Nipsey Hussle - Victory Lap (Album Review)
What up one & all. Sky Bento here on the check-in once again. Big Bento Energy is most definitely in full effect. Hope you & yours are doing good & well.
Keep the opening bars of the Victory Lap intro on loop as I set the stage. Today is Nipsey Hussle’s 36th birthday. So we gon celebrate it as such. I know I typically do retro album reviews, but honestly I’m really just covering the classics. And this right here is a modern classic. As is the Juice WRLD album from the same year that I covered earlier. 2018 was a hell of a year. Tragically, the authors of these 2018 opuses are no longer with us. Unlike Juice, Nipsey had a long legacy already built and cemented by the time he passed. That legacy plays into how momentous this album feels. For all the projects Nip released during his lifetime, this was his DEBUT ALBUM. This was his first released partnered with a major label rather than signed to one or independent. This was a boss looking back at just how far he’d come. This was a boss enjoying his life the way he’s tailor-made it to be lived.
This
Was
A
VICTORY LAP
1. Victory Lap (feat. Stacy Barthe) - This feels special right off the bat. That dark muddy synth bass and the vocalizing while a sample chops itself into the composition gives me flashbacks of Kanye West’s own magnum opus My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy. But Nipsey is a completely different type of rapper. Again, he’s a boss living his life the way he’s tailor-made his life to be lived. He’s smoking cigars docked at Tulum. Reflecting on the world he’s created, but he still has the same hunger. You hear it in every lyric he spits over the laid back yet epic instrumental. It really feels like Black excellence in a 64 impala. It feels like looking at the California skyline. It feels like a Victory Lap. Nipsey had finally arrived to the point he’s been working toward his whole career.
2. Rap Niggas - Now we get the mission statement. Nip was different. He built up his community. He bounced back after the label deal ain’t work out and built his own empire. He retained his masters. And he was really from the 60’s, living the life so many rappers claim they do. This beat feels so Dr. Dre, but bigger in a Kanye kind of way. This really felt like MBDTF for Nipsey. The same way MBDTF was Kanye returning after exile, Victory Lap was Nipsey returning to the major label level of the music industry. But he did it on his terms. This time he was on equal footing. And he was delivering an album he had promised (and been working on) for almost a decade. While most rappers would say “I’m gonna do this” and then go immediately try and do it, Nip worked until it was the right time. He was just different. And the best part of it all? He uses the Bobby Shmurda “Hot N*gga” flow the whole song and ends every bar with “nigga” (a common complaint a lot of people have with rappers). He was different, but he was still one of us.
3. Last Time That I Checc’d (feat. YG) - LAST TIME THAT I CHECKED! That just sounds like a OG correcting you. Don’t get it f*cked up who this man is. Nipsey’s resume spoke for itself at this point for real. He dropped how many tapes before this? He sold a mixtape for how much? He bought what corner? He owns what businesses? The stats are all there. This was a community legend too, he never left. You could find him where you could always find him, when he wasn’t making the deals that allowed all of this to happen. That’s what makes his untimely passing so unfortunate, he was found and killed right outside of his store. The same store that he bought and converted from another business he used to hustle right in front of. Rest In Peace King.
4. Young N***a (feat. Puff Daddy) - Yeah you read that right. This a Puff Daddy feature, not a Diddy one. Big difference. He really just talking that talk, amping Nip up the way he used to do so many legends before him. The PARTYNEXTDOOR sample on this record is incredible too. Sampling tends to make records feel more grandiose. Like damn bro, you rapping over somebody else’s song? You must think you important. So what you got to say? Boom. Nip got it covered, throwing back to his “Question #1” record with another rap legend in Snoop Dogg. Beyond that, this that motivational talk that Nipsey excels at. He never relies on the sample, he got his own message. He speaking to all the young n****s out there. What would a victory lap be if it didn’t inspire? “No exaggeration for the content of my songs” is a flex of its own when you consider all of the amazing things Neighborhood Nip spits about. It retroactively makes track 1 alone feel incredible. But onto track five we go.
5. Dedication (feat. Kendrick Lamar) - More inspiration. I mean that for real. This the perfect song for when I shower before a long day. Getting ready to continue the grind. Sometimes you wake up in the morning and think “damn, do I really wanna do this?” and this record is the answer. He even breaks it down mathematically. Dedication = hard work + patience. Brilliant. Hearing Kendrick on this record the first time was unexpected, but he holds his own. I’m in the vocal minority that prefers Nipsey to Kendrick honestly and this record is one of the reasons why. And that’s no shade to Kendrick it’s just how amazing Nipsey Hussle really was and is. I have a lot more in common with Kendrick Lamar as a human being and I love his music. But yet I still somehow feel Nipsey more on this track. Kung Fu Kenny is one of the greatest rappers of his generation, definitely. But Nipsey’s hunger when speaking about how far he’s come and how you can do it too, as if your hustle is his hustle… well that’s just the result of true dedication.
