2. A-Wax “Be Alone”
I’m a longtime fan of purist lyrical gangster rap in a Tragedy Khadafi/Cormega tradition. That goes for younger dudes like Boldy James or A-Wax; there’s a sense of purposefulness to their writing, that no bar is ever wasted. Likewise, I’m also a big fan of the Mob Figaz: The Jacka, Husalah, Rydah J. Klyde, AP9, Fed-X, a crew that adapted millennial New York street rap to the Bay Area’s slang and culture in the early-mid ’00s. (They also often collaborated with Cormega; though he was from Cali, Klyde in particular was a Queensbridge head.)
Because of this, it took me a little longer to get into A-Wax, even though he’s in that style. He’s had beef with the Mob Figaz for years. He’s a character for sure, a Caucasian Piru blood (“I’m half-Italian if that help out any/Plus I never caught a bullet but I dealt out plenty”) whose style shows a debt to the Mob’s sound. In contrast, though, he’s much more of a loner. He’s also a very talented writer. His new album Pullin’ Strings has gone largely ignored by the wider blogosphere give or take a few European rap nerds who let no stone go unturned, and it’s unlikely to ever appeal to a pop market. But East Coast hip-hop heads would probably find this shit pretty worthwhile if they were willing to look past the geographic distance.
“Be Alone,” which pops up near the end of the album, is one of its best songs. Its wistful twilight atmosphere is bittersweet, but there’s no second-guessing as he abandons old bonds for the sake of his psyche. The bars echo in your head long after the song ends.
Heavy Rotation with David Drake | Nah Right