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Due to a recent on-court run-in with a big man's wildly flailing elbow that left me with a concussion and $2,000 worth of stitches, I've had to put my daily basketball addiction on hold for the past month. It's been tough, as I've gone from playing about two hours a day to zero, and watching the
Duo Live featuring Billionz, Joell Ortiz, Red Cafe, Uncle Murder and M.O.P. - Shootin (d/l link)
Even taking into consideration the fact that all of the basketball talk on the song is serving as little more than an extended metaphor for gunplay and violence, it must be said that M.O.P.'s two brief verses tacked on at the end, filled as they are with the enthusiasm for wanton violence that has become their signature sound, are the weakest of the bunch. That's perhaps the first time I've ever made such a statement about an M.O.P. verse, but even Uncle Murda, a rapper not particularly well known for the diversity in his lyrics, pulls off better basketball references than the Mashed Out duo. Maybe my viewpoint is skewed by the fact that I spend more time pushing the rock than pushing rock, but the verses that sounded like they were coming from people who actually played ball at some point in their lives had me far more interested. I don't expect Kurtis Blow lyrics, but I was hoping for a little more effort from M.O.P. on this one.
That minor quibble aside, Shootin is one of the most entertaining collaborations between New York emcees that I've heard in a while. As far as recent Brooklyn anthems go, I much prefer Shootin to that Fab joint from last year.
The beat was produced by Duo Live's Sid V. If anyone wants either the instrumental or the acapella for this track, hit me up in the comments or shoot me an email.
And while we're at it, here's one more new track from Joell Ortiz with Bronx emcee Butta Verses, featuring some nice samples of Rakim, Onyx and the Beastie Boys:
Butta Verses featuring Joell Ortiz - Rock Mics (d/l link)
11/20/2008 07:01:01 PM posted by Fresh