I’m certain the casual hip-hop fan didn’t become familiar with the name No I.D. until Kanye shouted him out as part of the hook on his ode to Jay-Z, “Big Brother” from his mammoth 2007 album, Graduation. But those in the know (no pun) know that quietly, No I.D. had been putting in work, becoming a highly sought-after producer way before then. I became familiar with No I.D.’s production back in 1992, when he went by the alias Immenslope, producing tracks for his fellow Chicagoan bredrin, Common’s debut album, Can I Borrow A Dollar? By the time Common’s second effort, Resurrection, came out, he was listed as No I.D. in the liner notes (he and Twilite Tone produced the entire album, including “I Used To Love H.E.R., one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all-time). He would contribute to Common’s ‘97 release, One Day It’ll All Make Sense (an album we’ll be discussing in the very near future), and then began to expand his clientele. He’d go on to produce records for Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Toni Braxton, Jaheim, DMX, G-Unit, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Bow Wow, Drake, and Janet Jackson; I could go on forever, but you get the gist. The man has worked with everybody. What I didn’t know, well into the new millennium, was that back in 1997, No I.D. had released a solo album.

The album was titled Accept Your Own And Be Yourself (The Black Album), and was released on Relativity Records, which was also the label home to Common at the time. The album went relatively unnoticed, as it produced only one single, which peaked at 94 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Charts. Accept Your Own would find its way into The Source Record Report, earning a 3.5 Mic rating.

I bought a used CD copy of Accept Your Own almost twenty years ago and have never gotten around to listening to it, until now. Based on No I.D.’s production track record, I’m optimistic. I’m more concerned about the quality of the bars.

Heat – The first thing you hear is a sound that could be mistaken for flatulence, followed by eerie noises and an echoing male voice saying “The Heat” three times. Maybe it was hot in the studio when they were recording, or it’s No I.D.’s way of preparing us for what’s to come. Either way, it was completely unnecessary.

We Rock Like So – The first record of the night features a menacing bass line and mysterious undertones placed over cautious drums. No I.D.’s, Windy City partner, Dug Infinite, kicks things off, giving us our first taste of his “intelligent attack.” No I.D. follows up with his own brainy verse and sounds much more impressive than his sidekick, at least on this track.

Fate Or Destiny – The No I.D./Dug Infinite connection continues. For round two, the duo uses a scorching organ loop to spread their articulate rhymes over. The hook is way too deep to be effective (and has nothing to do with either rapper’s bars), but overall, it’s a solid record.

State To State – Common joins his Chicagoan bredrin (No I.D. and Dug) as each takes a crack at the hard backdrop that only sounds more callous with the DMC (of Run DMC) vocal sample on the hook. To no one’s surprise, Common sons his contemporaries without hardly trying (I love his license bar). This record is fire, and its head-nod factor is off the charts.

I’m Thinkin’ – This interlude begins with a dreamy piano loop, followed by a clip of the 1995 De Niro/Al Pacino flick, Heat (it’s taken from the scene where Justine Hanna waxes poetic in response to her husband, Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino’s character), being emotionally unavailable). I’m not sure what purpose it serves in the grand scheme of things, but whatever.

Mega Live (That’s The Joint) – No I.D. hooks up a grey-tinted, ruggedly cinematic background for himself, Dug, and their female constituent, Syndicate, to spray with scientific bars and quality rhymes. No I.D. uses a Q-Tip vocal snippet for the hook, allowing for another addition of Tribe Degrees of Separation. This was dope.

Sky’s The Limit (Inf Mix) – The Chicago duo uses this one to encourage the kiddos to rise above their current situation and environment to achieve their dreams and goals. Dug gets his first production credit of the night, hence the song’s subtitle, and he impresses, building his soundscape around a somber but beautiful high-pitched string loop. I love the message, and they deliver it without making it sound like a corny ABC Afterschool Special (only those over forty will understand that last reference; for you young whippersnappers, reference the short Dhar Mann flicks on YouTube). This is easily one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Dreams – Over a creamy backdrop, a woman and a man converse about dreams. There’s a message in this short interlude, but I’ll let you decipher that for yourself.

The Real Weight – The single key piano loop in No I.D.’s instrumental sounds like somebody repeatedly getting their head smashed into the same piano key. I’d like to personally thank that individual for enduring such pain, because the shit hits hard (no pun). Our hosts sound like hip-hop professors as they make the track live up to its name with their heavy rhymes (No I.D. and Dug cover everything from shape shifting to metamorphosis, to mathematics and meteorology). The hook was a little ambiguous, but the inquisitive feel of the instrumental was dope and fit perfectly with the rhymes.

