Nipsey Hussle’s mastered the art of being ever present as it applies to music. Ever since his departure from Epic Records the L.A. MC has maintained the helm of his own ship, which has allowed him to release material in steady doses to fans, the latest coming in the form of his five-song project, Famous Lies and Unpopular Truths.
Truthfully, the wait since 2013 for a proper follow-up to Victory Lap has been irrelevant considering how irrelevant true “albums” are in today’s landscape. What Nipsey’s done is figured out that releasing single songs on at a consistent pace like an intravenous drip is all one needs in order to keep his name in the conversation. Periodically, Nip will switch from his Marathon Monday singles and share with fans bundled projects like Slauson Boys 2 and Famous Lies… composed of four previously released tracks paired with one new one in the project’s title track.
For only five songs, the features are a bit on the heavy side: Rick Ross pops up for “Mark My Words,” Freeway for “Fucc Em” and Cuzzy Capone is on three songs in total. The remarkable part is how focused and cohesive each track sounds. Everyone who is involved shares one characteristic their overall independence. For Hussle, all of the songs are packed with similar mantras about trusting no one, except those who’ve been down since day one.
“Grind strenuous, cash out continuous
Mogul in the making, autonomous black businesses
Broken culture that we all lost n****s in
Elevated innovation over ignorance
I represent it
Suburban tinted, fiver that’s percentage
Clothes current, but the Mac-11 muzzle vintage
Ghost flourish, double back and come and get your n****s”
The strategy is a mix of self-preservation combined with a communal spirit, one that has help Nip create a diehard following who rides for him and will go into their pockets to prove it when asked to. And, it’s earned him praise from the likes of Hov, another crafty businessman who understands the power that comes from independence. The frame of mind works well for Nipsey and that doesn’t change with Famous Lies and Unpopular Truths. Stream the project for free below, courtesy of DatPiff.
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