6. Blue Laces 2 - I find myself singing this sample all the time. This beat really feels straight off the Blueprint. Nip even comes in feeling just as important as Hov himself. That’s no easy feat. “Never judge you but the streets could never love you.” I’m quoting bars way too early. The whole first verse really just one long quote. Then it drops out and that sample rings again with them organs and it’s church in these streets. Summer 2018 was such a season for real because of records like this. Then that third verse (remember when those were a thing) just hits you. No drums. Just the memory Nip is decribing itself. The shootout at the beach, 20 deep. Really feels like you’re talking to Nip about it even more than it feels like you’re there. Normally that might be a knock against a story. But it sounds like a soldier telling a war story. And he don’t even tell us if his homeboy survived, we just left to wonder like Nip was that night.
7. Hussle & Motivate - He knew what he was doing with this sequence. From Hov vibes to a Hov flips. Well, Annie technically. But you know what you first think when you hear that opening. Crazy how he manages to reclaim an East Coast classic for the West Coast. More Kanye vibes with all the vocal samples too. This album a masterpiece on the production tip, not to mention the elite rapping on display. Once again, Nipsey dips into a more mainstream flow. He’s bouncing them triplets like hydraulics on a bumpy road man I swear. He never once even mentions or leans into the nostalgia the sample evokes, instead making some new for a new audience. This was for hustlers in 2018 the same way Hard Knock Life was for hustlers 20 years earlier (yup, 1998, I checked). Wait, I lied. There is one nod to Hov’s original. On the tail end of the track, Nip says “cut the bass out” just like Jigga did on his intro. Classy.
8. Status Symbol 3 (feat. Buddy) - There’s like a video for damn near every song off this m***********. You can tell where that major label budget went too, a lot of these joints are movies. Wait… ALMOST FORGOT WHAT I WAS DOING! This hook so damn catchy. This record is more traditional trap vibes in the production, aside from the vocal synths. The record has really picked up in energy with this record. But it’s still a great record to cruise to much like the rest of this project. Wild to think this the longest song on the project. Another three-verser. Truth be told, by the second verse I always think the record is over because of the breakdown. But again, perfect cruise joint for that reason.
9. Succa Proof (feat. Konshens & J. Black) - Not gonna hold you, this my least favorite record on here. But that don’t mean it’s bad. Nipsey still spitting. Talking that talk. The beat still incredible. But if the rest of the beats are like MBDTF, this one is like Yeezus. Just subverts my expectations a little bit. Especially after how smooth that last joint was. It’s really club ready gangsta music and it leans super hard in both directions. Definitely not a bad record at all, I just never expect it when I listen to this project.
10. Keyz 2 The City 2 (feat. TeeFlii) - More chill cruising vibes. But Nipsey still establishing his dominance, as he does. But this feels incredible because Nipsey earned himself a key to the city. As much as he’s done for Los Angeles, and specifically his “certain section”. The way the beat builds up then switches completely really encompasses Nip’s journey. He didn’t switch up though, he just elevated his entire craft. And I mean HIS ENTIRE CRAFT. Not just rap. Not just business. Everything he stood for. Everything that was and is Nipsey Hussle.
11. Grinding All My Life - “50 Cent & Mayweather fleed the scene with us, true story.” That line always stuck with me and is the first thing I think of when this come on. The biggest flexes come from such subtle details. They make you able to tell her really lived it. Nip was really a master of that. Because when you really think about it, Nipsey Hussle really has been grinding all his life. It’s well documented. This is real West coast trap music. It feels like Thug Motivation 101 for LA when this come on. The stamps on this man’s passport are on display and available for everybody to see. He really built himself up over time to become the boss that he was when this first released. He put all his money in and made himself a boss. I say “made himself” because he said “self made, meaning [he] designed [himself]”. That just feels like some Jay Z sh•t man. Nipsey really aligned himself with the Black elite, but was still a trusted man of the people entirely due to how grassroots his movement was.
12. Million While You Young (feat. The-Dream) - Victory Lap was a long time coming. A lot of the music on this project was recorded well before the release of it. This was one that always stuck out to me as a definite older record. Somehow it still feels timeless as ever. The motivational tales Nipsey tells are just as old as time I guess. It’s like how Disney takes fairy tales from likethe 1200’s and gives them a fresh coat of paint and some cheesy power pop. I think Puff took the original track and gave it that Dream outro. I know Nipsey said Puff touched up a lot of the project as the executive producer, and with how grandiose the whole project feels I think we should all be thankful. That said, Nipsey’s still rapping incredibly well on this record and really instilling a sense of motivation in the youth with his words. My inner child is inspired. Hell, my adult mind is too.
