Fat Joe & Remy Ma ‘Plata O Plomo’ is Good But we Wanted a Little More.

DATE: 24.2.17
CATEGORY: MUSIC / REVIEW / HIP HOP
WEBSITE: PARDONMYBLOG.CO.UK 
Fat Joe and Remy Ma have finally released the project that is Plata O Plomo, which happened to be one of the most anticipated releases after the pandemonium of their smash hit All the Way Up in 2016. In an extensive interview last week leading up to the release with Power 105.1 The Breakfast Club, the pair explained after being asked “what took so long?” that the album had been completed way before All the Way Up had hit the scene, but they were advised to hold off on bringing it out due to the success they were receiving with the single sales.
It’s no surprise fans seemed impatient, after all before last year, their last hit together was in 2004 with Lean Back and it’s not everyday that rappers of their calibre get a second chance, no matter how nice you come with it on the mic. With all their trials and tribulations together and individually these two have a lot to be thankful for, so let’s get to the album.
A little fact about the albums’ title, in case you were wondering it’s a Spanish phrase for “silver or lead” which means, “take the money or I will take your life”. With such a title and knowing their previous circumstances you would expect this Pablo Escobar proverb to be touched on throughout the twelve song project walking you through a telling story. However, for me it slightly lacks the message on the feature filled album even though it’s briefly mentioned on a couple tracks including the last track Dreamin’ featuring Stephanie Mills as Joe spits:
“…My ambitions, (my ambitions, my ambitions) … What you expect when your idol is Pablo? I’m paid in full as we speakin’, not Rich Porter, just one rich Puerto Rican…”
In addition, the pair mention hard times on the projects’ first track Warning featuring Kat Dhalia, and Remy does mention the type of person she is now because of her six year prison stint and also never forgetting to shit on her enemies throughout various songs. but I can’t help but think that there’s just a dash of something that is missing from these two.
Along with Warning there are various standout tracks for me all for different reasons such as Spaghetti and Swear to God, both of which feature Kent Jones and are the two lyrically hardest tracks on the album. They both bring the hard-core New York vibe, Bronx to be exact and seem to be coming for people’s jugglers whilst mentioning no names as Remy states on Spaghetti:
“Y’all bitches got fat while we starved, shots in your ass, pads in your bras, y’all some liars it aint no facts in your songs, and yeah that crown is coming back to the Bronx…”
Bringing the club vibes is the obvious hit All the Way Up and another strong candidate is Heartbreak that features The Dream and Vindata that has a slight tropical feel, the type to let your hair down and vibe out to on a summers day. Money Showers featuring Ty Dolla $ign also brings the same relaxed ambiance although Ty’s vocal on the chorus, adds a raspy rich Soulful / R&B moment along with the Ralph Tresvant sample.
Taken as a whole, the only offering I would possibly skip over in the future would be the album’s mid track How Long, as it remains to be the only track that I was not crazy about, even after a few listens. In contrast to the others How Long is the only song that excludes features and it’s simply just the two boasting about their contribution to the game and getting money in a repetitive chorus “How long, how long, how long we be getting’ to the money…” nothing horrible about it but nothing great either.
As a thought, I do believe that they could’ve afforded to have fewer features on the project but either way it doesn’t take from their verses.
Overall, Remy Ma brings it hard on all her verses as does Fat Joe but Remy is clearly the one people are checking for as she’s had the longest absence out of the two and personally, she just aims to be all the way up on every verse she’s on. As I said in the beginning, I feel like more to the story could’ve been added upon as I feel that the album’s title provides a lot to live up to. However, Plata O Plomo is a good joint project fused together nicely with a great production from the primary producers Cool & Dre, as well as ILL Wayno, Vindata and Edsclusive. Finally, I’m sure all the Hip Hop heads will appreciate this even if it’s just for the fact, that they execute their raps with thorough clean enunciation on each and every bar.
Rating: 4/5 PMB Faces
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Check out the album here.

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