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Marcus Dowling’s TOP 10 Kanye of All Time – 8 – "Down and Out" – Cam’ron feat. Kanye West & Syleena Johnson

16 Nov

Next Monday, the Louis Vuitton Don, Kanye West releases his sixth studio album, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. Over the next seven days, I will count down my personal top ten Kanye West musical contributions. Be they songs, productions or unreleased material, they will all be considered for the countdown. I am of the opinion that Mr. West is a once in a generation auteur. He blends the best of Phil Spector, Muhammad Ali, Stevie Wonder and Carl Sandburg into a uniquely American, uniquely egotistical, prodigious and creative experience that in many ways has defined 21st century popular music. He is a cultural dividing point. Loved, hated and respected, often all in the same breath. Please sit back, read and enjoy this retrospective.


There was a period of time in hip hop where the ruling king of swag routinely wore purple mink coats and was draped in diamonds. Completely ostentatious, Cam’ron developed a style as the leading rapper of the Diplomats crew that was unrivaled. Production wise, Cam has always been forward thinking, as even today with Araab Musik, and hearkening back through his work with the likes of Skitzo and Just Blaze, he’s always been a perfect canvas for unique industry beatmakers.
However, when Kanye West took a classic Mavis Staples sample, blended it with Syleena Johnson and himself on the hook, with Killa Cam at his most stuntastic with his “1970s heroin flow,” you have instant magic. It’s likely the best of Cam’ron from that era, a track that is mainstream accessible, hard hitting and entertaining. It also contains what is likely my favorite Cam’rom bars of his career:

I keep bitches straight up like “Simon Says”
Open vagina put ya legs behind ya head
Cop me And 1s hon lime and red
You got pets me too mines are dead
Doggy on fire minks gators that’s necessary
Accessories my closet’s pet cemetery
I get approached by animal activists
I live in a zoo I run scandals with savages
All my niggaz get together to gather loot
Bodyguard for what dog I’d rather shootI go to war old timbs batted boots
Hand grenade goggles and a parachute
Ya’ll don’t even know the name of my fleet
It was “Touch Me, Tease Me” when Case was the shit
You don’t know bout the cases I get
Court case, briefcase, suitcase, cases of Cris

Superior production. Superior lyricism.

Enjoy!

The Drop: "New York" isn’t just killin’ Gil Scott Heron, but Nas and Mos Def too!

26 May

Gil Scott-Heron ft. Nas – New York Is Killing Me
Gil Scott Heron ft. Mos Def – New York Is Killing Me

Gil Scott-Heron’s album I’m New Here is one of two albums in the two year history of True Genius Requires Insanity to get a five out of five rating. The album’s dominance lies in a return for a new generation for Heron to his next level expository brilliance. Describing hard times with easy intellect is a staple of Gil Scott-Heron’s legend, and as a forefather of hip hop, to see lead single, handclap banger “New York Is Killing Me” get remixed by both Nas and Mos Def is not a surprise, but a welcomed cosign of the excellence of the track. Mos takes the track in an expected direction his noted ability to craft introspective lyrics adding greatly to the track’s expectation as defined by Heron’s original. Nas’ lyrics fall well in the line of the glossy reflectiveness he’s opted for after having done duets with the Marley family. The most unfortunate issue in this columnist’s mind is that an emcee like Cam’ron, whose “I Hate My Job” has the same feel of Nas’ bars and is possibly better and more on point, may be one of the most underrated expositions on urban blight in recent memory. However, he probably won’t jump on this due to his rhythmic delivery probably not fitting the track’s meter.

Gil Scott-Heron’s I’m New Here is still quite easily the best album of 2010. Do take the time to purchase this gem.