Havin Thangs The Southern Way : Big Mike

Big Mike: Havin Thangs and Playa Playa
From: Somethin’ Serious [Rap-A-Lot, 1994]

Here today with some southern rap to welcome in the sun and wash away the weekend cobwebs. Big Mike first hit the scene with fellow rapper 3-2 as part of the Convicts who released their classic but only album in 1991. He then went on to replace Willie D for the Geto Boys long player Till Death Do Us Part in 93 before the shit hit the fan and Wille D came back into the fold. However, this didn’t stop Big Mike and he finally released his debut solo album in 1994 titled Somethin Serious. Packed to the rim with classic southern beats and fluid rhyming, it’s an album that never fails to get appreciation when it’s given a moment to shine.

Havin Thangs is an absolute sure fire classic. Produced by and featuring Pimp C it’s as good as pretty much anything UGK released during that period with its thumping drums and screwed funk production. Epic and stunning.

Playa Playa is more on the down slow with it’s soulful strings and blunted edge but again maintains that southern flow so crucial to the sound of the album.

When I was loading the songs up to the computer to post I did a double check when I saw the date on the back of the CD and it said 1994 – hard to believe this music is now 14 years old when it still bangs as hard as ever. Mike’s follow up Still Serious is also definitely worth having and I see he’s still releasing to this day though I’m oblivious to how decent his recent stuff is. Any knowledge please let me know.

On a side note and as a heads up, we’re about to launch a new project on the Fuzz in the next day or so that is going to hopefully exploit the interactive aspect of blogging in a way not seen before. I’m very excited about the possibilities this will open so keep an eye out for it in the coming days and look forward to your feedback.