Time Is Illmatic

After Brand Nubian’s debut album, One For All, Grand Puba left the group but stayed on the same label (Elektra) to pursue a solo career, which was pretty much inevitably. Puba, with his top-notch flow and polished delivery, was easily the breakout star of the group. He would release his debut solo album, Reel To Reel in ’92, which didn’t do great numbers wise, but did get love and respect from the critics and fans, alike. He would return in the summer of ’95 with his sophomore solo effort, 2000.

On Reel To Reel, Puba handled the bulk of the production, but for 2000 he would relinquish those duties, letting Mark Sparks, Minnesota and a few others take care of those responsibilities so he could focus solely on his rhymes. 2000 would produce two singles, but much like its predecessor, it didn’t do well commercially. Unlike Reel, 2ooo wasn’t unanimously embraced by the streets and it received mixed reviews from the critics. I haven’t listened to 2000 in a long time, but I remember diggin’ it back in the day. But I may be a bit bias, considering I was a Puba Stan and all.

In ’95, 2000 was Puba’s clever way of saying he was a few years ahead of the game and his contemporaries, which is now mind boggling, considering the year 2000 was 20 years ago. Time is truly, illmatic.

Very Special – Puba kicks off 2000 with a soft and mellow Mark Sparks produced instrumental, as he warms up for the evening, giving us a taste of his wittiness and effortlessly slick flow.

I Like It (I Wanna Be Where You Are) – This was the lead single from 2000 (it was also included on the Tony Hawk’s Underground 2 video game soundtrack). Mark Sparks steps it up a bit with this one, as he concocts a creamy smooth backdrop and adds splashes of ruggedness over it. Puba uses the sonic beauty to bless us with more of his charisma and nearly flawless flow.

A Little Of This – Kid (from Kid ‘N Play) joins Puba on this one, singing the hook with our host and adds a few adlibs. Puba spills some of my favorite Puba rhymes on this one: “I’ve gotta be one of the baddest brothers on the planet, I’m baggin’ honeys and they all got bodies just like Janet, I play it safe never takin’ chicken heads for granted, I’m superman and Lois types my rhymes at Daily Planet, I got more promise than Thomas who makes English muffins, I do more stickin’ in chicken than Stove Top Stuffing, no doubt about it hun, I hit from here to China, when I drop the D-minor, watch me soggy your vagina”. Mark Sparks’ instrumental is dripping with feel good vibes and makes for good morning music to get your day off to a great start.

Keep On – I never really cared for this one back in the day and I still don’t. Puba does his thing on the mic, but Chris “Shuga” Liggio’s spacey loop is kind of dull and brings down the song’s momentum.

Back Stabbers – Our host invites vocalist, Michelle Valdes Valentin to join him on this one, as they commence to freak this duet like Ashford and Simpson, kind of. Puba and Michelle play a couple going through some trying times in their relationship, when Michelle lets Puba know that his best friend isn’t who he thinks he is. The storyline was okay, even though the end was anti-climactic. It feels like Puba was trying to recapture the magic he and Mary J Blige created with “What’s The 411?” and Reel To Reel‘s “Check It Out”, but Miss Valentin is not Mary and this song isn’t nearly as memorable as those two. Mark Sparks’ airy mid-tempo backdrop was enjoyable, though.

2000 – Minnesota gets his first production credit of the evening as he slides Puba a dope instrumental to destroy for the album’s title track: “I’m the Scooby with the Doo, I like my philly with a brew, all you niggas talkin’ shit about Puba – fuck you! You know what you can do? You can lick the twins, when I pull them outta skins, and I put ’em your face, you can tell me how it taste”. Definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.

Amazing – Minnesota comes right back with another dope instrumental, as he samples The Brothers Johnson’s “Tomorrow” and turns it into a soulful groove for Puba to continue to get busy on: “My beats kick you in the head like a Timberland, me and my crew stay tight like the X-Men, I gets mean, and then I turn into the Wolverine, and then I grab the mic and blow the whole spot to smithereens, I gets down for the money honey, I got the style that’s real, that’s why brothers chew my shit up like gummy bears, it’s the New York shocker, representin’ like a Knickerbocker, watch me get it cookin’ like Betty Crocker, I’ll make you choke like I’m indo smoke, cause I’m downright nasty like Diet Coke”. Minnesota and Puba make sure this one lives up to the song title.

Don’t Waste My Time – Alamo lays down a sophisticatedly sexy backdrop that Puba uses to issue a warning about messing with scheming groupies: “Honey set them traps, that’s why Tyson was where he was at, they want you for your name and fame, quick to get butt naked, when you play them out, they run and said you tried to take it”. It was nice to hear Puba temporarily get away from freestyle rhymes and focus on a topic, and the music behind him fits his content, perfectly. This one has aged well.

Play It Cool – Puba reunites with one of his Brand Nubian bredrin, Sadat X on this one. Both of the New Rochelle emcees spit a verse over Minnesota’s funky piano loop, vibrating bass line and rough drums. Like he did on One For All, Puba raps circles around his old friend, but it was still nice to hear them back together. I wonder how Lord Jamar would have fared over this up-tempo beat. This one sounds way better than I remember it back in the day.

Playin The Game – The song feels incomplete and like it was thrown on the album just to fill space. I kind of like the Barry White loop, though.

Change Gonna Come – Puba wraps up 2000 by giving the listener some gems and food for thought to chew on: “Some think respect is an uzi or tech, but when they steal your intellect, it’s like a rope around your neck…that’s the 2000 tricknowledge, that’s the shit you won’t learn in college”. Dante Ross provides our host with a melodic backdrop dripping with serious vibes, making for the perfect canvas for Puba to paint with his conscious brush. And remember: “A gat don’t make you a man, cause a man made the gat”.

After revisiting 2000 these past few weeks, I can partial understand why the reviews for 2000 were mixed. Grand Puba picks up where he left off at on Reel To Reel, delivering witty punchlines and sharp word play with his effortless refined flow that is severely underrated, by the way. But like I’ve mentioned in the past, Puba has never been super strong on the conceptual side, so a Puba album can easily start to sound like one long freestyle. The production on 2000 is also a lot more polished than the dusty boom-bap found on Reel, which I enjoyed for the most part, but I know a lot of east coast hip-hop heads don’t appreciate. 2000 is far from a classic, but in my opinion, it’s a solid sophomore effort from a great emcee, who at one point I had in my top ten.

-Deedub

Thanks to the commercial success of groups like The Beasties Boys, Vanilla Ice and 3rd Bass, by the mid-nineties, major labels were ready and very willing to find and sign the next hot white rapper to a deal. Insert New Jersey native Thomas Wlodarczyk, better known as Miilkbone, into the equation.

Loosely linked to Naughty By Nature’s Illtown squad, Miilkbone would get a deal with  Capitol Records (which was also the label home to the Beastie Boys at the time), where he would release his debut album, Da’ Miilkrate. Miilkbone would call on newcomers, Mufi and Nick Wiz to produce the bulk of the album, with Kay Gee and a few others contributing a track here and there. The album produced two singles that made little noise and the album was a commercial failure that received average to poor reviews from the critics. Da’ Miilkcrate would be the only album Miilkbone would release on Capitol, but he would go on to release two independent albums, do a short stint with Suge Knight and Death Row Records, and make a dis record aimed at Eminem (see “Dear Slim”).

I’ve never listened to Da’ Miilkrate before this post. I found a used copy of the cd a few years ago and bought it on the strength of the first single that I liked back in the day.

By the way, the cover artwork looks horrible. Hopefully the album doesn’t sound as bad.

No Gimmicks – Da’ Miilkrate opens with a female asking Miilkbone questions about his parents opinion on him choosing to pursue a career in rap and how he feels about being viewed as a “wannabe” by most of the world. Miilk answers her questions in a roundabout way with very wordy responses.

