βHolding~hole in tha desert like quicksand/now let that sink inβ¦"
Welcome readers,
π
This written series will focus on 3 essential elements of film breakdown:
Bar
- written material, performance reach, & entendre layers.
Aesthetics
- the beauty mark of the Arts. A philo study of the details.
Thesis
- the symbiotic correlative synopsis between intent & bar impact.
Got it? Cool!
Run the tape! βΆοΈ
Artist:
Loaded Lux
Performance:
v. Geechi Gotti (2021)
Dialectic:
Sound body of work between the lines from Beloved.
The pen meets itβs oratory nemesisβ¦
Film Review=
Rd.1
Thesis: Lux presents a complete body of work in Round 1 designed to disassemble a mounting general consensus that wise tales donβt move crowds, in waves. While foreshadowing the outcome of the bout expertly albeit in defeatβ¦
Bar: βanother handicap match/no wrench/just a nutjob wit his screws loose
but im back ta that old fixβ
+
βthis a bruise/i'll black and leave tha blues clues/that'll show emβ
Aesthetics: tie-in imagery, handicap match being Lux against the spread. However you see it. Bettors odds would obviously favor 1. -the younger more appealing to the updated battle rap community opponent in his backyard venue within a setting directly supportive of his marketed push and campaign with the interest of those vested for his brand aesthetics to thrive and embody the modern expectation for performance. Or 2. -the less enticing though safer assumption that despite optics Lux still finds a way to get it done so take the 2-1 point spread and relax comfortably. Either way, the surface layer entendre of an opponent being disabled and ill-equipped to match the task v. Beloved represents perhaps a dated point-of-view on his part (and rightfully so as a supreme artist of his ilk) in the midst of the sports trending pattern away from Lux as the quintessential favorite. See the environment. Truly there are oppositional forces against Luxβs favor in reality as his embodiment upholds a more antiquated ethos of what is to be expected from MCβing that perhaps often seems unfairly boxed-in and dependent upon the very advantages his opponent enjoyed on this nite in order to resonate in real-time albeit for very different reasons. Homecourt advantage belongs to Geechi on this nite. Lux wonβt have the ears nor patience of many for long all things considered so how will he adjust? But that old fix though. Still handy. And if Lux can black and find the jab angle that leaves even the slanted audience without a doubt or clue as to who dished the most oratory punishment by leaving a bruise or three you can see as opposed to the rewatch, well thatβll show em. Blues Clues was a childrenβs sitcom series spanning six seasons from the late 90s to early 2000s. The theme-find clues en route to an ultimate lesson. The Lux entendre- guy in blue ends up a clue to be viewed at a showing or wake essentially.
Bar: βyou dont ignore why tha grounds floor tour guide say/if you dont a-mount to the rushmore climb/you could run into a snowcliff/you chose thisβ
+
βyou home/but feel flown in/they done put a Crip in Krypton and a riverbed bout tha only thing you can float wit/without a boat this, body gon make you look a lil yachtyβ
Aesthetics: Held on-high is the barometer for which any Lux opponent will endure pre-bout. Despite the surface layered rumors of his demise, no opponent can overlook the heights traveled to reach the performance measure necessary to defeat Lux twice. Nite of and nite of the filmβs release. Not many achieve both. Hence the snowcliff. See the warning signs on the way up. And always remember the climb itself was indeed a choice to begin with. A choice that takes time and cannot be rushed ironically. Added is the acknowledgement his opponent perhaps received a boost for this climb home to the top of the top. Most leagues, factions, and companies of any sport or sort generally mandate and appoint the caped face of its brand. No surprise there. So what awaits the flown-in push? Entendre(s)- Geechi Gotti like fictional Superman allegory, is lead home to the Smack Era Vanguard known as Loaded Lux who represents (in this iteration) a natural kryptonite to the caped new face of the New Era now stripped of his powers and stricken to an expired state of existence floating upstream alone with the visual aid of Lil Yachtyβs hair dye color of choice to emphasize the point of how he got thereβ¦
Bar: βDrake is hosting/when a star trek down tha final vulcan/tha highest voltage/what iβm evoking/thatβs/β
+
βheavens gates without tha poaching/locked up in tha same food chains i got all yall goats in/you eva saw what it look like when tha predators prey/β
+
βjust minus the pulpit tha pope in/this tha pulp you get beat to when ya pulse hit/oh sh*t, a lion approaching/itβs more like/blood in tha water tides in tha ocean/β
Aesthetics: Trekkies bare with me, iβm no connoisseur. π€·π½ββοΈ
But here Aubrey serves as the Starfleet entendre as Lux equates Drake the Rapperβs stardom to the delivered presentation of Geechi as the last of the Vulcans to which Lux at his maximum output would theoretically implode the domain of which Geechi reigns as law of logic itself. Segue into Geechi as the prey of the predator, an ecosystem anomaly, and you have an unusual food chain likened to poaching as the convention seems well regarded that some species are too rare and deserve the preservation of not falling into the line of the hunted. But what if they did, what does that look like? Gory travesty? Perhaps. Lux seems to equate this entendre to stealing from heavenβs gates. As in, the elevated heart rate of a rapid pulse hit while being beat to a pulp likened to a prey more vicious than a lion in pursuit on land but rather a rare shark in troubled deep waters caused by the sun & moon. And what would hunt that? A leviathan perhaps. π‘
