Rapper Big Pooh’s Hip Hop story could have ended sooner if it wasn’t for his tenacity and fervent belief in his ability. Standing tall amidst label issues and the departure of 9th Wonder from Little Brother, Pooh remains a staple name in the cipher of artists reaffirming themselves to the old school flavour of Hip Hop. Venturing out alone for this latest release, The Purple Tape aims to reaffirm his credentials as a solo emcee whilst acknowledging his part in one of Hip Hop’s most heralded acts.
With instrumentals taken from producer Black Milk’s Prince inspired Colour Purple mixtape, Big Pooh fully utilises his strong artillery. Straight from the offset, Pooh’s candid verses on ‘When I’m Done’ provide a sufficient opening to the mixtape; a less-than-three-minute account of the turbulences he (or most underground acts) have to endure. Pooh also drags his frustrations onto the track ‘Impatient’ as he uses Black Milk’s instrumental and Ms Cris’ vocals as sparring partners for his bullying bars.
But before the constant calling for respect gets played out, Pooh switches topics to provide some slick joints about the opposite sex on the cool cut ‘Girlfriend’ and well crafted ‘Law and Order’. Although Phonte doesn’t make an appearance, Big Pooh’s affiliates Joe Scudda and Chaundon offer neat cameos which adds more points to their ‘underappreciated rappers’ tag but still allow Pooh to shine.
Whilst success is somewhat inevitable when using tried-and-tested beats, Rapper Big Pooh is one of the few who can actually deliver something fresh over recycled material. With solid verses and an improved solo presence on the mic, a rejuvenated Pooh brings his A-Game to produce a fine mixtape, which should keep LB fans preoccupied for the early part of 2010.
–Henry Yanney