Do Remember: Beanie Sigel, Grand Puba & Sadat X’s Bread & Butter (Audio)
With Beanie Sigel currently in our hearts and on our minds, this week’s “Do Remember” seemed fitting to dedicate to the Philadelphia, Pennsylvania MC born Dwight Grant.
Following two Top 5 charting albums (2000’s The Truth, 2001’s The Reason, respectively), Beanie Sigel took a break from the catalog. A gold-certified Def Jam artist, Beans helped solidify State Property, develop the successful career of Freeway, and dabble in acting. By early 2005, things had changed for the Roc-A-Fella Records star.
In the previous year, Beanie Sigel was the key artist who aligned with Dame Dash, while much of the Roc had either dissipated, or opted for Jay Z’s regime. Sigel, who had been crowded at the Roc in recent years, went on to become a flagship at the short-lived Dame Dash Music Group (DDMG). In February of ’05, he released The B. Coming. The effort would be Sigel’s highest-charting album. With rumors swirling that Jay Z still helped with the album’s marketing and promotion, Beans’ onetime mentor was featured on the album, along with Cam’ron, Redman, Bun B, and S.P. members.
Still perceived as an A-list MC at the time, Beanie Sigel garnered acclaim for this LP, especially on the success of the widely-beloved single, and album-opener “Feel It In The Air.” Facing a felony weapons charge—fresh off of an attempted murder charge, the song and the album emphasized Sigel’s reality at a time of conflict.
Sigel’s albums, Gangsta Rap releases, always nodded to his love of purebred music in between the blocks. For The B. Coming, “Bread & Butter” would prove to be that moment. The Just Blaze-produced track enlisted two-thirds of Brand Nubian’s vocal line. Grand Puba and Sadat X joined the record, which addressed an unwound relationship. With Brand Nu’s “Slow Down” referenced in the chorus, the moment was three the hard way, looking at an ex. The collaboration stood tall, as Sadat had dealt with his own legal struggles, while Puba was in a bit of a recording recluse. Rather than a “feature legends for the sake of featuring legends” moment, Beanie Mac used role-players as effectively as possible.
Beanie Sigel’s third album would be his highest-charting, and arguably his most acclaimed. While the DDMG one-off did not go gold, it is Beans at his best, and most lucid. Part of the album’s sonic charms lies in its deep cuts, and “Bread & Butter” made the meal that much more substantial.
Check out other Ambrosia For Heads’ “Do Remember” pieces.
Related: Finding The GOAT: Beanie Sigel vs. Freeway…Who You Got?