Gotty, founder of The Smoking Section was interested in my work and reached out to me a while back. After a few months of communicating with him i realize the dude is very serious about his work and is extremely committed to his blog the way I am about my designs. After starting a new section to his blog called “What’s on my ipod”, he chose me to for one of the features. My ipod is packed with all sorts of shit and i gave him the songs that were on my most recent playlists along with my favorite quotes off the tracks. What would your 10 tracks be?
Flip the page to read the feature and see my picks
True story, Ronnie Fieg was one of two people I wanted to be last year (if I weren’t busy being me). As the head buyer for footwear retailer David Z, Ronnie’s obviously a forward thinker and a cat who’s always simultaneously looking ahead & reflecting back, doing both in an effort to inspire what he does daily. By doing footwear collaborations with top tier companies, what he managed to accomplish in a short time span of time was simply amazing. Most notably, he single-handedly brought life to an Asics brand that was irrelevant to street culture. He might not take credit or say make such a bold statement, but they don’t write my checks so I will. Simply enviable and inspiring.
One of the more interesting aspects about Ronnie is that he’s somewhat atypical of what one would expect of a person who has such a heavy hand in fashion and helping to dictate trends. He’s Gonzo’ed his way to attention, elbowing his way into acceptance by creating aesthetically-charged pieces and making them sought after, not by hype but by sheer design. Top it off with the fact that he’s an engaging conversationalist and knowledgeable about so many things, including Hip-Hop culture and music. All in all, he was an obvious choice to feature for our What’s On My iPod series.
J Khaled Feat. Nas & John Legend – “Victory”
It’s about time I hear some dope shit from Nas; he’s really back on his It Was Written flow with this one. John legend went in, but it’s all about vintage God’s son on this one.
“I know some niggas from Astoria, That’ll cut your daughter up
Like I used to cut a quarter up
Makin’ all the bucks, banana clips I bought in Georgia bucks
Kill all you fucks, easy
I be on the golf cart, sleepy
Y’all beneath me.”
Drake & Lil Wayne – “Ransom”
Even though this track is over two years old, it lets you hear Drake in his purist form, he sounds a lot like Lil Wayne on this joint but the lyrics are clever. That “checkers” line killed it.
“Me ‘n Weezy like a mouthful of hot peppers
Black Ferrari with the red seats
I call it playin’ checkers
I’m never doing verses
I’m forever giving lectures
If you’re tryna meet with money
I’d be happy to connect ya.”
Lil Wayne & Eminem – “Drop The World”
Eminem stabs other rappers in the jugular when he’s featured on their tracks. If he went in this hard on his albums, he would be G.O.A.T. Too bad his fan base are all seven-years-old. The beat on this track is ridiculous and the intro melody gets you into it.
“I swear to God, won’t spare the rod
I’m a man of my word, so your f*ckin’ heads better nod
Or I’ma f*ck around in this bitch and roast everybody
Sleep on me, that pillow is where your head’ll lie
Permanently, bitch, it’s beddy-bye
This world is my Easter egg, yeah, prepare to die.”
Snoop Dogg Feat. Jay-Z – “I Wanna Rock” Remix
I was at RDV, a dope ass lounge in the meat packing district last week and the original came on, people were like “Okay, okay.” Then the DJ blended in the remix and bitches got wet. “It’s not Biggie, I’m just the king now…” What?!? That shit is craze; he still got it. And I fuck with Tha Dogg Pound.
Uhhh, Roc Nation is the game now
Dope lyrics is the only thing I sling now
I get the job done, I put the ‘caine down
It’s no Biggie, huh, I’m just the king now!”
The Notorious B.I.G. – “Long Kiss Goodnight”
Somebody tried arguing with me by saying that Life After Death isn’t the greatest Hip-Hop album of all time. “Long Kiss…” stupid. Kids these days.
“Frank White the menacin’, chron chron’s the medicine
I got the lettuce and you turn green like cucumber skin
Got the new Hummer in the summer when I was a newcomer
Then, drugs and mac-10’s
Hugs from fake friends, make ends they hate you
Be broke, girls won’t date you
That’s why I relate to, choke yo’ ass out til your face blue
Make you, open the safe too.”
Jay-Z – “Blueprint (Momma Loves Me)”
This is that laid-back Jay track where you could hear him ramble about his past. Favorite track onThe Blueprint.
“Momma raised me, Pop I miss you
God help me forgive him, I got some issues
Mickey cleaned my ears, and he shampooed my hair
Eric was fly – shit, I used to steal his gear
I was the baby boy, I could do no wrong
Yeah it’s goin past fast – let’s move along
Kitchen table – that’s where I honed my skills
Jaz made me believe the shit was real
Labels turned me down, couldn’t foresee
Clark sought me out, Dame believed.”
The Lox – “All For The Love”
Punchline after punchline after punchline after punchline after punchline after punchline… You get the point. Jadakiss is Top 5 dead or alive.
“When you think of me you think of a problem
Who? What? When? and how you gonna solve em
Automatic or revolving
The K-I-double-S and, Here’s the lesson
Most beams is infrared, but mine’s is fluorescent
No matter where you go, I’ma spot you
No matter how many people you put me in front of, I’ma rock you
And if you try to be the hard top, I’ma drop you
I got to, treat you like the clutch, and pop you.”
AZ – “Problems”
I used to chill with son on 8th St. about ten years ago. He always kept it real, never changed his style or flow and remains a Top 10 MC in my book. Dope beat, dope hook & ill lyrics.
“Soakin in Remy, sittin’ back smokin a twenty
Shit is scabby, the hustlin’ is so in me
Never show envy, got a style I maxed
I’m like ‘Po, back in eighty-fo’, now smile at that
Unseen when I’m low, but still right in your face
I’m so skinny, but that semi-auto’s right in my waist
From Jags to Jeeps, hoopties with the raggedy seats
Just imagine how I’m movin if we had any beef.”
Mr. Hudson Feat. Kid Cudi – “Everything Is Broken”
Lets be real, this dude Mr. Hudson is talented as fuck. As I get older, I respect shit like this more and more. This song is a #truestory. Oh, and Cudi kills it.
“Yeah, that’s what she want me believing
See me alone, looks can be deceiving
One girl coming in, two or three leaving
Steaming, Willy Demon, they’re screaming
Now that, that, they all love him
In the Midwest so they girls M Dub him
Met them way back when I posed for the Kodak
Tell me, how does it feel unreal.”
Fabolous Feat. Lloyd – “Real Playa Like”
Fab is the truth. I’m always in LA and MIA with different birds so this song makes perfect sense to me. He hits up all of the same spots so it’s no wonder I’ve seen him on two of my flights this year. His wordplay is always on point, probably the most underrated rapper out there.
“You need to leave them burgers alone and make a steak upgrade
I’m filet mignon with a tape-up fade
I see things clear through these Mark Jacob shades
Like the clarity in these jewels that Jacob made
You sleep better knowin you gon’ wake up paid
Hairstyle, nails filed, makeup made
We can shock South Beach, shake up Dade
In a droptop Phantom with the Drakov blades
I’ma stop by the barber, you can hit the shops in the harbor
Then get the chops or the lobster.”