What Have We Learned?

We recently received a link to the new Mystikal, “That Woman,” and it’s simply sad. As dynamic a performer as he is, and as triumphant as his Jazz Fest appearance with Trombone Shorty and recent House of Blues shows have been, “That Woman” remains mired in the same old joyless, brutally sexist sludge. The beat produced by KLC the Drum Major and Don Juan of Full Pack borrows from go-go as well as New Orleans funk with its percolating congas and groove-driving horns, and Mystikal’s flow is broad, enthusiastic and engaging. But as much as I try to hear this as a party record with Dolemite-like sexual tall tales, in “That Woman” women are just holes to fill, and the chorus bottoms out as he chants, “That bitch, that bitch, that bitch, that bitch / that ho, that ho, that ho, that ho / that broad, that broad, that broad, that broad / that woman, that woman, that woman, that woman.”

1) Considering his prison time for sexual battery, the subject matter seems ill-chosen at best.

2) The order – bitch, ho, broad, woman – is really sad.

3) Considering that this is 2011 and the heyday of bitch/ho hip-hop is a decade or so in the rear view mirror (though, to be fair, it’s never gone away entirely), “That Woman” seems really dated.

4) Considering how much I like the rest of track, this is a shame.