Time Is Illmatic

We last heard from Run DMC on 1990’s Back From Hell. For those who don’t read my blog religiously, a quick recap: Back From Hell had the legendary group copying current trends and sounds in an attempt to fit in and stay relevant. A few have manages to pull this off in the past (see LL Cool J), but Run DMC was not one them. Although I liked some of the production on Back From Hell, overall the album was weak, it flopped, and had many believing the self-proclaimed Kings of Rock’s reign was officially over.

Some time between 1990 and 1993, Run and D found Jesus, which helped them overcome the demons they were facing during the recording of Back From Hell (Run was said to be battling depression, and D a drinking problem). With renewed spirits, the boys from Hollis came back in 1993 to release their sixth album, Down With The King, which was both a reference to their King of Rock title and their new-found relationship with God, the ultimate King. Along with Jam Master Jay, Run DMC would recruit a handful of respected hip-hop producers to produce Down With The King. Overall, the album received favorable reviews from critics, and was considered a step in the right direction after the disappointment that was Back From Hell.

I bought Down With The King a few years back, and have never listened to it in its entirety (man, I’ve been saying that a lot lately…wait until we get into the early 2000’s!); and I’m really only familiar with the singles released from the album. Based on the list of top-tier producers with productions credits in the liner notes, even if Run and D disappoint, at least the instrumentals will bang. Right?

Down With The King – The album opens with the title song and lead single. Pete Rock provides a monster backdrop, complete with his signature heavy drums and a celestial choir like vocal sample that haunts the track, beautifully. PR and his partner in rhyme, C.L. Smooth, both contribute verses along side Run and DMC. DMC drops a decent verse, but CL walks away as the king of this song, as he easily delivers the best verse. This is probably the last classic record Run DMC will ever make.

Come On Everybody – And just like that, the momentum on Down With The King takes a steep downward spiral. It’s no surprise that Run and DMC, who were both well passed their prime by ’93, drop unimpressive rhymes. But I’m very surprised by the garbage instrumental Q-Tip gives them to rhyme over. This was terrible.

Can I Get It, Yo – Erick and Parrish (aka EPMD) are credited for this song’s instrumental. And it sounds like the duo made have helped the Kings of rock write the final verse of the song as well. EPMD’s instrumental is not nearly as bad as the hot garbage Q-Tip dished up on the previous song, but it’s nothing to write home about, either.

Hit ‘Em Hard – I have all types of problems with this one. It’s clear from the jump that Treach from Naughty By Nature wrote both Run and DMC’s verses. I’m not crazy about the idea of ghostwriting, but at least DMC recites his rhymes in his own style and voice. Run decides to take things to another level and sounds like Treach’s hand is up his ass, as he takes on all of Treach’s cadences and mannerisms. And if Run’s antics weren’t bad enough, Kay Gee’s lazy backdrop sounds almost identical to the instrumental he used for Naughty’s “Uptown Anthem”. Really?

To The Maker – Over a decent JMJ instrumental, Run and D use this interlude to give a quick shout out to God.

3 In The Head – The Bomb Squad stops by to provide the first of two instrumentals they would contribute to Down With The King. It sounds nothing like a traditional Bomb Squad instrumental, as the pace is laid back with a jazzy feel, and it doesn’t have 6 million samples, but I like it. Unfortunately, D and Run continue with their identity crisis and adapt an Onyx persona for this one. Okay. If you’re going to have any member of Onyx pen your rhymes, at least get the best lyricist of the crew (which is clearly Sticky Fingaz) to write them, not Fredro (no, Fredro’s not credited as the writer, but listen to their rhymes and tell me they don’t sound just like him…matter of fact, Fredro even contributes some adlibs on Run’s final verse). And wtf is Run saying on his final verse?

Ooh, Whatcha Gonna Do – This was the second single released from Down With The King. I never really got in to it back in the day. Probably because of Run and D’s unbelievable gangster posturing, and the ridiculous hook (“Never let a punk get away with murder, gunshots, gunshots all ya hearda, whats up, whats up, whats the worda, press your luck and buck and make a sucka just duck”). But today, I’m digging the Bomb Squad’s smooth west coastish instrumental.

Big Willie – Run and D sound more at home rapping over this instrumental, as it’s reminiscent of the kind of hip-rock that made them famous in the first place. Daniel Shulman builds the rock tinged instrumental around a Blood, Sweat and Tears sample, and it sounds pretty cool. Not a great song, but a lot better than most of the previous songs on Down With The King.

Three Little Indians – JMJ’s instrumental is decent, but he, Run, and D sound like their doing Onyx at karaoke.

In The House – Pete Rock gets his second production credit of the evening for this one. The instrumental is decent, and Run and D sound more like their old selves rapping over the track.

Can I Get A Witness – Run DMC add yet another brand name producer to the list, as Jermaine Dupri provides the backdrop for this one. The duo have absolutely nothing to say on this song, and JD’s instrumental is butt. By the way, Run DMC’s hooks suck on this album.

Get Open – JMJ and Chyskills team up to create this dope jazzy concoction for the duo to spit over. Again, Run and D don’t say anything worth quoting, but I like the backdrop.

What’s Next – Run DMC dedicates this one to the ladies, and invite Mad Cobra to add a little chanting on the hook to go with the generic reggae tinged instrumental. Both Run and D’s verses and deliveries sound circa 1984. And am I the only one that finds it amusing that DMC make a reference to Shabba Ranks when he has another dancehall artist on the song? It’s even more amusing to hear Mad Cobra’s chuckle ad lib when DMC mentions Shabba’s name.

Wreck Shop – See the comments from “In The House” and substitute “second” with “third” in the first sentence.

For 10 Years – Down With The King ends with this interlude that has DMC speaking randomness over a short and simple JMJ instrumental. That’s all folks.

Run DMC may have found Jesus in between Back From Hell and Down With The King, but they didn’t find themselves. The identity crisis they struggled with on Back From Hell is only intensified on Down With The King. While Back From Hell had them playing with different musical stylings, but staying true to their rhyming scheme, this time around, Run DMC doesn’t only tweak the musical stylings, but bite, eat, chew and digest the style, cadence and delivery of no less than four other emcees/groups (Run, more so than D and Jay). Speaking of music stylings, considering the list of legendary producers with credits in the liner notes, one would expect Down With The King to sound stellar, sonically, but this is not the case. There are a few great backdrops, but this is the exception, not the rule. Sadly, Down With The King is a disappointing effort that has one of hip-hop’s pioneering groups resting on their laurels. Or should I say, resting on the laurels of others?   

-Deedub

Freestyle Fellowship is the Los Angeles collective consisting of Aceyalone, Mikah Nine, Mtulazaji. PeAce (who I’ll simply refer to as Peace from here on out) and Self Jupiter. They originally came on the scene in 1991 with their debut album To Whom It May Concern, released on the independent label Beats & Rhymes. I’ve never heard the album, but it made enough of an impression on the powers that be at 4th & Broadway, that they signed them to a deal, where they would release their second album, and the subject of today’s review, Innercity Griots.

The majority of the production on Innercity Griots would be handled by the production team, The Earthquake Brothers (which is The Jamm Messenger D, Mathmattiks and The Mighty O-Roc). The album didn’t sell well and would be the only album released by the foursome on the 4th & Broadway imprint. While all four would go on to release solo projects after Innercity Griots (with Aceyalone easily becoming the most successful, making a name for himself on the underground scene, with his lengthy solo catalog), it would be eight years before they would release another group project.

I’ve never listened to Innercity Griots in its entirety, but bought it a few years ago on the strength of the lead single that I liked back in the day. So, without further adieu, lets give her listen.

And if all else fails, at least the cover artwork is dope.

Blood – Innercity Griots opens with Peace making it clear that the title of this song has nothing to do with gangs, but everything to do with “physical blood that you bleed”. After that’s established, he spits a quick acapella spoken word piece, that I could take or leave.

Bullies Of The Block – The Bambawar produced backdrop is built around a Bootsy Collins funk loop and sounds like something EPMD would have hooked up back in the day, which is a compliment. In my opinion, the fellas from Freestyle Fellowship (tongue twister muchers!) aren’t great lyrically, but decent, and their colorful styles bring tasty flavors to the song.

