Twelve Days of Getback, Day 12- Sorry Folks, Nothing To See Here
"....and the ball game's over." - Walter A. Coleman, Jr.
Well, my good friends, we've reached the end.
I was going to give y'all the "Second Chances" joint for the last day, but I just got word last night that it may be getting used for a major project that's droppin later on this year. I'm happy for the exposure nonetheless, but I still feel like the father who promised his kids Jordans for Christmas and showed up with L.A. Gear's....lol
Oh well, what mo can a nigga do?
I didn't mean for this shit to turn into the "Three Weeks of Getback," but I severely underestimated how hard it would be to crank out 12 blogs in as many days a) during the holiday season, and b) between recording sessions, family time, Guitar Hero, The Wire....(shit gets REAL in episode 3, btw) I'm only human after all...
Either way, we've reached the end and I sincerely appreciate all of you for reading and taking this journey with us. A big shout out to all the producers and MC's who worked on the album, and an even bigger shout out to all the fans who keep us going. We've got much more music comin for '08.
Stay Tuned, Tigallo
P.S.-For those who missed the other leb'm days, Abraham Lainkin: h@@p://www.sendspace.com/file/nvtl62
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 11- "When Everything Is New (Original Mix)"
"I know it sounds like an ending.....this is a beginning...." -Thomas Jones
Zo is like my musical brother from another. Our relationship goes back to around 2005 when we hooked up after an LB show in Ann Arbor. He gave me a copy of his instrumental album "Passion...Definition" and I was an immediate fan. This nigga is the KAING of 'Saturday clean up/Sunday driving/chillin on the couch and havin a draink with wifey' music. He's also one of the few producers I know that is able to walk the line between 'hip hop beatmaker' and 'trained musician,' and we constantly push each other to get better and work harder:
Zo: "Nigga, I played the hi-hats on that "Africa" joint live all the way through.." Tigallo: "Nigga, I did six-part hahminy at the end with all that Marvin shit....six-part hahminy (c) Duck Matthews Zo: "Nigga, I had to practice that bassline on "Holdin You, Lovin You" for days til I got it right...." Tigallo: "Nigga, I had to squeeze my nuts to hit that high note on Take On Me..."
That competitive spirit and mutual love for music led to us doing a whole 80's EP together ("Zo! and Tigallo Love the 80's" coming soon), as well as him co-producing a joint for the upcoming Foreign Exchange album. "New" was originally done as the intro to Zo's (www.myspace.com/zo and *cough* www.myspace.com/zoandtigallo) forthcoming production album. I did it for him and sent it back, but Pooh heard it and was like, 'nigga we gotta have that one!'
By this time in the album, me and Pooh pretty much had all the other songs done, but still felt like it was missing *that* something. I thought 'Dreams' was a gorgeous song, but I wanted to end the album on a joyous note. I knew that if I woulda ended with "Dreams" y'all woulda been lookin at the CD player like this:
Looking back, I really don't think we could've done a better job of ending the record. Everything we wanted to say about our group, our careers, and lives in general up to that point; we put it all on the track.
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 10- "Dreams (Rashid Hadee Original Inst.)"
"When I finished the solo to 'That Lady,' Kelly looked at me for 15 minutes straight without blinking. I felt like I had one foot on the ground, the other on Mount Olympus. Like I'd discovered how to ride a bike and eat ice cream at the same time. I went from a black-and-white world to technicolor." -Ernie Isley
My homie Eric Roberson often says that some songs aren't written so much as they are given. I'll go on record as saying that I never fully understood the spiritual power of creating up until the last year or so. Until then, I just kinda viewed rhyming and writing songs as a job; a labor of love, of course, but still a job nonetheless. "Dreams" however, was a joint that truly changed my outlook on the nature of what we do as artists. At the end of the day we are just vessels, and our creations are the energies of God speaking through us. "Dreams" is a joint that was truly given to me. There was a time in my career when a blank sheet of paper scared THEE living shit out of me. Going into the studio without verses already prepared was terrifying. Writing songs on the spot was something I never did. Nowadays, its the only way I work. I can honestly say that I feel no greater rush of excitement than from walking into a studio with nothing, and walking out 7 or 8 hours later with a full song recorded, mixed, and ready to go. Whereas in the past I would focus on the destination ("I gotta finish this shit already"), I eventually learned to embrace the journey ("Let's see where this takes us..."). What used to scare me about the recording process has now become the most enjoyable part.
