I don’t talk to God/As a matter of fact I plead with/At times I hate my reflection/And others I’m conceited…
This Monday couldn’t come quick for some of Joe Budden’s devoted fanbase. The latest offering from his anticipated Mood Muzik 4 is the Crooked I featuring “Sober Up.”
J. Cardim’s sprawling, keyboard-based melodies give the song a marked introspective feel, but without the ominous tint created by the orchestra-based sampling of last week’s “Black Cloud.” Budden pulls back his flow accordingly by not utilizing his habit of stressing the ending words of his bars. There’s a nice mix of content in his three verses, ranging from detailing his personality contradictions to a clever, military-framed punchline of a blowjob encounter.
“Half the time I’m arrogant/Other times I’m vengeful/At times it’s to convince me/At times it’s to convince you,” Budden rhymes. “I got to know her on my sofa/I gave her an honorable discharge/And she took it like a soldier.”
Crooked delivers an impassioned verse that chronicles his issues dealing with alcoholism inherited from an absentee father. That generational “curse” leads to him questioning organized religion and his purpose in life. It’s a fitting way to end the track on its title theme of sobering up and regaining clarity.
The chorus, with its mawkish rendering of Pac’s classic refrain from “Hail Mary,” is the only glaring flaw on an otherwise solid track. Remember that Mood Muzik 4 can be pre-ordered at http://gracieprod.com/joebudden/.
JOE BUDDEN X CROOKED I “SOBER UP”
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