Ghettobiz – Over a somberish mid-tempo instrumental (produced by Nick-Wiz), Miilk embraces and big ups the griminess of the hood. He also manages to slide in “nigga” a couple of times during his verses. I’m shocked no one called him out on this back in the day. Maybe that’s because no one ever listened to the album, including his own crew. Regardless, it’s not a bad song, but it’s a bit too low on energy for an opening track.

Keep It Real – This was the lead single from Da’ Miilkrate, and probably the millionth song made in the mid-nineties with this cliché song title. Mufi builds the dope backdrop around an ill piano loop and an AZ vocal snippet that our host uses to display his adequate rhyming ability. This one has held up well over the years.

Mindgamez – Nick Wiz hooks up a dark, hard and subdued instrumental with a deep bass line and adds a catchy Buckshot vocal snippet for the hook. Miilk sounds decent on this one, even though he does get a little slothful with the bars that lead into each hook: “My clique is swayze, because I’m gettin’ lazy. What the hell does that even mean? I like the instrumental, but it would have been nice to hear Miilk challenge himself and replace the random freestyle rhymes with something more conceptual that fits the song title and the sick Buckshot sample.

Traffic Jam – Interlude that sets up the next song…

Move Wit’ Da’ Groove – Mufi and someone named Twig are credited for this slightly cheesy synth-heavy backdrop that our host uses to conger up party vibes with light-hearted rhymes. The instrumental does sound a bit generic, but I like its breezy vibes. It makes for great summertime cookout music.

How Ya Like It? – Nick Wiz hooks up a milky smooth (no pun intended) instrumental for Miilk to spit more freestyle rhymes over. He also spits what may be the worst punchline in the history of hip-hop: “I’m buckin’ shots with rocks so lay low, I fucked your bitch in a barn and now she’s really a hey (hay) ho!!!!”. It sounds worse than it reads. The Method Man sample on the hook was a nice added touch to the song.

Freestyle – Over an intense backdrop, Miilkbone and friends warm up for the next song…

Set It Off – Miilkbone invites Nitty, Kandi Kain (yep, the same one from Naughty By Nature’s “Connections”) and Trip to join him on this cipher joint. Kay Gee lays a raw up-tempo instrumental that sounds even better when the sun goes down, and much like she did on “Connections”, Kandi Kain steals the show. I would have loved to hear a full album from her.

Where’z Da’ Party At? – Yep. Another party themed joint. Apparently, this was also the second single from Da’ Miilkrate. Kay Gee gets his second and final production credit of the evening, as he slides our host a feel good instrumental built around a loop from Kool & The Gang’s “Too Hot”. It makes for decent filler material.

Murder Verbs – Miilk invites a few of his buddies to join him on this cipher joint. The liners notes don’t credit any of Miilk’s guests (one of them sound like one of the dudes from the Cruddy Clique), but no worries, no one says anything worthwhile. And Mufi’s instrumental is about as interesting as watching paint dry.

Fast Cash – Interlude to set up the next song…

Kids On The Ave – Miilk uses Mufi’s cinematic-tinged backdrop to share a tale about a struggling rapper who becomes a street pharmacist after being convinced by his drug dealing homeboy to enter the field. And boy does that come back to bite him. Miilk’s storyline was decent, and it was nice to hear him come with a concept and not just bar us to death.

Check Me Out – Mufi and Butch Whip hook up a melodic and mellow instrumental that Miilk uses to continue spewing random freestyle rhymes, including another ridiculously corny punchline: “Your girl rides my dick and that’s the only time I fuck up”. He also revisits the n-word, but this time delivers it as “niggies”. Sm muthafuckin’ h.

Bamma Fam – I’m not sure what this interlude is about, but, whatever.

Ketchrek – Ah, yet another song title named after a cliché mid-nineties hip-hop term, only spelled differently. I don’t know if I’d say Miilk caught wreck on this one, but he does a decent job with it. The Mufi and Butch Whip concocted instrumental is the true star on this one.

It Ain’t The Same – Decent filler material.

2 All Y’all – Mufi’s gives Miilk an emotional instrumental that he uses to rap his shout outs over. I like the instrumental, but it was kind of strange to hear our host shout out his peeps over the somber music.

Hidden Track – Miilkbone tacks on a remix to “Keep It Real” for the album’s official finale. They recycle the AZ vocal snippet from the original, but substitute the piano loop with a harp-like loop and hard-stripped down drums. Miilkbone spits all new verses and in my opinion, delivers his strongest bars of the evening. This was dope.

Miilkbone has a decent flow, but it gets a bit stunted on Da’ Miilkrate due to his poor enunciation and some outrageously corny punchline. On the other hand, our Caucasian friend has no problem enunciating “niggas” and “niggies”, as both words roll off his tongue with ease and come across loud and clear. Overall, the production on Da’ Miilkrate is a solid batch of boom-bap that Miilk uses to display his competent rhyming ability. But with no solid song concepts (with the exception of “Kids On The Ave”), Da’ Miilkrate starts to sound like one long monotonous freestyle. Da’ Miilkrate’s a decent album, but I still feel some type away about him saying “nigga”.

-Deedub

Through the years, like all genres, hip-hop has seen its fair share of one and done’s: groups that came on the scene, released one album and disappeared into the darkest deepest blackest hole never to be heard from again. There are various reasons for these disappearing acts: death, bad contracts, terrible debut albums, quality projects with disappointing commercial results, or the artist simply gets tired of dealing with the industry politics and walks away from the game forever. Today, we add The BUMs to this tragic list.

The BUMs, which is an acronym for Brothas Under Madness, were the Oakland, California based duo, Evocalist and D. Wyze. They were also a part of Sway & King Tech’s All City crew, who played a large part in The BUMs getting their foot in the door. The BUMs would get their first National exposure with a song included on the gold selling Street Fighter Soundtrack (an album that I own but completely forgot The BUMs had a song on it) and nearly six months later they would release their debut album Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme on Priority Records.

The BUMs would bring on the unestablished Joe Quixx to produce the bulk of Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme, with Sway and King Tech getting executive producer credits along with themselves (hopefully, Sway will get inducted into the Radio Hall of Fame this week, as he’s more than deserving). The album produced one single that made minimal noise and needless to say, it was a commercial disappointment.

I remember loving Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme back in ’95, but it’s been several years since I’ve listened to it. Let’s see how it’s held up over the years.

Brothas Unda Madness – Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme starts with a smooth melodic instrumental and our hosts repeating the group’s name, over, and over, and over, and over…

Non-Stoppin’ The Groove – Joe Quixx (whom I’ll refer to simply as JQ from here on) concocts a laidback jazzy backdrop with a sick mumbling bass line that Evocalist and D. Wyze use to showcase their solid rhyming skills over. Evocalist, who’s vocal tone and flow remind me a little of AZ, received The Source’s Hip-Hop Quotable column for his verse on this one. From the jump it’s clear that E’s the stronger emcee of the two.

I Don’t Know – A short interlude (or as the liner notes call it, “insert”) that must be an inside joke amongst the BUM’s crew.

Wreck Your Ears (Can Do) – JQ picks up the pace a bit from the previous song with this soulful groove. D. Wyze turns in a decent performance, but Evocalist wrecks your ears, the mic and the shit out of the instrumental: “Now, I gets busy underground like gooks during Vietnam, no selling out because my mom didn’t raise a Tom, Evol’s my name, I flex mad styles, I’m known for gettin’ nastier than maggots on a dead cow, at many clouds rockin’ crowds from here to China, I gets looser than the lips on a prostitute’s vagina, so sleep on my skills, and sleep in grills they use for traction, cause I put my thaaaang in action, awakening crews in a rude fashion, on they ass like Mike Tyson at a beauty pageant”. This was really dope.