Rashid Hadee (www.myspace.com/rashidhadee) is a producer/emcee that I've been a fan of ever since he passed me a beat CD back in 2003. The one thing that set him apart from the dozens of other beattapes I would hear was his ability to reconstruct samples and really make them his own. Most new producers at that time would chop samples to death until they sounded like atonal bits of noise, OR they would just get lazy and chipmunk loop they shit. (Keep in mind, this was the post-Blueprint era and every nigga swo' they was 'bringin that soul back.') Rashid was one of the few cats who had managed to keep it raw with the sample chops, but still maintain a strong sense of melody along with drums that knocked. Ever since that first listen to his Chapter 13 record, I knew he was a cat who I would be working with closely in the future. There are very few beatmakers who simply "get it." Rashid is one of em, and for that, he has my utmost support, respect, and admiration.
When he sent me this beat, I heard the melody for the hook in my head almost immediately. I didn't even have a full concept in mind, but I still called Pooh and warbled some shit to him about "mamadreamsdon'tkeepyalightson" and it was enough to inspire him to start writing his verses. Once Rashid sent us the parts, me and Khrysis stripped everything down and did some minor eq'ing. Khrysis played a bassline on it and we called my man Sheldon Williams to add some keys and strings. In a few hours we went from a simple four bar loop to damn near havin a symphony. There was an incredible energy in the room that night, and we could all feel that we were creating something very special.
In retrospect, it was really Pooh who saw the potential in this joint more than I did. I thought the lyrics I'd written for the hook were silly, but once we added our verses they took on a deeper emotional meaning. "Dreams" is probably my proudest moment on the album. Everything from the way it was conceived, to the verses, to the subject matter, to the beat, to the instrumentation, to the mixing, to the vocal arrangements (props to Khrysis for convincing me I could hit that Bilal-esque top note on the hook's 2nd half...lol) showed everybody at the top of their game. It was, in my opinion, a beautiful example of how God lives through our expression. The mix you hear on the album, save for a few minute adjustments, is the exact same version we walked out of the studio with that morning.
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 9- "That Aint Love (Faceemo Mix)"
"Et tu, Brute?"-Caesar
Of all the songs on 'Getback' this one probably needs the least explanation, so I'mma be real brief with all you motherfuckers (c)Snoop.
The ones you love are the ones who hurt you the most, so goes the cliche. In writing my verse for this song, I did my best to express my feelings of pain and disappointment about *that* situation rather than be all "FIRST OFF FUCK YA BITCH AND THE CLICK YOU CLAIM!" like I was Taypac or some shit. The interlude that comes before this song is the original version of 'The Way You Do It' that me and my man Eccentric recorded back in 2000 for my solo project.....(it was re-worked two years later into the version you hear on "The Listening"). I figured it was the best way I could represent the ending of an era.
I will say though, that this was the only song I initially had doubts about. Part of me was like, "Dude, why waste time talkin about this? If Atlantic gets behind this record the right way, your new fans ain't even gonna know that y'all usta have a 3rd member...nor will they care.." But then another part of me felt like I owed something to the people who stuck by us through all the drama...and not saying anything about it on my part woulda been a copout of sorts ("WHAT pink elephant in the room? *looks around* I surely don't see a pink elephant in the room...") For the record, me, Pooh, and Jozee all wrote our verses about different people. Once we got dropped from Atlantic and saw that we'd be pretty much workin the record on our own, I knew I'd made the right decision to leave my verse as is and that our fans would appreciate something so personal.
As for the aftermath?
To this day, I have no idea how 9th feels about this song. Up until a few weeks ago, we hadn't said more than five words to each other in over a year. I reached out to him about my 12 Days of Getback concept, and he was gracious enough to do a video for 'Breakin My Heart.' Don't expect a reunion, but my guess is that he, like me, is just making music and moving on with life. It could be the English major in me overanalyzing shit, but I interpreted his Listening-sample reflips on Dream Merchant 2 as his way of paying homage to his past and saying goodbye to that period in our lives......(I thought all those interludes were dope as fuck, btw.....)
