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Here's where I am with M.O.P. They're great, but once you have one or two records, you kind of have them all. Like, they don't have a great range, and they put together some nice bars (that sometimes go under-appreciated by audiences who just get into their hooks and shouting), but it sort of feels like they're either remaking the same song with slight variances, or they're experimenting in a bad way... remember when they were going to front a rock band in the early 2000s? But, that basically means, you don't need to keep adding new M.O.P. records into your collection, unless they happen to have a really great beat. And "World Famous" has got it.
It's produced by Jaz (yes, the "Hawaiian Sophie" guy), and it's just a really great loop. It's surprisingly kind of mellow for the Mash Out Posse. I mean, yeah the drums snap kinda hard, but it feels like an old 70s soulful track. But thankfully, the guys play against that and come really high energy and hard, which works perfectly. Lyrically, it's pretty much just them selling themselves to us ("Hardcore was raw but we got more to hurt 'em. Firing Squad all up in your district. Last album was phat, but yet some missed it. But they gone get with this shit. Who's in the house? It's the last generation, real ill niggas from the 'ville you be facin'. '96 flava for your neighbor; how ya like us now?"), which is one part of what makes this feel like a lead single. It feels very "wait'll you hear our upcoming album," though it had already come out in '96.
Anyway, that's on here as the Album Version, Instrumental, Acapella... and something unique called "World Famous/Downtown Swinga" (Video Version)." That's because they did one of those music videos for two tracks at once, where they play half of each song to get both out there for the cost of one. Plus, DJ Premier produced "Downtown Swinga," so even though "World Famous" had the more addictive beat, I think they wanted Premier's name, because he was really becoming recognized as a selling point in the mid 90s. But listening to halves of a song is nowhere near as satisfying as listening to whole ones, so I can't say this is too exciting. In fact, I don't care for that whole practice at all. Let's move on.
Because we're here for the fifth and final track on this single, anyway: "DJ Premier Medley," which is not on the album or anywhere else. It's nothing super essential, so don't get too excited, but it's interesting. It's a mix by DJ Uneek of Crooklyn's Finest (not that Uneek), and like Will guessed, it is a medley of Premier MOP songs, but far from all of them, or even a greatest hits. Only tracks from Firing Squad, so in a way, it plays like "snippets," which is another reason why this all feels like a lead single. But it's better than snippets, it's a genuine mix and Uneek really does something on the turntables, including lots of cuts and some juggling. It's more than just radio blends. It starts out with "Brownsville," then you get a little of the "Stick To Ya Gunz" instrumental before diving into "New Jack City." It's definitely not a reason to run out and track down the 12" like some lost Premier gem; I can see why I forgot all about it. By the time the single came out, I already had the album with those songs, so the value was mostly just in Uneek's cuts. But it's kinda neat, and at least makes the single a little more interesting.
