Stanisland Magazine

Beanie Sigel’s debut album was highly anticipated and lauded by the Hip-Hop community, but does it deserve its reputation?

VERDICT:

He is one of Philadelphia’s most prized possessions, a local treasure if you will within the rap game. After years of features whereby he stole the show from many a rapper and/or crew, his debut album was hyped beyond meaning to the point it almost became a myth. It wasn’t until Puff Daddy’s Journey Through The Life and The Roots’ Adrenaline did he truly make his mark, releasing a venom that overshadowed Nas’ verse and almost usurped arguably Hip-Hop’s best MC Black Thought.

When the time came for Sigel’s debut to drop, the masses drooled and remained loyal to an artist who was debatably signed to the wrong label. Featuring debut production from Kanye West and Just Blaze, as well as contributions from Rockwilder, from a 2023 perspective you’d think this album would be rock solid. Though at the time, there was little known about the aforementioned producers. But something went wrong.

Beanie’s (real name Dwight Grant) ride on Jay-Z’s label Roc-A-Fella Records was short but, incomplete, evident through a catalogue that appeared to suffer from major interferences when considering both Sigel’s style and preference prior to his major release.

Some tracks didn’t match Beanie Sigel’s style

One of Phili’s finest flourished on production values where his interests were most apparent, such as the aforesaid classic Adrenaline from Things Fall Apart. Correlating this with what works on his album The Truth makes clear where Jay-Z perhaps intervened (though this is speculative) as heard on works such as Remember Them Days featuring Eve and Everybody Want To Be A Star, where the cheese is so apparent your copy of it will attract mice. Make no mistake, these are songs Jay-Z works to, not the Mac man. However, when listening to What A Thug About, Stop, Chill and What Your Life Like, Sigel thrives in a performance that transports you to the picture he is painting.

Final thoughts

There is little on The Truth that screams Beanie Sigel, if anything, it whispers Sean Carter. Who knows, maybe Sigel was uncomfortable curating the production, or maybe there was too much to choose from. Whatever the reason, only pint-sized amounts trickle in from the Mac man’s game. Make no mistake, Sigel’s skill level matched anything that was thrown at him, it is just a shame the music is subpar.

Ultimately, The Truth is a record with much potential though falls to the whims of its executive producer. And if that doesn’t convince you, consider the fact it’s finale is a track by Jay-Z .