1 Jewel: 1 Verse - O.C. (Times Up)

Hip-Hop Hidden Gems returns to break down one of the best of 90's, O.C.'s "Times Up".

Although O.C. may not be a household name these days in the early 1990's he dropped an absolute classic. Times Up was, for many, the anthem of a hip-hop generation. This lyrical onslaught, combined with masterful production was a masterpiece. Times Up was a song dedicated to keeping the art of hip-hop real and honest. There was a battle going on for hip-hop's soul and O.C. used all of his talent to try to save it.

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Special Thanks to the talented lyricist KnowItAll for coming thru.

You can find him and/or his music here: linktr.ee/Knowitallnyc1

Episode Transcript

(00:01):
Yeah, Yeah, it's your favoritemc no what all man, Just want
to give a shout out to myguy to Mojoe King always showing a love.
Check out my latest two albums,Soul Surgery produced by og No for
Smoking and The Machine produced by Outcasts. Shout out to the features Patty hun
Show Backward, Sweetie Gorn to Runfrom Wise, Elite lyvers is only y'all

(00:22):
know what's going on out here?Man, tune into some good hip hop.
The underground is alive and well intwenty twenty two, and you're listening
to hip hop hitting gyms, peaceShining, your icy getting too high?
But have you missed the night dreamsand your nice sleep? One Jewel one
Verse the shorter episode where we pickedone song and do a deep dive into

(00:45):
an incredible verse and what makes itso remarkable? Hip Hop Hitting JEMs presents
One Jewel one Verse, You Laxaminusand vitamins hiens in the night. This

(01:10):
is Ocie. The song is timesOut produced by Buck Wild from the album
Word Life, released in October eighteenthand nineteen ninety four. This song,
in particular, I have to say, became one of my hip hop anthems
when I thought about what I wantto hip hop to be. I thought
of this song. Yeah, thissong came out and encapsulated what so many

(01:36):
heads were feeling about the overpolished,over saturated sound of what hip hop was
at the time, and that madeit the anthem. It just really captured
everything a lot of people were feelingabout. Be original. Tell the truth,
because he's not saying if you're nota killer, stop rapping, stop

(01:56):
claiming to be a killer, ifyou're not a dopeboy, don't claim to
be that. Yeah, And unlessI'm missing something, I don't even think
he was saying that people that areliving that lifestyle should stop wrapping it.
No, they can tell their truth. That's exactly he's saying, tell the
truth exactly, speaking in tongues aboutwhat you did, but you never done
it, admitted you bid it becausethe next man game blocked in the behind

(02:17):
it. I find it and running, so I've researched it, analyze most
right about stuff that fantasize. I'mfed up with the bull I'm on this
focus off. We didn't clicks andblocks getting coped the wax. Stop being
from that. It's the same old, same old, just training from the
antel to context. It's not comtexto fax, So why are you pushing
it? This is honestly some chuckd rhyme structure. You think so unorthodox.

(02:42):
I guess speaking in tongues about whatyou did, but you never done
it. So it's tongues are done. It's speaking in tongues about what you
did, but you never done it. Admitted you bid it. Okay,
that's right there together. Because theNext Man game Platinum behind it? What
did that rhyme with? It runswith the coming up next? I find
it ironic, so I research it. You know what's funny, But you

(03:02):
rhynd it because you said behind it? What did it rhyme with? Because
it had an instruction? It washere. I couldn't help it. It's
like he wrote an essay and thenon occasion put rhyming words in it.
So I researched and analyzed most rightabout stuff they fantasize. I'm fed up
with the bull on this focus ofweed and clips and blocks getting caught and

(03:24):
wax not being flipped. It's thesame old same, just straining from the
anal. The context is not complexor vex, so why are you pushing
it because what he's saying is soexactly how I felt, and Rhyme's happened
in there whenever I couldn't care less. Kind of like you're you're in a
Viewmaster, You're going through a rapidfire slide show. It's so exactly what

(03:47):
you're feeling that as long as itRhyme's somewhere, you don't even notice.
Why are you lying for? Wonderwhere you live? You was a sucker
assic your personas drama that you acquiredin high school and acting class, your
whole plexi class. So why areyou pushing it? Why are you lying

(04:08):
for? I know where you live, I know your folks. You was
a sucker as a kid. Yourwhole personas drama you acquired in high school
and acting class. Your whole oris packing class. And that is just
the sicknest line right there. Yourwhole or is flexi glass. That was
his whole thesis. Tell the truthabout what you do, be about what
you're about, Stop playing to besomething else. This was in the middle

(04:31):
of that. I want to sayconscious, but it wasn't necessarily conscious,
but lyrical rap versus street drug dealing, gun toting gangsters and to me.
The cool thing about it was thatthere was a balance, but there was
a competition, and then eventually thepowers that be or the money that was

(04:53):
exchanging hands clearly once I won.Yeah, But at this point it was
a battle that was neck and neck, and you didn't know which one was
gonna win. For me, ultimately, I want the both sides to win.
I wanted to be diversity. Yeah. No, the hell, what's
the first to me? You shotthis kid last week? That's a lot
You wasn't the church with your mom? See I know, Joe, So