Cup Of Joes – Short, sweet and funky interlude.

Take A Look Around – Fredwreck Nassar builds on the jazzy mood that JQ’s created on Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme thus far, as he slides The BUMs another great soundscape that the duo use to share about their upbringing and other random personal shit. Props to Evocalist, as he may be the only rapper to ever use “phalanges” in a rhyme (though I’m sure if I comb through every one of Canibus’ rhymes, I’ll find the word there too). With the exception of the nonsensical hook, everything about this song was dope.

6 Figures And Up – JQ keeps the good times coming, as he provides another funky groove that makes me want to get my pimp stroll on every time I hear it. E and D use it to discuss the amount of income they deem necessary to sustain their lifestyles, or as Evocalist simply puts it: “Not two, not three, not four, not five, six figures and up is what I need to survive”. This is a great record that can also be used to help motivate you to achieve financial success.

Flex Uv A Finga – The BUMs use this one to discuss the drama and violence that goes down in the Oakland streets. The content is decent, but JQ’s instrumental is a little dry.

Diggin’ In The Crate – This interlude uses a snippet from Sway & Tech’s The Wake Up Show where they premiered one of The BUM’s songs. This bleeds directly into the next song…

Let The Music Take Your Mind – JQ builds this serene and soulful backdrop around an ill Blackbyrds loop that our hosts use to talk random shit and in passing, try to convince the listener to do what the title suggest. JQ’s instrumental is brilliant, and must be a slice of what heaven feels like.

Suck My Dick – This interlude starts with a smooth Jaggerz loop that is quickly interrupted by someone lighting a blunt and dedicating the rest of the interlude to “all you bullshit ass A&Rs and you fucked up labels”. Then a stripped-down drum beat and a twisted bass line come in, accompanied by an ill Fat Joe vocal snippet, instructing those A&Rs and labels to do exactly what the title suggest. This was pretty cute.

Elevation (Free My Mind) – This was the lead single (and I believe the only single) from Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme. JQ loops up Teddy Pendergrass’ classic “Close The Door” as our hosts discuss music industry politics. This is a brilliant record that sounds even better now than when it was first released.

West Coast Smack – Evocalist and D. Wyze represent for the West Coast on this one, with E laying down the stronger back hand than his partner in rhyme. I wasn’t crazy about the Baka Boyz zany instrumental, but the Souls Of Mischief and D-Nice vocal loops were pretty dope, even if D-Nice’s “boom, boom, bap, boom, bam!” is more of knock out combination than a smack.

Harry Joenick – Yet another inside joke interlude.

Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme – For the title track our hosts are joined by their Oakland neighbor, Mystic (even though the liner notes credit her on the next song for her verse on this one), as each party spits a conscious verse over a beautiful JQ backdrop. Evocalist spits what may be his masterwork, dropping precious gems and jewels throughout: “Fakin’ the style, is a flagrant foul, lets chill for a while, but in the end it comes back someday someway somehow, playin’ both sides like a double edge knife, will get you squashed like a bug on the windshield of life, this goes out to all the 70’s kids, who didn’t die from SIDS, only to spend a lifetime doing bids”. This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album.

For My Brothas – JQ hooks up some ole cool shit with a bass line so thick it would make Serena Williams blush. The BUMs deliver solid verses, but JQ’s dope backdrop is the true star of this one.

Wake Up – A short interlude that I guess was included to set up the next song…

Can You Do Without? – King Tech gets his only production credit of the evening (excluding his executive producer credit for the album) with this one, as he slides the BUMs an animated backdrop with a jazzy swing twist. The full question being posed is: If there was no hip-hop could you do without? I mean, I guess I’d have to. But I could definitely do without this song.

Who Gives You The Right – The final track of the evening features Evocalist sharing a spoken word poem that asks his oppressors (even though the question mark is omitted in the song title) who gives them the right to oppress. E’s heartfelt words sound great over the soul stirring instrumentation. And that concludes Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme.

On Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme The BUMs consistently represent for Oakland, show Sway and Tech respect for putting them on, and D.Wyze makes sure the listening audience is fully aware that he’s also a barber. More importantly, D. Wyze and his more polished rhyming partner, Evocalist spit solid bars and balance substance with good old fashion braggadocio shit talking. Joe Quixx is just important to Lyfe ‘N’ Tyme as Evocalist and D. Wyze, as his superb batch of mid-tempo instrumentals built around well-executed jazz and soul loops is the heart and soul of the album. Matter of fact, the only mediocre moments on the album occur (with the exception of “Flex Uv A Finga”) when JQ’s not on the boards (I’m scratching my head to why he didn’t get more work after this project). Lyfe ‘N’ Time is a great debut album from a group that I would have loved to hear more music from.

I wonder why they vanished so quickly from the game. It’s not like they didn’t have the talent. Maybe Evocalist was waxing prophetic on “Elevation (Free My Mind)” when he said: “Since I don’t brainwash minds, with talkin’ nines, and how I shoot ya, it seems no multi-million contract is in my future”.

-Deedub

After a forgettable debut album, The New Style changed their name to Naughty By Nature and released back to back platinum selling albums in Naughty By Nature and 19 Naughty III (you can read my thoughts on both here and here), that were both damn near classics. By 1995, Naughty By Nature were bonafide rap stars, thanks to their ability to craft crossover hits and make dope albums that both the critics and the streets respected. They would return in ’95 going for the trifecta with their fourth release, Poverty’s Paradise.

Like the previous Naughty By Nature albums, Kay Gee would handle most of the production on Poverty’s Paradise with a little help from a few outside parties. The album received positive reviews, but would be their first album under the Naughty By Nature name to not earn a platinum plaque. It did earn a gold plaque and would win the trio the first ever Grammy for Best Rap Album in 1996.

But forget about the accolades. How has Poverty’s Paradise held up over the past 25 years?

Intro Skit – The album opens with Naughty performing “Hip Hop Hooray” live…

Poverty’s Paradise – Then our hosts follow an intro with another intro that has Vinnie introducing the listeners to Poverty’s Paradise. What the hell does “scuffin’ those knees” mean? I’m sure it doesn’t mean what it sounds like. And why didn’t they just combine the opening intro with this second opening intro so they could have one opening intro? Well, at least the soulful instrumental playing in the background was enjoyable.

Clap Yo Hands – The first real song of the evening comes with a feel good bass line, clapping drums and a warm horn loop. Treach handles the instrumental with ease (I always laugh when I hear him say “hoochies, pop their coochies, and slap their hips”), while his partner in rhyme, Vin Rock tries his best to keep pace with it. I had no idea this was the lead single from Poverty’s Paradise. I actually watched the video for it for the first time while working on this post. This was a nice appetizer before the main course.

City Of Ci-Lo – Minnesota gets his first of two production credits on Poverty’s Paradise, as he, per the liner notes, “equates” a dark and drowsy backdrop for Treach who uses it to compares life in the hood to a game of cee-lo (or ci-lo). Not my favorite song on the album, but it’s decent.

Hang Out And Hustle – Naughty makes this a family affair, as they invites a few crew members from Road Dawgs and Cruddy Click and lyrically hang out and hustle together. Everyone turns in a solid verse (including Vinnie!), but of course Treach reigns supreme with his polished flow and confident delivery. Kay Gee samples Charles Sherrell’s record with the same name for the backdrop and hook (he also adds a slick vocal snippet from Extra P into the hook) and turns it into a funky bop for the boys to slang to.

It’s Workin’ – Sticking with the cipher theme, this time around Treach is joined by the Rotttin Razkals, as they pass the mic around like a blunt over a West Coast synthy Kay Gee produced instrumental. This was a decent track with not much replay value.

Holdin’ Fort – I wasn’t crazy about this one, but it’s not terrible.

