Was it five years ago? Six years ago? Seven years ago?
I’m not sure, but sometime in the not too distant past, I spent about a year listening primarily to Americo Gazaway mashups. I just couldn’t stop, and nothing else at the time was as satisfying as the way he threw artists and groups like A Tribe Called Quest and Fela Kuti, Common Sense and Stevie Wonder, Biggie Smalls and James Brown, and Mos Def and Marvin Gaye together.
So today’s format is a bit of a no-brainer. Feature one song from an Americo Gazaway album, and follow it up with the two original songs that have been mashed together.
With so many good songs to choose from, why choose this song? Well … to begin, the first time I heard it, it just really sunk its hooks into me. None of the other mixes on this album have such a strong and hard feel to them, so this one stands out. On top of that, I love the lyrics.
Mos Def does such a good job describing the hard realities of life and, all the while, brilliantly satirizing a common meme in hip hop, BEEF.
On another reason I chose this song is because it introduced me to the movie score that Marvin Gaye wrote and produced on his own. When I think of Marvin Gaye, there are two things that don’t come to mind. One is instrumental tracks. The other is film scores. His song “T” Stands for Trouble checks both of those boxes.
As always, thanks 