The Foundations: T.I.

 The Foundations; an ongoing series highlighting legendary artists of the past with short breakdowns of their career and importance to contemporary hip-hop

Active: 1996-Present

Representing: Atlanta, Georgia

For Fans Of: Jay-Z, Bun B, Rick Ross, Meek Mill, A$AP Rocky, Lil Baby

        The connective tissue between the barren Dirty South of the 90’s and the intergalactic trap of the late-00's is very barren. While influenced by the same things that lead to creation of rap icons like Gucci and Jeezy (Project Pat, Cash Money Records, Master P, etc) T.I. in his musical choices borrowed more from Texas pioneers UGK and Memphis' 8Ball & MJG. Across his debut album I’m Serious you hear him imitate Scarface, Juvenile and Big Boi to near flawless execution. T.I. was a young knucklehead with multiple felony charges before he could legally buy blunts, mixed up in physical altercations, weapons charges and drug cases. Much like all Southern hustlers though he was a slick talker, smarter than his oversized tee would allow you to believe, and had a passion for sweet talking women as much as he did making money. He was Big Boi if he never met Dre, Scarface without the melancholy, 8Ball & MJG combined into a singular teen. He along with Gucci Mane solidified Cool Breeze’s invention of “trap music”, a subgenre of a country persuasion that turned the ups and downs of drug dealing into a blue collar job worth musing about. Whether it was blaring horns, lightspeed hi hats, bass that would knock your hat back straight or the sample free one shots and keys guiding the way, the beats were a digital evolution of the live instrumentation Outkast and UGK made a name off of. He rapped like talked, what he said didn’t matter as much as how he said it. With a textbook red clay road drawl sweeter than syrup he could break down his issues with other rappers, pull girls and remind you how street he was better than anyone without many frills. 

           After his debut flopped sales wise, Trap Muzik and Urban Legend were record breaking hits. “24’s”, “Bring Em Out” and “Rubberband Man”, “U Don’t Know Me”  were smashes. He had ironed out his character as the pretty boy dope pusher that everyone knew and loved. During this time he went on a mixtape tear with his group P$C and solo with DJ Drama helping set the foundation for the Gangsta Grillz empire. Drama would release albums with T.I.’s label Grand Hustle, a joint venture with Atlantic, the label that also later helped introduce the world to Travi$ Scott, B.o.B., Young Dro, Iggy Azalea, Spodee, and Doe B. Back to back albums that were breakout hits that solidified him as a real player in the game, and allowed his King Of The South claims to hold real merit. At this time Wayne & T.I. were both superstars, both from the South, both southern in every way. T.I. was taking the throne from Scarface by force, and while Wayne was becoming an accidental pop star, unfocused on just the Southern delegation. All of this was much to the chagrin of Lil Flip, a Texas rapper who was relentless in attacking T.I. for his claims. Flip was trying to make a name off dissing the King in waiting, only to be buried and remembered as a jester who never saw his own potential come through. T.I. would also fight off in his career Shawty Lo, Ludacris, Rick Ross (sort of) and live through tensions with Gucci Mane over who the true originator of trap music really was, and who the King Of Atlanta was (which during most of T.I.’s reign as King Of The South, Jeezy and Gucci went back and forth holding the Atlanta heavyweight belt. Again, there’s levels to this, and only for moments would Jeezy take the Throne from T.I.). T.I.’s early career was defined by deeply Southern lead singles that would run the streets and the radio equally, a fat free tracklist on each album, and a balance of charisma and street cred that was untouchable. This all came together on his magnum opus King, a record still full of hatred towards Flip, but equally fueled by “What You Know” a DJ Toomp production that destroys subwoofers to this day. The production and concepts were varied, the features fit in neatly to T.I.s slick talk. The album spawned him starring in ATL, one of the great coming of age movies of its time (and the single best roller skating movie in existence). He helped convince Creeds lead singer Scott Stapp to not commit suicide at a Miami hotel. 2006 as a whole was the peak of T.I. 