Chain Remains – Treach takes a minute (or four and half) to explain why he wears the chain and lock around his neck. Someone named Brice lays down a smooth mid-tempo instrumental with west coast sensibilities that Treach uses to spit some of his most heartfelt rhymes, as he points out the parallels of the African slave trade and the prisons in America today that keep brothers in bondage at a high percentage: “Learn the ability to find their goals, locked in a facility where time is froze, God knows the heart hurts to see no sky, just dirt, they give a black man a cell before they give a man work, so we get into this black this black cat syndrome, grow older like there’s no heart and no soul ingrown, bars and cement instead of help for our people, jails aint nothin’ but the slave day sequel”. The addition of real inmates giving their name, prison number and release date in between verses drives home Treach’s message even more. This is definitely one of the strongest songs on Poverty’s Paradise.

Feel Me Flow – This was the third and final single from Poverty’s Paradise. Kay Gee hooks up a feel good groove with a bouncy bass line that Treach rides to perfection with his flawless fl0w. Naughty doesn’t get enough props for their ability to create hip-hop classics with a pop appeal, like this one.

Craziest – This was the second single from the album. I’ve never been crazy (no pun intended) about the instrumental, but Treach manages to make it sound better than it is with his hard rhymes and superior vocal tone. After disappearing for the last four songs, Vinnie returns to squeeze in a forgettable verse in between Treach’s. I literally lol every time I hear Treach threaten to go in Jermaine Dupri’s pockets, claiming that he owes him “loot for that “Jump” shit” (referring to Kriss Kross’ smash hit that he allegedly co-wrote but was never compensated for). Side note: The smooth instrumental on the Crazy -C produced remix (how ironic is that?) sounds a lot better than this version.

Radio Skit – Short skit that sets up the next song…

Sunshine – Treach picks up where he left off at on 19 Naughty III’s “Written On Ya Kitten”, as he salivates and celebrates the kitty cat: “Are those bullets in your bra or are your nipples glad to see me? Been waiting since I’m three, now I’m finally seeing a genie, open that kitty, pretty let me write it in graffiti”, your name Sunshine, how dandy been known by the glow in your panties, sweety”. You can’t go wrong using Roy Ayers’ classic record “Everybody Love The Sunshine” for the backdrop, and Treach rides the mellow vibes, beautifully. And they get extra credit for sampling one of my favorite movies (Boomerang) at the end of the song. This is definitely one of my favs from Poverty’s Paradise.

Webber Skit – This skit always made me laugh and it still does. Was anybody really waiting with great anticipation for a Chris Webber verse or album? TFOH!!!

Respect Due – Wait? Did Vinnie just recycle part of his verse from “Craziest”? Dude, you only rapped on four songs up to this point and you’re already reusing shit? Anyways…this one was middle of the road for me.

World Go Round – Minnesota returns and blesses Treach with this creamy soundscape and a soulful vocal sample from a youthful Michael Jackson. Treach uses the brilliant backdrop to get introspective as he ponders life and the world we live in:” Get high to tell ya lows, that’s how it’s done on the bricks, we all mad at the world when the world aint done shit, just the people in it and the scavengers who function, who destroy the earth then blame the earth for its malfunctions, and getting maybe a tad bit too much to follow, but the black form is strong and far from being hollow, Why do we get so much into this freeing Willy when Willy is free? He and them aint doing shit to free my city, and it’s a pity for those who can’t get the nitty gritty, that’s when the gritty gets grimy and the wicked gets witty”. This is probably my favorite song on Poverty’s Paradise and arguably Treach’s best lyrical performance of his career.

Klickow Klickow – And just like that we go from the stars and heavens to the grimy gutters of Illtown. Kay Gee concocts a hard gully backdrop for the entire crew (Naughty, Rottin Razkals, Cruddy Click and Road Dawgs) to get dirty and spit their filthy rhymes on.  This was tough.

Double I Skit -Short, but enjoyable little jingle.

Slang Bang – This may be the first instrumental that Treach has rapped over and got the better of him, as he never seems to get a good grasp of it. Kid Nyce’s jazzy backdrop is decent, but it jumps around way too much, which may be the reason Treach is unable to master it.

Shout Out – Vinnie and Kay Gee take 7 minutes to individually name and shout out every radio station that has played Naughty By Nature’s music since 1991, while Gordon Chambers sings a refrain in between their verses. I don’t think I’ve ever heard a “shout out” song formatted with verses and a hook (speaking of shout outs, Naughty does send ATCQ a shout out in the liner notes…Tribe Degrees of Separation: check). This was overkill.

Outro – Naughty combines a funky Fred Wesley loop with a vocal snippet taken from John Belushi in Animal House to close out the album and set up the last song of the night…

Connections – This song was originally released about a month before Poverty’s Paradise on the New Jersey Drive Vol. 2 Soundtrack. Kay Gee lays down another grimy groove as Treach, Vinnie, Cruddy Click, the Road Dawgs and female emcee, Kandi Kain spit bars over it. Kandi Kain (which is a dope alias, by the way) gets the last word and holds her own, challenging Treach for the strongest verse on this one. I wonder whatever happened to her. Regardless, this was hard.

Treach (who is one of my favorite emcees of all time) seemed to have peaked lyrically on Poverty’s Paradise, as he spits some of the strongest, most insightful and mature bars of his career up to this point, while Vin Rock does Vin Rock. Poverty’s Paradise has a handful of great songs, but it also comes with one or two too many cameos, a few mediocre moments and a couple of songs that probably should have been scrapped. Poverty’s Paradise doesn’t stand up to Naughty By Nature or 19 Naughty III, but it’s still a solid album from the legendary Jersey trio.

-Deedub

We last heard from Showbiz & AG in 1992 with their debut album Runaway Slave. The album helped lay the foundation for the well-respected Diggin’ In The Crates crew and many hailed it as a classic. But even if you don’t agree with the classic labeling (like myself), there’s no denying that it was a solid debut from the Bronx-based duo. The twosome would return in late spring of ’95 with their sophomore effort, Goodfellas.

Showbiz (who dropped the “biz” and was simply going as “Show” by this point) would produce the bulk of Goodfellas with an occasional assist from a few of his friends. To no one’s surprise, Goodfellas wasn’t a commercial success (I’m pretty sure no album released on Payday has been a commercial success), but it did receive positive reviews from the critics.

I bought Goodfellas when it came out, but haven’t listened to it in years, and other than the lead single I don’t remember much about it. Let’s see how this goes.

Never Less Than Ill – Our hosts kick things off with a rugged piano loop spread over hard stripped-down drums that AG uses to talk his shit over one long verse. This was a nice warm up track. And I love the song title.

You Know Now – Show sticks with the dark vibes from the opening track and provides another dim, but solid backdrop. AG continues to spew his braggadocio rhymes, and it sounds like he may have been taking a shot at someone with his line: “so burn baby burn, it’s the year of the only little big man, so wait your turn”. Subliminal or not, this was a cool record.

Check It Out – Show lays a sick xylophone loop over tough boom bap drums, and if that wasn’t enjoyable enough, he then brings in a beautiful string break during the hook. AG turns in a solid performance, but Show’s masterful production work does the heavy lifting on this one.

Add On – The first cipher joint of the evening features Lord Finesse (who is also responsible for the instrumental), AG and D-Flow sharing the microphone. I didn’t hate this one, but everything about it is just middle of the road.

Next Level (Nyte Time Mix) – This is the remix to the album’s first single. Premo lays down a thumpin’ bass line and adds a splash of this and a sprinkle of that, resulting in a certified banger that’s very suitable for midnight marauding. It’s always weird to me when an artist puts the remix of a song before the original mix in the album’s sequencing, but Premo’s groove is so infectious, I’ll let it ride.

