, that's that's that's on your jacket now, dog. That's what you are you're a protest, you're a movement buster.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Movement buster is crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: I mean don't give me them don't give me them black raps no more dog I wan rap about money. That's what he is, dog. That's what he is. You're movement but you not a union buster. You're a movement buster. And you know what I mean? So that is what it is. Like I I live with that, but I don't know, man. I don't know.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. I mean, with that being said, let's segue into that roospit in the conversation because it kind of it I mean, I think what he's done now, it kind of it it kind of contradicts what a lot of the shit that he was saying when it comes to like the the the the beefs that he had against the other rappers, Nicki Minaj, Drake, stuff like that. It's like

Ahki: Yep. Yep.

Vance: Damn, you said all that shit, Roost Picnic, you got everybody's attention. Did you get everybody's attention to d for you to fuck it all up? What d like it just felt like you lost your brakes again, my guy? Like what's going on?

Ahki: He didn't, but listen though to to the point. He didn't do no pro-black raps. He did I am up. Strong chart. I'm up raps. So he giving you billionaire raps, which I don't understand why fans like that shit. That shit means nothing to us. I don't understand why I want to rub by a nigga talking he a billionaire. I can't relate. You know what I'm saying? A millionaire? What's capitalism? Bro, a million, I might hit that.

Vance: Because they aspire to be a billionaire, Mutt. Like that's But everybody wanna be a capitalist.

Ahki: I might I I c I might hit that one day. Man, we got that's no that's another podcast, bro.

Vance: There was there was one that I I don't know where I f well where I watched it, but there was one show that talked about Jay-Z and the impact that he has on on the youth as well as grown ass men. Jay like when Jay-Z wore a tie and he had like that whole button up thing going, every other nigga started wearing the tie and wearing the button up and shit. He just has that level of impact and

Ahki: Mm. I agree. I agree.

Vance: Yeah, that people wanna be like him because he is he is the elite in our in our culture. I mean, I can't knock it. I know what it is. You know what I'm saying? That also means that some of the decisions that you gotta make should be a little bit smarter, especially with all those resources, but I digress. You know, little on me.

Ahki: Man, all that being true, he could've I just think the power that he it's the same thing with Drake, yo. It's like it's just interesting these people who brag about how they have so much power and resources. Don't use it. You know what I'm saying? Like, you know, what's the Spider-Man phrase? Great power come with great responsibility. It's like, bro, like y'all got it. You know what I mean? Y'all can build ecosystems and not even like on a pro black tip, just on like a

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. Great. Yeah.

Ahki: music industry relook rebrand reimagine for the next artist which Jay-Z was all about with title he was all about how to be re-envisioned this work better for the artist doing bulk deals with target is not better for the artist you know what I mean like I don't understand how that's that you're gonna move a he always been about moving units I get that part but driving people to this to a local boutique spoutique place like you said

Vance: Yeah.

Ahki: will also be good for the bottom dollar, bro. Cause they for one, they might buy your legacy work, 'cause they actually might have it. Target not gonna have your catalog. But the mom and pop shop might actually have your catalogue. They could have bought it from somebody else. They could have already had it in the stock. They could have bought it off online and just re- whatever. It's a many of ways where they could have had your catalog readily available. And now I fan Bob's Reason Without and Bob's Blueprint. And Bob's whatever. And you know what I'm saying? So I just think that it it I it's upsetting that we're lacking imagination and we're still using these same mechanisms to do what they gotta do. and full and regarding the f the roots freestyle. I thought it was magnificent. I thought it was wonderful rapping. I thought he did a great job. I think Jay-Z showed it. He's one of the best rappers ever. Like I said earlier, the the Roberta Roberta Flat, Killing Me Softly, Lauren Hill bar was exquisite, bro. Like that's one of the best bars I've heard in a while. Everybody was bragging about Drake and his bars, and then Jay-Z came with some actual raps and blew people's minds away. The disses was immaculate was was was next level. The dame dash T falling out. Hilarious. Hilarious. Hilarious. I love how he tied his grandmother in the beginning to the grandmother in the ending. He's talking how if those charges would have stuck or my grandmother died.

Vance: Yeah, that was wild. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: thinking I did those things, I would have I would have went after y'all with everything I got. I think that was a great theme to talk about in a wrap. He's he he is in my opinion the penul the ultimate writer. Because I think his ability to do that is a is a just a ta it's just a skill, brother. He can do it to a to very masterfully. Very, very masterfully.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. I mean it kind of goes back to what I said earlier, like it it took him time to get to this point where he is one of the best not only rappers, but one of the best writers in the game. It took time for him to actually develop that. And also experiences with other different other styles, other other artists of that caliber. It took time. And I actually see it once again live.

Ahki: Yep. In American history. Yeah.

Vance: well I d I didn't of course I wasn't at Roose Picnic, but I saw the verse that he did. it kind of shows you that he's he he he's ready to make some music if he really wanted to hop back in the booth. But our question, I mean, it kind of go Go ahead. I was just gonna Yeah, the question is do people want to hear him talk about being a billionaire? I mean, because it's clear that people want to hear

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. I don't know if I wanna hear Go ahead. You can say it. You can say it. I know what you want to say.

Vance: about him being a dad, but you know, dad the kids are a little bit older, you know what I'm saying? You still got the NFL deal going, but you still got questions about that and how you've been handling that. And like a lot of people wanna be or aspire to be like Jay Z. So they're gonna keep listening. We're gonna keep listening because we're curious to hear what comes out of Jay Z, and maybe his musical skills next. So You know, he's still gonna be a part of the the ultimate zeitgeist of pop culture. this album just shows that. But yeah, I mean

Ahki: Yeah.

Vance: The the the Roots picnic verse itself was was was dope. It was cool to see him kind of show that he wasn't really fucking with some of the other stars that maybe he's been a pro you know, he he's worked with in the past. It was cool. It w it was dope. but yeah, I think the the biggest thing for me is that I don't know whether it's just him popping out just to perform.

Ahki: Yeah. Mm-hmm. Yeah.

Vance: at you know, Yankee Stadium and perform at Roost Picnic, or if this means that we might get some music down the line. But I really hope that it's the latter.

Ahki: Yeah. Same. Me too. I I do I am interested to hear what he has to say. I do hope that it is not all I'm richer than I'm.

Vance: 'Cause he easily do that.

Ahki: I just I just I just but I don't think it's the right environment the right environment for that, bro. It's a lot going on in the world. And you just put out I'm richer than all y'all. I just don't think one people should listen to that. I think people want to l wanna listen to that. I I just truly I could be wrong. I just don't. so yeah, that was the reason reason without Jay Z's first album. Please go listen to it. Vance on to the fun part of my show, favorite part of the show.

Vance: Yeah. Yes, yes, yes, yes.

Ahki: I can go first if you want. If you're not ready, I can go first. But what are you currently what are you currently listening to? Okay, I'll go first. You said it. I can t this this might be a whole episode to itself, but I'm not gonna go too far 'cause we're already at the two hour mark. I'm reading this book. a mentor of mine gave me this book years ago, years, years, years ago, and I'm finally starting to read it. And it's about organizers in the forties and fifties and thirties, in Mississippi, the the Delta freedom freedom struggle.

Vance: Yeah, go first. Go first. Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: And so Fanny Lou Hamer is in there, Mega Evers is in there, Ella Baker, and a lot of other local community organizers and just everyday citizens who were like fed up with the conditions. And on one of the pages, they talk about I can't remember her name, but she someone did study in Minn Mississippi and they were trying to figure out people's how they saw white people. in different generations. Like the generation who had just been just got out of enslavement. they were a little bit more like timid or like you know appeasing to white people. Right. And then the generation after that was a little bit more I guess I wanna say meek, but not like weak, but like avoidant or like, you know, keep unsatisfied for something to be too close. But the one after that, they say like in the I think in the forties, were like anti or were like not anti white, but like anti The structures that were against them and they were willing to fight back and they were sick and tired of the shit and they were ready to do something about it. And one of the things they talked about was they she was trying to figure out wow, what caused the shift. And one thing they said was it was the music of the Delta Blues that helped communicate emotion throughout the region and there was something to feel that way. So when I read that, I was like, Man, what were they listening to? So man, I've been listening to Charlie Patton, Muddy Waters. Elmore James, Henny, not not Big Mama Thornton, Coco Bailey, I believe her name is, Sunhouse, Robert Johnson, Albert Collins, Johnny Gatara Wilson, or like the the classic blues, Delta blues. I just been really fascinated to hear like what were if on one some of the early recorders of black music ever. It's just it's just amazing to hear what they gotta say. A lot of it is about love. a lot of it is about just having a great time, which I think I want to talk more about one day. How people make it seem like music can't be social but also fun. Elmore James, one of his biggest songs of the time was called Shake Your Moneymaker. And it came out in the fifties. you know what I mean? So it it wasn't like these people weren't having a good time juke joint. You feel me? But they were also talking about different things. So yeah, I listen to a lot of that. Muddy Waters too. I think it's muddy waters. So a lot a lot of Money Waters.

Vance: Yeah. Yeah.

