(Photo By Sound Cloud)
“The Official” (preview)
SAFS Crew members GREAT, Blizz McFly, and RTystic got together to pen their version of a song called “The Official.” It was originally done by the late J. Dilla with production from Madlib. It appears on one of the duo’s collaboration projects, Champion Sound. The 414 collective retained the initial beat which incorporates samples from “Diana In the Autumn Wind” by Gap Mangione and “Stomped & Wasted” by Dizzy Gillespie. It’s got an old school Hip-Hop feel to it with a heavy Jazz influence and a free spirited vibe. The hook is fair. The vocals contain an affable soulful element to them and the lyrics are memorable. The verses are copious. GREAT gets the party started, Blizz comes through with the follow up, and RTystic takes it home. The trio provide groomed flows, practical wordplay, and shipshape rhymes. They successfully reinforce the theme outlined in the hook; which happens to be that SAFS Crew is a legitimate faction in the Hip-Hop game. A sprinkling of lines worth quoting from GREAT are: “I could take you to a place that you ain’t never been. Steady blasting off til the casket drop my friend. These rappers sneak diss but I know ’em too well. So I clothesline from hell like I’m JBL. I’m the skinny jean wearing, backpack wearing, fly kick having, we ball like John Madden. This some s–t that you ain’t used to. I’m rocking fly s–t because I’m supposed to.” Those bars right there dispense a brief instance of strong self-confidence from GREAT. All in all, this was an applaudable cover.
**My Two Cents: This was an adequate number. I liked the Dilla sample a lot and the content was sufficient. I believe fans of the SAFS Crew brand will dig it too. Those who do enjoy it should be sure to stay tuned to the site. GREAT sent over another collaboration with him and fellow member Deb.on.Air. The review will be posted in the very near future. -MinM
