Ok, here’s the deal. Chris Shaban has put together this dope piece on Drake. The thing is, to experience it in its full glory you need to read it HERE (true FootNotes style). Reading it here is cool too but we can’t seem to get the coding right on our page to allow the FootNotes (pop-ups) to work. Alas, here is Pt. III of In Defense Of Drake by Chris Shaban. FootNotes are after the jump and correlate to the roman numerals:

Part III

Out of the gate, I’d like to thank you again for coming back to Cityonmyback to continue reading this blog [i].  As you’ll notice again, I have cut and pasted the FootNotes right after the citation in an effort to encourage people on this site to read the blurbs.  I think that even Ty and Digi would agree though, if you want to take it in nice and smooth and in a way that is VERY EASY to read, click here (it takes you to FarBeyond.ca).  I want to take a brief moment to clear up some potential misconceptions that have arisen since Part I if you don’t mind [ii].  Not really a big deal, just more of a reminder about the nature of this article.  It is more than fair to say that this weblog has been quite one-sided since it began [iii], however, it’s important to remember the point of why this article was written.  Yes, as I have consistently mentioned, I’m speaking to corporate partners and Post-Secondary programmers in an effort to help us all understand this genre a little better.  However, over the past two weeks [iv] it seems that I have adorned another cap that I never really intended to wear.  You see, if you’re not feeling Drake, then this piece is meant to try and provide you with enough solid and potentially new information to sway your opinion.  To help in relating, it would be most safe to compare this writing to how a criminal lawyer would defend the position of his client in front of a judge and jury [v]. I’ve tried to steer clear of many obvious references that folks would think necessary to speak about when writing such a long piece on one topic [vi].  But the fact remains, I have to keep it real [vii], so until Part IV, never was heard a discouraging word.  Back to the lecture at hand…

Whether you’re reading this through HHC.com, Cityonmyback.com, blog.farbeyond.ca or any of the other great sites that are running this, it is truly a treat to be able to communicate with you [viii].  I promised to make Part III strictly about the lyrics because, for better or for worse, that is truly what ‘authentic’ fans of Hip-Hop music appreciate the most [ix].  While to most people that generate income from the music business, a rapper whose overall best quality is being lyrically ferocious, usually provides them nothing more than entertainment; but to real Hip-Hop fans it separates the men from the boys.  Metaphors, similes, double entendres, wit, all tied together and delivered in the cleverest[x] punchlines; now that’s a REAL rapper.  Well, to be completely honest, and I’m truly sorry if this is the first you’re hearing of this, that stuff usually doesn’t mean anything if the beat, melody, momentum, and more, are not on point in the song [xi].  Although the whole cipher may scream and yell, the fact is, if the song is only lyric deep, then it usually doesn’t register where it counts [xii].  However, the jury I am speaking to today holds lyrics in the highest regard, as do I, so that is why it is our next topic.  You see, although I say that lyrics[xiii] aren’t very often the most important part of a song, the best Hip-Hop artists can balance the fine line between writing hit records and speaking strictly to the heads and the dreads [xiv].  Is Drake soon to be one of those types (already changed) of rappers?  I think you know my answer on that, On Wit Da Show[xv]…

Previous: OPINION: “In Defense Of Drake” (Part II) by Chris Shaban

Previous: OPINION: “In Defense of Drake” (HHC Editorial Piece)

Lyricism…

Because this is such a personal topic, I did my best to try and find 4 verses that could reach out and touch any Hip-Hop listener, regardless of the tastes you have[xvi].  I didn’t go too deep into his catalog, ensuring that I studied only 10 joints[xvii] for this topic as to not spend all of my time listening to music[xviii] and to limit the options really[xix]. With that all said, the point of this exercise is to obviously, first and foremost, represent the 3 Laws of Rap mentioned in Part II[xx].  But it’s also important to take into consideration the success of the song, meaning how many people heard it, as well as current and future relevance[xxi].  And hey, some like this first one are just to good to leave out regardless of where it’s from:

Exhibit A:             Smith & Wesson flow, you should tell them boys duck down[xxii]

Or if you’re a ‘real’ Hip-Hop head and went to high school in the 90’s you probably heard, ‘Smif N Wessun flow, you should tell them boys Duck Down[xxiii]’.  But, but, but wait, I thought this guy was only about girls, he didn’t just say what I think he said, did he?  Come on, his age was one character long when the first Smif N Wessun[xxiv] album came out[xxv] on Duck Down Records, how would he know that[xxvi]?  Well, with the internet these days, you can find just about anything on anything, so he must have just surfed some sites and picked an older rap group to help relate to the ‘heads’.  Ummmmm, probably not, but even still, who cares?  You truly would have to have some boiling hate coursing through your veins not to crack a smile at the word play in this line[xxvii].  Like, on the surface, you can just take it to mean that his flow is like a gun that spits rounds, so get out the way.  But don’t do yourself the disservice of not enjoying the music the way it’s meant to be heard[xxviii].  This verse gets ultra points for its double meaning, points for reaching out to the rap fans that aren’t on his radar, and points for referencing classic Hip-Hop[xxix].

Exhibit B:          Double cup love, You’re the one I lean on[xxx]

Aside from its reference to the favourite beverage of his closest industry homeboy, this is a pretty clever line to put into a pop record.  My guess is most people[xxxi] wouldn’t get the ‘double cup’ reference[xxxii] unless they had seen Wayne rolling with his red cylinder stacks or know the trick of how to keep count of your beer total at a keg party.  However, even if they did catch that line, they might be more familiar with ‘lean’ as it’s more widely known, ‘Syrup’ or ‘Sizzurp’[xxxiii].  The thing is, often times with radio songs, the listener is hypnotized by the melody and will go, ‘mmm mm mmm mmm, mmm mmm mmm mm Lean On’ before they bother trying to decipher the verses meaning[xxxiv].  So it raises this question:  Why would he ‘waste’ a quick-witted line on an audience that, for the most part, won’t even take it in?  Well, I think Drake answered the question himself in the same song when he reminds us that real cats will still cop his joints, they’ll just say it’s for their sister, so he’s gotta have something for them too.  Credit given for the respected paid to Wayne, slyly inserting a shrewd line into a pop record, the fact that saying ‘you’re the one I lean on’ in a love song makes girls wanna cry[xxxv], and of course, the all-important double entendre.

Exhibit C:         Drop the mixtape that (ish)[xxxvi] sounded like an album, Who’da thought a country wide tour’d[xxxvii] be the outcome; Labels want my name beside an X like Malcolm, Everybody got a deal, I did it without one[xxxviii]. (‘Forever’ (isn’t every song that Boi-1da produces fire?) – Extra PS – notice how I said ‘song he produces’ and not ‘beat he makes’?  Think about it…)

[1] (like we have any idea how music is supposed to be heard nowadays.  We steal hardly audible MP3’s off the internet.  I’m sure Phil Spector is smashing his head against his cell wall)

[1] (It’s important that the younger generation knows what came before them, isn’t it?  To me, that is the most heated debate topic in Rap aside from the current dead horse beatings of the term ‘Swag’ or even the dirt nap for Auto-Tune.)

[1] (‘Best I Ever Had’)

[1] (Not including the smart readers of this article of course… 😉

[1] (At least in reference to the way that Drake was using it.)

[1] (Which makes a clear reference to the main ingredient of the concoction, Cough Syrup.  The ‘urp’ in Sizzurp, is either because of the drinks usual purple colour, or just how you would say it after one too many… 😉  Sip sip sip sip sippin on some… PS – In case you don’t know, this stuff is no joke, proceed with ultra caution.)

[1] (I dumb down for my audience and doubled my dollars)

[1] (Regardless of whether or not they know that there is some cleverness slowly floating over their head)

[1] (Hey, my church going, God-loving grandmother used to drop the S bomb every now and then (Love you Nanny, hope your cloud is fluffy), but I got new rules, so I apologize if that looks silly.  I think you know the correct word.)

