By Odeisel

We’ve been complaining about Hip-Hop for a few years now. It’s not about lyrics anymore, we say. It’s all about hits and rappers only talk that rich man, player talk. Everybody got the baddest bitch and the flyest whip and the biggest house and the streets are only visited when they want to convince you how hard they are or how authentic. Dr. Dre assembles an all-star cast to address this on the latest leak from the album that shall not be named with “Syllables” featuring Jay-Z, Eminem 50 Cent and Cashis. The deliveries on the song and the presence of 50 Cent, as well as certain lyrics paint this track around 2004-2006, when most of these guys were stronger. That’s a bonus.

The beat is driven by key progression and a steady drum, followed by a delayed introduction of strings introduced on the third verse. They run in the background, subtly wafting in more drama. There’s a pop-hop parody break with Eminem crooning that is intended to make sun of the singing hook raps that have strangled mainstream Hip-Hop for the last decade.

Eminem opens the song and is the first clue as to the dating of this record. His flow is smooth without the raspy straining present in his voice. He opens with a whiny preamble about the music not being about lyrics before going into his verse. He employs a faux accent to force words to rhyme (kids and lyrics for example). All the kids want is a banging beat so they can go to the club, get numbers and smash. They don’t know a word of the verses, all they know is the catchy chorus “cause the chorus repeats the same four words for us.” Finger snaps and 808 claps further the devolution of music according to Mathers.

The Jiggaman is ready from the onset declaring “if the emphasis on a compact disk is on the beat then I’m gonna feature Em and get rich and let Dre mix the shit and drive off in the Range Rove.” He takes an about face and calls the fans out on their acceptance and clamor for the weak shit. It takes two to tango, notes Hove, who continues,” You bought the shit, I guess you share the blame too.” Jay-Z is fluid and assertive, sounding right in the middle of that Black Album-era run.

Dr. Dre’s verse lacks that deep, measured tone, delivered from a higher pitch. Dre notes that if 30’s the new 20, 40 must be the new 30 because the older rappers are handing the young boys their asses on the mic. You can hear Eminem’s hand in Dre’s flow and the line “Jay said it’s his last” all but assures that this is an older track. He engages Eminem is a game of watch for the hook. 50 turns the whole thing on its side; laughing to the bank as fans accept his dad mad glad sad raps without even questioning his credibility. Stat Quo and Cashis deliver solid verses that don’t really connect to the overall theme.

No matter when the song was made, it speaks to a music market, specifically with regards to Hip-Hop where the words are becoming increasingly less important. For a genre that depends on words, that’s a shame. As long as you can spit “Syllables,” you can dress them up in any beat you like.

Eminem ft Dr Dre Jay Z 50 Cent Syllables

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