The Last Emperor "Echo Leader" (1999)

One more dose of The Last Emperor, before moving on. This twelve (my version is a white label, although I think it was released commercially) appeared after I heard LE had signed with Dre's Aftermath label; we all know that went nowhere, like this record. Admittedly, this record isn't as strong as the "Bums" 12", but I've always thought "Echo Leader" itself was kinda hype:

The Last Emperor "Echo Leader" 12"

First of all, its got the balls to rock a thick electric guitar, an instrument that's usually considered poison to a hip-hop track (sorry, I ain't with that metal-rap shit). Although now that I've said that, Masta Ace's "Music Man" and D-Nice's "My Name Is D-Nice" immediately come to mind. Anyways, as usual, The Last Emperor's got lyrics, and he runs through a grip of sci-fi references on his way to the chorus:

Echo leader 1 to Echo leader 2:
We have an intruder, and he's right in front of you
Echo leader 2 to Echo leader 1:
I've got him in my sights, the meltdown has begun
Freedom fighters in the streets - rock, rock on
If you rockin' to this beat - rock, rock on
Bring the fire and the heat - rock, rock on
In the face of defeat - rock what? rock on

LE is essentially a pop culture nerd with a dope flow who doesn't give a fuck, and when he's supported by production, shit is gold. "Charlie", a b-side, has a solid, filtered beat, and is a cool (if tragic is cool) story-rhyme, although the chorus kind of kills it for me. "Rap Tyranny" goes back to the era of Brother J, which is never the worst idea. Also includes the instrumentals for "Echo Leader" and "Charlie".

More Last Emperor:
* Thanks to 6mw for uploading a Last Emperor comp
* The Last Emperor on MySpace