Ahki: So yeah, just the entire Delta blues, classic blues. A lot of it is grainy. There's one joint with muddy waters and like a professor. And he's like, it's from like the late early 30s, early 40s, I think. I could be wrong. Maybe it's a little bit later. But it's like, there's like a it's it's like a song, and then like the professor or whatever is asking him questions. He likes, so what how'd you come up that song? What what was the song about? Like what made you do that? He was like, Yeah, man, I just played it on the thing and it you know came to me and I played it and so there was like it was like it was out called the plantation the plantation recordings the muddy waters and and and it it was it was amazing because it was like an interview he was talking to him about what and he was asking him about other people like Robert Johnson and Sun House and he was like yeah they play about as good as each other they they're they're pretty much on the same page and it was just it was it was it was amazing.

Vance: Yeah, send me that.

Ahki: To hear them talk about it and like he was like, Yeah, man, you I was I was in love with a girl, girl left me, or I had to leave, and this is what I felt. And it was, it was, it was, it's it's great, man. It's it's truly I listened like a lot of that Vince Staple album constant loop. Constant loop. Const that is fire. Constantly. We needed that, brother. We need music with a message more than ever. It's a lot of shit going on, man. And

Vance: That shit is fire. That shit is so good. my god. It's so good. Yeah, we did.

Ahki: Hip hop has always been speaking about stuff like that. And I was getting concerned because no one was talking about what's happening in the world. And I was like, Dog, are we just all pop now? It's just no more hip hop. So that was that was a so event stable album. If you have not heard it, please go listen to it, spin it. you know, get wake wake up, you know what I mean?

Vance: Yeah. Yeah. I like the rock Yeah, I like the rock elements that he added to this album. Like it's it's a it's a rack rap yeah, it's a lot of punk rap album. It's a punk rap album for sure.

Ahki: I love it. Punk. A lot of punk. Yeah, man. Yeah. That also that also was why I liked the Vince, because Vince album is black. That's that's also black music. Like historically, that is pump punk is rooted in black people. Black people are pioneers in funk in funk and punk and rock and what that is. So that was it was cool to hear Delta 40s and like you listen to that bro. I'm listening to music from the 50s.

Vance: Yep.

Ahki: With these guitar riffs and I'm like, bro, that is rock and roll twenty years later. And it's so it's mind blowing. Like if you listen to Johnny Guitar Wilson, he has a song. He has a song you probably heard it before. I can't even I can't think of what it's called, but it's like a it's like a song you done heard with the guitar rip, bro. You listen to look when it came out, it came out like in sixty or fifty nine or fifty eight. And you'd be like, Dog, when was this like how like how did they this is like in the I think when the electric guitarists came out, it just changed everything.

Vance: Mm-hmm.

Ahki: probably did have a bunch of guitars back then but dog shit is mind blowing surrender by navy blue playing that i was playing elo cool j's great album it's a little slow for me but he's a great he's a really solid strong strong songwriter i want him to pick up his pace a little bit with some of the songs but i enjoy the album ello cool j mr smith i've been listening to that just on a random i think it's a really fun album i actually really enjoy that one

Vance: Yeah, he's he's dope. Yeah.

Ahki: Gina, Jenna, J E G E N A. She was recently on what's the P R Tiny Death. Yeah, I never heard of until I saw Tiny Desk, but this is a great album called The Pleasure Is Yours. It's a great R B album. I think you will really like it. You should check it out. G-E-N-A, The Pleasure Is Yours. I've been playing that. Jazz Star by Butch Dawson from Baltimore. It's been great to play this. You got a couple songs in that I think is really impressive that shows his.

Vance: tiny desk. Yeah. Pleasure is yours.

Ahki: Elevation and songwriting. I'm listening to him for a long time since Sunset Avenue. And it's it's impressive to hear how much he has grown. Umanez Guti Hermanos Gutierrez. Bop in that joint. I was I was recently in California with the family on a nice little road trip. So playing that felt like I was it was the perfect music for that. Low key, I've been playing Casey Musgraves, her album, Middle of Nowhere. It's like a white R white RB song, which is crazy to say that out loud. But I don't it it is country, but it feels like it's definitely influenced by some RB sounds and vibrations 100%. Black Love is a new gangster. I've been playing that, and I love it, man. I absolutely love it. and last but not least, I'll leave this. these y'all one, some joints on there. Yeah, they actually played on the actually played on the radio.

Vance: Ooh, how was that? Yeah, I gotta check that one out.

Ahki: And Lelo, Lilo, also from Detroit, just like these. He played a recently. I think it's really fun. One side is rap. One side is a little bit more upbeat. I think it's showing some his his his range. I think it's really cool. Man, man, that's that's just been in the spins lately, man. I've been all over the place. From the forties to the to the twenty sixes, bro, all over.

