Big Shug- Never Say Die The Pre- Album

One of the highest honors any MC in hip-hop can ever recieve is the chance to work with DJ Premier. An even higher honor is to be apart of Premier's crew The Gangstarr Foundation. All that being said, Big Shug has got to be considered one of the luckiest and most honored MC's around. The facts are the facts; Big Shug's name for the most part has never really rung out across the land, mostly just in Brooklyn and the the other five boroughs, yet he is respected in the game already as if he were Big Daddy kane himself. This isn't due to Shug's skill, but rather his un flinching devotion to what we all love to call real hip-hop. Big Shug has always kept his formula simple; make hardcore street tracks for the people that love that shit. He's become a true master at doing just that, teaming up with Premier for his first album "Who's hard", bringing out some of the best Foundation material in recent memory. Although Shug's first album was definitely a great look for hip-hop, specifically all the hardcore Gangstarr fans, it also left somthing to be desired from Shug who at times was lackluster on many verses, and refused to diversify some of the subject matter he chose to delve into. Even with his somewhat lazy appraoch to some of his lyrics, the album was still a huge success, and that success is most likely the reason why Shug will be hitting us with his follow up sophmore Lp "Street Champ", due out later this year. In the mean time Shug and Premier hand out a Pre- Album to keep the fans at bay until the final cut is ready. "Never Say Die" lives up to it's title as we find Shug compiling some older classic material, freestyling over timeless Premier beats and throwing us one or two new joints just for fun, all while showcasing a brand new drive and edge in his flow that surely is comparable to no one besides his fellow Foundation crew affiliate Bumpy Knuckles. "Never Say Die", provides everything that a real Gangstarr fan would want to hear, and that every real hip-hop fan ought to. Joints to check for are "Counter Punch", "We Gotta Get Up" and "Do What Pays". Enjoy the pre-album folks, the "Street Champ" is on his way.

-Dominick L.

1. DJ Premier (Intro)

2. The Way It Iz
3. The Jig Is Up
4. Counter Punch (f/Guru)

5. Who? (Got My Back)

6. Premier Skit
7. We Gotta Get Up (Freestyle)
8. Crush

9. The Militia (f/Guru & Freddie Foxx)
10. The Militia Pt. 3 (f/Guru & Freddie Foxx)
11. Premier Skit
12. Serious Rap Shit (f/Group Home & Guru)
13. We Gangsta (f/T-West & Singapore Cane)
14. Love Or Hate
15. Official (f/EdO.G. & Scientifik)

16. Premier Skit
17. Stay Out Of My Face (f/Guru & Hannibal Stax)
18. FALA (f/Gangstarr)
19. Do What Pays Ya
20. Gangsta Luv (f/Guru)
21. Premier Outro
22. Treez

pw = gr1mma

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