Peppas

What is Peppas actually…not peppers…

I mean I know its a restaraunt in Flatbush, BK, NYC…

Westside Gunn did it again with a classic Hermes #10. Im sure if you love the culture of hiphop, you love Griselda. What a movement they have started and maintained so well. I heard this project on my way back from East Africa, After listening to good hiphop all summer into the fall, like another new Griselda artist, Rome Streets.

The 1st song that stood out to me from this album was “Peppas”. I saw the titles to entire project and this 1 stood out once I also saw not just the title, but the Black Star feature. Oh Boy! What a treat. The genius curator in Westside Gunn moved him to get the soul brothers Yasiin Bey(Mos Def) and Talib Kweli for the jux. Over ill production by producer Conductor, the 3 Mcee’s tone, sound great on the very fresh message through the production. It felt like an event.

I listened off my phone, then with the headphones, then the car and back to the phone, then the studio speakers. I then listened to the whole song, then just Yasiin verse, to check if I heard what I heard…someone is whistling on the track. Now Im quoting Kweli, like” I said what said cus I saw what I saw”…word up. Gunn sounded proud to be in the company of such a legendary duo,while still giving us bars about dragging feans from the benz wagon for being short to buy drugs.

Beyond this sounding like a good collab, it feels like it could have ben each mans beat alone.

The need to do and respect the art is an ancient practice. I listen to artist who push for real reflection and imagination, because I love decoding what the artist works to articulate. Peppas feels like a new curricula, that holds meaningful visionary thinking about the life and moral character, blended with a free and flourishing vibe, operating in a space, gangsta dangerous to its own health. Through there personal truth shared on this track, all 3 Mcee’s rose to there occasion.

I love the solid visuals. Its amiable Brooklyn. The Flatbush shots match the serious victory beat

I want to now dig into the things from each element that stood out to me.

This may have ben the first time I heard Yasiin Bey all way thru the verse more than I usually still hear Mos Def.

• the whistling he is doing on track, and visually shows in the video as it being him doing
• saying the first line as a statement before his rhyme, ( I believe Curren$y coined that as style for song structure)
• Saying the name Bey echoed as they mixed it – came off like a Jamaican party horn sound byte. WORD!
• Inkwell elegant, more medicine miracle – As the line could have ben, Inkwell medicine, more elegant miracle but having medicine apart of the words more and miracle,all starting with M is a bit more powerful. My Ink I write with is royal level shit, and it has the power to cure on a spiritual plane.

• Pastel Perennials- Colorful nature, I assume he is describing hisself. Dope

• Batman earth slam Joker to the Tanzanite- To be an Mcee is like being a supa hero for sure, so Bey has become like a Batman who is slamming his opponent, the Joker. Im the true and living no games, the Op is the joke, the Joker. I will earth slam( Westside Gunn is a fan of wrestling), that line felt like a salute to that space. Then he slamed the op so heavy and deep to the earths ground that it touched the blue diamonds that can be found under the earth( Tanzanite, where my family is from)

• Core Capability, flaco facility- is like more medicine miracle or Pastel Perennials with words that start with same letter, in sequence, to define something. My core or my center is strong and capable to do it, Flaco is one of his nickmanes, facility is his soul make up programming.
• Fly guy, do or die, Bedstuy energy, simplified B-E-Y- Im definitely always fresh with dress and finesse, Im definitely from Brooklyn,NYC( BK ALL DAY), but I can say all of what Ive said somehow inside of just spelling my last name BEY( my name is Omari Forman-Bey, so Im a Bey too) and so of course I looooovvvveed the line, so did my son

• Blow the central bank up\ throw away ya bank truck\ naw baby it ain’t luck\ Days without a way we prayed then we made one\- He takes us back to the superhero shit, blowing bank trucks up and then resolving in prayer space. Nothing is just given, we work for our keep.

• the wizard is a fraud what you afraid for\ saw alot of thunder no rain fall\ -its just a dope message said in a dope way. People make noise but dont do shit, like a bark thats bigger than the bite. Its encourgement to not be nervous and just do ya thing. Fraud and afraid feel like similar words and the word fall as a feature. Lot of F’s and r’s that help create a deeper sence of art sonically and phonetically. I heard and saw the thunder noise but felt and saw no physical rain. Wisdom

• Keynote considered glowing, get the geometrics, true and living- the bounce was NBA dribbled. Like the keynote speaker, this one is glowing bright, get the measurements on the true and living GOD. This that god talk

Honestly Kweli be out rapping niggas. I guess he always had to, being apart of Black Star…

• goofy niggas, the hate be in they jeans like its they tru religion- wow. Thanks for starting here on the goofy nigga, this rap shit is truly goofy like the boondocks predicted. Hate be in there genes, like its religion…ok facts. But my dude say like its there tru religion as the jean brand. Gene and Jean, is dope.

