In December of 1992, Dr. Dre released one of the best hip-hop albums of all time, The Chronic (top five, in my opinion). Before ‘92, Dr. Dre was already a platinum-selling producer and the sonic brains behind The D.O.C.’s classic album, No One Can Do It Better), and N.W.A.’s landmark album, Straight Outta Compton. None of his prior work could compare to the pristine synth G-Funk sound he would slap the world in the face with on The Chronic, which was also the cornerstone for his and Suge Knight’s new label, Death Row Records. Along with his new musical sound and label, Dre would introduce the world to a new crop of emcees: Snoop Doggy Dogg, RBX, Tha Dogg Pound (Kurupt and Daz), and The Lady of Rage. Snoop would get the most shine on The Chronic and quickly became the breakout star of the bunch. RBX’s elegant gangsta sound was interesting, and Kurupt was dope, though not nearly as nice with the pen as he would soon become. But The Chronic was Rage’s platform to show and prove she was a true spitter (her contributions to “Lyrical Gangbang” and “Stranded On Death Row” made me a believer). In ‘93, she would continue to impress as the opening act on Snoop’s undisputed classic Doggystyle, where she swiftly and sturdily dismantled Dre’s Funkadelic-inspired “G-Funk Intro.” In ‘94, the Above The Rim Soundtrack was released on Death Row, which eventually went double platinum and featured Rage’s debut single, “Afro Puffs.” The song became a hit, and the anticipation for a Rage solo project grew. Then everything began to fall apart.

Rage has said in interviews that after The Chronic and Snoop’s Doggystyle, she was supposed to be next up to bat in the Death Row line-up. But she would get shoved aside for Tha Dogg Pound, who released their debut album Dogg Food in 1995. Then, in October of ‘95, Suge bailed Pac out of prison and signed him to Death Row, making him the label’s main focus. Shortly after the release of Pac’s mega-successful All Eyez On Me, Dre and Suge were no longer on good terms. In March of ‘96, Dre left Death Row and its roster of talent to start Aftermath Entertainment. Before his departure, Dre and Rage had begun to work on her debut album, Eargasm, but with Dre gone, the album would be permanently shelved. Six months later, Pac was murdered in Vegas, which would shake up the entire hip-hop culture and spell the start of the ending for Death Row. With Dre gone, Pac dead, Suge locked up, and Snoop and Kurupt unhappy, Rage still managed to release her debut album, Necessary Roughness, on the crumbling label, nearly five years removed from her debut on The Chronic, and over three years after her “Afro Puff” buzz.

With Dre gone from the team, Rage would rely mainly on Daz to give Necessary Roughness its West Coast sound, but staying true to her Virginian roots, she would call on some East Coast legends and vets to help shape the sound of the album as well (Premo, Easy Mo Bee, and Kenny Parker). The album received favorable reviews from critics (including 3.5 mics from The Source), but it was a commercial failure compared to the Death Row albums that came before it.

Necessary Roughness would be the only album we’d get from The Lady of Rage, as she’d get lost in the sauce as the Death Row empire folded. She transitioned into acting and has been in a handful of movies, including Next Friday, Judas and The Black Messiah, and most recently, as Miss Cleo on the Lifetime movie Miss Cleo: Her Rise and Fall. I’ll always remember her role as Coretta “The Ox” Cox on The Steve Harvey Show, but I digress.

I haven’t listened to Necessary Roughness in well over a decade. Let’s see if time has been kinder to Rage’s debut album than Death Row was.

Riot Intro – This may be the worst/driest intro/skit in the history of hip-hop albums. Or at least of any Death Row release.

Necessary Roughness – Without looking at the liner notes, I could tell the title track was produced by Easy Mo Bee. His blunted bass line, crisp drums, and blaring horn stabs proceed him, and the crystallized keys, sprinkled in just the right places, sound amazing. Speaking of sounding amazing, Rage comes in spitting venom and verbal darts at male and female emcees alike (she’s an equal opportunist, and her “Quarterbacks at Grambling State” bar was incredible”). This feels like a warm-up track for our hostess, but she still shreds Mo Bee’s dope production.

Big Bad Lady – Rage becomes one of the first artists to use a posthumous Pac cameo (Scarface was the first with “Smile” a few months prior). Pac’s melodic baritone chant turns into a dope hook paired with Daz’s smooth, ominous synth keys and choppy drums. Robin transforms into Rage, aka the Lyrical Murder, and relentlessly devours the instrumental and all “pigeon shit” emcees with it. She also manages to shout out A Tribe Called Quest via a “Bonita Applebum” reference during the massacre (Tribe Degrees of Separation: check). Kevin Vernado drops in at the end of the song to rightfully bow and sing of Rage’s greatness on the song’s closing adlibs. If Pac calls you “the baddest lyricist born,” you must be pretty badass.

Sho Shot – This was the album’s lead single. Sean “Barney” Thomas’ backdrop sounds like a mad scientist concocted a diabolical instrumental to destroy the world, and even though you know its evil intent, you can’t stop bobbing your head to the exhilarating music. Speaking of destroy, Rage continues with the verbal destruction she caused on the previous two tracks. The callback to her “Hadouken” line from “Afro Puffs” at the end of the song seemed forced, but other than that, this shit was bomb, just short of nuclear.

No Shorts – Daz brings the intensity down a bit with this backdrop, but it’s still a solid instrumental. Rage proves that even when the bpms slow down, she can kick back and rap her ass off.