     In the years post-KING his career would take a dark turn personally. Multiple prison sentences, the most well known coming the afternoon before the ‘07 BET Awards in Atlanta. He was caught attempting to buy unregistered guns and silencers from his bodyguard who had turned state. In the raid of his home he was found with 8 unregistered guns of multiple types, silencers, and an arsenal of ammo. While on house arrest before his formal sentencing T.I. would record Paper Trail, a commercial juggernaut centered around pop rap crossover records. “Dead And Gone”, “Live Your Life”, “Whatever You Like” were inescapable. The want to avoid content centered around the streets and instead focus on expanding his audience to keep his name alive while in jail to flip the public perception of him as a bigger menace to society than his music even showed lead to more palatable and dull music. The album as a whole is fine, too damn long, and so shallow and devoid of the things that made T.I. a star it’s hard to stomach as a lifelong fan. But it got the job done. Post-Prison T.I. is a mixed bag featuring his lowest lows (No Mercy, US Or Else) interesting moments of experimentation (Trouble Man, all the Pharrell cuts on Paperwork, helping introduce Young Thug to the mainstream on “About The Money”) and fun dips back into an ever shifting Atlanta with new mixtapes (Fuck Da City Up, Fuck A Mixtape, the GDOD compilations). 

Now an alder statesman with baggage stacking by the day (sex trafficking allegations, drugs, tax issues, forcing his daughter to have virginity tests that forced comments by the UN and World Health Organization) he flashes in from time to time on records with MC’s generations removed from when he began that see him as an OG (Big KRIT, JID, Trouble). His ear for talent was always there and now his cosign is rare and meaningful, even if his own music has been a mixed bag at best. He’ll be remembered as having a split career (side A was pure personality and a tight knit corner boy character while side B is a man achieving pop fame and trying to keep himself interested having checked off every traditional box) that was muddled by off record incidents, while also setting a blueprint for the dominant sub-genre of the next 20 years with trap music. His peak is defined by an unstoppable charisma, tight knit songwriting and a drawl that let his flow seep into the crevices of any beat in sight. Even on the backend he was constantly searching for new sounds and artists to sharpen his sword with, dipping his toe in more elderstatement-core topics like politics and family dynamics. Evolving from a brash hooligan into a socially tuned-in taxpayer makes for great personal change, but with T.I. as the messenger it falls flat more than it blazes new ground. It doesn’t take away that for flashes he was the boy king that ruled and solidified rap's newest cultural epicenter, pushing Atlanta to heights that are still being built upon to this day.

Album To Check: KIING

Best Songs: “Rubberband Man", "I'm Talkin' To You", "What You Know"

Written By: Anthony Seaman (@soflgoemstone on IG & Twitter)

The Foundations: Busta Rhymes

The Foundations; an ongoing series highlighting artists of the past with breakdowns of their career and their importance to contemporary hip-hop.

Active: 1990-Present

Representing: Brooklyn, New York City, New York, USA

For Fans Of: KRS-One, Twista, Sauce Walka, Denzel Curry, Joyner Lucas, Koncept Jack$on

Everything that has made Busta Rhymes one of the signature characters in the ever growing story of hip-hop are things only the eyes can fully appreciate. You read his raps off the paper, and your gut reaction is to read it in your own voice. A boring, even keeled, steady voice. And that's the difference between everyone else and Busta; you read them like the regular person who mows thier yard on the weekend and enjoys Fast & The Furious films, he reads raps off a paper and conducts lightning from his teeth. The excitement in the movies you love, he personifies it every day. Each atom between your eardrum and the speaker is ravaged into hyperspeed when he bellows words out. His breakthrough moment wasn’t him and his childhood friends from Leaders Of The New School being blessed with their names from Chuck D and the rest of Public Enemy after training under them on tours and in studios across the globe, it wasn’t standing alongside LL Cool J, Craig Mack, The Notorious B.I.G. and Rampage on “Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)”, it wasn’t even his debut album that featured a platinum single and videos that made the Technicolor era of Hollywood seem dull. It was the closing verse on “Scenario” from A Tribe Called Quest's sophomore album, following behind his L.O.N.S. brothers, Q-Tip and Phife Dawg, where he broke into patois, flipped between double time flows, and growled like a dungeon dragon. He was an acrobat juggling flamming pins, bringing more eyeballs his way than a street fight. It was clear from that moment that everyone was just regular compared to Busta. By the time his solo outing The Coming came in 1995 after months of writer's block, years of breathtaking features and the swift collapsing of Leaders Of The New School as a group, Busta was already viewed as a ripped from the comics character that would never be forgotten. 

