Harold Stallworth freelances with his father’s features.
It’s hard to fathom an existence without album intros. Imagine Stillmatic stripped of its triumphant preamble, The Chronic deprived of Snoop’s homoerotic taunts, or Fishscale launching directly into “Shakey Dog” before Ghostface has the chance to toil over Wu-Tang Clan’s fall from commercial grace. The lost intro from Deeper Than Rap—often cited as Rick Ross’ seminal work—surfaced on the Internet barely three months after the album was released. The vague yet alluring two-and-a-half-minute crime narrative serves as the perfect escort into the decadent world of “Mafia Music.” Great LPs deserve epic, tone-setting opening salvos.
Last week, Migos’ shipwrecked intro from their contentious breakthrough project, Young Rich Niggas, finally washed ashore in similar fashion. It’s a bittersweet reclamation: the record itself will likely satisfy proponents of the Atlanta-based trio, but it’s frustrating to know that some of their best records were packaged with inconsequential mixtapes or soured on Zaytoven’s cutting room floor. Had the first installment of their Streets On Lock series been conflated with Young Rich Niggas, then spearheaded by this newly acquired intro, Migos’ would have certainly made a compelling case for album of the year. As it is, they’ll have to settle for mixtape of the summer.