Time For – DJ Roc Raida is credited for this boring backdrop. AG does the best he can with it, but he can’t even rescue this underwhelming record. The wordy hook and the abrupt way the song ends are just salt in the open wound.

Got The Flava – The second cipher cut of the evening features: AG, Party Arty, Wali World (sometimes spelled “Wally World”, depending on where you read it in the liner notes. I’ve never understood why whoever is responsible for writing the liner notes doesn’t double check with the artists to make sure they’re spelling their aliases correctly), D-Flow and a super unexpected verse from Method Man. Meth may have turned in the most unimpressive eight bars of his career on this one (which also awkwardly ends the song), but I like the rawness and ruggedness of the instrumental (which is credited to Show, AG and Black Sheep’s lead man, Dres).

Neighbahood Sickness – The first minute of this one is a super slick instrumental groove. Then our hosts switch it up to a slightly less pleasing backdrop that AG and Party Arty use to tag team the mic. It makes for a solid filler joint.

All Out -Very blah song with a terrible hook.

Medicine – This instrumental is the audio equivalent of what I would imagine heroin feels like when shooting it into your arm. Show makes his only verbal appearance on Goodfellas, as he helps with the hook at the end of the song. The song sounds like a demo, but I kind of dig the drowsy backdrop.

I’m Not The One – AG uses this very average instrumental to kick one quick verse about an old homie and a chick named Bonita, and explains how an attempted robbery turns into a double homicide. This was a strange storyline and an unnecessary filler track that sounds like an incomplete idea.

Got Ya Back – Show lays down a mellow melodic almost melancholic instrumental for AG and Wally World to tag team the mic and pledge their allegiance to their brotherhood. This is definitely one of my favorites on Goodfellas.

Next Level – As I mentioned earlier, this was the album’s lead single (come to think of it, it might have been the only single from Goodfellas). Show builds a brilliant soundscape around a thick sexy bass line and cinematic-like chords that AG uses to represent lovely for the Bronx: “Fake Lords, get strangled with mic chords, takin’ beats from my LP, sure aint healthy, Patterson Projects is where I rest, but I claim the whole planet, cause its mine goddammit, I’m God!”. I love Premo’s subdued “Nyte Time” remix, but the warm energy and vibes from Show’s instrumental is undeniable.

You Want It – For the final song of the evening, our hosts invite fellow DITC crew member, Diamond D to the party, as he shares the mic with AG and Party Arty. I didn’t care much for this one…and why didn’t Big L make a cameo on Goodfellas?

Goodfellas has a darker feel than its predecessor. Showbiz Show still uses jazzy loops, but the instrumentals have dimmer vibes and sound simpler than his production work on Runaway Slave, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. AG’s wordplay and word connection have definitely improved since Runaway Slave, and with Show parking his mic and focusing solely on production, AG does a solid job holding down the majority of the microphone duties by himself. Goodfellas biggest issue is the handful of songs that sound like incomplete ideas or rough drafts, but overall, it still makes for a decent listen. And I still want to know why Big L didn’t get a verse off on the album.

-Deedub

I have a feeling this release date is wrong (I think it may have originally came out in ’94), but whatever. I’m rolling with it. 

Proverb, 2-Edge, Sweet-P and D-Love make up the four man crew known as 1 Way. The Tampa, Florida based foursome’s name is a direct reference to their overall message and purpose: Jesus is the only way (or the one way) to eternal life. I became hip to One Way back in ’99/’00 during my well-documented soul searching period (which also happens to be the name of a great Average White Band record and album), when I discovered their sophomore effort, SoulJourn. I thought it was a solid album, so several years later when I found their debut album Destination Unknown in the used cd dollar bins at Pawn America, I scooped it like Ice cream (peace to Big Daddy Kane).

Destination Unknown was released on a small independent label called Intersounds and distributed by Benson Music Group to Christian Book Stores around the globe. AJ Weir, DJ Mike Fury and the lead emcee of 1 Way, Proverb (which is a dope emcee alias) would handle all the production on the album. I bought Destination Unknown at least 10 years ago, but haven’t listened to it until now.

I pray (no pun intended) that Destination Unknown’s corny cover artwork isn’t an early indication to how bad the album is.

Intro – The album opens with a voice that is supposed to be that of Jesus, saying what he said to his disciples in John 14:6 (“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me”). I know 1 Way was just trying to explain the concept of the group’s name and the album title, but the distortion in the voice playing Jesus, almost sounds demonic.

Colorblind – The first song of the evening finds Proverb denouncing white supremist groups (i.e. the Arian Nation and the KKK) and stressing the importance of racial harmony amongst all men. For some reason Proverb decided to scream his way through his rhymes, which grows annoying by the end of his first verse. I struggle with the term “colorblind” when used in the context of racism, as there is nothing wrong with recognizing someone’s skin color and background. Along with gender and age, it’s one of the first things you subconsciously notice about a person when you meet them. The problem is not noticing or recognizing color or race, but mistreating people because of it. And on that note, let me get off my soapbox. Oh yeah…the song. I appreciate the sentiment, but I wasn’t feeling this one.

Work It (The Right Way) – I’m pretty sure this song was recorded around ’94. But Mike Fury’s instrumental and 2-Edge’s rhymes sound like it was made in the mid-eighties. And that’s not a compliment.

No Sellout (Jazz Mix) – AJ Weir hooks up a funky little bop for Proverb to flex over, as he proclaims his allegiance to Jesus Christ, whom he’ll never sellout. Prov has a few shaky moments on the mic (like when he says “If I was a tap dancer I’d be the Sandman”), but all in all, he turns in a serviceable performance, and the song ends up being decent.

Tales From Da Darkside – The darkside (or “darksyde”, depending on where you read the song title on the liner notes) that Proverb and D-Love are talking about is the hood. The two share hood stories that all end negatively, except for Proverb’s testimony: he shares that his focus on academics helped him escape the traps laid before him in the Tampa streets. Proverb’s haunting backdrop matches he and D-Love’s content, well.

Destination Unknown – On this title track Proverb and 2-Edge are asking the listener to consider where they’ll go after death: Either eternal life in heaven with Jesus and ’em or eternal damnation burning in a lake of fire with Lucifer and his imps. It must have been to expensive for the label to clear the sample of Barry White’s classic “I’m Gonna Love You Just A Little More Baby” record, as Mike Fury taps John Semsic to replay portions of it for the instrumental. It still sounds decent, just as Alfreda Gerald’s vocals on the hook and adlibs do. But Prov and 2-Edge spit unimpressive rhymes and fail to drive their message home.

Posers – Proverb calls out studio Christians (aka posers) over a low quality Mike Fury produced backdrop. This was really bad.

It’s Alright Ta Get Hype – Mike Fury’s instrumental sounds like a poor man’s version of the backdrop for Big Daddy Kane’s “Nuff Respect Due”. Proverb uses the up-tempo beat to spit his strongest bars of the evening up to this point.

Turn It Up – Proverb and Sweet P spit g-rated rhymes as they encourage the listen to “turn up the funky, funky sound”. Speaking of funky, Proverb combines a funky guitar loop (that reminds me a lot of Brand New Heavies’ “Dream Come True”) with a dope horn sample placed over busy drums, which makes for a pretty enjoyable instrumental.

Step 2 Tha Positive – 1 Way uses this one to motivate the listener to choose positive over negative, if the choice is presented. The rhymes are decent, but the ill Middle Eastern flavored flute loop the instrumental is built around is the real star of this song. This is easily the strongest song on Destination Unknown.

Viktim Of Tha Sindrome – Get it: sin-drome? This is pretty much 2-Edge’s version of “Tales From Da Darkside”. Proverb’s instrumental is decent, but 2-Edge sounds horrible on the mic.

Mic Check -This may be the most pointless interlude in the history of hip-hop albums.