Everything’s Everything – Again, if you’re looking for exceptional lyrics you’ve come to the wrong show. But the foursome do have great chemistry, which shines through on this song, and parts of The Earthquake Brothers’ instrumental shines as well.

Shammy’s – Freestyle Fellowship dedicates this one to the bust downs, hoes, tramps, or what they affectionately refer to them as, Shammy’s (not sure why they spelled it with an apostrophe “s”, but whatever). Decent enough song, I guess.

Heat Mizer – Quick interlude that has Aceyalone spitting over an underwhelming up-tempo Earthquake Brothers instrumental.

Six Tray – While some west coast rappers sang praises to the ’64 Impala, Peace talks about the adventures that take place in his six tray. I’m not really a fan of Peace’s rhyme style (or his content) on this song, but I absolutely love this Earthquake Brothers’ backdrop.

Danger – Not really a fan of this one.

Inner City Boundaries – This is the only song I was familiar with when I bought Innercity Griots a few years back. Daddy-O (from Stetsasonic) stops by to drop off a smooth instrumental, and contributes a verse for the album’s first single. The catchy sing-a-long hook and Daddy-O’s brilliant instrumental make this song irresistible.

Bomb Zombies – Over a dark Earthquake Brothers instrumental, Self Jupiter spits a quick verse about a woman who is murdered in front of her young child (I think?). Yeah, I know, it sounds like heavy shit, but Self Jupiter does a poor job of articulating his words, and the overall execution is terrible. I wasn’t feeling this one at all.

Cornbread -This is an Aceyalone solo joint, and he rocks the shit out of this simple old school instrumental,  as he pairs random words with food referencing (I can’t stop saying “chick-o-sticks, big fat chicks”). I don’t think I’ve ever heard utter nonsense sound so entertaining.

Way Cool – Couldn’t feel this one either.

Hot Potato – The four man crew come together and pass the mic around like the title suggest, making references to potatoes the whole way through. I love the jazzy feel of the instrumental (credited to someone by the name of Edman), which sounds even better when midnight marauding.

Mary – Aceyalone, Mikah Nine and Self Jupiter dedicate this ode to marijuana. The Earthquake Brothers’ instrumental is fire, and even though I don’t partake in herbal meditation, the fellas do a pretty good job of getting their point across, and make it sound enjoyable.

Park Bench People – Mikah Nine uses his solo joint to sing/rap about the homeless people he encounters that make the park bench their bed. The live jazz instrumentation behind Mikah is dope. Another one to add to my midnight marauding mix.

Heavyweights – Freestyle Fellowship invites their buddies, collectively known as Heavyweights (Cockney “O” Dire, Archie, Volume “pistol grip pump on my lap at all times” 10, Spoon and Ganja K) to join them on this cipher joint. This is a huge improvement from the posse cuts I’ve listened to lately (i.e. Capital Tax’s “Treetop Connection” and Mad Kap’s “Dopest Verse”), but still not great.

Tolerate – Freestyle Fellowship comes off like a step team on this interlude, as they name off a list of things they will not tolerate, in unison.

Respect Due – The fellas use this one to show respect to the old, the current, and the new schools of hip-hop. I love the intent, but intent doesn’t guarantee great execution, which is this song’s downfall.

Pure Thought – The album closes with a mid tempo instrumental with a dope rumbling bass line, as the Freestyle Fellowship brethren sound reminiscent of the Cold Crush Brothers (I invite you young bucks that don’t know who Cold Crush are to Google them), reciting most of their lyrics in unison. Great way to end Innercity Griots.

Historically within hip-hop groups, there is usually one emcee who outshines the rest of the team (see Kool Moe D in The Treacherous Three, Ice Cube in N.W.A., Andre 3K in Outkast, Lauryn Hill in the Fugees, Cee-lo Green in Goodie Mob…I could go on forever, folks). That is not the case with Freestyle Fellowship (though one could make an argument that Aceyalone is the star emcee), as all four emcees match each others skill level throughout Innercity Griots. But this is both a gift and a curse on Innercity Griots: it’s awesome to hear four different emcees match each others energy, and while I can’t call any of the four wack emcees, no one in the crew is great behind the mic either, so most of their content falls in the middle of the road. When coupled with the hit and miss production, only about half of Innercity Griots is worth your time.

-Deedub

Lets go back to March for a new addition to my collection. File this one after Flavor Unit’s “Roll Wit Tha Flava”.

Mad Kap has a place in hip-hop history next to groups like Yaggfu Front and Rumpletilskinz. Groups that came in the game and were finished faster than a fifteen year old boy getting his rocks off for the first time. Mad Kap was the Los Angeles based trio consisting of Coke, Motif and Dr. Soose (who rapped and played the trumpet). The group was one of the earliest acts signed to Loud Records (which would later be the label home to such artists as The Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, Big-Pun and Dead Prez, to name a few) and released their only album to date, Look Ma Duke, No Hands , completely produced by a cat named Broadway.

When I saw this album sitting in the used bins a few weeks ago, the cover art looked vaguely familiar, but after reading the liner notes I still didn’t recognize any of the songs on the track listing. Then I noticed the Loud Records emblem, saw that it featured guest appearances from a few hip-hop artists that I like, and the price was right, I thought: “Why not give it a shot?”  After all, it is nineties hip-hop, and possibly a hidden gem.

There’s nothing wrong with being optimistic.

Da Bud Zone – Look Ma Duke opens with a short live jazzy mash-up before going into the first song…

Here Come The Breaks – The first actual song of the evening doesn’t make a great first impression. Over a boring Broadway backdrop (tongue twister much), Coke, Motif and Dr. Soose (who they also refer to as Joe at different points on Look Ma Duke) match its energy (or lack thereof) with dull rhymes. Hopefully this is not a prelude of what’s to come for the rest of Look Ma Duke.

Da Whole Kit & Kaboodle – Broadway’s instrumental makes strides in the right direction. Unfortunately, Coke and Motif’s rhymes don’t, and Dr. Soose’s trumpet play is insignificant.

Irrelevant – An adjective that also describes this song.

Dickie’s Emporium – Interlude.

When It Rains It Pours – Coke and Motif use this one to get conscious. Coke uses his verse to narrate the life of a young kid and the events that lead to him becoming a drug dealer, while Motif uses his verse to share the story of a girl who becomes a teen mom. The fellas have good intentions, but their verses ring hollow and sound disingenuous. And once again, Dr. Soose’s trumpet play adds nothing beneficial to the song. Broadway’s track is forgettable too.

Cheeba – Dr. Soose’s trumpet solo interlude.

Check It Out – Mad Kap invites Ahlee Rocksta and Likwit crew members, King Tee and Tash (from the Alkaholiks), to join them on this cipher joint. It was nice to hear from King Tee and Tash, as they inject some much needed quality emceeing into Look Ma Duke. Unfortunately, Broadway’s instrumental doesn’t do much to accentuate their quality bars.

Oh Phuck Me Right? – This was a strange interlude.

Phuck What Ya Heard – Broadway slides Mad Kap a funky backdrop and invites Daddy Freddy to add a reggae chant in between their verses and at the end of the song, adding some much needed flavor (even though I have no idea what he’s saying) to an album that has been mostly tasteless to this point. Mad Kap brings nothing lyrically substantial to the table, but the instrumental will keep you bobbing your head.

Thoughts On The Indoe From Joe – Dr. Soose spits a short freestyle, rapping praises to his favorite strand of smoke. The indoe.

Proof Is In The Puddin’ – Broadway builds this backdrop around a smooth loop from Gene Harris’ “Feeling You, Feeling Me, Too”, which turns out to easily be his best instrumental work on Look Ma Duke. And Dr. Soose’s trumpet play actually adds flavor to the song, for once.

Excuse Me Brutha! – Interlude…

Jeff-Self – Followed by another interlude that features Broadway’s little brother going on a potty mouthed rant.

Beddie-Bye – Tash got a chance to rock it on “Check It Out”, so it’s only right that his fellow Alkaholik brethren, J-Ro and E-Swift, get an invitation to the party as well. Needless to say, they both out rap their hosts (MOYOS). Initially, I wasn’t feeling this one, but after a few listens it grew on me.

