Cool Nutz's "Pain" Will Hit You in the gut

By shao sosa

Portland icon Cool Nutz belongs on the Mount Rushmore of NW Hip Hop. There is no one in the region that has consistently put out dope music for as long as he has. His last album Father of Max was the latest release out of his prolific career, and Ananymosa produced “Pain” is the fourth single off that album.

As the title implies, “Pain” is a heartfelt, introspective conversation on the emotional toil losing loved ones leaves behind. With Nutz’s testimony on a large number of passed fam he calls out by name, he also speaks for the many families worldwide who have seen the ones they cherish taken from them too early.

Haunting vocals from Bosko and April Cason carry with you through the hook and bridge and add another level of poignancy to Nutz’s lyrics. The vet has always had a cadence that lacks smoke and mirrors and that wise straightforwardness adds a compelling level of emotion here that can only come from experience with the topic. You can hear how weary he is in lines like:

“J-Nine, A-Bone/some of the realest gone/
It takes a piece of my soul in the funeral home/
All of the pain and the teardrops/
All of the trips to the viewings and the grave plots/
Niggas’ kids and their mamas shed a tear for it/
And its more than a notch on the scoreboard/”

Tracks for the fallen have unfortunately been a part of Hip Hop since almost the beginning. As art continues to imitate the life around us, one must wonder what can bring the necessary change to bring peace to our neighborhoods. Nutz doesn’t claim to hold any solutions here, just acknowledging his own losses and their drain on his psyche. The effect is sobering and definitely one you need to listen to.

CHECK OUT “PAIN” AT THESE STREAMERS BELOW

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Cool Nutz's "Pain" Will Hit You in the gut

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