The first time I heard of Philmore Greene was when Alexus Renée hosted a tribute to Havoc of Mobb Deep for the Classic Hip Hop Lives backstage access TV show. Greene performed with his producer Rashid Hadee and we went on to interview the duo. It wasn’t until we posted about our top Hip Hop albums of the year when his music caught my attention via social media. The album title and artwork struck me as very intriguing because it encapsulated the inner city diaspora of Chicago so well. Based on news reports alone it may be depicted as a third world city, in essence it’s not. I immediately logged into Amazon Music to purchase, and soon was ridin’ and vibin’ to the entire album from beginning to end. Here’s my review of Chicago: A Third World City.
I enjoyed the excellent marriage of deep lyrics, dope beat production, compelling storytelling, brilliant album art and how it all correlated to the music from start to finish.
Let’s start with the album art… constructed by the great Zeph Farmby. Another Chicago native who expresses his visuals of social-political issues in graffiti with roots in Hip Hop. In the art, I sadly saw some of the negative messages glorified in news casts that paint my city dark. You see crooked politicians, police brutality against people of color, kids as targets, youth committing murders, girls who strip to pay for college and at the center of it all… a kid that adapts and survives a concrete jungle.
In this new era of rap music it’s only as good as the beats or a catchy hook. In my opinion, those alone aren’t enough to classify a good album. The lyrics, the messages and the cadence also play a huge part in my criteria. On this album I enjoyed the excellent marriage of deep lyrics, dope beat production, deep storytelling, brilliant album art and how it all correlated to the music from start to finish. Here’s a few stand out songs that resonated with me…
“Chicago: A Third World City” Album Cover
The first few seconds of the album starts out Johnny Blaze mixing and scratching in President Ronald Reagon’s address to the country about America’s dismal financial status in the 80’s. Greene blazes the track setting the gritty tone and futile visuals of inner city living. No hook follows but a mixing of news reporter soundbites during the era and a comedic relief of Eddie Murphy wise-cracking on “Reagonomics.” The lead out soundbite to the opening song is a plead from a homeless man giving his testimony of rampant homelessness, segregation and not enough support for those in need in Chicago.
It’s a war on religion, a war on drugs, a war on terror… we full of hate so it’s a war on love.
-Philmore Greene “Reagonomics”
One of my favorite joints off the album is “Something Outta Nothing.” Reciting familiar Hip Hop lines from Wu Tang’s “C.R.E.A.M.” It’s a ride ‘n vibe joint illustrating a hustler’s tenacity to build something from nothing. He doesn’t necessarily details the steps to get from A to Z- but it’s implied and left to interpretation. I love lyrics you have to decode rather than this new era of Fisher Price rap where they provoke no listener thought- spewing it out for kindergarten comprehension.
“Fly’n on Lsd” talks about some of the only choices a kid from the hood are faced with; selling drugs, youth committing murders, gangs, snitching, sexually transmitted diseases, dirty politicians, gentrification, etc.
“The Grind” illustrates the fascination of money and the beauty of the struggle. The outro skit to this song is where we’re introduced to Sherita (a stripper using the exotic occupation to pay for college and a better life) and Corey (a street smart drug dealer.) The intertwine of their stories serve as the basis for the story-line skits that ultimately come to a conclusion in the album.
“Tryna Get It” features Neak, producer Rashid Hadee and Yarbrough. This track is simply 🔥 In the second verse they all spit with a style you see on Wild ‘N Out. The “Pick Up & Kill It” style to be exact… Meaning they’ll end with a line and the next emcee will pick up that line and rhyme with it and so on to the next.
“Story of Greed” is a Hip Hop masterpiece
“Nighttime Maneuvers 2” is a rapper’s ballad comparing how- on the surface their active hours are similar to a D-boys.
“Sonlight” looks at the positive aspects in most dysfunctional households where the father is not present in the home. The paradigms of a single mother’s trying to raise a son to be a man.
“Co$t of Living” is a dope track! The gritty spit of Greene describing Chi-town inner city life complements the soulful vocals of Peter Jericho.
“Granny’s Prayers” is a message of concern and prayers most G-ma’s in the hood project over their relatives. Hood youth only have a few negative paths to follow and grandma’s prayers typically are their only form of protection. I like the addition of rapper Slot-A. His style and cadence sounds just like a young Kanye West. I’m interested in hearing more from him.
“Story of Greed” is a Hip Hop masterpiece. Philmore’s style in this joint is reminiscent of the great storytellers such as Jay, Nas and BIG. Without giving away spoilers… It’s infinitely better if you listen to the entire album and especially the skits between Sherita and Corey to get the full revelation of this track.
Conclusion…
If you’re a real Hip Hop head the title alone already piqued your interests and you went on to check out the album. It’s a no brainer… Whether you’re from Chicago or not you’ll agree this is a #dope album. (And if you are from Chi-city you’ll appreciate it even more due to many of the relatable topics.) Had we known about this album in time last year T.K. just might have added him to the best Hip Hop album list because it’s that good. You can stream/download Chicago: A Third World City here or at your favorite music platform. It’s definitely worth a listen!
🔥🔥🔥🔥
Album Release Party
If you’re reading this in time and in Chicago, come out to his album release party on Thursday February 7th at Emporium Arcade Bar (1366 N. Milwaukee Ave.) Doors open at 8 pm and it’s free to attend. Click here for more info.
Chicago: A Third World City Track List
“Chicago: A Third World City” Back Album Cover
- Reaganomics
- Something Outta Nothing
- Way Too Focused
- Fly’n on Lsd
- The Grind
- Tryna Get It (feat. Neak, Rashid Hadee & Yarbrough)
- Beautiful Picture 2
- Nighttime Maneuvers 2
- Sonlight (feat. FLYKelly)
- Co$T of Living (feat. Peter Jericho)
- Tomorrow
- Granny’s Prayers (feat. Slot-A)
- Story of Greed
Released: Dec 12, 2018
Have you listened to Philmore Green’s Chicago: A Third World City album? What did you think of it… chop it up with us in the comments below!
