J.A.M.E.S. Watts hasn’t released much music as of late, but promises to “set off the summer months with some fresh new material”. The song included on this post isn’t a freestyle and it’s not a remix. Confused? Here’s what J.A.M.E.S. had to say:
For starts, I decided to put my own spin on Jay-Z’s “Dead Presidents” — not a freestyle, as it’s a written rhyme (and I hate that anything not considered an official song is now a ‘freestyle’), and not a remix, since nothing was…well, remixed.
Instead, this is the first of what I have dubbed the “re-fix” – a reworking of a song that I feel didn’t quite live up to its instrumental’s potential, or simply a chance for me to get my rhyming ”fix” in. What can I say? I live for things like this.
DOWNLOAD: J.A.M.E.S. Watts – Dead Presidents (The Re-Fix)
the ghost of shake > shake
nothing personal tho shake, you’ve been holdin it down but this ghost stay supplying that heat!
you do realize. i’m forwarding all this to him right? smh…
Dont shake your head Shake……apparently it is damaged. Im goin through some crazy illness-ness aswell at the moment so I feel you pain.
New JAMES Watts = Good Day
This shit is really hot!! I digs this shit!
SideNote:
He gets a major downgrade and NO NO for saying this.
“…reworking of a song that I feel didn’t quite live up to its instrumental’s potential”
He gets a major downgrade for those comments. I can’t respect him for that. Hopefully I can hear more shit from him that will help me forget those comments.
@SHOWMAN3000 – Thanks so much for the compliment, I’m glad that you enjoyed the track.
I didn’t mean any disrespect to anyone’s work with my description of the re-fix, but as a lyricist, I always hear beats that I feel an MC could really kill; at times that’s an R&B track or pop song that someone has sung on as opposed to spitting on, so it makes you want to attack it in that way; other times, it’s a rap song, and the track will be so hard but it seems as if the rapper didn’t really appreciate its greatness by the way he/she rhymed over it.
I never intended to make it seem as if I was passing judgment on anyone’s art; I guess that’s just the competitive spirit of being an MC.
And I NEVER would apply that principle to “Dead Presidents” — Jay murdered it. The original was nothing less than sheer inspiration. In this case, this was one of those tracks that just had me aching to rhyme over it, and so I needed my “fix” — therefore the name still applies.
I hope this clears up any confusion, and that I’m absolved of my downgrade. Nonetheless, I appreciate the honesty, and that you took the time to leave a comment.
Peace!
Mah Brutha, I can see you are a real dude, and true to the art of MCing. This is the first time I heard something from you and I must say I was highly impressed. I can’t think of a time when I have heard an MC spit over a beat and do it as if the original track never even existed, and for that I have to say you are a talent kid! Keep ya head where it is b/c your music is dope. STAY UP!!!
@J.A.M.E.S. WATTS
I hope you read this because I was just being honest and I hope you took with you the good parts of my criticism more than the other parts of my opinions.
I do totally agree with your assessment. Maybe I was a bit harsh but that’s how I felt (lol)! All my opinions on rap are based on hip-hop integrity and knowledge. So I get defensive when any artist comes across as not paying attention to the insults they make at people without precise caution in their statements. That being said your response to my comment showed me that you DO have a complete understanding.
So it’s obviously that this was a case of me getting lost in the words of your commentary and not actually speaking to the person in person to understand fully. That’s one of the drawbacks of the internet, blogs, emails and texting.
Again this shit was impressive & dope. My ears are open!
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