13. Loaded Bases (feat. Cee-Lo Green) - “When they get to speak its like a coded language, reminds n****s of they strength and all the stolen greatness.” True sh•t Nip. That’s really what it feels like. Hussle was a real African, and I think that comes through when he says lines like this. He was a businessman, yes. But he was never not for the people. He always wanted to uplift his impoverished community. He always wanted to provide opportunity. Nipsey Hussle was one of a kind man, it was truly incredible to witness. “I seen it coming, didn’t I tell n••••s?” He sure did. Well documented. Check the scoreboard. This another one of them records that really feels like a true victory lap. Nipsey Hussle had finally arrived. And the applause on the back end really sells it.
14. Real Big (feat. Marsha Ambrosius) - This record is honestly so inspiring to me that it’s the closest I come to shedding tears to Nipsey’s music. “Try to pump your gas, get your car shot […] because young n****s rarely make it off of our block”. This feels like the last performance on the last show of the tour. Lighters in the air. Nipsey sitting at the edge of the stage, breaking it down for all who’ve come to support. This feels like true reflection. True pride in the come up. Real “I told you” energy. Not even on the cocky tip, just more on some “damn, this really what I told you about”. No surprise, just gratitude. This hits me every time. Every single time. The outro is just the icing on the cake. The stadium vibes build to a slow climax, chorus hits, song fades out then it simmers down and turns into a cold night in LA just like that. Screams in the distance. Whistling synth. Heavy piano chords. It turns into quiet storm damn near. This is one of the greatest songs I’ve ever heard.
15. Double Up (feat. Belly & Dom Kennedy) [Bonus Track] - But wait. There’s more to the hustle. Just stay down. There’s more to achieve. Time to double up. You don’t get too many chill songs about hustling. This record lacks any urgency at all. That’s the beauty of it. Once you on, just play it smart and you’ll stay on. This is the sound of hustling outside of survival mode. So far removed from survival mode that you can really appreciate life and all the moves made, but not far enough removed that you forget what you’ve endured. Belly’s “who knew?” goes right to the gut. When you really at the bottom, you don’t know. It’s about survival, hard to even fathom getting to the heights these three have achieved, especially Nipsey with all of his business endeavors. You can understand why Dom Kennedy needs his All Money In chain. Speaking of, damn he snapped. “What you know about…? Your response be the reason you exist.” What a lyric. The melancholy in this record is almost celebratory. It’s nostalgic, but present. It’s a reflection on the marathon, while acknowledging that it has to continue. But for right now, it’s a Victory Lap. The perfect bonus track.
16. Right Hand 2 God (Bonus Track) - But wait. There’s more. Again. Honestly, this one should’ve found its way into the regular tracklist. Double Up such a perfect bonus track that could double as an outro, I forgot this song hadn’t played yet. I guess its to make the record end on a higher note. Those are the horns of champions going off in the back of that hook. The vinyl scratch on the intro reminds us of the humble beginnings endured. “How the f*** you gon reach him? He making more than his teachers!” Nipsey Hussle personified. Self made, and walking the path less traveled. Look where it took him.
Boom, it’s 2018 right. Like I said in my Juice review, heavy heartbreak vibes. Depression all around me honestly. Can’t front, I wanted my old girl back. But I was also past that, it was middle fingers up to her. So I fed both of those urges (and my ego) and just stayed down. Stacked up. I remember shorty told me one time that my car was too small to hit it in. Broke my heart but I ain’t say nothing, just took a note and kept it pushing. Then my whip actually died on me completely. Divine timing though. I bossed up and when my bread got right I got a new whip. This was my first modern car too. All my prior cars were from the 90’s like me. This was my all black baby, I named her Michelle Obama. I always wanted a nice all black car. Now I had it and really felt like I was flexing on my ex. But more importantly, it was a symbol that my hard work had paid off. So I scooped up the homies to celebrate. My dog Xagi told me “Yo Nip just dropped, throw that on”. This album was everything to me in that moment. This album feels like it really doesn’t matter where you come from, you can get there. Wherever there is. And then you can take it even further. I remember doing laps around the beach blasting this whole joint. Feeling on top of the world. The homie Liyah (fellow Nip fan here at TDN, follow her) once said “the highest human act is to inspire, and Nipsey succeeded in that tenfold”.
When Nipsey passed, I had just moved to LA. I lived about ten minutes from The Marathon store. It felt like it was just a matter of time until I got to actually thank the man for all of the motivation that record (and his overall legacy) continued to provide for me. I know that’s a very small connection to make, so I could imagine how many other more intense stories people have of their connection to Nipsey. They didn’t call him Neighborhood Nip for nothing. But that’s just it, NEIGHBORHOOD. Not just hood. Nip was a neighbor, a member of the people just doing his best to look out for his people like a true king. So today and forever more, we cherish your life story and legacy. We show appreciation that we were all able to witness such an inspiring story of one man continuing to build a wall brick by brick until one day the wall was an entire castle. And even though he’s not here in the physical, that story keeps on playing a role in so many lives. It will never stop.
The Marathon will always continue. Happy birthday Ermias “Nipsey Hussle” Asghedom. Rest in Peace.
