Time Is Illmatic

This is a new addition to the collection. I had this one on cassette back in the day, until it was eaten by my hungry tape deck. So it was a pleasant surprise to run across this one at one of the used music spots that I frequent. Place this one after The Whole Shabang Volume 1.

Robert Green Jr. better known to the world as the gun-toting drug dealing rapper Spice 1, which may be the worst moniker acronym in hip-hop history (Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash and Entertainment and a random “1” thrown on the end). Born in Corsicana, TX Spice 1 relocated to the bay area where he honed his rapping skills and would be discovered by the Oakland legend Too Short. His relationship with Short would lead to Spice 1 inking a deal with Jive and releasing his self titled debut in 1992.

Spice 1 would be chalked full of west coast funk tracks (with the majority of the production be handled by Too Short’s partner, funk and big bass lover, Ant Banks) and violent lyrics from our host. Spice 1 would be the first of three consecutive gold selling albums for Spice, and The Source would even include it on their 1998 list of 100 Top Rap Albums of All Time. Even to date, while in his mid forties, Spice continues to release material independently, including two projects in 2015.

On a side note, Spice 1 may have one of the worst album covers in the history of hip-hop. What’s with the double exposure eighties style pic? It reminds me of my 2nd grade school pictures, rocking my tight (in the true sense of the word…my underarms were gasping for air in that thing) powder blue Dukes Of Hazzard t-shirt and tight peas covering my dome. I guess the old adage never judge a book by its cover should be applied to albums as well.

My Neighborhood –  Spice 1 kicks off the album with a funky Ant Banks produced track built around a loop of George Duke’s “Reach For It”. Our host gives the listener a slightly lighthearted account of hood happenings, which includes Spice fighting his home boy’s dope fiend dad and shooting his wife in the titty after she bust shots at Spice in defense of her husband. This was an entertaining start to the evening.

187 Proof – This was the lead single and the song that helped put Spice 1 on the map. Spice cleverly weaves together a murderous tale, incorporating different brands of liquor as characters. The instrumental (which is credited to Spice 1) has a thumping bass line and keys that give it a devious feel, setting the perfect mood for Spice’s storyline. This has to be one of the greatest storytelling raps in hip-hop history. Yeah, I said it.

East Bay Gangster (Reggae) – SKI (not to be confused with the east coast producer, Ski-Beatz) & CMT get the credit for this layered and funky instrumental that Spice uses to declare himself the alias that the title suggest. Spice 1 gives us the first hint of the evening that he reps the Bloods with his line “I like to eat crab (derogatory term for a Crip) but I prefer steak”, and proceeds to shoot up everything in sight. Spice one does recite the hook in a reggae chant style, which I’m sure is why he awkwardly added “Reggae” in parentheses to the song title. All in all, this was solid.

Money Gone – Black Jack gets the production credit on this one and he creates a monster. Spice adopts a stutter flow that sound perfect over this sick instrumental, and proceeds to rip the shit out of it. Twenty plus years later and then song still gets me amped up every time I hear it.

1-800-Spice – This one opens with Ant Banks dialing the fake number that is supposed to be a way to get a hold of Spice, if you’re looking to buy some crack. Ant Banks stays true to his bass heavy production scheme but adds a little reggae twist to this one, which causes Spice to take on a reggae style delivery, and he pulls it off. This was decent.

Peace To My Nine – Ant Banks loops up a portion of Funkadelic’s “One Nation Under A Groove” for Spice 1’s ode to his choice of weapon. Interestingly, the liner notes for this song have the following disclaimer from the Funkadelic leader himself: Because of our beliefs, expressed in “One Nation Under A Groove”, it would be hypocritical to deny use of the sample, but we are not in agreement with the thoughts and ideology expressed in “Peace To My Nine” – George Clinton. That’s the kind of info I love about liner notes, that you won’t get with your iTunes purchase, folks…but I digress. Thank you George for granting Banks permission to use it because the instrumental is dope and Spice keeps it interesting as well.

Young Nigga – Speaking of George Clinton, SKI & CMT keep things in the Clinton vain, sampling Parliament’s “Mothership Connection (Star Child)” for this mellow jazzy groove. Spice 1 uses it to reflect on the thuggery of his younger days (which must mean his teen years, considering he was only 22 when Spice 1 was released). I love his first line of the song which makes reference to a Nino Brown line I’ve always loved: “When I was young I had the lust to pull the trigger, and make change out of five dollar ass niggas”. Another quality record from Spice.

Welcome To The Ghetto – This was the second single released from Spice 1, and a song I completely forgot about before listening to it again today. Spice gets the production credit as he creates a somber instrumental and reflects on the drugs and violence that influenced and affected his life and the lives of brothers in hoods all across America. Not one of the strongest songs on Spice 1, but still decent.

Fucked In The Game – From his first line, Spice 1 lets you know exactly what this song is going to be about: “Murder, murder, murder, murder muthafuckas”. Spice 1 and Black Jack loop up an old Curtis Mayfield record and turn it into the perfect backdrop for Spice’s angry murderous threats.

Money Or Murder – Everything about this song reminds me of Scarface (of the Geto Boys). From Banks’ smooth instrumental (built around a loop of Isaac Hayes’ “Joy,” further confirming my claim that Hayes is the second most sampled artist in hip-hop history) to Spice’s detailed murderous action packed rhymes (and even his delivery on this one), screams Face. I’m not excusing Spice 1 of biting Face, but there is no denying he was influenced by the legend.

City Streets – Ant Banks build this instrumental around a loop from The Dramatics’ “Whatcha See Is Whatcha Get”, as Spice 1 spits more of his violent hood tales. Spice drops his second hint of the evening that he rolls with the Bloods with his line “I had my Nike sweatsuit on and it was red like a sparrow”. Banks’ instrumental is slick and Spice rides the groove perfectly.

1-900-Spice – Like “1-800-Spice”, this one starts with Ant Banks dialing the phony number (no pun intended) that the title suggest. This time around, Spice 1 answers and spits one quick verse over an Ant Banks slowed down funk groove (which sounds like it uses a loop from Diana Ross’ “Love Hangover”), and then gets the hell out of Dodge.

Break Yourself – Ant Banks not only produces this one but also contributes a verse for it as well. Spice 1 spits more of his gangsta rhetoric (and sounds extremely awkward when he refers to the lisped boxing great as “Michael Tyson”) and Ant Banks uses a completely different delivery than what we would hear from him a few months down the road on Too Short’s “Something To Ride.” Gone is his Oakland drawl and his rapid paced flow makes him sound like a completely different rapper. Banks bassy beat is mediocre at best and neither he or Spice say anything worthwhile.

187 Pure – “187 Proof” ended with Indo Weed killing, or as Spice cleverly puts it, smoking, all of the remaining alcohol characters in the song. SKI & CMT slightly adjust the instrumental used on “187 Proof” (adding a nice vocal sample from KRS-One [“this is your brain on drugs”] on the hook) and Spice 1 picks up Indo’s story where “187 Proof” left off, substituting alcohol characters with narcotics. This was dope, literally. Lyrically, it may even be stronger than “187 Proof”.

Spice 1 is a solid debut from Spice. He and his team of producers provide an enjoyable and cohesive funk laden soundscape, and Spice 1 proves that he is not just a gangsta with a microphone, but a more than capable emcee with a sick flow and an underrated ability to adapt his flow to fit any beat. Spice 1never strays away from its gangsta tales of violence and drug dealing, but few have made the overly used topics sound as entertaining as Spice 1 does on his debut.

-Deedub

Mark Morales better know to the world as Prince Markie Dee, begin his rap career as a third of the Brooklyn based trio the Fat Boys (originally known as the Disco 3) in the mid eighties. From the jump, the Fat Boys took a comic approach to their music, often poking fun at their weight in their songs. From ’84 to ’91, Prince Markie Dee, Kool Rock-Ski and Buffy The Human Beat Box (rip) had quite a commercially successful run, releasing seven albums with three of them going gold and a 4th earning them a platinum plaque. While the earlier records were funny and lighthearted, they still held some credibility; but as time went on, their music became progressively more buffoonish (including a garbage remake of The Safaris’ hit “Wipe Out” featuring the Beach Boys and a remake of Chubby Checker’s “The Twist”, which Checker himself would make a cameo in). Their intentionally pop records helped moved units but they also led to the Fat Boys losing their true hip-hop fans, and soon the fickle pop fan base grew tired of the trio’s antics and their 15 minutes of fame was over.

Somewhere around the group’s 6th album On And On, Prince Markie Dee and the Fat Boys’ manager Charles Stettler begin to beef over creative control and how business was being handled, which resulted in Markie getting kicked out the group as he would not be a part of TFB’s final album Mack Daddy (which might have been a blessing in disguise considering the album flopped). Markie Dee would connect with then up and coming music mogul Puff Daddy, who was still at Uptown at the time. The relationship led to Markie Dee co-writing and producing Mary J Blige’s “Real Love”, songs for Father MC, and eventually, Mariah Carey (side note: a few years ago Markie Dee claimed that Puffy and Biggie stole the instrumentals for “Juicy” and “Big Poppa” from him). His production and writing work helped him establish himself as a solo artist and build relationships with industry insiders, which led to him signing a solo deal with Columbia, releasing his debut album Free, in the summer of ’92.

Technically, it’s not a solo album as its credited as Prince Markie Dee and the Soul Convention, which is basically a group of singers, rappers and musicians, that contribute their talents on Free. But for what its worth, it’s a Prince Markie Dee solo project as he is the voice of the show and handles most of the production along with his partner Mark Rooney.

Markie Dee would go one to release one more solo album before hanging up his mic and becoming a radio deejay in Florida, but will forever be remembered as the light skin dude from the Fat Boys.

So Very Happy – The album opens with an instrumental built around the same A Taste Of Honey’s “Rescue Me” sample that Positive K would use for his biggest (and only) hit, “I Got A Man”, later the same year. It never dawned on me back in the day, but Markie Dee sounds a lot like Heavy D on this one; not only with his overweight lover content but also his delivery. I’m not feeling this one.

Trippin’ Out – This was the lead single from Free. Over a heavily synthesized flavored r&b instrumental, Markie Dee recalls a girl from his junior and high school days named Shelly, who through different acts proves to be a ride or die chick and Markie eventually ends up making her his lady. Billy Lawrence, who was a part of his Soul Convention crew before going solo, sings the hook and adds a few adlibs along the way as well. Not a terrible song but a bit too r&b flavored for my liking.

Typical Reasons (Swing My Way) – This was the second single and the main reason I bought Free in the first place. Markie Dee and Company hook up a mid-temp groove (that takes on a slightly jazzy feel courtesy of Chris Botti on the trumpet) that Markie uses to hold a conversation with a woman in an abusive relationship and tries to convince her to leave her man and become one of his side pieces, or as he calls it “associates”. Markie’s line “…focus your mind on a real man, I won’t sweat you or keep stressing it, I’ll buy your clothes but pay your rent is kind of pressing it” was pretty comical. Mark Rooney adds singing adlibs throughout, including the final two minutes of the song as the soothing instrumental plays on. This one still sounds good.

Trilogy Of Love – This may be the dumbest song of all time. It opens with Markie D saying “I don’t know what to do…three women and one me”, while Trey Lorenz (remember that guy?), Anthony Rodriguez and Mark Rooney sing the song title as the hook. Each of guest vocalists sings one verse (the liner notes curiously labels the verses as  “concern”, “understanding” and “passion), which one would think would be used to shed light on the dilemma of Markie’s love triangle square. Instead they sing corny lines and clichés, never dealing with the issue at hand; and to make matters worst, the song is 7 minutes long. This was a train wreck.

Free – This title song has Markie Dee yearning for a life that is care and worry free. Good intent, but Markie and Rooney’s instrumental is kind of weak; and the singing during the hook (courtesy of Mark Rooney and Anthony Rodriguez) sounds horrendous.

Addict 4 Your Love – Markie Dee and Mark Rooney replay a portion of the instrumental from Toto’s “Georgy Porgy”, with Rooney singing the hook from the same record (for hip-hop head’s not familiar with “Georgy Porgy”, it’s the same sample MC Lyte used on her single “Poor Georgie”). I’m not a fan of this one. For the second time on Free, Markie’s content doesn’t match the song title and hook. Markie’s bad boy rhymes tell a certain female that she can either accept the fact that he’s a player or kick rocks and move on, while the hook sings about how much of an addict he is for her love. This was poorly thought out and executed.

Back To Brooklyn – In an attempt to rep his borough properly, Markie Dee tries to come off like a hardcore gun-toting thug but instead ends up sounding like a laughable studio gangster. Even if Markie Dee’s persona was believable, this instrumental sounds way too upbeat and happy for his “gangsta” rhymes.

Foreplay – Our host uses this mid tempo groove to discuss how much he loves taking part in the appetizers leading up to the main course; so much so, that he felt it necessary to cum at the end of the record. I never understood why rappers (and singers) do that. Guys are more prone to be turned on by women moaning on wax than women being turned on by a man moaning on his record. I don’t even think gay guys would be turned on by it, but I digress. The instrumental is kind of nice. It kind of reminds me of the remix to Digital Underground’s “Packet Man”, at slightly higher bpms.

I Don’t Wanna Lose Your Love – Over a new jack swing track (that features Billy Lawrence singing the hook) Markie Dee summons his compassionate puppy dog lover personality, as he begs his lady to stay with him. This was kind of cheesy.

Ghetto Bound – Markie comes from the perspective of a ghetto kid who becomes a victim of his circumstances and ends up in prison. Markie doesn’t tread any new water here, nor does he add anything to the story that has been told 1,000 times before on wax. Like “Back To Brooklyn”, the instrumental sounds way too happy-go-lucky for Markie’s content.

Something Special – Markie invites Hasan the Love Child to rap with him on this hot mess of a song. This was terrible.

I’m Gonna Be Alright – Markie Dee and company hook up a somber yet inspirational instrumental for Markie to reflect on his past, live in the present and contemplate his future. This is easily the most honest song on Free, as Markie shows vulnerability and even questions his stent with the Fat Boys, with line like “rap, comedian, stooges skits, wearing stupid pants and shirts that didn’t fit, made the big screen, the funny role hit still, but suddenly the comedy just didn’t appeal, could it be that I was playing myself?” and “becoming brand new just being myself, so put the funny fat shit on the shelf”. This was nice.

