No, you’re not seeing double – today’s feature lineup includes not one but two tracks titled I’m ILL. Since I’m all about sowing seeds of discord, I’ll go ahead and pose the obvious question: which deserves to be called the ill-est? Ex-Firm emcee AZ‘s entry in our impromptu contest, the first street single off his forthcoming Doe or Do 2 LP, certainly has a lot going for it. MoSS, the beatsmith who recently earned reader acclaim for Obie Trice tracks I Am and On & On, takes a less chaotic but equally street-certified approach here, serving up an authoritative piano loop as the Brooklyn veteran delivers bars packed with vivid lyrical imagery (he even manages to work in a Humpty Hump reference, which is always worth a few points in my book). Northeastern mainstay Statik Selektah contributes some authentic guest cuts on the hook, working his magic on a vocal sample from Weezy‘s ‘08 smash, A Milli. Does this track out-ill Red Cafe‘s effort? I’ll leave that to you to decide. In any case, fans can find plenty more hot new material on AZ’s tenth studio album (the sequel to his ‘95 debut) when it drops in the first quarter of 2010.
Listen to More: AZ Written by richard
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Member Reviews and Ratings
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DJ Booth Crew Total Ratings: 2476 |
Which I'm Ill is better? Hmmmm...the Red Cafe version is meant to be more enjoyable, while this is more openly harder, so they're hard to directly compare...is it a cop out if I say it's a draw?
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Crew Total Ratings: 11633 |
I prefer this version of Red Cafe's version (also featured today), but I am not sure that alone is saying much (no shots being fired, FYI). AZ's flow has always been his niftiest skill and its on-point (like always) here.
PS. Moss, your flight is boarding. |
| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 687 |
This track is the ill-est
That third verse was so ILL! The beat has grown on me too. I hope AZ can make a solid album. Deniable got old after a few songs of all the same flow and similar beats. |
| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 544 |
Pretty dope but I gotta go with Red's version too. I like AZ esp. his Doe or Do album but he was a bit boring, Moss's beat was my favorite thing about the song.
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 1642 |
dang. i know i shuda sent my "I'm Ill" track to the booth. oh well.
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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Tastemaker |
I'll say this one is the ill-est. AZ impressed me (better than Red Cafe) and I liked that piano loop is tight. I'll askanother quesiton: Which sample was better?
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 67 |
East Coast Shyt! AZ always comes correct w/ the rhymes. Scratching Waynes Ill sample is much more effective than how Red Cafe used Jay's Ill sample. I do like that beat a little more though...
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 639 |
This is WAY more ill than the other ill song!!
The weezy sample is cool but it almost sounds like saying "i'm eww" Rotation like the other eww |
| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 4267 |
To answer questions raised by @Richard and @GStan ... well, lets say I'm sending my get well soon wishes to AZ rather than to those who are faking it. :p
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
DOPE!!!!!!!
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 42 |
Not the fan of the beat but I am a fan of AZ...wish his recent albums had better production...
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 78 |
He is ILL but the production not really
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
I actually dig the production. AZ's on lyrically as always.
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| Posted on Dec 14, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
def. a banger, no doubt . AZ is one of the greatest .
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| Posted on Dec 15, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
Not that good! Too much going on in the back ground to reflect the hook.
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| Posted on Dec 15, 2009 |
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| Posted on Dec 15, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 27 |
the real!!!!!!
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| Posted on Dec 15, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member Total Ratings: 69 |
ya'll trippin man this thing knocks! az has never lost a step..(well maybe that last album was ehh)
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| Posted on Dec 16, 2009 |
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Tastemaker Total Ratings: 2065 |
Like this one more so much more than red cafe's, I would def. play this over the other one any day of the week.
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| Posted on Dec 17, 2009 |
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| Posted on Dec 19, 2009 |
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DJ Booth Member |
beat bangs
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| Posted on Jan 15, 2010 |