And as long as he’s Jeezy, the lows and highs will always be there. Jeezy is a cautionary tale, an inspirational figure, a fuck-up, a success story. For the past decade, he’s been adamant about that truth - in every noun, every verb that he raps - because he seems to have internalized his listener’s struggles. His ability to push past some of his demons - while not quite shaking others - is possible because he is always talking about the truth of his life. It’s clear that “making it” wasn’t always inevitable for Jeezy. You know how far he’s come and how much further he has to go. He’s consistently presented his lows and highs. Progress is such a simple premise, but when Jeezy talks about it, it feels momentous - you can sense the levels. Throughout the venue, you could feel a collective sigh of relief embedded in the cheer. A “yes” but also a “thank you for asking.” Thank god we are doing better than we were 10 years ago. Got to keep pushing.Īnd then, after that flurry of thoughts, came a triumphant, explosive response. You know, I hadn’t really thought about 10 years ago in a while.
Could have permanently messed up everything. You remember that recession? That shit was wild. Things easily could have gone off the rails. Hell yeah I’m doing better - wait, was I doing better now than I was 10 years ago? I think I am - no, I definitely am. But here, Jeezy’s question caused a slight hesitation in the room, a moment of reflection, before adhering with a response. Most are knee-jerk reflexive, with the sheer act of being talked at instantly causing you to yell, your body to flail, react. It wasn’t your typical call-and-response concert moment. There’s a timeless quality to the project, one that keeps its influence from fading and each play as absorbed as the last.“If you’re doing better than you were doing 10 years ago make some noise,” Jeezy barked at the Fox Theatre crowd. Listening to Let’s Get It: Thug Motiviation 101 isn’t nostalgic. Then Jeezy’s solo efforts like “My Hood,” “Bottom of the Map,” “Air Forces,” “Trap Star,” “Let’s Get It/Sky’s The Limit” - every song needs its own space. and Lil’ Scrappy on a Jazzy Pha beat, still shining from Black Album Jay Z, Akon’s first major feature. It’s insane: post-Cash Money Mannie Fresh, early solo Bun B, T.I. Urban Legend continued T.I.’s shoot-for-the-singles style in the best way, and Who Is Mike Jones? – a very underrated album – rose to #40 on the charts on the back of “Still Tippin’.” But both pale by comparison. The Massacre fell off and took 50 with it. I spent the second half of 2005 riding around in my buddy’s rundown 92 Chevy listening to TM101 over and over and have spent hours revisiting it since. 2005 saw 50 Cent’s The Massacre earn Billboard’s best-selling album, Urban Legend and Who Is Mike Jones? were 39 and 40 respectively, while Jeezy clocked in at 55. But TM101’s colossal boast is its replay value.
Jeezy pulled a three-way combo, with a trap narrative, Shawty Redd’s now-signature trap sound, and a city-first, us-over-everyone attitude that Atlanta thrives on (cc: Freaknik). While describing Atlanta’s increasing dominance in an excellent write-up of Jeezy’s anniversary show, Rembret Brown points out that Atlanta artists held the top spot of Billboard Hot 100 for 42 of 52 weeks, a trend that abruptly ended in 2005 and left a mega-hit void brought on by Outkast, Usher, and Ludacris in years past.Ī clear cut through the stale fog crunk left on Atlanta’s charts was a narrative used by UGK, 8 Ball & MJG, and, for Atlanta, Dungeon Family, and a sound structured two years prior on T.I.’s Trap Muzik. It was familiar in that it was unmistakably coming out of Atlanta, a city that was becoming rap’s epicenter more and more by the week. If you were near a radio 10 years ago, you heard “Soul Survivor,” and you recognized the raspy drawl. The seminal work for the Atlanta rapper was honored with a sold-out anniversary concert and critic re-praise, forums reopened debates of its importance, and the aura of 2005 crept back in the room it built. Young Jeezy’s Let’s Get It: Thug Motivation 101 turned a decade old in July.
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