Dopest Verse – After listening to Capital Tax’s posse cut “Treetop Connection” last week, I thought I’d never hear a more boring and underwhelming cipher joint again. Then I heard this song, and my theory was destroyed. Coke, Motif and Dr. Soose invite LaQuan, L.Dub and Broadway (who fires a shot at east coast hip-hop on the final bar of the song) to help them create arguably the worst posse cut in the history of hip-hop. No exaggeration. This song is horrible.

Coke, Motif and Dr. Soose, collectively, do not have the charisma or lyrical prowess to carry an entire album, which becomes crystal clear after one listen to Look Ma Duke. The album’s producer, Broadway, has a few shining moments on the production side, but not enough to overshadow Mad Kap’s impotent emceeing (and by the way, Dr. Soose’s trumpet play adds very little, sonically to Look Ma Duke). But look at the bright side: the album is technically only nine songs long, so you don’t have to waste invest too much of your time giving it one listen.

-Deedub

About a month ago, I was skirmishing through the used cd bins at one of my favorite spots (shoutout to Cheapos!). To avoid bumping into other music miners, if someone is digging on one end of the bins I’ll go to the opposite end to begin my search. On this particular adventure there was another music miner on the left end of the bins, so I started searching from the right side and worked my way left. Eventually we ended up meeting near the middle, so I decided to jump a few bins over to the left and would work my way back to the few I missed on the right after he moved out the way. All of a sudden, I here the dude whisper to himself “yes!”. I looked over and noticed he had discovered an album I’ve had on my “want list” for several years. The late Tim Dog’s Penicillin On Wax. This album has been out of print for years and you can really only find it used on Amazon, for more than I’m willing to pay for it. I congratulated the man on a good find, but in my head I was cursing the day he was born for stealing my precious prize. If only I would have got there a few minutes prior, or if  I would have crowded his space and continued my natural course from right to left without skipping any rows. Instead, I left with a lump in my throat, sorely disappointed.

I’ve never heard Penicillin On Wax in its entirety, but I’m familiar with the singles and believe it is one of the often overlooked pieces that helped spark the west coast/east coast feud that would claim the lives of two of hip-hop’s most prolific stars in the nineties. While the album didn’t move a ton of units or garnish a ton of critical acclaim, its controversial singles “Fuck Compton” and “Step To Me” fired blatant (and unwarranted) shots at Tim Dog’s west coast counterparts that created a platform for his voice to be heard. For a few moments, at least. The dog would return in 1993 with his second album, Do Or Die.

Do Or Die would come without the same controversy that surrounded Penicillin On Wax, and it also didn’t move a ton of units or receive heaps of critical acclaim. I’ve had Do Or Die for a few years, but this is my first time listening to the album in its entirety.

To know I was that close to having Penicillin On Wax, only to let it slip through my fingers,  still bothers me, almost a month later. Since Do Or Die was coming up soon on my review list, it just seemed like fate that Penicillin On Wax would fall into my possession so I could review them back to back.  Man plans, God Laughs.

I Don’t Give A Fuck – Tim Dog opens Do Or Die with a simple, but dope, instrumental that he uses to brag about his dopeness. And he manages to throw a quick jab at his favorite target, DJ Quik.  Solid start to the evening.

Grab Your Gat – Over a dark and hard instrumental, Tim Dog talks more shit and advises all competitors to grab a gat before stepping to the dog. Tim is far from a great emcee, but he does entertain with an occasional clever punchline, like “a lot of niggas talk shit, said that I jerked ’em, that’s funny, I didn’t know you was workin’ (its sounds a lot better on wax then written), and “you’re just a man that’s next ta, if this was a movie you’d be a muthafuckin’ extra”. Someone called Preacher Earl provides adlibs at the song’s intro, during the hook, and then spits a few unimpressive bars as the song closes. As I mentioned a few sentences ago, Tim Dog’s flow is not that nice, but his rugged voice sounds dope over the hard Maurice Mo’ Gallegos/Ray Roll/ DJ Tony Touch concocted backdrop.

I Get Wrecked – Fellow Bronx native, KRS-One joins the dog on this duet. KRS-One, who was definitely in his prime in ’93, raps circles around our host (yes Tim, you got MOYOS) displaying a bit of the skill that easily makes him one of the top ten emcees of all time (“now don’t say nothin’ while I’m deckin’ ya’, causin’ hysteria, been in more battles than America”). Tim drops slightly comical rhymes and takes shots that, on the surface, sounds like their aimed at The Sugarhill Gang. But if you peel back the layers, it sounds like they were more so may aimed at Das EFX, considering Das had just blown up the previous year with their stutter style (“skibby-bepop, bepop, Scooby Doo, that bullshits not me, that bullshit is you”). And remember, Tim’s guest KRS-One, was feuding with the dreaded duo around this time as well. Yeah, I know he gives the Hit Squad a shoutout at end of the album, but I’m sticking with my theory. The TR Love/Moe Love produced instrumental is barely decent (the remix has a slightly improved backdrop), but the king and court jester chemistry between Kris and Tim makes this one pretty entertaining.

Timberlands – Back in the day when my boys and I used to freestyle over instrumentals and make real mixtapes (they were literally recorded on cassette tapes), I actually freestyled (and sung) my own ode to my favorite brand of boot, Timberland. So, it was a pleasant surprise to hear Tim Dog share the same sentiment. Unfortunately, like my Timberland freestyle, Tim’s song is also garbage. Wait…did he just say he wears his Timbs when he’s hittin’ skinz?

If I Was A Cop –  Tim uses this one discuss the things he would do if he was a cop, and also calls out crooked cops (yes, crooked cops do exist, even if you have family members that are cops). The song is not great, but the instrumental is kind of dope (especially the live saxophone, courtesy of Jay Davidson).

Hardcore – I love Tim’s eerie low-key instrumental. It sounds like something Extra P would have hooked up back in the day. Tim doesn’t bring much to it lyrically, but he doesn’t completely distract from the backdrop’s understated brilliance.

Game – Tim invites his buddy Truck to join him, as they each spit a verses about runnin’ game on the ladies. Tim’s delivery is pretty elementary, but his hilarious punch lines do entertain (“But I had crazy game, I souped the bitch up and told her I was Big Daddy Kane”, and “from me you gets none, all I got is a hard dick and some bumble gum…and I’m fresh out of gum” ). Unfortunately, Tim’s guest and the instrumental are very forgettable.

Skip To My Loot – Smooth B (one half of Nice & Smooth) drops by to share mic time with the dog. Smooth, who is normally laid back and, um, smooth with his delivery, comes off kind of aggressive on this one, and he sounds pretty nice (I’ve always thought Smooth B was underappreciated and underrated). Tim Dog doesn’t fare as well as he stumbles and bumbles his way through two sloppy verses. Along with Tim Dog’s messy verses, the instrumental and corny hook put this song into the wack category.

Silly Bitch – The song opens with a chick confronting Tim for dissing her on Penicillin On Wax. Tim spends the rest of the song dissing her again. Tim’s instrumental is simple but kind of dope. Speaking of simplistic, Tim’s hook is very simplistic, but still effectively hi-larious.

Maddog – Tim Dog borrows the same McCoy Tyner bass line loop that helped turn Black Sheep’s “The Choice Is Yours” into a mega hit. Of course Tim’s usage of the loop is not nearly as effective, and the hook is downright atrocious.

Make Room – This song would work in a horror movie. Tim Dog’s menacing baritone over the dark backdrop would sound perfect in the next Freddie vs. Jason joint (especially when he repeats the song title a hundred times over after his verses).

Breakin North – Tim Dog gives his shout outs over a slick backdrop (I love the piano loop) before he does what the title suggest (for you youngins, “break north” is slang for “exiting the building”, “peacing out”, “throwin’ up the deuces”, etc.).

Do Or Die is not a classic or great album, but it’s not terrible either. A portion of the album doesn’t work, but thanks to Tim’s charisma and comic relief, a few well placed guest appearances, overall sneaky quality production, and a fit and trim twelve track length, Do Or Die winds up being a decent listen and a justifiable purchase. As long as you buy it used for no more than five dollars.