First and foremost, this verse right here gets ultra credit out of the gate for its Truthful Swagger[xxxix].  (Sorry to use the term ‘swag’, but it’s just so full of description.  Truthful Swagger is any swag related comment that is not made up because it will sound good on the song.  For example, if you’re like – ‘yo yo yo, I push a Hummer and it’s $150 a tank’, but you really ride around on the TTC, expect something like – ‘When I see’em in the streets, I don’t see none of that; Damn playboy, where the (heck) is the Hummer at?’ as a rebuttal.)  Let’s go through it slowly as this proves to be one of the easiest of all his clever verses to understand[xl] (Already dumbing down on the pop songs – However I was a little disappointed in the ‘sprained ankle’ line.  I think it could have had better footing with an ACL reference instead, but I’m sure that was just a slip up):

‘Drop the mixtape, that (ish) sounded like an album’: I’m interested to hear a contrary opinion to that line.  The ‘So Far Gone’ mixtape, available to most for free until recently, was a well thought out and organized collection of quality music.  He could have said, ‘that (ish) sounded BETTER then an album’, at least compared to 99% of his competition, and, to me, it would have still been valid.  I think one of the biggest things about it was this:  It will be viewed as the Tipping Point for two of the newest[xli](The word ‘newest’, soon to be replaced with ‘hottest’) producers in the game.  If I’m not mistaken, I think the last time we got introduced to two producers with this much potential on one album, we were bumping ‘H-to-the-Izzo’ followed by ‘Girls, Girls, Girls’, weren’t we[xlii]? (I’m not saying they’re there yet, but neither were Kanye and Just Blaze when The Blueprint came out.  Also, 1da’s BEEN gone and 40 just signed as the 3^rd producer to HHS78, with the first 2 being those dudes from Roc-A-Fella.  Coincidence?  No sir….)

‘Who’da thought a country wide tour’d be the outcome?’ I don’t know who did[xliii], (Probably Wayne, Gee, Hip-Hop and Cortez Bryant.) but regardless, that’s exactly what happened[xliv]. (Obviously, until he James Brown’d his already worked over ACL.  Sorry, I had to, everyone else has at least one in their articles.) Like, maybe it’s just me, but I really like when artists show some of who they are and what’s actually going on in their lives through the lyrics.  Like, if you’re a lonely stoner[xlv] (Which straight up, I don’t find that interesting.  Here I go being a critic myself without really taking the artist in, but I don’t think I’m feeling Kid Cudi.  And it’s in the same way I didn’t and don’t feel Lupe Fiasco.  Anyway, it’s just a feeling I have and is not based on solid evidence, as I’ve only heard like 10 songs from the guy, so file me in the hater drawer for now.  However, in his defense, the fact that he’s experienced foundational and strong success at this point in his career is most likely because of his honesty to himself and his fans, and obviously, musical talent.)

, tell me that.  If you made a mixtape and now you’re touring North America, in part, because of it, good for you, I’ve heard people stake out long careers on less[xlvi] (When you really think about it, not many notable people aside from 50 Cent have turned a mixtape into something as big as Drake has.  Now, I guess you could say that 50 had a few mixtapes, however they consisted of more reproduced joints (dubplates, freestyles, whatever you want to call them) then actual songs. See, although ‘Power of The Dollar’ was recorded and ready for shelves, we never really got a commercial release of authentic 50 until ‘Get Rich or Die Tryin’.  The difference here is that, although Drake has mixtapes with dubs and stuff like that, ‘So Far Gone’, the mixtape he’s referring to in the verse, is all original Drizzy material.)

