Beanie Sigel and Freeway do okay on top of this thing, too, but not really. Ghostface on this track? This pitiable beat gets buried dead and pissed all over with Crystal urine. The hackneyed soul sample sped-up in the background (can someone make it a law to STOP BITING SUPREME CLIENTELE?)… it’s the kind of bullshit rap McTossaway track that someone Rakim’s weight would just destroy. “I Can’t Go On This Way” is produced by Aqua, and is a bit more minimal, intended to highlight the straight-talking raps of Sigel and guests Freeway and Young Chris.
I’m so completely seduced by the Raphael Ravencroft sample and the weaving and bobbing beat that I could care less if Sigel is rhyming for me the solution to world hunger. Produced by Heavy D, “Feel It in the Air” is a seraphic opening track, sultry and innocent and majestic, to the point that I have no idea what Sigel’s rapping about. No, it’s not ethical for me to say anything other than apart from a few guest rappers, I hate this album. Oh, who am I to complain? Who doesn’t prefer soul samples cranked up to Smurf and beats that sound like Phil Collins was brought in for drums (a la ba-doom doom of “In the Air Tonight”). Killa Cam is over there in the corner talking to my wife Susan, who, I should mention, loves to eat skeet and spends all her money at Ikea. Help yourself to the aspic - it’s fresh! Come right in and make yourself comfortable, what’s your name? Freeway? Well, shucks, have some of that chips and dip, why don’t you? Aren’t you a nice fellow, Mr. Welcome to our new home, Beanie! Loved your last record, and don’t you look handsome on the cover. Anyways, Beanie Sigel’s record sounds like it cost a million-trillion-faffillion dollars to produce, you know what I mean? Great for suburban housewarming parties. This is gangsta-lite, or adult contemporary gangsta, or gangs - dad rap, or something like that. Coming is a desperate attempt to maintain the loyalty of the Hova’s huge fanbase. Thanks to Jay-Z, who cuddled Beanie when it got cold and tossed him overboard when he split with Damon Dash, The B. This is another insanely over-produced rap record for old people who still want gangsta but none of the loudness associated with it. Majesty? Since when is majestic a good thing from anyone besides John Williams? Majestic gangsta rap, no less. My colleague at Pitchforkmedia said, “The album’s producers weave a grand, sweeping tapestry to give Sigel’s lament the heft and majesty it deserves.” Ha ha ha! Sweeping tapestry. The critics went into their healing mode, promising that it wasn’t so bad after all. Beanie followed Dash, not Jay-Z, and with that a lot of hopes for this record were dashed. This album came out a minute ago and so we can look at it without all the hype of Bean’s incarceration for weapons violation and the split between Jay-Z and Damon Dash confusing the issue.
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