I just finished jamming to NORE’s and Large Professor’s song called Built Pyramids. After listening to it I went shopping: I guess I felt complete. Before listening to this song, I never really listened to NORE and I never heard of Large Professor. The homie, Mayan Tamang, put me on to them, and I am grateful because this song is going in my weekly rotation.

In the chorus, Large Professor lets us know that Africans built the pyramids from the ground up, and presently, many Africans in the Diaspora are living in the hood. This message got me thinking about how powerful people can be when they unite to work on something. I just want to mention a fact that most people have no knowledge of: average workers built the pyramids in Egypt.

NORE states what life in Queens New York is like, and what makes the place popular. He alluded that Queens has a hardcore reputation with its drug dealers, basketball players, and rappers. One note worthy part of the song was when he mentioned the many Jamaican Beef Patty Cocoa Bread shops in the hood and how Jamaican Americans love these places. On the other hand, some Jamaicans do drugs so he calls them cocoa heads.

I appreciate Built Pyramids because two older emcees in hip-hop made the record and made it work. This shows that hip-hop is maturing. The beat is extremely east coast and even gets you moving a little bit. The two steppers will appreciate this beat; so will the b-boys and b-girls. I loved the lyrics of the track because they tell a story in each bar.

I can go to bed happy tonight, since I know that hip-hop is in a good place.

Written by: Nyadenya Inyagwa