• if it isnt love, then its new edition- wonderful way to answer his analysis
• fly gods yeah we dont believe in superstition- repped for griselda wit the fly god reference,

• fly wit style and fly wit consciouness, more god talk, but we aint spooked what so ever
• superman to man see thru the system\ wit my super vision- superstition led him to superman, then led him to man to man, and superstition also led to super vision, and system was then birthed most likely. I see thru this systematic bullshit we live under because I am connected to high power, Im a supa fly god, its elite. SUPER!!! Dope
• Powerful, the spirit will grab you like Tabernacle\ the voice of the people keep it deeper than an adams apple\- classic Kweli kind of line right here, only he could say this and give it depth and color
• even more than before\ I said what I said cus i saw what I saw\- the line we all say on stage and the audience. West Side even said it in the video.
• son swore he aint the boys but always calling the law\ got him acting unhinged like a door on the floor\- basic body Kweli BARS
• Im neva silent always speaking up\ personally I find the shit cowardly niggas weak as fuck\- Sometimes even maybe too much Talib be talking lol but niggas do be weak as fuck so..I get it. Speaking up on wats weak as fuck. ok cool

• When justice no peace, too much, could neva be enough\ louder than a bomb and we turn it up till the speakers bust\-Word up. My nigga. Revolutionary shit, making our ancestors proud. Dude really be rapping
• Living on the road mama framing my tour posters\ stay away from these industry agents they all vultures\- Shout out the mama love, and how we live. In the world but not of it was the message. This industry….smh, hiphop…I think of the song by Ab Soul, “Gotta do better” when I hear this line. I love how he connects a good and bad,a yin a yang, moms and industry vultures. Good writing

• Breaking up the toys cus they faker than small soldiers- hmm Im thinking these are movie references…I can see the green army men now. may go buy a pack jus because.

• I dont know why they do it but it cant be for the culture- this part….smh.Pray things can change moving forward. ASE!
• clamin La costra nostra, we in love wit the coca\ they hit niggas wit the rico, white people put it in soda\- Soda. Wow. We in love with the KoKo ( I dont mean my baby muva lol), smh its sad how we glorify drug culture, it jus is. But the world is. Its ok for white people to glorify it to the point of adding it to certain soda as an ingredient, while we go to jail if caught with it. Conscious Mcee shit. Yessir

• For generational wealth, they standing on there ancestors shoulders\ after burning down Tulsa Oklahoma -Teach King. My brotha explained why this is to its core. The white man is standing on wat his father stole from a black man

West Side Gunn…my g, an official voice, buffalo NYC, Im sure I fuck wit dude, not sure If im feeling how far he go at times…

• A yo- his shit is classic

• Goyard messenger hanging off the shoulder\ laying on the bunk screaming 3 vents over\- Ok. So right to it, this looks like a fucking purse not a messenger. And he rapping like he in the bing wit it on…and ok, jail culture has kinda became a factor inside of hiphop culture.
• in 3 man cells, rockin 3 man\ catch you in the shower nigga keep playing \- ahhhhh….jail talk, I dont understand but want to I think. Catching niggas in showers sound gay to me. All I hear is Boondocks, and Riley saying…thats gay

• My shit feel like its Illmatic again- not really but I still agree somehow. I do know why he said this
• my favorite fiend went to rehab, 2 weeks later he was back a addict again- How do you have a favorite fiend, maybe more like a favorite customer, smh. I can relate to the 2 week rehab and back to shooting up, I grew up wit family members heavy on drugs. Only West Side
• he was 3 dollars short, had to drag him from the benz wagon again- dam son, if he really was your favorite, I dont think you would drag him from your car. But its West Side Gunn

• Everybody know my deen, burn clean\ fendi sweatpants with the mac on the drawstring – Fire emoji! He confirms my thoughts. Everybody knows…Its Gunn, he is going go overboard. It wouldn’t be him if he relaxed lol. Mac on the drawstring of the fendi sweats…ok copy
• my nigga hit me jus to to say he got the biggest lock in Orleans\ I had the 38 at 14\- his man called to let him know he is making the most money in the town, congratulate me. And I guess he wanted to say but boy.. I ben the man, I had the 38 snub in the 9th grade, so that tells you something. You called the right guy my guy. Word

