The current state of the inner cities of America causes many to raise their eyebrows. It seems that as the rich get richer, the poor get poorer, and this desperation causes a disproportional amount of violence in America's so-called "ghettos." When you consider the glorification of drugs, guns, murders and misogyny ubiquitous in the rap lyrics that saturate the airwaves, one has to wonder:Is art imitating life, or is life-imitating art? How much responsibility do artists have to set a good example? What if the artists actually lived the life of coke measuring and gun busting they rap about? Should they denounce and/or deny that lifestyle or stick to verisimilitude, acting as the hood's CNN?
With that question in mind, one has to take Sheek Louch's (of LOX's fame) first solo album, "Walk Witt Me," with a grain of salt. As a devout LOX fan I was eager to hear the album, but as a conscientious Black woman I couldn't help but feel a little guilty.
The LOX first entered the hip-hop scene when they signed with Bad Boy Records. On their first record, the platinum selling "Money, Power, Respect," they reeked of Puffy's molding and rocked those oh-so-hated shiny suits. The group fought to get out of their contract and soon Ruff Ryder had picked them up. On the street acclaimed, "We Are The Streets" the group managed to leave their old image behind and solidify their status as the hottest act around. Yet as Jadakiss and Styles P. shined, often spitting back and forth, it seemed that Sheek was often in the shadows, even considered the weakling of the bunch. After Jadakiss' and Styles P's solo releases, "Kiss the Game Goodbye" and "Gangsta and a Gentleman" dropped, many wondered if Sheek would ever be able to hold down an album by himself.
"Walk Witt Me" is the first release from the D-Block, where Sheek, Styles, and Jada all are co-CEO's. Throughout his freshman effort, Sheek battles to prove that he is as good as his cohorts. "Walk Witt Me" showcases Sheek over its collection of 14 songs. Too often, artists release albums that are nothing but a disconnected gathering of songs that try to appease every crowd. Not Louch -- he sticks with the formula that he is comfortable with, ignoring the super producers that most artists try desperately to recruit (Swizz Beatz is noticeably missing), and sticking with the more rugged formulas of Alchemist, Liveson, Vinny Idol and Supa Mario. The album opens with Louch spitting hard on a hook-less track and later slapping the engineer because he stopped the music. We instantly get a feel for who Sheek is or rather what he is trying make us believe he is. So when "Okay," the record's obvious club song, enters with its catchy beat composed mainly of bongo drums and triangle, it doesn't seem odd when Sheek spits gangsta ("You aint real you just a knock-off/y'all aint sick it's just a light cough"). This is a commercial song, but on Sheek's terms. "Turn it Up," with its hypnotic beat, explains Sheek's persona: "I aint a star/I'm that [brother] that'll issue the scar/I'm that [brother] with his hammer on him in the bar."
Sheek proves his talent as a lyricist and explains his transformation on "I Aint Forget:" "I know it was on/When I got with Sean/But I was caught up in the mix of some glittery s***."
The title track has a stirring beat, and it goes deeper and is more political than most people would expect from Sheek. He details what's wrong with the world and all that he would ask for to fix it by rapping, "No murders on the five o'clock news/No bodies over Jordan tennis shoes."
Unfortunately, "Walk Witt Me" is not without mishaps. "How Many Guns" hosts an interesting blend of viola and cymbals, but the weak chorus of "Who gooder than me/Who hooder than me?" ruins its potential.The skit before "Crazy," in which Sheek and company confront a would-be gunman, is quite irritating, not only because of its lame gangsta content but also because it is not independent of the song. "Crazy," which invaded the mix tape scene this summer, falls flat.
The highlights of the album come when Sheek enlists the help of his crew. He and Styles have wonderful chemistry on "In/Out," where Sheek, in his unique, gruff baritone, spits, "I don't know nobody realer than us/I ain't Jerome Bettis/But if I hit you/It's gon feel like a bus." "Ten Hut" mimics a military drill and showcases the lyrical skill of Kiss and Sheek. "Mighty D-Block (2 Guns Up)," in spite of the dry chorus, showcases why the D-Block gets love in every hood. Jadakiss, Styles P. Sheek and young'n J-Hood are a self-contained unit whose flows and lyrical content always compliment each other.
"Walk Witt Me" is uncompromising in its message. There are no guest appearances from artists outside of D-Block. There is no attempt to vary the Yonkers style. This album is Sheek. However, one could get sick of his subject matter. If Louch is as gangsta as he claims and were to switch up his flow, wouldn't he be as fake as those wankstas who claim a life of crime they never lived? After all, the LOX sold more units when they were with Bad Boy and jumped on the commercial bandwagon. They have not reverted back to that style, though. Doesn't that show that the thug image they now emit is really what they are? There's no question that major corporations tend to back artists who spread stereotypes of black people and our neighborhoods. Listeners often regurgitate this image. The fact that gangs calling themselves D-Block have sprung up all over the East Coast (including Charlottesville) is disturbing, but it is not necessary for Sheek and others of his caliber to compromise artistic and personal integrity to combat this phenomenon. That responsibility lies with the listening and buying public.
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