“Lord Above” by Fat Joe & Dre (ft. Mary J. Blige & Eminem)
For the most part, “Lord Above” reads like standard rap-music fare despite the underlying religious theme. For instance, Dre gives a shoutout to “Jesus” and makes other such references, which basically serve as allusions to his wealth and street life. And Joey Crack, who we all know is straight-up ‘hood, more or less does the same. However, his verse is a lot more philosophical as it also deals with the issue of mortality in terms of death being inevitable.
But of all the rappers, it is Eminem who is actually making headlines with this song. And he has done so, once again, due to his confrontational lyrics. Or more specifically he takes jabs at fellow celebrities Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon, as the three of them have been caught up in somewhat like a dis-laden love triangle for years. But generally speaking, his verse is based on the type of braggadocio fans would expect from Shady. And he also, in his own way, acknowledges the certainty of ‘seeing God’ via death.
Meanwhile the chorus, which is held down by Mary J. Blige, can be considered more gospel than hip-hop, as she is straight-up ‘thanking the Lord’ for His faithfulness. So all things considered, this is supposed to be a more-introspective track as far as Fat Joe is concerned, as at this point in his career he is an elder statesman who is even contemplating retirement. And apparently, the underlying sentiment of “Lord Above” is something along the lines of the artists being spiritually grateful for their career success – and indeed even surviving – throughout the years.
Facts about “Lord Above”
“Lord Above” came out on 6 December 2019 as part of Fat Joe’s second collaborative album (and 12th overall), “Family Ties”.
This album, which was brought to us by RNG and Empire Records, is a collaboration between Fat Joe and Dre of Cool & Dre fame.
And Joey Crack has touted “Lord Above”, due to it featuring Eminem, as “the most-disrespectful song” on the album.
This is the second time Fat Joe has teamed up with Eminem and Mary J. Blige, respectively, though in both prior cases the tracks were remixes. In terms of Slim Shady, he was featured on the remix of a Fat Joe classic, “Lean Back”, back in 2005. And the Queen of Hip-Hop Soul made an appearance on the remix of Joe’s track “Another Round” in 2012.
Meanwhile Dre, who is known primarily as a producer, has worked with Fat Joe, Eminem and Mary J. Blige in the past.
And the writers of this song are Dre, Fat Joe, Eminem and Mary J. Blige. Moreover and as expected, Dre also produced the track.
