Album Review – Wazeer the Great – My Way
On July 10, 2013, the Universe shifted in the realm of Hip Hop. As an avid underground Hip Hop Head, I witnessed something truly unparalleled to what is being pushed in today’s commercialize rap, that surfaced like a rose through concrete. Wazeer The Great, a Houston based MC and music producer, released his debut album My Way. While demonstrating his raw lyrical and musical talent, he simultaneously challenges ALL of today’s so-called Hip Hop artists to admit they’ve been bought out by and sold to the conglomerate entity many mistake as “the music industry”.
In this 9 track compilation, Wazeer takes an authentic and unadulterated lyrical stance against the dumb-down trend that many radio stations push that lack substance, originality and the fundamental Elements required to be qualified as Hip Hop.
My Way begins with the straight forward track entitled “Golden”, featuring Terri B, that details the harsh reality of today’s artists who are making songs that retard the minds and pockets of the unsuspecting as well as being pimped and made fools of in exchange for the “Top 10 video” and a few table scraps. Wazeer’s overall message is not only for those making these songs but to those mistaking what they’re bobbing their heads to as music when it’s actually mind manipulation into a worse condition. It’s almost as if Wazeer is exposing the crack dealer to the fiend who thinks that the substance they’re receiving will extend their life when in fact it’s expediting their demise; first through the mind and then the body.
The track “Golden” begins with Terri B bringing in the hook with the following words:
They ain’t got no soul/
They done sold it all for nothing/
Quick to stray off their road/
As Long as they over there stuntin/
Whether that’s right or wrong/
They don’t give a damn bout that they paid/
Ain’t got no shame/
I guess the don’t mind that they living in chains as long as they golden/
Wazeer comes in with the following verses:
Your hopeless soul is stolen/
Artist gettin raped no Trojan/
Got you wide open/
The Smell of the dollar is potent/
Stronger than the 80’s hulk hogan/
The game just stroking/
Goin deeper in your mental/
Now you all sinful/
But god owns you/
They just rent you/
And pimp you/
Remember this is just the devils agenda/
Giving you dementia/
Making you forget who you Ken to/
The builders of the pyramids still live within you/
So think of your potential/
But this is not revealed how they deal with us/
Queen is a bad b*tch/
King is a real n*gga/
Damn/
But who am I to talk/
I ain’t got a halo/
God got the say so/
They trying to prepare for the war as the days go /
But what’s an automatic weapon to a tornado/
Yea You got yo deal/
But you lost your will/
So tell me was it worth it/
On the televisions see Nicki Minaj on the billboard twerking/
The white folks smerking/
As she bends over her hand hovers over her volva/
Welcome to the new world order/
Where soon we gon all see doom/
And it’s brought in by these well paid coons/
See this ain’t dis/
It shole ain’t a lie/
I try to provide/
To those who deprived/
That’s why I reside/
On the winner side/
Your life’s on the line so I would
decide to change up quick/
Unless you wanna die/
You labels ain’t slick/
Can’t hide your descise/
So take this as a warning to you and the warden/
You both being charged with the hardships you causing/
This god sent/
Wazeer holds absolutely no bars as he proceeds throughout the entire album creatively reminding the listener what true music and Hip Hop is supposed to be about and sound like, with his unapologetically honest approach to real life struggles in tracks such as “Never Know” featuring Nehanda, yet, bringing a balance of party music with the tracks “Bounce” and “Playin’ Games” featuring Isa Ibn.
The fullness of Wazeer’s engineering and writing skills are increasingly articulated in this fold of brilliance as he continues to master the craft of music composition. This skill is something the average artist isn’t keen to. The MC, which is one of the 4 Elements of Hip Hop, must not only be able to “move the crowd”, but also write his own lyrics, which sadly is not the case in today’s utility of manufactured ventriloquist dummy doll-like rappers.
However, the world of Hip Hop is not at loss. I’ve seen it with my own eyes, in a crowd of youth as well as mature adults who are also self-acclaimed Hip Hop Heads, wave their hands in the air and wave them like they just don’t care to the bona fide talent of Wazeer The Great and his far above the ground energy that to me can only be described in the words of our brother as something that “feels familiar, but it’s different”.
