By Odeisel
We’re nearing the home stretch for G.O.O.D. Fridays. With the coming of November and the recent revelation that half the tracks we’ve heard in this promotion are going to end up on his album, Mr. West is taking us in a different direction. This time the feathery soul of Curtis Mayfield powers the Pete Rock-produced-“The Joy.”
Pete is up to his old tricks talking under the tone, years after Puff stole his steeze. The construction features some muddy drums with the Mayfield sample weaved throughout the work a la Marvin Gaye in Erick Sermon’s “Music.” Pete’s random screams actually throw off the rhythm and aren’t needed. A Memphis guitar sample and a couple old-school Hip-Hop samples are sprinkled throughout. There is the crackle of vinyl pops and good ole Uncle Charlie Wilson is back in effect, singing on the edges and Pete faux-croons through distorted synth keys. The song, like most of the G.O.O.D Friday songs, continues long after the lyrics stop and end abruptly out of rhythm.
Kanye drops two verses, the first of which finds him talking about planned parenthood and birth control as well as lamenting seeds he never had. The verse began with Ye’s typical sexcapades and ended up there in a flash. Unlike the other beats he’s been rapping on lately, this one was slow enough for Ye to handle as an MC and not have to call for beat changes when his part comes. The second verse is the verse he’s been kicking for a while, overly self-congratulatory, speaking of himself in third person but there are a couple cute lines in there like “if life’s cursed then mine’s an obscenity.”
He’s blown off the track by Jay-Z who goes through his early life and conjuring imagery of the 60s and 70s, shouts out to his mother. It’s not that he says anything phenomenal but he managed a singular narrative and painted the picture that matched what you feel when you hear Curtis Mayfield. There are the double meanings and lyrical devices typical to a Jay-Z verse. I’ll leave you to decode them.
Ultimately, the song is thrown off by the extended ending, too much talking by Pete Rock, and Kanye’s inability to craft a direct narrative that has anything to do with what the song “feels” like. It’s still G.O.O.D. but it should have been great. Blink and you’ll miss Kid Cudi. “The Joy.” Enjoy.
Kanye West X Pete Rock X Jay-Z X Charlie Wilson X Curtis Mayfield X Kid Cudi-The Joy
Follow Us on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/planetill
Follow Odeisel on Twitter @ http://twitter.com/odeisel
Join Us on the Planet Ill Facebook Group for more discussion
Follow us on Networked Blogs
Hi there thanks for this very good post. But I still do not get the last part though!