Albums That Deserve Another Chance: Shawnna’s “Block Music” Posted by Burmy on 04/01/11 | Filed under Top Stories, Features, Albums That Deserve Another Chance, Shawnna

One of the best-received articles in my Femcee Letters series the one I wrote to former DTP/current Nappy Boy affiliate and girl-group leader Shawnna (I'll explain that last part at the end). In that article, I spoke of how she has perhaps the most skills of any mainstream femcee in the business (though living only less than 100 miles away from her, I likely had a slight bias) and how I was really putting my best foot forward into this review, given my personal fandom. The response here really hit home, as the woman herself made a post on my Facebook wall I will never forget, which was pointed out in my Halftime Report. Now that she's on the move once again with her Get Money Girls group, I've decided to revisit the album which made her stand out among the pack.

The year was 2006 and the femcee game was in a flux, ready for one of its bigger turning points ever. It was moving away from its "sexified" phase and towards a new era where they were starting to get towards the fellas' level, as evidenced by the 5-mic rating the Source gave Lil Kim's "The Naked Truth," as well as the street fandom Remy Ma gained by her own debut "There's Something About Remy: Based on a True Story" (which I will go over next week). Glad to see there was finally a place for her to stand out, Shawnna decided to put that same focus into her sophomore album "Block Music," ready to show them exactly the pinnacles Midwest femcees can reach. We got a sneak peek of that in early 2006 via the second single from DTP's sophomore compilation "Ludacris Presents: Disturbing tha Peace." As I explained in my earlier letter, "Gettin' Some" was essentially a proto-Rickroll, with the sample from Too Short's "Blowjob Betty" making everybody think it was a cunnilingus ode. However, they were in for the shock of their lives once they heard it's actuality about Shawnna's top-notch girl status, noting that not just any dude can just go down on her! Truly that set the tone for a true 2000s femcee classic in the form of "Block Music".

Of course despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews, this didn't get the mainstream attention it should have, explaining the low sales. However, at the Hype, we strive to be as neutral as possible, leading us to ask the question: Did it really deserve to be slept-on this much? Let's give it another chance!

#1 "Can't Do It Like Me"
The first voice we hear is Luda's intro, describing his protege as "da hardest female in da muthafuckin' game!" before invoking her to "take 'em to da block!" And to the block we go, with this memorable intro verse:

Yo cuz I be from the city where the windy blow
Don't sleep on a friend or foe
Cuz they'll run up in ya crib like bitches/what's the bizness Joe,
We takin errthang in the zone
Dut ya really dont know bout the C-h-i-c-a-g-o,
We stay high till i D-O-A nigga die
Muthafucka we dont play withcha boy
Niggas in the South say I'm way to hot
Niggas in the West say Im way too Pac
And niggas in the East know the bitch a beast and when my shit release I'm goin' straight to the top
Straight with the knock cuz I love my tip
Straight with the glock cuz I love my grip
Straight with the rock cuz i love my pick
Cuz everybody be all in my shit, fo'sho

Though Carl "Chucky" Thompson's beat bears a strong resemblance to D4L's "Betcha Can't Do It Like Me," needless to say, Shawnna's version wins in a landslide over this any day, with a much stronger flow, "cuz y'all hoes can't do it like me!"

#2 "Block Music (Bang) (ft. I-20)"
Now this is where we go HARD. Over Vudu's synth-heavy, hard-hitting beat, Shawnna makes that block music for those in the darker parts of the streets, toting the dope and the artillery to rival most of the fellas in the streets, getting it from domestic and overseas. The Infamous 2-0 himself gives a co-sign with his trademark deep gravely vocals, letting the listener know this is something to BANG to-both literally and figuratively!

#3 "Damn (ft. Smoke of Field Mob)"
Like I said in my letter, this is basically an extension of "Gettin' Some," just with sharper lyrics, smoother flow, and a more banging beat. The "raproll" theme is extended, with the first verse being about her living lavishly, goina all the way back to when she was just born to a certain rock-blues guitarist. Field Mob's Smoke (aka Chevy P) provides the assist with a memorable verse like only he can spit (since it's not in the video, I'll repost it here):

She's a ten in them nines with stilettos
With a figure 8 frame in them 7 jeans
6-5-4-3-2-1 Let's go
She's a trophy I put her on a pedestal
Damn the can be feelin the way it shake
I wanna jam it in her jello
Anything for me she want it
Like a beast she be so funky you can see it from the front
She got more ass than a team of donkeys
Itty bitty waist like a bumble bee
Titties plump please Dolly Parton her
When she walk through and make way for the double D's
I love that pretty brown round
She shaking got me shook
Cause her print so fat between her thighs
It look just like a camel foot
Can I look can I rub it
Matter fact fuck that let me cut it
Can I touch it can I grab it
That hairy nappy fat rabbit
Meet me there I take a flight
Your dark chocolate fittin to be up in the air like a kite
Caught up in the Chicago wind
Just to be up in your guts from dust to dawn
Humpin like a camel back
From am from pm from pm to am
I'll beat it up like a punching bag

Now that Smoke's changed the direction of this tune, Shawnna's making the third verse go with the flow, leaving these dudes packed around her like dogs in heat with blue balls tonight! Top that off with B-Crucial and Tony Dinero's beat, and we got a hit for the streets AND the clubs as well-Def Jam REALLY should have promoted this better!