Jump On It – No I.D. and Dug continue to teach the class over a mildly dope backdrop that uses an Extra P vocal snippet for the hook (taken from another A Tribe Called Quest’s joint, “Keep It Rollin’”). This was solid, but if I were forced to take one song off the album, this would be the one.

Gem – No I.D. yields, giving Syndicate the floor for this one. Our host slides her the sweetest Chicago (the rock/pop band) loop, and she fumbles it with a less than a minute, half-baked PSA about the dangers of eating bacon. This was audio blue balls for me.

Original Man – The “awesome twosome” continues to rock ya over a peppy xylophone loop, and No I.D. cleverly cuts up a Greg Nice vocal snippet, which makes for a dope hook.

Pray For The Sinners – This one begins with a piece of a sermon from an uncredited source (I don’t think it’s Farrakhan, but the speaker’s cadence sounds like that of minister from the Nation of Islam) before a delectable guitar loop from a Minnie Riperton sample drops (No I.D. brilliantly weaves in some of Mrs. Riperton’s vocals during the hook, putting her five-octave range on display). No I.D. and Dug use the pretty canvas to talk about their personal pains and struggles, but it’s No I.D. who shines the brightest when he shares his vulnerable conversation with God. This is definitely one of the standout moments on the album.

Sky’s The Limit – This mix uses the same rhymes as the “Inf Mix,” though they are censored (I’m sure the censoring had something to do with the sample clearance, or this is a radio edit, which would make sense as this is the version used for the single/video). No I.D.’s instrumental has a completely different energy than Dug’s, but it’s equally as scrumptious.

Two Steps Behind – No I.D. closes the album with a subtly funky, low bpm, stripped-down beat (laced with yet another dope vocal sample for the hook; this time it comes from a KRS-One clip). No I.D. must have told Dug and Syndicate that the goal for this record was to make it sound edgy as the three leave their studious vernacular behind in exchange for dumbed-down rhymes, filled with more N-words and F-bombs than a Dave Chappelle stand-up special.

Through the years, hip-hop has seen many producers make solo albums. Usually, they come in the form of compilation projects, where the producer handles the music and brings in a bunch of guest emcees to rhyme over his beats (we’ve seen a handful of these already in ‘97: The Lawhouse Experience, Big Thangs, Politics & Bullshit, and The Soul Assassins). And sometimes, the producer lets his beats speak for themselves in the form of an instrumental project (i.e., DJ Shadow’s incredible Endtroducing). Then there are those where the producer dares to stand on his own completely, handling the production and holding down microphone duties (a great example of this was Diamond D’s Hatred, Passions And Infidelity). With Accept Your Own, No I.D. takes from all three models, concocting his own unique hybrid.

First off, calling Accept Your Own a No I.D. solo album is a bit misleading. Yes, No I.D. is responsible for ninety-nine percent of the album’s production, and he raps on every song (notwithstanding the short Syndicate solo joint), but Dug Infinite pulls just as much weight on the mic, along with receiving a couple of production credits. At minimum, the album cover should read “Guest Starring Dug Infinite” in fine print, a la Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. But I digress.

The first time I heard No I.D. rhyme was when he and Common took turns making playful boasts through an infinite number of punchlines (and calling out different cereals) on Common’s “Two Scoops Of Raisins” from Can I Borrow A Dollar? He sounded okay, yet far from impressive, but that was 1992. In 1997, No I.D. sounded sharper on the mic and way more serious. On Accept Your Own, he and Dug Infinite present as cerebral emcees, spewing intellect with a touch of consciousness. The duo’s bars are competent throughout the project, though at times their monotone vocal tones and low-energy deliveries get lost in the music.

Speaking of music, to no one’s surprise, most of the production on Accept Your Own is brilliant (No had already been consistently lacing Common with fire by this point). No I.D. creates irresistible grooves via well-chopped up and arranged soul, gospel, jazz, and rock samples, along with tough drumbeats and a few clever vocal snippets for hooks. The production is strong enough to stand alone, and at times it gives No and Dug something to lean on when they start to sound weary (or too dry).

One of the things that keeps me motivated to do this blog when I feel like calling it quits (which happens at least once every couple of months, and you best believe I thought about it several times over my last blog break) is the never-ending potential to unearth a hidden gem. Accept Your Own is one of those gems. No I.D. sums it up best on “Fate Or Destiny”: “Drop the buried treasure, dig in every measure, it’s for the people’s pleasure.”

-Deedub
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