"...And then reach back in that closet and pull out summa that smoooth stuff like ya daddy wear....them two piece suits...y'know what I'm sayin?" - James "Pops" MitchellSo, after the success of "Life of the Party," me and Pooh decided to do more work with Nottz and see what else we could come up with. We took a trip to Nottz's studio in Virginia, went through damn near 300 beats, and heard an early version of Snoop and Kells' "That's That Shit." Once this beat came up in the iTunes folder though, me and Pooh immediately stopped what we were doing and looked at each other like this:
We knew this was gonna be something special. Me and Pooh had never rhymed over a tempo that fast and wanted a beat that would challenge us and take us out of our comfort zone. Normally, I'll have a song concept in my mind and will search for a beat to fit it, but this was one of the rare occasions where the beat forced my hand. To me, the tempo and the feel of the track just said 'old niggas steppin' so I took it there. In writing most of the songs on this album, I was trying to think about how these joints would fit into people's lives. Some niggas make songs for the club.....I make songs for the family reunion. Songs to get you through your day at work, songs to study, smoke, chill, drive, play spades, and get your hair done to. To me, that's what real life is; the stuff that happens while you wait for the moments that never come (c) Lester Freamon
Originally, the hook for this one had me and D. Brock going back and forth. Once me and Pooh narrowed the tracklisting down and decided that 'Two Step' was gonna be Brock's only appearance on the album, I gave my vocals the axe and left him in for the full song. Also, I did a vocal reference for Stan Graham's trumpet solo that you'll also hear in this mix. Me and Khrysis almost left it in on some George Benson 'saing along as I solo' steez, but ultimately decided that it woulda been corny....and George Benson is 10X the sainga I am....
I apologize for the brief hiatus, folks....the holidays have been a really busy time. On top of which, the LB team lost one of its dearest friends/extended family members yesterday morning.
R.I.P to my man Ronnie Johnson, a record industry veteran who was one of our biggest supporters during our time at Atlantic Records. Aside from being one of the biggest vocal champions of Little Brother (i.e. if not for him and my man James Lopez, Minstrel Show may have never seen the light of day), he was an all-around good dude who always took time to show love and respect to those around him, and schooled us on many facets of the game. Please send some prayers up for him and his family. We miss you, brother.
Wishing y'all a safe and happy '08,
Phonte