-Deedub

Through the years hip-hop has spawned a million and one different acts. Out of those million acts only a small percentage have been able to create an impressive catalog and everlasting legacy that stands the test of time. Some have had one of two hot records, and fizzled out just as fast as they blew up. And an even larger percentage drop one album and are never heard from again. Capital Tax would fall into the last category.

Capital Tax was the four man crew consisting of the group’s only emcee, TMD (which is an acronym for Total Mind Devastator), DJ Cool Al, Bozie and Scruff (I’m not sure what purpose role the last two served in the group…maybe they were back-up dancers?). Back in the day, I assumed they were from D.C. based on the name, but they were actually out of East Oakland. Capital Tax signed a deal with MCA and released their only album to date The Swoll Package in the spring of 1993. I’m not sure what the critics thought of this album, but I’d be willing to place a hefty bet that it didn’t move a ton of units, as I’m the only person I know who owns this album (I’d be willing to bet that Tony A Wilson has a copy as well).

I found The Swoll Package a few years ago in the used bins at one of the spots I frequent, and picked it up because I remembered a few of the singles from back in the day that I used to vibe to. This week is my first time listening to The Swoll Package in its entirety. Let’s see if these Oakland boys’ package is as swoll as they claim.

The Lab – This may be the shortest intro in the history of hip-hop, and it adds absolutely no value to The Swoll Package.

Mista Wonka – Now hears an unusual way to start a hip-hop album. TMD uses the opening track to have a conversation with his temporarily impotent jimmy, that he affectionately refers to as Mista Wonka. Over a funky groove (and a sick saxophone sample) TMD attempts to talk his smaller head into standing up to please a PYT. I thought this was pretty solid, but I’m bias, as I’m a sucker for rappers who show vulnerability.

Make A Move Y’all – TMD’s rap voice reminds me of Stretch from Live Squad, which isn’t a diss or a compliment, just an observation. As far as the song goes, I’m not feeling TMD’s rhymes or DJ Smooth’s dry instrumental.

Freestyle – This one plays just as it reads: TMD spits a quick freestyle over a simple instrumental.

I Can’t Believe It – This was the first single released from The Swoll Package, and the song that hipped me to CT. Over a mid-tempo jazzy groove (back in the day I had the single to this, which included the instrumental that the homies and I use to freestyle over), TMD shares a tale from the perspective of a young kid living with his cousin, his crackhead auntie and his prostitute uncle who turns tricks to feed the family and his wife’s crack habit. No, it’s never made clear if the uncle’s clientele are male or female, but I find it hard to believe (no pun intended) that women would pay him (or any man for that matter) for the dick, so draw your own conclusion. The storyline is kind of weird but I love the instrumental.

We Pals – TMD celebrates friendship on this one. Unfortunately, the celebration didn’t translate into a good hip-hop song.

Can You Dig It – TMD boasts, brags and drops some battle rhymes over a dope mid-tempo instrumental. This was a pretty entertaining listen.

Nottie Natural – Filler material.

The Masha – This was the second, and I believe final single, released from The Swoll Package. I first became familiar with this song by hearing the remix (who’s instrumental is built around the same Faze-O sample EPMD used on “Please Listen To My Demo”). I prefer the remix, but that doesn’t mean that the slick piano loop the album’s instrumental is built around isn’t enjoyable as well.

In Memory Of – Capital Tax pays respect to the dead over this beautifully dark and soulful instrumental. While I’m curious to how TMD would sound spitting bars over this, it’s probably best that he didn’t.

Givin’ It Back – Over a smooth slightly jazzy instrumental, TMD stresses the importance of not forgetting where you came from when you make it. I love the sentiment, the message, and the song.

Styles I Manifest – TMD doesn’t say anything worth quoting, but I like the jazzy instrumental.

Make Some Cash – Throughout the history of hip-hop, many emcees have documented the struggle to survive in the hood and through rhyme, discussed the many different hustles they’ve used to make money. Some have robbed people to survive. Some sold drugs, and yet others actually went and got a job (imagine that). But I have to admit, I’ve never heard a rapper talk about the unique hustle TMD had back in the day. Pumping gas for people at the local BP? Wtf? Where they do that at? This must have been a common hustle in Oakland, because at one point during the song TMD sounds like a drug dealer reprimanding a rival dealer for selling in his territory, as he tells a rival, um, gas pumper, that he “owns pumps one through twelve”. TMD’s content is kind of corny, but the laid back instrumental is dope.

Poet Treeman – The song title is clever play on words, but the song is nothing more than filler material.

Treetop Connection – TMD invites some of his peeps (JH The Master, Alafi, Prophecy and Father DOM) to join him on this posse cut. And it just might be the most boring cipher joint in hip-hop history. The instrumental has no energy, and all emcees involved reciprocate the instrumental’s vibe.

Outs – The Swoll Package ends with someone other than TMD giving shout outs over a sick instrumental. And with that, The Swoll Package is over.

TMD is not a terrible emcee. His rhymes and flow are decent, but his bars don’t have personality and he lacks charisma and that “it” factor to make people remember him. On the production side, DJ Smooth brings a few gems and a few decent joints, that off set the handful of hot garbage he slides TMD to rhyme over throughout The Swoll Package. When you pair TMD’s forgettable rhymes with DJ Smooth’s hit and miss production, the package ends up more scrawny than swoll.

-Deedub

The Lords Of The Underground are the Newark-Cleveland trio that met in the early nineties while attending the Raleigh, North Carolina based HBCU, Shaw University. As the story goes, it was the Cleveland, Ohio native Lord Jazz, who brought Doitall and Mr. Funky (who ironically are both from Newark, New Jersey but didn’t meet until in Raleigh)together to form the LOTUG. Shortly after forming the group, the trio recorded a demo to shop for a deal. Lord Jazz had a connect who was working with Marley Marl, which opened the door to get their demo into the legendary producer’s hand. Marley liked what he heard and the rest is history. The Lords Of The Underground would sign a deal with Pendulum and released their debut album Here Come The Lords in 1993.

Marley Marl, along with his production protégé, K-Def, would handle all of the production on Here Come The Lords. The album didn’t move a ton of units but it did receive critical acclaim and some even refer to it as a classic.

But classic is a term that is often thrown around way too often in hip-hop.

Here Come The Lords – Here Come The Lords opens with the title track that has Mr. Funky and Doitall boasting and accusing somebody of biting their style (I’m curious who their referring to) over K-Def’s jazzy horns and smooth instrumental. Doitall takes what sounds like a quick jab at Das EFX (even though later they would publicly deny having any qualms with the dreaded duo) with his line “So catch it, no stutter in my flow but I wrecks it, and caught you on the dills from my jam called “Check It””. From the jump, you get a taste of Funky and Doitall’s animated style. And while they might not sound that impressive lyrically, their colorful personalities will keep you entertained, along with K-Def’s solid backdrop.

From Da Bricks – Mr. Funky invites his cousin Jam-C to join his self and Doitall in the booth, as they each spit a verse to show love and rep for their beloved hometown, Newark, New Jersey, which they affectionately refer to as “Da Bricks”. K-Def’s instrumental is decent, but none of the parties involved say anything memorable or worth quoting.

Funky Child – This was the second single released from Here Come The Lords. When this first came out back in the day I wasn’t really feeling it. Maybe it was the duo’s high-pitched animated voices, or the cartoonish image they presented, dancing around in diapers in the video. Whatever the reason, time has helped me appreciate the song, and there is no denying the ridiculously sick Marley Marl/K-Def produced instrumental.

Keep It Underground – Decent Marley instrumental, decent rhymes from the Lords, and an unwarranted dis aimed at PM Dawn courtesy of Doitall. Taking shots at PM Dawn is like robbing an old blind lady.

Check It (Remix) – The original version of this song was on the B-side of LOTUG’s “Psycho” single. This remix uses the same lyrics as the original but has a different, and much improved, instrumental. Decent enough, I guess.

Grave Digga – The duo uses this one to acknowledge everyday people who make bad decisions and ultimately dig their own graves. It’s a nice change of pace to hear Funky and Doitall do a song with an actually topic and not just freestyle their way through it. Marley’s instrumental (which sounds very similar to Q-Tip’s work on ATCQ’s “Sex On A Platter”, only a few bpms slower) is nice and works well underneath LOTUG’s content.

