Grant JonesThe Wu-Tang Clan may be held responsible for accelerating Hip-Hop’s cultural infatuation with martial arts’ and its more balletic approach to violence during the 1990s, but action-flick favourites like Schwarzenegger and Stallone dominated the discourse amongst young men a decade earlier. Carl Weathers worked with both actors, firstly in the Rocky franchise, then in the brilliant 1987 film Predator with Arnie, before all three actors softened up by branching into comedies and dramas. More recently, Weathers returned with the wildly successful Creed films, a fresh take on the Rocky characters forty years on from the first Academy Award-winning entry, before he sadly passed away earlier this year.
This Stallone and Weathers haven’t been around as long, but aren’t exactly new on the scene either. Also known as the emcee Precyce Politix and producer K-Hill, “The Cost of Doing Business” is the North Carolina duo’s second album, after their debut project “Precyce Politix and K-Hill are: Stallone & Weathers” released seven years ago. What’s immediately apparent from pressing play on this record is that this doesn’t feel like a record trying to recreate those earlier decades – it’s decidedly modern with production that is crisp, clean and punchy. K-Hill fans will be well aware of his talents behind the boards, but he’s blessed these songs with something on a higher level from his earlier years working with 9th Wonder and Khrysis. Maybe he’s learnt from the best, but I found myself consistently bopping my neck to tracks such as “Soul Guard” and “7 Grand”.
What the two artists have in common with Stallone and Weathers is that tough aesthetic. The drums slap hard like shadowboxing inside a meat factory; the bass swings in like an overhand right from Riddick; I had to verify my ears weren’t looking like cauliflower after removing my headphones. “Gloves in the Summer” isn’t about boxing gloves, but it may as well be, pounding your skull with the piano like Alicia Keys when she catches Swizz sneaking a go on her Yamaha.
Politix sits snugly between both Supastition and Skyzoo as far as who he reminds me of. There’s introspection tussling with bravado and an imposing delivery that captures your ear and refuses to let go. Unemployment and getting back on your feet is covered on “Walk Again”, brotherhood and survival on “Blessed Be The One”, but it’s “Convertible Steez” that shines brightest as one of the songs I’ve bumped the most during 2024. Sure, this album dropped back in December, but you know that month often disappears into the ether when it comes to review coverage. But this song is worth shouting about all these months later – just listen to it.
We all know how great Masta Ace is, and how Nas has proven his critics wrong with a late-career renaissance. LL Cool J is back. Busta Rhymes is still at it. But nobody is talking about how O.C. hasn’t lost a step. He murders “Convertible Steez” with a verse demonstrating how the greats can do so much with so little time, but it’s most notable for having a great hook. In this age of dumbed-down drill and quirky, hyper-lyrical writing, just nailing a good hook seems to be a bit of a dying art.
I’ve wrestled with whether this album is better in this format or not, because individual tracks do possess a quality to them that excels within a dedicated DJ set list, best demonstrated by listening to the Rap Is Outta Control show with DJ Eclipse and DJ Riz. Pretty much every song here sounds dope when scratched into a mix, and in 2024, Stallone and Weathers felt purposefully designed for a Hip-Hop head’s radio show, but listening to the album on its own, it loses a little something. When Eclipse is present on the song “Soul Guard”, it feels more alive, and I believe the S&W style would be elevated further with some more scratching. It is to be commended for actually having chemistry between the two artists, particularly when K-Hill jumps on the mic himself, so it sounds like I’m picking holes in a good project, but it’s the difference between good and great.