Patrick TaylorFirst off, this isn’t a review of the entire album of “Oasis,” but rather a four-track press advance for the album, which should come out on November 24th. I say “should” because it’s original October 27th release date already came and went with no album. Secondly, I’m not familiar with A.G. or O.C., I’ve never listened to Showbiz and A.G., and I don’t own anything by the Digging in the Crates Crew (D.I.T.C.). Not because I have anything against them, understand, but we’ve just never crossed paths. Finally, I’m not a huge fan of the hardcore East Coast style of rap that O.C. and A.G. specialize in. I respect it, but It’s not my thing. My copy of Mobb Deep’s “The Infamous” is collecting dust on my shelf, and the few spins I’ve given the new Cormega is enough to convince me that while I admire the man, I’m not a fan.
The lyrics on “Oasis” sum up what I don’t like this kind of rap. They are all about how hard the MCs are, how much money they have, how much pussy they get, and how they will fuck up your effeminate faggot ass. It’s all presented as bluntly as possible, like a hammer to the skull. On “Think About It,” they rap:
“My life
Wild life
Saw me in a range
In a benz
In a jag
With broads
But of course”
Gotcha. You have nice cars and pretty women. Check. You know it’s 2009 and not 1999, right? “Young With Style” is about having freaky sex, and “2 For the Money” is about all the money they have and the many, many things they spend it on. It benefits from a banging beat with some nice blaxploitation strings, and the MCs sound more motivated and fired up, delivering lines worthy of their legacies. “Put It In the Box” is the best track on this sampler, rocking a similar beat to “2 For the Money,” with A.G rapping:
“Put me in a box but my soul you can’t capture
It’s just a body in front of the pastor
Say I’m God cuz I am
Wouldn’t say it if I wasn’t
And I got the devil in me
You ain’t know that we was cousins”
No one can accuse him of being modest. When they put some effort into it, like on “Put It In the Box” and “2 For the Money,” O.C. and A.G. deliver solid if unremarkable hardcore hip hop. I’m not impressed by their tales of bitches and dollars or their deliveries, but I know that there is a fan base out there who thinks I’m an idiot for not liking this. Then again, they probably are planning on buying it anyways. I can’t speak for the whole album, but after hearing these four songs, I’m not going to go out of my way to pick it up.