Oh, The Bleekness Of It All
Late last month, comfortably sunk into the grey cushions of my couch, I put on a "rapper movie" I hadn't watched since the Obama administration: State Property.
For those somehow unaware, this Roc-A-Fella Films feature from 2002 starred the one-and-only Beanie Sigel. Set primarily in Philadelphia, naturally, Abdul Malik Abbott's proper directorial debut captures all the ultraviolent action as our antihero usurps his drug game competition to rule his city with an iron fist. Not unlike its spiritual predecessor, Hype Williams' Belly, the supporting cast boasts unique on-screen appearances by hip-hop culture notables of the time, including DJ Clue?, Amil, Pain In Da Ass, and, of course, the illustrious Dame Dash. If that weren't enough, the flick also sports one of the few documented instances of Jay-Z in his thespian bag, cameoing as an idiosyncratic, absolutely inscrutable crime boss by the name of Unstoppable J.
Whether or not State Property will appeal to you depends almost entirely on how you reacted to the previous paragraph. To me, the soundtrack alone was worth the price of admission when I copped the DVD from Best Buy in Manhattan over twenty years ago. Among the movie's finer qualities on my most recent rewatch was the performance by Memphis Bleek as Blizz, the primary enforcer in Beans' crew of get-down-or-lay-down mafioso loyalists. His character dispatches his victims in a calculated, merciless manner, exhibiting no qualms about his murderous actions nor any semblance of a moral compass. However, his all-but inevitable comeuppance in this ice cold crime story has less to do with his killing streak than the folly of his scheming treachery.
Though Blizz marks Bleek's only credited acting role in a feature film (unless you really want to count Paper Soldiers), it left a strong impression, both then and now. The early 2000s, after all, found him at the peak of his rap star powers. After profile-elevating placements on fellow Bed-Sty native Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt and Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life, among other efforts, his 1999 Roc-A-Fella Records album Coming Of Age had a respectable RIAA gold showing. The following year, Bleek's follow-up The Understanding fared even better sales-wise, bolstered by the Timbaland-helmed Billboard Hot 100 hit "Is That Your Chick" featuring Missy Elliott.
His next two albums, 2003's M.A.D.E. and 2005's 534, arrived amid a tumultuous period for the label, one that brought success stories like Kanye West's The College Dropout but also an acrimonious split involving execs Dame, Jay, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. He would formally depart Roc-A-Fella a few years later, after which he'd put out a number of mixtapes and eventually try his hand as a record label CEO himself, putting out singles by Casanova and Manolo Rose through the Roc Nation affiliated Warehouse Music Group. Though various recordings of his own came in the roughly two decades since 534, last month's release of Apt 3D comes closer than of those any to a new, true Memphis Bleek album.
In tandem with his new Black Effect Network podcast ROC Solid, a weekly program where he chats with old friends and associates like Ja Rule and Young Guru, the 32-minute project emerges at a fortuitous time for 2000s rap nostalgia. For instance, an improbably reunited Clipse prepare to unveil their Pharrell-produced Let God Sort Em Out later this week, an event bound to get listeners banging on tables again.
Yet Apt 3D received scarcely little fanfare, seemingly under-promoted despite the fact that both projects come courtesy of the formidable Roc Nation Distribution. Surely one can comprehend why people would be more excited for the return of (No) Malice than some brand new Bleek. Unfortunately, the diminished 2020s music press doesn't have the bandwidth or marketing power that it once did, limiting his chances of a substantial publicity campaign. A couple weeks ago, he made the cursory rounds at The Breakfast Club, which garnered vestigial at-best mentions of the album in copy-and-paste news pieces at various venture capital ravaged outlets, and did an On The Radar freestyle. But still, these 11 songs warrant more attention than they've received since the June 20th drop.
This isn't to say that Apt 3D exactly ranks up there with Bleek's aforementioned 2000s LPs. To be sure, there are some clear bright spots, like "Still ROC" and "Holla At Cheech," produced by BangOut and Sndtrak, respectively. "3 Kings" brings underground kings Benny The Butcher and Smoke DZA out, their presence pushing the Brooklyn-bred host of these proceedings to remind us all why he was such a powerful utility player in Roc-A-Fella's heyday. Here he gets some of the project's best lines off, slamming all the coke rap imitators out there while he fondly recalls "cut[ting] more birds up than Thanksgiving."