No Sellout (Ruffnek Mix) – Ironically, 1 Way calls this remix the “Ruffnek Mix”, even though it sounds just as jazzy as the “Jazz Mix”. The instrumental is cool, but whoever they have re-rapping Proverb’s rhymes from the first mix, sounds annoying as hell with his whiny vocal tone.

Smile 4 Awhile – Once again, Mike Fury’s instrumental and 1 Way’s bars sound like they jumped in the DeLorean and went back to 1982. And with that, Final Destination, I mean, Destination Unknown is complete.

On Destination Unknown, 1 Way sounds like four individuals whose love for Jesus and hip-hop brought them together to form a group and make an album. The only problem is they were so rough around the edges at this point that they make sandpaper look smooth. Destination Unknown has a few bright spots on the production side, but even those limited moments aren’t great. Most of the rhymes and instrumentals sound antiquated by mid-nineties standards, making this fourteen track length album tough to listen to from beginning to end. I have a soft spot in my heart for gospel rap, but this is an early candidate for worst album of the year. Thank God for second chances.

-Deedub

In May of 1994, the Beastie Boys dropped their 4th album, Ill Communication (you can read my thoughts on that album right here). The album was a commercial success (to date it has sold over 3 million copies) that produced four singles: “Sabotage”, “Get It Together”, “Sure Shot” and “Root Down”. For one reason or another, the Beastie Boys and/or the label (Capitol) thought it would be a good idea to make a whole EP around the “Root Down” single, and here we are. The EP would include three different versions of “Root Down” and a handful of live performances that the liner notes say were recorded in Europe, in the winter of ’95.

Those who read this blog on a regular basis already know how I feel about the Beastie Boys. So needless to say, I’m not super excited going into this one, but when it comes to the music, I’m a completionist, so I’m determined to see my way through the Beasties’ catalog.

Even when the catalog includes obvious money grabs like this EP.

Root Down (Free Zone Mix) – I briefly mentioned this remix in my Ill Communication post. The Prunes hook up a tough backdrop that even makes the BB’s rhymes sound stronger. This mix is way better than the o.g. mix, and might even be one of my favorite Beastie records.

Root Down (LP) – Speaking of the o.g mix, the Beasties decide to place the LP version right after the “Free Zone Mix”. Its pretty dope, just not as dope as the previous version.

Root Down (PP Balloon Mix) – Our hosts give Prince Paul a chance to remix “Root Down” with this one. Unfortunately, his instrumental is super dull and winds up being the weakest of the three mixes on the EP.

Time To Get Ill – The Beasties go back and revisit the title track from their debut album. They replace the basic drum beat in the original with a dark moody groove for this live rendition, and the musical facelift actually makes it sound better.

Heart Attack Man – Here’s another one from the Ill Communication album that the Beasties perform live. I wasn’t a fan of the album version and I’m not feeling this one either.

The Maestro – This one was on the Check Your Head album. I prefer the album version to this live mash up, but the go-go break in the middle of the song was kind of dope. Are they saying sardines and pork and beans?

Sabrosa – The BBs recreate this instrumental jam session from Ill Communication and it sounds just as good live as it did on the album.

Flute Loop – This live version plays just like the Ill Communication mix. Which I liked, but it doesn’t bring anything new to the table.

Time For Livin’ – Live version that sounds just like the album version on Check Your Head. 

Something’s Got To Give – See comments from “Time For Livin'”.

Like I mentioned in the opening, this project was an obvious money grab, and to make an entire EP around a single from another album is overkill. The crown jewel of the EP is the opening “Root Down (Free Zone Mix)”, but after that you can basically listen to Ill Communication and Check Your Head to get the same results as the live versions on this EP. The Root Down EP is actually a decent listen, but with the exception of three songs (“Root Down (Free Zone Mix)”, “Time To Get Ill” and “The Maestro”), it doesn’t bring anything new or worthwhile to the table. But if this is your first introduction to the Beastie Boys music, you’ll appreciate it more.

-Deedub

It could be said that D&D Studios was to east coast hip-hop in the nineties what Hitsville USA was to Motown in the sixties and seventies. Founded by Douglas Grama and David Lotwin (hence the studio’s name), the New York City based studio would become the recording home for some of hip-hop’s greatest producers and produce several classic records by Black Moon, Gang Starr, Nas, Jay-Z and Biggie, just to name a few. To celebrate the studio’s legendariness, the powers that be thought it would be a good idea to release a compilation album matching some of hip-hop’s “phattest producers” with some of the “hottest new MCs” (that’s what the sticker on the album cover reads). The album would be released on Arista, and simply be titled: The D&D Project.

The lead single from The D&D Project made some underground noise, but to no one’s surprise, the album wasn’t a commercial success, though it did receive positive reviews from the critics. I don’t think I bought The D&D Project back in the day, but I’m sure a buddy of mine bought it and I listened to it through him. A few years ago, I found a used cd copy for a dollar at one of the music stores I frequent, but haven’t listened to until now. The only thing I remember about The D&D Project from back in the day is the lead single.

Hopefully that doesn’t mean the album was so garbage that I subconsciously blocked it out of my memory.

1,2 Pass It –  The first song of the evening was also the lead single and features the D&D All-Stars (Mad Lion, Doug E Fresh, KRS-One, Fat Joe, Smif N Wessun and Jeru The Damaja) rhyming over some dope Premo produced boom bap. KRS-One easily shines the brightest on this one, displaying the skills that make him one of the greatest to ever do it.

Look Alive – Representin’ Jersey, Big C gets a chance to shine, as she spits over a solid Diamond D backdrop. She doesn’t sound bad, but I’d have to hear more material to get a better feel of how good she really is. Side note: She gives a shout out to “Ali and A Tribe Called Quest” in the liner notes (Tribe Degrees of Separation: check).

Act Up – Da Beatminerz produce this dusty moody groove for new comer, Ill Breed to flex his grimy style over. Ill Breed does a decent job on the mic, but Da Beatminerz dope backdrop is the true star of this one.

Da Good Die Young – N-Tense raps about dying young and invites his friend, Big Rallo, to chime in on the subject as well. Apparently, the instrumental (which is credited to a Tom Kuhns and a co-production credit going to Kurtis Small) was mixed by Dres (from Black Sheep), which is why his name appears across the front of the album artwork. All in all, this was decent.

Stone To The Bone – Big Jaz, who some of you may know as Jaz-O and Jay-Z’s former mentor (the guy responsible for Hov’s “Hawaiian Sophie” fame that Nas mentioned in “Ether”) gets a solo joint. Groovy Lou builds the slick backdrop around an ill jazzy piano loop (although, Showbiz is credited for remixing it, so I don’t know who actually made this version) that Jaz uses to spill his slick street rhymes over. Jaz reminds me a lot of how Jay-Z sounded during his Reasonable Doubt days. This is a hidden gem that just might be the strongest song on The D&D Project.

From Within Out – Guru (RIP) hooks up a decent instrumental and introduces the world to Fabidden Fruit. Similar to Guru, Fabidden Fruit has a monotone flow, but with a raspy twist, as if he smoked two packs of Newports before the session. The song could use a better mix, as the music almost drowns out Fabidden Fruit’s vocal, but the dude can actually spit.

Get Up – DJ Mark the 45 King cooks up a solid jazz-tinged bop for the Maniac Mob to wild out over. This one sounds better every time I listen to it.

Just A Little Flava – Nikki Nikole loops up Isaac Hayes’ classic record “The Look Of Love” for the two man crew, II Unorthodox (Sid and Chase) to spit on and live up to their name. Over the course of three verses the duo manages to rap like babies, share their best Sammy Davis Jr. impersonation, rap underwater, imitate Snagglepuss, rhyme in Japanese, rap through a sneeze attack and mimic Freddy Krueger. What just happened here? I don’t mind a little animation in my rap, but these dudes would make Humpty Hump blush. More importantly, how do you sample this Isaac Hayes record and not include the stabbing horn break (dun! dun!) in the song, Nikki? Everything about this song left me scratching my head.

