Steve 'Flash' JuonLaPreston Porter, better known to the rap world as Snootie Wild, was only 36 years old when he passed away on February 25th three years ago. Had he lived two more months he would have been 37. Either way his is another unfortunate example of rappers dying too young in a genre where it’s far too common. Even though it has been a few years I was thinking about Snootie due to my Year In Review editorial last week. We had only reviewed one album he did before his passing and I’m not going to lie to you — it was a little bit harsh. I’m not telling you it was unfair but I will say it wasn’t personal nor did I wish the violence on him his killer clearly did.
It’s a bitter pill to swallow that one of the three albums of his to hit in a big way was titled “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Me.” If that was really the case he’d still be here with us. We all have to go sometime but Porter deserved a better ending than that, and his murder left four children without a father. Their wounds will never be fully healed. Listening to “Street Warrior” featuring Yo Gotti shows me a little more of his personality, his rap style, and what made him a regional success before he made waves on a national scale. For better or worse though this is a DJ Drama mixtape so you have to put up with repeated interruptions and “Gangsta Grizz-illz” shoutouts.
“Broke Bitches” is probably my favorite song here even though it’s probably the one that made his haters the maddest. “Suicide do’s on my muh’fuckin’ foreign car” brags Wild, flashing all the success he was experiencing at the time to an undeniably catchy instrumental. Play this in the whip and you’ll really hear the bass thump (unless your system sucks). I said back in the day that Yo Gotti had picked Snootie Wild to be the future of CMG, and if you had any doubt about that he’s all over this mixtape on tracks like “12.” It’s another banger.
I feel like I’m veering dangerously close to revisionist history since Snootie Wild sounds better to me now than he did a decade ago. In reality that just shows how much the rap scene has changed. Someone who was near to being average in talent or ability back then seems so doper by today’s standards. I’m also cognizant of the fact that as a “mixtape” there was a lax attitude about sample clearance that wouldn’t be present in an official studio album, so no matter how smooth “Roxanne” sounds, it might never have flown beyond this quasi-release.
I’m also more inclined to be charitable to Snootie because even though he does like to sing he doesn’t hide behind excessive audio trickery when doing so. What’s really eerie though is hearing “They Hatin” a/k/a “Hatin” featuring Boosie Badazz. It’s the musical equivalent of hearing “You’re Nobody (Til Somebody Kills You)” by The Notorious B.I.G., except this song came out before Snootie Wild’s demise and not after. There’s even a music video to go along with it.
I can’t lie to you and say Snootie Wild was a wordsmith who dropped incredible bars. “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Me” has a lot of personality, some great beats, and some excellent featured stars. It doesn’t necessarily have the kind of quotable memorable raps that you’ll be thinking about in another 10 years unless you are his biggest fan and only listen to his shit and nothing else. This is all a roundabout way of saying that I wish he was still here today, because if he was on tour in my area I’d pay money to see him. He was at least better than I initially gave him credit for, and I enjoyed giving him a second chance here. RIP LaPreston Porter.