Two icons hailing from cities with a rich and proud hip-hop history. A world renowned DJ that unifies the hip-hop tradition of Houston and NY within himself. A production team responsible for some of the biggest hits in recent years, redefining epic, cinematic beats. And a guy who’s contributions aren’t entirely clear to anyone, but who’s contact list game is impeccable.
As Charles John Huffham Dickens might say: Great Expectations.
Thankfully, the parties involved disappoint bring their A-game, and capably lift it beyond the paint-by-numbers exercise it would seem to be to lesser talents. The rap-as-a-woman metaphor is a metaphor that has been employed a multitude of times already in hip-hop but these two veterans are done wooing the one they once “built their life around” and talk about her nasty sides on this track. Premier’s scratches over the melancholy keys provide the perfect cherry on top. Despite the sentiment expressed in the verses, it’s hard not to see an occasion like this as a monument to the culture.
Nas and Scarface’s first collaboration ‘Favor for a Favor’ from the Nas album I Am… showed two rappers exchanging gangster swagger. A grim song exhibiting their shared street mentality, underlining their clout and going to great lengths to make them sound dangerous.
Their second collaboration, ‘In Between Us’ from Scarface’s The Fix was a different animal entirely, with a much more autobiographical bent they rapped on being haunted by personal demons and the rifts that occurred between them and former friends. Paranoia, regret and anxiety rule here, and the emotions are strong enough to negate the need for specifics.
On this third collaboration, nothing is left to prove for these guys. Rapping about themselves and the lives they’ve created in this culture they helped build, they touch upon the paths of their career but never stray from the metaphor. Two disillusioned voices, one capable of fusing his flow with emotion like few others, fully in tune with the blues, and the other a lyrical beast, stringing together smart turns of phrase and flow and making it sound easy like only the greats can. How magic like this happens on DJ Khaled’s album is unclear, but we can all be thankful for his rolodex rap in this case.
As for hip-hop, she may be a “whore” but she can still sure be a beautiful one.
Peep the ‘Making Of’ and lyrics for this track below.
[Intro: DJ Khaled]
This shit’s special
DJ Khaled![Verse 1: Scarface]
And if I cry two tears for her
That will be the most that I would give to her
She left me stranded in my nightmares
Taking pictures of my memories she right there
Twisting on the blade in my heart, deep
Always on my mind so I can’t sleep
She used to tell me she was all mine
Now the only way I see the broad is online
I’m doing drugs trying to feel you
I’m killing me trying to kill you
I built my whole life around ya
I thought I found it all when I found her
Shopping sprees on whatever coast
How’d you really feel, I may never know
And as I ride through these streets
With my hand on my heat, eyes red from the sweet Thai
Rewind, some things never change
Once in love and it’s gone you don’t look at it the same, nigga
(Fuck her) Cause she don’t live here
I’m soaked in blood but I’m still here
Hip Hop heartbreaks, straight-laced, deep bass, 808s plus the mixtapes
Got a nigga feeling like I up and left ya
Get away now you all in the lectures
Being studied by the college’s professors
Now I regret the day I met ya
I’ll be the first one to say it
She ain’t the one you want to play with
I fucked Hip Hop[Verse 2: Nas]
And if I cry two tears for her
That would be the most that I can give to her
I am Joseph, Darryl, Jason, Dr Dre, O’Shea
And a host of those who passed away
Today I’m Drake, I’m Wayne, 2 Chainz
Can you say you want to rap, to this bitch you must commit
Then you’re a slave to your grave, you won’t get out, you cannot quit
She menstruates weekly, her vibe covers keep you warm
But the source to her heart is love, word up, right on
You know how girls are, she love when you licking on her world star
Kissing on her belly, trick on her and onyx
Confused fans think that she illuminates demonic
But she’s the object of my affections, God’s essence, God bless her
She bought me Bentleys, Breitlings, made some friends resent me
For writing about my life, they thought I should have stayed quiet
She took me to places I would have never saw without her
And she took me from my girl powder
I doubt I’ll ever be the same, hallowed be thy name
Give me strength so I don’t do this dame like Orenthal James
Brad warned me while driving this auburn Ferrari
Never follow in her games, I fuck around and I’ll be sorry
But I tried her, used to ride her, for dollars not the fame
She slowed me down and had me guzzling on cups of lean
She’s a middle-aged cougar, showing young’uns the dream
Notice she wasn’t breathing for a second then I screamed
“She’s dead!”, and everybody took it out on Nasty
I was just looking out for my music family
Wasn’t trying to claim her to myself, she’s yours
You can have her she’s a motherfucking whore
I fuck Hip Hop