‘Labels want my name beside an X like Malcolm.’  I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it enough here, but I really REALLY like when people are creative and witty.  This line is a real treat for radio listeners and pop music lovers[xlvii] (And people who make money selling to the radio listeners and pop music lovers.)  And if you wanna know why, it’s because people like to feel smart.  ‘Well, um, ya, of course they do Shabby, you brought me this far to tell me that?’  Okay, let me try something that I hope is not going to go too far off the track and get confusing[xlviii] (Witch, four me, is prety scarie becuse I’m not realy that smrt (I would have spelled smart correctly had I not heard Homer saying ‘S M R T, I mean S M A R T’ in my head).  Obviously the human ego is ultra important in life, and feeling smart or intelligent is one of the BEST possible ways to pad that up[xlix]. (‘Getting It’ is another way to say it)  Walk with me… Now a lot of rappers are great at creating clever lines that are meant to be a code that only certain people can decipher.   However, the key to these words from Drake is that he makes it so it’s not that hard, for the average listener, to piece this particular code together.  From an ego perspective there’s something very important to be said for being ‘in on the joke’.  Now, although this line is relatively simple to understand, it still maintains integrity by being ultra clever[l] (Like a bunch of years ago when Eminem and Redman both had lines in different songs with ‘hitting trees like Sonny Bono’ as the punchline.  Like, of course it’s sad that he passed away, no ones laughing at that, but if you don’t even chuckle at the double meaning, AT LEAST FROM REDMAN, holy geeeeez). I know that this article may not be super exciting to read, but hopefully I put enough jokes like this Drake line in here to keep your attention and make it enjoyable[li]. (Pretty much the difference between ‘The Office’ and ‘Arrested Development’ right?  Like, AD, in my opinion, is a funnier show than The Office, but The Office appeals to WAY more people.  However, it’s still in a clever way; a way that makes you feel ‘in on the joke’, a smart joke.  In the case of AD, it was written in such a way that only certain people ‘got it’, that in turn made those same people laugh even HARDER.  Finally, it makes the people in that space between the two shows (meaning they like The Office but don’t totally like AD) feel that potentially the joke may even be on them cause they’re not getting it, thus they feel less smart.  So, instead of ‘looking stupid’ they say ‘I don’t like the show’.  Pete says, “It’s also like comparing Letterman to the Colbert Report.”  I know, I know… Who cares…)

Mega points also awarded for the fact that the line is 100% TRUE[lii]. (http://www.billboard.com/bbcom/news/drake-s-major-label-bidding-war-heats-up-1003979201.story#/bbcom/news/drake-s-major-label-bidding-war-heats-up-1003979201.story – For a whole verse full of ultra clever, but easy to understand lines like this, take in the ‘Digital Girl Remix’.  It’s pretty hilarious… why are there like less than 5 rappers doing this stuff?)

‘Everybody got a deal, I did it without one.’  I wish that I could have put this line back up in the Honesty section.  Because I know I’ve spent enough time on this verse, I’ll just say, think about how rare it is to accomplish what he has already without a record deal[liii]? (However, in todays music market, I’d probably rather have HHS78 along with Wayne and Cortez Bryant as my deal, so the idea of him doing all this ‘without one’ isn’t entirely forthcoming.  Plus, this would be the main area where those prior industry connects I didn’t want to mention before may come in handy.)

Exhibit D: Nickles for my thoughts, dimes in my bed, Quarters of the kush shape the lines in my head – Take my verses too serious, you’ll hate me; Cause I’m the one to paint a vivid picture, no HD[liv]. (‘Successful’)

