Is Young Jeezy’s “Thug Motivation” Something Real?
In today’s hip hop environment, rappers from time to time need a boost from that one-time buddy of theirs.
Remember when you didn’t have enough strength to jump over the fence but your friend gave you that boost to hop on over? Or that time when you just needed some motivation to finish a task? Young Jeezy, everyone’s favorite “snowman”, is EXACTLY the thug motivation these rappers need today.
Over the past couple of months we’ve noticed the effect of Eight732 founder Jeezy’s appearances on songs. In today’s climate a rapper can be hot one day and just total trash the next week. Gone and forgotten. It may not be the rapper’s fault; generation gaps seem to widen and people lose interest. We’ll give you three recent examples on how Jeezy has resurrected some life into rapper’s breath.
Word is that Jay-Z strong-armed a Jeezy track and wanted it to appear on Blueprint 3. The song is “Real As It Gets.” Go ahead and take a listen: it does sound like Jeezy’s song with a Jay-Z feature:
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Not to say Jay-Z’s career needed any resurrecting at all, but take a look at that track list. Just picture BP3 without Jeezy. Where’s the ‘hood? Where’s the thug? Is Kid Cudi the thug presence that Hov was looking to showcase? Definitely not (especially after Cudi’s kissing fiasco). Without Jeezy, there’s really no thug motivation on that album.
Next we have Fat Joe. After Fat Joe’s hit “Lean Back” that had everyone essentially leaning harder than the Tower of Pisa, Joey Crack has failed to resurrect his place in hip hop. After his continuing love fest with 50 Cent it was clear Fat Joe needed a dose of thug motivation. Listen to “Slow Down”:
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With a great sample of Soul II Soul’s “Back To Life”, the beat literally knocks speakers left and right. Fat Joe brings that hardcore Bronx rap and Jeezy shows up on the hook as well as a verse, simply stating “We came in this bit*h tonight a murder team, we gon’ leave this bit*h tonight a murder scene.” If that’s not thug motivation then we don’t know what else is.
Last but not least we bring to the stand Plies. The rapper born Algernod Washington got his goon card revoked when Jamie Foxx exposed his tendencies when 30 “real” goons showed up on the set of the video for “Please Excuse My Hands.” Don’t ask us why 30 real goons were at a R&B video shoot, but that’s besides the point. DJ Kay Slay also went on a Twitter rant about Plies not being committed to hip hop culture. Read about that HERE. When the goon card is getting revoked, it’s time for some thug motivation. Listen to the latest street single from Young Jeezy featuring Plies called “Lose My Mind.”
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We can hear the passion in Plies’ voice as he screams every single lyric to show how motivated he is to share this track with Jeezy. Hopefully other hip hoppers see Plies through different lenses because of his affiliations with Jeezy.
What do you think? Is Jeezy the current savior right now? Or is there someone else that has a larger and important thug appeal? Weigh in!
Yessss. so true. jeezy’s motivation goes well beyond hood appeal. him in my ipod every morning is whats helping me thug out my run. or thug out my day if i feel tired or broke…motivates me to get to the next level. really, no bull shit, i feel on my way to the top when hes in my ear.