Lords Prayer – Get it? Lords Of The Underground? Lords Prayer? Pretty clever song title, guys. The Jersey boys sound decent and drop some clever punch lines (specifically the bit about Jimmy Swaggart), and Marley’s jazzy horns and mid-tempo backdrop sounds nice underneath them.

Flow On (New Symphony) – LOTUG invite Kid Deleon and Sah-B to join them on this cipher joint. Marley’s instrumental is pleasant and none of the emcees involved embarrass themselves (Doitall surprisingly gets a great jump out the block on his verse, but quickly loses his momentum), but it’s almost blasphemous for them to refer to arguably the best posse cut in hip-hop history in the song title.

Madd Skillz – K-Def and Marley combine to concoct one of the best instrumentals of the evening. And its dopeness apparently motivated the duo, as their rhymes sound stronger than the rest of their spit up to this point. This was dope.

Psycho -This was the first single released from Here Come The Lords. Marley brings a high energy instrumental for Funky and Doitall to pretend that their psychopathic emcees over. While the duo’s crazy act isn’t even remotely convincing, Marley’s dark instrumental is pretty entertaining.

Chief Rocka – This was the third single from Here Come The Lords, and the song that will always define LOTUG’s career and catalog. K-Def builds this brilliant instrumental around a sick loop of the bass line from Blood, Sweat & Tears’ “Spinning Wheel” and the somber saxophone notes from John Coltrane’s “Amen”. Mr. Funky and Doitall aren’t spectacular, but you’d have to be a pretty terrible emcee to derail this beautiful backdrop. Get ready for this: K-Def’s instrumental is arguably a top ten hip-hop instrumental of all time. Yeah, I said it.

Sleep For Dinner – This one is built around a joke from Damon Wayans’ Last Stand HBO comedy special, where he claims his family was so poor some nights all they could afford to eat was sleep for dinner. Mr. Funky and Doitall do a good job of making light of what in reality is a pretty sad and heavy dilemma. Unfortunately, Marley’s instrumental is sub par.

L.O.T.U.G. (Lords Of The Underground) – The Jersey duo use this rough K-Def backdrop to sing praises to themselves, because this is hip-hop and that’s what rappers do, son. Funky and Doitall sound decent, but K-Def’s instrumental is the true star of this one.

Lord Jazz Hit Me One Time (Make It Funky) – K-Def lays down a smooth instrumental that Doitall and Mr. Funky use to shoutout their deejay, Lord Jazz. Jazz gets a chance to showcase some of his skills on the one’s and two’s and spits a quick verse as well.

What’s Goin On – Here Come The Lords should have ended after the last song. Instead it continues on with this forgettable bonus track, and Doitall’s rhyming reaches new lows.

I’ll keep this wrap-up short and sweet, because sometimes less is more: Here Come The Lords is not great, but it is a quality debut from LOTUG. Marley Marl and K-Def do a solid job scoring the album, and while Doitall and Mr. Funky (who is clearly the more polished emcee of the two) aren’t great emcees, their personality makes up for what their rhyming ability lacks.

-Deedub

The original cast of Onyx consisted of the threesome of Fredro “Q” Starr, Big DS (rip) and Suave (aka Sonee Seeza). In 1990 the Queens bred trio inked a single deal with Profile to test the waters, and released the single “Ah, And We Do It Like This”. The song was not terrible, but it definitely had a more laid back sound than Onyx fans would become accustom to hearing. Ultimately, the single didn’t do well and Profile decided not to pick Onyx up for an album deal.

After parting ways with Profile, Onyx lost their in-house producer B-Wiz, who decided to go down south and sell drugs (a decision that would soon lead to his death). Around the same time, Fredro’s little cousin, who rapped but wasn’t taking it too serious, begin to hang out with Onyx and record with the team. His cousin was Sticky Fingaz. The demo that ultimately convinced Jam Master Jay to sign Onyx featured Sticky rhyming on it, and even though Sticky wasn’t an official member of the group, Jay would only sign Onyx if Sticky was a part of the team. Sticky became an official member (even though DS and Sonee weren’t crazy about the addition), Jay signed the revamped version of Onyx to his Columbia Records/Def Jam imprint (JMJ), the quartet shaved their heads (which according to Fredro symbolized a new beginning), took on a much harder and grimy sound, and the mad face invasion was born with their debut album, BacDaFucUp.

Jam Master Jay and newcomer, Chyskillz would handle the bulk of the production for BacDaFucUp, and the album would go on to earn Onyx a platinum plaque (thanks largely to their smash crossover hit, that we’ll get to in a little taste). But more importantly, it received heaps of critical acclaim, as some even consider it a classic.

Well, lets bacdafucup and revisit this one.

BacDaFucUp – BacDaFucUp opens with this dark instrumental, as the 4 man crew yell in unison for you to “move back muthafuckas” because “the Onyx is here!”, followed by Fredro shouting the intro and album title. This quickly bleeds into the next song…

BichAsNiguz – This Jam Master Jay (who I’ll only refer to as JMJ for the rest of this post)/Chyskillz instrumental has plenty of energy and still manages to have a slightly dark low-key feel (I love the drums on this one). All four members of the group put all their energy into this song giving it all they have, but Sticky Fingaz makes it clear from the jump that he’s the HNIC and the only one in the crew with real bars, as he sons the rest of the team and shuts things down on the final verse of the song. This was sick.

ThrowYaGunz – This was the lead single from BacDaFucUp. Over a dark Chyskillz produced track, the quartet keep the energy high, as they instruct the listeners to “throw ya guns in the air, and buck, buck like ya just don’t care”, in between their  hyper aggressive verses. Side note: Premo would later sample a piece of Sonee Seeza’s verse from this one for the hook on the classic Jeru Da Damaja record “Come Clean” (‘”Oh oh, heads up, cause we’re droppin’ some shit).

Here ‘N’ Now – Chyskillz keeps the dark mood going with this pitch black backdrop. And Sticky Fingaz’ dark and horrorcorish verse, will leave you a bit uneasy and make you a fan of the dude’s lyrical prowess. Side note: Premo would also sample a portion of Sonee Seeza’s verse from this song (“and to all y’all crews, whatever!”) for another Jeru song joint (“Whatever”).

Bust Dat Ass – Short call and response interlude.

Atak Of Da Bal-Hedz – JMJ and Chyskillz take their first break from behind the boards, as they let someone going by Kool Tee hold down the production on this one. The backdrop is not as dark as the previous songs, but it does still have a devious feel hidden within the melodic mood the horns bring to it, and fits in to BacDaFucUp‘s overall color scheme. Regardless of who is behind the boards, Onyx still brings the ruckus on this one.

Da Mad Face Invasion – Interlude.

Blac Vagina Finda – This song marks the first weak track on BacDaFucUp. JMJ and Chyskillz build the instrumental around an overly often used sample of Bob James’ “Nautilus” and “Take Me To The Mardi Gras”. The backdrop is garbage, and Sticky Fingaz doesn’t even muster up a solid verse on this ode to black pussy.

Da Bounca Nigga – Interlude.

Nigga Bridges – Hot garbage. Well, maybe not hot, but it is garbage. The hook (which plays off of the children’s song “London Bridge”) may be the worst hook in the history of hip-hop. I’m dead serious.

Onyx Is Here – Onyx recycles the instrumental from the opening interlude “BacDaFucUp” and slightly alters the hook for this one. This is actually pretty dope.

Slam – This was the second single from BacDaFucUp, and the song that Onyx will always be remembered for. JMJ and Chyskillz combine dope horns, an infectious bass line and an energetic backdrop with Onyx’ high energy and catchy hook, and turn it into an unintentional crossover platinum selling hit that would also give BacDaFucUp a hefty push to eventually becoming a platinum selling album as well. I don’t think even Onyx thought this song would become the pop sensation that it did back in the day. Classic.

Stik ‘N’ Muve – Legend has is that this is the song that got JMJ to sign the bald headed foursome. In Brian Coleman’s Check The Technique, Sticky Fingaz says they had to change the instrumental for this song because they couldn’t get clearance on the sample used in the original mix, and goes on to say “the original beat was fuckin’ incredible”.  Well, I enjoyed the JMJ/Jeff Harris instrumental on this mix, so I would love to hear what the original backdrop sound like.