Blowin’ Up The Spot – After rockin’ the shit out of the opening track “1,2 Pass It”, KRS-One returns to get his only production credit on The D&D Project. Unfortunately, his instrumental isn’t nearly as dope as his verse was on the opening song. And to add insult to injury, the rapper, Ill Will is godawful. He kind of sounds like Rev Run mixed with Sonny Seeza (from Onyx). Wait…did he really just force “yo” to rhyme with “gold”?

Rude Boy – I like O.E.’s instrumental (which according to the liner notes was mixed by Funk Master Flex), but I’m not a fan of the Night Dwellers’ (Rock and Gusto) manufactured Onyx energy mixed with drab dancehall vibes.

Nine Inches Hard – Rookie female emcee, Juice, gets a joint on The D&D Project. T.R. Love aka Da Funk Ignitor (and one-fourth of Ultramagnetic MCs) gets credit for the smooth backdrop that Juice uses to compare her 9mm to a cock. And I’ll tell ya: guns have never sounded so sexy.

Mental Illness – The final song of the evening goes to a duo called 2 Mental (Bad News and Fatal), which I have to give props to for the clever play on words in the song title. The two man crew turn in slightly entertaining psychopathic plagued verses over a solid jazzy Latin-tinged instrumental, courtesy of Louie “Phat Kat” Vega. And with that, we’re done.

The D&D All-Stars (specifically, KRS-One and Jeru) set the bar pretty high on The D&D Project’s opening track. And while that greatness is never match again on the album (with the exception of “Stone To The Bone”), it still ends up being a fairly entertaining listen. Most of the producers turn in quality instrumentals and the young apprentice emcees match them with their bars. Like most albums, there are a few bumps in the road on The D&D Project (i.e. “Just A Little Flava”, “Blowin’ Up The Spot” and “Rude Boy”), but the good far outweighs the bad. This album definitely exceeded my expectation.

-Deedub

After releasing his solid debut album, Take A Look Around in 1990 on Cold Chillin’, Master Ace would regroup. Literally. He would leave Cold Chillin’ to sign with Delicious Vinyl, drop the “er” at the end of Master, replacing it with an “a” and bring together a few of his friends (Lord Digga, Paula Perry and Leschea), reemerging in ’93 as Masta Ace Incorporated and releasing their first project together, Slaughtahouse (you can read my thoughts on that album here). On Slaughtahouse, Ace would come with a harder sound than the soft puppet holding persona he was given, thanks to the video for “Me And The Biz”. Ace decided to remix the lead single from SlaughtaHouse, “Jeep Ass Niguh”, replacing the dusty boom-bap on the original mix with a shiny west coast influenced instrumental and renaming it “Born To Roll”. The remix would catch on and spread like wild fire, becoming Ace’s biggest hit and the inspiration for the next Masta Incorporated album, Sittin’ On Chrome.

Ace would produce most of Sittin’ On Chrome (under his producer pseudonym, Ase One) with some assistance from Uneek, the Bluez Bruthas and Louie Vega. The album would become Masta Ace’s most commercially successful album, but critics and fans were torn, as some hardcore east coast heads felt Ace was dumbing down his style and using a west coast production sound just to gain commercial success.

Through the years, Ace himself as often called Sittin’ On Chrome his “compromise” album, as he was trying to give the label what they wanted and still stay somewhat true to himself. Twenty-five years later, let’s see how he did balancing the two.

Intro – Sittin’ On Chrome opens with Masta Ace setting up the storyline that will playout through the album: His cousin Jerome (aka J-Dog) flies to New York from South Central L.A. to spend the summer with him. Ace acknowledges the differences in their styles and mentalities, but also recognizes how they can learn from one another, bettering each other in the process.  The storyline is a larger metaphor for Masta Ace Incorporated’s East coast swag over heavily West Coast flavored production that you’ll hear throughout this album. The Bluez Bruthas vibrating bass line placed underneath the perfect sprinklage of milky keys makes for a dope instrumental for the opening scene of Ace’s latest movie.

The I.N.C. Ride – This was the first single from Sittin’ On Chrome (I know “Born To Roll” came out first, but I’m not counting that as a Sittin’ On Chrome single). Louie Vega (whose name has come across TimeIsIllmatic several times on past posts) concocts a smooth crispy clean instrumental built around an interpolation of the Isley Brothers’ classic “Living For The Love Of You”. Ace uses the smoothness to show he can still rhyme (“Chumps be all up on it, like a Charlotte Hornet, but they full of Chicago Bull shit, cause they don’t want…ooh, don’t let me sing, I’m peaking, freaking, get in that ass like a G-string”) and gets the listener ready to go on this musical ride with The I.N.C. This is a dope record that sounds even better when played while cruising on a beautiful summer day.

Eastbound – Ace lays down an ill instrumental built around a muddy and moody bass line and adds perfectly placed splashes of melodic chords (sounds like bells or a xylophone?) to it. Lord Digga spits his first verse of the evening in between Ace’s, while Leschea drops in to add a few adlibs. Solid rhymes and a bangin’ instrumental: that’s how I like my hip-hop.

What’s Going On! – This song starts with the first interlude of the night that has Ace trying to set up a double date for him and Jerome. Then the Bluez Bruthas drops a clean breezy west coastish instrumental (with a co-production credit going to Ace) that Ace blesses with his unique rhyming style.

The B-Side – Ironically, this was on the b-side of the “Born To Roll” single. Ace (who proudly proclaims “nobody’s got a flow that’s dumber than mine”) invites the whole INC to jump on this one, as they represent for Brooklyn over his ruggedly smooth backdrop.

Sittin’ On Chrome – Ace was definitely trying to recapture the magic from “Born To Roll” with this one, which becomes blatantly obvious as soon as you hear the buzzing bass line that sounds very similar to the one he used for his biggest hit. Ace definitely doesn’t spit his most profound lyrics on this one, but he rides the beat well and the instrumental is kind of a banger.

People In My Hood – Masta Ace takes us on a trip through his hood, introducing us to some of the colorful personalities and the drama that lives there. Ace’s longtime homie, Uneek hooks up a solid mid-tempo bop for him to drop his meatiest rhymes of the evening. This one sounds better today than it did back in ’95. The song ends with another Ace/Jerome skit that finds them on their double date with two ladies who are complaining about the music Ace is playing in his system. This sets up the next song…

Turn It Up – Leschea gets a solo joint to display her very average singing ability over Ace’s enjoyable instrumental (the Bluez Bruthas get a co-credit for the track). They kind of use a cheat code by sampling Roy Ayers’ “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”, but its still dope. The song ends with a hi-larious cousin Jerome interlude that sets up the next song…

U Can’t Find Me – Ace builds this instrumental around an ill Kool & The Gang loop and turns it into a banger for himself and Lord Digga to exchange verses over. Ace’s instrumental is scrumptiously addictive. I’m serious, it’s that good.

Ain’t No Game – The whole crew is back for this one, with Ace, Digga and Paula spittn’ verses and Leschea singing on the hook. The rhymes were cool, but Ace’s boring instrumental almost made me hit the skip button.

Freestyle – This one starts out with a pretty funny Ace/Jerome interlude, then the Bluez Bruthas drop a thick bass line and a jazzy horn loop (complemented by a well-planted Queen Latifah vocal sample) for Ace to kick “freestyle” rhymes over. Our host doesn’t disappoint, as he displays clever wordplay and drops witty punchlines, rapping laps around the Bluez Bruthas decent backdrop.

