Willie Hutch, Project Pat, UGK: You Choose This

Willie Hutch: I Choose You
From The Mack OST (Motown, 1973)

UGK feat. Outkast: International Players Anthem
From U.G.K. (forthcoming 2007)

At this point in time, it’s more than clear that Three Six Mafia’s DJ Paul and Juicy J looooooove them some Willie Hutch. Actually, who doesn’t love them some Willie Hutch? But in the case of Three Six, they found Hutch so twice, they used him thrice…

That new UGK song feat. Outkast is basically a straight loop from Hutch’s “I Choose You,” one of the songs from the The Mack soundtrack and if folks thought it sounded familiar at all, it’s because Project Pat used the same exact loop (minus the drum programs on UGK’s version) for his 2002 song, “Choose U.” Three Six basically resurrected the track for UGK (and they appear on “Players Anthem” which is the earlier version of “Int’l Players Anthem” except with Three Six appearing on there instead of Outkast).

No complaints here – I don’t care what version the song appears in: Hutch’s original, Project Pat’s or UGK’s tracks – they all sound amazing which really bespeaks how gifted an arranger and producer Hutch was. “I Choose You” has this enormous sound to it that it’s easy to get caught up in its swelling vocals and strings. (Somewhere, Kanye is wondering why he didn’t f— with this first).

In general, I think it’s a very good idea for more rappers to rhyme over Hutch beats. Just sayin’.

Oh, and before I forget, I’m not 100% sure what Andre 3000 says at the beginning of “International Players Anthem,” but just he way he says a phrase like, “project your heart, three stacks” makes his talk of dippin’ spaceships and uncertain trips to the altar sound like something you really should know about, whatever he actually is saying. It’s just good to hear Dre rhyming more. (See Devin the Dude’s “What a Job” for another example).
Consider this a lame mea culpa: when I originally posted this, I was rushing to knock it out before I left town and had only sat with the song a few times thru. Then, I was listening to “Int’l Players Anthem” on the subway, running somewhere between Manhattan and Brooklyn and suddenly, Andre’s verses made ridiculously clear sense, so much so, I feel pretty $^#&^ stupid for making it sound like he was on some superciphertifical level before when really, his verse isn’t that complex…it’s just incredibly well-written. Provided, I probably wouldn’t have figured out the three stacks bit without either help or more time, and I thought “spaceship” referred to something more astral than being, you know, a car, but all said, it’s a brilliant verse of love, regret and caution that is neither Mims-plistic (yeah, that just happened) nor Kool Kethian but just great songwriting. Did I already mention how great it is to hear 3000 rhyming more?

By the way, for anyone in New York City this weekend, I highly recommend you check out Bumpshop. At the very least, yours truly will be loitering around there that eve.