Scrolling through Netflix's "Recommended For You" category is a lot like life, and in that sense, it can anger me a little bit. I come across an old war hero documentary, then the next title is an old action movie with B list actors, then the next thing actually happens to be a pretty big animated movie that just got out of theaters; but I didn't go and see it for a reason. Dammit Netflix, YOU THINK YOU KNOW ME?!?! The time I spend wandering aimlessly through Netflix's endless list of fuckery is time I could spend being more productive elsewhere, but who wants to do that? Well this time, Netflix is actually inspiring me to be productive (cue flying pigs). The Art Of Organized Noize is the latest must watch documentary that I absolutely must discuss.
So in case you haven't heard of them, Organized Noize are a production group based out of southwest Atlanta, and they have worked with mega stars like Outkast, Future, Ludacris, Goodie Mob (Big Gipp, Cee-Lo Green, etc.), TLC, and more, and the documentary actually includes interviews from some of these artists discussing their come up and the influence that Organized Noize had on them.
(*I do not own this video, or the rights to it*)
Many claim that Organized Noize had such an impact on hip hop today that they're responsible for the sound and how it has evolved today, especially in Atlanta. Their use of live instruments in their music transcended the average hip hop sound and how it was perceived, and ultimately has pushed other artists to keep that true aspect of instrumentation in their music, even today.
So if you know your Southern hip hop or you want to get to brush up on your Southern hip hop history, The Art Of Organized Noize is for you. The come up of one of the greatest production groups of all time (arguably) is discussed, and they even get a little bit into the come up of who many people hail as the greatest hip hop duo of all time in Outkast. There are plenty of all star appearances and interviews to entertain you (including an interview with Diddy), and the archived footage shown would put even the biggest Outkast, Goodie Mob, or Organized Noize fans in awe. So if you're a southern hip hop rap nerd, you need to watch The Art Of Organized Noize,out on Netflix right now!
Hip hop is universal. I've preached this sort of thing countless times, always have, always will. Some things begin to sound like a broken record, no matter how differently these things are said, but depending how you hear these things, they certainly have the potential to hit your ear differently, and maybe even persuade you in some type of way. The father of crunk music dripping southern swagger and diamond encrusted necklaces can only say the same things so many times and have people still want to hear it. You like to believe artists have the ability to grow and branch out of their usual subject matter, but after so long you start to wonder... is what their saying becoming a universal language, or is it played out? Ludacris' latest album might have hit your ear a bit different than his past efforts.
The "Ludaversal Intro" is probably the biggest stand out of the album, though it'd be wrong to say the album goes downhill from here. Luda starts off the album as good as he possibly can with this intro, and his flow on the song is absolutely ridiculous. It's pretty safe to say that if you ever doubted Luda or thought he had lost a step, "Ludaversal Intro" is the track to prove you wrong.
Luda keeps the spitting coming like hot fire (Dylan) on the intro and other tracks like "Beast Mode" and "This Has Been My World," but Luda also switches it up and instills some life lessons in some tracks, the biggest stand out being "Grass Is Always Greener." This track keeps a steady paced, snap-ya-fingas type of vibe that would probably bump pretty well in the car. Ludacris has always been known as the poster rapper for turn up music, but tracks like "Grass Is Always Greener" and "Ocean Skies" show that Ludacris is very capable of making you think, even though he chooses to take that route less often than people might like.
Ludacris has been known as one of the funniest rappers of his time, and you can't help but get a good laugh out of his "Viagra Skit." Luda goes on to call the Viagra people about his "hard problem" during the skit, and to his luck a very lonely woman answers and drives over to help Luda out with his problem. It cuts off at the part where the lady asks "where the drank at", but I think we all know what happens after the fact. Obviously the lady got her drank and was very happy.
A Big K.R.I.T feature is always one to boast and bump, and Ludacris did just that on his K.R.I.T-assisted track "Come And See Me." This is the Ludacris that old fans love to hear, his descriptiveness talking about his cars and his women has always been able to catch fans' ear, and the thump of the bass in "Come And See Me" along with a couple of K.R.I.T verses helps to do exactly that.
(*I do not own these songs, or the rights to them*)
Ludacris keeps the features to a minimum on Ludaversal, and it's kind of a welcoming back feel you get from Luda's music on Ludaversal, although the features he boasts (K.R.I.T, Miguel, Usher) fit in very well with the sounds of each song, and as a whole on the album. Hearing Luda and Ursher on a track again brings back great memories of club and booty bouncing jams, although they both do a great job of giving fans more of a jazzy feel on their track "Not Long."
So is Luda back? That feeling that you get listening to a Ludacris song; you know, the getting hyped up over a fast beat with some banging drums, Luda's light speed flows and wordplay and the head bobbing and trying to keep up with the words; you can only get that feel from a Ludacris song. The beats are top notch, the lyrics are just as appetizing and catch your ear as fast as ever (you have to keep up with him, though that's where the fun lies), and Luda still has things to talk about. Ludacris has become a staple in the game, and even when you think he's down and out and ready to throw in the towel and give up, he shows you that he's still able to keep up with todays young guns. Yes I believe that Luda has become universal, and his latest effort is one that every fan of him, old and new, can respect. Some new music can be refreshing, yet give you that same old feel that you got the first time you heard the old music.
