Kanye West’s G.O.O.D. Music series ran into a snag yesterday. Due to a delay in Swizz Beatz finishing his verse, this week’s G.O.O.D. Friday quickly morphed into G.O.O.D. Saturday with the release with “Lord Lord Lord.”
For this offering, Kanye takes his sample from Brian Bennett’s highly melodic and lush space funk track “Soltice.” The original is so layered that West, who’s lately been adding a lot of transitions to his music as of alte, opted to wisely leave this one alone as a simple loop.
Despite the religious implications, Mos Def’s opening verse is the only one that gives strong thought to anything past the secular. The Brooklynite implies that there is an existence beyond what is seen if people are willing to look deeper. As a Muslim, Mos claims there is a visible divine order to everything.
“The end is not the end/No stop but a pause/What we can witness isn’t all there is at all,” Mos rhymes. “Cuss the mark of the scotch and pork chops/The passion, expansion/The order of the random/See the dreamers, see the sleepers…seek heaven first.”
Kanye’s verse is standard ‘Ye, meaning a loose scenario (this time a woman he’s courting) mixed with a few punchlines. It’s a verse that emphasizes style over depth, but at times West’s garish bars and tone clash with the luminous rhythms of the sample and Charlie Wilson’s crooning of the title.
“Them other niggas will have you looking like a squirrel/Now that’s nuts/I only hang with white boys that like black sluts,” West spit. “I’m trying to worry about my scratch minus the crabs/I ain’t stopping for you niggas like yellow cabs/I got scripts so why we need a movie/And if I’m a douche than put me in your coochie…”
According to Swizz’s posts on Twitter, completing his verse held up the track. You can tell, because his vocals are unmastered and off with the beat. It’s nothing memorable, and in the context of the track would not have been missed if omitted. Raekwon plays closer and utilizes the subdued flow heard on Cuban Linx II tracks like “Pyrex.” In fact, it’s another cocaine-fueled verse that would have fit in just fine on last year’s consensus album of the year.
The total verses come in well over five minutes, and for reason Charlie Wilson is given an unnecessary minute plus solo. The Gap Band legend sounds fine, but considering it’s just a continuation of the “lord lord lord” refrain he’d been singing throughout piece, it adds nothing but filler.
Overall, Kanye West has delivered another solid track, and one of the best beats so far in the G.O.O.D. Friday series. Even though the sample has been used before by the likes of Nas and Alchemist, Kanye’s approach gives it his own distinct feel.
We’ll see next week if Kanye will be able to get in a new track by the Friday deadline. Enjoy.
Kanye West feat. Mos Def, Swizz Beatz, Raekwon & Charlie Wilson “Lord Lord Lord”
Beats, Boxing and Mayhem 