Artist: Jus Daze
Album: Walk Twice As Hard
Tracklisting:
1. Walk Twice As Hard (Prologue)
2. First Step
3. Here For A Reason
5. Bob (Interlude)
6. Same Struggle
7. Comfort The Comforters
8. 365 Daze Love Letters
9. Superman’s Dead
10. Zombie
11. Fallen Star
12. To Die For
13. Know I Would (ft. Lenore)
14. Andy Dufresne (Ambition)
15. I Made It (ft. MVP & Devo)
16. Whatever Happens Happens
17. Reflection
Note:
What first drew me to Jus Daze was not his victories on the battle circuit. It wasn’t an appearance on a late night talk show. Nor was it because he was the “bow legged bandit”. I rarely even look at the attached pictures of emcees that are sent in submissions. I listen to Jus Daze’s music because he is relate-able to his audience and I connect with his lyricism, his stories, and his message. It’s intelligent and tangible music.
Walk Twice As Hard is loaded with powerful lines and stories but it also lends itself to shear artistry. We have talked about the track Superman Is Dead previously but I can’t discuss the album without revisiting this song. It’s a track that puts a more mortal twist on the supernatural story of Superman and the characters associated with him. It’s a story of love, jealousy, and betrayal. It’s an extremely creative track. I am really not sure how the writing process develops for a song like this. When listening to a track of this nature, it begs the question: What other tales and concepts lie in the confines of the mind of Jus Daze?
Zombie is a joint that features a sample from the Cranberrie’s 1990 track that goes by the same name. The Mighty Fuzz Young does an excellent job of transitioning a very recognizable pop/rock song and give it those necessary hip hop components. The track also brings out the political and social consciousness of Jus Daze. He’s not buying what the media and politicians are selling, no matter how many times they reiterate the same stories.
For my part Andy Dufresne is the magnum opus of Jus Daze’s album. The track is named for one of the great movie characters of my generation from, Shawshank Redemption. And while you may disagree with my movie taste, you can not debate the quality of this song. The production from Maniac Production is like a lullaby that lulls you into Jus Daze’s thoughts:
See I find it a compliment / When people with accomplishments / Start poppin’ shit about your confidence / And when you drop a hit (shit) / They don’t acknowledge it / Cuz prides are thick ball of snottiness to be swallowed / If someone who’s buzzing moderate, they’ll let rocket-set / And That’s because they’re comfortable giving chances to those who are not a threat / Me? I walk twice as hard to earn respect / Literally in steps / And heart that I invest.
The aforementioned content is a snippet of a greater pattern and ideology that is contained throughout Jus Daze’s music. Here we have a man who has blazed his own trails in the midst of adversity and challenges. Here is a man who does not merely set goals, but achieves them. He is not prone to settling on the lot he was given. He is setting his own destiny in motion with dreams, ambition and effort.
A good album is not forged with a silver spoon in one’s album. It is created through life experiences, some of which may not have been easy. What makes Daze remarkable is his ability to share these experiences to a wide audience and make you feel his emotion. Walk Twice As Hard is a well orchestrated story that is in need of being heard. And I use the word orchestrated deliberately. The song arrangement on the album was carefully chosen. Jus Daze takes us on a journey of ridicule, perseverance, ambition, victory, and introspection and does so with great vigor and talent.
Hip Hop Dependency 