MOOOOVE BITCH! GET OUT THE WAY! STAND UP! WHEN I MOVE YOU MOVE! JUST LIKE THAT?! WHATCHU GONE DO?! ACT A FOOOOL! Ludacris makes that kind of shit that makes you want to get up, ask that hot chick you've been staring at all night to finally dance, fight, and maybe even make sweet lovin to your chick (whom you probably got dancing to a Luda song). Ludacris has been such a monumental name in hip hop for so long that people almost forget about the (arguable) classics that he has released over the last 10 years, and mostly because too many people are focused on his "falling off", or his "not being able to make music as good as old," or his constant involvement in the Fast & Furious movie series, though it has kept his career alive to some degree. But fuck all of this, and I say this because it swerves people's attention from where it should be placed, and that's Luda's music. Here, in light of Ludacris' latest album Ludaversal, here are Luda's 5 most recognizable songs, songs that even people who aren't fans of Luda have to love.
Roll Out (My Business)
This is my personal introduction to Ludacris, his Word Of Mouf album means more to me than it does the average listener simply because this is not only my introduction to Ludacris, but one of the first albums included in my introduction to hip hop, and boy is it grand. The attitude he brings on not only this song but the entire album is something you could only wish you'd live with, and Luda also brings some funny, witty wordplay, along with fantastic flow that keeps you engaged for the entire album.
What's Your Fantasy
On a more sensual (not really though, more of a rough, thug nasty) note, Luda crashed MTV and the internet with "What's Your Fantasy", a Shawnna assisted, fast paced, dirty, fore play inspired jam that we all got so used to hearing from Luda (more so the fast paced flow and witty lyrics, not so much the sexual vibe). "What's Your Fantasy" lived on Ludacris' indie debut studio album Incognegro, which was released in 1999. "What's Your Fantasy" gave you the vibe that Ludacris had something to offer to rap, but nobody really knew quite what it was at this point so early in his career.
Move Bitch
The hilariousness of Ludacris is certainly cemented like freshly dried pavement in his song "Move Bitch". The parody rap train followed soon after this release, you could almost say that "Move Bitch" started the parody vibe in rap songs that garnered so much attention in the early 2000s, it almost makes it seem as if it's made to be completely serious and succeeds at it, yet so many people hear the song (even today) and can have a good laugh. How many songs can you say you hear today that are successfully able to tackle both? This proves Luda's underrated ability at being able to build a concept.
Get Back
Another hilarious music video accompanying a pretty hard song from Luda, "Get Back" is another one of those songs that makes you want to just start swinging on somebody whose "all in ya ear", as Luda so eloquently puts it. Luda is looking like the black Popeye in this video with his ridiculous Tiny-sized arms (oh yes, that was a Crash Bandicoot reference for those hip enough), though tiny is as ironic a word to use as it gets.
Runaway Love
(*I do not own these songs, videos, nor the rights to them*)
My last pick for Luda's catchiest tracks might not hit the ear as well as some of his other smash hits, but in terms of real, personal content that hits home, "Runaway Love" is Luda's "Dear Mama." Luda wasn't known as that rapper that always had a message in his tracks, but the raw, real feel that "Runaway Love" gives is so eye opening that even rap haters have to just sit and listen to the hard hitting story that Luda is getting across with such detail, just as he explains little Nicole's abusive stepdad and her friend Stacy. You have to have a heart of stone to not have the message in this song affect you some type of way.
So often in hip hop (or music, period) we get incredibly comfortable with the presence of certain artists in our life. It's a calming comfortable, almost as if these artists hit a type of musical purgatory, you don't listen to anything new they put out, yet you can't live without remembering the awesome music they're so greatly known for in your past. It'd be criminal to say that Ludacris has hit this purgatory, though how else can you explain his career as of right now? It hurts me to say that Luda has fallen off, but if I said this I'd be incorrect in that statement. Maybe people don't quite see Ludacris' music as they once did, maybe people believe Ludacris has fallen off, or maybe Ludacris just doesn't have the appeal that today's artists do, but if there's one thing that we owe Ludacris, it's another chance. His newest album Ludaversal has recently released, and I believe we owe Ludacris the chance to see if he's still got it, because you remember "Get Back" and the affect it had on you.
I certainly got into Big K.R.I.T a lot later than I could have hoped. My first listen of him being his 2013 mix tape King Remembered In Time, and as I listened on to a mix tape that had every type of song, and sounded like he definitely could have sold in stores based on the quality of the songs, one of my select favorites from the tape was one by the name of "Shine On", featuring fellow Houston emcee Bun B. Now I've always been one to get into those heavily slept on rappers very late (probably because they're so heavily slept on), but this K.R.I.T tape led me to buy his debut album Live From The Underground, and I noticed another Bun feature on a song by the name of "Pull Up", also featuring Big SANT. I had never heard a rapper with such a distinguishable voice before, and by that I mean I had never heard someone demand such a presence on a microphone, I was almost sensing the power through the speakers, it was like Bun was in my house rapping along to the beat of these songs, and his style demanded just as much attention as his voice did. After hearing these tracks, I knew I had to hear more, and was moved by what I had found.
