"King of Gotham" told a relatively complete story, but it was actually quite simple: an old gangster, unable to swallow his conflict with another gang, believed he still had plenty of fight left in him. Rather than enjoy a peaceful retirement, he insisted on going to war with them for real, only to be hit by a Black Gun and die by the roadside.
Logically speaking, this kind of plot should have had no market in gangsta rap, because most civilized people did not listen to rap to find resonance. They liked the violent elements in it.
Just as some people read wuxia novels because the chivalry and settling of grudges felt satisfying, as though after finishing one, they themselves could become heroes who robbed the rich to help the poor, partially venting their resentment at being exploited by their bosses in real life.
Rap worked the same way. Listening to rap felt like personally blowing apart the heads of everyone who had crossed you. So even more lyrical rap always needed an aggressive side. Naturally, the rapper's perspective had to belong to the ultimate winner, while everyone else was trash.
But the story written by Gotham Kid was simply too unsatisfying. The protagonist was an old man who got beaten, and he had brought it upon himself. The entire song was merely the fantasy of a dying man. The violence was all too subtle, there were too many delirious segments, and there was hardly any catharsis to be found.
Yet the melody was incredibly catchy, carrying a rich Gothic style, as though it were forever shrouded in a damp mist that made it impossible to distinguish Dream from reality.
The drumbeats in the latter half were immensely powerful. Combined with the lyrics' constantly blinking visual descriptions, Gotham Kid's furious