mixtape maestro

One listen to the original version of Uncle Murda‘s “Warning” and it was clear the summertime NY street hit didn’t achieve that status from its overly simplistic lyrical display (that is, unless “I smack the shit out a hater” and something like a thousand “Oooh”‘s for whatever reason served as the Chicken Soup For Your Soul poetry-wise). No, it’s main appeal lay in that Tuneheadz-helmed beat, a densely layered, hood-tough sonic collage built of air sirens, booming bass and “A Milli”-styled sampled vocal loops that sounded downright amazing blasting out of a passing ride.

A far better lyrical/ musical balance came a while later via the superior posse cut remix, which rounded up French Montana, Jadakiss & Styles P of The LOX, Jim Jones, Vado and Cam’ron, but apparently Murda isn’t done re-drafting the record, going even more high-profile for a second revamp featuring not only 50 Cent and Young Jeezy, but, in her most random hip hop crossover appearance yet (and first bit of music released since becoming a mother), the one and only Mariah Carey getting her ghetto on.

Sadly, Carey doesn’t even give us one sultry “oooh” here, her contribution (aside from a weirdly lengthy, and just plain weird, interview/ intro in which she giggles about her lack of knowledge of where her “sock drawer” is) reduced to nothing more than a very non-threatening “This is a warning/ Warned you the last time/ Warning you once again” coo on the hook, but all is not completely lost for this “Warning” 3.0 thanks to 50 Cent, who easily steals the show here with a menace and wit-tinged verse that stands as one of his strongest sixteens in a long minute (with “Fucked the wrong bitch raw/ Then it’s ‘Oooh’ when you’re pissin’” winning the Best Couplet Award).

“Warning (Remix)” feat. Mariah Carey, 50 Cent & Young Jeezy (DL):

Audio clip: Adobe Flash Player (version 9 or above) is required to play this audio clip. Download the latest version here. You also need to have JavaScript enabled in your browser.