The guest verse on this one comes courtesy of East Durham's finest, Jozeemo. I first met Jozee sometime back in '03 at a charity concert for needy Christmas families. Prior to that, I had been hearing word about him on the local battle circuit ("Yoooo, you gotta hear this dude Jozee......nigga is like a mix between Scarface and Beans..."). After I saw him perform, we talked for a minute and talked about working together on some stuff. Shortly afterwards, he got locked up.
Once he came home, Big Dho reached out to him about joining HOJ and it was a done deal. I figured that with all he'd been through during his incarceration, he would be right at home with the subject matter. I played him the beat, told him the concept, and he wrote his verse in 20 mins.....his studio work ethic is like none other...(only other cat I've personally seen work that fast is Kweli...)
In this mix, you'll hear Jozee's original verse. Dude had just quit smoking about a week prior to recording, and his throat was killing him. Ironically, it made him sound even more like Scarface..lol He recorded this version (which me and Pooh dubbed the Faceemo mix), but then came back a few months later and did the final version after his throat healed. Go show him some love at www.myspace.com/jozeemo
Three mo to go, Tigallo
P.S.- I guess I wasn't as brief as I thought I'd be..lol
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 8- "Two Step Blues (Trumpet Reference Mix)"
"...And then reach back in that closet and pull out summa that smoooth stuff like ya daddy wear....them two piece suits...y'know what I'm sayin?" - James "Pops" Mitchell
So, after the success of "Life of the Party," me and Pooh decided to do more work with Nottz and see what else we could come up with. We took a trip to Nottz's studio in Virginia, went through damn near 300 beats, and heard an early version of Snoop and Kells' "That's That Shit." Once this beat came up in the iTunes folder though, me and Pooh immediately stopped what we were doing and looked at each other like this:
We knew this was gonna be something special. Me and Pooh had never rhymed over a tempo that fast and wanted a beat that would challenge us and take us out of our comfort zone. Normally, I'll have a song concept in my mind and will search for a beat to fit it, but this was one of the rare occasions where the beat forced my hand. To me, the tempo and the feel of the track just said 'old niggas steppin' so I took it there. In writing most of the songs on this album, I was trying to think about how these joints would fit into people's lives. Some niggas make songs for the club.....I make songs for the family reunion. Songs to get you through your day at work, songs to study, smoke, chill, drive, play spades, and get your hair done to. To me, that's what real life is; the stuff that happens while you wait for the moments that never come (c) Lester Freamon
Originally, the hook for this one had me and D. Brock going back and forth. Once me and Pooh narrowed the tracklisting down and decided that 'Two Step' was gonna be Brock's only appearance on the album, I gave my vocals the axe and left him in for the full song. Also, I did a vocal reference for Stan Graham's trumpet solo that you'll also hear in this mix. Me and Khrysis almost left it in on some George Benson 'saing along as I solo' steez, but ultimately decided that it woulda been corny....and George Benson is 10X the sainga I am....
I apologize for the brief hiatus, folks....the holidays have been a really busy time. On top of which, the LB team lost one of its dearest friends/extended family members yesterday morning.
R.I.P to my man Ronnie Johnson, a record industry veteran who was one of our biggest supporters during our time at Atlantic Records. Aside from being one of the biggest vocal champions of Little Brother (i.e. if not for him and my man James Lopez, Minstrel Show may have never seen the light of day), he was an all-around good dude who always took time to show love and respect to those around him, and schooled us on many facets of the game. Please send some prayers up for him and his family. We miss you, brother.
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 7- "Step It Up (Sleepy Grocery Mix)"
"They love it when I'm hard on hoes/ they say a 'g' don't give a bitch no keys or security codes/ I agree, my lady ain't no bitch/ she gets whatever I own, so when you see her/ understand that's me, nigga/ understand I'm the same ol' g, nigga/ I know the difference from a bitch and a "B," nigga" -Hov
Me and Pooh usually only do one 'girl' song per record, but we knew that after the brutal reality check that was 'Breakin My Heart,' we would need something to ease the pain....so, 'Step It Up' was created.
