Steve 'Flash' Juon“Fucc Everybody” came out a year after 03 Greedo had been released from prison. I’m not about to tell you he shouldn’t still be angry. The fact he did four years of a potential 20 year sentence on drug and gun charges is still four years he can’t get back. The prison system in America has long been a trap for black men and women, whether they are famous entertainers or everyday folks. You can wind up locked down for years just awaiting trial on far more spurious charges than those Jason Jackson was facing. You could have a few ounces of something for your own personal use, get a “trafficking” charge and spend the rest of your life in a tiny concrete cell. I’m not telling you anything you don’t already know.
When 03 says all of his success “Made Me a Target” he’s not exaggerating. There were plenty of people waiting on his downfall — jealous rivals, law enforcement, YouTube drama channels, take your pick. Frankly saying “Fucc Everybody” shouldn’t even come as a surprise coming out of 03 Greedo’s mouth. He’s entitled to that. And you know what else? Fucc me too. I’ve tried to give Mr. Jackson a fair shake over the years, but I’ve never been his biggest fan. My age definitely doesn’t help. I come from what’s colloquially called the “golden era” of rap, when the biggest names were N.W.A and Public Enemy. Rappers didn’t mumble, they seldom if ever sang, and if they did it wasn’t for a whole song. I’ve tried my best to stay with rap as it evolved in the last 15 years, but the closest I can get to relating here is the song “Been Watchin You.” 03 starts the track out spitting regular bars with his sandpaper vocals until he ultimately switches over to crooning. For a little bit at least I could dig it thanks to a piano and funk melody that could have come from DJ Quik. Since he released this as a free album though liner notes to know who actually did it are non-existent.
I’m also partial to the old Kanye West style vibes of “Glocc Inna Booth” — you know, before ‘Ye went crazy. I’d swear I hear a producer drop at the beginning of the track but I can’t make out what it says. It could be “I believe in you Asia” or “I believe in you Ancient” but neither one showed up on a search request. Hell I even tried going to Genius to see if they had the 411 but since nobody has submitted the lyrics to this release they don’t have any production notes to go with the songs. It’s a dead end.
It also amuses me that 03 Greedo titled a song “Proceed to the Route,” something we’re probably all familiar with being told by our phones when trying to drive somewhere new. As for the track it’s more of a vibe than a performance? I enjoy the heavy bass thumps and very lightly tapped snare hits combined with electronic melodics, and you can’t deny 03 Greedo has a lot of swagger to his slurry syrupy singing. It’s a case of style over substance. Perhaps that’s why nobody ever typed this song up. It doesn’t really matter what he says because it’s all about the music and not the message.
Even though I said “fucc me too” earlier in this review, the truth is I’m not an 03 Greedo hater. Nah. I actually enjoy most of his work and I enjoyed “Fucc Everybody” too. I enjoy him the way you would enjoy a sugary can of soda or a cheap bar of chocolate. We all know it’s empty calories with no nutrition and it’s probably not good for you, and you definitely shouldn’t try to live on a diet of it, but once in a while it won’t hurt you. He’s not going to be the first OR the last rapper I turn to when I need a musical fix, but if I have auto play rolling in the ride and he comes on, I’m not automatically reaching for the steering wheel to skip to the next song.