#4 "Gettin' Some (Remix) (ft. Lil' Wayne, Ludacris, Pharrell, & Too Short)
Now THIS is a remix...though Xcel's beat and the sampled hook remain the same, the verses are all brand-new...once again, Shawnna does a brand-new verse pointing out how she's got that swag to rival the fellas, but right before the end she FINALLY gets to doin' what's in the song's title. Just as soon Too Short revisits a later encounter similar to the original (only this time the chick doesn't die from choking), right before Weezy brings out his "Carter 2.25-era" verse, with a raspy flow with similes aplenty ("Santa Claus, I leave her with a white chin, yes I get a lot of neck like a violin"). Pharrell shows up for a rare verse on a non-Neptunes beat ("mad as a bitch what...grabbin ya bitch..get OJ and start slappin ya bitch...Im AC here's a cap for ya bitch...while me and my nigga sit there and laugh at ya bitch..."), and Luda closes it off with his oiled up verse, the last line especially memorable ("If I'm talkin' on the phone I forgot what you said cuz I was...")

#5 "Candy Coated (ft. 8Ball & MJG)"
And here's the obligatory car anthem. Not only does Vudu sample Ball & G's classic "Lay It Down," but the Space Age Pimps themselves give their co-signs by revisiting their theme. Of course, Shawnna holds it down once again, pulling off a feat not too many dudes can!

#6 "Roll Wit Me"
Now THIS is where it gets good...I love that Chi-Town flavor, so 110% Pure's smooth instrumental is a breath of fresh air. Shawnna revisits the art of storytelling by telling us how she got involved in the street life by one of her homies asking her to deliver the drugs to his fiend, and now she's gotten involved in the game but had no way to get out...yup, that's how it is in the Chi, which segues in very nicely to the very next track.

#7 "In Tha Chi (ft. Johnny P & Syleena Johnson)"
"Good evening, everybody. I'd like to welcome y'all to the 'Go, but let me warn you; before i take you on this trip keep your mothafuckin' head straight and your bitch betta not have no purse." Like I described in my letter, this is one of my two favorite tracks from this album, as she gives the complete hood experience, complete with all the rough parts-after all, it is still the murder and gang capital of the nation (to me, it tops LA). Vudu once again brings the jazzy beat, and Windy City R&B icons Johnny P and Syleena Johnson share the duties on the hook and background vocals. However, the last verse is my favorite part, as it details her motivations in this rap game:

"And I remember rappin' in staircases, clappin them 12-gauges,
Stackin them big faces, praying to God I made it,
My life is so funny, mo' drama mo' money,
So now they see me off that Remy gettin' so scummy
Reproducion most of my niggas facin' life or they on they way depending on what I'm makin',
So now u see yourself real baby girl,
And I hope you ain't trying to bring it here baby girl
Cuz this aint my occupation,
This just a fuckin' hobby,
Half of yall bitches waited on my album just to copy but cha sloppy,
And your verses will never top me,
A real lyricist and you bitches is carbon copy,
Now producers wanna give me the boot
Cuz the know I spit the truth
And I can fuck they bitches up in the booth
But they still see me lettin it loose
See i make em feel the juice like a hundred-proof and the hook goes..."

Something you can truly admire coming from a real femcee!

#8 "Take It Slow (ft. Bobby Valentino & Ludacris)"
WHY WAS THIS NOT A SINGLE??? It had all the necessary elements; Shawnna gets on her sultry yet quick-paced tone (one of the more seductive voices in this game), talkin' over how good a man makes her feel, while at the same time knowing the woman he's with be trippin'...meanwhile Luda does what he does best (I wonder if he's ever bought any of these women a tennis bracelet for real?), and Bobby V's vocals are the stuff that's made for the radio. L and T.C. Love's piano-laced beat completes the package proving two things: 1) everybody on this has what it takes to succeed on the radio, and 2) Def Jam's really got issues for not making this a single.