This verse is one that originally grabbed my attention because I got caught trying to piece together the ‘coin’ related verse progression he uses.  Plus, his boy 40[lv](Who, as I had mentioned before, has also signed to Hip Hop Since 1978.  Which leads to this question; is Toronto the next place to blow?  We’ll get at this topic in FootNotes soon) did an excellent job with the sounds and levels of the beat here as to not take away from the sincerity of the lyrics that both Drizzy and Trey Songz are spitting.  But upon further review, that part didn’t end up being what REALLY got me[lvi](Unless I’m missing something (which could very well be the case), I’m pretty sure the more correct term is ‘pennies’ for my thoughts.  Now I know a nickel is next in line to a dime, but they are both the same amount of syllables and I think saying ‘pennies’ may have been a better idea…. But straight up, who cares what I think, that’s why I write it in the FootNotes!).  While the ‘change’ and ‘cashier’ references continue, the meat of this line starts with the further advancing of the coin word play by having ‘dimes’ in his bed[lvii] (Again, for those that don’t know, ‘Dime’ is a Hip-Hop term that is generated from the idea that a female is a ’10 out of 10’.  However, with a dime being 10 cents, I don’t know if Bo Derek would approve of the slang). He is clearly not referring to emptying his piggy bank onto his mattress.  When the tour bus starts looking like a freak show, there is a pretty good chance you can keep yourself a dollars worth of dimes at any given time between the sheets.  Coin-y lines continue when he says ‘quarters of the kush shape the lines in my head’. So first, a comment on the quantity of weed he’s rolling with[lviii](As I’m sure many of you know, quantities of chronic are often referred to in relation to how it breaks out of an ounce.  A quarter being a quarter ounce.  On a side note, for our American friends, this may help in future cross border transactions.  What most of you often call ‘an eighth’ we refer to as a ‘half quarter’.  I know, I know, it’s just how we roll.  I’m sure there are places near you that do that too. (please note, I said cross border transactions, NOT BORDER CROSSING TRANSACTIONS.  This is harmless information to help some rappers that haven’t had the pleasure of doing shows down south to understand the promoters or just for some good conversation), and, in turn, how that helps write the verses you hear on his songs[lix](Go read that line again except do it in the voice Eddie Murphy uses when he plays a white guy.  Hilarious!).  But I think the key reason that I selected this was the honesty in the line, ‘Take my verses too serious, you’ll hate me’.  Although many hadn’t started hating on Drake at the time he had wrote this verse[lx](I can say that I HAD started hating already.  See, at the COCA Conference (www.coca.org) in North Bay last November (Shouts to Buddah), my friend Steph told me she had been speaking with someone close to her that happened to be a friend of Drake’s.  As the discussion progressed on over lunch, she said that her friend had mentioned Drizzy pulled up to his crib in a Phantom.  But not just an ‘it’s my video shoot day and its gotta be back to Affinity Fine Cars by 6pm’, oh no, this was his OWN Phantom.  So, in my infinite wisdom and big words, I began to breakdown the economics of owning a whip like that, and politely ended the conversation with a glare down my nose and a condescending tone in my voice.  Later that month, someone else mentioned the same thing to me unsolicited and when I started the same speech, it was confirmed that he was indeed pushing the Rolls Royce manufactured car.  Next time I saw Steph she was polite enough to be gentle when she removed my foot out of my mouth.), he knew what was coming, and suggested to not take his words to heart.  Not because they should be viewed as NOT serious, but because if you really believe what he’s saying is true, you’re probably not going to like him that much[lxi](And I hate to bring this up, but I think he’s saying it because you’re probably a touch green with envy.).  Safe to assume there isn’t going to be much miscommunication about what he’s saying either, as inferred with, ‘I’m the one to paint a vivid picture, no HD.’ Very, ‘Spike Lee couldn’t paint a better picture’[lxii](Remember, I used this line already.  RIP Big Pun)

Overall, these are just 4 small examples, all within the last year, of what we can expect from the future of Rap[lxiii](I’m not even just saying Drizzy, I’m saying a lot of rappers will sound like this for a while to come, and trust me, you see’em (please place your own ascending voice inflection on the word ‘em’).  As a fan of good music, but also solid lyrics, I’m looking forward to what he’s going to do next lyrically[lxiv](And again to repeat this, I’m NOT saying he’s the only guy that has good raps.  But in case it’s been lost in all my blah, blah, blah, this article does happen to be about Drake).  I mean, if these are all from 365 days, what’s going to happen when he’s 5 years in?

