Monday 8 May 2023

Shabazzball

"Not tryna boast or brag
But my vocab will hit you like a Sugar Ray Leonard jab"


The 45 King ft. MC La Kim - We Got The Funk
(From The 45 King's Master Of The Game album; 1988)



Top 3 Lakim Shabazz song, thus it really should have been on his first album. Shabazz was a rapper of paradoxes: he looked like Kendrick Lamar's baby-brother but he possessed the voice of a Nation Of Islam bodyguard; he's pigeonholed as a 5% conscious rapper when much of his music is about obliterating emcees into molecules; he's loved by ageing Anglo-Saxons like me & Eminem despite the fact he was none too fond of us white folk; he had a penchant for rapping over horn samples when Kenny G was the world's most famous saxophonist.

6 comments:

Yohan said...

I recently read a piece that explained Lakim's 5% persona (and name, originally it was just 'lakim') was basically an invention by The 45 King and did not accurately reflect his real personality but served as a vehicle to navigate the waves of more afrocentric rap in late 80s/early 90s as well as make him stand out more (in name and in style) compared to Rakim.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Hah that's great. I wonder if he secretly hated all the Afrocentric clobber he used to wear?

EttelThun said...

Aaron Fuchs also wanted to push that angle to sell tapes to NOI prison inmates.

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

😆 Got a link where they talk about this?

EttelThun said...

https://unkut.com/2015/05/aaron-fuchs-tuff-city-the-unkut-interview-part-two/

Kelvin Mack10zie said...

Cheers.

Related: I've always wished Lakim had recorded a song over 45 King's Simply Dope Part 2 instrumental. The Grunt samples FTW forever ever.