The Aftermath – The song opens with a black Pentecostal church style organ and a vocalist singing adlibs over it. Then after a quick verbal exchange between Markie and a female voice, a sick and sexy r&b groove comes in that will make the hardest gangster drop his gun and grab his girl. This kind of works as a remix to the opening track, bringing things full circle as Tanieka “Misa” Hooten, Joe Kelly and Mark Rooney sing “happy, So very happy”, while Markie D adds adlibs throughout, in his Heavy D tone.

Prince Markie Dee is a decent rapper that takes on a few different personas during the course of Free. In a blink of an eye he goes from passionate lover, to a heartless playboy, to a gun-toting gangsta and then an emo rapper. Speaking of emo rapper, the personal “I’m Gonna Be Alright” is the only song that our host truly sounds authentic on (you can sort of  include “Typical Reasons” in that category as well). Even more troubling than our host’s multiple personalities is the overly r&b saturated production throughout Free. Like I’ve said before, I’m not completely opposed to mixing r&b and hip-hop but it must be done properly for it to work well. Everything on Free has an r&b feel, and only a few songs manage to avoid that “bad rap and r&b” category.  So, feel um, free to hit the fast forward button when needed while listening to this album.

-Deedub

This is a recent addition to the collection. File it right after Das EFX’s Dead Serious.

A few months ago I was scanning through some old issues of The Source circa 1992, because from time to time that’s what self-proclaimed hip-hop historians/music geeks do. While checking out the “Record Report” column from the February of ’92 issue, my eyes came across the name of a group and album that I had never heard of before: the subject of today’s post, The Future Sound’s The Whole Shabang Volume 1. After reading the favorable review (that compared their musical soundscape to my favorite hip-hop group of all time, A Tribe Called Quest), which gave the album 3.5 mics, my curiosity was peaked. And luckily for me there were a bunch of reasonably priced copies floating around on Amazon.

Hailing from New Rochelle, NY aka Now Rule, which Brand Nubian put on the map, Flashback the Funky Tactitioner and the Rhythm King Pin, Relay, made up the duo of The Future Sound or TFS for short. Along with Original Flavor (whose debut album I posted about a few months ago and you can read here) TFS was one of the first hip-hop acts that a young and future Roca-A-Fella Records co-founder, Damon Dash and his brother Darien Dash, would manage under their Dash Entertainment imprint. The Dashes had a relationship with DJ Clark Kent, who had connects with different labels, which eventually landed TFS a deal with East/West Records.

The Whole Shabang Volume 1 would be the first and last album from TFS, as they would fade away like LeBron’s hairline, becoming simply a footnote in Damon Dash’s interesting career.

Intro – The album opens with a Muzack type instrumental as a man with a soothing voice prepares you for the “adventure” you’re about to embark on. A little over the top, but still semi-clever.

This Is A Game – Flashback and Relay (who coincidentally sounds a lot like Ski from Original Flavor) each spit abstract rhymes over a jazzy groove that has a slightly Latin feel. Their rhyme style is very coded, so I’m not sure what the “game” is that they’re referring to (life? hip-hop?), but the instrumental needs no decoding. It’s dope, plain and simple.

The Function – Flashback and Relay hook up a sick instrumental built around a wicked bass guitar loop, sprinkled with an occasional organ and saxophone sample, to ensure that the listener will screw his or her face in audible enjoyment. The duo both spend their verses singing praises to the music. Rightfully so, since the instrumental is the true star of this one.

Flashback Relay & The Whole Shabang – Speaking of wicked guitar bass lines, TFS comes right back with another one that is rougher and has more of a soulful feel than the previous song. I can’t recall one line from Flashback or Relay, but the instrumental is a thing of beauty.

Star Struck (Caterpillar Style) – TFS dedicates this one is to all the sellouts, in their own unique abstract way. By this point it’s clear that these dudes aren’t going to blow your mind lyrically, but like the previous songs the production remains solid.

Thread – This interlude has Flashback, Relay, Darien Dash, Damon Dash and Clark Kent shootin’ the shits at a restaurant. Not sure what the purpose of this interlude was, but it’s clear that Damon Dash was an arrogant asshole even back then.

The Bop Step – The instrumental is decent but the hook starts to grate on the ears.

Lady/What’s A Bro To Do? – I actually came across a video on YouTube for this one, so it must have been released as a single, and of course it stars Damon Dash. The song opens with an ill saxophone sample from Pharoah Sanders “The Creator Has A Master Plan” (which coincidentally sounds a lot like Coltrane’s “Part 4: Psalms” from Love Supreme… or maybe not so coincidentally, considering Sanders came up under Coltrane’s tutelage…but I digress). Then TFS drops a buttery instrumental built around a nasty guitar loop, as they discuss the trials of being a brother in North America. Dope production from our hosts.

Pixie Groove – The song title describes this instrumental perfectly. Listen to it and tell me you can’t envision Tinker Bell waiving her magic wand to the beat, sprinkling pixie dust all over this beautiful track. During the hook they bring in what sounds like a violin loop, giving the already lovely instrumental a warm and soulful feel. Bravo, TFS.

Scriptic Cryptic – This song title can be used to describe TFS’ rhyme style. Clark Kent and Larry Larr get the production credit on this one, disrupting the enjoyable laid back jazzy vibe TFS created on the album to this point. I’m not feeling this one.

Primates In Stitches – They can’t all be great, but still decent.

Flashback Relay & The Whole Shabang (Wig Out Mix) – Remix of the original that appeared earlier in the sequencing. This mix has more of a reflective feel than the original, but it’s equally dope.

Sucka Set – Over a funky up-tempo guitar loop and drum beat, TFS spit their version of battle rhymes. Another quality instrumental laced with forgettable rhymes.

Jungle-O – TFS definitely had an affinity for dope guitar loops. This time they hook up an explosive rock tinged guitar sample but the drums placed underneath it are almost non-existent. Flashback and Relay sound overwhelmed by the intensity of the instrumental that ultimately drowns out their voices.

When The Ends Meet (Life Of The Futuristic B-Boy) – Our hosts revisit Pharoah Sanders’ “The Creator Has A Master Plan” and turn a sick bass line and a melodic flute sample into my favorite instrumental on The Whole Shabang. Sticking with the script, Flashback and Relay continue to speak in code, so the meaning of the interesting song title remains a mystery (at least to me). The instrumental is calming, somber, introspective, and sounds like the perfect traveling music from your next stop after death (that last part might sound a bit twisted but it was meant to be a compliment). I had to listen to this one about 6 times to quench my audible thirst. Awesome way to end the album.

Let me start by stating that on a good day Flashback and Relay are tier c emcees, so don’t go into listening to The Whole Shabang expecting to be mesmerized by their lyrical ability (if you’re lucky, or patient enough, you’ll be able to decode a portion of their overly abstract rhyme schemes). The true star of The Whole Shabang is TFS’s soulful and jazzy production. Not all of the instrumentals are stellar but a large chunk of them are wonderfully crafted hidden gems that will have you hitting the rewind button in search of repeat eargasms. I wonder what became of these guys? As producers they could have created some classic records for many dope emcees of that era.

