Greed, hate, envy but cake will do
F*ck the game don't let the game F*ck you
Follow the rules, stay cool & rock jewels
Greed, hate, envy but cake will do
It was late 1999, almost 2 decades ago.
The end of the world was supposedly approaching and people were now
finally taking Prince’s “Party Like It’s” 1999 Hit
Single literally, overcrowding stores to stock up on water or
whatever they could get their hands on in case this was really
it. Around the world, hardly anyone knew what to initially
expect from the direction the culture would take post-12am and on
past January 1, 2000 but it was clear there would be no Global
Blackout, Apocalypse or Second Coming occurring to end our existence
here on earth.
What did become obvious pretty quickly,
however, was that Hip Hop Culture & the world of Rap were in for
a refreshing surprise, in the form of an unexpected or most
unfamiliar kind of facelift. Not everyone would agree with this
newly, fine-tuned approach to furthering the reach of the musically
driven culture but it would soon prove to be an inevitable wave that
no one could either stop nor Slo’ Down.
Cornell Haynes aka Nelly
released his Hit Single Country Grammar, just as the new
millennium was underway on February 29, 2000. Following the smash
success of this “Down, down baby” lullaby latent tune, he
released his highly anticipated debut album of the same name.
Recently certified Diamond (10 million albums sold in the US) in
2016, Country Grammar was a sound unlike anything which had
reached commercial success up until that time, across genres; a
cohesive & cleverly composed fusion of Rap with an
intentionally intertwined Pop feel within the vocal delivery,
as well as the acclaimed production.
It’s impossible to hear
today’s Hip Hop/Pop music and not give credit where it’s
rightfully due, as it pertains to the sounds or risks we hear artists
vocally take today and where the origins of such vocal precision in
melodic “rap-sing” delivery may’ve first been embossed into the
Culture or made to be, for lack of a better term, DOPE. Nelly
stepped out of the shadows with a clearly cut, courageous direction
in which his confidence alone sold fearlessly to onlookers –
listeners and innovative appreciators alike. He was somehow
effortlessly able to fan the white flames of success, due in major
part to his crossover infused approach to maintaining a melodic flow
throughout his musical appearances (which seamlessly set him apart
from everyone doing anything, at the time) & a brotherhood of a
force presented by the worldwide appeal given off by his group
affiliation with hometown favorites - the St. Luntatics. Their
collective effort would eventually open the door for other Missouri
artists like Chingy, Jibbs, J-kwon & others who would have a hand
in putting St. Louis’ stamp on the Hip Hop music map.
It was Nelly’s own smart work
in dedicating himself to his writing & perfecting his craft in
versatility, along with his relationship with the St. Lunatics,
which became the Achilles heel for the longevity seen in Nelly’s
career and relevancy, today. Nelly is said to have truly lived
out their “We All We Got” slogan as well, as can be heard on
popular group member Murphy Lee’s Hit single What Da Hook
Gon Be, by splitting all his record deals 50/50 with the St.
Lunatics. What Nelly ate, the St. Lunatics ate.
When Nelly was in the room with A-List Celebrity’s, so were the St.
Lunatics. His opportunities were also theirs. Collaboration,
effort, humility and loyalty must have been a few of the ingredients
in the glue holding this St. Louis Missouri hailing machine together.
Being void of Greed, Hate & Envy can clearly breed
success. The hope is that we can look back on this, how Nelly
did it & see us doing even better moving forward.
With recent
commercial Pop artists, such as: Flo Rida sing-rapping about Apple
Bottom Jeans “with the fur” – Nelly is not only a certified
legend in a lane lit by himself and his team, but also an innovator
who deserves to be humbly acknowledged for spearheading a direction
in the evolving sound of Hip Hop Music which has helped to keep our
culture alive. Indeed, forever and all day, We All We Got! -OmegaMcBride
The rising artist has had his hands on so many things this past year, this announcement is almost no surprise. With the close business relationship between Rob Potna & Donald XL Robertson, this seems like the perfect decision. Rob Potna & his Only The Life label has a distribution partnership with Donald XL Robertson's XLP Distribution company. Between both creatives the amount of streams, songs written, and RIAA gold & platinum accolades, this duo is unstoppable. Rob Potna recently stated "Its an honor to be known as someone that doesn't just make great music, but also now finds great music". He also mentioned that this position would in no way effect the release of new music & content for his fans who have been patiently waiting for the "Only The Life" album to be released. We think this is a great move for Rob Potna & the future independent success stories that will come from this new move.
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