MP3 of the Week: THIRSTIN HOWL III, “I’M LIVING”

Countless rappers have boasted of their coke-dealer and weed-runner reputations. But few MCs have built their careers around thievery, as is the case with Brownsville crook Thirstin Howl III. Like the Gilligan's Island character of the same name, this self-described skillionaire likes his gear preppy. But since Thirstin and his Lo (as in Polo) Life brethren weren't born with silver spoons between their fronts, they took to straight jacking for that mad cream. In between grimy underground classics and projects with such influential imprints as Rawkus, Mr. Howl and his colorful gang of Ralph Lauren-clad thugs have endured many prison stints and casualties. Here, their thief-in-chief steps on a classic Jay-Z beat to let the underground know he's still alive and breathing fire. Catch Howl at the Western Front this Friday, July 2.

_Chris Faraone

DOWNLOAD: Thistin Howl III, "I'm Living" [mp3]