I recently discovered that Tuks is financially struggling and for some reason this was not news to my ears. The "bona fela” hit maker disappeared from the scene right after the drop if his album "Footprints". 2 years ago i met a guy who was trying to negotiate airplay with me for the whole album,this dude litterally wanted me to throw in 2 songs on every show i presented. If this was not a red flag that Tuks was majoring in broken finances then i must be an ignorant living being.
The newspapers splashed this with full scale pictures of the Mahikeng originating star. I want you to note that if it was a mere album promotion they would have just had a corner picture of him but i will save that argument for another day. After the news shattered i found myself picking up pieces of an ex legend with Freedom or Fame trolling the background. BlackLez's bars locked me better and I for the first time heard his cry through the teeth of that whining beat. It was not about Tuks losing his house and car any more, it was far from my co-workers who grew up in Mahikeng who for some stinging reason where popping Champaign on Tuks' downfall.
Blacklez's choice of beats could have not been better, I mean if you want people to hear what you saying why would go for big hats and over-rated 808's? The basic baseline and synth allowed him to rap at a pace that captures every feeling molded on every word. That "Thank you" Mama ad lib when the song begins had me thinking of Eminem when he cleaned his closet out. There is a paradox here is Lez's closet has already been cleaned out for him. He takes justified shots at MOVE magazine for cleaning his closet. Connect this with what is happening to Tuks right now, it would seem the media is holding every public figure hostage and the ransom is living a perfect life. Reason laments about this situation on the remix of the song. On his verse (Reason) he speaks about how he should have been warned that chasing your dream and inspiring people comes with such a hefty price. The pun lands right when he says “So i can choose to drop 10k when they ask for my 2 cents". The way I hear it , Reason feels like you not given options as a public figure and your finances are connected to this prison called the limelight. Freedom or Fame?
You could either be honest in your music or you could just be broke. Lez compares himself to a modern day Steve Biko right? How many artists have claimed to write what they like but ended up sounding like recylced garbage when the hunger broke through their lips?
You could either be honest in your music or you could just be broke. Lez compares himself to a modern day Steve Biko right? How many artists have claimed to write what they like but ended up sounding like recylced garbage when the hunger broke through their lips?
"I have learned to deal with lip like Beyonce" is one of the lines that tell you that this song goes beyond another rapper bragging about how "dope" he is. The line has connection to Jay-z, An artist who broke away from drug dealing life which offered him jail time and no freedom at and actually went into the music industry which offered him ...well freedom. The glaring parallels drawn by Lez's penmanship cannot be ignored. The freedom he speaks of here is not only social freedom but its finacail freedom too hence the dropping of struggle hero names in his verse.
The freedom to break away from the stereotype of black fathers especially when no meaningful relationship exists between the mother and father. The truth will set you free right? Lez's confesses to being a dead beat dad in the opening stages of his daughter's life but now is mending fences. I am not sure if Reason's last line was sponsored or not but Pabi Moloi definitely heard it.
Prokid basically sums it up as he walks us through "a week with a hustler". We go out there working for money to impress "abo mama mia" while Umama is struggling, now tell me you do not consider that as modern day imprisonment?
I personally urge Blacklez to go around making remixes of this song with all the cats in the industry because i am sure they all have a story to tell on this particular topic.
Prokid basically sums it up as he walks us through "a week with a hustler". We go out there working for money to impress "abo mama mia" while Umama is struggling, now tell me you do not consider that as modern day imprisonment?
I personally urge Blacklez to go around making remixes of this song with all the cats in the industry because i am sure they all have a story to tell on this particular topic.
I want freedom, I want fame, I want money ....is it all possible? Blacklez doesnt seem to think so. Unlike Reason, you have been warned.
Download FREEDOM OR FAME REMIX