By KAREN JAEN
After much anticipation from his fans, Saigon released his anticipated album The Greatest Story Never Told on Feb. 15.
Saigon is a rapper from New York City who has released several mixtapes and five albums. His new studio album, meets all the expectations from long time fans.
With meaningful lyrics hinting at Saigon’s hardships, such as “Strugglin’ to survive, 9-to-5, ain’t making it, turn on the TV, all I see is celebs taking it”, his hometown and soft beats, the music sounds something close to the legendary Tupac Shakur. His lyrics also talk about his struggle to being successful, which also celebrate the release of his first studio album.
“Come On Baby” featuring Jay-Z and Swizz Beats combines an upbeat influence of gospel singing with a rhythmic electric guitar riff that emphasizes their voices. This song is a perfect introduction to the album as it is upbeat and attention getting and it features two respected hip-hop artists.
However, the album shows various influences from famous hip hop artists. “Enemies” that has the potential of being featured on an Eminem album. The soft bell accented by the bass emphasizes the harsh and suffering voice of Saigon as he raps about betrayal. “Too Long,” featuring Black Thought, sounds much like Kanye West. The album shows diversity in every song.
The choruses are catchy and after several times of listening, one can find himself singing along. Lyrics such as “Hold up, the pump will make you jump up
(Don’t you baby, don’t you baby, don’t ya baby)” create this effect.
Saigon makes a formal and defined introduction into the hip hop world and this album serves as proof.