        The next 4 albums were loosely based around the fear of the apocalypse gained not only from reading a copy of Behold A Pale Horse gifted to him by George Clinton, but also the all around paranoia of what would come in Y2K. Though this concept was most present on only his intros and outros, the fear was always lingering. Was he partying for the love, or because he never knew if he’d be able to do it again? Each of these early albums relied on the core pieces of Busta; a true showman trapped within the confines of an LP, doing his best to push the boundaries of his God given voice box copying the turmoil of the world around him. The sonics were always telling of the times; The Coming had the haze and hard hitting breaks of a grimey and smoked out East Coast Underground in the mold of Wu-Tang Clan and Redman, When Disaster Strikes… was as close as he would dare flirt with Bad Boy, the Flipmode Squad compilation The Imperial along with Extinction Level Event: The Final World Front were mashups of peak drive time radio records and the Ruff Ryders, and Anarchy was a splattering hodgepodge of spacious Dilla beats and over crowded keyboard productions. On each record he added a wrinkle to the sounds of the times and to his own tool belt. Traveling into hyperspace next to Mystikal (“Iz They Wildin’ Us & Gettin’ Rowdy Wit Us?”), slowing it down for his lover with Mariah Carey (“I Know What You Want”), and performing criminal heists with Ghostface, Raekwon and a young Roc Marciano (“The Heist”). Even the other top tier artists known for their iconoclastic vocal performances and energy pale at the range that Busta wielded. DMX couldn’t step up on electro-dance records, KRS-One didn’t fit in at clubs, Young Thug hasn’t called out to the crate diggers. 

            The post-Y2K era was a mixed bag where Busta would create the biggest hits of his career that showed an ever expanding toolkit of tricks, but felt soulless. That soul would flare up whenever he came in contact with producers from his time that shared the true hip-hop spirit. Dilla, Dr. Dre, Q-Tip, Nottz, DJ Scratch and 9th Wonder could always bring the Dungeon Dragon out of his cave if only for moments. Big Bang was the first time Busta was seen side by side with legends of the past only Dre could call upon, and for it the album was his best in years. Whether it was due to spending a life performing in them or his own personal love of burning the midnight oil in them off the clock, Busta became the old guy in the clubs even when he was shining with Dre. Less hair (the world famous dreadlocks were gone by the time Aftermath came calling), gaudy designer outfits, and forced actionary records bloated a career that once brought fun to the clubs with a childlike innocence, not with intent to get a VIP section for free. The mixtape circuit didn’t lead to record breaking rejuvenation like it had for his contemporaries (Jadakiss, Fabolous) but Surrender is still an essential listen, along with his biggest tape The Abstract And The Dragon, a collection of records with heavy Q-Tip involvement featuring remixes, redo’s and sometimes just a repackaging of album cuts was a fun reminder of how great Busta could be when he stopped pushing for Manhattan club DJ’s to spin him all night. After years dealing with personal loss, breathing issues, weight gain, and nearly losing his voice, the endless broken promises of Extinction Level Event 2 came to fruition. After nearly decades of putting the project together the massive double disc record gave thanks to every aspect of Busta’s career. A career that represents the complexities of true artistry. 

        Always pushing and searching for something bigger that can rock the souls of a listener, but soul is something Busta lacked consistently as far as content of each song. Yes he rapped about the teachings of the 5 Percent Nation, the Apocalypse, and at one point his own birth, but from verse to verse the subject matter was rarely anything other than A) i’m a better rapper than you B) i’ll kick your ass C) let’s go party. Even on “I Know What You Want”, a definitive crossover record of the early 2000’s, the moral of Busta’s rhymes don’t revolve around swooning a woman with charismatic words or personal connections, it’s just an apology for having to leave all the time and be the great Busta Rhymes instead of being a partner. It isn’t until his elder statesman run of features with Jay Rock, Rapsody and Game do you get deeper into who the MC is when the lights go off. Over 20+ years holding back so much personal experiences in exchange of being a court jester is commendable, but leaves a fan always wanting more. 

            A master of creating moments, Busta will be remembered not only as a producer's favorite subject, but by fans as an all-time feature killer, visual boundary pusher, hitmaker and boundless vocalist pushing speed and ostentatious presentation of his built in instrument to the max. High budget music videos? Thank Busta. The freedom to personify animals and creatures of fantasy in your raps? Thank Busta. The pearl clutching that has followed Young Thug, Lil Uzi Vert, Tyler The Creator and any other MC who channeled their creativity in guady fashion never made sense, when Busta Rhymes was exactly like them. He was dedicated to his craft, impactful to the community in his musical influence, and was dedicated to giving shine and being surrounded by others who worked like him. What he lacks in classic projects he makes up for by being one of many Forrest Gump like characters in hip-hop, crossing paths with foundational 80’s groups into the 20’s where more artists resemble Busta than ever before.

