Fat Joe and Dre blessed the world with Family Ties this past week. Fat Joe warned us that it would be a classic, and so far, responses to the project are overwhelmingly positive. From the moment the album begins, with the track "Projects," you can feel the epic nature of the vision. Produced by Dre, "Projects" begins with a haunting yet energetic piano riff the somehow illustrates the mood of the projects immaculately. Dre takes control of the hook, which is catchy and simplistic, before Fat Joe hops on the first verse.
Fat Joe sounds like a man rejuvenated on this project. The excitement in his bars is palpable as he glides over the rapid percussions. Dre comes back to clean up the final verse smoothly, making me wonder why he didn't pursue a more serious career in rap. Overall, this is an astounding intro for Fat Joe and could possibly be the most infectious track on the album.
Quotable Lyrics
Forgive me, I'm a nigga out the projects
From where they pick out all the NFL prospects
Either you rich or you poor, a simple concept
So cooking up or totin' a rocket was some progress
But these days, you gotta watch what you post
Tryna speak truth or power get you shot like ghost, whoa