clipse - "grindin'" remixes
from trickology: "the neptunes have officially lost their minds with this track. the beat has to be one of the worst things i've ever heard, let alone this is supposed to be a single for the radios. i guess you can't be hot forever."

i don't understand this criticism at all but at least it made me want to hear the song!

so ludacris dropped "southern hospitality" in 2000, and almost immediately it was co-opted by dancehall as a choice beat to toast over - it had the kind of blunt-instrument, almost atonal feel that a lot of dancehall producers use, creating its hooks from exaggeratedly jagged fx, something that opens up a world of choice for the vocalist: any weird melodic (or not) rhyme pattern can work, any semblance of a hook will stand out and become addictive. "grindin" takes it another step further, just a drum beat and a violent midi-gunshot effect, sounding even more riddim-like. it can be menacing or almost comical depending on who's rhyming over it, so its cool to hear the two remixes doing the rounds just to listen to a bunch of mcs have fun attacking this beat.

first mix: nore does his apropos-of-nothing thing; pusha t claims to be able to cook flapjack in 3 minutes; baby and lil wayne get all sing-song; kind of the "old-school posse cut" version. "reggae mix": some dancehall-minded mcs (i can only identify kardinal offishall, whose verse is awesome) make weird noises; the "summer holiday" version. both mixes must be heard! (original mix is kind of boring in comparison as it only has clipse - they're okay but they sound lonely.)