OLD vs NEW #9:
Here we go again. My pick for the day is a legendary duo, consisting of a revolutionary producer and a silky smooth mc. Pete Rock & CL Smooth, groundbreakers in the hip-hop community, especially Pete Rock. If you're a true hip-hop fan, you should atleast have either Mecca and the soul brother or The main ingredient in your record collection. Actually, you should have them both. Pete Rock revealed in a interview late 2010 that he and CL was working on a new record dropping late 2011, well, here we are in November and there is no sign of a comeback-record .. The contender is Jasiri X, a unknown name for the common rap-fan. He wasn't known for me either before he made his remake of the track of the day: T.R.O.Y.(They Reminisce Over You). Jasiri is a political rapper, and that's that. He only uses his voice to spread awareness about community and world-issues. As far as i now, he has never released a mixtape, which he should(atleast a compilation of his songs) to enlighten topics that can't be talked about enough.
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Conclusion:
Well, I can begin with saying that I honestly think that ''T.R.O.Y.'' by Pete and CL is the best hip-hop song ever made, and the theme is touching and real. The beat Pete made, describes hip-hop for me. The great sample, the fantastic horns and the drums. The content of CL Smooth's lyrics are very personal, and even if you have never experienced the same, you can understand and feel the situation. The 3rd verse which is dedicated to Trouble T-Roy is heartfelt. With that being said, I really feel Jasiri X's version of this track too. When it came out, I was fighting the Troy Davis-case myself, and it was a good reminder that the hip-hop community had Troy's back. Big Boi and Killer Mike went out in the streets of Georgia protesting for something like 10 hours, and that shows true commitment. Jasiri did a good job on this one, his explanation of the Troy Davis-case is really on point, and the usage of the visuals and soundclips is good , the end of the video is very well made too. His rhymes fits the beat, and he points out the faults in the southern american courtsystem in a good way. You can feel the pain, his usage of the voice goes really well with the theme and the beat. It's in some way strange to compare these two tracks, because I see them as two totally different tracks. But I got to pick a winner, and for me, it has to be Pete Rock & CL Smooth. It's a vintage record that I surely gonna bump when i'm 40 and the cd/mp3-format is outwashed and not being used by the kids ..
What do you think!?
Photo: Hanna Olsen
Ps. Check out the past edition by scrolling down on the sidebar to the right and click on "StianSicky's OLD vs NEW".