-Deedub

The Brand New Heavies are an acid jazz and funk band hailing from London, England. The group formed in the mid eighties and released their UK self titled debut in 1990. Originally the group had Jay Ella Ruth as the lead vocalist, but when they signed with Delicious Vinyl, they would replace Ruth with N’Dea Davenport, shuffle the song sequencing, add a key song, and re-release the Brand New Heavies album in the U.S. in 1991.

I first became familiar with Brand New Heavies after hearing their beautiful debut U.S. single “Never Stop”, and the funky up tempo “Dream Come True”, which prompted me to cop the album on cassette back in the day. They would go on to collaborate with Def Jef on “Brand New Heavy Freestyle” from his Soul Food album (which uses the instrumental from the opening track “BNH” on their debut album) and their song “People Get Ready” would be included on the Juice Soundtrack. In ’92 they would test the hip-hop waters even further, releasing a full length album with featured emcees rhyming over their live instrumentals, titled Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol 1.

The album didn’t move a ton of units but it did receive positive reviews from critics. I wonder why they never followed up with a volume 2. It’s never too late. How nice would it be to hear Kendrick Lamar and J.Cole spitting over some live BNH instrumentals?

Bonafied Funk – Over a live mellow groove brought to you courtesy of the Brand New Heavies, front man of Main Source, Large Professor, spills a few lines about his crew (ironically, Extra P’s first line in the song is “Main Source forever”, and the group would be broken up by the end of ’92) and sends some kind words to BNH as well. Extra P even lets the other two deejays in the crew (K-Cut and Sir Scratch) speak with their hands during the second verse. Not Extra P’s best verses, but they’re pleasant and the music behind his rhymes will definitely satisfy.

It’s Gettin’ Hectic – Brand New Heavies opens this one with a killer bass line that even Too Short would be jealous of. Then the rest of the instrumental kicks in for Guru (rip) to spit over, as he big ups Gang Starr and calls out the sucka emcees. Not one of my favorite songs on the album but still decent.

Who Make’s The Loot? – Grand Puba is a severely underappreciated emcee. He may not spit the most profound rhymes but the dude has always been incredibly witty and has one of the smoothest flows in the history of hip-hop. Puba nonchalantly spills clever punch lines over this mid-tempo BNH funk groove. One of my favorite songs on the album. BNH released a music video that kind of served as a sampler for the album, which included a verse from this song, “Bonafied Funk”, and the following song…

Wake Me When I’m Dead – BNH hooks up a harder than usual, semi-dark instrumental for this Masta Ace collaboration. Ace uses it to perfection (in his new-found “off beat-on beat” flow that he would use in full on his Slaughtahouse album the following year) as he addresses the fast growing epidemic of emcees compromising the art by making intentionally pop records to make a dollar (which Master Ace might be found guilty of during his Sittin’ On Crome days, depending on who you ask. Come to think of it, I do remember reading a quote from Ace himself that SOC was his “sellout” album). Ace sounds fresh and rejuvenated dropping lines like “if this was an opera I’d probably said Figaro, black kid from Brooklyn, but don’t call me nigga, though” and “you’re so busy riffin’ and daring kids to shoot ya, according to the Jetsons there’s no blacks in the future”(those under thirty may need to Google the Jetsons to get that second rhyme). This is probably the best conceptual song on Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol 1.

Jump N’ Move – Other than the hook, which is the same as the song title, I have no idea what former BDP member and dancehall emcee, Jamalski is saying on this one. The instrumental is dope, so who cares?

Death Threat – Every rapper’s favorite rapper, Kool G. Rap, wets his chops on some live BNH instrumentation, as he pretty much spends his verses doing exactly what the song title suggest. G Rap’s rhymes are sharp and witty as usual, but the light BNH instrumental clashes with his hard rhymes.

State of Yo – This one is credited with an appearance from Black Sheep, but only Dres actually takes part in this one. The BNH laid back instrumental is pleasant but I didn’t care much for what Dres does over it.

Do Whatta I Gotta Do – BNH provide a funky up tempo instrumental for Ed. O.G. to rhyme over. Problem is, it may be too up tempo as Ed sounds uncomfortable and like he’s chasing the beat, which ultimately makes his rhymes sound rushed and sloppy. Regardless, the live instrumentation was nice.

Whatgaboutthat – Dancehall artist Tiger rhymes (or chants) over some BNH instrumentation, that is a bit more sultry than I prefer my hip-hop, or reggae. I couldn’t feel this one back in the day and time hasn’t altered my opinion.

Soul Flower – BNH’s label mates, Pharcyde, join BNH for this one, as Bootie Brown, Imani, Slimkid and Fatlip all spit lighthearted rhymes over a pleasant laid back funk groove. Pharcyde would remix this song and put it on their debut album Bizarre Ride, that would drop a few months later. I prefer this version to the remix, though.

For the most part, The Brand New Heavies’ Heavy Rhyme Experience: Vol 1 is an enjoyable um, experience. BNH creates a cohesive jazzy funk vibe for some of the hottest emcees of that era to spit over. So even when some of the guest emcees fall short, their quality music is musical mascara, hiding all the blemishes. And with the album being a slim and trim 10 songs in length, even listening to the not so enjoyable Tiger joint is less of a chore. I’m still holding out for volume 2.

-Deedub

New York native and California transplant, Erick “Everlast” Schrody came on the scene in the late eighties under the tutelage of Ice-T, as part of his Syndicate Posse. In 1990 he would release his debut solo album Forever Lasting on Warner Bros. As was made evident by the black suit with white tennis shoes that he donned in the videos for “I Got The Knack” and “The Rhythm”, young Erick wasn’t sure which way he wanted to go. Struggling to find his own voice and lane, the album failed both commercially and critically.

Everlast would regroup, literally. He traded in his suit for a Larry Bird jersey, flannel and jeans, chopped his big hair down to a low Caesar and recruited DJ Lethal (whom he worked with on Forever Lasting) and sideman Danny Boy, to form the House of Pain. The trio would release their self titled debut album on Tommy Boy in the summer of ’92.

DJ Lethal and DJ Muggs (of Cypress Hill) would handle the core of the production, creating a harder sound for House of Pain than what Everlast fans were accustom to. Everlast would also experiment with a new style, adopting a phony Irish accented delivery and a new-found admiration for all things Irish. On the success of their smash hit lead single (that we’ll get to shortly) House of Pain would earn the trio a platinum plague in less than 5 months of its release.

House of Pain would release two more albums as a group with mild success, before Everlast would yet again reinvent himself, this time re-emerging as Whitey Ford, the acoustic guitar playing blues/rock singer. This would also be a successful venture for Everlast, as he would release several albums, selling millions of units (with the first two going double platinum and gold) and he continues to record music and tour to this day.

Salutations –  DJ’s Lethal and Muggs join forces and hook up a slightly dark but completely sick intro instrumental that Everlast uses to scream “House Of Pain” over, repeatedly.

