PICKS POSSE - Week #35

The IP’S PICKS community shares what they’re listening to.

Yo! Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday weekend. We’re 35 weeks in, and the PICKS POSSE remains focused, doing the damn thing every Sunday.

You ready? Let’s start in the 914.

$5,000 Loveseat: Grand Puba “Ya Know How It Goes”

While the least prominent of the singles released from Reel to Reel, “Ya Know How It Goes” has always been my personal favorite. He’s not always remembered as such, but Puba was an especially potent emcee and producer, with both skillsets on full display here.

The beat is an undeniable head nod, with Puba being twenty-something years ahead of the curve with the lack of drums and showing great attention to detail with that little “eh”-sounding vocal sample that accents throughout, adding a disproportionate amount of dope.

On the mic he’s in classic form—upbeat, clever, and just the right amount of confusing. (He tried so hard with “corder-cam.”) It’s basically one long verse with something resembling a chorus (hey!) showing up at times.

What I love the most is how the energy builds throughout. He starts off in control, and by the end he’s worked himself into a bit of a lather with rhymes spilling out like he can barely keep them on track. The overlapping cuts at the beginning and extended adlibs that close it out are the perfect bookends to the whole affair. Very special.

DJ Rhude: Jaÿ-Z ft. Memphis Bleek and Sauce Money “What The Game Made Me”

One of my favorite joints from Jaÿ-Z was the 1998 cut “What The Game Made Me,” which featured his running mates Memphis Bleek and Sauce Money. I remember this was making the mixtape rounds that spring of ‘98 and was on the I Got The Hook-Up soundtrack. Buoyed by a sample from the beautiful song by Don Blackman called “Holding You, Loving You,” umlaut Jaÿ was in full effect when he opened the song, spitting:

Check, live from the 7-1-8/

Either respect the flow or learn your lesson from your wake/

I’m wishin’ arthritis on all writers who, knock my hustle/

How can y’all understand the struggle?/

It’s hard to live, when you got greedy niggas in the mix/

Knowin’ I outclass three-E niggas in the six

Bleek and Sauce held their own, with the latter closing things out. Sauce has always been criminally under-appreciated, and I’ve never heard him kick a wack verse.

Now, I know this may be a pipe dream, but “What The Game Made Me” is one of those Jaÿ deep cuts I’ve always wished he’d perform live. Who knows, with this being the 30th anniversary of Reasonable Doubt, maybe Hov will be in a festive mood when he takes the stage at Yankee Stadium this summer and bless us with this song. Maybe he’ll surprise everyone and bring out Sauce too, which would be beyond ill. However it goes down, I will be in attendance!

Hello I’m Bobby: Westside Gunn ft. Mach-Hommy and Keisha Plum “Easter Gunday 2”

Let’s face it—there just aren’t a lot of Easter rap songs. Westside Gunn did his part, though, with the release of “Easter Gunday” songs each Easter from 2016-2018, and then he popped up with the 4th installment in 2021. He has enlisted various Griselda-affiliated teammates to assist over the years, including mainstays Keisha Plum, Mach-Hommy and Benny The Butcher.

All of the “Gunday” songs are worth a listen, but 2017’s in particular was extra-fire. After Keisha Plum delivers a dope spoken word intro, a haunting Daringer instrumental begins, followed by Gunn’s signature gun adlibs. Then the show really begins, with Westside Gunn and Mach-Hommy taking turns talking their shit. Mach, in particular, annihilates his verse.

The following year, Benny The Butcher similarly steals the spotlight in his appearance. After a few years hiatus, Gunn ran it back in 2021, linked with Mach-Hommy again and used Wu Tang’s “Hollow Bones” instrumental for the canvas. Shoutout to “Hollow Bones,” that might be one of my favorite RZA beats of all-time. Appreciation must also be given to Syl Johnson’s classic “Is It Because I’m Black.” Happy Gunn Day to all that celebrate!

Jason Heiserman: Stu Bangas & A.G. Ft. Diamond D and D Flow “Borderline”

I was all ready to drop some UK R&B on a rainy Easter Sunday, but I can’t get this new Stu Bangas beat out of my head. This song hit my Release Radar on Friday and brought back all the classic D.I.T.C. vibes. Stu Bangas production on this track is that classic, grimy New York boom bap sound that Prodigy or Sean Price would eat up. And that’s exactly what Andre the Giant, Diamond D, and D Flow do on here.

A.G. masterfully rhymes Lunchable / comfortable / Huxtable like only he can. D Flow was always an underrated part of the D.I.T.C. collective, featured as half of the Ghetto Dwellas along with Party Arty (RIP!) on Showbiz & A.G.’s Goodfellas in 1995.

This is the debut single from the forthcoming Stu Bangas & A.G. album entitled SELFY. So we’ll save the smoothed-out R&B for another time (sorry Ragz Originale, Queen Naija, and Tiana Major9), because it’s a Diggin’ In The Crates kinda day.

Mephisto Loafer: A.C.D. ft. Nature “Kings of NY”

Everyone talks about the glory days of Stretch and Bobbito in the early to mid-‘90s when they had everyone coming up to freestyle, while they discovered new artists etc. Less talked about is the late ‘90s when it splintered into two different shows, with Stretch playing music like Tragedy Khadafi during his slot and Bobbito spinning Science of Life for his.

I liked the variety of that era, and this A.C.D. song got some play during the Stretch shows. They had another song or two with Mobb Deep that captured the energy of that late ‘90s street hip-hop, too.

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It’s a hip-hop holiday! Shout to the PICKS POSSE for representing with an all-rap collection this week. I’m not mad at it, especially the New York-heavy selections.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend. Peace!