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As an artform that's seen a number of its most significant contributors pass before their time, hip hop has had more than its fair share of opportunities to master the art of the posthumous tribute album. Yet it is the very rare occasion in which an album featuring the work of a deceased rapper is put together in a manner such that "tasteful" could be used to describe it using even the most lenient definition of the word. That's not too surprising given the leeches, con (wo)men and misers that control mainstream hip hop, and the music industry at large, but it goes further than that. Too often the estates of these deceased artists use their newly inherited access to unreleased material, as well as the copyrights to previously released material, as a way to make a quick buck with little foresight for the long term effects on the value of said artist's catalog (let alone the artist's legacy).
In the case of a prolific rapper, a particularly determined heir can flip the dearly departed into a nearly limitless source of revenue. One need look no further than the Amaru estate to see what can be achieved, an estate that has managed thus far to churn eight albums and countless licensing deals out of Tupac Shakur despite the fact that he died (or at least moved to Cuba) over thirteen years ago. Afeni Shakur's tireless efforts to monetize every last outtake from the booth, every last random mixtape freestyle, and every last image of her son serve as a shining example of how to maintain a rapper's artistic legacy long past his expiration date.
I'm being sarcastic of course, but for the heir unfortunate enough to have been related to a less industrious rapper, things can get even messier. As we saw with Big Pun, whose family is now homeless after his wife apparently burned through millions of dollars in the nine years since her husband's passing, the cash cow can only be milked for so long before it runs dry. If a hastily compiled posthumous album doesn't generate the type of sales figures that previous albums had - and it most likely won't - an heir's last resort is to hire a lawyer and start suing anyone and everyone who was ever associated with the deceased. As with most lawsuits, however, the only people who cake off of that are the lawyers themselves.
I mention all of this to properly prepare you for the announcement that Ol Dirty Bastard's family recently signed off on a new album, Message to the Other Side - Osiris Part 1, featuring a rather random sampling of Russell Jones' back catalog of material. Distributed and marketed by Money Maker Entertainment, the promotional push for this album so far has been something of a trainwreck.
The first single that "leaked" was Say NO, which was billed as a sort of anti-drug PSA. The email blast described the song with the line, "ODB tells kids to just 'Say NO' to drugs on this new track from Message To The Other Side." As anyone who has heard the song - which was originally released on a Deadly Venoms album that came out in the 90's - can attest to, or really anyone with a basic knowledge of ODB's life and a modicum of common sense, Say NO is far from an endorsement of sobriety. That didn't stop most blogs and other music outlets from running with the description, though. It makes you question whether bloggers even bother to listen to the songs they're sent by p.r. firms before posting them. In any event, have a listen:
Ol Dirty Bastard featuring Shorty Shit Stain - Say NO
The ominous addendum to the album's title, "Part 1," suggests this is just the first in a series of planned releases, but I question how likely that is. If this turns out to be ODB's final release, I can't help but think that a horribly mastered album whose lead single is built around a throwaway guest verse on a song featuring someone named "Shorty Shit Stain Pa" is a poor note to end on for the man's career. But hey, his relatives gotta eat, right?
Here's the second "leak" from the album:
Ol' Dirty Bastard feat. Method Man - Live on Air
11/17/2009 9:00:51 PM posted by Fresh