Rapper-producer Jay Dee left after the group's first national album, 2000's Fantastic, Vol. 2 (Barak) and rhymer Elzhi was added to the mix for 2002's Trinity (Past, Present And Future) (Barak/Capitol). Now, with the release of Slum Village's new album, the stunningly impressive Detroit Deli (Barak/Capitol), the group consists of just T3 and Elzhi. Throughout the changes, Slum Village's musical mission has remained constant: to deliver soul-stirring sonics that represent Detroit to the fullest. That vision is fully realized on Detroit Deli. Throughout the sensational 15-cut collection, T3 and Elzhi give listeners an intimate look at life in The D, from where they shop, hang with friends and eat to the type of cars they drive (check "Zoom") and what clothes they wear.
Slum Village represents the Midwest's funk heritage on the inspirational "Do You," which was produced by Jay Dee, and teams with Chicago's Kanye West on lead single "Selfish," a sly, piano-driven song where T3, Elzhi and West rap about their desire to have a monopoly with women. They then team with Ol' Dirty Bastard on the riotous "Dirty" about having to battle for a woman and deliver a Player's Hand Guide of sorts on the sensuous "Count The Ways," Both produced by B.R. Gunna.
Even though Slum Village excels at making this type of lighthearted music, they show on Detroit Deli that they also hit hard with more serious subject matter. On the moving, guitar-driven "Keep Holding On," they rap about people not losing faith in their lives, while on the stirring "Old Girl/Shining Star," T3 and Elzhi send a open letter of hope and support to single mothers working hard to survive.
"The inspiration came from my boy's niece who has a gang of kids and is out here struggling," Elzhi says. "She's stringing her kids around on the bus, just to get by. By me just looking at that, I'm like, 'I need to write a song because I know she's not the only one going through it.' Slum Village has never touched on ladies like that and everybody is calling girls hoes and Bs, dissing these ladies, so we wanted to touch the ladies in a different way."
The group also takes a different route on "Reunion." Jay Dee joins T3 and Elzhi on the insightful cut, which offers three different takes on the group's status. "It's like you're going through three state of minds at one time kind of in reverse," T3 says. "What we're trying to say is that we wish we were together, we might be together and then we're not together at all. We're trying to give you all the aspects of how people are coming at us, the type of stuff we're dealing with and kind of give you a glimpse of the stuff we're dealing with in the group."
Indeed, songs such as "Keep Holding On," "Old Girl/Shining Star" and "The Reunion" signal Slum Village's evolution; they mark the first time the group has let listeners in on their personal feelings. "I don't think people really know us and we never really touched on our emotions like that," T3 says. "We wanted to bring some realness, besides just the soul music. Elzhi, as a guy that saw Slum Village on the outside, he brought it to my attention that we never touched on serious topics and that we should try to touch on them more. I was with that and I have a lot to say, so why not?"
Detroit Deli also stands as Slum Village's most musically rich album to date. B.R. Gunna producers Black Milk and Young RJ, both 20 years old, handled the majority of the beats, while Kanye West produced "Selfish," Jay Dee handled "Do You" and T3 along with young RJ produced "Closer" and "Count The Ways." The beats are as divergent as the album's subject matter, ranging from soulful to futuristic, but they always remain powerful and innovative.
The same can be said for Slum Village's storied career. After releasing Fan-tas-tic Vol. 1 independently, Slum Village became one of hip-hop's hottest groups. While working on Fantastic vol. 2, they were joined in the studio by such luminaries as D'Angelo, Busta Rhymes, Kurupt, Pete Rock, and A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip, among others. The resulting album became an underground classic and Slum Village was seen as the second coming of the Native Tongues (A Tribe Called Quest, Jungle Brothers, De La Soul) by member Q-Tip, as well as fans and journalists alike.