Tek sent us this one with Dion's hook already in it, so there wasn't much to add save for the additional harmonies I sang during the last hook and the 'baby do you want a massage' part. Honestly at first, me and Pooh didn't think too much of the song after we did it, but after playin it for countless people who swore it was THEE jam, we decided to keep it. (Further proof that artists are very often the worst critics when it comes to judging their work...)
With this one, I wanted to make a song that talked about the growing pains of dating and trying to find someone. Everybody goes crazy over the massage line, but the one part in the song that sticks out most to me is Pooh's, 'everybody gettin judged by who they standin with' joint. That shit is real on SO many levels. When you're in a relationship, its no longer about you and is moreso about "y'all." Everything your mate does is a reflection of you and vice versa, so once you learn to discern between the 'bitches' and the 'B's' you should handle with care and elevate your way of thinking, imo...
Also, a word of advice to my ladies out there: Unless you trynna make a sexy time (c)Borat, don't let your first date with a guy be at his house (or yours, for that matter). To him, it means you trynna fuck. The 'sit on the couch and watch movies which leads to dry humping and an eventual 4AM smash' date is mostly for niggas in college and women of the vertical leapoff variety. If you really want a man to take you seriously, ask him to take you out.
Now fellas, understand that when a woman asks you to take her out it ain't gotta be on no standard 'dinner and a movie' steez (*yawn*) Nor do you gotta act all Raphael Saditty and be braingin a satchel of rose petals with shea butter and oils and shit. This is your opportunity to bring her into your world and see what she's really all about. Its never about spending a bunch of money, so much as its about being fun, creative, and imaginative. Offer to take her go cart riding, or miniature golfing, or to take a stroll thew the park swaingin pankies together and feedin the ducks at the pond. If she refuses any of these activities without coming up with a viable alternative, chances are she's boring and/or lazy as hell and will always be looking for you to entertain her. A woman like this, while physically attractive, can't offer you much beyond a slice of pussywaffle and has probably spent many years coasting off her looks.....sad, but true...
This mix is the very first take that me and Pooh recorded. Strangely enough, his verse was too amped while mine wasn't amped enough....so we went back and did the takes that you hear on the album. Not too much difference in this one..
And now a frew words from Mr. Porter, who was gracious enough to take time out of his busy production schedule and tell us why 'Step It Up' is his favorite song on the album:
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 6- "ExtraHard (Extended Bitches Mix)"
"I want to thank you, Miss Celie, fo evrything you done for me. I 'members that day in the store with Miss Millie - I's feelin' real down. I's feelin' mighty low. And when I seed you - I knowd they is a God. I knowd they is a God." -Sofia
Gonna be quick with this one, cause its late as hell and I've found a new addiction in Guitar Hero 3....
Around September of '06, me and Pooh had a few joints in the stash for Getback and we were happy with 'em....but nothing really had that 'umph' we were lookin for. We went through countless beat CD's from producers both big and small-time, but the heavens didn't open up until we took a trip to Daytwah, Home of the Greats (Dilla, Black Milk, Waajeed, Zo!, and unbeknownst to many.....Denaun Porter).
Me and Pooh flew out to Denaun's studio, played him the few songs we had for the record, and asked him if he had something that would fit. The 'ExtraHard' instrumental was the first beat he played.
Hot. Damn.
At that point all my worries about our album went away. I know'd there was a God somewhere and we had found the producer to take the project over the top. The chemistry between us and Denaun proved to be really incredible and it led to more work ('System' on the UK version, 'Second Chances' feat. Bilal and Darien Brockington, and me doin the hook for 'Paper Chaser,' the Playaz Circle joint he produced). I simply cannot heap enough praise upon this man. Beatwise, he can do it all from clean r&b shit, to freaky synth shit, to Donuts-style Dilla shit, to Fantastic Vol. 2-era Dilla shit, to dirty, drunken soul shit. Plus, his singing voice is incredible. If he ever decided to go hard on his 'singing producer' steez, Jazze Pha might find himself jobless.