Get With Da Wickedness (Flow Like That) Remix – I said it before, and I’ll say it again: I hate when the remix of a song appears in the sequencing before the original mix. Regardless, Daz puts his foot in this remix that reminded me a little of the instrumental for Pac’s “Against All Odds.” Rage continues to shred shit and clears up the rumor (or assumption) that she’s lesbian: “Cause I ain’t nothin’ nice, turnin’ men to mice, women are fallin’ all over me like I’m some kind of dyke, but uh, you can take that bull and miss me, because when it comes to sex, I’m strictly dickly.” Yet another enjoyable Rage/Daz concoction.

Raw Deal – Daz slows things down, serving up a pristine and smooth bop for our hostesses to do her thing while the female R&B group, B.G.O.T.I. (who were also signed to Death Row), sings of her lyrical prowess on the hook. Rage gives a strong performance, but her line about her unborn son, Zykee, left me with a lot of questions.

Breakdown – Easy Mo Bee gets his second and final production credit of the night. The booming horn loop and vocal scratch made me double-check the liner notes to make sure it wasn’t Premo’s work. As usual, Rage handles Mo Bee’s fire instrumental like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.

Rough Rugged & Raw – Rage is joined by a couple of her Dogg Pound brothers, Snoop and Daz, for this somewhat of a cipher session. I say somewhat because Snoop spits about six bars but mainly supplies the refrain. Daz spits a passable verse while Rage gets off two formidable verses over Reg Flair’s gully backdrop. It’s too bad Kurupt had already left Death Row, as it would have been nice to hear him attack the track next to Rage’s razor-sharp bars.

Super Supreme – For those who don’t know, Kenny Parker is KRS-One’s younger brother, who has produced tracks for BDP and KRS-One. For this record, Kenny recycles the sample he used for “Like A Throttle” off BDP’s Sex And Violence album. Like she’s done with every beat up to this point, Rage forces it into submission, and I love her Black Pentecostal preacher-sounding adlib (“Heeey!”) that’s sprinkled throughout the song. By the way, there is something very sexy about a woman revealing her weight on record.

Some Shit – Premier gets his first of back-to-back production credits with this one. He loops up a dramatic Quincy Jones sample that sounds like Big Foot and King Kong are about to square up. Rage spits a monster “freestyle” (pun intended) with no hook or breaks. It’s three minutes of Rage’s brutal bars wrestling Premo’s bangin’ boom-bap. The results: another fire record.

Microphone Pon Cok – Premo digs up grim violins and places them over choppy boom-bap drums for Rage and her guest, Madd 1, to rhyme over. Edi Ameng also joins the duo, providing the hook, delivered with a stern orator’s voice that makes him sound like he’s reciting Shakespearean reggae. I liked the first Premo track more, but this was still solid.

Get With The Wickedness (Flow Like That) – Rage is credited for producing this O.G. mix. The instrumental is decent but not nearly as fire as Daz’s work on the remix.

Confessions – Rage takes a break from murdering emcees and uses the last track on Necessary Roughness to get introspective. Over her and Daz’s desolate G-funk backdrop, she converses with God and grapples with her faith and her demons: “Because I like good lovin’ will I burn in an oven? Fiery furnace, cause sometimes the yearn gets tempting, so I yield into temptation, intoxication mixed with fornication, face the nation, face the revelation, the ending. Will I be caught up in the rapture? Or will I be left behind because what I’m caught up in got me captured?” It was nice to see the lyrical murder show some vulnerability, but the empty instrumental could have used a little more soul, and the mini-female choir’s contribution (B.G.O.T.I.) was miscalculated and almost laughable.

When I dug my copy of Necessary Roughness out of the crates for this review, I looked at the tracklist on the back CD panel and forgot that “Afro Puffs” wasn’t included on the album. It was Rage’s signature record, and though it was three years old by 1997, it would have been a nice addition for die-hard fans to have, even if tacked on as a bonus track. Its inclusion may have also helped with album sales. But after living with Necessary Roughness for the past few weeks and revisiting “Afro Puffs” as well, Rage made the right choice by leaving it off. During the three years in between, Rage’s skill set advanced tremendously, to the point her rhymes and flow on “Afro Puffs” sound almost rudimentary compared to her work on her debut album. On the opening lines of “Afro Puffs,” Rage begins: “Let me loosin’ up my bra strap, and um, let me boost ya with my raw rap.” On Necessary Roughness, the bra is completely off, and her raw raps matured into well-drafted, swaggering essays.

Rage doesn’t waste any time trying to be seductive, brag about her material possessions, claim to be a gangsta-bitch, or force contrived conscious messages down the listener’s throat. Her only goal is to prove she can out-rhyme and annihilate any emcee, male or female, delivering potent boastful/battle raps and strong hooks with her commanding voice. Along the path of lyrical homicide, Rage fully embraces her femininity and 175-pound full-figure frame without sounding sleazy or slutty but done with a confidence that gives the big-body girl an understated sexy aura without even trying.

Led by Daz, Necessary Roughness upholds the traditional G-Funk sound found on Death Row’s previous releases, but it also includes a handful of boom-bap slaps (courtesy of Premo, Easy Mo Bee, and Kenny Parker). The album may not have a cohesive musical sound, but the well-balanced soundscape keeps things entertaining, and Rage’s ability to rap comfortably over any beat is the attribute that unifies the music.

One could knock Necessary Roughness for its lack of diverse content and Rage’s serial usage of “lyrical murder” and “emcee cold killer” throughout the album. She’s also a much better rapper than a producer. But I thoroughly enjoyed Necessary Roughness. It’s an incredible debut album from an abundantly talented emcee that I wish gave the world more music. Because, as she profoundly puts it on “Breakdown,” ‘Chicks like this come in short supply.”

-Deedub
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