The Firm album would have been so much better if they hadn't deleted so many bangers

**claaa7** · 07-14-2015, 03:10 AM

yesterday I dusted off The Firm album and after playing all the best songs i started listening to the deleted tracks from the LP and man this one could have been so much better. it's a shame Dre and Trackmasters deleted hot shit like "Time" and "Everyday Thing" in favor of some jiggy bullshit like "Fuck Somebody Else" in hopes of selling more records. the people wanted "Affirmative Action", "La Familia" type of records, not that bullshit. AZ, Nas, Nature and Foxy Brown were all dope as hell around this time... Nas flows great but some of his lyrics are meh compared to what he put on his own albums but still better than most. AZ is the MVP of the project and Nature is underrated... anyway, it was definitely prophetic calling a song "Firm Fiasco".

first let's look at the hot shit that actually made the album.

"Firm Fiasco" (yep, very good song that follows the concept of the earlier records on "It Was Written" and Foxy's 12'')

"Phone Tap" (absolutely classic record, from the beat to the verses to the concept)

"Executive Decision" (also very ill, has the sound that for me sounds like what i imagined The Firm wouldbe about. Nas, AZ, Nature goes in. unfortunately this is followed by several wack records)

"Untouchable" (just a short interlude with a verse from Bravehearts' Grand Wiz, but what a beat that Mel-Man and Dre hooked up for this one!)

"Five Minutes to Flush" (a bit of a crossover record with the Whodini sample but i really like the combined East/West sounds on this one. beat thumps and Nature killed it)

"Desperados" (we all know Canibus MURDERED this shit, but I have to say that AZ is just as good, it's just that he's more laid back and doesn't stand out as much but his flow is just crazy all over the LP. i think they could have included "Desperados II" which i guess is the original version, Nas and Foxy did a good job and the LP needs one song with all of them on)

"I'm Leaving" (Nature and NORE goes in... dope beat, dope vocals, dope track)

"Throw Your Guns" (another banger, Half-A-Mill and AZ really went in here!)

^ so that is still 8 tracks that i would categorize as real late '90s bangers... i think people tend to forget how good these records are because the wack shit is so incredibly wack.. but take those 8 records and add the following joints:

(Nas and AZ are always incredible on these type of reflective songs. Dre does a good job with the beat too, why the hell would they cut this?)

(another Dre banger with Nas and Nature spitting hot shit. should've had an AZ verse too)

(this is just super dope as a concept record with AZ being a defendant, Nature playing defense and Nas the prosecutor. crazy)

(Nature and Dre on this one, grimey beat. i didn't even know this one existed until yesterday)