Snippet #1: Put On?

This is just a super short styled entry I might make a series if I have enough random interesting questions. Nothing like how extensive the Drake post went, though.

Question: How many crazy big features and co-signs can you get without ever hitting mainstream whatsoever?

I mean, I'm sure he's over it by now, but if you ever find out then I think Phonte would like to know. Here's a random assortment of some of dude's musical collaborations on his and their albums:

Kanye West, Lil' Wayne, Drake, will.i.am, Talib Kweli, Mos Def, AZ, Blu, Royce da 5'9", DJ Shadow, Pete Rock, 9th Wonder, DJ Jazzy Jeff

The Alchemist, Buckshot, Consequence, Cormega, CunninLynguists, Elzhi, Hi-Tek, Jean Grae, Kardinall Offishall, Masta Ace, Murs, Rhymefest, Sean Price, Slum Village, Witchdoctor, 88 Keys

A-Trak, Akrobatik, Anthony David, Darien Brockington, DJ Khalil, eMC, Eric Roberson, Evidence, Fakts One, Flying Lotus, Oddissee, Joe Scudda, Kenn Starr, Median, Kev Brown, Supastition, Kidz in the Hall, Playaz Circle, Stat Quo, Jake One, Chaundon, Wordsworth, Skillz, Statik Selektah, Tanya Morgan, Yahzarah, United Soul, 4hero

... but do take my word for it.

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New Wale

Who could possibly get most of Slaughterhouse, all of State Property, Talib & Jean, Bun B, Black Thought, and a disposal of singers and other rappers to boot for one project??? An apparently very patient Wale.

Wale -

Back to the Feature

Pretty much anyone who cares about rap was waiting for this one. Will it be the critics' darling like The Mixtape About Nothing? Probably most definitely not. But it's a lot of rap that you need in your collection.

Wale's proved he can push a concept joint like almost none other, but here he just wants to feed the fans a collection of dudes rapping like their lives depend on it. Collabos between writers can only push the product in positive ways. I even like what I hear on this tape from a few rappers I usually don't care too much for. What's crazy is how easily Wale still manages to standout regularly. The host emcee could have gotten lost in the fray of guest appearances on literally every single song, but Wale's rhyming style is so distinctive and enticing that you're practically waiting for him on every track.

Now my one complaint. 9th Wonder. Back when dude was with Little Brother, I thought he could literally do no wrong. Their sound was so defined that I swore and abided by it. It just worked some other kind of perfection to my ears. But on here ... some of the beats feel stale to me. I hope you don't hear it the same, but I can't help it. 9th is renound for having an unbelievable amount of compositions at his disposal, but on this project you can pretty much understand why. Some don't seem to have gotten much individual attention besides some conveyor belt treatment. There's the soul sample and the drums and ... yeah.

But don't let that detract you. If the tape fits your mood, that's the last of your worries. And the MCs shred every bar something unholy. They had to. This is a Wale tape.

... put 'em both together and you got yourself a super spork.

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Jealous Love

I absolutely loved the following tracks individually and wanted to slap myself when I didn't realize they used the same sample after reading Talib's liner notes on Right About Now. They both take powerful lines from Bobby Womack's 1975 song "Jealous Love". All the MCs involved are ridiculously nice. I think Jean Grae destroys it something else though.

Little Brother - Hiding Place (feat. Elzhi)

Jean Grae - Where You Gonna Run (feat. Talib Kweli)

"Where you gonna run ... ? Where you gonna hide ... ?" It kinda sucks cuz you know both producers knew they struck gold when they originally mixed their respective tracks. Just happened that 9th Wonder's got on wax with LB before J. Cardim's did. And, like I said, both tracks are bonkers, but once I heard Jean spit, "Ten years deep and my tenure's still deep. My bad, I'm sorry, I don't like when phrases repeat." Uh! But Phonte slaps it nasty, too (of course), so which do you like better? Oh, and the picture with this post was just the first thing to pop up on Google images when I searched where you gonna run. The picture actually had something to do with the Nina Simone song, "Sinnerman", but oh well.

... this was whatcha all been waitin' for ain't it?

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