(see- βThe Art of Rap: S.M.A.C.K.β)
here=
Bar: βwhen they brought you out on tha floor all i saw was a dying goldfish/i wanted ta find a bowl you could soak in/but this a moment/& itβs gon steal a stage/
+
βta spill ya brains/it hurts but/such a-ppeal it gain/yall donβt know a killa pain if it ainβt ibuprofensβ
Aesthetics: The entendre continues from before as Lux paints the perception of Geechi as his worthy prey in bloody waters to now merely a goldfish on land out of its element and habitat thus at an obvious disadvantage. Diminishing the idea of Geechiβs presence as a true threat while understanding the objective of needing to command the space in which the ring operates all the while. A sound strategy for my 2cents, though dimmed and marred to a degree by the member of Luxβs entourage whom provided Geechi with an in-battle angle to continuously jab with and maintain the very stage presence of composure Lux states his intent to disarm his opponent from. Into the entendre of spilling oneβs brain on stage as the operative mode of transmission of battle rap conceptually coupled with the literal spilling of mind matter. Both can hurt, for varying drastic reasons. The pill in reference or the appeal of what is to be gained versus the risk so to speak. Both with potentially addictive properties. And both with the built in remorse of after-effects that may conflict the viewer. The painkiller of perception numbs the verdict for the victor. Would have to theorize here that Lux reeks of the hired hand mentally dim from the lack of relatable quality to his outlook as the marksman. Thus it hurts him to do it to them, in essence the pain is residual.
Bar: βright now i want you to get out ya phone then/n*gga i want you ta see how iβm coming across screening you like a flood warning advisory notice/β
+
β(what you do Loaded?)/i steps ta my business like sobriety coaches/yo sistahs ya brother and them/wherever ya auntie and uncle is/i hope a doctor consoling/β
+
βyou already dead ta be knowledge opposingβ¦β π‘
+
βget beat good if this knot~not in ya head/you n*ggas got ta wake up/he bopping ta Loaded/β
Aesthetics: Visual compartmentalization fuels the Art of Rap like no other.
When you receive an advisory notice to your phone- 1. You donβt control the messaging. 2. The urgency in the messaging is apparent. 3. Warning issued, formal notice served. Lux entendres here to emphasize the impetus. And why? The steps associated with aiding oneβs understanding to the importance here finds parallel footing in Luxβs speech- the 1st step is admitting you have a problem. To be already dead as the opposer of knowledge is the problem itself. Thus the consoling of those with still hope has already begun. Marking the trance of a good beat as the margin of a sound lyrical beating as the tone of which Lux intends to make clear- the pupil must out duel the teacher whether the analogy applies or not. As the moral compass archetype of lyrical dexterity in Battle Rap, you are bopping to the influence of Loaded Lux whether you are cognizant or not. A point he appears to accentuate as an advisory notice for full transparency.
Bar: βyou might not get this event till lata like every bed in tha hospital covid/his pops didnβt know tha/degrees he was up against/fore-heading out til tha body was frozen/β
+
βson was a hothead/got his temperature checked/but tha mama~thermometer coldest/β
+
βnot my Bae Loc/in here thinking he Beowulfβ π‘
Aesthetics: The Fantastic Four already said it best so I defer to them-
βThe whole world is a stage
And everybody's playing a part
The stage is setβ
Next, Lux entendres pops of a firearm to pops the parental Father to mirror the degrees of the Sun to the degrees of the World set forth or the high-Builder whom understands them. To tie in the tainted imagery of the four pound weapon to the hothead son who inevitably meets his match in life or gets his temperature checked like thermometers do only to come to find the Mother (the thermometer) of the menace often demonstrates the enabling disposition that subconsciously set forth the son on his path of feverish destruction- he could do no wrong or be held accountable in the first place, placated and catered to like that of a sick or hurt child, hence in reference- not my (insert whomever). Her allegiance to her maternal duties and emotional proclivity toward desensitizing her feelings towards his faulty decisions wonβt allow her to see all that heβs become. Which may or may not associate in her mind to βsins of the Fatherβ not to be made punishable to the son though mirrored in action. Essentially the bully met his match and the irony remains the cold chilling disposition of a Mother in denial. In retrospect, the cadence Lux uses to lend to this idea- indelible du jour.
Perfectly summarizing Luxβs allegory encapsulated by the classical poem- βBeowulfβ
A tale of warrior triumph celebrating ultimate bravery and mannish pride. An old wise tale much too lengthy to insert here. Though for all interested in the crafty correlation of the Germanic folk tale to the plight of urban homes defected with the defects of broken ideals; a brief read into Beowulf for sake of clarity to Luxβs bold subtlety and attempt to bridge centuries of time will be well worth it here.
Entendre plot twist: Does Lux insinuate that it is he who is actually Beowulf? On the path to rid the URL of its Geechi Grendel reign of terror? A subtle bar/jab yet one that means so much in the grand scheme of transcribing the lyrical encoding.
