Pure Positivity

And like the key open the door I twist the weed I bought because I don't know how to cope with shit.  - Earl Sweatshit  Some rappers are so fucking filthy they require a car wash quality cleanse to truly shine. Fortunately for Freddie, Madlib is the master of mop. He takes cutty classics and spit shines them into pure perfection. These two were made for one another. While this album isn't on the most positive tip it bangs. It bangs really really fucking hard.  Freddie Gibbs will be the first one to admit he's a product of his environment. Unlike poppy bullshit that plagues the radio, Gibbs spits street style sewage. His lyrics are drug infused and his blatant disregard for others is disgusting, however he's got copious amounts of wit. Like a bic lighter to a silver spoon he melts wax creating a freebase like high. My ears melt into a puddle of goo when I listen to these tracks and in the same vein as watching really raw R rated movie proceed with caution. This is...

Get Bramstoked off coke and fight day. A couple of years ago I lived in Oakland and while I've been there a number of times since I simply forgot how rugged those streets can be. My place was on 24th and MLK right on the crossroads. One side was poverty, crime, drugs, hookers, and graffiti the other; corporate headquarters, fine dining, and high rises. I walked 12 blocks on San Pablo avenue Saturday morning before 9 and what I saw was entirely different from anything I see where I currently live.  An elderly Asian man riding his bike on the sidewalk approaches a bus stop where two other men are smoking a blunt having a profanity laced conversation. The man on the bike hopes off and tries to pass but while stepping aside one of the men smoking yells, "Nigga why you on the fucking sidewalk you dumb fuck!" A block  later I hear a woman yelling at a stumbling man, "Mutha fucka you don't own my shit." At this point, while I'm not scared by any means, m...

If we never faced struggle in the bubble well that's a curse. My nerves stirred worse drinking numb numb juice to quench thirst. What they call it liquid courage for? When after it's over you're weaker than before I was 14 and lost beyond belief. My parents had recently split and I just started high school where I knew only 2 people. Puberty hit me rather late and I was the smallest freshman who's voice had barely cracked. I got tossed into garbage cans on a regular basis by the seniors and was somewhat terrified. The task of fitting in was insurmountable, but I found solace in hip-hop. At that impressionable age Blackalicious, Gangstarr and Living Legends were the ones that helped me get through some tough nights. A year or two later I remember hearing Silly Puddy and felt that song was written for me.  Grouch & Eligh became my mentor of sorts and it's amazing to think that I grew up with these guys in my headphones. Their struggles mirrored many of min...