Bun B is his name. I really hope you already know, but it's okay if you don't because I can do my best to give the proper introduction. The only way you can properly describe Bernard Freeman is that he is the absolute trillest of them all. He is so trill in fact that he even had the word copyrighted (that's right, the word "trill" has been copyrighted by Bun himself, does it get more trill than that?). Many have debated what the word "trill" means, or who it represents, but the idea behind it has always been a sort of cool and laid back style, and when Rolling Stone magazine asked Bun what it means to be trill, Bun replied "just look at me." It's debatable that southern rap is almost nothing without it's originator, and his influence on rap is just about unmatched, you can hear it almost anywhere you turn on a radio to your local rap station. Bun's influence on not just southern rap, but rap as a whole is clear when you listen to big names like B.o.B, Big K.R.I.T, Trae Tha Truth, Paul Wall, Chamillionaire, Ludacris, T.I., Slim Thug, Nelly, and one of the biggest being Toronto's very own (also, October's) Drake (I mention his being from Toronto because even being from an entirely different country you can hear the influence and the homage paid to Bun in his music).
(Seems to be the most Houston-influenced song in Drake's catalog even to this day, especially when you hear him detail a night in Houston towards the end of the track.)(*I do not own this song or the rights to it*)
So what has Bun B really done for hip hop? How has one man defined an entire subgenre inside a genre that is getting more and more broad every day (if you say rap isn't expanding, you're either hating, or you don't listen to it, period.)? While the best place to start to explain this is in the influence you hear in the rappers I listed above, a certain style has been originated by Houston rap as a whole (and many would probably argue that Bun was indeed the originator), and it's called "chopped and screwed". If you haven't heard of this style it's done very heavily by DJ's and most commonly found on remakes of mix tapes. To "chop and screw" a song or a project is to slow it down, make the bass line bump just a little more than it did before, and make it proper for those who "sip on sizzurp" and "lean", and to put it in layman's terms, the people who like to move "just as slowly as the music".
Yes indeed Houston's brand of hip hop is one of the most known yet different types of hip hop there is out there, and Bun B and Pimp C were at the helm of it before Pimp C's unfortunate passing in 2007. That certainly hasn't stopped Bun's hustle though, as he has released 3 albums since then, II Trill in 2008, Trill OG in 2010, and Trill OG: The Epilogue in 2013. Oh yes lots of research went into this, how could I do an entire article on Bun without listening to any more of his music? I certainly enjoyed everything I found. His first album Trill in 2005 was a huge blast from the past listening to, and reminded me of when I first had gotten into hip hop and some of the first artists I remembered hearing on the radio. Yes this album came at a time when southern hip hop reigned supreme, and boasted features from big names like Jeezy, T.I., Ludacris, Ying Yang Twins, Chamillionaire, Mike Jones, and basically every southern rapper you could imagine was at the top in 2005.
Overall, Trill OG has to be my favorite Bun album. His hard sound really shines through, and the features fit very well on every track, it's basically Bun's version of The Chronic 2001. A couple of stand out cuts are the Drake features "It's Been A Pleasure" and 'Shut It Down", with Drake doing hooks on both songs and even giving a verse on "Shut It Down," very interesting to hear these tracks as they were right around Drake's come up in 2010 right after his debut album Thank Me Later. Those aren't the only stand out features on the album though, Bun also got an unreleased Tupac verse for the song "Right Now", which also features Trey Songz and Pimp C. Every featured rapper sounds good in perspective of the album, but Bun is no slouch on songs without features, and he proves it on bangers like "Lights, Camera, Action" and "I Git Down 4 Mine". The production is banging in proper Bun fashion as well, perfect to bump in the trunk of your car, and even features a DJ Premier beat on the song "Let Em Know". (Wow, certainly didn't expect to basically just give you an album review there, but if I had to recommend any albums for new Bun fans, Trill OG would certainly be it.)
So needless to say, Bun B makes some pretty great music and his influence on today's generation of rap still shines through strong. Listening to him brings me back, especially his first album, because his style was basically what epitomized rap in the early 2000s, and the younger side of me gets all nostalgic, but saying Bun has made the same music since his debut would be unfair, and pretty inaccurate. Though the concept of his Trill O.G. (which I'm also just realizing means trilogy, clever work Bun) series remained the same throughout all 3 albums, his growth as a rapper and as a person can't be denied, and how could you not change after the death of a close friend, and former Scottie Pippen to his Michael Jordan? No, Bun certainly hasn't been one dimensional at all throughout his career, but I believe there is only one word that could describe him, and I believe we all already know what it is.
