G-Unit reformed about a year or two ago and they’ve steadily been trying to get back to those glory days when they were running hip-hop in the early 2000’s. It’s pretty apparent that they’ll never be able to recapture even a portion of their immense influence, but a part of me wants them to, just for the sheer nostalgia. They were such a big part of my high school years and were connected to so many good memories. The Lost Flash Drive is exactly what the title implies. A collection of songs from a flash drive thought to have been lost to the world.
Yo fuck your interview
That lil buzz you got is political
I knock your pride out, I’m dumbin’ down still, too lyrical
You photobombin’, awful timin’, don’t know nobody
Hard to keep up with kings, I show a body
How it’s guided from a shattered stage
Bout to make me a money barricade
The production on The Lost Flash Drive is vintage G-Unit, for better or worse. For better because they perfected that NY gangsta rap sound I loved back in day. For worse because they haven’t managed to evolve with the times and the current sound, all but ensuring they’ll never truly rise again. “Fatality” uses that same synth piano you could find on their second album, “Comin Thru” is hard as hell, with a chilling piano loop in the background, “Superville” is a vintage Banks beat, and “Worldwide” and “Dreams” are classic East coast soul infused production. “Set the Pick” is the best song on the whole tape; it’s got that classic boom bap loop interspersed with a piercing soul sample, it’s fire. The most current production on The Lost Flash Drive is a bonus track (“Wait A Minute”) and not even a G-Unit song. I don’t know when exactly these songs were recorded but they clearly sound dated in today’s scene, but I’d be lying if I said I don’t love it just as much as I did back then.
Even in the hood we be shooting all day
Got dead souls walking through the project hallways
Seen a dead body laid next door of where I stay
Couldn’t do nothing ’bout it, just walked away
My nigga Tray just lost his youngest son
He bought a knife but the other one bought a gun
The Lost Flash Drive is truly a G-Unit affair because there’s no sign of 50 Cent anywhere, except for a bonus track. But that’s ok because they can all hold their own. Banks is still a fucking beast and is as full of crazy punchlines and flow as he was back then; makes you wonder how he never blew up bigger than he did. Kidd Kidd even surprised with some clever wordplay. But the star of the show for me, just like it was back in the day, was Young Buck. My favorite artist out the whole group; he rips tracks apart, especially on the “FREE Young Buck Freestyle” where he flows over numerous classic beats. “Set the Pick” sees Kidd Kidd, Banks, and Yayo trade bars in a continuous procession, they really go off on it. It’s a shame this tape probably won’t get the attention it deserves, because they haven’t lost their ability to spit a fire verse. It’s full of nostalgia, Whoo Kid drops and all.
Have you heard The Lost Flash Drive? What did you think about it? Are you glad to hear them still at it? Is it a little too “vintage” Unit? Let me know in the comments below and leave a rating for the tape.