BichAsBootleguz – Interlude.

Shifftee – JMJ and Chyskillz hook up another dope dark instrumental for the self-proclaimed “official nasty niggas” to get shifty and grimy over. And Sticky Fingaz delivers his best verse of the album.

Phat (‘N’ All Dat) – I’ve never been a fan of this one. Although, I still laugh every time I hear Sticky Fingaz tell Fredro to “shut the hell up” after he interrupts his verse with nonsense.

Da Nex Niguz – The hardcore heartless foursome show a little vulnerability on this one, as they discuss the depressing scenario of catching your girl giving head to the next man. Fredro left me laughing and scratching my head when he says “she was sucking the next nigga’s dick… I was just watching this, it was monotonous, I couldn’t picture the next nigga’s dick in my girl’s esophagus”. He clearly doesn’t know the meaning of “monotonous”, as there is no way in hell that watching something like that could become monotonous, no matter how many times you’ve watched it. Kool Tee’s dark groove compliments the fellas colorful verses well, resulting in another winner.

GetDaFucOut – Over a moody bass line, an almost hysterical Sticky Fingaz (who sounds a lot like Busta Rhymes on this one…hindsight bright idea: A Busta Rhymes/Sticky Fingaz collab album would have been interesting to hear) quickly informs the listener that BacDaFucUp is over, so they need to the “GetDaFucOut”.

Jam Master Jay insisting that Sticky Fingaz be added to Onyx is probably the best move the group ever made, even if they were forced into doing it. There is no question that the self-proclaimed “mad author of anguish” is the chief emcee and carries the lyrical load throughout BacDaFucUp. Led by Sticky, Onyx’s animated hyper-energy and horrorgangster rhymes mixed with quality and consistently dark production, make BacDaFucUp an overall solid album and very entertaining listen, as long as you’re not looking for substance. Long live the bald heads!

-Deedub

We last heard from Monie on her 1990 debut album Down To Earth, which created quite a buzz for the London bred emcee, largely due to, not one, but two, Grammy nominated singles. I’m still surprised that even with the two hit singles, Down To Earth didn’t earn Monie a gold plaque. Regardless, she would return in 1993 with her second album, In a Word Or 2.

For In a Word Or 2, Monie would trim down the number of hands involved on the production side of things, bringing in Juice crew founder and producer, Marley Marl to handle the bulk of the production duties (and one very special guest brought in to provide the musical canvas for two songs…more on that later). Even with Marley Marl’s involvement, In a Word Or 2 received mix reviews and didn’t sell nearly as well as Down To Earth.

In a Word Or 2 would be the last album from Monie Love, as she would go on to focus on motherhood and other endeavors, and currently hosts her own show on Shade 45 on SiriusXM radio. And somehow the girl went from being a cutie in her twenties to a hottie in her forties. Fountain of youth mucher.

Wheel Of Fortune – Monie Love opens In a Word Or 2 in search of Mr. Right, and tries her luck at love on the proverbial “wheel of fortune”, which is also a reference to the longest running syndicated game show in America (and quickly approaching 60, Vanna’s age is starting to show, folks). After four unsuccessful spins, Monie, tongue in cheek, says she’ll try her luck on the Love Connection (how many of you remember that game show? I wonder what Chuck Woolery’s doing these days). Monie’s rhymes are cute, but Marley’s instrumental is as plain as water.

Greasy – Over a mediocre Marley instrumental, Monie shares three different stories of dudes who went of ashy to classy. Not a fan of this one.

Sex U All – On this one, Monie’s all fired up after getting a phone call from another chick who claims Monie’s banging her man and threatens to send her crew to beat Monie down with baseball bats if it continues. Monie then spends the next three verses checking the chick and the man that’s trying to play her, or as she calls, she’s getting “sex u all”, which apparently is slang for handling things the right way (weird mucher, but I’ll roll with it). Marley’s frantic paced backdrop fits well behind Monie’s aggressive rhymes. Despite the nonsensical hook and song title, this one was decent.

Mo’ Monie – Over a decent low-key backdrop, Monie’s in battle mode, firing shots at those with ghost writers (“a plus will be given, if correct is how you’re livin’, and the rhymes you recite are yours, not given”), and it sounds like she may have fired a shot at Das EFX on the second verse (“it’s a bore to the brain, diggity, diggity, diggity, shut the hell up, I can’t understand a word your saying”). Overall, this was pretty dope.

I’m A Believer – Monie uses this one to encourage the listener to believe in his or her self. Unfortunately, Monie’s message falls flat, thanks largely to the instrumental behind her that is impossible to believe in.(That what almost a tongue twister.

Let A Woman Be A Woman – Monie male bashes over a mediocre Marley mash-up (hey, that was almost a tongue twister!). I’m not a fan of this one, but I’m still curious on who’s she’s calling a “little Chuck D wannabe” on the final first.

Full Term Love – Over a signature Marley Marl r&b flavored hip-hop instrumental, that sounds similar to his work on LL’s “Around The Way Girl” (which Monie actually references in her last verse), Monie’s in search of an everlasting love (you better find Jesus, girl!). Some true heads may find this song too soft, but every now and then I can enjoy a r&b/hip-hop concoction when mixed together properly. This one sounds fresh and goes down smooth. Side note: this song was first released as a single on the soundtrack for the incredibly cheesy Kid N Play movie, Class Act.

Born 2 B.R.E.E.D. – This was the first single from In a Word Or 2. The late great Minnesota grown Prince, provides a clean, smooth and slightly r&b tinged backdrop (with a co-production credit going to Steve “Silk” Hurley) for Monie to spit over. At first glance, the whole Monie Love/Prince collaboration seems kind of strange, but makes more sense considering they were both signed to Warner Brothers at the time. Despite the ridiculous acronym in the song title (Build Relationships where Education and Enlightenment Dominate), which only rivals the corniest of 2pac’s acronym for “nigga” (Never Ignorant Getting Goals Accomplished…but at least each letter in Pac’s acronym is accounted for. What’s up with the “W” for “where”, Monie?), this ode to motherhood is pretty nice.

In A Word Or 2 – Prince gets his second production credit of the evening, as he provides a soft mid-tempo instrumental for Monie to display her love and affection to the one she loves. For some reason Monie raps in a whispering voice that sounds beaucoup awkward. But her whisper is a lot more tolerable than the cheesy Prince backdrop and corny reggae chant and hook. This is a perfect example of bad rap and r&b.

There’s A Better Way – Marley hooks up a smooth jazzy instrumental that Monie uses to reminisce over a former crush that got away and ends up with HIV. Monie’s storyline may have some holes in it, but she leaves you with a bit to think about. I like this one.

4 Da Children – Before Trick Daddy, Monie, um, loved the kids, and she sends this one out to the youth. Not one of the strongest songs on In a Word Or 2, but it’s passable.

Born 2 B.R.E.E.D. (Hip-Hop Mix) – Marley Marl hooks a bouncy remix for the lead single. Marley’s jazzy horns help turn this into a pretty solid remix, but I still prefer Prince’s backdrop to this one.

I kind of beat up Monie’s emcee skills on Down To Earth (read my opinion on it here). After listening to In a Word Or 2 several times over the past week, I think I was too hard on her. Monie doesn’t possess the lyrical prowess of a Lauren Hill (who is the goat of female emcees, and has a slot in my top twenty of all time, man or woman), or the commanding voice of a MC Lyte or Lady Of Rage. But she proves on In a Word Or 2 that she can rhyme, and unlike most female emcees past and present, she actually penned her own shit, and that alone should count for something. Because she doesn’t have the sharpest rhymes or sickest rap voice, the production behind her becomes even more crucial, and unfortunately Marley Marl’s lackluster production doesn’t give In a Word Or 2 the sonic lift required to make the songs memorable.

I’ll sum up the album’s downfall  in a word a or two: Marley’s fault.

