Mack 10 is the name

Mack 10 is one of my favourite West Coast rappers. Originally I heard him on the West Side Connection’s second album, Terrorist Threats, which unfortunately marked not only the final West Side Connection album, but the departure of Mack 10 & Ice Cube’s partnership. Mack really emerged in 1995, with his aptly titled Mack 10, which has some really bumping tracks.

Mack 10 the album really served as an intro to who the fizzuck, Mack 10 was. The album starts out with Mack 10 robbing McDonalds, with Ice Cube getting into the action after Mack orders “Get me large fries, strawberry shake and happy meal for my daughter too”. The album then jumps into foe life.

With an immediate diss toward the East Coast.  Unfortunately this is only in the album version of the track.

Mack 10 you know you rule hip-hop an…

Ice Cube you know you rule hip-hop an…

Wait a minute… that ain’t how the West Coast Rock

The track then gets going :

Khacki suit ski mask is my attire
With my luck cut my chucks on the barbed wire
Fool where ya keep the rims and tires
‘fo yo’ life expires I’m as nutty as Michael Myers
Didn’t think about the Rottweiler
A lot of stiches in the ass
Blood in the Impala

Great track, the video clip is even funnier. It has Mack 10 jumping off all kinds of buildings and getting his arse bitten by a Rottweiler, including some lowrider action that might challenge Slim Thug. Slabs and blades aside, one of my other favourite tracks is Chicken Hawk, the name of which because Mack 10 trains and flys Pidgeons.

So what’s up with the birds?

“I raise pigeons, homey. I’ve been raising ‘em since I was a little boy.”

How many you got?

“About 50 or 60.”

So why do you like raising pigeons so much?

“They flip. I got tumblers, the kind that go up in the air and turn flips in the air.”

Which is interesting – I can’t say I know many rappers into flying Pidgeons at all. Chicken Hawk has some really nice laid back bass guitar, some other electro sounds and some kind of flying eagle noises. It’s a very track for Mack’s delivery. The track is just what I’ve come to expect from Mack – it’s not deep or philosophical, but it is good and enjoyable. Who knows why he went at Common, but they are worlds apart.

But that misses the point, Mack 10 has stayed true to his roots. As Freddie Foxxx said on The Militia,

When you speak of who’s the dopest MC, I don’t come up
But when you speak of who’s the livest MC, I stay what up, what’s up?

The same applies for Mack. He may not, and never will be the dopest MC, but he is good at what he does. With some of the toys that are claiming the West Coast nowadays, I still prefer Mack 10 over most of them.  Even his more recent albums such as The Paper Route have been pretty decent. While little apart from his first album and Westside Connection’s Bow Down album has really made an impact for Mack, with his fanbase fading into the new millenium . His 2005 album, Hustla’s Handbook only sold a couple of thousand. But, will Mack 10 make a comeback? It seems as if the West Coast has gone on a real down hill recently, The Game’s One Blood sounds good;

But there was no Mack. Even WC from Westside Connection, has had a spade of small sales on his latest album, Guilty By Affiliation. Even if you don’t like Mack 10, the question still begs. Is the West Coast Dead? Or is this merely a form of the cancer that is “killing” hip-hop now? Personally I don’t think it is dead, but it is becoming harder to both find underground hip-hop, but increasingly good hip-hop period. Mack 10 is one of the few names I hope keeps putting out some decent music. Because a lot of this other shit is just tripe.

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Keep it Fresh
Mack 10 the Album
7/10

Prodigy H.N.I.C. Part 2 Review coming soon….

I am digging this shit heaps so far…

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Who Really Won?

Who really won?

I wonder to myself late on a cold night, who won with Fat Joe & Fifty Cent? Part of me says, who the fuck cares? Fifty is a good businessman, but rapper?! Please. Fat Joe fell off long ago.

I say this listening to the Dj Premier remix of The Shit is Real, off Jealous Ones Still Envy

I digress, there was no track which shows Fat Joe with the fire of who he used to be. Much like the start of this song, (Fat) Joe is getting picked on by two dudes, but, he comes back as the illest gangster out of the Bronx… Hm!? The beat, black and white film clip and just Fat Joe being ill is fucking classic.

Elephant In The Sand despite it’s clever pun wasn’t that great. Maybe dude needs Pun?

Just saying, the album wasn’t that great. For those who haven’t heard shit like, Who You Rep With?

Need to listen to Nas and 50 rhyme at it, and then all the beef tracks that came after 50 and Nas, they were some nice shit, I would have liked for their beef to blow up some more, it was actually a decent fight. Seems this time Fat Joe took a big L,

To gorrilla mean to use physical force

You took a l, you took a loss

I’m talking about the loss he took from 50, and as much as I hate G-Unit, they shat on Joe. You can’t fucking deny it.

I saw a video on ThisIs50.com… (I know.), of him in White Castle waiting for his food. Fuck, he looks like a bum who just stole some fake chains, mad washed up. Where is Fat Joe Da Gangsta, I liked the dude who spat:

Pursuin my dream til there enough cream to start my own union

And show these kids how legit it is

Shit is real I used to steal but now I own several businesses

So wheres your witness that you claim to have, sayin that Im takin half

Extortin new york and not payin tax

Im layin back, playin the role, playin the low

But its the same ol joe so dont get k.o.d

That colabbo with him and Big L was classic.

I miss that Joe. This Elephant in the tomb shit, was just that, stagnant, whack, and behind what I expect from Fat Joe… If you let 50 body you, shame. He basically ended Ja Rule, is your career as an artist over?

I hope not.

The track with Lil’ Wayne, cost at least $75,000 US Dollars, according to Lil’ Wayne.

“But nothing less! … I wouldn’t do a song for my sister for less than $75,000.”

Which brings me to the point, his album barely sold that many units. Fat Joe on his track with Lil’ Wayne, near on 40 rapping about a crack-house is just… off point to me and whack. Boasting about conflict Diamonds on the same track and generally just a lazy delivery, makes another track wasted on this already lackluster album. Drop with Swizz is kinda dancy, but reminds me too much of snap music. The track with KRS-One just seems to disrespect him. KRS-ONE just drops harder then I have heard in years, and it’s wasted on Joe’s whack performance… When KRS starts opening up, he drops burners.

Joe, let’s take it back to Don Carter Gena

You and Big Pun had the whole Bronx demeanour

Five sixty gear, that bodiqua pride

Did burners with the tats crew on the 2’s and 5’s

You was with relativity, I was with Jive

All that bullshit you been with, how you survive?

And even “educates” Fat Joe for stepping;

Chris, that’s why I’m the greatest of all time – Fat Joe

Joe, I’m the best you must be out your fucking mind! – KRS-ONE

And in the end, probably drops more Spanish then Joe ever has.

That being said, I give it to Fat Joe for longevity in the game, but shit like Elephant In The Room, doesn’t make me want to remember him. I fear pushed near solely by 50’s personality, website and drive, Joe took a big L on his career. G-unit just dropped another not that all memorable mixtape. Joe just dropped an album I don’t want to remember…. 3/5 For Elephant In The Room.

You know what was good though, AZ.

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