Jump Around – If you’re not familiar with this song you really should consider moving from the rock in which you live under. This is the gold selling lead single that will always define House Of Pain’s career. Muggs hooks up an instrumental that is the perfect stereotypical example of what an Irish hip-hop group should rap over, and that’s not a dis. The instrumental is dope, so much so that you won’t even mind Everlast spitting his tough guy talk in his exaggerated Irish accent. A fun song that I’m sure will always be in someone rotations, at a party, club, or radio station near you.

Put Your Head Out – Muggs hooks up a blunted instrumental that sounds like something Cypress Hill would spit over, so it makes perfect sense that B-Real joins Everlast on this one, as they each spit violent threats to anybody within earshot. This was solid.

Top O’ The Morning To Ya – Perfect song title for an Irish rap group. Lethal hooks up an instrumental that slightly sounds like it’s trying to ape “Jump Around”, and the third member of the group, Danny Boy, makes his first appearance of the evening, joining Everlast on the mic. All in all, this was cool.

House And The Rising Sun – Son Doobie of FunkDoobiest (who sounds like a poor man’s Krazy Drayz of Das EFX, minus the stuttering) joins Everlast on this duet, and neither spit anything with any lasting value. Lethal’s drunken instrumental was kind of cool, though.

Shamrocks And Shenanigans – Danny Boy returns, joining Everlast on the mic over a decent DJ Lethal production. The hook is cheesy and gimmicky but the song is not completely garbage. This was okay.

House Of Pain Anthem – Lethal brings the bpms down quite a bit for this tortoise paced instrumental that has a dark and eerie feel to it, as Everlast and Danny Boy talk more of their Irish tough guy shit. Lethal’s instrumental is dope.

Danny Boy, Danny Boy – Just like that we go from tortoise like tempo to hare like speed, as Muggs uncharacteristically, provides a super up tempo beat for Everlast and Danny to rap over. I didn’t really care much for this one.

Guess Who’s Back – Muggs’ soulful dusty and blunted instrumental sounds a lot like Yo-Yo’s “It’s A Long Way Home” (from Black Pearl), which should come as no surprise, considering he produced both songs (and for the record, the samples are from two different, um, records [“Guess Who’s Back” samples Albert King’s “Cold Feet” and “Long Way Home” uses an Otis Redding loop]). Everlast asks the rhetorical question on the hook and uses his verses to share more of his new-found Irish pride.

Put On Your Shit Kickers – This is garbage, and the hook is shit, no pun intended.

Come And Get Some Of This – Muggs and Ralph the Funky Mexican (from FunkDoobiest) get the co-production credit on this one. The sample reminds me of “Pigs” from Cypress Hill’s debut. Not completely terrible, but you’ll forget everything about this song as soon as it ends.

Life Goes On – Ralph The Funky Mexican gets the production credit for this mediocre instrumental, as Everlast raps about the same things he’s rapped about for the previous 13 songs.

One For the Road – Muggs and Lethal come together again and concoct this slow tempo blunted instrumental. It’s not terrible but it’s not nearly as nice as what they did on the intro. Oh yeah, and Everlast spits more of the same old same old.

Feel It – See comments from “Life Goes On”.

All My Love – Everlast kicks a quick verse, before giving his shoutouts over a mediocre DJ Lethal instrumental.

Jump Around (Pete Rock Remix) – This is a hidden song on House of Pain (well, sort of: it’s not listed in the liner notes but it is listed on cd). Pete Rock (who by this time was quickly becoming the go to man for hip-hop remixes) hooks up a pretty dope instrumental for the remix, even adding his own verse. Solid, but I still prefer the original.

Everlast is far from a great emcee but he’s serviceable, and his dope voice makes up for his simple rhyme schemes and put on Irish accent. His content never goes beyond violent threats, boasts, bangin’ broads and endorsing Mickeys and Guinness, but when you factor in his rhyming partner Danny Boy is pretty much a fixture in the group (for whom I’m pretty sure Everlast penned the limited rhymes he does spit), he does a decent job of carrying the lyrical load on House of Pain. As far as the production, Muggs, DJ Lethal and Ralph the Funky Mexican create a cohesive Irish blunted sound scape for House of Pain. Even with the decent emceeing from Everlast and the cohesive production, four or five songs should have been left off the final cut of House of Pain. As is, Everlast’s rhymes start to sounds redundant by the midway point and the production on the second half of the album goes from sounding cohesive to down right repetitive.

-Deedub

EPMD is one of my favorite hip-hop groups and without question one of the greatest groups in the history of hip-hop. The chemistry of Parrish’s no-nonsense lyricism and Erick Sermon’s lazy and heavily lisped flow over their signature funk sound is undeniable. By 1992, EPMD was already three albums deep, and all three albums were certified gold. The duo would return in 1992 with their 4th release, sticking with the “business” theme, titling it Business Never Personal.

While recording Business Never Personal, Parrish and Erick begin to squabble over some financial disputes. Parrish’s home was robbed during this time, and rumors that Erick Sermon hired and sent the culprits to do this dastardly deed begin to surface. Shortly after the album’s release, EPMD would break up, making the album title even more fitting. They would both release two solo albums before kissing and making up and going on to release three more albums together, but we’ll get discuss those in-depth at later dates.

Business Never Personal was a critical success (including a 4.5 mic rating from The Source) and would keep the duo’s Midas touch in tact, as it would go on to be the duo’s 4th consecutive gold selling album. Not too many artist can say that, yet alone an underground hip-hop group.

Boon Dox – EPMD opens up the show with an instrumental that is equally raw, funky, and soulful. Erick and Parrish’s rhymes are decent, but their instrumental is the real star of this one.

Nobody’s Safe Chump – Erick and PMD hook up a pounding semi-mellow mid-tempo groove that the duo use to tough talk all over. This is a slept on beat by EPMD, and very suitable for midnight marauding.

Can’t Hear Nothing But The Music – They can’t all be great, but this is still a decent listen.

Chill – This is probably my favorite instrumental in all of  EPMD’s storied catalog. The duo loop up a portion Foreigner’s “Street Thunder”, lay it over the bass line from Zapp’s “Dance Floor” and the results are epic. Erick and P drop competent rhymes and sound right at home spitting over it. Well done.

Head Banger – This was the second single from Business Never Personal and is easily one of the top 10 cipher songs in hip-hop history. The E-Double and PMD invite fellow Hit Squad members, K-Solo and Redman, to join them as each party involved spits a verse over a raw funk instrumental built around a loop from Parliament’s “One Of Those Funky Things”. Erick, Parrish, and K-Solo turn in decent to solid verses, but Redman steals the show and completely shuts shit down. This song combined with the previous song make for a nice one-two punch.

Scratch Bring It Back (Part 2 – Mic Doc) –  DJ Scratch combines Busta Rhymes’ “wheel up, ease up, bring it back, come rewind” line from “The Scenario” with KRS-One’s “rewiiiiind!” from “Duck Down” and places them over an up-tempo beat that Erick spits a decent verse over. Parrish starts his verse over the same instrumental with an intentionally choppy and sloppy flow (that he would further indulge in on his solo efforts). After being reprimanded by Erick Sermon, who refers to P’s experimental flow as “bullshucks”, Scratch completely changes things up with a raw beat that helps PMD sober up and get back on track. This was dope.

