explicit clean

There's no doubt that the album version of Roc Da Mic by Beanie and Freeway has already become a Philly Hip Hop classic. While the original is still going strong in the streets, the remix comes along and adds additional life due in large part to the ballsy lines spit on the remix by the STL's Nelly.

The remix follows form closely with the original as it's the same beat, only this time featuring alternate rhymes from Beanie Sigel and Freeway. They sound just as comfortable here as on the album version. The guest section comes in on the third verse with a solid contribution by Murphy Lee.

Of course the part everyone is tuning in for is Nelly's verse where he nails the delivery while staying true to his signature sound. The drama lies in the vocals, which find Nelly calling out KRS-ONE. The diss is not implied but rather spelled out explicitly as Nelly exclaims "I strike a nerve and old MC's wanting to come back/I had respect and it lost; and that's that/K--No one here even said your name/R--You really feeling guilty about something, man/S--sad to see you really just want this/One more hit, please please/You the first old man to get a rapper's pension...."

In the end it turns out to be a savvy business move on the part of Rocafella Records. As for Nelly he might as well have put a gun to his head and pulled the trigger himself. What was this Midwest new jack thinking when he decided to challenge the best emcee in the history of our culture? Nelly is a gifted entertainer and talented rapper but KRS-ONE is the epitomy of what an emcee is. The TRL crowd may be impressed by Nelly's performance at the Super Bowl but no matter how many people he raps for, he can never buy the legendary status of The Blastmaster KRS-ONE.

rocafella.com

nelly.net

Reviewed by Funk Wizard Snow
Editor - PhillyHipHop.com
May, 2002