Thursday, June 26, 2008

Chamillionaire & Stat Quo - Big Business (2005)





















2-Disc, but the second disc is just chopped & screwed, so its not reviewed.

1) Supposed To Represent (Chamillionaire)
Nice Biggie sample on this – “Lyrically I’m supposed to represent” – and Chamillionaire, without Stat on this track does a nice job. The beat’s a bit simple, but it’s ok. Pretty nice punchlines and flow on this one à “I’m known to make niggas watch they mouth like a dentist is/Tell ‘em this, we menaces like that Dennis kid”

2) Like Dat (Stat Quo)
Stat’s first single from his (infinitely) delayed album, Statlanta. Nothing special, but it’s a nice beat and a nice club track which is what it’s meant to be. Liking the swagger on this one – “Yeah you got bread but you ain’t stacking like this/I go to the bank they know me by my first name, bitch”

3) Talkin’ That Talk (Chamillionaire & David Banner)
Pretty lame chorus, Chamillionaire is stuck somewhere between singing and rapping. The chorus is also sorta weird, some annoying whistling half of the time, but its decent. Liking the lyrics though. Nothing amazing, just a pretty good track. David Banner does a nice job on this, though he sorta overhypes it with his scream-like delivery. Both Chamillionaire verses are nice though

4) I Wish U Would (Nitro)
Nice beat and chorus, got me bobbing my head. Nothing amazing on the lyrics, nice for the most part though. Don’t really know much about Nitro but he held his own on this song, flowed decently and nothing was awful about it.

5) Hot Sauce (Stat Quo)
Wasn’t feeling the chorus, and absolutely nothing special about the instrumental except for an annoying beep. Decent lyrics though. “Y’all so suspect/I school hoes like Georgia Tech/Need wipes, shorty gotta connect.”

6) Trouble (Chamillionaire)
Another wack sing-songy hook. Another really average, boring beat. Another group of nice lyrics from Chamillionaire: “The rap game lately has been like a big opera/But I’m pimping the fat lady, I decide when it stops-a”

7) I Need Mine (Stat Quo)
Liking this track, good beat, the ending chorus is nothing special but its still pretty good. Liking the lyrics, “Fallen off, you definitely got your folk bent/Notice when I strut I walk with a slight limp”

8) Used To Love Rap (Chamillionaire)

Liking the sing-songy hook actually, the background yelling in the beat is sorta annoying but it’s a nice track. Instead of using the overdone concept of the rap game as a girl, he is directly “talking” to the game. Loving the beat dropping when the second chorus kicks in. “And it’s crazy, cause you’re my baby, but lately, you got my deep/In the beef, and the word’s I write in the sheet are out in the street.” Dope!

9) What It Is (Stat Quo)

A “remix” to “Some Cut” by Trillville. Never liked the squeaking on the beat, but its still a pretty nice track. The lyrics aren’t that special – “Sumo spit, that mean’s I’m big” – but it’s not really the type of track you expect insightful lyrics or anything. Nice track, pretty much the same as the original, but its pretty good.

10) Shake It How You Make It (Stat Quo & Chamillionaire)

Finally a track with them together! Actually feeling Stat on this one, “Oh no, Stat’s slipping cause Stat don’t trick/Nah, Stat’s pimping, cause Stat stack chips.” Beat’s sorta weird but its nice, and Cham spits nice on it too. Definitely got me bobbing my head, the chorus is mad simplistic but its decent as well, nice little party track.

11) Gangsta Shit (Buddy Bole, Donny Arcade & Nitro)

Liking the beat, hating the fact I can’t figure out what the original song is lol. Real old school, smooth feel to it. The chorus is nothing special, but its ok. Another head-bumping track, and all three MCs spit nice on this one. Plus, unlike a lot of other “gangsta rappers,” they have a lot of references to people and talk about their old apartments and shit to make it seem legit.

12) The Dean Meets The Mechanic (Stat Quo & Buddy Bole)

The breathing on the beat is mad annoying, though the beat itself is dope. The lyrics aren’t amazing, but I actually am feeling em a lot. Nothing too quotable, but got a nice flow that compliments the beat. Seriously though, that breathing? STOP!

13) City Behind Us (Rasaq)

Someone who knows Chamillionaire raps on the “Where You At” beat. Insert random “I used to sell drug” lyrics, add a little bit of flow and you get the track. Nothing sucks per say, but nothing is amazing either. Liking some lines, “You the best? Well this dude is next/Slide over nigga, move to the left.” (Though that’s really not true…)

14) Loyalty (Rasaq, 50-50 Twin & Chamillionaire)

Liking the R&B hook a lot, the beat is pretty good, and the lyrics are on point. The subject matter = unoriginal, but still I’m liking all three MC’s verses. Cham’s verse is short but its pretty damn dope.