Then we have the Cool & Dre numbers, commercially limp and unimaginative instrumentals for "On My Way" and "You Should Know" doing a disservice to the solid rhyming he's got to offer. Maybe these would've suited Fat Joe back in the late 2010s, but they offer nothing for Bleek, let alone those who might look for him in 2025. Far less egregious though not terribly ambitious are the reggae-fied boom bap retread "Believe It" and the crossover R&B gratuity "Choosing You," both needlessly outdated on an album that ostensibly appeared with some stakes for a legacy artist making moves in a new era.
When Lloyd Banks came back to us some eleven years after The Hunger for More 2, it wasn't on some "Beamer, Benz, Or Bentley" tip. Instead, the erstwhile G-Unit soldier chose war stories and veteran's wisdoms for 2021's The Course of the Inevitable, with street-level instrumentals by underground talent Cartune Beatz plus cred-boosting features from Freddie Gibbs and Roc Marciano. Now on his third volume of the critically acclaimed series, he enjoys both enhanced relevance and respect by drawing contemporary listeners–be they longtime fans or curious newcomers–to his independent era.
Look also at Nas, one of Bleek's seminal rivals back in the day. I won't front like the King's Disease trilogy with Hit-Boy in the 2020s was my all-time favorite run from the Queensbridge legend. Still, those albums undeniably rectified the sonic disaster that was 2018's shoddy Wyoming Ye link-up Nasir. Experimentation didn't work in his favor on that GOOD Music one-off, but at least he returned a couple years later with someone behind the boards that could, and did, inspire him.
By contrast, the inoffensive and safe Apt 3D isn't what anyone wants from Memphis Bleek right now. Nobody expects him to completely reinvent himself as a drill or rage rapper, obviously, and such foolhardy choices would likely prove catastrophic for a comeback play. A more curatorial approach to beat selection or, perhaps, an active willingness to work with a producer more deeply ingrained in the popular hip-hop underground, in New York or otherwise, would do him a world of good should he ever plan an Apt 3D follow-up. On the fairly strong closer "Word To HOV," he lets a sample of archival Jay-Z get the last word with advice that Bleek himself might benefit from next time: "people should learn from my mistakes as well."
Mary Sue and The Clementi Sound Appreciation Club , Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword
In 2022, Singaporean rapper/producer Mary Sue put out VOICE MEMOS ACROSS A COUPLE BODIES OF WATER, a 12-track project recorded during a productive visit to New York City. Connecting with the likes of Tony Bontana and Geng PTP, he returned home with a bespoke sonic souvenir comprised of glitchy post-bap and voice memo detritus. Three years later, he presents a homegrown offering that puts his own artistic identity into much clearer focus. Backed by a local five-piece instrumental ensemble dubbed The Clementi Sound Appreciation Club, he joins the ranks of Dutch imprint Rucksack Records with the distinctive and singular Porcelain Shield, Paper Sword. Loose yet precise drumming and evidently Eastern samples compliment the twisty lyricism and stoic delivery of "Oracle Bone Script" and "Tiger and The Ceiling." Other moments like "Dragon Tail" and "Thief And The Bell" feel more jazz-adjacent in their execution, with Mary Sue musing and positing throughout. His prevalently monotone vocal tone recalls Earl Sweatshirt circa I Don't Like Shit..., though he's wholly, assuredly original as he navigates the synthy squirm of "The Well" or the pleasant plod of "Minesweeper."
Bayway, The Recipe, Vol. 1
Hip-hop never left the hardcore scene, per se. But lately, bands like Gridiron and Bayway have upped the ante with new albums that build upon the heavy traditions of Biohazard and Cold World. Representing with the same unapologetic New Jersey pride as the hometown heroes of E-Town Concrete, frontman Jayway leads the group through a half hour of near-relentless brutality, in which classic beatdown sensibilities collide with boldly bellowed raps. Weighty breakdowns abound, as do pit-crushing riffs, but the confrontational lyrics on songs like "Streets Is Talkin" and "Watch Your Mouth" project just as much aggressive energy. As gratifying as the in-your-face contents of opener "Malocchio" may be, the realness projected on "World Of Suffering, Pt. 2" speaks volumes about the personal hardships and tragic losses that yielded such a furious point of view.
Three new tracks to snack on...
Milc & spinitch, "Mr. & Mrs. Smith (feat. Wynne)"
Brian Nasty, "Belly Of The Beast"
Rahim Samad, "Daylight"