Albums That Deserve Another Chance: Bubba Sparxx “Deliverance” Posted by Burmy on 06/16/11 | Filed under Features, Albums That Deserve a Second Chance

Long before the whole "party like a rockstar" and Euro-club trends impacted hip-hop and R&B, another seemingly impossible fusion happened between the inner-city centered genre and another seemingly incompatible one, from an area nobody would expect. In a rural area north of LaGrange, Georgia, a young man by the name of Warren Anderson Mathis listened to some mixtapes at his next-door neighbor's house ("next-door" being half a mile away in this case). This inspired him to expand to NWA, Too Short, and hometown icons OutKast, taking up rapping as a hobby while winning All-Region honors as a tight end/linebacker for his high school football team. After graduation, he moved to Athens, performing after Georgia Bulldogs football games and linking up with manager/business partner Bobby Stamps to finish his debut album "Dark Days, Bright Nights".

The novelty sound of country wit and wisdom mixed in with hip-hop beats and rhymes caught the ears of a certain Mr. Jimmy Iovine, who teamed up with superproducer Timbaland to sign Bubba to a new deal with Timbo's Beat Club Records distributed by Interscope. "Dark Days'" forthcoming re-release would add some Timbo and Organized Noize beats to the existing set, most notably the megahit "Ugly" ("Let's be honest, none of us will ever date a model"-if only all hip-hop was this honest!)

Although the novelty factor worked in Bubba's favor initially, he knew the sophomore album would be where his depth was truly tested. Now that he's in the major studio for the recording's duration, will he stay true to his country roots, or sell out to the darker forces of the industry? That question was emphatically answered with said sophomore album "Deliverance."

Of course despite the overwhelmingly positive reviews, this didn't get the mainstream attention it should have, explaining the low sales. However, at the Hype, we strive to be as neutral as possible, leading us to ask the question: Did it really deserve to be slept-on this much? Let's give it another chance!

#1 "Intro (ft. Big Rube)"

"As long as we attempt to fool ourselves, we are not yet free," Big Rube leads off his long intro of Bubba's first bars. In the meantime, Bubba rhymes about his cross-country travels, going from Mississippi to the Great Lakes to Wichita to Denver (not very typical hip-hop landmarks), making a stop or two at Wal-Mart along the way. Over Organized Noize's beat, Bubba displays lyrical growth while staying true to his country roots:

"Continuing my voyage in to Colorado
Folks live life but not with my bravado
I know that this pill is hard for you to swallow
More pig shit in which for you to wallow
I'm posted up here, at least until tomorrow
With a pound of buffalo nicks that you can swallow
Only thing I'm holdin is pain that you can borrow
Plus a whole pocket of change, for your sorrows
A lotta cats bustin but they can't find the hop
Lotta cats hustlin, if you ain't grindin, stop
On the open road, now is not the time to flop
The buzz is formulatin Jimmy now's your time to drop..."

#2 "Jimmy Mathis"

Usually I only link the official singles/videos, but I took a liberty here because I want you all to hear how infectious this right here is! Timbo takes a loop from the famous harmonica riff of Area Code 615's "Stone Fox Chase" to inspire Bubba to adopt his rural mentality to these dope rhymes, in this track named after his ol' daddy...

"They watch me in the country like the race on Sunday
And I wear the crown for 'em 'til you take it from me
I made some mo-ney, but blew most of
Bought and sold all the shit that you boast of
But I love my life and ain't much I regret
I just hope I remember, half of what I forget
Through the years and the tears, the blood and the sweat
But if you ever believe, it's time to double your bet
Cause I ain't even tapped into half my potential
But I have shown growth though, and that is essential
Grab you a pencil, and jot a few notes down
The questions they asked me, the answers I know now
Bet I ain't no clown, fuck what you thought dawg
I'm in Jimmy Mathis old truck with a sawed off
Pistol-grip pump, let some shit jump
We take it to the water and yo' ship'll get sunk"

But the total mindworm status is "Jimmy Mathis"' strongest asset-i guarantee the instrumental and hook will be stuck in your heads all the way to my next article!

#3 "Comin' Round"

Bubba's comin' back to rural LaGrange for self-renewal-they're treating him like he's the mayor! Not that the high life has affected his mindstate-he's still doin' it for those back home-even if only one youngster is motivated to greatness by his words, he'll consider himself a success.

"There is no king for the throne I seat
All by myself, so alone I leap
For the young boy that’s gone five weeks
He’s only fourteen, but he’s grown by me
Cause he keeps the heat on and his little sister fed
With his knowledge of the land and the tools in the shed
He could be in school, but he chose this instead
No avenue he won’t pursue for the bread
And who was there to speak for him but Bubba
He listens to his own, can’t relate to none other
The product of a bad hand and a young mother
If daddy wasn’t ready all it took was one rubber
To prevent the pain that his family done suffered
Thankfully his son is a real come-upper
Cause it’s gonna be something on the table come supper
There, the plight of my people is uncovered"

Timbo completes the country epic feelin' with his sample of the Yonder Mountain String Band's classic "To See You 'Coming Round the Bend"...SOUND LIKE NO OTHER.