Me and Pooh felt so reinvigorated after our Detroit visit that we went and laid this one immediately. We just wanted to make some feel good shit that you could ride to.
For the fithy leb'mth time.....the sample in this song is NOT saying 'where are my bitches'.....but we thought it would be funny to do a version with me, Pooh, and Khrysis singing it at the end. There's also a few extra harmonies in this version that I decided to leave off the final copy.
And sadly, no video for this one.....Denaun is busy Detoxing with the Good Doctor.
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 5- "After the Party (Nekkid Ha Ha Mix)"
"Lil mama I'm leavin the club/ I was wondering if you were up/ for a late night rendezvous/ if you are, then I'm comin through...." -Carl Thomas
Ahhhhhh......The Club. I can't think of any other establishment in society that has led to more niggas goin home sweaty and dollarless with broken dreams....(well, maybe The Church, but that's another topic...)
When cats make songs for The Club, they're usually of a celebratory nature. I always wondered why nobody ever talked about the other side of club life and how depressing and addictive it can be. Like any addiction, there's a high....but there's also a low once you realize that the party is indeed over and you are, once again, alone.
"After the Party" was written as a companion piece to "Life of the Party." This is why my verse starts off with 'the milk's gone bad, the bees flew south' as a direct response to LOTP's 'I'm the cow's milk, I'm the bee's knees.' Being that Carlitta did such an incredible job with LOTP, I thought it would be a nice touch to bring her back to sing the hook on 'After the Party' as well. On LOTP, her voice was stacked to give it a loud and festive feel, but on this one I kept her single tracked to symbolize the theme of loneliness (originally, I was gonna call this joint 'Death of the Party,' but thought it woulda been too morbid...and too obvious).
Me and Pooh are proud of the entire Getback album, but I must say that through it all, this one has emerged as one of my favorite LB songs of all time. I rate LB joints on an intent vs. outcome scale....meaning, that if we made a joint intending to give niggas the screwface and they hear it and be like, 'ahhhh, this joint is so pretty,' then we failed. Judging from the crowd response we get from performing this one at shows, I'd say that we hit this joint dead on. It has a really beautiful and melancholy quality that everyone seems to be able to relate to. Also, Pooh, Khrysis, and Carlitta all showed they EN-tire asses (c) Della Reese
We didn't save many outtakes on this one, so this mix isn't too different from the album version. (A shame, because there were several hilarious variations of Khrysis' "the big ole ass...the BIG ole ass" comment). This mix was one that me and Khrysis did out of fear that people wouldn't be able to decipher the 'ha ha ha, and the jokes on you' line. After listening though, we decided that it killed the groove and we'd be better off rolling with the version that you now hear on the album.
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 4- "Good Clothes (Phonte Outtake Mix)"
Clothes make the man. -Mark Twain
I always thought the above quote was some bullshit, Ilaldo. To me, the MAN always made the clothes moreso than the other way around. Lord knows I done seen Kanye and Pharrell wear summa the most fruity, questionably homeaux shit ever, but they can get away with it because, hell, they're talented, world-famous millionaires. Likewise, I'm sure all of y'all remember the rich bougie nigga from your school who kept all the name brand gear, but underneath it all was still a fuckin cornball. Like, the nigga would get his parents to cop him the new Jordans, but he'd fuck it up by lacin them joints up so tight that the sides would touch, and be rockin them shits with some tapered leg corduroy pants.
With "Good Clothes," I just wanted to make a 'flossy' song for the average nigga. The cat that's stayin clean and makin the most with what they have. Ain't nuttin wrong with a white tee as long as its pressed, starched, and not 6 sizes too big. It's easy to get on TV and brag about rockin $1100 jeans when you ain't paid for 'em (mosta these rap/athlete/celebrity niggas get they shit for free...trust...)
