Theophilus London ft. A$AP Rocky – Big Spender

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This track will appear on the upcoming album Rose Island.

Big Pun – Off Wit His Head

Big Pun’s Off Wit His Head from his 2000 album Yeeeah Baby is perhaps one of the most underrated songs of the last 20 years. Its production, though favoring synthesized instruments and voices to authentic live recordings, is peerless. I’d compare it to Puff Daddy’s classic “Victory (feat. Notorious B.I.G.)”. Off Wit His Head is prototypical thug rap layered over classical instruments (including a strong harpsichord, synthesized violin, and synthesized cello), but what sets it apart are its melodic vocal hooks that seem as if they’d be right at home in a classical operetta. Meanwhile, a computer-synthesized chorus adds a sense of grandeur and gravitas, which is precisely the kind of element that is necessary to balance out the whimsically amateurish synth instruments. The track is peppered with lyrics that show Big Pun to be an unapologetic hedonist:

“…I don’t give a fuck! Til I die, I’mma live it up…”

Other passages show that Pun knows his death is near, but illustrate his desire to stubbornly go down swinging:

“…I ain’t ready to die, bury me alive…”

The classically-themed beat, operatic vocals and frighteningly prescient lyrics were indeed a deadly combination: Big Pun died on February 7th, 2000, just two months before the album was released.

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