Jay Dee left the group after Fantastic, vol. 2 in order to work on his solo career, but Slum Village pressed on, releasing in 2002 the Dirty District mixtape and later that year its third album and first with new member Elzhi, Trinity. Many fans looked at rapper-producer Jay Dee as the group's backbone, but Trinity proved that Slum Village could provide without its sonic architect, as that album's single "Tainted" became the group's biggest hit.
"We've always stuck to our guns," T3 says. "We've never tried to change to get commercial success. We always just did what we did and when you do what you do, eventually somebody's going to have to give you your respect for having the courage to do what you do."
Now back where they started, Slum Village yet again thrills and delights fans and gains yet a larger audience hungry for the smoking beats under the hot lyrical talent of T3 and Elzhi. Slum has begun to bring more of their personal feelings to their music, allowing the listeners and fans to touch more on the emotions and realness and touched on more serious topics. Prequel to a Classic features previously unreleased joints and jams from Slum Village with production by B.R. Gunna, J Dilla and Kareem Riggins. The mixtape gives listeners the best of some of their material since Fantastic Vol. 1.
T3 has said in a recent interview that slum village has reunited with Baatin and has added Illa J(J Dilla's Brother) to bring a Dilla effect. He is quoted "Slum Village is totally not that at all,” T3 adds. “I’m incorporating Baatin, and I’m putting Illa J in—not to take Dilla’s place, but just to have that essence of Dilla on this new project. I’m pulling together all the producers that we’ve used before—Black Milk, Wajeed , Kareem Riggins, Pete Rock and all the people who have been down with SV from day one.”
J Dilla died on February 10, 2006 after being diagnosed with TTP and Lupus.
Baatin died on July 31, 2009.
www.slumvillage.com
The Look of Love Pt. 1
Slum Village Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It got something to do with umm
Being a man and handling your biz
What love got to do with it
Ask SV it′s all bullshit
You know what love is
Say it with me one time, you know what love is
SV on some love shit, you know what love is
And to the bitches that love dick, and masturbate
No need for that I get down for rap, say word
Take it back, take take it back
What is the look of
It got something to do with umm
Being a man and handling your biz
What love got to do with it
Ask SV it's all bullshit
You know what love is
Say it with me one time, you know what love is
You know what love is, you know what love is
The motorbot hasn′t been slept on for a long time
It's time for me to put my mack down
But in the meantime
Let me tell you bout a bitch named
The woman looked so good she make you masturbate
Come into my life, let me show you how I operate
My name is Rassur, but you can call me a gigolo
My teacher name is, yup yup, you know how we roll
I had a lot of shit to do, back in her astral
Baatin nigga come back to earth
What can I do for you
Back in this bitch, coming through with my new suit
Nigga looking fly, cause you know we got a lot of loot
When I'm on the mic, a nigga throw down his blunt
Just to hear what we say, up in this bitch
T3 is on the love tip y′all, you know what love is
Yo the S is on some love tip, you know what love is
T3 is on some love tip, you know what love is
She said I wanna be down with the S
I said, certainly let me taste your splendorness
Busting a Virgo, you were scandalous
Your fragrance got me losing consciousness
Your stance got me unbuckling my fucking pants
Spending clouds of finance on a two dollar romance
To do dick, to the tip, get a lick
Tell a bitch, the S is the shit, so eat a dick
You need to, you need to just give me your clit
As I get nasty like an old porno flick
Oral sex, got me caught up in the {?} bliss
T-Cedric, as I drop this dick between her tits
Yes, you know what love is
Say it with me one now - you know what love is
You know what love is
The Look of Love Pt. 1 by Slum Village is a rap song that touches on the theme of love and what it means to the group. The opening lines of the chorus state that the look of love has something to do with being a man and handling one's business, but love itself is irrelevant. The group asserts that they know what love is through their music and their message, which is why they are on some love shit. The rapper addresses women who love dick and masturbate, but he assures them that they do not need to do that when he is around because he is good at rapping. The second verse sees the rapper talking about a woman he meets, who looks so good that she makes him want to masturbate. He introduces himself and states that he's a gigolo, and he's interested in showing her how he operates. Another member of the group T3 is also on the love tip, and he speaks about how a woman's fragrance and stance make him crazy.
