Slaughterhouse and Swizz Beatz execute a good old fashion kidnapping in their latest video off the new album Welcome To: Our House. Said album has been getting mixed reviews from both fans and critics over cries that they’ve “sold out” se their sound. Regarding that accusation on this particular track, it’s hard for me to hate on any song that includes a prominent sample of ESG’s “UFO.”
You’d think more emcees would’ve hopped on Nas’ “Nasty” beat. but as Jon Conner and now Slaughterhouse has shown, it’s a bare-bones beat that you aren’t allowed to come weak on. Slaughterhouse does it justice with a succession of rapid-fire deliveries held together by flows on a casual listen and clever but not overbearing punchlines for hardcore listeners who like to dissect every lyrical allusion. And coming as a surprise to no one, Joe Budden is the first rapper to debut a Colorado/Batman punchline.
This track will be a part of Slaughterhouse’s upcoming Gangsta Grillz mixtape with DJ Drama.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE “WEIGHT SCALE”
Slaughterhouse’s visuals for “Hammer Dance” comes straight from last month’s SXSW festival. There’s a bunch of cameos from the likes of ASAP Rocky, 50 Cent, Eminem and Kanye West. Hearing this joint always make me want to throw on the Korn joint that inspired the beat.
“This is ain’t even a group/ Just one real nigga multiplied”
A Biggie vocal sample is always a win. Slaughterhouse is wisely continuing the wave from that Shady Cypher at the BET Hip-Hop Awards by debuting a new track earlier tonight on Funkmaster Flex’s radio show. Budden’s verse will probably catch your ear on the first few listens.
SLAUGHTERHOUSE “THE ILLEST”
Over a decade after their first attention-getting collaborations as Bad Meets Evil, Eminem has confirmed an EP is underway with Royce da 5’9.
Eminem and Royce formed the group Bad Meets Evil after meeting in the late 90′s. Their track of the same name appeared on Eminem’s multi-platinum, 1998 major label debut The Slim Shady LP. After a falling out in the early 2000s, the duo reconciled after the murder D12′s Proof in 2006. Last year, Eminem signed Royce’s group Slaughterhouse to an exclusive deal with Shady Records.
“Royce and I started hanging out again and inevitably that led us back into the studio,” Eminem said in a statement. “At first we were just seeing where it went without any real goal in mind, but the songs started to come together crazy, so here we are.”
The EP will feature production from Mobb Deep’s Havoc, DJ Khalil, Mr. Porter and Bangladesh. At press time, the tentative release date is June 14.
“I just want mad money, man. Is that wrong?”
Slaughterhouse’s Joell Ortiz is in London this week for a few touring dates. He took time to sit down with the The Hip-Hop Chronicle to discuss the new deal with Eminem, and the release of last week’s song “2.0 Boys.” As you can read from the above quote, Ortiz is far past the stage of “rhyming for rhyming’s sake.” The Brooklyn emcee is focused on making sure he’s business side is taken care of. Is there a solo deal coming?
“They said 50 sang too much/And Em got soft/And they said Dre fell the fuck off…”
If this is the last all-star collaboration of 2010, the year is going out on a good note. This song made the rumor mill rounds on Twitter a few days ago courtesy of mixtape dj Big Mike, and it turns out his claims of this song’s existence were right on point.
The title is a gateway to offer commentary on the importance of lyrics in today’s Hip-Hop. Eminem, one of the few who’s managed to become a superstar with technical wizardry, playfully bemoans how today’s young listener’s don’t possess attention spans beyond the chorus (“The whole formula switched/Because we don’t know anymore what’s a hit…How do we adapt and get TRL votes/When 13 year olds control the remotes?”). Em’s verse is very quick, and posits more questions than answers for Jay-Z to reflect on.
As expected, Jay takes a business approach. The “bang bang/chain” flow and content sells. He directly addresses the listeners, and states “it takes two to tango.” Right there, the Roc Nation CEO is making it clear that no one’s hands are “clean” in this situation: from the labels, to rappers, and even the actual fans who continue buying the product (“I guess you’re to blame, too/ I just found an angle..”). After painting Hip-Hop message board critics as naive, virgin teens, he views the philosophical divide as a choice between “the chat room or the house in Malibu.” For Jay-Z, his decision is easy.
Dr. Dre only gives a few quick bars, but the good doctor has some nice lines about veteran rappers continuing the standard of excellence set in previous generations. When it comes to passing the torch, Dre doesn’t see anyone ready to pick up the mantle (“The torch is going to burn out before it gets passed…gambling every time we put a record out…”). There is a light-hearted moment after this verse where Em takes his hand at the irritating, R&B choruses that are dominating the radio at this time.
50 Cent doesn’t tackle the subject as well as his peers. The most he can muster is a few nonsense bars to continue the motif that lyrics have lower importance over melody (“Just give me my check/ and I’ll be on my way”). Ca$his and Stat Quo hold their own with these heavyweights. For topics, they focus on bringing Shady/Aftermath to the forefront as the new generation of artists.
Not a bad track at all, and one that’ll have the hardcore internet fans talking, especially about the bars in their direction. In the end, these guys are in the record business, and as much as they may care for their art, the main goal for them will always be the looped Eminem words that close out the track, “Now get out there and sell some God damn records!”
EMINEM X JAY-Z X DR. DRE X 50 CENT X CA$HIS X STAT QUO “SYLLABLES”