Penmanship masterclass from Beloved.
Bar: βi took note of/ya man check engine light on and iβm just starting tha motor/Gotti a whole movie out here Loaded/yea i know sir/you talking the 96β version or tha 2018 one with Travolta/which mob flick you n*ggas wanna go to the vault for/β
+
βcause this sh*t neva/whichever/father God he is in here wit tha Godfather/i can see no reason for you to play untouchable/you a good fella n*gga/β
+
βso i was at the airport right, i ran into this old plumber he use ta work at a Death Row studio/he done been in mo gangsta sh*t than you n*gga/β
Aesthetics:
Of course Lux would play on the Gotti moniker. To be expected and well executed for its simplicity yet directly catered lyrical entendre orientation. However, the Death Row plumber reference serves as example for why and how Loaded Lux became and remains so irreplaceable to the Art of this sport. The comedic relief sandwiched in-between digestible content necessary to break the ice mentally of a viewerships focused fortitude to this point is exactly the pin-point placement of a craftsman attuned to the body of works ability to age like wine. In the building, this brief segue lands favorably on all in attendance as a light-hearted aside though itβs purpose (for my 2cents) toward establishing endeared residency in the ears of the weary; a small part of what makes Lux in totality such a necessity, still.
Bar: βi donβt wanna hear all them theatrics, and capping/that sh*t man in tha end it/you gon wing it/but that bird sh*t wonβt fly n*gga tha pen win/n*gga send it/β
+
βthis is fine dining versus nickel & diming/you ainβt got it thatβs why you get outta pocket/we coulda booked this on tha Riot/ but my fee~ma-fia make Gotti forget about it/β
+
βi mean this a suite bro/they said Gotti was a made man/yea thatβs finito/β
Aesthetics: Send the message via bird in flight- the sh*t wonβt stick in the end. The fine dining of lyrical substance holding more value at the negotiating table than the theatric dime of dozen display more readily prominent it would seem to be Luxβs point here alongside the finale bar punch to the John Gotti play-on name.
Bar: βthey tried ta make consciousness look soft/ainβt nothing small-minded about a n*gga that stood tall/i fought em all n*gga/spiritual fights/hood brawls/but boyz in tha hood always talking bout/ion wanna hear that bullsh*t Sharif/they wasnβt saying that when i was takin they football/β
+
βyou do know Shareef in Menace II Society is tha same guy that was in boyz in tha hood that was taking these n*ggas football?/i just wan make sure you n*ggas know what ta look for/β
+
βtonite donβt gun bar me ta death/you know ya usual/i canβt come back til tha clip was empty/you know tha usual/β
Aesthetics: Respect to Vonte Sweet. The role of Sharif he comprised in 1993 continues to resonate in hip-hop culture as the same controversial diatribe of counter-conflicting interest towards holistically righteous discourse til this day.
Maybe one day, no matter the intellectual purview, common ground can be had.
Battle Rap remains one of few mediums remotely willing to engage the try. Kudos
Bar: βyou gon start looking like a fat chick putting on/you squeezing it but tha body donβt suite you/thatβs hard for me ta throw ya/β
+
βyou caught a body/it was prolly a partner in yoga/β
Aesthetics: Not to be confused or thrown, play-on entendre of note here for Lux.
Bar: βoh you had that Addams family thing on you/β π‘
+
βcause one minute you was there/then it was no body/just hands~Hanz walking alone bra/β
+
βmannn/i ainβt seen a n*gga pop out that scared since, since/deebo knocked out tha n*gga for tha beach cruiser/β
+
βyou want some of this too old man- No/β
+
βGeechi why you come round Harlem sitting round here messing with these people for/get yo ass in the carβ
Aesthetics: Lux made βThingβ from the Addams Family synonymous with Brooklyn Hanz in a battle bar of non-fiction events that took place. Iβd rather look at you crazy and say nothing than debate Loaded Lux standing in Battle Rap lore.
To close, Lux makes reference to the legendary character βDeeboβ played by Tommy Lister Jr. as one of his marquee moments in the film gets reprised for reenactment with Lux and Geechi within the plot. The infamous scene we all know well shows Deebo sending Red into orbit via a healthy uppercut. Subsuquently resulting in Redβs father returning with him to confront Deebo. Excellent writing and picture perfect placement to end the round characterizing himself as Deebo in this ordeal as a tone-setter for a well-constructed body of work. Though as we all know, Craig won in the end. Poetic justice had its say.
That said, what a Round 1 full of gems worthy of further examination. This sport consists of world-class writers deserving of a good film breakdown agreed?
Well I appreciate all you readers who took the time to admire the Arts.
Respect to John Lucks and his continued standard of excellence as Loaded Lux.
Pt. 1 is in the books. πΎ
Next up- B Dot The God (v. Ave)
Many well regards to all of the upcoming featured artists of this thesis series.
And many more successes to the Battle Culture of HipHop as a whole.
Looking forward to the cipher cyphers to come. Stay tuned readers.
Peace Luv1
TwoCent
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