The song is fundamentally about the importance of love and what it means to the members of Slum Village. Although their lyrics may seem crass at times, the underlying message is that love is vital to everyone's life, and they are expressing it in their way. The chorus repeats the phrase "you know what love is" several times, underscoring the idea that the group wants their listeners to understand what love is to them. The use of slang words and vulgar language is also significant, as it serves to portray the group as relatable and real. It adds a sense of authenticity to their message and makes it more accessible to their audience, which is primarily young people.
Line by Line Meaning
What is the look of
What does it mean to truly love someone
It got something to do with umm
It's hard to put into words
Being a man and handling your biz
It's about being responsible and taking care of the people you love
What love got to do with it
Love plays a huge role in everything we do
Ask SV it's all bullshit
Slum Village doesn't believe that love is nonsense
You know what love is
You understand the true meaning of love
Say it with me one time, you know what love is
Let's say the definition of love together
SV on some love shit, you know what love is
Slum Village is all about love and its importance
And to the bitches that love dick, and masturbate
Some people don't need to use masturbation to fulfill their sexual desires
No need for that I get down for rap, say word
There's no need for introverted sexual experiences when we can experience joy together through music
Take it back, take take it back
Let's bring it back to the essence
The motorbot hasn′t been slept on for a long time
It's been a while since we've had some fun
It's time for me to put my mack down
It's time for me to show my swagger and charm
Let me tell you bout a bitch named
Let me tell you a story about a woman who caught my attention
The woman looked so good she make you masturbate
She was so beautiful that it was easier to fantasize than to pursue her
Come into my life, let me show you how I operate
If you give me the chance, I'll show you that you won't regret it
My name is Rassur, but you can call me a gigolo
I might have a promiscuous reputation, but I have a lot to offer
I had a lot of shit to do, back in her astral
I had a lot of other things going on, but she was still on my mind
Baatin nigga come back to earth
Baatin, snap out of it, let's get back to reality
What can I do for you
How can I help you, what do you need?
Back in this bitch, coming through with my new suit
I'm back and looking sharp as ever
Nigga looking fly, cause you know we got a lot of loot
I'm looking good and feeling confident because I have money and success on my side
When I'm on the mic, a nigga throw down his blunt
I have the power to captivate people's attention
Just to hear what we say, up in this bitch
People value our words and opinions
T3 is on the love tip y′all, you know what love is
T3 is all about love and its importance
Yo the S is on some love tip, you know what love is
The S (Slum Village) is all about love and its importance
She said I wanna be down with the S
She's interested in being a part of our group
I said, certainly let me taste your splendorness
I'd love to get to know you better
Busting a Virgo, you were scandalous
You're an unpredictable person
Your fragrance got me losing consciousness
You have an intoxicating scent
Your stance got me unbuckling my fucking pants
Your confidence is irresistible
Spending clouds of finance on a two dollar romance
I'm willing to spend money on you, even if it's not that much
To do dick, to the tip, get a lick
I'm trying to please you sexually
Tell a bitch, the S is the shit, so eat a dick
We're the best at what we do, so don't doubt us
You need to, you need to just give me your clit
You need to let me pleasure you
As I get nasty like an old porno flick
I'm going to get sexually explicit
Oral sex, got me caught up in the {?} bliss
Oral sex is making me feel really good
T-Cedric, as I drop this dick between her tits
I (T-Cedric) am going to have sex with her
Yes, you know what love is
You understand the true meaning of love
Say it with me one now - you know what love is
Let's say the definition of love together
You know what love is
You understand the true meaning of love
Writer(s): David Palmer, Mark Andrew White, Martin David Fry, Stephen Barry Singleton
Contributed by Jackson M. Suggest a correction in the comments below.