Water, water everywhere but not a drop to drink. Or, to be more specific, music, music everywhere but no new beats I feel like writing about at this very moment – fortunately, I've got a somewhat slept-on (or at least misunderstood) classic that I've been waiting for a (figurative) rainy day to share with y'all. Actually, scratch the “figurative.” I just peeked through the blinds and the weather out there is looking kinda... crappy. Oh well, all the more reason to flip on something timeless.
One of my favorite tracks to vibe out to when skies are looking gray, “B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth)” should be familiar to anyone who's listened to Wu-Tang member GZA's acclaimed solo debut, Liquid Swords. Tacked onto the LP's back end, it presents a drastic shift in tone from the rest of the tracklist, and acts as a powerful climax to the set – or it would, if it was part of the album.
In reality, it isn't by GZA and, unlike the rest of the LP, isn't even produced by RZA. The record is by the the lesser-known Killah Priest, and was included presumably to create buzz for the up-and-coming Wu-Tang affiliate. This strategy ended up sorta backfiring in the long run – as a Google/YouTube search reveals, the record has a sizable following, but those who believe it's a GZA track seem to outnumber those who know its real origin. Unfortunate, but the confusion didn't end up being all that detrimental to the artist's career: as a rapper whose every bar reflected an apocalyptic worldview heavily influenced by Black Hebrew Israelite/Five-Percenter doctrines and dystopian science-fiction, he didn't have much potential for mainstream stardom, but he did gather a loyal cult following that persists to this day.
Not being religious (or part of the target audience for Afrocentric theology) myself, I can relate to, um, probably five percent of what the guy's saying on “B.I.B.L.E.” – but I certainly can't argue with his fervor, or his lyrical abilities. The real reason that I can't get enough of this joint, though, comes courtesy of producer 4th Disciple, whose psychedelically soulful instrumental backdrop makes it hard not to get sucked into K.P.'s story of spiritual growth. The pitch-perfect instrumental was sampled from funk/soul group The Ohio Players' “Our Love Has Died.” Skip to 4:27 if you're in a hurry, but this moody track is well worth a listen in itself.
So there you have it: one of my personal favorite beats – and just one one of the many dope records on Priest's excellent '98 debut, Heavy Mental. I can't end the column, howeverm, without taking a look at other artists who have flipped samples from the same track. Here are just a few I was able to track down:
Public Enemy said it best: don’t believe the hype. Urban music and culture has found a home online, but with the explosion of new content appearing online everyday, it’s become difficult to separate what’s real with what’s just hype.
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