Rapper Big Pooh – “Stop” ft. Steve Roxx (Produced by Apollo Brown) | @RapperBigPooh @ApolloBrown

I somehow missed this track this last week, but make sure you press play on it now if you haven’t yet. Rapper Big Pooh got some Apollo Brown production for this slapping track, which will be on Rapper’s upcoming Words Pain Pictures album dropping in March. You can pre-order now via iTunes.

You can hear eternal truths on Words Paint Pictures – Rapper Big Pooh’s debut release for Mello Music Group. Over seven songs and two remixes, the North Carolina MC captures the complex agonies of the human condition — specifically the black experience in America over the last several centuries. These are tales of racial profiling and corrupt politicians, reality TV distractions, thieving preachers and rapacious exploitation — all offset by tremendous strength. They are uniquely American stories, chronicling both the damned and hopeful.

While Pooh sketches in vivid detail, Apollo Brown supplies the canvas. The Detroit-via-Grand Rapids alchemist chops classic soul samples and scratches hooks into bangers — head nodding and hard, but still beautiful. The holy trinity of DJ Premier, Pete Rock and J Dilla supply divine inspiration.

But at heart, you return to the words, the pictures, and the complications inherent in the soul. You might have previously known Big Pooh best for his work in Little Brother, but this is the most powerful music he’s ever made. Mining deeply into the personal, he’s created something profound and universal.