MONA LISA REMINDS PRODUCERS TO STICK TO WHAT THEY KNOW AND GIVE EMCEES THE MIC

SO I got hold of this album around the same time I got Kev Brown’s latest project. Both albums are by dope producers who are unforgiving in the dismantling of samples.
But what stood out to me when I began bumping Apollo Brown and Joell Ortiz’s Mona Lisa, is that these producers need to chill behind the mic and hand the scrumptious beats to dope rappers.
I couldn’t even get through Kev Brown’s project, it was dope but too long and listening to him rap makes me cringe. Apollo and Joell coming together is perfect as the black and white on a chess piece. It works.
Cocaine Fingertips epitomises the duo’s chemistry. Not once did I get a sense that Apollo compromised himself for Joell, nor vice versa. But like a perfect relationship, the two brought the best out of each other.
Joell is a fine storyteller I first came across a couple of years ago through Eminem’s passion project, Slaughterhouse-one of the dopest rapping cliques the game has ever witnessed. That he could stand out, standing next to Cooked-I, Joe Budden and Royce da 5’9” says a lot about Joell as an emcee.
I’ve listened to his work and till this day Free Agent remains my personal favourite in his discography, but Mona Lisa sits right next to it.
What makes Joell more pleasurable to listen to on this album, is that he’s on beats you wouldn’t often have him spit on. They are heartfelt thanks to Apollo’s penchant of cutting old school soulful joints. These are the sort of beats usually reserved for kats who would sign for Mellow Music Group- dope kats, but a bit too lethargic and quite frankly, too mellow. Joell rips these babies apart, bar after bar.
Joell does get on his mellow shit though on Come Back Home, being introspective about his career and life -admitting that he’ll never pop in the game like mainstream rappers do. The beat that reminded me of Apollo’s 11th Hour and Know the Time (both from his Clouds project). Despite being all smooth in narrating his story, there’s a part in the second verse of the track where the lion that is Joell cannot be tamed. Saying;
I keep it pushin’, beat cookin’
Rep Brooklyn, give whooping’s,
Through the pen like it’s summertime in the bookings
Kats from Brooklyn rep their hood, with every opportunity they’re presented with and Joell takes you through Brooklyn projects and the goings on there in My Block. WIth so much pride. It’s a Hip Hop head’s joint, with a number of rhyme schemes he has on display.
Add ’em a lil’ water, that Eve, I hit the block
Long as I got that ‘cain, I’m able to flip the rock,
I swear to God, I finger-fuck this fortyorty,
like we in a orgy, and have these bullets shakin’ up
whoever comin’ for me, sexy thot talk from a G that pulls strings
Petty as Timberlan’d Up with Royce is, it’s a funny ass dope joint of grown men going hard on new age rappers. It would’ve been doper though, had the two went back and forth together in the last verse.
If you’re into dope raps on rich beats, then Mona Lisa is for you. It might be a bore to one who isn’t into real raps, but wants hooks and catchy beats. Joell has nice quotable punchlines, which helps make his music stick.
One comment
Katlego
11/15/2018 at 9:37 AM
I ain’t gon’ lie, a lot of this is hard to take
I’m watchin’ ’em praise the okay and overlook the great
I’m not sayin’ that they ain’t straight
I’m just sayin’ that- nevermind
No matter what they gon’ turn this shit into hate
This is his Ortis’ opening verse on Reflections. I feel like that sets the tone on what to expect. He is very nostalgic on the album. My Block is that homage to Brooklyn, That James Brown sample on Cocain Tips and that whole opening verse is just too sick, like so much disrespect:
Before I say anything that offends you
I just wanna say, fuck you
And every male that you look up to
Your daddy, brother and uncle
Your basketball coach
The public school mascot that used to hug you
That pastor that butt-fucked you
Holy shit – yeah, holy shit
“That Place” is the epitome of Ortis’ storytelling on the album. How he merges life and death into the story and the story of the kids birth is too vivid. You can reimagine all of it.
Decisions is my next favourite joint on the album. You hear him again reflect on his career and the decisions he had to take and why his career is where it is today and how he feels about all of it.
I will say though, comparing this offering to Kev browns is unfair. I feel they are music for different moods. If you listen to Kev’s offering, its more of a Cold Sunday Afternoon indoors with a warm cup of coffee. Its not suppose to be anything timeless like Mona-Lisa or a Mona-Lisa, hence aptly titled, Fill in the _.
Lastly how dare you say Kev Brown shouldn’t rap on his own beats. We haven’t had anything from his stable unlike Apollo who has a plethora of artists jumping on his beats. Skyzoo released, Locksmith released, and Joel again. We are still waiting for a follow up album from Kenn Starr. I feel this Kev album was necessary even if to show us he still has the sampling on lock. Joel could’ve jumped on any of those beats on Fill in the _.