Real life brothers Pusha T and Malice started their rap career in 1994 following Malice’s return from serving in the armed forces. However, it would take eight years for their debut album Lord Willin’ to come out after their original LP Exclusive Audio Footage was shelved by then record label Elektra following a disappointing reception to their lead single “The Funeral”. Flash forward two years when childhood friend (and legendary producer) Pharrell Williams would sign them to Arista Records, produce the album alongside Chad Hugo via his songwriting and production duo The Neptunes, and come full circle with the childhood friends whom he had originally suggested a decade prior became a rap duo.
If it feels like a Hollywood storybook, it sort of is, at least in a Scarface sort of way. Lord Willin’ is a semi-autobiographical account about selling cocaine on the streets of Virginia Beach, and the lyrical content reflects those brutal upbringings. From “Comedy Central” (“I keep the streets so numb they call me ‘Novocaine’/I turn over ‘caine, over and over again”) to “Virginia” (“In my home sweet home I keep chrome next to my bones / Alters my walk to limpin’, since I love the feel I guess I’m passionately pimpin’”), Lord Willin’ doesn’t mince words in its description of illicit drug trade and gratuitous violence.
What makes this album so compelling is how the brutal lyrical content fits so snugly into the bubblegum-pop and space-funk production from The Neptunes. The dichotomy is simply impeccable, like the childish staccato organ from “Ma, I Don’t Love Her” and the horns and vocal hook of Pharrell on “Cot Damn” which draws you in like a moth to flame. That combination of production chops and storytelling become irresistible the further you enter the world of Lord Willin’.
Standout Songs: “Virginia”, “Cot Damn”, “Gangsta Lean”, “Ma, I Don’t Love Her”