Terror – This is probably my favorite song on Sittin’ On Chrome. Ace samples Hall & Oates “Sara Smile” for the backdrop and turns it into a soothing groove that he uses to talk his shit and flex his dope unorthodox style on: “It’s something of a phenomenon, like white lines, me and mines run thick like Heinz, ketchup, you can’t catch up, so play the rear, over there, it’s B-bass in your ear, and your eyes, so realize and recognize, a nigga dies, when we terrorize”. Terrorism never sounded so good.

Da Answer -Pleasantly melodic filler material.

4 Da Mind – Ace and Digga are joined by the Cella Dwellas (UG and Phantasm) on this cipher joint. Ace lays downs down a quality instrumental and actually gets out rapped by the Dwellas and Digga. Murdered on your own shit. It happens to the best of them from time to time.

Born To Roll – The song that fueled the existence of Sittin’ On Chrome. Like I mentioned in the opening of this post, this is a remix of “Jeep Ass Niguh” from SlaughtaHouse that Ace released as a standalone single in 1994. Ace uses the same rhymes, but changes the hook and replaces the dusty boom bap from the O.G mix with Miami inspired drums, a jazzy east coast horn sample, bells from Heaven and a killer buzzing west coast bass line. This is easily Ace’s biggest hit and it still sounds great after all these years.

The Phat Kat Ride – This is the remix to “The I.N.C. Ride”. Masta Ace cooks up a creamy smooth laid back instrumental, giving the lead single a completely different feel. I like the O.G. mix, but this remix feels way better.

Content wise, Sittin’ On Chrome lives up to the album cover: Ace and the INC celebrating fly rides and the boomin’ systems inside them. Musically, Ace and company put together a batch of west coast inspired instrumentals rooted in east coast boom bap (that Ace often referred to as Brooklyn bass music), which I feel makes up Ace’s best produced album to date (and that says a lot, considering his quality catalog). There are a few mediocre moments and the Jerome storyline ends kind of abruptly, but Sittin’ On Chrome is a great listen that has actually aged well. And it made me realize how much I miss Ace’s mid-nineties “dumb” flow.

-Deedub

The last time we checked in with the Toronto-based group, Dream Warriors was in ’91 and they were a duo releasing their debut album And Now The Legacy Begins (read my thoughts on that album here). Somewhere in between ’91 and ’95, King Lou and Capital Q decided to double the size of the crew, adding Spek and DJ Luv as official members of Dream Warriors. Not only did the DWs go from a duo to a quartet, but they also left 4th & Broadway and signed with Pendulum/EMI, where they would release their sophomore effort, Subliminal Simulation.

The Dream Warriors would produce most of the album with help from a few special guests (more on that in a bit). Subliminal Simulation would produce a couple of singles that pretty much remained silent. The album didn’t sell well, either and received mixed reviews upon its release. I’ve never heard any of the songs on Subliminal Simulation before this post, but since And Now The Legacy Begins was mildly entertaining and I found a used copy for a few bucks, I figured I’d give it a chance.

Intro – The album opens with warm laidback chords and a voice saying: “It is eternal power coupled with youth”. More on that later.

Are We There Yet – The Dream Warriors kick things off with a thick nasty bass line and two ill horn loops, while picking up where they left off at on Legacy Begins, spewing more super abstract rhymes. We also get to hear from the newest addition to the DWs, Spek, whose coded style falls right in line with Lou and Q’s. The DWs sound decent enough, but they could have rapped this song in Chinese and I would bob my head to the bangin’ instrumental.

Day In Day Out – This was the lead single from Subliminal Simulation. The DWs build the dope backdrop around a funky Millie Jackson loop as they discuss how the monotony of the daily grind can begin to take its toll on you. This was dope, and they even give a shout out to ATCQ at the end of the song. (Tribe Degrees of Separation: Check)

Adventures Of Plastic Man – The DWs give the floor to female spoken word artist, 99 to share a poem about how much she despises the feel of condoms inside her during sex and expresses how much she misses “a clean fuck”. I can’t knock a sista for liking the raw dog, but neither the poem or the aimless instrumental worked for me.

It’s A Project Thing – Now here’s a Premo gem I’m sure most of you didn’t know existed (including me before this post). My favorite producer of all time slides our Canadian friends a slick jazzy backdrop that they use to paint with more abstractions. Well done, Premo.

Paranoia – The ‘P’ Noise – I didn’t like anything about this one.

I’ve Lost My Ignorance – Guru joins the Dream Warriors on this one, as they celebrate (or mourn) losing their ignorance and replacing it with knowledge. I have a sneaking suspicion Guru didn’t write the few bars he spits on this song, since he sounds just as coded and riddled as his hosts. The rhymes are cool, but the jazzy groove (credited to the DWs and Gang Starr) is easy on the ears.

Break The Stereo – Not literally. The stereo the DWs speak of are stereotypes. I think? I wasn’t crazy about this one, but the instrumental is decent.

When I Was At The Jam – The DWs give spoken word artist, Black Katt some shine, as they play a portion of him performing one of his poems live. As far as spoken word pieces go, this was cool.

Burns 1 – 99 gets a second chance to share her poetry. This time around she’s talking about STDs over a trash instrumental that sounds like it might have been added on after she recorded her vocals. This was terrible.

Tricycles And Kittens – Speaking of STDs, I believe this song title is referring to STDs and women who have them. Butterfly (from the Digable Planets) stops by to add a few abstract bars to the DW’s heavily encrypted lyrics. Trying to decode their rhymes almost gave me a headache, but the instrumental feels good and I like the randomness an unconventional pairing of tricycles and kittens.

California Dreamin’ – This was the second and final single from Subliminal Simulation. The DWs loop up Les McCann’s “Go On And Cry”, as King Lou goes dolo, rhyming about what appears to be a woman, but the third verse makes it sound like the woman he’s been speaking about is a metaphor for his music. Lou’s bars may have left me confused, but the instrumental is clearly pleasing to the ears.

No Dingbats Allowed – If you don’t come with depth, the DWs aint fuckin’ with you. The Canadian based production team, Da Grassroots are responsible for the creamy yumminess in this instrumental.

You Think I Don’t Know -Black Katt shares another live poem reading. This time around he discusses the negative connotation put on the word “black”, before flippin’ it at the end. Or as he calls it: “Subconscious phycology reversed”. This was pretty dope.

Sink Into The Frame Of The Portrait – The instrumental sounds like the DWs made this for The Lion King Soundtrack. I’m not a fan.

I Wouldn’t Wanna Be Ya – And I wouldn’t wanna listen to this song again.

The CD version of Subliminal Simulation has a hidden unnamed track, which sounds like it may have been recorded a few years before the rest of the album (which would explain why King Lou and Capital Q keeping saying “It’s 1992” during the song). Over a Latin flavored instrumental, dripping with Samba vibes, Lou and Q sounds refreshed and nimble on the mic. This was dope.

Outro – The DWs bring back the warm vibes from the “Intro” and pose the question to the answer given at the beginning of the album. And with that, Subliminal Simulation is a wrap.

Let me start by saying that the Dream Warriors are competent lyricists, but trying to understand their rhymes is mentally exhausting. I’ve listened to Subliminal Simulation at least 10 times in the past few weeks, trying to grasp the meaning of the four man crews heavily encrypted bars, but I’m left scratching my head and in need of a nap. On the flip side, the DWs production easily translates to audio bliss. There are a few musical blunders and a couple of unwarranted interludes (in the form of spoken word pieces) on Subliminal Simulation, but overall the DWs create an enjoyable jazzy hip-hop atmosphere.

Maybe the Dream Warriors were trying to trick our subconscious into believing that their extremely abstract riddled rhymes have a deeper meaning, but in reality they just threw  together a bunch of words and made them sound profound. We may never know for sure, but it would explain the album title.

-Deedub