Being that Pooh was pretty 'ehhh' on this beat until I presented him with the concept and hook idea, we thought it would be fitting for him to give you an exclusive look at his good clothes:
Bumpin "Silent Night" by the Temptations, Phontigga
Twelve Days of Getback, Day 3- "Breakin My Heart (Belina Blooper Mix)"
"FUCK.....YOU. Fuck your hopes, fuck your dreams, fuck your plans, fuck everything you thought this life was gonna bring you....now let's go out there and try to make this bitch happy." -Chris Rock
Dig if you will (c)Prince, a conversation between man and wife:
Wife: Baby, you wanna come watch some TV with me? Man: Yeah, I'll be over there in a sec...whatchu watchin? Wife: I dunno, some shit on VH1 about the awesome life of celebrity rap wives.. Man: Ugh.....sounds lovely... W: These wives are funny......its like they know their men are out there with all these women, but they don't care.. M: Why should they care? If the roles were reversed, I know I damn sho wouldn't.... W: Whatchu mean? M: I'm sayin, if I was married to a woman who was good to me AND had paper out the ass, why would I fuck that up? I'd be Mr. Oprah Winfrey in a heartbeat, yo.. W: Even if she cheated on you? M: Yep. I'd be on that Stedman like a muhfucka.. W: So if *I* cheated on you, you'd be cool with that? M: Now hol' on nigga I ain't say all that....what I am saying is that it more than likely wouldn't be a dealbreaker. W: Oh really now? M: Yeah....I mean, you work hard and I appreciate everything you do. People don't be wantin to tell the truth about marriage, but this shit can be a pain in the ass, yo.... W: Yeah, it can be...and WE actually love each other...*laughs* M: EXACTLY. W: So does that mean that you're not jealous? M: I'm a man, of course I'm jealous. But I'd eventually work thew all that ego shit. You see when you a pimp, yo mind have to be reconditioned- W: Oh God, don't start quoting American Pimp again... M: ...and you have to be okay with that. *makes Gorgeous Dre hand motion* W: *stifling laughter* M: Nah for real baby, my thing is this: we made a commitment to stand with each other for life...through WHATEVER. If the shit went down, I'd just deal with it and keep moving.... W: I wish I could say the same..... M: It's cool...I don't expect you to. I just look at the numbers: If 50% of ALL marriages fail, then at some point you gotta wonder if the institution itself is flawed. I mean, EVERYBODY ain't crazy... W: That's true..... M: So ultimately for me, it all comes down to the commitment we made to each other. People are gonna be people. So if you gotta go fuck the mailman in order to keep hookin up that good macaroni and cheese like you do, then go head.....I'll be here when you get back... W: *looking appalled and trying not to laugh* M: I'm just bein real, yo. If 50% of people in all marriages cheat, then who's to say that the NEXT bitch I get won't be fuckin other niggas AND have an eating disorder on top of that? Or be on all kinda medications? Or can't cook worfa damn? Or be leavin her period draws in the living room? Or be eatin mayonnaise straight out the jar? Better the devil you know than the one you don't. You stuck with me, nigga. I shall not be moved... W: So what's the limit then? I mean, there has to be something that would cross a line... M: I mean, if you fucked one of my boys or something then yeah..that would be murkworthy....you don't getcha man back like that.. W: Well, I'd never do that... M: I come home from the studio and find you on the couch with my manager and shit... W: STOP! M: *begins singing like Sisqo* "I got this feeeeling...and its something I just can't loooose..." W: ...... M: "That somebody's....gettin nexxxt to youuuu..." W: Okay baby, stop.....or I'm gonna have nightmares about his platinum hair... M: "BUT BEEEING THE MAN THAT I AAAAAM-" W: ........... M: *cuts to chorus* "Somebody's sleeping with Biiiig Dhoooooo-" W: NIGGA! M: *laughing* W: God....ese pendejo.... M: In English, please....you know I don't speak reggaeton... W: *sucks teeth* M: Nah, but you feel what I'm sayin tho? If you make the commitment to be with somebody, then hell, stick with 'em through whatever. I made that commitment, so I'mma ride for you. W: You should write a song about this.. M: Maybe I will...
*two days later, and Man plays the version of this song located in our player*
M: So what you think about it? W: I love it. The young girls ain't gon wanna hear that though. It's too real. M: That's why I ain't marry no young girl... W: *smiles* M: ...and I love you too, baby.
*end scene* And now, a frew closing words from Mr. Douthit:
Playin fair like rollercoasters and clowns, Tigallo
