$tarleen Spiteri

"I hang around stars like the moon, no jokin'
last week I had a conversation with Hulk Hogan"

All $tar - A-Z
(From $tarlito's Way : I Am Not Your Friend; 2007)


Not a patch on its sequel, but that's a pretty marvelous casual boast up top, huh? More importantly, we should all be thankful for A-Z's existence because it meant that Letterman type joints were no longer the sole preserve of New York mixtape Rappers of varying quality by 2007, thus sparing us from the rot really setting in with new entries into the micro-genre via the likes of Joell Ortiz, Vado and Meyhem Lauren.

So, anyhoo, I thought it was high time I DLed the first $tarlito's Way mixtape after never quite getting around to listening to it properly. His flow at this juncture of his career was still a little bit too Weezy Jr. at times, which is what's always put me off from giving the 'tape a fair shake, but the title track is essential 'lito, with the "I ain't even rappin', I'm just thinkin' out loud" line being a statement of intent about how he'd go on to develop his own distinctive understated drawling rap style :

All $tar - $tarlito's Way
(From $tarlito's Way : I Am Not Your Friend; 2007)


Holla if you hear me to all the homies who copped the Carlito's Way OST back in the day only to find Para Los Rumberos by Tito Puente and half the Latin songs from the movie weren't even on there. Every Sony album I've downloaded over the past 12 years has been partial revenge for them jipping me on that CD back in 1993.