Crossover – This was the lead single from Business Never Personal. The duo build the instrumental around the bass line from Idris Muhammad’s “Say What” and add a Roger Troutman vocal sample on the hook, as they pledge their allegiance to the underground, vowing never to sellout. Ironically, this single was probably the closest thing to a pop hit for EPMD, as it would earn them a gold plaque. This still sounds good today.

Cummin’ At Cha – EPMD hooks up a dope instrumental and lays a Cypress Hill and D-Nice vocal sample on the hook. After Erick drops a mediocre rhyme and Parrish completely mails his verse in, Dray and Skoob (bka Das EFX) take a page out of Redman’s book, closing this one out and once again stealing the show from their mentors.

Play The Next Man – Erick and PMD tell their significant others to kick rocks after discovering their be cheated on by them. This was definitely filler material, but still better than your favorite rapper’s filler material.

It’s Going Down – This was on the Juice Soundtrack. It feels like I’ve been saying that a lot lately. Click here to read my thoughts on it.

Who Killed Jane – Never been a huge fan of the Jane series and this one is no exception to the rule.

Lyrically, throughout Business Never Personal, neither E or P sound completely committed, which may lead one to believe that maybe the internal strife effected the quality of their writing.  There’s occasional flashes in the pan from the duo, but its their strong production and solid contributions from the Hit Squad members that make Business Never Personal a strong effort from one of the best groups to ever do it.

-Deedub

In 1991, DJ Quik exploded on the scene reppin’ his hometown of Compton on his debut release Quik Is The Name. On the strength of a couple of solid singles (“Born And Raised In Compton” and “Tonite”) and his crisp and clean layered production, the album earned Quik a gold plaque just 4 months after its release (and by ’95 it would reach platinum status). A year and a half later, he would return with his sophomore effort Way 2 Fonky.

Success always has a way of attracting haters, so it was no surprise that along with the success of Quik Is The Name came a few new adversaries. Quik and MC Eiht (of Compton’s Most Wanted) begin to feud, and the King of west coast hating, the late Tim Dog (who single handedly started the east coast /west coast feud that would leave a stain on an otherwise wonderful decade for hip-hop after two of the era’s best emcees became casualties of the meaningless war) fired a few shots at Quik on his 1991 debut solo album Penicillin On Wax. Quik would address both of them on Way 2 Fonky, as well as one of his favorite topics of discussion:pussy. And of course he leaves room to clown around with his horny crew on a few tracks.

Way 2 Fonky was both a commercial (it reached gold status three months after its release) and critical success, as Quik would continue to make a name for himself while establishing himself as one of the game’s sickest producers.

America’z Most Complete Artist –  Quik opens the show with a P-funked out instrumental (and a dope DOC vocal sample added on the hook) that he uses to brag and boast about being what the song title suggest. The song is decent, but it definitely does provide any support for Quik’s bold claim.

Mo’ Pussy – This one picks up where Quik Is The Name’s “Sweet Black Pussy” left off. Quik loops and speeds up the drums and bass line from Blowfly’s “Convoy”, as he talks explicitly about the pleasures of the power u. The lyrics and hook sound a bit juvenile but the instrumental will keep you entertained.

Way 2 Fonky – Quik hooks up a mid-tempo backdrop for the title track, as he fires shots at Tim Dog (“Straight Bronx killa!”) and takes a subliminal shot at MC Eiht in the second verse (“to you suckas in my city claiming I got a death wish, you should try again fool, you aint hittin’ near this”). Quik was and never will be mistaken for a great lyricist, so even though his rhymes sound more like pebbles being thrown than shots fired, his instrumental lives up to the song’s title.

Jus Lyke Compton – This was the lead single from Way 2 Fonky. Over a melodic mid-tempo groove, Quik talks about the “hood experiences” he encountered while touring from city to city, that he naively thought only happened in the mean streets of Compton. This one still holds up well today. Quik’s instrumental is still enjoyable and his content sounds refreshingly honest.

Quik’z Groove II (For U 2 Rip 2) – The first “Quik’z Groove” was designed to remember the dead homies. This one is designed for you to rip the shit out of your girl’s punany to, so no matter which one you listen to, “rip” will be involved (*rim shot*). Decent, but I still prefer the o.g. version.

Me Wanna Rip Your Girl – The previous instrumental sets up what is sort of the companion piece to Quik Is The Name’s “Tha Bombudd”. Quik creates a reggae tinged instrumental as he chants about how much he wants to rip, or fuck, your girl. With hindsight being 20/20, it was kind of uncomfortable towards the end of the song to hear Quik ask that you let Easy-E rip your girl. The content is juvenile but Quik’s instrumental work stands up well. I’m starting to sound like a broken record.

When You’re A Gee – Quik invites one half of the Penthouse Players Clique, Player Hamm to take part in this session, as the two run through the responsibilities and advantages of being a gangsta. Quik rips Roger Troutman’s “I Heard It Through The Grapevine” instrumental at wholesale, but it still sounds dope. This was solid.

No Bullshit – This one opens with an eerie sounding synth chord that sounds like a mix between the Inspector Gadget theme song and the opening chords to “Thriller”. Then the scarce drums drop and Quik and his buddies from 2 II None, KK and Gangsta D, discuss all the speculation on their gang affiliation. They deny being a part of any gang, even though a few years later Quik would openly admit that he is down with the Bloods, but I digress. Not a terrible song, and being its only 2 minutes long, it’s over before you get the urge to hit the skip button.

Only Fo’ Tha Money – 2nd II None join Quik for the second consecutive song, as each party discusses exploiting women to make a buck. This was hot garbage.

Let Me Rip Tonite – Quik, 2nd II None, and a few special guests (or as the liner notes credit them as, Sexy Leroy and the Chocolate Lovelitez) get their Chi-Lites on (for you kids that don’t know who the Chi-Lites are, Google them) as they attempt to croon the ladies out of their panties. The lyrics are a bit cheesy and raunchy but Quik was successful in creating a soulful seventies style soundscape (tongue twister much) that still sounds good twenty plus years later.

Niggaz Still Trippin’ – Quik invites AMG, Hi-C, 2nd II None, and newcomer, JFN (who also goes by the corniest moniker I’ve ever heard in “the Funky White Nigga”??) to join him on this cipher joint. This is a complete waste of wax and time.

Tha Last Word – Quik brings back the instrumental from “Only Fo’ Tha Money” to give his shoutouts and send a few special dedications to his adversaries, Tim Dog and MC Eiht.

If you’re looking for substance or an extremely high level display of lyricism, Way 2 Fonky is not for you. But if you want to be entertained by a sonically sound project from one of the most underrated producers in the history of hip-hop, you’ve got the right album. There’s a reason he goes by DJ, and not MC Quik. There are a few skippable moments on Way 2 Fonky, and some of the juvenile content becomes a bit redundant, but for the most part, Quik’s clean production will keep you interested as you shamefully sing along to his nonsensical hooks.

-Deedub

We last heard from Too Short in 1990 with the release of his third official album release, Short Dog’s In The House. The album earned Short his second platinum plaque and tons of critical acclaim, as many critics and fans considered it one of the best albums in his lengthy catalog. Too Short would return in 1992 with his fourth official release, Shorty The Pimp.

