"I Am, I Be," appreciation
kitchenknight
4,922 Posts
Might be my favorite rap song of all time.That doesn't make it the best; just my favorite.The sound collage throughout is an excellent running theme- the most tasteful interjection of family members on a rap album.Not to mention the reiteration of the Lou Rawls, "You've Made Me So Very Happy," sample from earlier in the album. Again, the thematic threads through the song and album are what elevate this album from the rest of the pack.Then, there is the rhyming...Serious. This is the subtlety and maturity that I feel most dock, "Stakes Is High," for, when subtlety ...Was Dead. Total resentment of Tha Game has yet to set in, and honesty, introspection, and the confusion of aging come through in best possible way. The line, "...Or some Tongues who lied/and said we'd be native to the end/ Nowadays we don't even speak," is as good a look at the disillusion of aging and moving on from friends, as anything I've ever heard or read, given the context.From start to finish, concept to recording, this is the hip hop song that has hit me the hardest for longest.Public Appreciation now over.
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And, all week, it's been holding my attention as I parse the words more and more.
"I choose to run from the rays of the burning sun/ and dodge a needle washing up upon a sandy shore."
I mean, lyrics like this meant a lot to me when I was 17 and heard this for the first time. But, now I'm married, 28, a professional, and they have a completely different...yet, equally important meaning.
That is the sign of a superior work of art, I suppose...timelessness.