J Flexx – Stayin Alive has that mellow laid back G-Funk and that classic Death Row sound from the 90s era which makes things even better. You can hear some incredible gangsta ass lyrics on this album. This album is a recommended album for those who like G-Funk from this era. J Flexx calls this album, “One of the dopest unreleased albums you ever want to hear.”
J Flexx – Stayin Alive is a collection of unreleased songs recorded by J Flexx between 1994 and 1997, which was when he was signed to Death Row Records. J Flexx had about a little over half of his album completed by 1997. J Flexx – Stayin Alive was one of the very few albums Death Row Records was supposed to released in 1997.
However that album was never released due to label politics and legal turmoil going on at Death Row Records at the time. Suge Knight was serving a prison sentence due to a probation violation and could not release or promote the album. J Flexx was beefing with other producers and artists signed to the label over the direction of where his album should go. J Flexx revealed in an interview that he fought with Outlawz in a studio. That’s right. J Flexx and Outlawz got into a fight in a studio.
On December 5, 2007, it was revealed that For The People Entertainment would be releasing “Stayin’ Alive”, a collection of unreleased songs by J Flexx when he was signed to Death Row Records. For The People Entertainment released this album on that date in limited quantities due to supposed legal reasons. It’s a real shame that J-Flexx didn’t get a chance to blow up.
The title track Stayin Alive was written in 1996 when Death Row began to fall apart. The production was done by Barney Rubble. He was inspired by 1960s rock when he wrote and recorded the song hence usage of Bee Gees sample.
J Flexx said the following in an interview, “Stayin Alive was written around the same time Dre and Suge was splitting up. My eyes were being opened about the game right about then. That track was slappin!”
Street Scholars was a song J Flexx wrote for Sam Sneed because that was the name of his album which was also the name of his group. When Sneed left Death Row, J Flexx kept the song. J Flexx and Sneed worked well together.
“Street Scholars was a song I wrote for Sam Sneed because that was the name of his album. When Sneed left I kept the song. Me and Sneed worked well together. He’s a dope ass producer”.
J Flexx came gangsta with these lyrics, “I read a dictionary and a thesaurus to make me a lyrical tyrannosaurus” And these lyrics, “I gave a brother rigor mortis when I grabbed a cordless” Those lyrics fit in the with the dope ass production. This song showed how J Flexx was a gifted lyricist. Death Row was certainly ahead of the curve.
Lady Heroin is a song which basically deal with heroin addiction. The song explains how J Flexx got addicted to heroin.
The song “Lady Heroin (OG)” was originally going to be on the album Sam Sneed – Street Scholars. However this did not happen for whatever reason. Instead the song Lady Heroin (Remix) was released on the Gridlocked soundtrack in 1997. Barney Rubble remixed Lady Heroin for the Gridlock soundtrack. That was when Lady of Rage came in and did her thing. Lady of Rage is by far the dopest female emcee in by book. J Flexx’s verses on the remix are mostly identical and the same as the original version made by Sam Sneed.
Here is the back story behind Lady Heroin. The following excerpt came from a 2007 interview posted on hiphop-elements.com.
That was after Sam left and went to Atlanta. We had the lyrics still. My buddy Barney Rubble remixed it. Then I was like we need the actual Lady Heroin on this track. That was when Lady of Rage came in and did her thing. Lady of Rage is by far the dopest female emcee in by book. What a lot of people don’t know is she would come off the top with a lot of that stuff and then write it down later big up to her too.
Now J Flexx was down in the dumps when he first got introduced to the additive drug called heroin because his pumps and a bump jumped town with some chump named willy lump lump. In other words, his woman ran off to be with another man. This left J Flexx feelin’ sad and mad hurt. So he started injecting that raw brown heroin. It was the bomb. Heroin had a nigga on sprung. That’s that shit in his bloodstream.
J-Flexx starts getting addicted to heroin. He then needs money to support his drug habit and maintain his addiction heroin. Well, he got some prime-time skinz that he needed to tap. He never met a girl that was so upfront with it. So he took her to the crib sparked a blunt with it and hit it. It was the bomb. The dope heroin blew his mind.
However, all of a sudden, he is not enjoying the high as much because the initial pleasure heroin gave him is gone. It wasn’t no romance without the ends. Heroin had J Flexx robbing, stealing, and illin’ just to hit the skins. That is what the lyrics “It wasn’t no romance without the ends/She had me robbin’ and stealin’ and illin’/Just to hit the skins” mean. Heroin has got J Flexx hooked like crack. His friends tell him he shouldn’t mess with these type of hoes.
J-Flexx used to be like a mack. Now he doesn’t know how to act. He is a fiend who can’t break from his heroin addiction because everything feels so serene. Once you’re under the spell of heroin, heroin crosses your blood cells and send you on a highway to hell.
The Lady Of Rage killed her verse with her lyrics.
[Verse 3: The Lady Of Rage]
I’m off in your bloodstream, snatching your cream
Can’t get enough of me
It seems ya fiend to the extreme
A nightmare but not a dream
Realer than real estate
Once I penetrate you mind-state
Ya never get ya scrilla straight
I’m on a mission to invade your soul
Open up your brains and let me take control
I put it on ya, never had a love like this
Made you steal and kill for me baby with just one kiss
I could sentence you to die
In the blink of an eye, of a needle
I feed you evil on the sly
My supply, non-stop, skin pop until you drop
Blood clots drippin’ out your snotbox
I got your brain locked
House lady of the hot spot
Black widow
Sink my teeth in ‘em
Inject ’em with that China White venom
Then I’m off in ’em
Swimmin’ in that bloodstream, gotcha
Now you a fiend from lady heroin
Down Sunset is another example of a bomb track that has that classic Death Row G-Funk sound straight from 1996! The bass is killer and superb. The song has a laid back vibe overall. Not too visceral either.
The bass on Life Goes On is both killer and superb, according to G-Funk fans. This underground brehsiveness was ganked from The Roots – What They Do.
J Flexx put a G-Funk twist on his cover to Sade – Nothing Can Come Between Us with his smooth G-Funk production and 808 beats. Sean “Barney Rubble” Thomas sings the hook and chorus. J Flexx music is always so smooth. J Flexx was killing it with his verses as always. A sample of Pop Life by Prince is used.
I rate this album 4/5****!
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