Run Z and Z: Zaza Pachulia's Rap Song

                Whenever actors try their hand in music, they are usually met with skepticism, with the best results being a cult following. Even if the music they make is semi-impressive, they can never shake the stigma of being an actor trying to sing. Singers can act all they want (think Jamie Foxx or Justin Timberlake) and are viewed positively for doing so, but it is much harder for an established actor to get into singing. There are always exceptions, but for the most part, people will remember Bruce Willis more for Pulp Fiction or the Sixth Sense than they will for this:

The same goes for NBA players. There have been a large number of NBA players who have attempted music, but will be known much more for their playing days. That was going to be the subject of this blog until I realized how many other sites have covered the topic. Instead, I decided to talk about a gem I found while doing a little digging. Before I start, here are some honorable mentions when it comes to NBA players who dabbled in music:

• Damian Lillard recently dropped a song that will appear on an upcoming EP. 

• Stephen Jackson made a song that featured Kevin Durant called Lonely at the Top. (Top of what exactly? Line that best represents SJ the player : Married to the money, yeah, I do)

• Of course Shaq has made quite a few attempts. (even has his own Vevo)

• Kobe made a song with Tyra Banks, and guess what it was called………that’s right: Kobe.

Now I would like to get to a song that scholars (as in me) have labeled a musical treasure:

               Of course I am talking about Georgian rapper Bedina’s hit Tamashi, featuring Zaza Pachulia. (May contain explicit language, although I can't confirm that)

               NBA fans know Zaza as the lumbering big man who has spent most of his career with the Hawks and Bucks (now on the Mavericks). He doesn’t do anything special, and has never averaged more than 12 points or 8 rebounds.  He has established himself as a solid backup center that can do well in spot starts.                

     Bedina is much more unknown in the States. It is really hard to find any information about Bedina online, though I did find a really interesting article about the Georgia rap scene (no, not ATL) that mentions Bedina. Before I get into the song, there a few reasons why this is already great: 


• The Georgian rap scene. Everyone talks about Atlanta Georgia as being one of the top cities in terms of producing rap talent, but no one this side of the Atlantic talks about Georgia the country’s influence on rap. 
• I can understand what Zaza is rapping about in Georgian as well as I can understand his English when he does interviews. (A few words here or there)
• I wonder how this happened. Bedina is known in Georgia, so I wonder if he just decided to try to piggyback off Zaza’s international status (however obscure it may be).
• I wonder what, if any, record label was involved. Just imagine them playing it for someone in a studio, and the whole time the studio guy is just bobbing his head. When it’s over he pauses for effect, and says “You guys have something special”, in Georgian of course.

• There definitely needs to be a biopic about Bedina, and in it, there would be a scene with a young Zaza, who would be played by Javier Bardem.
  
  

I was trying to find who could play Bedina, and one of the only pictures I could find showed me everything I need to see in terms of casting. 

That’s right, Bedina would be played by Shia Lebeouf.  A biopic with Bardem and Lebeouf! It would be called Georgia on my Rhyme.

In the article about Georgian rap, Bedina mentions the struggle of living through communism. What other rapper can say that? Cruising down the street in my Trabant.

Instead of mentioning John Lennon, he could mention overcoming Lenin.

Definitely shout outs to Yugoslavia.

I am not marginalizing people who had to live under communism or anything, rather I am saying how many things there are to vent about. 

Alright, now I can discuss the song itself. It starts out with sirens and gunshots in the distance, and then the beat drops in. The sirens are used intermittently throughout the song.  One of the best parts is when Zaza (at least I think it's him) comes in about 45 seconds into the song. Ten seconds later, there are (anonymous) female vocals that help Zaza finish the chorus. After another Bedina verse, and another Zaza+female vocalist chorus, comes one of the best verses these ears have had the privileged of hearing. This is Zaza's verse (once again, this is my conclusion, as you can tell the voice is deeper than Bedina's and sounds like the voice in the chorus). This lyrical gold starts about two minutes in. His verse entails:

• At the 2:10 mark, he name drops his own name. Making it the first thing I can understand in this song.
• Correct me if I am wrong, but right before the 2:15 mark he mentions Tupac.
• Soon after that there is a gunshot again, and then the sirens.
• During this verse, I realize the Georgian language really has a nice rhythm to it.
• At the 2:30 mark there is an elongated yell in the background (perhaps emphasizing what Zaza was rapping about)

The ending of the song is perhaps the most abrupt ending you could ask for. Listen for yourselves, but it just stops at the 3:08 mark. Here are my five takeaways from this song:

1. I can't see another Georgian rapper being as big as Bedina.
2. I now have triple respect for Zaza (player, person, and rapper)
3. Who the hell is the female vocalist!?
4. If pressed about the song, would Zaza own it or shy away from it?
5. Someone really needs to make a Zaza highlight tape with this as the background song.