If you’re an avid reader of The Rap Up, then you probably know how this instrumental came about. A TRU reader mentioned in the comment section that he has a live band version of the illest hip-hop album ever made (IMHO), Illmatic. So, everybody was on some “you better upload that instrumental right now or I’ll remotely hijack it from your hard drive” shit.” A week later, here we are. Apparently, this is from the Can You Flow series and is also available for purchase via CDUniverse.
I don’t know who’s behind the production on this CD, but I haven’t been able to get it out of my system all morning. (Yes, I gave it a thorough listen before deciding that it’s worth sharing.) Part of the reason Illmatic became the magnum opus in Nas’ catalog has to do with the adept production on that album. I’m willing to bet that Nas didn’t pick those beats himself. But if he did, someone needs to lock him up in a room and force him to listen to the beats all over again. I say that because the Nas of today is surprisingly terrible at picking beats.
Major shout out to the supplier of this doozy, Quincy Lovehandles. Go check out his blog, A Cheese Sandwich, after downloading this. It’s the least you can do.
Update: After several spins, I’m starting to get the idea that this isn’t as live as I previously thought it was. They ruined “It Ain’t Hard to Tell” for me. Still makes for a great afternoon soundtrack.
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