This was the A-side of J-Live's first single with "Bragging Writes" as the B-Side. This track is a breath of fresh air. The bass & snare drums both thump. The vibes on the low and high end sink and provide a nice table for J-Live rhymes, which are wonderful...but I'll get to more of that in a minute.

While I was still in college, I first heard this single listening to the hip-hop show on WERS, the Emerson radio station whose hip-hop format birthed radio personalities such as Cherry Martinez. Back in those days, undergound hip-hop heads would listen hear the newest, latest singles to come out, then trek over to Disc Diggers (which closed in 2004, RIP) to pick up promo cassettes that were available a few months before the actual release. These outlets provided a steady stream of delicious goodies on a regular basis.

In a testament to the track name, I heard this single again when Mark Farina released Mushroom Jazz, a hip-hop/downtempo/acid jazz mixtape or compilation (I'll speak more on Mushroom Jazz in future posts). I was pleasantly surprised to hear this when going to a coworker's DJ set at a small restaurant in Downtown Crossing, and thrilled to hear J-Live's words over the track.

J-Live has always combined a dextrous flow with smooth delivery. In addition to that, the way he approaches subject matter comes from an earnest place, with quotes like:

"Who in their right minds thinks they can put a stop to hip hop If it don't stop till I stop and I don't stop till it stop."
resonates with an undeniable authenticity. He brings it with verse after verse after verse. You can check J-Live reciting his verses a capella on his Youtube channel, to further cement the fact that this song has what it's named.