#4 "She Tried (ft. Ryan Tedder)"

WHY WAS THIS NOT A SINGLE? Bubba deals with the all-too-familiar topic of long-lost love, complimented by Ryan Tedder on the hook (when his OneRepublic group was in its infancy) and Timbo sampling Alison Krauss and Union Station's "Momma Cried"...THAT would have taken the airwaves by storm. Forget this "Ms. New Booty" crap-THAT is real music! (End of rant)

#5 "Nowhere (ft. Kiley Dean)"

A common theme on this album is that Bubba never forgets where he came from-once he was in the middle of nowhere! Giving thanks to his whole family for their determination, Bubba owes it to them to get somewhere! Kiley Dean of "Make Me a Song" fame accents the mood with her soulful hook, but it's Timbo once again bringin' the smooth beat reminiscent of one of Missy's R&B jams. This track should have gone somewhere...

#6 "Overcome"

Bubba is ready to overcome any obstacles in his way, giving his props to the ol' Beat Club roster at the time (Ms. Jade, Sebastian, and Petey Pablo), and ignoring anybody who may hate. Timbo's beat...THESE TRUMPETS (that's all I can say).

#7 "Warrant Interlude (Timbaland)"

If you can call a 2:22 track an "interlude," that is. Timbo rocks out for a bit (five years before Shock Value) lamenting over being wanted by the police, yet promising to keep on ridin'.

#8 "Warrant (ft. Timbaland & Attitude)"

And here's the actual pursuit anthem...right after Dione Moore's intro, Birmingham native (and frequent mothership feature) Attitude kicks things off with his Southern ride-or-die stylings, before Bubba brings along some depths...to him, his career's a fugitive run and the only way he can turn himself in is by retiring (very deep if you give it a listen). Nonetheless, some of the most potent words we hear from him can be found here:

"This is heart it ain't a verse pick yo fruit name yo curse
With all the pain that is life dying hurts lyin's worse
Drive my Hearst down 85 to momma's house in LaGrange
Drop me off on the porch then send my off in a plane
Forget my name 'till God arrives to show all y'all what Bubba meant
To tamper with how we wrote the script clearly don't make fucking sense
There's not a thing that's pure to me it's contaminated by your device
Cause a wise man once said eternity's an echo of life"

True wisdom indeed...who says Southern hip-hop can't be insightful?

#9 "New South (ft. Duddy Ken)"

This is where Bubba begins his movement...seein' a lot of tomfoolery in Southern hip-hop circa '03, Bubba decides it's time for a change...here begins the New South. That movement's first disciple is Duddy Ken, who spits a respectable verse in the middle:

"And we gonna rush 'em with a blitz on this
Go round the world and hit every other upper scale and project brick with it
Bubba Sparxxx who meet with the Organized Godly beat
Man it's funny how God can be when you work hard to achieve
It's still slaw nigga (*vocal scratch*), spittin that Pac liquor
This is straight up pocket party, your summer that not nigga
classical rhymes got most cats tryna battle with Ken
Bet they won't "go up shit creek without they paddle again"
Come down to my town, bet you won't visit Athens again
And I write that hard har, roll like I got crack in my pen
But since your so happy that things go exactly as planned
Don't clack if we land, then it's crack a lackin again
Then most of these clowns up outta the pay
All I need is a stout, clean your coolatta and day
And the day that I'm able to finally get outta the game
What this hip hop has become is what the New South gotta change
Bring it back"

Put Organized Noize on the beat and you've got that stuff that's finna start up dem revolutions! But it only gets deeper, they say...

#10 "Deliverance (ft. Timbaland)"

The title track (and first official single)..."realest shit I ever heard". Words fail me here-which is why I included the much-easier-to-describe (yet equally classic) video. Inspired by the 2000 indie film classic "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" (a big part of its appeal was its sountrack), this is widely considered to be Southern hip-hop's most slept-on song (and video) EVER. Just watch and soak in...

