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| "My life's changed cause I got bills now," jokes Memphis Bleek from inside his second home, the recording studio. But in the past year, Bleek's life has been altered just a little more than he initially lets on. Starting off with his show stealing appearances on the biggest selling hip-hop tour of all time, The Hardknock Life Tour, to receiving the adoration of the hood with his poignant tales of street lore on his gold debut Coming of Age, Bleek has graduated from heralded blue chipper to bonafide superstar. Now, after months of teasing fans with a plethora of captivating cameos alongside hip hop's elite such as The Nutty Proffesor II's "Hey Papi" with Jay-Z and Warren G's "You Never Know," Bleek is ready to drop his galvanizing sophomore release, The Understanding. "I can't talk about the same things I talked about on Coming of Age because I was a child then," Bleek insists. "All I knew was hustlin'. I've grown." After one listen to The Understanding, you'll truly comprehend Bleek's world. "With this album, you're gonna get to drive your car reckless with Bleek, go to the club with Bleek, sit down in the crib and think with Bleek," says the supreme wordsmith. "You're going to get to see everything." Joining such hits as "Memphis Bleek Is" and "What You Think of That," Bleek adds another classic party joint to his resume with the concrete shaking "Bounce Bitch." Meanwhile, all the ladies will be singing along with "P.Y.T." Featuring guest spots from Roc-A-Fella family members Jay-Z and Amil, the Memph Man gives his definition of the perfect honey. "With my first album, I went straight for the streets because the pop crowd wasn't looking for me, Bleek explains. "Now, I'm gonna have the pop crowd coming to the streets. " Make no mistake though, when the party stops, the last bottle of cris is popped, and the girls go home, Bleek is still one of hip hop's most lethal mic assassins. Songs like the smoldering "All Types of Shit" vividly displays the Brooklynite's lyrical acumen. Amazingly, Bleek didn't write down one word on the album. "I ain't put nothing on paper," he explains. "Everything is straight off top. Ain't nothin' to think about, nothing to dwell about. Everything I felt, I spit. A lot of rappers try to come up with concepts; my concept is the first sentence I say." But Bleek hasn't only matured musically, he's also becoming a shrewd businessman. "As far as this game, everybody's getting labels and getting management companies, but everybody is not doing the right thing with it," Bleek laments. "I learn step by step from Jay how to do the right thing. A nigga gotta know how to manage his money correctly. It's easy to blow 50 grand, but it ain't easy to make it." So taking that knowledge and his imbedded hustler's diligence, Bleek has parlayed his earnings into his own company, Get Low Management. One of his acts, the Co-Defendants, also appear on The Understanding. "I always said once I get on I'm gonna help my mans out," Bleek remembers. "I said oh shit, I got a gold album its time now." Bleek, who signed to Roc-A-Fella records in 1995, was handpicked to be on the label by fellow Marcy Projects native Jay-Z. Almost instantly, his appearances on Jay's Reasonable Doubt and the Streets Is Watching Soundtrack, had him heralded as the heir to the hip-hop throne. Bleek is also featured on Jay-Z's The Dynasty Roc La Familia (2000 - ). Destined to be a classic, the LP features Bleek, Amil, and Beanie Sigel. But for now, it's all eyes on Bleek. With The Understanding, you'll not only journey into the mind of a street soldier, but you'll get the entire picture of the ghetto landscape. Bio Courtesy of Def Jam Records |
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