The Whole Delivery

20 Year Anniversary of this emotion, lachrymose classic getting the deserved shine it requires. The underrated legend, before some weird last few years of wanting to be a "Bump-n-Grind" guy, has always had magical ability to produce a masterpieces like this. And the music video only made it even more bust of waterworks. The August 16 Flashback Friday. 

Hands down one of the greatest songs ever, genre for genre. And this is honestly their best song and music video for me, even over “All My Life.” The brilliance that Joel Hailey, Cedric Halley did on their own words and beat, along with Rory Bennett, just was perfect. Only Christina Aguilera’s “Genie in a Bottle” prevented it from being #1 during this time 20 years ago. So with all that said, from their second album after the Jodeci days, it’s the still underrated, legendary duo that is K-Ci & JoJo with “Tell Me It’s Real.”

On Large Professor’s beat, it was his debut single of his career for the 92 movie Zebrahead. And fittingly enough, it was wisely placed in the middle of Illmatic. And it worked out perfectly with the flow in arguably the best crafted song of his first album in terms of harmony with Large Professor production. “These are the lyrics of a man, you can’t near it understand/Cause in the streets, I’m well known like the number man/“ It’s of course “Halftime”, Track 5 on Illmatic.

It’s the special silver anniversary of one of music all-time debuts, from a Queensbridge savant that didn’t just include him, but also put some of QB’s finest collection of talent together ever in AZ & L.E.S, along with the rest of the city in Pete Rock, Large Professor & AZ producing. And after “The Genesis” intro with AZ & Fab 5 Freedy, sir Nasir Jones set the tone for this timeless classic celebrated on this Good Friday with a “New York State of Mind.”