Too Short would use the same formula on Shorty The Pimp that he used on his previous works: simple rhyme schemes over funk beats. Shorty The Pimp would also mark the beginning of Short’s relationship with Oakland native Ant Banks, who at the time was a new producer on the scene. He would be responsible for about half of the production on Shorty The Pimp. The album didn’t sell as well as his previous two projects and it received mixed reviews from the critics.

Is it just me or do all the chicks lined up on the album cover look like they have STD’s living in condos inside their vaginas? I wouldn’t touch any of them with your dick.

Intro: Shorty The Pimp – This intro is the intro of the theme song of the Blaxploitation movie of the same title.

In The Trunk – Too Short will never be known as a prolific lyricist, but he spits arguably his best rhymes on this one. Over the course of one long verse (like the opening song on Short Dog’s In The House), Short Dog raps like he’s got a chip on his shoulder, as he addresses his haters, the sucka emcees, the bitches, and drops an occasional boast, for good measure. SD is also credited for the instrumental and he hooks up a funky bass line that drives the instrumental. This was dope.

I Ain’t Nothin’ But A Dog – What would a Too-Short album be without a song calling women bitches? On this one he explains why he’s a dog and discusses the only thing he needs from a bitch woman, dropping simple but hi-larious lines like “I be a player for life, forget about a wife, she just aint my type” and  “most brothers try to take freaks out, I get a room and stick my dick in her mouth”. Ant Bank’s slow funk instrumental is a bit too slow for my liking and kind of drags this song down a bit.

Hoes – The same thing stated in the previous song can be applied to this one. Only, Too Short himself is responsible for the mediocre backdrop instead of Ant Banks.

No Love From Oakland – Short’s rhymes are all over the place on this one. I think his main goal was to highlight how tough it is to escape the mean streets of Oakland without ending up incarcerated or even worse, dead. Along the way, he takes the listener on quite a few side trips, including some random story about Tonya, Jack, Mike and Lynn. Banks’ instrumental is pretty nice, but it’s not nice enough to justify the song’s 8 and a half-minute run time.

I Want To Be Free (That’s The Truth) – This was the second single released from Shorty the Pimp. Too Short is notoriously known for his abundance of misogyny, but he has always managed to include a bit of substance on his each of his albums. On this one Short addresses the timeless issue of the volatile relationship between young black men and law enforcement. Ant’s always bass heavy backdrop, sounds solid behind Too Short conscious rhymes (now there’s an adjective you’ve probably never heard to describe Too Short rhymes).

Hoochie – This was terrible. Short dives deeper into his misogynistic rhyme book, while DeWayne Wiggins (from Tony! Toni! Tone!) gets the production credit and sings the godawful hook. Everything about this was bad.

Step Daddy – SD uses this one to discuss his bangin’ out of random baby mamma’s when their man is not around. Yes. It’s very corny. Ant Banks’ instrumental deviates away from his signature funky bass line driven formula and goes for a more traditional nineties west coast sound. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work.

It Don’t Stop – Too Short takes a, um, short break from his misogyny to break off the sucka emcees. Unfortunately, neither his rhymes or his generic backdrop get the job done.

So You Want To Be A Gangster – This was on the Juice Soundtrack that I reviewed a few months ago. You can read my thoughts on it here.

Something To Ride To – This is another instrumental that I looped from tape to tape for my boys and I to spit over back in the day. Ant Banks and Short are credited for the funky instrumental. Short invites Ant Banks, his copy cat protégé, Pooh Man, and Mhisani to each spit a verse during this cipher session. No, you won’t hear superb lyricism on this record, but all 4 Dangerous crew members sound like their having fun, which radiates to the listener and makes for an enjoyable listen. After a short rank session by one of Short’s uncredited crew members (which will make you chuckle, at least the first time you listen to it) the instrumental plays on for an additional 5 minutes, pushing the song’s total run time to a few second short of 12 minutes (which made the whole tape to tape looping process easier for me), so feel free to use the extended ending instrumental to brush up on your freestyle.

Extra Dangerous Thanks – Over a funky Too Short produced instrumental, that sounds slightly similar to the Too Short/Ant Banks produced instrumental on the previous song, Short gives his parting shoutouts. After shouting out his mom, Short strangely gives a shoutout to an Art Brooks, which is followed by “whoever the fuck that is”. Was he running through his list of people to shoutout and when he saw the name he completely forgot who Art Brooks was? Or is that his absentee dad (which would make sense, being he’s mentioned right after his mother) that he only mentioned as a shot at him? Whatever the case, it was good for a quick chuckle.

Too Short does what he does best on Shorty The Pimp: funk beats, with a sprinkle of boastful and conscious rhymes mixed into oodles of misogyny. As long as you don’t take his rhymes too serious, Short Dog’s content is comical and entertaining, even if it does become a bit repetitive and juvenile at times. My biggest issue with Shorty The Pimp is the lackluster production. While I’m a fan of some of the production work Ant Banks has done for other artist (i.e. Pooh Man and Spice 1), he misses just as often as he hits on Shorty The Pimp. Which must have rubbed off on Short Dog, as even his funk beats sound less intriguing this time around.

-Deedub

I was a bit skeptical when I first saw the trailer for the NWA bi-op movie Straight Outta Compton. Then I started to hear some positive reviews from a few dependable sources, and I became interested in seeing it, and I actually enjoyed it. The movie is about the NWA collective’s rapid rise to stardom and their eventual unraveling as a group, mainly focusing on the lives of Dr. Dre, Ice Cube, and Easy E (rip). In the movie, the lives of the other two members of NWA, DJ Yella and the subject of today’s review, Ren, are almost insignificant as the characters who play them are just pawns in the game, or movie. Coincidentally, the same could be said in reality. Ren is the black sheep of NWA. A talented emcee who went unsung, mostly do to being overshadowed by greater talents and bigger personalities in the group.

After Cube dropped four niggas and started making all the dough, and Dre left to go build the Death Row empire (on Snoop Dogg’s back), NWA was officially over. Ren found himself in a tough spot and was pretty much forced to pursue a solo career. He would stick with Easy and released his debut project Kizz My Black Azz on Easy’s Ruthless label.

Kizz My Black Azz was a 6 song ep, with the bulk of the production being handled by west coast hip-hop pioneer, DJ Bobcat. The ep was well received, and would be followed by 4 more full length solo albums from the Compton villain over the next two decades.

I got nothing else, so lets just jump into this one.

Intro: Check It Out Y’all – One would think if you only have 6 tracks on your ep, you would make good use of each song. Instead, Ren lets a pretty nasty Bobcat instrumental play without dropping any rhymes on it. He could have at least spit one quick verse. What a waste.

Behind The Scenes – Ren kicks off the official first song of the evening with a topic he’s no stranger to: bangin’ out broads. Ren takes a trip down memory lane back to high school, as he recalls the beauty and the body (his line about her having “ass hanging out by the pound” is pretty hilarious) of an anonymous young honey who at school gives the impression that she’s a sweet and innocent straight A student. Ren discovers another side of her when he decides to stalk her follow her home from school and witnesses how much of a freak Anonymous is. And when I say freak, I mean freaky. Bobcat’s instrumental is dope and its sonic energy compliments Ren’s outrageous but entertaining story line, perfectly.