-Deedub

By 1993, Ice-T had 5 albums under his belt (four solo albums and one with his experimental rock band, Body Count, which I’m not touching with a ten foot pole on this blog) and 5 gold or better selling albums, which is impressive in any genre of music. Along with a successful run in the music industry, Ice-T also begin his career in Hollywood, making his impressive acting debut (I’m not counting his cameos in those corny Breakin’ movies from the early eighties) as police detective Scotty “I want to shoot you so bad my dick’s gettin’ hard” Appleton in Mario Van Peebles hood classic New Jack City. This would lead to a string of more starring roles in movies and television, including his current starring role as Odafin Tutuola in Law In Order: Special Victims Unit. It’s kind of ironic that the man behind “Cop Killer” has made a living acting like a cop since the nineties. But I digress.

Hollywood would not stop Ice-T from continuing with his first love. He would return in 1993 with his fifth solo release, Home Invasion. The album was originally supposed to be released on Sire/Warner Brothers, but after the controversy and heat they received for Body Count’s 1992 single “Cop Killer”, the powers that be demanded that Ice-T change the “controversial” cover art for Home Invasion (which depicts a white male teen with headphones on listening to hip-hop, with images of violence, sex and murder (and Ice-T) surrounding him (he also has some Donald Goines novels and Malcolm X books to go with his diet of Ice Cube and Public Enemy)). Ice-T wanted to stay true to his art and kept the original cover, which led to him parting ways with his long time label home and releasing Home Invasion on his newly found Rhyme Syndicate Records distributed through Priority Records.

With all the delays and label switching, many of the songs from the original cut of Home Invasion were altered or completely removed from the final product. Home Invasionwould receive mixed reviews from the critics, but that wouldn’t stop Ice for earning his sixth gold plaque.

But you already know what it is. I’m not concerned with quantities, I demand quality.

Warning – Home Invasion opens with this short interlude that has Ice-T giving a list of dirty and derogatory words you can expect to hear on the album. Then he informs the listener that “this is not a pop album”, so leave now if that is what you’re looking for, before finally ending it by telling every one to “suck my muthafuckin dick”. Awe, what a gentleman.

It’s On – Ice-T takes on The Source (who apparently dissed him, Ice Cube and Chuck D? I must have missed that issue), fair weather fans, cops, labels and wack emcees.  The DJ Aladdin/SLJ instrumental is solid and Ice-T sounds cool, but the hook is trash.

Ice M.F. T – I’ve mentioned this on past Ice-T album reviews, but I’ll say it again: Ice has decent lyrics (most of the time) but his flow and delivery get sloppy quite often. That is very evident on this song (he actually reminds me of Willie D on this one), as he raps with a chip on his shoulder. The hook (which is simply Ice repeatedly saying “Ice, Ice muthafuckin T”) is corny, and the DJ Aladdin/SLJ concocted backdrop is pretty generic.

Home Invasion – Over a mediocre Aladdin/SLJ instrumental, Ice uses this title track to invade white kids heads and fill their brains “with hard drums, big guns, bitches, hoes and death”(see the album cover artwork). Some of Ice’s bars are so sloppy on this one it’s almost laughable. This was not good.

G Style – DJ L.P hooks up a decent backdrop for our host to brag and boast as he puts his gangster style on display. Not one of my favorite Ice-T records, but it’s decent.

Addicted To Danger – Aladdin and SLJ create a dark instrumental (which is suitable for midnight marauding) that Ice-T uses to paint a tale of a street hustler whose hustle catches up with him by the end of the song. Ice sounds like he just woke up as he literally talks his way through his rhymes in a sleepy monotone vocal. I love the backdrop, but Ice’s delivery kills the good vibes.

Question And Answer – This is a brief interlude that Ice uses to dis rappers who started off hard-core only to switch to making intentionally pop records when their hard records didn’t hit any more. Ice hi-lariously, makes it clear that he’s not dissing rappers who started out pop, which is pretty much his way of giving his boy Hammer a pass, who he gave a shout out to on O.G. Original Gangster.

Watch The Ice Break – Aladdin (and SLJ) throw our host “some old fly smooth shit” to talk his shit over. Ice-T has struggled on most of the album thus far, but he actually sounds pretty tight over this brilliant backdrop.

Race War – Over a frantic Aladdin/SLJ backdrop, Ice-T warns of a looming race war if America doesn’t straighten some of its issues out. The sloppiness of Ice-T’s flow reaches new heights on this one. Not a fan.

That’s How I’m Livin’ – In the same sleepy monotone talking style he used on “Addicted To Danger”, Ice-T layouts his bio over a brilliantly bleak Aladdin/SLJ concoction. The instrumental borrows a few different loops from Herbie Hancock’s “Ochoa Knose” (from the Death Wish Soundtrack) that gives it a sinister feel and makes it a bit unnerving to listen to, which I’m sure is what they were aiming for. Unlike “Addicted To Danger”, Ice’s sleepy style actually works well over this dark backdrop.

I Ain’t New Ta This – This was the first, and I believe only single, released from Home Invasion. Over a dope instrumental driven by an infectious bass line, Ice-T sets out to prove he’s a vet in this here rap game. This is definitely one of Ice’s better rhyming contributions to Home Invasion (the dude uses “pugilist” in a rhyme, how often have you heard an emcee use that word? And he gets cool points for showing Gang Starr love on the final verse), and combined with the dope Aladdin/SLJ instrumental, this may be the strongest song on the album.

Pimp Behind The Wheels – Ice-T and his deejay Evil E switch roles, as E grabs the mic and Ice provides the cuts on DJ L.P.’s decent instrumental. Evil E doesn’t sound terrible (spitting his Ice-T penned rhymes), but he shouldn’t quit his day job. I’m just sayin’.

Gotta Lotta Love – Our host dedicates this one to all the gangs who came to a peace treaty after the Rodney King riots. Kudos for the sentiment, but Ice-T’s rhymes are trash, and Donald D’s instrumental is very forgettable.

Hit The Fan – Over yet another dark instrumental (produced by Ice-T and someone named Trekan), Ice reminisces about a mesmerizing chick he met in a club and shares every intimate detail of their encounter. Am I the only one that finds it hilarious that Ice multimillion albums selling T is naïve enough to believe some strange chick he just met at a club when she tells him “I’ve seen you on the movies and T.V., I love your records but I ain’t no groupie”? Once again, Ice’s flow isn’t tight, but this time his lyrics manage to paint a pretty vivid picture, as the backdrop accommodates them well (I love the tribal like drums that come in at the end of the song).

Depths Of Hell – Aladdin and SLJ once again break Ice off with a nice canvas, and this time he uses it to share his rags to riches story. Well, kind of. He takes a few detours, like when he threatens to “fuck up a nigga and drop kick his bitch”, and later boasts how his posse will kill you in the club if you get out of line. Reggae artist Daddy Nitro drops by and provides a chant for the hook that works well with this song. Side note: This song was also included on the Trespass Soundtrack that was released a few months before Home Invasion.

99 Problems – Ice-T invites 2 Live Crew member, Brother Marquis to join him on this duet, as the two take turns counting off all the different types of women they have as a round about way to let you know that getting women is the least of their problems (Jay-Z would later borrow Ice-T’s hook and song title on The Black Album (which coincidentally was going to be the album title for Home Invasion after Ice-T initially agreed to change the album cover due to pressure from the heads at Sire/Warner Bros), which does a lot better job of getting the song’s point across). The hard instrumental is quite the contrast to the duo’s light-hearted content, but this is still a fun record.

Funky Gripsta – Ice introduces his 14-year-old female emcee protégé, Grip to the world, as she gets a solo track on Home Invasion. Grip sounds like a female version of Mr. Funke (from Lord Of The Underground, whom I’ll be discussing further very soon) only less lyrical. Ice-T, Aladdin, Wolf and Grip are given a co-production credit for the instrumental that switches more than a hooker in a ’64 Impala hooked with hydraulics, and ultimately ends sounding a hot mess. At the end of the song Ice-T promises a solo album from Grip, which we’re still waiting on (well, I don’t think anyone is really waiting on it, but you know what I’m getting at…). Legend has it that Grip’s vanity label, Tuff Break, was dropped from A&M Records before and album was ever released. Now that’s a tough break (*rimshot*). Grip, the production, hook and the song title all fall short of the glory of God.