I encourage EVERYONE to get their copy of Wazeer’s debut album, My Way, and show love and support a TRUE artist, lyricist and musician! Wazeer is one of the few diamonds among pebbles that you don’t want to sleep on! #iCopThat
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The Exclusive with Wazeer The Great
Ebony S. Muhammad (EM): When did you first fall in love with Hip Hop (smile)? Who were and are your major influences and why?
Wazeer the Great (WG): The moment I can say I really fell in love with Hip Hop was when I was about 3 years old, and I wanted to be Tupac. That whole West Coast sound is the music I associate with my earliest memories. Songs like “California Love” and “Gin and Juice”, I can remember being in my car seat throwing up the West Side. Yet, as I got older I really gravitated to artists such as Outkast, Missy Elliot, Eminem, and Busta Rhymes. They were and still are some of my biggest influences when it comes to thinking outside of the box and not being afraid to venture outside of the norm when constructing a song. My main influences now would have to be Jay Electronica, Lupe Fiasco, Kanye West, J. Cole and Kendrick Lamar. They are the only ones that I can hear a verse from and it sparks an idea.
EM: I understand that you majored in music engineering and you produce you own beats. What was the process like to learn the technical and scientific aspect of music? What was the most challenging part to creating beats while in school, and how are you learning to perfect your craft?
WG: When I first explored the possibility of taking rap as a serious profession, I knew that I couldn’t keep doing songs over popular beats and be taken serious as an artist. Once that was decided, I began tinkering with a program called Fruity Loop Studios and learned the basics of building a track. In the beginning my tracks were nowhere near usable, but I made up in my mind to get better with every track I made. Something that really helped my craft was the time I spent interning in a studio with some of the best producers in Houston, one of which was the winner of a national beat battle. I spent about 10 months there soaking up any information I could and critically comparing my work to theirs. The final step in my evolution to be become the producer I am today was deciding to leave the University of Houston and transfer to Houston Community College to major in what I love, Audio Engineering. This was the best decision I’ve made, because I just finished 2 semesters there and the knowledge I gained allowed me to produce 2 projects. That is the way I perfect my craft. I continue to learn and grow, getting better with every beat I produce and every bar I write.
EM: One of the many lines from you album that stuck out to me is “It feels familiar but it’s different”. You were referring to your style and sound. As a Hip Hop Head I agree with you. You’ve found your own style, yet, it adheres to the unspoken laws of Hip Hop. What do you feel the industry is missing?
WG: In my opinion the industry is lacking depth and variety in subject matter, and the demand for a certain level of skill and quality. It’s like the majority of the mainstream rappers are all talking about the exact same thing. I believe Hip Hop should stretch far beyond sex and money. If you think of all the emotional highs and lows, the times of triumph and times you’ve felt like you fell short, all the regrets and what-ifs, that’s just a few but there are countless aspects of the human experience. You can never run out of topics that should be touched on in a song that can help one of you listeners fight through a traumatic experience or even inspire a mind that could change this world for the better. We have to realize the power of Hip Hop.
EM: When people listen to your music what are you hoping to achieve with them? What would you like for them to learn from you and gain as a result of “pressing play”?
WG: One of my driving themes is encouraging people to listen to that voice in their head that tells them to do the right thing. That is the God within and your Source of true power to bring into reality what you desire. I want my listeners to hear my music and realize they are valuable and capable of doing whatever it is they want. That’s why I often shun the wasting of time and emphasize the fact that I am working. We cannot spend precious time doing foolish things. Like the Messenger, the Honorable Elijah Muhammad, said we must get up and go to work.
EM: Where can we see and hear more from you (i.e. concerts, purchase album, social media connections, etc.)?
WG: 9/26/13 I will be performing at club numbers, and 10/1/13 at the sunny side night out. For all up dates you can follow me on twitter @WazeerTheGreat and in IG @wazeer_ and PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE purchase my album at http://abrighterday.bandcamp.com/ and tell 2 friends. I have no label so I am supported by the people I serve.
EM: Is there anything else you would like to add?
WG: I would just like to thank everyone who has supported my music so far. Without y’all I wouldn’t be where I am now.