#9 "Can't Break Me (ft. Buddy Guy & Shareefa)"
Another of the more underrated tracks in femcee history. This one's so personal, her dad chimes in with the guitar background as DTP's "other woman" Shareefa handles the hook vocals, while the main woman brings up her struggles in the game, remembering her dad's advice. Over J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League's classic boom-bap instrumental, this could have easily been a beat for "The Score" or "Miseducation of Lauryn Hill." Once again, the third verse sums up her inner struggles:

"Its like I go too hard for the people,
And every time I hit the booth I'm just promotin' evil,
And I don't wanna send the wrong message to tha kids,
But what about my niggas locked up and doin' bids,
And all my niggas on the block duckin from the feds,
Just keep ya head tied nigga, do it how ya live,
And all my baby mommas, hell naw I can't forget,
Don't let no muthafucka tell you how to raise them kids,
I'm on the borderline of fucked up and asses out,
This Remy got me spinnin think I'm finna pass out!
Father forgive me cuz I'm caught up in this background,
But I dont know no betta
See all I know is chedda
Raised in the Go-Getta
They say the situations drastic as cold weatha,
They say some nigga just got blasted with no sweata,
Its unbelievable them last days is gon' catch up
Be tryna make it thru the Gates but He wont let ya"

Just wow...These folk be SLEEPIN.

#10 "Ghetto Fairy Tales"
Over Vudu's piano beat, this is likely the darkest track I've ever heard on a femcee's album. That's right, the ghetto fairy tales ain't no Hans Christian Andersen, these are some Grimm Brothers shit! (without the Disney sanitation). You best believe she's ready to bang at anybody who messes with her homies-somebody did just that, and the feds got no leads, so she's ready to BANG! Once again, Vudu does the piano loop, along with a deep-voiced guy doing the outro (I couldn't quite make out his name, if anybody has it, let me know). This is the closest I've ever seen a straight femcee go to horrorcore!

#11 "Lil Daddy What's Good"
Living proof of Jay-Z's unforgettable quote "Ladies is pimps too." She turns down three men, the first who's over-showing his jewelry thinking that'll impress her (for once, she wants him to turn his swag off.) The second ain't ballin' enough (she got her own paper, she's just into like-minded men). The third she's willing to pick up for the night, but that's it. Truly the game goes in both directions and for both genders, backed ever so well by Franklin Socorro's beat.

#12 "Hit The Back/Slide In (ft. Yung Berg)"
Before "Sexy Lady," before "Tha Bizness," and certainly before he became the rap game's punching bag, Yung Berg had this guest verse on his mentor's album (Well, at least she's getting another chance with the Get Money Girls...but that's another story). On the album's crunkest track, Shawnna embodies all the aspects of the movement, just trying to enjoy her time in the VIP while dodging all who'd trip. Berg actually spits one of the better verses I've heard from him, going all "Where Do We Go" on the last half with the speedy flow, and giving the first-ever shout to his Yung Boss crew. Like I said before, with 110% Pure's beat, this is CRUNK in its purest form!

#13 "Chicago (ft. Avant, Buddy Guy, and Malik Yusef)"
My other favorite track from the album, this serves as the grand finale. Sick of all the BS going on around the rest of the world, Shawnna's heading back to her hometown, once again getting personal, reflecting on her early motherhood and her origins in the Infamous Syndicate, promising to put everyone of her hometown peoples on when she blows up. G.O.O.D. music poet Malik Yusef gives a memorable spoken-word third verse, giving his own point of view about the harsh realities of this city (just the fact that they're alive are pure blessings). Avant does the hook vocals (though he's a Clevelander-did he lose the beat at the Bears-Browns, White Sox-Indians, or Bulls-Cavs game?) and the Yung Bosses (Yung Berg and JFK) give a heart-rending sample of Mandy Moore's "Someday We'll Know". But the obvious highlight is the dad once again doing his electric blues guitar, even rounding out the album with a lil' solo! Something to love for everyone who loves this music.
#14 "Gettin' Some (Hidden Track)"
Because it was on that '05 compilation album, it only gets the bonus hidden track treatment. And I've said everything I can about this that nobody else has said here.

FINAL SCORE: If you've slept on this album, you are missing a GEM! This is proof that femceeing ain't always gotta be about sex, that sharp flows and witty lyrics are ALWAYS reachable and can find a niche-whichever gender you are. Though it's not completely perfect, the femcee game has truly changed for the better, and it can still be replayed on the regular, so I am giving this my first ever 5 out of 5 (Unsung Hip-Hop Classic).

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?: Like I said, Def Jam never promoted this much. Ergo, Shawnna wanted a way out of Def Jam, which unfortunately meant she had to leave DTP as well (she left DTP on good terms, Def Jam on not-so-good terms). Now she's on Nappy Boy, but before she gets to her own solo album, first she's put together her own supergroup, the "Get Money Girls". Together with Gunna (of Unladylike), L-Streetz, and Chinchilla Meek, the crew is ready to show once again that what the Northeast's invented, the Midwest has perfected! (Yes, that was a shameless plug, but I've seen nothing but love from everybody I've pointed their way, so I hope to see them all on RefinedHype-as well as the mothership-very soon!)

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