*Okay fine, maybe that “Who To Follow” feature on Twitter isn’t that bad, because if it wasn’t for it, I would’ve never stumbled upon this gem. Hmph.
Pulp Fiction is one of my favourite movies. It’s one of those movies that my dad and I would watch when TBS was still TBS (yes, with back to back Seinfeld episodes and not reruns), so it’s obviously one of those cherished memories for me. To have that memory wrapped in up in an entire mixtape, and well executed in a mixtape intro is crazy for me. So on that note, I must say big ups to Prince Samo.
When I was little, on one of my many trips to New York City, we couldn’t spend the night with my cousin in Brooklyn, so instead we set it up with my Tantie (for the non-Caribbean’s, a Tantie is a woman that’s real close with your parents, but isn’t really your aunt, so you call her Tantie instead out of respect) in Jamaica, Queens. While still in the ever glorious 90’s era, Jamaica, Queens was an amazing place to be. Between the food, graffiti on the train, the people and the music, I no longer believed that only Brooklyn or the Bronx was the place to be. Prince SAMO (yes, as in SAMO, the infamous Basquiat tag), or Prince as he frequently goes by, brought that all back for me. So let’s kick this off the right way shall we?
TRACKLIST
A Number One (Introducing Casper Fuentes) 01:58
Sleep To Dream 02:45
Royale With Cheese 01:42
21 Gun Salute 04:18
I'm Leaning 04:51
Say What You Feel 03:58
My Favorite Actress (Feat. Jeff Donna) 04:55
4LOKO'S (Feat. Children Of The Night) 04:31
Dreams (Feat. Cody B. Ware) 02:18
Better Than Gold 04:14
This ten-joint tape starts off nicely on A Number One with probably the most well-known quote coming from Pulp Fiction; the excerpt with the name difference between a quarter pounder in America and France, only to be followed up by Casper Fuentes (who if anyone has any work from, please put me on) who pretty much goes in. Supposedly this tape was put out only this month in 2010, but I really don’t believe it. The whole vibe is really throwback. Don’t let those words put you off though, this isn’t your average overdone-hipster piece, this is a true salute.
Sleep To Dream begins with one of my favourite sounds: the MTA subway trains going over the tracks. The instrumental underneath is complete and the wordplay over it is just the same. Nearing the end, the subway sounds come in a little louder, and you get the feeling as if this is being preformed right in front of you on the platform as it slightly overpowers Prince’s voice. The whole song ends with a “beware of the closing doors please”, the iconic phrase heard all over the NYC subway lines.
Royal With Cheese comes in with reggae playing before it fades a little to let Prince speak. Prince gives his own little philosophy on the whole hip-hop theory and what it means to him, while hearing verbal props in the background every now and then, making you feel like you’re sitting amongst Prince and his friends while he spits knowledge. With the dub playing through, and a sure favourite, Barrington Levy’s “21 Girl Salute” (get that on vinyl, the sound is amazing) sampled at the end to transition into 21 Gun Salute, is nothing less than creative. With Barrington’s final chant of “21 Girl Salute”, the real song drops. Words can’t explain the jazz infusion that you’ll get when you hear the first ten seconds of this track. This whole song is just a huge swing, it’s something that you can jive too, especially the hook. It’s not what you usually hear, it’s not a techno beat or a simple boom-boom clap, it sounds like something straight out of a jazz club from an era past, only flipped with rhymes over it. But with every party, there is the fall down; which I’ve seen on countless Sunday mornings with a vast amount of tweets varying from “I’m wasstteedd stillll” to “Ughhh this hangover is not the bizzzz”.
I’m Leaning captures this easily. “The liquor was dark, the room’s spinnin’ round, don’t want to hit the ground, I’m leaning!” chimes in as the first part of the hook about a minute-and-a-half in over a slightly spacey instrumental. Storytelling is the focal point of this entire song, as it goes from the highs of partying, to having a few too many drinks, to falling asleep on public transit, and finally getting booked for the night. But of course, after it all, Prince says it himself, the process will repeat itself again soon.
As soon as I heard Say What You Feel, I was like, where have I heard this beat from before? Yes, this is the instrumental pulled from Drake’s “Say What’s Real” from his So Far Gone mixtape (that some of you quoted to death). Whether this track is entitled, Say What you Feel or Say What’s Real, it’s all the same. This is where Prince really shows a little bit of himself willingly, giving us his heart as he says himself. It’s not a song for me to speak on, it’s more of a just listen kinda thing.
My Favorite Actress has a completely different mood when compared to the joint preceding it. Featuring Jeff Donna, the instrumental has a warped dubstep / N*E*R*D on acid feel to it. The lyrics are just the same, but the listing of different actresses (does Kim Kardashian really count as an actress? Yes, that’s a serious question) one after the other is true simile-play. Personally, it’s a favourite.
Although the track is called 4LOKO’S (and I wouldn’t be surprised if My Favorite Actress was created under the influence of the infamous 4LOKO) it doesn’t really have that vibe. “Went from foreplay to tryna fornicate her” um, that’s pretty classic. That the easiest way to describe this song not to lie. While the whole track is extremely mellow, I can’t help but figure this is to be the ultimate Telly life-track if KIDS was to be remade in 2010 where malt liquor is no longer the official craze.
Dreams, featuring Cody B. Ware (the rapper behind Devil in a Blue Dress) has a real easy feel. After about a 30 second sample, this track is cut a little short, but the time left is still valuable. Now a days, because so much is accessible, everyone is chasing their dreams or at least hopes to some day. “I dreamt about eternity a timeless time”, need I say more?
Better Than Gold ends the tape unfortunately. The beat and the series of samples that fade in and out are an odd pair but they all flow nicely. The whole track revolves around a relationship and Prince’s appreciation for it, and the vibe coming from it resounds a lot louder than anything else on this whole joint. The tape comes to an end with another sample mentioning the Royale with Cheese, sealing the deal.
Stop reading this and listen here. You’ll be happy you did.