Final Frontier – This was the only single released from Kizz My Black Azz. Bobcat’s instrumental opens with a sick Premo like loop, before he completely switches things up and revisits the instrumental from BDP’s “The Bridge Is Over”. Ren’s in a violent mood as he spits threats of bodily harm, promotes hitting women, and voices his disdain for  r&b singers singing on hip-hop records. I’m not an advocate for beating women, but overall this was a solid record.

Right Up My Alley – This is hands down the best song on Kizz My Black Azz. Bobcat provides an epic instrumental for Ren’s dark and bleak rhymes. The bombastic and pulsating drums compliment Ren’s booming baritone as he matter of factly talks about teenage prostitutes, random acts of violence and murder, as every day occurrences in his alley. Listening to this song will leave a depressing hole in your soul or scare the shit out of you, but either way it will tug at your emotions, which is what great songs are supposed to do, right?

Hounddogz – This is the only song on Kizz My Black Azz that Bobcat didn’t produce. Instead, Ren recruits someone going by the alias of “The Torture Chamber” and DJ Train (with a co-production credit going to Ren) to provide the backdrop for this one. They hook up a soulful mid tempo groove that Ren uses to create his version of the “Vapors” (which happens to includes a Biz vocal sample from that song). Ren sounds sharp on the mic and does a nice job of serving this instrumental real proper like.

Kizz My Black Azz – Ren saves the title song for last as he invites all haters and non-believers to pucker up. Ren sounds decent on this one, the problem is Bobcat’s mediocre instrumental that sounds like a poor man’s Bomb Squad beat. I guess they all can’t be great.

Kizz My Black Azz is a solid EP and a nice introduction to MC Ren as a solo artist. Bobcat provides quality production to which Ren matches with quality rhymes. I’ve never heard any of Ren’s full length albums, but I’m curious if Ren would be able to entertain and effectively hold the listener’s attention over the course of 10 to 13 songs. But that’s an adventure for another day. For now, Ren’s Kizz My Black Azz is the best hip-hop EP release of 1992.

-Deedub

We last heard from this legendary duo in May of 1990, with the release of their classic third album Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em. No one could deny the awesomeness of that album and Rakim’s lyrical mastery laced throughout. It was a critical success that earned the duo their second 5 mic rating from The Source, cemented their legacy in hip-hop, and in my opinion, is the best album in the Eric B. & Rakim catalog. After a 2 year hiatus Eric and Ra would return to release their 4th album, Don’t Sweat The Technique.

Like their previous three albums, Eric B & Rakim would handle the bulk of the production duties (well, at least that’s what the credits said; there has been some controversy regarding claims of ghost production provided by other producer [*cough* Large Professor] on some of their previous works) and it would not feature any guest appearances. Just the R on the mic and Eric on the cut. What else do you need, though?

This would be the last album from the two as a group, as they would soon fall out with each other and go their separate ways. Eric B would go onto to release a self-titled solo album on small independent label (that I’m sure sold exactly 3 copies, which were all purchased by his Aunt Pearl) and Rakim would eventually release a few more solo albums, but neither of the duo were able to recapture the magic or touch the success they had together as a group. There truly is power in numbers.

What’s On Your Mind – Eric & Ra kick things off with a smoothed out, slightly r&b seasoned instrumental that Rakim uses to articulately relay a detailed romantic story (which includes a line about watching the Huxtables, so add another mark to the Bill Cosby tally) in his signature smooth tone, proving once again that love raps don’t have to be corny (see “Mahogany” from Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em). This song was also included on the House Party 2 Soundtrack, though the instrumental on the soundtrack version had a slightly difference mix than the album version. This was nice.

Teach The Children – The R is in conscious mode as he addresses the snares and traps laid throughout the hood and the importance of making sure the youth don’t becomes victims of them. Kudos for the positive message but this song is average at best.

Pass The Hand Grenade – It took him three songs, but Ra delivers the kind of rhymes the fans are accustomed to hearing from him on this song: the god emcee in battle mode. The rawness of the instrumental (which occasionally brings in a slick trumpet loop to break up the roughness of the track) compliments Rakim’s vocal and rhymes. While Ra doesn’t spit his greatest battle rhymes on this one, they’re still dope enough to fade your favorite emcee.

Casualties Of War – Ra drops the most politically charged rhymes in his career on this one. He plays a Gulf War vet who once followed his commands blindly, but slowly begins to question his superiors, the government and why American troops are over their fighting in the first place. Things get a little more interesting when he starts to question who his true enemies are. The instrumental is kind of underwhelming, but Ra’s rhymes are worthy of your attention and will leave you with something to chew on.

Rest Assured – Over a funky instrumental the R warns both the ladies and the heads not to panic, because 007 is on the mic and everything is under control. This was cool.

The Punisher – This is a monster! Over a dark and epic instrumental , Rakim mixes battle rhymes with torture techniques as he goes for the neck of all competitors. I love his line “your conscious becomes subconscious, soon your response is nonsense”, and the simple hook that has Rakim repeatedly yelling “Kill ’em again!”. This is sick, and more evidence to support the argument that Rakim is the GOAT.

Relax With Pep – Decent.

Keep The Beat – I have an emotional tied to this instrumental. As a kid, I actually looped the opening portion of the instrumental from cassette to cassette for me and my partner in rhyme (what up MD?!) to freestyle over. Ah, the good old days. Over a laid back jazzy instrumental, Ra puts back on the Casanova cap he left on “Rest Assured”, as he finesses the mess out of the woman of his desire. Not my favorite Rakim rhymes but I love the smoothness of this instrumental.

What’s Going On – This one kind of ties in with “Teach The Children”, as Ra addresses some of the issues a lot of young black men face coming up in the inner city. He makes a lot of valid points but the instrumental is so boring you won’t even give a shit.

Know The Ledge – Don’t let the spelling of the song title fool ya. Yes, this is the same song from the Juice Soundtrack. And it still sounds dope.

Don’t Sweat The Technique – The instrumental for the title song and lead single is probably the sickest instrumental in all of Eric B & Rakm’s catalog. The bass line (which is a loop from Young-Holt Unlimited’s “Queen Of The Nile”) is both funky and infectious, while the Kool N The Gang horns samples are the delicious icing on the cake. And of course Rakim’s rhymes are as sharp as Ginsus. I think Target brought this instrumental back a few years ago for a commercial they were running, which proves how timeless this track is. It sounds like the perfect soundtrack to a beautiful summer day on South Beach. Classic.

Kick Along – Eric and Rakim end DSTT with an up tempo instrumental that Ra uses to prove he can rhyme swiftly when the tracks bmp’s are bumped up. Not one of the duo’s best songs, but it’s decent.

Eric B  & Rakim’s DSTT is kind of like Jordan when he left the Bulls and played his final two years as a Washington Wizard. It doesn’t have the same impact or magic as their earlier works, but it’s still better than 90% of what the rest of the league had to offer. Rakim was only 24 when DSTT was released, yet you can hear his maturation from Let The Rhythm Hit ‘Em, as he balances his story telling and battle rhyme ability with more socially conscious concepts. It’s not a perfect album, but a large portion of the beats bang and of course the R doesn’t disappoint on the mic.  Just don’t expect him to drop 60 on a nightly basis.

-Deedub