From: Biniam Tekle (biniamt@dehai.org)
Date: Mon Aug 17 2009 - 15:48:41 EDT
To see video in which Nipsey talks about his Eritrean heritage, click here:
http://globalgrind.com/content/891237/Nipsey-Hussle-Pt-1/
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Bullets Ain't Got No Names
http://www.djbooth.net/index/albums/review/nipsey-hussle-bullets-aint-got-no-names-vol.-3-0806091/
DJBooth.net - Aug 6, 2009
*Artist:* Nipsey Hussle
*Title:* Bullets Ain't Got No Names Vol. 3
*Production From:* Various
*Lead Single:* Diamonds *Artist Website
http://www.nipseyhussle.com/*
http://www.myspace.com/nipseyhussle
There was a time when the west coast was king, when the entire nation was
smoking the chronic, drinking gin and juice and believing that today was a
good day. That golden era of gangsta rap is over. While the west coast never
disappeared - how could it with the likes of Snoop and Dre roaming its
streets? - it has lost its status as a hip-hop epicenter. With the notable
exception of The Game, L.A. hasn’t seen a single young rapper blow up the
national scene in more than a decade. But that doesn’t mean the west is
sleeping; and if it is, it’s a sleeping giant. America’s eyes and ears may
currently be focused on Atlanta and Chicago, but the leftest coast is
teeming with hordes of young rappers busy building a lyrical battle plan,
ready to reclaim their position as a capital of hip-hop nation. Standing at
the foreftont of this new west movement is Nipsey Hussle.
When we talk about the west coast we’re really talking about L.A., and right
now you can’t talk about L.A. without talking about Nipsey Hussle (you can’t
be from anywhere but the city of angels with a name like Nipsey Hussle).
While Nipsey’s long-awaited debut album, South Central State of Mind,
continues to be awaited (it’s currently slated to drop this December),
Slauson Ave.’s favorite son is continuing to build his buzz with the latest
addition to his Bullets Aint’ Got No Names series. His latest offering, Vol.
3, is his strongest offering yet, a wide ranging mixalbum that proves Nipsey
has the potential to translate his substantial street presence into
widespread national success.
Diamonds are a hustlers’ best friend, so it’s no surprise that Nipsey does
some of his best work on the Biggie-influenced Diamonds. Diamonds cruises
along on typically laid-back west coast production, a sparsely relaxed beat
that holds hints of menace, while Nipsey shows that even at his toughest he
can still be lyrically inventive. At one point he even compares himself to
French explorer Jacques Cousteau, and still sounds dope. (Although calling
yourself a “lyrical Tracy McGrady” might not have been the best choice,
considering the man’s playoff record). NBA analogies aside, if anything can
be considered a prototypical Nipsey Hussle track it’s Diamonds, except for
maybe Speak My Language. Language is Vol. 3’s certified banger, a cut that
can’t truly be appreciated unless played at full volume. Nipsey absolutely
kills the track, and as an added bonus Lloyd Banks and Cory Gunz add some
serious lyrical pyrotechnics. Time and time again on the mixalbum, from the
blunted Gangbanging to the creeping Strapped, Nipsey shows that he’s got the
potential to be a champion rapper; not as a heavyweight but as a
featherweight, dodging and ducking, stinging the track with jabs, fearless,
relentless.
The modern music game being what it is, you can’t be successful without some
widespread appeal, and gaining that large scale success without losing your
core identity is a challenge most rappers can’t handle. Can Nipsey become a
national force without losing his distinctly regional style? The jury’s
still out. Gotta Make It is the mixalbum’s most radio ready track, a
hustler-as-inspirational-figure track featuring a supremely smooth chorus
from Lloyd. Nipsey could have easily softened his verses but he doesn’t
flinch, spitting the same concrete hard flow he dropped on Diamonds, showing
that Nipsey’s decided that if he’s going to make it, he’s going to make it
on his terms. That doesn’t mean that Nipsey’s above dropping the requisite
ladies jam, in this case the sparkling Rich Roll. It’s not that Rich Roll is
a bad track, lord knows there’s nothing wrong with making the ladies happy,
but on Roll Nipsey could be almost anyone, any aspiring rapper who can put
together a “girl you so fine” line. Unfortunately some auto-tune even creeps
in. The road to success is paved with danger and Nipsey needs to be careful
to keep making his music, not everyone eles’s music, as he navigates it.
As always we won’t know the true extent of Nipsey’s abilities until South
Central State of Mind finally drops. Will he revive the west coast? Will
hip-hop nation once again turn its eyes towards Los Angeles? It’s far too
early to tell. But he’s the best hope the left coast’s had in years. Make no
mistake, the west coast is coming back. You can hear it.
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