Yes… PNCLBRKR still rocks with Jay Bussie and the Young
Scholar Movement. I’m always excited to
hear new material from this brotha, and I recently was fortunate enough to be greeted with his new 6-track EP,
Live From Shirley, (Available on iTunes!!!).
From the time I heard the intro Off the Top I was glad to hear that this was the same ol’
Bussie. Specifically, Bussie has created
a unique sound for himself; the best way I can describe it is, “Make it sound
like you’ve been here before”--- the vibe is kinda like the owner of a
speakeasy that’s been open serving customers for years. A lavish sound, but not as arrogant as some
others who’ve tried it. I don’t know who
did the sampling for this track, but they really pulled some unique elements
together; if I didn’t know better, I’d say there's some gospel harmonies sampled into the
backdrop, with some near-Go-Go style drums in the foreground, and even a little
Calypso here and there. But we didn’t
come here for beats we came here for Bussie; what’s he been up to?
I’m just imaging what
turned a Shirley nigga so arrogant/
Without question it
was the Paris trip/
Word?! I’m always
glad to see our people getting out of the area to see the rest of the
world! Perhaps this is where the more
refined sound is coming from!
Nevertheless, on the very next track, Child of Pavement,
Bussie lets us know that as he’s gone abroad what he HASN’T done is forget his
homebase. Over a much more
street-conventional beat, he spits:
Due to the paper they
making/
These rappers be
thinkin they greater, But that’s a debate/
Cause what’s on my
plate,/
The crew and I did without
any favors/
Without any labels,
without any majors/
Got in the game and
stayed in our lane/
Created a legacy it
was our destiny/
Soon as it came,
nobody changed/
Nobody switched, kept
it legit/
Fake homies get there
to stay for a minute/
As soon as we finished
they thought it was ending/
Public opinion about
us diminished/
But same way we got it
the same way we get it/
Had to come back to
the streets wit a vengeance/
Hit up the homies and told
‘em let’s get it/
Started a business and
stayed independent/
…I LOVE IT. I’m very
pro-Black-owned businesses, and that last line reminds me of Tristan Walker,the 30-year-old founder of Bevel men’sproducts, who has refused to sell his company to Schick, Gillette, and Proctor& Gamble. Read about him, he’s got
the right idea…
I could talk about any track on the Live from Shirley
EP, they’re ALL dope. But I’m gonna bypass
Homecoming for some different subject
matter found on track 4, Confident. Young brothas need to really listen to this
track because Bussie drops some jewels about the right kinda attitude to have when
finding one’s way in the world. Peep this
hook:
Everything I been
through made me confident/
Everything I been
through made me confident/
I been through a lot
of shit/
They can keep the fame
and acknowledgement/
Everything I been
through made me confident/
Never been concerned/
Never been concerned
with the common shit/
Everything I been
through made me confident/
Shootouts to
scholarships/
Crazy I was scared to
be dominant/
But everything I been
through made me confident/
That’s it! It’s all about
gaining experience, just like David in the Bible from a shepherd to a champion
to a king. It’s really not about the
standing or the falling, but about the learning process--- what you take away
from every experience. And speaking of experience,
one thing I love about this track is that Bussie uses a new delivery that I
haven’t heard up to now; smooth as always, but he kinda swaggers into all of
his syllables and rides the beat more comfortably and more nonchalantly than
usual. Nothing like a little maturation!
I’m at a point in my life where I can look back at mistakes
I’ve made and show the marks they left on me; fortunately, we melanin types
tend to have keloid tendencies, so my scars heal twice over. And after listening to Bussie’s Scars, I can say that he likewise knows
the experience. Scars is a track about missteps he’s made along the way, but also a
track about his refusal to be intimidated going forward, and his commitment to
continue to pursue the things that he wants by… pursuing the things that he
wants. ‘Sounds redundant, but I know
some people who need to understand that simple principle: nothing you want in life should be expected
to come to you--- as Bussie says on the track, “If you want it, go get it, how
Hazel raised me.” Pray about it, inquire about it, work for it, get close
to it, whatever you gotta do, just GO. Period. And sometimes it’s not a straight path or an
easy journey; but if you survive, you’ll recover, and you can make a dope track
about ya scars on the other side of success, just like Bussie does here.
Speaking of maturation and such, I read an article recently
where they say folks around my age--- early to mid-30’s--- tend to have less
and less capacity for listening to music.
Crazy as it sounds, it’s kinda true; I rarely sit through entire albums
like I used to, even good ones. At the
same time, there are some deserving young artists out there still grinding for
their spot, so I’ll be doing my best to get them some spotlight whenever I can muster
up enough concentration and patience.
Jay Bussie, keep at it, I appreciate that hard work! On that last track My Life, when you say, “If you give me a mic, I’ll give you my life”,
that’s a beautiful exchange. Nothing but
#RESPECT for you and your art.
