Saigon's "Warning Shots 3: One Foot In The Grave" finally dropped! I've been waiting for this one every since the first leaks started running out and Saigon drove the wait to a frenzied pitch when he leaked the "Women Are The New Dogs" right before the drop date. If Saigon is going to get radio spins from this project, "Women Are The New Dogs" is probably the most likely to hit the airwaves. I think its the best record in the batch with production from Red Spyda and the Jovan Dias feature.
One of my favorites is the "BBB (Real Niggaz Never Die)" with the classic Buju Banton sample riding throughout the Sire-produced track. Of course as a DJ I always favor any track that includes a DJ scratching; even if it is minimal its a dope touch. I also like the "I Am 4 Real" record with the Outkast sample. The lines "These mutha fuckas might get more listens than me, but they ain't got a quarter of the authenicity" really ring true for Saigon and ring even louder in the face of all the artists that like to rap that phony shit. "Hungry" is another top pick and again another Sire-produced record. I really want to know where Sire ripped that piano loop from - it's dope. I saw on twitter that the video for "Hungry" is supposed to roll out Thursday so I'll be watching for that.
"Bring Me Down Pt 3" with Joe Budden really brings out the cadence capabilities from Saigon and is the only record in the project that is produced by Just Blaze. This made me hit Saigon on twitter and ask why the "Just Blaze Presents" title, but Saigon explained that Just Blaze is the hosting voice that you hear at the end of tracks. Knowing that, I have to give props to Just Blaze for not branding the project by screaming all over the music and burrying it. For DJs like me this is a big deal because I can run the tracks right into my mixes without waiting for "no-DJ" versions.
I know that Rick James is responsible for all the vocal chops in "Kinky", but Sire pitched the samples just right so that I had to listen a few times to figure out if someone came in to sing the Rick James lines. Props once again to Sire for his production skills.
"Say Yes" is dope for the use of breakbeats (which is really apparant throughout the project), but more-so for the storytelling Saigon lays out in the record. I fully expect a whole grip of "remixes" to "Say Yes" since Saigon left so much beat laid out naked at the end of the track. If you've ever been a fan of Public Enemy, tell me you weren't waiting for the 'buzz' to rub and Chuck D to jump in with "Don't you know, don't you know"!
I didn't like "Yeah Yeah" with that west coast swing on the organ and the throwback snare hits. The breakdowns are dope though. Didn't really dig "Come Again 2012" either. I'm on the fence with "When Did U Get Hot". I dig the flow and the message is one I can definitely see myself using as a catch phrase, but I'm not a fan of the electric guitar or the production overall. "War and Chaos", "Where to Find Me", and "Learning as We Go" are ok, but not highlights from the project.
Green Lantern comes through for production on "Cutdabullshit, Cutdabullshit" and Saigon drives the beat with the perfect cadence and flow. The only knock on the record is it goes too long at 4:06 and would have been a lot better trimmed to under 3 minutes. "Another Man Down" really had me amped up like it was some old MOP/Onyx shit. There's a good chance somebody is going to get his face stomped in with "Another Man Down" as the soundtrack blaring in the background. Then I'll walk away singing that "rum-pum-pum-pum" haha - oh wait...nevermind. The final track "Mr. Cool" is dope as hell with some killer-pimp vibes and Saigon driving the nail in the coffin for a load of wack rappers. I think that is probably the whole appeal to "Warning Shots 3: One Foot In The Grave" for me at least. I'm constantly hearing people complain about the lyrical downfall of Hip-Hop, but Saigon proves that is bullshit. You want Hip-Hop? Wrap your ears around Saigon's "Warning Shots 3: One Foot In The Grave".
Get connected with Saigon on twitter @TheRealSaigon and be sure to visit www.saigonnation.com
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