Vance: Yeah man. I've been kind of all everywhere too, man. first of all, I went to Baby King's concert. it was dope as shit. my god. It felt like a movie or well actually it felt more like a play, but he's using the music as the the plot in some cases. And I love the visuals, the

Ahki: How was it? How was it?

Vance: visuals for the concert was super dope too. The way that they built the nah he was at the anthem. He was at the anthem. He had a whole stage set up too. that did yeah hell yeah way bigger. Yeah yeah it imagine like imagine like nine thirty times three

Ahki: Where was he at? Harvard Theater? okay. All right. Okay. That's bigger. That's bigger, right? Ain't that bigger than Harwood Theater? Is that bigger? That's bigger, right? Okay, yeah, yeah, I thought so. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. okay. Now third used to be Detroit. Yeah.

Vance: Yeah, yeah. So like it's it's it's big as hell. they got vid you know, lights and different visuals and stuff like that. It's it's really dope. And the way that he had his entire setup, it wasn't just him going out there and rapping, like he He had visuals to match it. He had a dancer. Like he yo. He he used that whole stage to convey his story. And he was able to kind of move around. And man, yo, it was it was a fucking ride. Like that was just peak performance for me, for sure. And the Yeah, yeah. He definitely did the the hillbillies. He definitely did songs off of his previous yeah yeah

Ahki: That's fine. He did the old joints too. He he did some old joints. Uh-huh. Family ties. yeah.

Vance: Die for my bitch. he did some songs off of that. Orange Soda. Orange Soda specifically. Yeah, yeah. So he did go back into some of his yeah. But but casino was the main focus. So he he mainly focused on casino to kind of help convey that story. So it was it was dope. I'm I'm mad that my phone died, you know, on the last bit of the of the of the project or of the performance.

Ahki: No install yeah. Those are big Those are the big ones. Yeah, those are the big ones, yeah. That's tough, that's tough. Mm-hmm.

Vance: But it made me want to actually go back to the album and I bought the album on Vine Off 2 there. So yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was definitely listening to casino. I was also listening to I gotta throw this guy into my rotation occasionally a space ghost perk. specifically specifically the NASA gang project. They got it remastered on Spotify. So

Ahki: Mm-hmm. That's tough. That's tough. Okay.

Vance: I heard one of the songs off of the project and I started throwing that back in rotation. I also have been listening to Sun Ra lately. yeah, yeah. So at my job, I currently well at my job specifically, we currently go through different tracks from the past, specifically with our co-hosts.

Ahki: wow.

Vance: so that has inspired me to listen to some of those those artists. And Sun Rob was one of them because I learned about his story of coming from Alabama and going to New York and and and you know, kind of creating Afro futurism. So I started going back through his older tracks. Spaces the Place was also was a big one. But then I started realizing that he his music was sampled by Mad Lib for Mad Villainy.

Ahki: Mm-hmm. Yeah. Yeah.

Vance: So that all of

Ahki: Yes it was. That's it was.

Vance: a sudden I started going through Mad Villainy again. particularly. So good. So good. I got it on. I got it on CD. It's it's packed up, but I got I definitely got it on CD. So I've definitely been throwing in Mag Villainy. this other artist named Dylan Billion Dollars. I think I mentioned him but here before. But he makes music that sounds like it's from 2002.

Ahki: I was listening to that too, man. I didn't even say it, but that was on my list too. That's crazy. Yeah. Yeah. Mmm. That's a good one.

Vance: Like from an artist of that caliber, but just done in 2026. And a lot of his covers are old Vibe, Ebony, and B E T. not B E T, but Vibe Ebony and Matt yeah, Jet Magazine covers. You know what I'm saying? so it w he has a very weird style, a very nostalgic style.

Ahki: Jet, jet, jet. Yeah.

Vance: of music but i do like the the the vibes that it got yeah that shit is like that shit is vibey I think the song that ri that I've been fucking with lately is everybody need love that's been the shit so yeah definitely I got you I got you what else I've been listening to I've been listening to Midnight Club too let's just drop the new project yeah yeah

Ahki: Send it, send it to me. Let me I wanna hear it. Send me some. Send me some. Hmm. Yeah, send me that. Send me that. yeah, less. Yeah, yes sir. Same. Let's in the rotation, yeah. Yes sir.

Vance: definitely for the for the car clubs and shit. Tindernism by Melvin Knight. Been throwing that into rotation, sampling My Heart is Yearning by the Gap Band. Nicholas Lamar. You got a new you got a new project out. It's called Bars for Hire. Nicholas he he Nicholas Lamar definitely got a 2000s kind of sound of rap, definitely from the south.

