Cutthroat - Words Can't Explain It Chapter 3 (For The People Entertainment)

Cutthroat is one of the founding members of For The People Entertainment, who I featured in the City Paper last year and are probably my favorite Baltimore hip hop label right now, mainly because they're an actual label with several artists who all put out their own albums, not just a vanity imprint for one artist/glorified CEO that the whole thing revolves around. And out of all the artists on FTP, Cutthroat is probably the one that makes the most solid and cohesive records, and finds a way to say some thoughtful shit without it getting too artsy or boring about it. Bear and Cutthroat both recently dropped solo CDs (this and a re-release of Bear's first album) in preparation for their collaborative project Silent Flutes, which I previewed a track from last year and am still really looking forward to. This CD features 10 new songs, and one bonus track, "Exquisite," which was one of my favorite songs on Chapter 2.5.

Cutthroat - "Ain't In Love Wit It" (mp3)
"You ain't in love with this music, you in love with diamonds, drugs and stacks/ and that's why this music don't love you back." I'm not usually real into songs that get preachy about materialism in rap or try to dictate that one person deserves to be in hip hop and someone else doesn't. But I'm feeling this song right now just because I do hear so many artists now that can't rap for shit and don't have anything to say, and I wonder why they bother. I mean, if they do have the passion for the music and just haven't gotten their skills up yet, or they're not the kind of animated performer that the love of it is really obvious, that's cool. But a lot of these dudes don't seem genuinely invested in it, which seems like a waste of their time to me.

Labels: Cutthroat, For The People Entertainment, mixtape/album review, mp3