• Arigato poncho blanco\ so much coke I had he had to get the baking soda from costcos\- a crack star wit the black star. SMH. Kweli spoke to this in his verse in a dope manner. And the poncho sounds fire
• My shooter sniffin coke like Jon Bones\ tri color Jacob wit the time zones- the definition of talking that shit…cus its jus shit. But the talent is the the talk into rap form part of it. Word
• Get your helluva mind blown (Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom)- helluva Mind is…. but I love the gun ad libs
• Your stylist picked it out with they eyes closed, Gucci highs with the rhinestones- the stylist has the illest style. He can shoose gear with shut eyes. Vibes and Skill. Gucci high tops wit some rhinestones. Some extra rapper shit mixed with jus being Xtra as fuck these days, etc etc.I can hear Gunn say, but its jus art lol
• When you see the red wagon, you know whats happening\ desert in the dunhill,niggas know whats brackin\- Im blood gang, I have a desert eagle fire arm in my dunhill onesie, and all you niggas so the time Im on…we turn crackin to brakin cus I rep blood gang slime. Gang Gang slang
• Red soles on the Loubs, I’m a soul assassin- fly talk, shout out to DJ Muggs

• Hopped out at Carbone, all the cameras flashin \ Hopped out at Carbone, all the bitches grabbin- day in my life is movie shit. Facts

• Bitches love the FLYGOD, all these niggas cappin’\ LV snapback with the crystals backwards- He love labels cus he the fly god. My nigga Gunn
• FLYGOD– very dope sound byte, its better than Rick Ross’s Maybach Music one.

This video has ben out for maybe a bit over a month. I njoyed it the entire time. Im on Kweli IG page some days ago and I noticed he just posted this video. DOPE! I did wonder why so late, but better late than never of course. Shout out big bro. I see comments about West boots being gay….and I already knew the vibes. I never comment on IG, but I love the collab so much I spoke on it. My thoughts are….

I love hiphop, so of course I love this collab, nonetheless the fit on Wes is a bit suspect. I made it clear I wouldn’t call it gay, to attempt to correct homie who made the comment but I admitted it was sus. In the same way its suspect if you see a bus driver wearing a doctor uniform or a cop uniform…and Kweli defended Gunn’s boots and purse lol. He said I was a hater and who asked me my opinion, and got quite snippy wit ya boy lol. Dave Chapelle and Mos Def on the cartoon “The Boondocks” spoke of Gangstalicious years ago.

West Side Gunn likes extra fashion savy sus shit and thats fine, but we gonna call it what it is. Kweli said to me, but who asked you…lol. My vibes are……, a yo Kweli I love u nigga, but you speak on mad shit that no one asked your opinion about. But because you Mcee and do journalist work, you comment and give your thoughts and opinions on everything so dont try to check me bro. Noone is bigger than culture….You not, Im not, they not. Period. Yasiin boots are extra too, but don’t give me sus vibes. I know homo thugs from the hood that fuck men and shoot shit, that dress like this. I also know ones that dress in mud cloth…but “I said what I said, cus I saw what I saw”– Talib Kweli

I used a few of his raps to big up how he mos definitely gets my point of view. We the true and living gods or we not mane. We as black men are suppose to care for one another, and check what things are or not, without feeling attacked by a point of view. Kweli told me, I was hype to comment on what another man had on his body. No sir man lol, just observant as you are my brother. I care about how we act, talk, dress, etc as black men because its serious. Time is now to duck the pollution and become a stronger people, the choice is ours. We cant be afraid to speak on our observations of each other if we truly “brothers”. Just because I like something doesn’t mean it cant be critiqued. Its all apart of it. Shout out to West Side Gunn for involving Black Star and all the other rap elder legends. I love it. And as we love our children, we still teach, learn and challenge it all if need be. Thats real, thats family, Fam. I love Kweli, but you gotta relax King( Nore voice). Lets be better as a people.

This is a mysterious mixture of the urban blues. I would consider this a short film shot in BK. Good to see Black Star in Flatbush clicked up with Griselda, they was mobbing deep. Daily Gems gave a solid edit with the visuals. Gunn on ice as usual, like Mr. T slash the Terminator. Songs like Kweli’s ” the Blast”. comes to mind, when I hear the gun adlibs. Of course shout outs to the Conductor on production, and I dont mean Madlib. I would have loved to see Roc Marciano in this video, maybe even Conway and a Black Thought, randomly in the building, adding flava that only peppas can add to a dish.

I love the culture.- O.Bey