15) In These Streets (Stat Quo, Chamillionaire, BG & Soulja Slim)

First off, R.I.P. to Soulja Slim, the game and the world misses you. This track is the best track on the mixtape (maybe tied with the last track though). Loving the piano part and the chorus is dope as well. I also love pretty much all the verses. Cham’s flow is ridiculous: “Bang 'til your brain did spew it/ Houston is full of sewage/ It's true, it ain't nothing to it/ they'll do it, act like you knew it/See I ain't really gotta prove it/ look around and it show/Cause most of these niggas we used to know ain't even around here no mo.'” Next is B.G., and he has some dope lines also, like “Where I'm from we play it raw, we cutthroat and bout our business/Some call it New Orleans but I nicknamed it Chopper City/It's the home of the Hornets, and the home of the Saints/But don't get that name twisted, we'll toss you off in a lake.” Then Stat spits, “Track bang (track bang), pimp hoe like good game/A goddamn shame, that boy there got good aim” to kick off an impressive lyrical verse. Finally, it ends with Soulja Slim, who spits another very dope verse, ending perfectly with, “I say fuck the Feds, and I’ll say it again/From the streets to the pens, I play the game to win”

16) Hold Up (Bun B, Stat Quo & Chamillionaire)

Bun B of course spits fire. Rockish feel to this track, the chorus isn’t amazing but I like it. The occasional talking in the background is sorta annoying though. Another head bumping track though, and Stat spits some nice shit. Cham ends the song strongly also, a bunch of random threats and punchlines that come across dope.

17) Known In The Streets (Stat Quo)

Nah, not really feeling this one. The beat is really weird, sounds a bit sloppy, something felt off. Nothing special on the chorus, and the lyrics are really generic. “I hustle fast, y’all hustle slow,” nothing of any value on this track.

18) Cleveland’s Back (Off Da Chain) (Buddy Bole & Donny Arcade)

No, it’s not, unless we’re talking sports. Apparently they think that spitting fast = spitting dope, it really isn’t. I mean, I guess its ok, but there’s nothing creative or original bout it at all. The beat’s nice though. It’s a pretty good track to just bump cause it sounds pretty dope beat-wise and the lyrics don’t ruin it, but as far as listening to the words, nothing special.

19) Spit It Like A Pro (Rasaq)

Rasaq gets on Jay-Z’s “My First Song” and fares much better. Some lines are weak, and he tries to make up for that by drifting off with a high voice, the dopeness of the track fades off after a while, but it starts off nice. Also liking his flow.

20) In The Ghetto (Stat Quo)

LMAO @ the chorus, sounds cheesy as fuck, some choir or something singing “In the Ghettoooooooo.” Nice lyrics though, liking the reminiscing on the verses, though again, nothing too original.

21) Plottin’ and Schemin’ (Stat Quo & Chamillionaire)

Sorta rambling on Stat’s lyrics, and the beat’s nothing special, though something that you can nod your head to. Cham spits even more fire on this track, for real, compared to his recent shit it feels like he fell off.

22) Welcome To The Ghetto (Buddy Bole, Donny Arcade, Chamillionaire & Nitro)

Beat sounds pretty sad, but the lyrics aren’t. Still a nice reminiscing track, better than I thought it’d be after seeing the title. All four lyricists did a nice job on this one, in fact I don’t think Cham was even the best.

23) How We Do (Stat Quo)

Stat on the Game’s beat. I almost forgot he’s signed to shady. Nothing special, once again. I like Stat for the most part, but he disappointed me with his lack of originality. His flow’s real nice though, for real, dude can spit. Not like half of these southern artists who can’t do shit. It’s a pretty good track, probably on the same level of Game’s, maybe even a bit better.

24) I’m Sprung (T-Pain & Stat Quo)

This isn’t anything special. Just a short Stat Quo verse and the original T-Pain track. Stat does aight on the verse, but like I said, its short and its really nothing special or creative or even interesting.

25) Untitled Hidden Track

After the I’m Sprung track, on the same file, a rapper spits “Back Then” beat, not even sure who’s rapping to be honest, lol. Whoever it is, this track is so fucking dope, definitely the second best track, maybe even tied with In These Streets for the best. Liking the chorus, “boys be steady doing it, knocking off the unit” (Big Moe sample! R.I.P.). Real dope, really nice flow, great lyrics and punchlines…very dope way to end this mixtape. I need to figure out who this is, lol.

Grade: Somewhere between B/B+, definitely worth a listen if you like either artist

-DKE

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