Released: 2001″Beanie” by Beanie Sigel stands as a testament to his reputation, his craft, and the harsh realities of the streets. Acknowledging the environment that shaped him, Beanie Sigel narrates his journey with raw passion, unapologetically reflecting on his early life under the looming shadow of drug dealing and street rivalry.
The first verse opens with the assertion of his street credentials and hustle, divulging his previous life of dealing (“I move blocks and pounds”) and violent encounters (“use gats don’t rumble”). He portrays himself as a major player in the city’s drug trade, claiming to control the supply ‘like John Street,’ explicitly referencing Philadelphia’s former mayor responsible for multiple city clean-up initiatives. “Chef Boyar-Beans, Beanie Crocker, cook coke proper” are clever plays on popular food brands, signifying his prowess in cooking and dealing cocaine.
With the chorus, “Sigel was the name that they gave me,” there’s a touch of identity affirmation, an assertion that Beanie is not just an alias, but a persona crafted out of dire circumstances.
Beans steps into verse two with supreme confidence- “back in the mix or the scuffle.” Here, he compares his wealth to chips from Ruffles and Frito Lay, implying that his neighborhood influence and money stack higher than chip mountains. He further emphasizes his lifestyle transformation through material symbols, contrasting his luxury Bentley with cheap wheels and small grills. The “breakfast” reference serves as a metaphor for sharing hard-earned wealth with friends, aligning with common street loyalty themes.
The final verse homes in on his dual existence as both a street hustler and a rapper. Despite his musical success, Beans admits he still keeps a foot in the drug trade- “spittin them rhymes, but still pitchin them dimes.” Sigel highlights his readiness to defend his territory, mentioning his Glock 26, a compact firearm notorious in street life. He ends with a nod to Jay-Z, the only one who stopped him while he was on his hustle, a significant turning point marked by Sigel’s signing to Roc-A-Fella Records.
In conclusion, “Beanie” is Beanie Sigel’s raw, unfiltered depiction of his transition from the grim realities of street life to becoming a game-changing artist in the hip-hop industry. His lyrics serve as a painful yet celebratory reminder of his journey, casting light on the resilience of the human spirit in the face of adversity.
