Memphis bleek the understanding sharebeast

That may sound like faint praise, but think about how many great posse cuts suffer from one weak verse or ill-considered line (looking at you, Sauce Money on РІР‚СљReservoir DogsРІР‚Сњ). And just by bringing heat throughout, he makes a relatively long track (4:54) feel lyrically tight and thematically cohesive. On РІР‚СљIs That YoРІР‚в„ў Chick (The Lost Verses)РІР‚Сњ Bleek goes bar for bar with Jay-Z and Twista, and might even have the line of the song when he quotes Trick Daddy (РІР‚СљUh-huhРІР‚В¦ okayРІР‚В¦ whatРІР‚в„ўs upРІР‚В¦. Again, he doesnРІР‚в„ўt kick things off with lyrical pyrotechnics, but his verse nicely establishes the theme (РІР‚СљAyo, this time itРІР‚в„ўs for my family, we ride or dieРІР‚Сњ) and even includes a CTA for the Roc-A-Fella website. This sets up Beanie Siegel and CamРІР‚в„ўron to stand out with slightly more complicated rhyme schemes.Р”В«leek also bats first on РІР‚Сљ4 Da Fam,РІР‚Сњ the second single from AmilРІР‚в„ўs All Money Is Legal album. Like, listen to how he starts РІР‚СљThe Roc (Just Fire)РІР‚Сњ with an absolutely stellar verse-albeit one that follows a fairly conventional cadence.

His bars arenРІР‚в„ўt the flashiest, but theyРІР‚в„ўre always technically proficient and nicely serve the song. And to me, thatРІР‚в„ўs always been Memphis Bleek on any posse cut or other collaborative effort. In basketball the РІР‚Сљglue guyРІР‚Сњ is the player who holds the locker room together, dives for loose balls, sets screens-does Andre Iguodala shit, basically, or Jae Crowder if youРІР‚в„ўre squinting. The dialectic has only just begun, so letРІР‚в„ўs dig in. This is a rhetorical clichР“В©, but: Memphis Bleek contains multitudes, and each and every frame of analysis for understanding him is worthy of consideration. Defaulting to overrated/underrated as a mode of cultural discourse only reinforces certain normative assumptions of artistic value and-in this instance, at least-doesnРІР‚в„ўt really capture what makes the subject so interesting, especially outside of those standard conventions. And thatРІР‚в„ўs the real problem: it feels like weРІР‚в„ўve reached an РІР‚Сљend of historyРІР‚Сњ consensus on his career (somewhere between РІР‚Сљoverqualified hype manРІР‚Сњ and РІР‚Сљproto-Griselda rapperРІР‚Сњ) and anyone who cares enough to have an opinion has already moved on to reassessing Silkk the Shocker and Drag-On.

I largely agree with this take, and I suspect you do as well. Drew Millard had an article in Outline a few years back arguing that Bleek was always miscast as a Jay-Z sidekick, and that his particular style-РІР‚Сњhard-edged, gruff, passionate, and directРІР‚Сњ - would have been a much better fit for underground hip-hop. But the thing is, that piece has already been written as well. So the only reason to write about Memphis Bleek today is to zig where others have zagged, and make the case that Bleek was actually criminally underrated. They even know that Unkut designated him РІР‚СљHistoryРІР‚в„ўs greatest weed carrier.РІР‚Сњ They know that in the Fade to Black documentary he offered to fetch some Outback Steakhouse for Q-Tip, who politely declined. They know he was a Jay-Z understudy who failed to launch as a solo artist due to some perceived lack of skill and personality. The type of reader who would seek out a Memphis Bleek post like this is already familiar with the rapperРІР‚в„ўs career arc and reputation. HereРІР‚в„ўs the trouble with writing about Memphis Bleek in 2021: When Pete HuntРІР‚Вs beeper goes off, please donРІР‚в„ўt reach. Support real, independent music journalism by subscribing to Passion of the Weiss on Patreon. Catch us at the flicks, Apollo rap Frederick Douglass.

Memphis bleek the understanding sharebeast