Message To The Soldier – Ice-T goes back to his sleepy speaking style, as he gives advice to all the rappers who want to stand for something in the name of hip-hop. The Aladdin and SLJ backdrop uses portions of the same loop Eric B & Rakim made popular on “Don’t Sweat The Technique”, although not nearly as effective as the latter. And the ill piano loop brought in on the hook sounds like something Premo would use. Ice-T’s verses are pretty useless, but he does drop a few jewels at the end of the song.

Ain’t A Damn Thing Changed – Ice-T ends Home Invasion spitting a short accapella spoken word piece. And with that, we’re done.

I’m not sure if it was all the controversy and changes prior to the album’s release, his budding acting career, or maybe him coming to the realization that he would no longer have the fine ass Darlene Ortiz on his arm. Whatever the reason, it’s clear that Ice-T wasn’t totally focused and committed to Home Invasion. Ice-T has never been a great emcee. His flow is often sloppy and I wouldn’t classify him as tier 1 wordsmith, but he does have hustle, charisma, strong song ideas (usually) and a great knowledge and understanding of hip-hop and its history. On Home Invasion, other than his new found obsession with Ice Cube (he mentions him on at least four different songs), Ice doesn’t really cover any new territory, and his past issues with sloppiness reach new plateaus, and at times is down right embarrassing. DJ Aladdin and SLJ (who provide the bulk of the production) do their best to steady the ship, and even though they hit more often than they miss, the voyage (at just under 74 minutes with 19 tracks) is too long and Ice-T’s shoddy microphone work causes too much damage to keep the vessel from sinking.

-Deedub

We first heard from the Jersey City brother duo PM Dawn in ’91 with their debut album Of The Heart, Of The Spirit And Of The Cross: The Utopian Experience, which earned the Cordes boys a gold plaque, thanks largely to the crossover hit “Set Adrift On Memory Bliss”. While PM Dawn was praised by hipsters and pop music critics alike, they received the cold shoulder from most of the hip-hip community, who found their brand of hip-hop too soft and corny. Back in the day, I also wrote them off as corny, but after finding their debut in the dollar bin and listening to the album in its entirety for the first time last year for this blog, I actually found it pretty enjoyable (read my thoughts on it here). No, it’s not your traditional hip-hop album, but time and maturity helped me appreciate Prince Be’s parables and the duo’s smooth jazz/folksy production sound.

PM Dawn would return in 1993 with their follow-up, The Bliss Album…? (Vibrations of Love and Anger and the Ponderance of Life and Existence), and like it’s predecessor, it would earn brothers Cordes another gold plaque, heaps of critical acclaim from hipsters and pop critics, and leave hip-hoppers with a stank face.

Sadly, on June 17, 2016, after years of health issues, Prince Be passed away from compilations related to his diabetes, at the still relatively young age of 46. Upon his death The New York Times said PM Dawn was “both underappreciated and quietly influential”. Even if you didn’t like PM Dawn you have to admit they helped opened the lane for abstract acts like Arrested Development, Outkast, and later the emo-rap movement led by the Drakes and Kid Cudis of the world.

Rest in peace, Prince Be. (And rest in peace to my Aunt, Wanda Marie Cotton, who passed away on July 15, 2016).

Intro – The Bliss Album…? opens with a soundbite from a man speaking about “strange words” and the importance of understanding them (which anyone slightly familiar with PM Dawn, knows can be challenging at times), followed by a soundbite from a woman (who sounds like either Wendy or Lisa from the Purple Prince’s (rip) band The Revolution) describing “Prince”, which PM Dawn uses to describe the voice of their two-man crew, Prince Be.

When Midnight Sighs – I’m not sure what the hidden meaning is in Prince Be’s softly spoken word lyrics. Is he speaking from the perspective of a righteous God unhappy with the sins of his creation? Or did Prince Be actually sit up and weep every night as the clock stuck twelve? And how exactly does midnight sigh? Prince Be’s lyrics may be a bit too abstract, but I actually like the mellow instrumental playing underneath him.

So On And So On – PM Dawn builds this backdrop around a loop from David Batiste & The Gladiators “Funky Soul” (that they would later be sued for sampling, but would walk a way victorious as a judge would rule in their favor). Prince Be puts on his singing cap for this semi-gospel/pop joint. No this is not a “hip-hop” song, and I completely understand if you don’t like it, but I kind of like its funky popish vibe.

Plastic – Prince Be decides it’s finally time to spit a few bars, as he confronts the many haters and naysayers who considered him too soft or a wack sellout for his pop/hipster style. This song may contain the strongest rhymes I’ve ever heard Prince Be spit (not that we have a lot to work with, I’m just sayin’), and the funky backdrop was kind of nice.

The Ways Of The Wind – Prince Be sings over an airy instrumental, and it ends up being a decent pop joint.

To Love Me More – Over very soft music (this one doesn’t even have drums) Prince Be goes into croon mode. His lyrics can be taken as a love song to his significant other or a love song to God. Not a terrible song but it sounds a little bit too much like another song on this album (that will discuss in a little taste).

About Nothing (For The Love Of Destiny) – This is another one I wouldn’t consider a hip-hop record, but I’m digging the hipster groove on it.

Norwegian Wood (This Bird Has Flown) – This is a remake of The Beatles song with the same song title. I’m not a fan The Beatles version or PM Dawn’s take, but I did kind of dig the guitar riff (which sounds like it may have been lifted from Prince’s guitar solo at the end of “Let’s Go Crazy”. Prince isn’t credited in the liner notes, so I could be wrong.) brought in during the hook.

Beyond Infinite Affections – Finally, Prince Be decides to spit bars again. On this one he discusses life, life after death and faith in God (I think?). Be’s lyrics are okay, but the dope jazzy piano loop helps make this the strongest hip-hop song on The Bliss Album…?

Looking Through Patient Eyes – The second single from The Bliss Album…? uses elements from George Michael’s’ “Father Figure” and reminds me a lot of “The Ways Of The Wind”. Only Prince Be decides to go back in to his airy spoken word style instead of singing. Not really feeling this one.

Filthy Rich (I Don’t Wanna Be) – Prince Be tip toes over this soft backdrop with his poetry, that is too abstract for my liking. Being that PM Dawn were Christians, I’m assuming the concept of this song is based on the Biblical scripture from Matthew 19:24 or Mark 10:25, which both talk about how hard it is for a rich man to enter the gates of heaven. Not a fan of this one either.

More Than Likely – Prince Be invites Boy George to help him with this duet that was also released as the third single from The Bliss Album…? I’ve never considered Boy George a great singer, though he seemed to sound decent on most of his eighties pop records. But the acoustic backing on this one exposes all his vocal flaws, and his nasally vocal tone quickly becomes a nuisance to the ear. This one is terrible.

The Nocturnal Is In The House – This is easily the hardest track on The Bliss Album…? Prince Be puts a little bass in his voice and spits boastful bars on the mic. The backdrop is cool but Prince Be’s rhymes are garbage.

When It’s Raining Cats And Dogs – I’m a sucker for a sick bass line, and this song has a funky one that is bound to get your head nodding, no matter how hard you try to deny it. This actually sounds like something The Weekend might do today. As long as you’re not looking for a pure hip-hop record, you’ll appreciate this one, a little taste.

I’d Die Without You – This was also included and released as a single off the The Boomerang Soundtrack in 1992, and is arguably the biggest hit in the PM Dawn catalog (and the song I felt “To Love Me More” aped). Over a soft and soulful instrumental, Prince Be’s in croon mode as he lets the objection of his affection know she is the sole reason that he continues to breathe. Yeah, it’s a bit cheesy and sappy, but this is still a really good song. Even if it was released today I think it would be a hit. Timeless classic.

While PM Dawn’s Of The Heart may have been a bit too abstract, soft, emo or corny, for most hip-hop heads to digest, the fact that Prince Be was actually rapping (or spoken wording) on the majority of the album, qualifies it as a hip-hop album. The Bliss Album…?, is absolutely not a hip-hop album. Prince Be spends the majority of the album as a pop r&b singer, crooning over airy pop instrumentals, only spitting rhymes on special occasions. That said, if you can look past Prince Be’s severely coded riddles (or are willing to take the time to decode them) and take The Bliss Album…? for the pop record that it is, you’ll appreciate a sizable amount of the album, or at least the instrumentals.

-Deedub