"Bills" - J. Rawls ft. Masta Ace

"J. Rawls" alone is enough to rivet my drug-addled attention, but throwing in "Masta Ace" is, well...that's just, like, excessive, man.



So apparently J. Rawls is making another album. I consider that a good thing for mammals everywhere. Strangely, this jam was produced by someone called "Bombeardo" rather than J Rawls himself -- this is a symbolic sacrifice in honor of the fact "The Legacy" will be The Final J. Rawls Album. A heavy vow. Still, with a whole generation of rappers approaching 40, these solemn exits are becoming pretty common. (And they're all about as believable as Jay-Z's retirement. Nobody ever quits rapping. Word to Supastition.)

J-Live: "Ace is one of the dopest lyricists I know. We both have the task of running labels and making sure the bills get paid. The song came together like clockwork."

As a young rapper, my first long-term "Big City" experience was Montreal, and the first blunts x rap appreciation session I had up in the frozen North was centered around "Essence of J. Rawls" -- especially the track "Cold Turkey." I can still quote that song to an embarrassing extent, which to say: Yea, The Whole Fucking Thing.