#11 "Hootnanny (ft. Justin Timberlake)"

No, this is not a typo; Bubba Sparxxx really did collabo with Justin Timberlake. Both of them are enjoying their new way of life (Justin having lived it for quite some time, Bubba being relatively new to it). Haters gonna hate...they don't really give a hootnanny! Specifically, Bubba dedicates a verse to those who thought he'd be a one-hit wonder:

"A lot of y'all was thinkin' that Bubba would probably disappear
Get some show money from UGLY and buy a keg of beer
And another pig to give my other pigs some company
Rent a doublewide and just live it out in luxary
In due time, but there's business left to attend to
I need another farm to bequeath my next of kin to
And another tramp before my great aunt Missy
Yea, I've been drinkin' but I ain't that pissy
Thinkin' back to when my daddy told me what it's all about
He said no matter what I do in life, some of y'all'll pout
I can deal with that long as all my folks is eatin' good
Let that channel pass over more than any Easter could
I'm on the roll again and I ain't talkin' ecstacy
Tell them folks at Interscope they fixin' to write some checks to me
Soon as me and Timmy finish up this latest pig schlop
Man I think you right, it ain't nothing but some hip hop"

Well-said Bubba...you just explained why I'm writing about this album today...

#12 "Take A Load Off"

With fame comes fans...and a lot of them are of the crazy variety. Bubba's asking them to slow down before they come after him so quickly...sometimes he might not even be in the mood to approach any of 'em. Once again, we get a "signature Timbo" beat to wrap things up... (Seriously, when Timbo's producing most of this album, every track's a potential single!)

#13 "Like It or Not (ft. Sleepy Brown)"

One of the reasons why "Deliverance" never really found an audience was because the hip-hop fans said it was too country and the country fans said it was too hip-hop. However, that mixture is just Bubba being Bubba, and he's going to keep doing him, whether y'all like it or not!

"I'm the type that you might see with Petey Pablo
Chasin fielder's dream with corn and three Diablos
And I'll be blessed to death if I see tomorrow
But I'ma live to get my son a lead that he can follow
I might can't flip a brick but bet that I can move a pound
And if you call yourself the king, well then there's two in town
Regardless where you from, what you do, or who you found
You best to get to practice early for the shoot-around
Cause Bubba don't play, do them thangs you won't say
Be damned if I even pull my {dick} out and don't spray
Daddy told me just to do them thangs he never did
Breakin broads, get money, live your life and treasure it
And that's the least that I can do, for the man who
raised me up and through his faults helped me understand you
And now I'm certified, New South pioneer
Born and raised down here, best believe I'm dyin here"

Over Organized Noize's typical beat and the chorus of its hookman Sleepy Brown, this should be a banger ANY audience can enjoy!

#14 "My Tone"

Of course, being a Southerner does have its perks...that swagger and drawl gets the ladies flockin' over to him! You've GOTTA believe that Timbo beat had to be simplified, stripped down, sold to Jay-Z, and become "Dirt Off Your Shoulder"...but still, that's the way the Dirty South rolls! A fitting "relax track" for the GRAND FINALE!

#15 "Back in the Mud (ft. Sleepy Brown)"

One of the few albums where the very LAST track might be the best-remembered one. Though the single didn't do that well on the charts, anyone who's ever played Madden NFL 2004 will remember this song being on constant replay (alongside fellow ATLiens OutKast, Killer Mike, and Bone Crusher, alongside Joe Budden, Nappy Roots, and The Roots). The video shows Bubba Sparxxx as #47 for the Atlanta Falcons, set to avenge their Super Bowl XXXIII loss to the Denver Broncos (why the Broncos are wearing white in Denver I have no idea). For those taking notes, here is how Bubba finishes this classic album:

"Kitchen cup, fill it up, sober don't appeal to us
If you're broke do what you can, that alone is still enough
Help us out, if you're rich, cuz we finna pitch a bitch
Just stop by the store and grab a case of that and six of this
Hey Betty, get ready cuz your daddy's in route
Let her join the beat club, keep that little trim out
Have her screamin' "New South" without pullin' "lewd" out
He always wonder what you doing, let him wonder who now
At the end of the day I would have no regrets
Got it done on every front and I ain't even focused yet
At the bottom of the pile swimmin' wit them mud cats
If you die, man I'm pullin' "sooey" for a grudge match
Spell it out, L-E-G, E-N-D I still believe
Whatever goal God set for me indeed I will achieve
In this life or in the next, whether drinkin' gin or Beck's
Bubba funna bring it home, conceal it, and send the checks"

Truly words to cement your name in hip-hop legacy to!

FINAL SCORE: I can't believe it...for three straight weeks, I covered unsung hip-hop classics! Will this train ever stop? I think it might next week...but still, I must give this a 5 out of 5 (Unsung Hip-Hop Classic)

WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Beat Club disbanded, Bubba signed to Big Boi, got buzz, "Mz. New Booty" blew up, "The Charm" was brought, but then it bombed, so he went indie, signed to E1, tried selling out BIG, and he's feeling kinda lost now. We can only hope his next album "Miracle on Gamble Road" can be a return to form...he just needs to listen to "Deliverance" and his creative juices will flow again!