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Rugged rap veterans Fabolous and Jadakiss celebrate their own infallibility on new track “Stand Up,” whileFuture contributes a drilling, repetitive hook.
This track shrewdly updates the gothic menace of the mid-2000s New York rap scene. Funereal church bells ring in the distance, signaling imminent doom; sirens whoop through the beat without warning; a breathless synth pattern induces a fight-or-flight adrenaline rush.
Fabolous raps in a calm monotone, impervious to the hectic energy around him; as per usual, Jadakiss commands attention with his terrifically croaky delivery. At the end of each verse, Future surges into the hook, which plays as a call to arms: “Real niggas stand up.”
Fabolous and Jadakiss have a long history of collaboration. Jadakiss showed up on the remix to Fabolous’ “Keepin’ It Gangsta” in 2003; more recently, one of their most impressive duets was “The Hope,” from 2013’s The Soul Tape 3 mixtape, and both rappers appeared on “Don’t Ever Play Yourself,” from DJ Khaled’s Major Key album.
In January, the pair recruited Tory Lanez for “Rapture,” which was reportedly slated for appearance on a long-rumored collaboration album, Freddy vs. Jason. The record does not yet have a release date.
