i choose you

project pat - "choose u" (sony/relativity, 2002)
u.g.k. feat. three six mafia - "player's anthem" (jive/zomba, 2007)

drunk & focused is more than just state of mind. for some, it's a vocation. in those rarified climes, a word is also a picture is a word. the rest of us have day jobs. i sell records.

last week, a young gentlemen approached the counter with a clutch of 12"ers in tow. among them was the certified classic "stay fly" and me, with my clever kid cash register tricks, i mentioned that juicy j and dj paul (a dog you categorically DO NOT trust) had collaborated with bun b and pimp c for an upcoming release. i received the following response:

"oh. i don't really like southern rap. i just wanted the instrumentals to mix with some other songs. maybe the new bloc party. something like that."

the ensuing reaction was the stuff of hybrid moments.

bad news, internet dudes. remember all the way back to 2004. perhaps 2005 will jog your memory (ed. note: juicy j's hand-jive at the 1:50 mark...so real). even in accelerated back-to-the-future, nu-rave klaxxon dog years, 2 years is NOT a fucking epoch. "southern rap," or "REAL TALK" as some of us know it, has been around since i learned how to sip sizzurp on rap city. and it goes back even further. true story!

just remember two years ago when you ordered from neighborhoodies.com and found out about swishahouse? try hard. i know what will help. it was before "hell hath no fury" and "tha carter vol. 2", but after "pretty toney."

anyway, i know i posted a mixtape rip of "player's anthem" a couple of weeks back. here's the full version for your ride, your dj set, and your motherfucking quality of life. several years ago, "stay fly" wasn't just a summer jam in these parts. IT WAS A WAY OF LIFE. in 2007, three six and u.g.k. have seen fit to bless us with another classic, baby. again, history prevails. project pat went hard over this beat 5 years ago and willy mckinley hutchinson was POPPING TAGS before you were probably even born.

if you don't like "southern rap," i don't know if drunk & focused, three six, u.g.k., willie hutch, or anyone can help you.

xoxo,

brendan.

p.s. bonus beats.