Front Lines

Well well well, it appears there's yet another producer from Atlanta on the cusp of greatness. Lil Wayne stans already know the boy Vaushaun "Maestro" Brooks laced the track for "Prostitute," which was actually one of the first times we heard Weezy F inflecting the sing-songy melody that is now so ever-present in his material. The song will be featured on The Leak. But Maestro's not entirely brand new, having produced countless album cuts Dem Franchize Boyz and David Banner, who he actually credits in this Smoking Section interview as really giving him his first break. Even though I fucked with the Wayne record when it came out, I wasn't really up on dude until I heard the new Ice Cube track, "Gangsta Rap Made Me Do It." That shit is hard body for real. I haven't heard Cube sounding like that in a long ass time. You know, sounding like he actually wants to rap. Commenting on how the song came about, Maestro says:

Cube's people called me and told me he was working on a new album called Raw Footage and that he was on some real gangsta s#!t. Being a fan, I looked at it as a great opportunity to make music with the man. [With the direction they gave me], I knew what he wanted before I even touched the keys! So i went in and cooked up that beat. The track was a perfect backdrop for Cube's delivery—the kick drum beats you in the chest, the snare slaps you in the face, and the other instruments created a cinematic drama that makes the whole thing feel like a movie.

Check the Cube track: