The story of G. Dep could be thrown in with all the other failed Bad Boy Records experiments that saw Puff Daddy sign respected street rappers and leave them high and dry a few years later. Okay, so technically, many of these albums weren\u2019t failures financially, but nor did they launch the next superstar. After The Notorious B.I.G. passed away in 1997, Bad Boy peaked with the massive Puff Daddy album \u201cNo Way Out\u201d followed by Mase\u2019s \u201cHarlem World\u201d. Both went platinum. After that, though, Puffy had an identity crisis. The L.O.X. sold a lot of copies of 1998\u2019s \u201cMoney, Power & Respect\u201d but it didn\u2019t feel like the same cultural earthquake. Mase famously found God in 1999, which put a huge dent in Bad Boy\u2019s momentum. Without a superstar frontman, Puffy signed Shyne, who sounded like Biggie, and Loon, who sounded like Mase. I have a soft spot for the Faith Evans album \u201cFaithfully\u201d and Black Rob\u2019s \u201cLife Story\u201d, and I was actually surprised to see that both of them went platinum. That\u2019s how strong the Bad Boy brand was, pretty much every release went platinum. It\u2019s wild, looking back, that Black Rob (God rest his soul), Memphis Bleek over at Roc-a-Fella, and Drag-On over at Ruff Ryders, were all shifting over half a million records. Different times. This brings us on to Ghetto Dependent, or G. Dep as he\u2019s more popularly known, a Harlem emcee that signed to Bad Boy in 2000. His album \u201cChild of the Ghetto\u201d didn\u2019t do those sorts of numbers despite being well-received by us 24 years ago, and despite him being a far superior rapper to most of the names I mentioned earlier. Of all these emcees, G. Dep was already familiar to rap fans, having built a reputation in mixtape circles with his classic singles like \u201cHead Over Wheels\u201d. <\/p>\n
Dep has a smooth delivery, combining the depressive nature of Mobb Deep with ponderous observational raps not dissimilar to Kool G Rap, who is clearly an influence. The (wonderfully named) record label Gentleman\u2019s Relief Records recently restored and remastered a selection of rare and obscure G. Dep tracks, and that\u2019s what we have here on the conveniently named \u201cHead Over Wheels\u201d. The promo cites Dep as one of the finest MCs of his generation, which is a tad overblown (like any bit of promo writing) yet not that far from the truth. In a sense, he is the very defintion of underrated. When most people talk about underrated emcees, they jump to Pharoahe Monch, Ras Kass, or perhaps Chino XL, who are all, in fact, highly rated. Those are some of the greatest emcees of all time. But you don\u2019t really hear G. Dep\u2019s name come up in these discussions. Or any rap discussions for that matter. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s no surprise this record is named after its most notable song; \u201cHead Over Wheels\u201d remains a classic example of immersive New York Hip Hop \u2013 it\u2019s hugely nostalgic, from a time where fans played tapes in their cars, or cycled through late-night radio stations as they drove home. There are superior lyrical performances \u2013 but the beat still sounds supreme. <\/p>\n
The way \u201cHow\u201d is written highlights why Dep retains a strong reputation (aside from him being a convicted murderer, let\u2019s put that to one side for now): <\/p>\n
\u201cI be the best shit since Manamal
More plans than Hannibal, bitin\u2019 ass cannibals
Even every animal, vegetable, mineral \u2013 I be killin\u2019 you
Roll like a general then I will flex, continue bendin\u2019 you
How I\u2019ma put this through your vest
Say I\u2019m the Buddha best
Without a desk I put you to the test
Always way for your to \u2018fess though
Mentally tempt me
They act like they don\u2019t know and they ain\u2019t even emcees
Be immensely cautious, best bring your forces
Smoke a L for losses, dead like the corpses
And of course it\u2019s on, I drop \u2019til the morn\u2019 sun
Who you crossin\u2019? I toss \u2019em, I\u2019m bionic like Steve Austin\u201d<\/p>\n
A couple of tracks remain rough, and I wish they were blown up to match the levels of other songs. \u201cBlow More Spots\u201d sounds like a gem, but if you whack the volume up, be careful to turn it back down before the licks of bass blow your eyebrows off as \u201cAutomatic\u201d stomps all over your ears. \u201cReflections\u201d is similarly scruffy, while the bonus track \u201cDollar Bill\u201d may actually benefit from the rougher mix. The latter pulls from the famous \u201cC.R.E.A.M.\u201d hook, and that\u2019s something that also highlights the unsigned nature of G. Dep\u2019s output at the time. He\u2019s playing with his hooks, trying to find who he is, over some more familiar production. There\u2019s an EPMD beat on \u201cYou Ain\u2019t Nobody Baby\u201d, a Big Pun beat (or same sample at least) on \u201cDon\u2019t Really Wanna Stop\u201d.<\/p>\n