Review: "The City Aint Safe" Album by Beeb
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From the moment Brian de Palma’s “Scarface” became a part of hip hop culture, hip hop heads have found themselves intrigued by the calculated, ethical, resourceful and ambitious mindset of the hustler. “The City Aint Safe”, the newest album from Newark-based rapper Beeb, fits neatly into the violent and unpredictable world of street hustling, though lyrically it leans more towards personal insight and self-reflection than captivating narratives.
The production, handled entirely by Pyramid Tapes, is dark, cinematic and immersive. Within these soundscapes, Beeb adopts a cocky, cold-blooded, survivalist demeanor, keeping his ears to the streets, mind on his money and finger on the trigger. Despite his hushed, low-key delivery, Beeb commands every track on “The City Aint Safe”, thanks to his impressively proficient wordplay and appropriately bleak and self-aware topical focus.
The four guest rappers on the album deliver standout performances, from Plush Omega’s vicious contribution to “Desertion” (though I wish his vocals were less reliant on pitch-shifting) and Elespee’s rugged, stress-driven (to the point of baldness, in a noteworthy moment of dark humor) verse on the opening track “SOB (Sons of Babs)” to Calig Kontra and Moemaw Naedon who team up with Beeb to BODY the beat to “Old Times”. Though they appear overall on three tracks, their individual complementation of Beeb’s lyrical and thematic focus help create a sense of camaraderie throughout this record.
Where “The City Aint Safe” truly shines is the segmented use of what sounds like a real-life interview between a reporter and a Mafia boss. Every question asked by the reporter on the reasoning behind the boss’ nefarious activities is countered with an amoral yet honestly rational answer, from the importance of family (which opens “SOB”), the business side of his profession (on the interlude before “Old Times”) and the societal demand for his services (which concludes the final track “Stolen Land” on a chilling note). This interview brings a heightened level of focus and cohesion to the album and thus frames Beeb as a student of the gangsters of old, adopting their mindsets as a means to achieve financial freedom – by any means.
Overall, “The City Aint Safe” is a solid album, with some of Beeb’s strongest, most potent material to date. With so much hip hop to consume in the remaining weeks before 2021, I strongly recommend giving this album a listen, particularly if you’re a fan of unapologetically grimy street rap!