Ahki: Hmm. Yeah.

Vance: I I fucked with his earlier project. It came out earlier this year, or last year to be exact. It had Primo 8 on it. So I've been throwing a lot of his music into rotation lately. what else? What else? 6WA, the album. 600 Entertainments album. They yo, that shit is fire. of course they got Big X to plug. Bruh, it's so good.

Ahki: Yeah. I saw that, yeah. Yeah, I haven't I haven't played it.

Vance: I know that Big X the Plug is on there and he's kind of the star of the show. But like there's another artist named Rosama. that is R-O Dollarsign A-M-A. He is dope too. I heard about him a little bit before I heard this album. But what I like about this album is that the concept of it is based off of NWA. So aside from them having like just banging ass Texas beats, they also use

Ahki: Yeah. Yeah.

Vance: the influence of West Coast rap at that time and merge it together with Texas Southern raps. So that shit is fire. No. No. Yeah, no. Yeah.

Ahki: Do they have a fuck the pole on it? Weak. You gotta have some balls, bro. Alright, go ahead. I ain't gonna k I ain't gonna let me go for my high. I know.

Vance: But you know they weren't thinking that way. You know but you but you know they weren't thinking that way. Come on. They you they were not thinking that way.

Ahki: Hey, if you're gonna if you're gonna do it, do the song and put on the map. Just saying.

Vance: That's true. That's true. But you know, a lot I I think when it comes to a lot of artists and nostalgia nostalgia based content like this project, I think they focus more on the cool aspect and w you know, instead of taking the more revolutionary approach that that you would think that because they're using NWA stuff that they would

Ahki: Mm-hmm. That's the cool part to me.

Vance: you know, take that risk. But no, they did not.

Ahki: That's what made NWA cool was the ability to say fuck the police and I'm coming straight from the underground.

Vance: That is true. That is true. But

Ahki: The authority to kill a minority. What?

Vance: Yeah. I've been also listening to Respuci Stash. it's definitely a a jat a jet ha ha ha one of the samples, Mr. Cool, is actually a sample of a certain song. I forgot specifically what it was, but I've been just listening to the album because I found out like, this is interesting. what else? What else? What else? D a lot of Primo Rice lately.

Ahki: I don't know what that is. Hmm. Okay. I'm gonna look that up.

Vance: A lot of Primo Rice. Can't go wrong with that. And then on top, I was just listening to I'm going all the way back up right now. I was just listening to Brand Newbian. When blasting some Brand Newbian. Yeah. Yeah, man. That don't let it go to your head. That shit is fire. and then also we were just listening to concerto in X minor earlier today.

Ahki: wow, so was I. That's crazy. Yeah, that's crazy. Yeah. Hmm. Yeah, man.

Vance: So I've just been throwing brand newbie and into rotation lately. and then last but not least, yeah, that shit is fire. I like that shit. and then last but not least, once upon a time, the soundtrack by Jay Worthy.

Ahki: I was listening to brand new P and yeah. Jay Worthy, that's a great that's a s that's a guess that's a really good album came out last year. Yeah.

Vance: Yeah, man. I like the fact that he's I mean what y'all said about him using the N-word. Yeah, dog. It definitely shows. It shows in this project. I also like the fact that he threw in Loving the Drugs. So that was also cool. Yeah, that was one of my favorite.

Ahki: Stop saying the N-word? Yeah, I'm happy he stopped. Yeah, business yeah, I'm happy you Yeah. Yeah. Isn't he a part of London Drugs? Isn't he part of the producing? Is him and the other guy, right? No. Yeah. Yeah. Do you do you have any anything to plug?

Vance: Yes. Yes. It's him and somebody else. I know that it's that now. just just just watch out for me on a lacrosse fell apparently. But other than that other than that, yay bruh. I ain't I ain't nah, I ain't seeing nobody in no parking lot, bro. We we we try and we trying to get home, you feel me? But nah, Vansby underscore everything except for for Twitter, that is Vance sixty four underscore on Twitter. and Vance Dash B on Blue Sky. That's dash or hyphen in the

Ahki: There you go. Don't hurt nobody in the parking lot, yo. What's about in the parking lot? That's a fact. That's a fact.

Vance: in the in the middle. So that's it for me.

Ahki: Thanks for listening this far. If you made it, share with a friend. Email us recordreport podcast at gmail dot com if you got any comments or questions or if you want to even be on the show talk about your favorite album. we listen to it all. Thanks. See you next time. Peace.

Vance: Peace.