Audible Treats Audio Stream: Musab "Kool Aid (Gettoe Juice)"
07.23.2007
Critical praise for Musab:
“Slicks Box is more like the perfect box of chocolates, in which each and every treat is delicious and free of grotesque fillings. Open this one up, and you'll want to hear every track straight through." - Las Vegas CityLife
"...I find Musab to be a more gifted MC than, say, Kanye West." - ByronCrawford.com
"Slicks Box is a breath of fresh air for not just hip-hop, but what has become a stale scenario in an underground hip hop scene that seems to be resting on it's laurels." - MusicEmissions.com
The Song:
Musab’s Gettoe Juice is the antithesis of Nelly’s popularized Pimp Juice. While many rappers utilize the latter as an attractant, the intrinsic beverage Musab speaks of is a DEET-like emcee repellant. The irony here, of course, is that Musab - not Nelly - is a real live pimp by day.
“Kool Aid,” at face value, is a verbal critique and subsequent dismissal of today’s emerging rap trends: “Rap is like sex/ Most don’t know what they’re doing, but every Tom, Dick, and Harry think he the best.” Upon further scrutiny, however, one sees that Musab is also self-aware; he references Ecclesiastes’ claim that true innovation does not exist and even ridicules his own beat as passé. Perhaps the first “hatin’-on-the-rap-game” cut to actually diss itself mid-verse, “Kool Aid” leaves no one unscathed. With a catchy, scratchy, and soulful vocal sample alongside jagged, electric guitars courtesy of Led Zepplin, the production serves as the perfect assault to Musab’s battery.
The Background:
Musab (formerly known as Beyond) has had a remarkable rap career integral to the surprising rise of Minneapolis Hip-Hop. His album entitled Comparison was the first release of indie hip-hop label giant, Rhymesayers Entertainment. He contributed to Atmosphere's classic first release, Overcast (1998), then teamed up with Atmosphere, I Self Divine of Micronauts, Gene Poole of Full Circle, and producer Ant to form the super-group The Dynospectrum. His solo album, Respect the Life (2002) introduced the world to Minnesota Slicks, the Southside mack. Musab recently changed label homes from Rhymesayers to rap pioneers Hieroglyphics, who will release the autobiographic album Slick's Box. Born in Minneapolis, MN, to a fifteen-year-old mother deep in the game and raised by an assortment of women who were all affiliated with pimps, Musab is literally a pimp-by-blood. "Pimping ain't all wearing Louis Vuitton, explains Musab, "It's also about paying your girl's dentist bills and college tuition. It's a dirty game and a strenuous lifestyle. It's nothing to glorify.' Musab's frustration with hip-hop co-opting and misrepresenting his professional lifestyle inspired the more personal approach taken on Slick's Box and gives tracks such as the club-banger "Baaang" a refreshing twist of reality.
Also worthy of note: Musab's official website is now up and running. Peep it:
http://www.musabmusic.com/
Please contact Michelle if interested in talking with Musab.
"Kool Aid (Gettoe Juice" MP3:
http://www.audibletreats.com/download/Musab/Musab-Kool_Aid_(Gettoe_Juice).mp3
"Hat and Shoes" MP3:
http://www.audibletreats.com/download/Musab/Musab-Hat_and_Shoes.mp3
"Baang" MP3:
http://www.audibletreats.com/download/Musab/Musab-Baaang.mp3
Musab YouTube Interview
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsDdKAniqlQ
Bio, pictures, and streams available here:
http://www.audibletreats.com/download/Musab/
Musab's MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/musabmackmusic
Musab's iMeem page:
http://minnesotaslicks.imeem.com/
Musab's Label:
http://www.hieroglyphics.com/