Friday, June 27, 2008

Gemstones - The Testimony of Gemstones





















1) Free Chilly

Real dope beat (same as Lupe’s one on The Cool). Really feeling this track, not only is he talking about his friend who got arrested (sentenced to 44 years), he completely calls himself out. “Lying in my lyrics, to be accepted by the critics/All the hot punchlines about crack I didn’t distribute” (he makes it rhyme somehow lol). Also a real nice beat, a little sad and reflective, but very dope intro.

2) Fly Away

Beats sound familiar, can’t tell what it is, got a nice foreign feel to it. What’s sorta cool about Gem is that he can sing as well as rap (no Tyrese). Liking the song, he hits his notes well and though the chorus is mad cliché (“spread my wings so I could fly away”), the verses are legit and the sound songs quite good.

3) Where’s The Love

Hov’s “Heart Of The City” beat, which I’ve always found pretty dope. Gem talking about haters on this one, it’s pretty good. Nothing amazing though, nothing to get the “haters” to stop talking. “Lupe’s a skateboarder, you ain’t feeling The Cool/You bought Chingy over Food & Liquor, whoop-e-dee-do.” Yeah, not gonna shut anyone up with that haha.

4) Hater’s Love featuring Shayla G

Essentially the third & fourth verses to the track before, though with the beat flipped to Rich Boy’s “And I Love You,” pretty much explaining that haters love when you’re down and hate when you’re on top. Shayla G’s verse isn’t anything special, was feeling Gem’s though, “Hate you because your ring finger got a band/But soon as they find out she been sleeping with your man [Sample: I Love You]”

5) Still Untamed

The “Umma Do Me” beat, which although not used as much as “A Millie,” has been done to death. Gem feels like if he speaks loudly he’ll be dope. Unfortunately, it’s not working. Just nothing special on the lyrics, and the song’s so short that lines like “I’m so crazy with the flow I need therapy!” are more noticeable as weak.

6) Skit

Gem basically goes through tracks he did (all shit from Lupe’s albums). The “history of Gemstones.” Its sorta interesting to listen to, but nothing special or anything.

7) We On (Featuring Lupe Fiasco & Pooh Bear)

The first single from Gem. Liking the track, actually. Its got a real summer feel to it, a nice chill song. The chorus is pretty good, though they repeat “We On” a ton. Lupe and Gem pretty much trade bars, and I’m liking it. Nice beat to this one, also. Real “I Made It” feel, a nice chill track (though not the most lyrical)

8) Skeletons (Featuring Sarah Green)

Loving this song. Got the piano loop from “Dance With The Devil” by Immortal Technique. Real dope concept, basically Gem is going through his listeners lives and talking about various problems they may be facing. Sarah Green is legit on this track, and Gem’s flow and lyrics are real nice: “You sold your soul for a buck/You hate the man in the mirror, you see him and wanna duck/Would pop a pill and kill him, but you really ain’t got the nuts/So you pray to God to forgive and deliver him cause it’s rough”

9) Superstar

Lupe’s beat, same chorus. Its OK, he’s doing his whole “if I talk loud I’m dope” thing, but this one’s pretty good. Real nice flow, and pretty good lyrics. He also addresses his name change from Gemini to Gemstones: “I had to switch it up, so I could let my wings spread/It’s the Testimony of Gemstones, Gemini is dead”

10) Low Key (Featuring Sarah Green)

Like the song, the flow and his delivery makes the reminiscing idea seem legit, as at the end of every rhyme it sounds like he’s sighing or exhaling. The beat’s got a nice piano part, but the problem with the track is that lyrically it doesn’t match the delivery and the beat. He starts off talking about the struggle, but then switches to bragging and talking about how he’s living the life. The lyrics are good, don’t get me wrong, just don’t really match the song’s components.

