Record Report
Obie Trice
Bottoms Up
Production: Eminem, Dr. Dre, Statik Selektah, Others
Mics:
A core member of the Shady/Aftermath machine during its formative years, Obie Trice’s departure from the label in 2008 left the seasoned Detroit emcee’s career in a state of virtual limbo. After a series of delays and more than five years since the release of his sophomore effort, Second Round’s On Me, O. Trice is ready to reaffirm his “no gimmicks” rep on the mic with his new album, Bottoms Up.
Obie doesn’t waste any time getting to the elephant in the room on the album’s self-titled intro as he thanks both Eminem and Paul Rosenberg for their past and present support over Dr. Dre’s sole instrumental offering on BU. Trice’s rhymes verify that there’s no bad blood between he and his former bosses. The Slim Shady-produced “Going Nowhere” follows and right away fans are transported back to the Shady 1.0 days as the D-Town native kicks raps like “Obie bout that change, get rich fast / The Claude Van Damme of the game, kick ass.” Paired with Marshall’s nostalgic production, “Going Nowhere” starts the LP off on all cylinders.
Further along, the album’s first single, “Battle Cry,” proves to be a viable choice to appease the commercial ambition evident in some of the album’s design. Featured vocalist Adrian Reeza sounds as if he’s channeling the late Freddie Mercury in between Obie’s verses in which the Motor City rapper addresses the asterisk some put next to his name regarding his unavoidable association to Marshall Mathers. “Spend A Day,” the album’s second single, is an even more convincing sales pitch for radio as Obie kicks game to a female he feels will want to stick around for good if she just agrees to live the Trice life for a day. Drey Skonie’s engaging hook and the song’s smooth vibe provide the right formula to obtain the desired radio spins.
Unfortunately, there are a handful of songs on BU that add little or perhaps even take away from the substantial amount of quality cuts that Obie has to offer. The album’s low points include “Petty” where Trice gets a little too hooked on the price tag of all things Gucci and “Spill My Drink” where amidst other personal issues, his eagerness to solidify himself without the Shady umbrella starts to get repetitive. It’s less the fact that these tracks, along with “BME Up” and “My Time,” aren’t heavy on substance and more that they lack much in the way of diversity on an album that has a bit of a lengthy tracklist. Thus, the project could afford to lose at least a few of the aforementioned numbers.
Later cuts like “Ups And Downs,” which sees Trice moving weight and expressing an acquired distrust of A&Rs’ ears, along with the album’s underdog anthem, “Lebron On,” thankfully fall into the category of BU’s more memorable joints. The clear standout however, is the lyrically and humorously potent “Richard.” Obie reunites with Eminem on the track and the two deliver some undeniably witty bars over the catchy reggae-fused track by Statik Selektah; who employs a nice Southern kick under his Caribbean canvas. Eminem’s elastic flow only enhances the already lively production over which he taunts “Just call me Richard, cause I’m a dick / It’s also Richard cause I feel like you should pry your mouth up off of it.” Needless to say, the request makes for a far more clever and amusing one than Weezy’s on Tha Carter 4 (“Blunt Blowin”).
Even with all the frustration that Obie experienced during and after his tenure at Shady Records, Bottoms Up isn’t a toast to his angst, but more a statement about his unwillingness to let others close his tab for him. And as many alcohol references as there may be in Trice’s albums, it’s evident that the Detroit-bred emcee still raps with the pedigree he became known for back in his days as a Shady solider. In other words, the message in the bottle is still one we think you can respect. Real rap, still no gimmicks.
– Nate Santos (@MidtownNate)
