FiyaStarter.com - Fiya on the Brownstone with Malik Sinsear

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Brooklynite spitting flames on the current state of his first love, Hip-Hop from his stoop in Bedstuy. He may be from NY, but his love for the culture is first and foremost, so don't expect your typical east-coast bias, on this block. Malik is simply here to kick knowledge and wisdom for your understanding.

Two For One Hip-Hop: The King and The Pharaohe
Hold Up Didn't We Just Do This?...N'ermind.
by: Malik Sinsear, for Entertainment

T.I. - T.I. vs. T.I.P.

Fiyaballs

Fiya 3 on the CD: Raw, You Know What It Is, Touch Down featuring Eminem
I’ll give T.I. credit for trying. The Souf’s self-proclaimed Kang set out to try something different creating a concept album of sorts, but by the time T.I. vs. T.I.P. ended I honestly couldn’t tell the difference between Clifford’s alter egos aside from the skits where he gives Nikki from Heroes a run for her money, pouring emotion into arguments he’s conducting with himself.

Overall, the album plays like a short mid-day shadow of TIP’s last album King. Starting with the lead single, Big Things Poppin’ (Do It), it just doesn’t provide the pop (npi) that What You Know About hit you with, last time around. It’s almost as if he tried to create an anthem where as last time out, it just was an anthem.

Raw and You Know What It Is settle the album down a bit, placing T.I.P. in his most comfortable space i.e. letting people know how thorough he is. Jay-Z shows up on the initially uninspiring Watch What You Say To Me, but after you accept it’s not a “banger” you appreciate it for the excellent “album cut” it is.

Surprisingly, T.I. had pretty good chemistry with a most unlikely Wyclef throughout the album (You Know What It Is, My Swag). Help Is Coming seems like a shot at a few East Coast rappers (*read: Nas), telling them to “Say hello to the man that will save Hip-Hop.”

After the warning shots, Nelly sets the tone for the final Act of the album with one of his worst verses to date on Show It To Me. That shit comes off like that one extra bad joke at the end of the night that starts the crowd on their way home as it’s pretty much downhill after this, with the exception of Touch Down featuring Eminem. Believe it or not, TIP outshined Marshal on this one. Now, if only Young Dro was allowed out of the Grand Hustle stable for the third verse on this one, another half Fiyaball would be attached to this review, but no dice.

Pharaohe Monch - Desire

Fiyaballs

Fiya 3 on the CD: Free, Welcome To The Terrordome, Agent Orange
There are two ways to look at Pharaoh Monche’s long awaited sophomore album, Desire. One is from the perspective of someone that hasn’t heard one peep from the album and the other, from the internet scavenger that has snatched up each and every leaked track dating back to the incredible social/political commentary, Agent Orange (a bonus on the album) released a couple summers ago.

Depending on which one of these people you are Desire is either a masterpiece or a disappointment. While songs like Free, What It Is and the three part (duh) Trilogy are wonderful tracks displaying Monche’s superior lyrical prowess, they don’t really quench the thirst that previously leaked songs like Push, Let’s Go and the album titled Desire left you panting for, months ago.

When The Gun Draws reconnects Monch back to his Organized Konfusion days playing like a second act to Stray Bullet. This time minus Prince Po and plus Denaun Porter (D-12) on the beat, Pharaoh follows the path of a bullet, exploring the assassinations of Kennedy and M.L.K. among others. You’ll appreciate it that much better if you saw the accompanying video. Here ya go.

For the first time listener, there will be one WTF! moment in Body Baby where Queen’s most underappreciated MC takes his rap act to Memphis and samples an Elvis record and acts a plum fool.

However strange that may feel, sensibility and the black pride that overall seems to be void in Hip-Hop these days is pumped through your veins with Pharaoh’s flawless remake of Public Enemy’s Welcome To The Terrordome. Best fucking remake since Ja Rule ran back Tupac’s Pain, period. Desire may not get the mainstream love that many of the more marketed summer releases will receive, but if you’re looking for an album with wordplay, concepts, soul and a sense of purpose then Desire is really king.