(05:14):
your room, give good gods belocked it in this thing, go Bama,
just for JOm. This was thebeginning of the turning point when I
realized a lot of people simply followedwhat they thought would sell. Yeah.
And that's what made it sad,because there's so many times that I thought
people meant everything they were saying.I thought they believed it. I thought

(05:36):
they were telling the truth. Andnot only were they not, they weren't
even trying to. They were sayingwhat they needed to say to make money.
Since you mentioned that, you brokemy heart when you mentioned that the
idea of being unique and being differentwas it was the trend. So people

(05:58):
were following that trend and that's howthey were becoming different. A lot of
rappers were just doing that because thatwas what were supposed to everybody was supposed
to do. Yep. They identifiedwhich costume got you know on the stage
and they put it on. Andthere was a period of time where dancing
was the costume. There was aperiod of time, who are being a

(06:18):
gangster was the costume. There wasa period of time where just partying was
the costume. There's a time wherebeing unique and original was the costume.
That phase made a big impression onus, and we thought these were the
actual like rules to the game.That hip hop was about unique, original,
personal expression of oneself in the mostskilled way possible to create something that

(06:40):
was exceptional. And this song reallystarted kind of pulling back that curtain on
some things. It was drilling intothat contact. We're losing that contract.
We need to get back to that. Of course we got a big risk.
Some money connects, but I'd ratherbe broken out a whole lot of
respect, mister Priss. Of coursewe got to pay rent, so money

(07:02):
connects, but I'd rather be brokeand have a whole lot of respect.
Okay, I do have to pointout something about that particular line. I
don't know over the last few yearsthere was it was an OC interview.
He pointed out that he said theline, but he didn't exactly mean it.
He didn't want to be broke.And as a grown man now,

(07:24):
yeah, I fully understand what hemeant and I definitely see it. But
I gotta say that was another timethat hip hop kind of broke my heart
for me. There's an idealism thatyou put your talent and you put your
best foot forward, and you dothat as hard as you can. You
don't compromise. But the truth isin life you have to figure out how

(07:46):
much you're going to compromise if youwant to be successful, at least in
a less abstract way. Right.Hip hop was presented at times to us
like this isn't a job, thisis a calling, this is the thing,
this is a manner of expression,This is the art you do.
But the amount of time it takesto do that as a career, that

(08:11):
is the job then, and whenthat becomes how you're paying rent. Some
sentiments get challenged. A lot ofthese things we have, these the tenants
that these tenants of hip hop thatwere espoused in a time where the voice

(08:31):
boxes of the time were kids andhad nothing to lose because they had nothing.
And once you know, you gotfamily, wife, children, bills,
healthcare, you know, there comesa point where that level of adulthood
and the obligations that come with itkick in. And I got to say

(08:52):
that as much as we typically pinthat on either the rapper or we painted
on the label, or we pintedon video, a lot of it comes
down to the listenership one, Ifeel, honestly, because if we buy
it exactly and then there wouldn't bea problem. If we would support artists

(09:13):
who made the kind of music wewant to hear, there be more artists
making the music we want to hearbecause they could feed their families. Yep.
If you give somebody an option thatthey can succeed either way, it's
a better chance they will make themore noble choice. Right if the if
the listenership doesn't care about the artistsenough to support the artists financially, how

(09:39):
can they demand the artists care enoughabout the listenership to make the exact music
the listeners wan't. I get arush when I bust some don't blos that
maybe somebody you pull. That's whatI can sit A real in this field
of music, instead of putting breaksells to work, they music non conceptually,
non except everybody's either crime related.To make a difference, it's the

(10:05):
principal of it. I get arush one of us some dope lines.
I wrote that maybe somebody will quote. That's what I consider reel in this
field of music. Instead of puttingbrain cells to work that they abuse it
non conceptual, non exceptional. Everybody'seither crime related or sexual. I'm here
to make a difference. He wasthere to make a difference. As we
go through this podcast, we're gonnahave all different types of mcs and all

(10:28):
different types of sounds and all differenttypes of content. Both of us have
pretty universal We like different types ofthings, right, But there's nothing I
think that's more to the core ofwhat we are as hip hop fans than
the artist who's willing to stand upand try to make a difference, to
try to be positive. Absolutely,and this song is one of those quintessential

(10:50):
songs in that direction. This islike the anthem of that you hear this
song and you're like yes, it'snot just me. Besides all the rippers,
the traps them not sticking trapper,stop flipping for thom supposed never group
would really ate you A food limitedhard rock food man. You got a

(11:22):
dope with a dope DJ scratching aword sample and this one's actually slick Rick
from Hey Young World. They're Time'slimited hard rocks too. And then you
got an MC that's just going crazyon it with its flow but actually just
spitting the things that some of usjust we all felt in our hearts and

(11:43):
just hadn't heard someone articulate on asong yet. Bizarre in danger. Who
would you switch to be a remainder? This is hip hop hidden gems perfect,
you the man, Thank you,MAXI so much appreciate you. Gus
is gonna Colombia, Willie. Interestingside note here, I have no idea

(12:05):
if it's true or not. Ihad heard a rumor though that um the
Bee for times Up was originally meantfor a Farrell much WHOA Really I want
to hear what that would have soundedlike. That would have been crazy,
that would have been Simon says,before Simon says