11) Bury Me A Gem

He gets on one of my favorite tracks from Young Jeezy’s The Inspiration, “Bury Me A G,” which boasts a nice sample and beat. Wasn’t feeling the whole pausing to catch his breath thing in the middle, seemed really stupid and gimmicky. Liking the reminiscing on his life before the rapping shit (though he’s mentioned that he’s pissed the bed in a few tracks now, lol). He gets really into it, aggressive spitting near the end, was feeling the passion and energy from it.

12) My First 16

Snoop’s “Imagine” beat is the next track, and apparently (never explicitly said, but implied by the title and the sound of paper rustling at the beginning), this song has Gem reading the first verse he made (its not actually 16, but who’s counting? Haha). Not sure if this is it though as the lyrics don’t seem like something he’d write when he was just beginning. Basically a story/diss of a rapper he came up with who forgot him. Shit’s nice, the beat’s good (gets a little amped up in some parts, its nice), and the lyrics are on point, nice storytelling.

13) Never Give Up (featuring Tugun Cannon)

Nothing special on the beat (sounds familiar, can’t tell what it is though), Gem spits really aggressive, its basically a track about his beginning with rap and shit, and his come up. The chorus is inspirational…sorta. Not liking the chorus really, he grunts at the beginning and sounds constipated, and it’s really cliché. Liking the lyrics though, Tugun Cannon also spits nice. The last minute or so is pretty much shoutouts and him talking, but its overall a decent track.

14) Skit

A Bunch of newsclips and other shit about a lot of shootings and deaths in Gem’s hometown of Chicago. Leading into the next track.

15) Everything’s OK (Featuring Bishop G)

I think this is a new beat, got a sample on the chorus (but IDK, sounds familiar). Liking the sadness on the track and the deepness of the lyrics. You can tell both MCs are truly impacted by the violence. Liking the chorus about how even though everything’s horrible, the “bitter comes with the sweet” and life goes on and there’s always good with the bad. Nice song.

16) I Love Her

Now I KNOW that I’ve heard this beat before, but once again I can’t put my finger on it haha. Nice love track, he got the enamorated emotion down pat for both verses, the first being from a student’s point of view, the second one being from someone in an office. Nice lyricism and flow too, “How do I say that you’re so fine?/The reason I come to work everyday on time.” The chorus is sorta lame, but he delivers it nicely, so its all good.

17) Good Morning

Kanye West’s “Good Morning” beat. The chorus is sort of annoying, but it’s decent as far as the lyrics go. The flow is sort of strange, hard to explain, but he really stresses the end and changes the way he’s rapping a bit. It gets sort of annoying though, but the lyrics are on point. Really split on this track, but I guess it’s decent.

18) Time

Another familiar beat smh. Liking the sample. The lyrics are clever, he’s addressing time, talking about it as if it’s a friend or lover on the first verse, the second talking about what’d be different if he controlled time. Really nice, insightful and just good. Talks about shit that’s happened in his life, but rather than listing, he adds cleverness to it.

19) A Song To You

Nice piano and strings on this song. The song’s about old friends who’ve passed away, and I’m really feeling the lyrics: “If I received a penny everytime I think about you/I’d have a fortune Bill Gates’ money couldn’t amount to.” Again insightful, not sad or anything, just paying homage to and addressing his fallen friends.

20) When I Get On

Rich Boy’s “Let’s Get That Paper” beat. This song is…meh. Talking about his dreams and shit, about giving back to poor people and stuff. Not feeling the flow, he’s getting excited and yelling and stuff. Nice chorus though, and I like the abrupt end to the song (and mixtape): “If I didn’t, then it wouldn’t be love.”


Basically, Gemstones really shined when talking about personal things, people he’s lost, memories and things that he would like to take back, other people’s skeletons, his own personal shortcomings, etc. But when he tries to spit really exuberantly, yelling non-stop and getting overhyped, he falls a bit short, for the most part. Some stuff he shines, but his flow sounds a bit off and his lyrics just aren’t at the same level as his personal shit.

Grade: B/B+
- DKE

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