Streets Made Me

With the recession looking like rap's new AutoTune, the game straight-up needs Boosie. His rap is basically blues music at this point, and I don't think there's anyone cutting through bullshit quite like him right now. His sad, mournful tracks— "Dirty World" from last year's Da Beginning or "Life of Crime," which Noz posted a few days ago— are pretty gut-wrenching, so much so that I wonder if dude's actually doing alright. His songs about girls, cars, money, killing etc. sound to me to be borne out of so much anger and pain, like Boosie really wants to make a dude who can't rock as much Coogi as him feel like the biggest pile of shit because of it.

This Streets Made Me tape isn't as strong as Da Beginning (what mixtape is though, right??) but it has some really really serious tracks. I don't have production credits on these, sorry.

"So Tired"

The back half of the tape really leans on his depressive shit, and "So Tired" is the most immediately arresting of these. To me, Boosie's biggest strength is how soulful he is, and when he raps softly and calmly like he does on "So Tired" his voice sounds so weathered and emotive. When he starts singing he could almost be mistaken for a classic Delta blues singer, which really puts the AutoTuned emotion of Wayne and Kanye and Zoe (endeavors which i support, btw) into perspective. The beat here is this really dreary organ thing, just perfect.

"Got Something Fast"

For all everyone says about Boosie's voice, I've never really heard anyone mention how versatile it is. If he could only rap in a seething rasp it would kind of dull the effect, and on "Got Something Eat" he kind of strikes a balance between the laconic drawl of songs like "So Tired" and the fire-spit of songs like "Wipe Me Down". Backed by this sad, jazzy horn sample Boosie talks about shit that happens when you're running around as a kid.

"Out Da Way"

There's a line here that maybe goes along way towards explaining what's going on with Boosie: "Niggas talkin shit but I just lost my grandma/ Bout to introduce you bitch-ass niggas to Rambo". When this leaked a few weeks ago I was struck by how angry he sounds— "Thugged out and I love it, dawg/ Fuck around, Boosie turn your face to a Chuckie doll". Gotta say as well that these reggae songs really vibe well with him.

"Please"
Apocalyptic is probably an overused adjective, but Boosie's violent tracks really have that feeling to me. It's hard to listen to them and not get this feeling like they're fighting for their life down there (which I guess might be true)— when Boosie raps about violence he makes it sound like a necessity not a luxury.