Album To Check: The Coming

Best Songs: “Put Your Hands Where Your Eyes Can See", 'The Genesis", "You Can't Hold The Torch"

Written By: Anthony Seaman (@soflogemstone on IG & Twitter)

The Foundations: Gang Starr

The Foundations; an ongoing series highlighting legendary artists of the past with short breakdowns of their career and importance to contemporary hip-hop

Active: 1988-2006 (posthumous album 2019)

Guru Representing: Boston, Massachusetts

DJ Premier Representing: Houston, Texas

as Gang Starr: Brooklyn, New York City, New York

For Fans Of: Rakim, Mobb Deep, Black Thought, Killer Mike, J. Cole, Ab-Soul, Mach-Hommy, 21 Savage

    Beats blessed from God, the gruff monotone delivery of a cigar toting professor, and a multitude of righteous messages that only great poets hold. These were the first attributes of Guru that slapped me and every 90’s hip-hop purist in the face on first listen. The Boston born legend had a career centered around Gang Starr, though it took a rotating cast of early partners leaving the group for prison, traditional jobs or easier paths in other cities for the final lineup to be set with himself and DJ Premier. 

Premier was going by the name Waxmaster C producing for the Inner Circle Posse, a local rap crew in his hometown of Houston. When the lead MC decided to join the Army instead of pursuing music, Preemo was left without a vocalist for his beats. Through a mutual friend Preemo sent Guru a beat tape to his NY apartment which excited him, leading to the two linking up in Brooklyn where they would become roommates for most of their time as a duo. Over their multi-decade takeover the duo would create one of the most lauded discographies in hip-hop that still stand true to this day. The traditional “boom bap” sound that most people associate with 90’s New York was pioneered and perfected by the duo, along with an evolution of jazz rap that De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest had set the groundwork for a generation earlier. Modern artists like the Griselda crew, Evidence, Ab-Soul and The Alchemist have spoken about the influence the duo had on their own work from the beginning of their rap careers.

From album to album Premier worked to create different soundscapes for Guru to lay into. During their classic period from ‘91-’98 the duo created 4 albums that would shake the hip-hop universe at every release. Step In The Arena was the duo molding into their own style with traditional drum brakes laying the groundwork for Guru to give warnings of what the streets could lead to while never being too preachy while Preemo scratched vocals from records to double as hooks. Daily Operation is more experimental, playing with minimalism for Guru to be his most vivid, as he spent most of the record speaking of the ugly beauties of New York City. Hard To Earn is the speaker knocking, high flying flex of skill that only artists at the top of their game could perfect. Moment Of Truth was their big budget cinematic opus and dove harder than ever into themes of religion, repentance, and the bad side of the street as the duo was fearing their own demise. With Guru expecting heavy jail time for a gun charge on top of their already crumbling relationship fueled by Guru’s alcoholism, a stark ending seemed guaranteed. Moment Of Truth is the crown jewel of these albums with features that stretched across the music world, Guru experimenting with more consistent hook writing, and Premier pulling every trick out he could in fear he’d never be able to do them with his best friend again. Between these projects Guru would also act as a bandleader for his Jazzmatazz series bringing together classic jazz and R&B artists like Bob James, Ramsey Lewis, Chaka Khan and Roy Ayers among dozens of others.

Before Guru died of cancer in 2010 he was revered as one of the greatest MC’s of his time. He would bounce between street preacher, self help speaker, reformed gangster and your favorite uncle all in one verse with his deadpan delivery making each syllable hit your ears to be absorbed and processed. The stories were vivid, the records for clubs and women never came off as forced, and the aura he held never wavered whether it be on SP-12 chopped drums or live keys. His soul felt like it had peeped the lives of every living man and woman, taking their biggest lesson just to be translated back on record to those who needed it most. Every album they released came with at least a Gold Certification from the RIAA and music videos that stayed in rotation on every channel. The coldness 21 Savage’s delivery possesses, the bleeding heart J. Cole holds the affinity for, off the wall composition that ties together Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy albums, Commons constant itch to progress and break new barriers, that’s all Guru. He’s the last man you’d want beef with and yet the first guy you’d call if trouble was knocking at your door. DJ Premier is the Ground Zero for nearly every producer that came after him, creating a sonic cosmos that the East Coast and nearly every one of it's legendary songwriters to exist within. Preem has worked with Nas, Jay-Z, The Notorious B.I.G., Rakim, Ludacris, Joey Bada$$, KRS-One, Royce Da 5'9, and dozens of other legendary MC's and singers that came before and after to him, creating music that lives in the most hallowed halls of rap history.

Album To Check: Hard To Earn or Jazzmatazz Vol. 2: The New Reality

Best Songs: “Mass Appeal”, “Just To Get A Rep”, “Above The Clouds” and “The Place We Dwell”

Written By: Anthony Seaman (@soflogemstone on IG & Twitter)