This summer Jay Z came out of his longest hiatus with an album many hailed as his best in 10 years. Jay's return to form, as well as his core themes and sound, this late in his career was an inspiration unto itself to any and all creatives. And, as he currently embarks on yet another nationwide-tour, it was a welcome re-spark in Jay Z appreciation.
Put 4:44 and those ensuing sentiments together and you get projects like the one Complex is excited to premiere today: 7:18, the latest mixtape from prolific DJs MICK and Chi Duly. Billed as an homage to Jay and DJ Premier, 7:18 boasts what the duo consider some of Hov's "most lyrical and personal verses" beautifully laid over Primos "most dark and precise works."
A labor of love whose creation spanned most of the month, MICK says the idea came organically from Chi's latest visit to NYC. "I was giving him a Brooklyn tour of my hood and we kinda just were reminiscing on what it must have been like 20 years ago. So we wanted to create that," MICK told me via email.
"It’s just an homage to greatness. A few years ago, I used to deejay these dinners for Jay and LeBron James called “Two Kings.” They were epic. A who’s who of everyone was there. In my sets, I would play all the samples from the Jay albums. And my favorites were the ones Premier used. Fast forward to 2017 and 4:44 drops. Jay takes it back to straight lyrics and samples. That ethos made a lot of us go back and revisit some of his darker, deeper stuff. Reasonable Doubt. Dynasty. Black Album. And of course, all of the Primo tracks. Premier is the reason most of us became DJs in the first place. So we figured, why not get creative and make a tribute to both Jay and Premier?"
If the goal was to evoke the Brooklyn Jay mythologizes on "Marcy Me," then mission accomplished. Across 33 tracks, the duo cherry picks some of Jay's sharpest bars from the entire breadth of his career, spanning mid-90s to newbies like "Drug Dealers Anonymous" and even "Pound Cake" (re: which, MICK agrees with me is unfairly maligned) and places them over Premier beats that Chi confirms only consists of his Brooklyn productions: "Gang Starr, Jeru, Group Home, MOP, etc. If it wasn’t a BK artist, we didn’t use it. It moves quick, too. 33 songs in less than an hour."
The end product is, essentially, a time machine. Old Brooklyn, not this new shit. As MICK explains: "Like Jay said once, this is black hoodie rap. This is a mixtape that would get played on Stretch and Bob. It’s dark. It’s for a grey Brooklyn day in a 1994 white Lexus. It’s a pure cold weather vibe. I’m known for the 'Summertime' mixes I do with Jazzy Jeff, and I wanted to do the opposite. This is essentially 'Wintertime.' Ironically, a lot of the grimy videos for the songs we sampled on this were filmed on the same corner that my son’s fancy, gentrified playground is now."
As for why they chose this moment to drop it, well, despite 4:44's June release, the real Hov fans know he's the King of the 4th Quarter. "It’s no secret that many of Jay’s greatest albums came out in November: Dynasty, Blueprint 2, Black Album, American Gangster, MICK says. "Also, Group Home’s Living Proof came out in November 1995, and that album was essentially the muse for this project. Plus, ironically, most of the dope Premier beats back then were on Payday Records, which just started back up a few weeks ago. So, the timing is divine."
For Chi Duly, the release also serves as a redemption of sorts. "A decade ago, I remade a handful of Gang Starr beats and laced them with Jay vocals for a remix project. It perished in a hard drive crash and is lost forever. So not only was this 7:18 project a ton of fun, it's also tying up unfinished business. Consider it a Thanksgiving present from us to you."
Stream 7:18 below and find out more about the project here.
1. Intro
2. The Ruler’s Home
3. Inna City Success
4. Living Encore
5. All For The Crazy
6. Me Or Hovito
7. You Know Betrayal
8. Fire Back
9. Lucifer’s World
10. Hov I’m Living
11. Mostly The Baby
12. Drug Dealers Wassup
13. Same Day No Games
14. Wall Of Threats
15. Watch Format
16. Zone Cake
17. Original Diamonds
18. The Real Takeover
19. Rite Hand Announcement
20. Moment Of Change
21. Hello Crooklyn
22. December Theory
23. Crazy Wishing
24. Suspended Moments
25. Clean Magic
26. Perverted Queen
27. The Bounce Remains
28. Me Or The Lyrics
29. Make Em Cry
30. Thousand Hearts
31. Ignorant Time
32. Ex Feelin
33. My 1st Outro
