Due to Hip-Hop journalism’s questionable past when it comes to ethics, people tend to jump to conclusions like “[insert label here] must have paid you guys off to get that review/feature”. It’s a knee-jerk reaction from disgruntled commenters that even we at TSS have to endure sometimes. I think it’s an easy way out and cheap trick to blame things you don’t agree with on bribery or industry politricks, and I know that a credible, honorable magazine like XXL would never stoop to anything like that. So, I’m going to chalk up their recent endorsements of Shyne as pure retardation.

Clearly, I’m not opposed to giving Shyne a cover, per se. I mean, at this point, he’s fascinating.

–He’s been in prison for a while. Interesting.

–He got a million-dollar deal out of the gate. Also interesting.

–He came out of prison with a flow that’s shown a Benjamin Button-like deterioration of seemingly supernatural proportions. Really interesting.

But to call the man “the last real rapper alive” while promoting a song featuring Bob Marley and Biggie that has Shyne dissing 50 Cent and Rick Ross, of all people, is grade-A poppycock. (Added irony points for the cover line that reads “Is Beef Dead?”)

Now, let’s discuss the actual “song.”

“Belize” can be described in one word: necrophilic. Because Shyne has dragged two dead people into his big suck orgy of f*ckery. Why include the voices of Bob Marley and Christopher Wallace into a whirling cesspool of ear crabs? Even more pressing of a question: how bad do you have to be to make a song with Marley and Biggie sound so oppressively grating?

A couple of lines caught my attention:

“They say I’m rap’s heir apparent…” – Who in the Mother Hell says that? Ok…besides the magazine you’re on the cover of…anyone?

“I’m here for the cash then I’m bailing…” – Ah…this explains it. L.A. Reid must have heard this line. I’d give him a million bucks to go away, too.

Shyne “Feat.” The Notorious B.I.G. & Bob Marley – Belize | Download