I have to say, I’m glad that ones over.  Sometimes it’s hard to write the same way that you talk, but it’s always hard to write about someone else that way even more[lxv](I read this and I critique as best I can.  But rule 101 to good writing; don’t stray from your thesis…).  Anyway, until the conclusion of Part IV, the defense rests.  For now, set your reminders for Friday October 30^th – The Prosecution gets a chance to present 5 points that it wishes everyone knew about Drizzy.  I think I’m going to go wrap up the rest of that eighth[lxvi] (AHHHHH… it just doesn’t sound right… HALF QUARTER!  There… Shouts to my boy Charlie Royal where around us it’s all ‘half quarter’ and ‘PREmiership’ but back home in London it’s all ‘Eighths’ and ‘PREMiership’…)

---

[i] Although I guess it looks more like an actual web log (for the peeps that may not know, that’s where the term ‘blog’ comes from) then what a site using, let’s say WordPress, would look like.  The thing is, I don’t even watch any television programs besides PTI, The Office, Arrested Development, Mad Men and Dallas (you’ll notice that 2 are already off the air) so what the rass am I going to write about poppy pop culture?  Anyway you look at it, I don’t think I could make it interesting enough to keep people coming back frequently to read it.  I talk way too much for that.

[ii] I have a feeling that there would be less of them if more folks took the time to read the FootNotes… But I do understand that they are quite long and sometimes boring.  That’s okay, you can come back to read certain pieces anytime if you really want too.  This is a research paper, take in only as much as you feel you need to.

[iii] Like, Duh… (I don’t know if that was funny, but it just felt so necessary right there.)

[iv] I’m pretty sure this is because some great Hip-Hop sites grabbed this essay and posted it for fans of rap music to read and critique.

[v] Not that I am suggesting that Drake needs a lawyer or that I’m Scott Leemon, it’s just for the easy comparison.

[vi] Clearly there is much more than one topic when you take in the FootNotes, but I mean, from the perspective that it’s central focus is Drake.  I haven’t made mention of (and these don’t count) Degrassi or referenced him as Aubrey Graham because I just wanted this to be about music and not other outside factors.  Now granted, these factors are ultra relevant and very meaningful to many areas of his success (ie dealing with the spotlight, connections, open doors etc) but I feel that they have nothing to do with his actual talent in music, at least not long-term.  I don’t really know if I see the connection between playing a high school student in a wheel chair and writing hit records, with all due respect.  I’m attempting to prove the overall point without taking into account this ADDITIONAL benefit that he just also happens to have, but is unrelated to his musical works.

[vii] Last time I said this phrase it was in relation to putting curse words in my articles, but ONLY when they come from lyrics in a song.  Earlier this week, my friend Bill (or DJ BTK ‘The Exclusive King’ as he is known to those who work with him at the Springfield MA corporate offices of the AHL – Sorry brother, had to do it… Also, shouts out to Big Fresh, always holding it down RIP Captain Lou…) texted me about that line.  He said it wasn’t important to keep it real by writing the authentic form of the lyric, but keeping it real with God.  Sounds corny, doesn’t it?  You know what, he’s right.  It’s not that God says ‘Don’t swear’, but He is pretty clear that you shouldn’t be saying things that may cause your brother to stumble.  So, because I don’t know who will be reading this, from here on out, no more curse words.

[viii] The analytics show our traffic has increased over 600% in the last month… Now we also did a promotional campaign through the schools for the new TurnKey Events that we’re doing, but I can see what sites are sending people to FarBeyond.ca and FootNotes has helped quite a bit.

[ix] Please see Part II for a definition of what an ‘authentic’ Hip-Hop fan is.  Truth be told, I really have no idea either.

[x] Just learned that was a word.

[xi] It’ll light the internet on fire, but SoundScan only registers ACTUAL sales of music as opposed to online traffic and blog comments.  I know, that’s another thing I just learned.

[xii] Which coincidentially is also the register.  Only difference is this is the register that you keep money in.

[xiii] Meaning the actual content as opposed to cadence, delivery and/or sound

[xiv] Kanye, Wayne, Snoop, Jay, you know, guys like that… On a really quick note, I was sure that 50 Cent was going to be the G.O.A.T.  Like, he’s still ultra rich and very smart, but the records just aren’t sounding the same.  There’s much more to it than that I’m sure, but I’m pulling for him… Seems he works better as the underdog anyway…

[xv] For anyone that thought the FootNote about Kardinal in Part II was a little harsh, go read it again.  Seems pretty positive to me, and clearly I think he’s talented, but hey, I just wrote it, so what would I know…

[xvi] These quotes and their interpretation are just my take on the verses.  I obviously don’t have a Hip-Hop Dictionary or verbal consultant assisting with this, so please take any comments (or even mistakes) as just my opinion.

