TRUE TOP EMCEES IN THE GAME #3 SAIGON

BACK IN 2004 WHEN "WARNING SHOTS" DROPPED WE WERE PROMISED A FULL LENGTH "THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD" COMING SOON!! AFTER 6 YEARS OF LABEL ISSUES, CONSTANT PUSHBACKS & A COUPLE OF I QUIT THREATS FROM SAI-GIDDY WE WERE ALL WONDERING NOT IF THE ALBUM WOULD BE WORTH THE WAIT BUT IF THIS ALBUM WOULD SEE THE LIGHT OF DAY OR WAS JOE BUDDEN RIGHT WHEN HE PROCLAIMED
"THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD, WON'T BE EVER TOLD" DURING THEY'RE LYRICAL SPARRING BACK IN 2008/09!! WELL WE WAITED AND WE WAITED, AND IN 2011 WE FINALLY GOT TO HEAR THE ALBUM "THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD"

ONE OF THE MOST IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT THIS ALBUM AND ONE THING SAIGON SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR IS THE WAY HE STOOD UP TO ATLANTIC RECORDS AND REFUSED TO GIVE THEM THEY'RE 3 COMMERCIAL RECORDS THEY WANTED TO PROMOTE "TGSNT" INSISTING HE WANTED TO RELEASE THE PRODUCT AS HE WANTED IT TO SOUND!! INSTEAD SAIGON BROKE AWAY FROM THE LABEL IN 2008 WITH COMPLETE OWNERSHIP OF THE ALBUM AND SEARCHED FOR A NEW DEAL THAT WOULD SEE "TGSNT" BEING RELEASED AS INTENDED, IN THE WORDS OF THE YARDFATHER HIMSELF FROM THE JUST BLAZE PRODUCED TRACK "BELIEVE IT"

"THEY RATHER ME PRETEND TO BE SOMETHING THAT I'M NOT,
I’M THE NEW PUBLIC ENEMY, I’M DIFFERENT THAN YUNG JOC"

THE MOST REMARKABLE THING ABOUT THE ALBUM, ALTHOUGH RECORDED OVER A 5-6 YEAR PERIOD DOESN'T SUFFER FROM THE SET BACKS, IF ANYTHING SOUNDS ALL THE BETTER FOR IT. IT'S RESULTED IN THE PROJECT CARRYING A MORE FOCUSED AND COMPLETE SOUND, SOMETHING WE'VE NOT HEARD AS HIP-HOP LISTENERS SINCE THE 90'S WHEN PEOPLE ACTUALLY TOOK TIME TO NUTURE THEY'RE CRAFT RATHER THAN CAPATOLISING ON BUZZ!!! THE MAJORITY OF THE ALBUM'S PRODUCTION IS OF COURSE HANDLED BY JUST BLAZE WHO IS IN FINE FORM THROUGHOUT, EVEN WHEN BLAZE AIN'T IN CONTROL THE BEATS STAY COHERENT WITH SAI'S MESSAGE & MEANINGFUL RAPS WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM KANYE WEST "IT'S ALRIGHT" WHICH FEATURES MARSHA AMBROSIUS, DIGGIN IN THE CRATES BEATSMITH BUCKWILD ON "OH YEAH (OUR BABIES)" & RED SPYDA "WHAT THE LOVERS DO" WHICH FEATURES DEVIN THE DUDE. OTHER FEATURES ON THE ALBUM COME IN THE FORM OF GUEST RAPS FROM A HIGH CALIBRE OF EMCEE'S INCLUDING Q-TIP "THE INVITATION", JAY-Z " & SWIZZ BEATS "COME ON BABY", LAYZIE BONE "BETTER WAY" AND BUN-B ON THE ALBUM CLOSER "AND THE WINNER IS..."

EASILY ONE OF 2011'S HIP-HOP HIGHLIGHTS, 17 FOCUSED TRACKS CARRYING A MESSAGE THROUGHOUT, WITH THE CONCEPTUAL FEEL OF A RADIO STATION BLENDING FROM TRACK TO TRACK SEAMLESSLY TO DELIVER A COMPLETE LISTENING EXPERIENCE THAT WILL HAVE YOU KEEPING THIS ALBUM ON REPEAT IN YOUR CD DECK OR A MAINSTAY ON YOUR iPOD/MP3 PLAYER!!

2012 HAS ALREADY SEEN A RETURN TO MIXTAPE FORM WITH "WARNING SHOTS 3 (ONE FOOT IN THE GRAVE)" (LET'S BE HONEST "WARNING SHOTS 2" WASN'T UP TO SAIGON'S USUALLY HIGH STANDARDS) AND NEWS OF A FOLLOW UP ALBUM DUE TO DROP IN 2013 IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THE YARD FATHER IS PLANNING ON GOING AWAY ANYTIME SOON WHICH IS ONLY A GOOD THING FOR HIP-HOP!!






(THE TWO ABOVE TRACKS ARE NOT FEATURED ON "THE GREATEST STORY NEVER TOLD" BUT STILL A GREAT EXAMPLE OF SAIGON'S WORK IN 2011)