While Pooh sketches in vivid detail, Apollo Brown supplies the canvas. The Detroit-via-Grand Rapids alchemist chops classic soul samples and scratches hooks into bangers—head nodding and hard, but still beautiful. The holy trinity of DJ Premier, Pete Rock and J. Dilla supply divine inspiration. As Pooh spits on “Candlelight:” “this is what they call boom- bap/when they try to find what’s in that backpack.”
But at heart, you return to the words, the pictures, and the complications inherent in the soul. You might have previously known Big Pooh best for his work in Little Brother, but this is the most powerful music he’s ever made. Mining deeply into the personal, he’s created something profound and universal.