[xvii] Some songs, some mixtape verses.

[xviii] I just finished Season 10 of Dallas (look it up if you don’t know).  Now I know Season 11 is on DVD, but after that I think I have to wait.  Back to Mad Men

[xix] I’m confident that we could find some better verses or witty phrases, but these 4 more than get the job done.

[xx] 1. Honesty 2. Trends 3. Lyricism

[xxi] As we all know, Hit Records are written with a focus on today and an eye on tomorrow.  That’s how they stay relevant.

[xxii] ‘Swagger Like Us’ Dubplate

[xxiii] Duck Down Records is also the home of one of this country’s best producers, Marco Polo.  Marco and I first started working together before he moved to NYC in 2001 and have remained friends ever since.  Like about 8-9 years ago, I went over to his pops place in Richmond Hill and listened to a pile of beats he put together for Syntifik.  We were planning to record them on our next trip to New York (which ended up being delayed until Dec 2001 because of the 9/11 attacks – But ‘Think About It’ came out of those sessions – Jr Flo on the scratch hook and Marco on the beat?  Tell me that wasn’t ahead of its time – still available on iTunes).  While we were sitting at the kitchen table I remember talking with him about how dope it would be to one day work with DJ Premier.  Now, to both of us, Primo did nothing but lace joints.  You really only have to listen to some of Marco’s production to hear the homage, and I grew up a monster Gang Starr fan (hence the dailyoperation@hotmail.com address).  Oh the things you talk about before you really have stuff to do in life!  Anyway, fast-forward to today and I received my copy of the Marco and Torae album, on Duck Down, called ‘Double Barrel’ (Cop that).  After taking in the first track on the CD, a spoken word interlude from the boss at Works of Mart himself, I sat in my truck thinking about how that conversation from almost a decade ago and loved it.  I know he’s reading these articles (thank you for the email), so shouts to my boy MP, you’re truly repping our country well.

[xxiv] Cocoa Brovaz, Steele & Tek

[xxv] Dah Shinin, released 1995

[xxvi] I don’t think that they were ever on ‘The Hills’ either

[xxvii] I myself went buck wild and wheeled it back like 20 times.  Precisely the reason it’s the only mixtape line here.

[xxviii] (like we have any idea how music is supposed to be heard nowadays.  We steal hardly audible MP3’s off the internet.  I’m sure Phil Spector is smashing his head against his cell wall)

[xxix] (It’s important that the younger generation knows what came before them, isn’t it?  To me, that is the most heated debate topic in Rap aside from the current dead horse beatings of the term ‘Swag’ or even the dirt nap for Auto-Tune.)

[xxx] (‘Best I Ever Had’)

[xxxi] (Not including the smart readers of this article of course… 😉

[xxxii] (At least in reference to the way that Drake was using it.)

[xxxiii] (Which makes a clear reference to the main ingredient of the concoction, Cough Syrup.  The ‘urp’ in Sizzurp, is either because of the drinks usual purple colour, or just how you would say it after one too many… 😉  Sip sip sip sip sippin on some… PS – In case you don’t know, this stuff is no joke, proceed with ultra caution.)

[xxxiv] (I dumb down for my audience and doubled my dollars)

[xxxv] (Regardless of whether or not they know that there is some cleverness slowly floating over their head)

[xxxvi] (Hey, my church going, God-loving grandmother used to drop the S bomb every now and then (Love you Nanny, hope your cloud is fluffy), but I got new rules, so I apologize if that looks silly.  I think you know the correct word.)

[xxxvii] (I know that’s not a real word, but it just doesn’t sound right without the ‘d.  I guess there wasn’t enough space to say, ‘would be’… 😉