eMusic Review 0
On Beanie Sigel's second album, the cocky, streetwise punk of The Truth deepened into a man, one with a battle-hardened, dolefully Old Testament view of things. The change is apparent from the stunning first song, "Nothing Like It." Over an ethereal Kanye West production that samples the Harlem Boys' Choir, Beanie rages, mourns, reflects. His blunt-force trauma way with words remains, but his language has acquired a startling metaphysical dimension: "I spit words that skip through air/ Let these notes of a true thug hit your ear/ and change colors like blue blood when it hits the air," he raps. The song cast Beanie as the world-weary street-corner philosopher, a role he excels in. On "Nothing Like It," he sounds at least four times older than his 27 years, sighing: "I changed my life in about nine months, like sperm in the womb/ These young niggas never learn till they doomed/ I try to tell 'em, young punk, you can burn without smellin' the fumes."
This isn't to suggest Beanie has stepped delicately out of the fray. Far from it: A good chunk of The Reason is given over to lovingly detailing exactly how he will dispose of you — should… read more »
