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— by Shaheem Reid
Artist: Ol' Dirty Bastard
Mixtape: Osirus
Representing: Wu-Tang Clan
The 411: Osirus is ODB's first mixtape and the first new music that's been put out from him since his death last month. The mixtape is officially sanctioned by JC Records, a company founded by Dirt's mom and manager, and it hits stores on January 4. Black Rob, Cappadonna, Blahzay Blahzay and DJs Mark Ronson, Clinton Sparks and Chops are among those who contributed rhymes and beats.
Joints To Check For:
- "Pop Shots." ODB delivers a surprise. This record sound unlike any other Dirt McGirt, with the Wu-Tang's most zany member slowing down his flow and taking a more traditional approach over DJ Premier's piano and scratching. There's no yelling, no singing (well, if you don't count the chorus) as Osirus reflects on his life and admonishes his peers. "It's OK to pop sh--, but come a little different." Words to live by.
- "Move Back" featuring Jae Millz, Them Lennox Ave. Boys, Drag-On and Terra Blacks. Dirty must've felt real at home when he rapped on this record, because there's just about the same number of rappers on the track as there is in the Wu-Tang Clan. Maybe that's why the song is over seven minutes long.
- "Fire (Dirty Dirty Alt. Mix)." Just to hear Dirty singing "Ooooooooooooh" at the start of the song makes it worth a listen. Throughout the track, he's ranting, he's raving and dropping his usual ODB too-hot-for-TV lyrics. "Pull my di-- out, watch the room get dark/ Stay high with the zombie walk/ Gotta sit my ass down like Rosa Parks."
Don't Sleep: Other Notable Selections This Week
- Milio's God's Black
- DJ Rondevu's Good Tymes
- Snicka's Biggie Blendz
- DJ Wreck's Going for the Crown
'Hood's Heavy Rotation: Bubbling Below The Radar
- Ashanti featuring T.I. - "Still Down"
- Daz featuring Nate Dogg - "Boys in the Hood"
- Memphis Bleek - "Oh Baby"
- Ja Rule featuring Ashanti and R. Kelly - "Wonderful" remix
Celebrity Favs
This week it isn't about a favorite mixtape DJ or artist or even a particular record. In memory of Dirt McGirt, it's about living in the moment. Fat Joe, the don of the Terror Squad, tells us his favorite memory of being with Ol' Dirty Bastard. "He was a good brother," Joe said. "I remember one time I saved him. He was in Manhattan [outside a club] and he was gonna fight 40 bouncers! I was with my wife and I stopped the car. Everybody was watching him. I went out there, I was like, 'O.D., let me talk to you.' He said, 'The Killer Bees are coming!' I said, 'O.D., I'm with you. But they gonna f--- us up right now. Let's get the f--- outta here, ODB!' He was like, 'Word, Joe?' I was like, 'Trust me. Let's get outta here!' So he jumped in the car and we got outta there."
The Streets Is Talking: News & Notes From The Underground
If you've been listening to New York radio the past couple of weeks, you are not experiencing déjà vu. They're playing two new songs with the same beat — Beanie Sigel's "Feel It in the Air" and Black Rob's "Live From the Eastside." Believe it or not, it's not a case of one biting the other, but rather a serious case of miscommunication between producer Heavy D and the two rappers. "You know what? That's never happened to me in my life," Black Rob said last week at New York's Daddy's House studio. Rob's record came out about a month ago via the mixtape The Return of Black Rob. Sigel's song surfaced a couple of weeks ago. "Heavy D exclusively came here to give me that beat," Rob said. "With him coming over here exclusively to put that in my hands, I felt it's [just for] me. Heav's a family member, he's part of the Bad Boy Family. At the end of the day you gotta eat. I don't blame him. I got other joints that will blast off. That was just a hot joint, man. Good luck to Beans with that." Though Rob says he's not upset with the Heavster, he will admit to being disappointed because he'd wanted to use "Live From the Eastside" on his February 15 release, The Rob Report. "Heav was trying to send me another beat to substitute for that one, but it ain't working. I don't feel that same feel. That [beat] put me right in the heart of Uptown at Sugar Shack Lounge [with] the grimiest of n---as, the get-money n---as. That's where I needed to be." ...
Styles P is so hardcore that if you pop in a mixtape with him on it, you're liable to hear him rapping about murdering your girlfriend or leaving a street block soaked in blood. But he's going to broaden his content on his second official solo LP, Time Is Money, due in March. His first single is slated to be "I'm Black," an Alchemist production. "In society, sometimes people forget about who they are and where they came from," Styles explained. "Whatever happens, I'm black. I'm being conscious nowadays, being in the position I'm in to give consciousness to the kids." On "Testify," Styles tag teams with one of the captains of conscious rap, Talib Kweli. "We try to give a little knowledge off. Me being a big fan of Talib, I wanted to get him on there. The brother kicked some good sh--. I felt like I wanted people who I'm fans of on my albums. I don't just try to get people that's hot in the market. ... Me and Talib covered a lot on that one: what's going on in society, people, how they living. We're talking to the first generation of crack babies." Styles hopes to reach more listeners than ever with Time Is Money, which features contributions from Havoc and Scott Storch. "This album, I didn't want to be as street as I usually am. I wanted to be more diverse. Before, I was more wild. I'm trying to be more grown, I'm trying to go deeper. I don't want to be classified for the same thing all the time." ...
For more on the role of mixtapes in the music industry, check out the feature "Mixtapes: The Other Music Industry."
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Photo: MTV News
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