Joell Ortiz has had a lot of bad breaks. It seems like every major record label he’s tried to latch on with has made promises they couldn’t keep. That, of course, led to nasty splits and several trips back to square one that have kept Ortiz from releasing a solo major label despite being one of the nastiest lyricists in the industry.
It’s a G.D. shame.
After gaining a ton of momentum in 2009 with super-group Slaughterhouse, also featuring Crooked I, Joe Budden, and Royce Da 5’9”, Ortiz recorded an album called, fittingly, “Free Agent,” which was supposed to be released all the way back in June. In the midst of trying to leave E1 for Eminem’s Shady Records, the release got held up, and now it’s just sort of hanging out there in development hell, while huge fans like myself wait impatiently to finally hear it.
In the meantime, the best you can do is get a hold of mixtapes where Ortiz is prominently featured. That’s where I’ve bumped into a few of my favorite lyrical gems of the last couple months, including his “Lemonade” freestyle and 50 bars over J. Cole’s “Who Dat.”
Throughout these and every other Ortiz track I’ve ever heard, I laugh. I laugh because the metaphors and analogies and wordplay he employs are so witty that I’m not sure what else to do. Also, I laugh because, ya know, some of them are actually very funny. The guy cares about the words that are spilling forth from his mouth, which is exactly what real hip-hop heads should be looking for. Well, hip-hop heads, here they are. Indulge yourselves.
In the end, Ortiz didn’t end up with E1 or Shady; last month he signed on with SRC/Universal Motown, and shortly afterwards it was made known that “Free Agent” would hit streets before ’10 was over. I say thank God to that, and I’m sure Ortiz is saying it too, but louder.
Here’s the “Lemonade” freestyle, which rocks:
And Joell’s version of “Who Dat,” which I might even prefer over J. Cole’s:
J. Cole – “Who Dat”
When I was in high school, I had this buddy who, when a rap song really impressed the hell out of him, he’d lose complete and utter control of his body. I’d play a new track for him and say, “Check this out,” then watch him 30 seconds into the song as his eyes got big, then his neck would start to tighten up and he’d hold back a huge smile. And before I knew it he was doing this sort of hybrid laugh/scream because he literally couldn’t contain himself over the awesomeness of the song. A lot of time has passed since high school, and I don’t see this friend that much anymore, but I imagine that would’ve been his reaction to “Who Dat,” which is easily my favorite song at the moment.
The Constellations – “Felicia”
Somewhere in between funk, rock, and something based very loosely on rap lies “Felicia,” by the Constellations. Essentially, it’s a song about a sexy lady named—you guessed it—Felicia, and how much the authors of the song would like to have intimate relations with her. It’s upbeat and extremely fun, and the video (which appears to have several cameos from the tattooed stripper that broke up the Sandra Bullock marriage) bangs home the tone of the track flawlessly. Plus, these guys look like they’d be really fun to hang out with. So there’s that.
Charice featuring Iyaz – “Pyramid”
I’m not gonna lie; this is shameless pop. Everything you’d expect from a formulaic teen Top 40 song is here: really cute female singer, rugged urban male doing the hook, simple heavy beat, basic major chords. But. It’s really, really ridiculously catchy. And fun. Avid music fans don’t always have to roll their eyes at pop music just because it’s not some underground indie track. It can be really good sometimes, and that’s the case with “Pyramid.”
