Time Is Illmatic

When the discussion of greatest female emcees comes up, names like Latifah, Lyte, Lauren Hill, Salt N Pepa, and even though I think it’s a bit premature, Nicki Minaj, are often thrown around. One name that should be thrown into the conversation and is often overlooked is the artist of today’s subject. Yo-Yo.

South Central L.A. native Yolanda “Yo-Yo” Whitaker was discovered by Ice-Cube, after word spread around the area that she had the gift to spit. Cube got a chance to hear her, liked what he heard, and featured her on “It’s A Man’s World” from his debut solo album Amerikkka’s Most Wanted. The song was never released as a single but it was still a fan favorite, as she and Cube’s chemistry was undeniable on the record and she proved to the world she could hang with the fellas, even if she didn’t write all her rhymes (most of the top females in hip-hop had help writing their rhymes, so she’s not alone). Thanks to that song, her flow and being backed by one of the most respected emcees in the game at the time, Yo-Yo inked a deal with East West and released her debut album Make Way For The Motherlode, in ’91, which was overseen and co-written by her mentor Ice Cube. Yo-Yo, who was very attractive, didn’t rely on her sex appeal to gain attention, but instead, like her mentor Cube (pre-new millennium Cube) her sound was conscious, Afrocentric and hardcore, as she dubbed herself the strong intelligent black lady and rolled with her crew IBWC (Intelligent Black Women Coalition). Make Way For The Motherlode didn’t move a ton of units but is was a critical success, forcing fans to pay attention the blonde-braided black bombshell.

Yo-Y0 would return in ’92, releasing her sophomore effort Black Pearl. Even though Ice Cube is credited as the executive producer, Yo-Yo would have complete creative control this time around, including writing more of her rhymes. Ice Cube’s right hand man Sir Jinx and DJ Pooh (the sight of his name brings a smirk to my face, as I will always associate him as Red trying to get his beach cruiser back from Debo in Friday) would handle the majority of the production duties, with contributions from a few others. A surprise to no one, Black Pearl didn’t do well commercially but it was also considered a critical failure.

Yo-Yo would go on to release two more album on the East West label, and recorded a third one that was never released (Ebony), due to issues with getting proper clearance from the labels of the artists who made guest appearances on some of the album tracks. Yo-Yo would soon grow tired of the industry and walked way from the game for good, hanging up her mic before the start of the new millennium.

The No Intro – Ice Cube is the first voice you hear on Black Pearl, as he introduces Yo-Yo on an intro, that according to the title, shouldn’t exist.

Home Girl, Don’t Play That – DJ Pooh builds the opening song’s instrumental around a loop from Isaac Hayes’ “Joy” (next to James Brown, Isaac has to be the most sample artist in hip-hop history). Yo-Yo uses the solid production to instruct the ladies on how to survive the mean inner-city streets (rule#1 is pretty hi-larious). Ice Cube affiliate Threat is credited with penning this one for our host. Decent start to the show.

So Funky – Pooh borrows a loop from another hip-hop favorite (Zapp’s “Be Alright”) for this instrumental. Yo-Yo uses it to “talk her shit” over, and proves she can hold her own on the microphone.

Black Pearl – Over a r&b tinged instrumental (with the production credit going to Down Low Productions), Yo-Yo dedicates this one to all the sistas out there, encouraging them to press on and be courageous in spite of all the challenges black women face in this cold world. Big Bubba(remember him? the lead singer from the short-lived, late eighties/early nineties, r&b group Today?) stops by to sing the hook on this uplifting record. Some might find this too soft, but I actually like this one.

Cleopatra – Down Low Productions gets their (his? her?) second consecutive production credit of the evening, and this one has a much rougher sound than its predecessor. Yo-Yo’s on her “intelligent black woman” ish as she displays how a strong black woman handles the mic. This was cool.

It’s A Long Way Home – DJ Muggs (from Cypress Hill) gets his only production credit on Black Pearl, as he hooks up a mid-tempo instrumental build around an Otis Redding loop, that has that Muggs signature dusty, slightly drunken sound written all over (matter of fact, he used this same loop for another song, though I can’t think of which song it was at the moment). Yo-Yo uses it to address those suffering from, what I like to refer to as, the Clarence Thomas syndrome: negroes who, with help from others, succeed and make it out the hood but then look back and negatively criticize those who haven’t made it, nor do they bother trying to help others. I like Yo-Yo’s intent, but she sounds like she’s trying to cram too many words into her verses, and Muggs’ borderline boring instrumental, kind of drowns out her voice.

You Should Have Listened – Yo-Yo is back on her soapbox, scolding hard-headed females, who despite being warned of the impending consequences, still make bad decisions. I had to double check the production credit on this one, as Sir Jinx’ instrumental sounds nothing like the harder stuff he used for Cube’s solo work. Yes, this record is soft and squeaky clean, but it’s still decent.

Woman To Woman – This one opens with Yo-Yo getting a phone call from an upset woman (with her friend co-signing in the background) who apparently found Yo-Yo’s phone number in her man’s pants pocket. For the next two verses, Y0-Yo quickly puts sista girl in check, reminding her the person she should really have a problem with is her man, as she sarcastically rhymes “how did I know that’s your man,? It wasn’t like he had a sign in his hand”.  The DJ Pooh/Bobcat/Rashad concocted instrumental wasn’t bad, but Yo-Yo’s concept and flow carrier this one.

Hoes – Threat drops in for this duet with Yo-Yo, as the two swap verses, similar to what Cube and Yo-Yo did on “It’s A Man’s World”. The DJ Pooh instrumental sounds like a slowed down version of the instrumental for BDP’s “Sex And Violence” (though they used different samples: BDP’s loop is from Booker T & The M.G.’s “Boot Leg”, Pooh’s is from the Bar Kays “Humpin'”), and its pretty nice. No, it doesn’t hold a candle to “It’s A Man’s World”, but its decent, and it was nice to hear Threat put his nimble flow on display.

I Can’t Take No More – Yo-Yo comes from the perspective of a battered woman who finally finds the strength to leave her abusive man and begin a new life. Props for the intent, but Yo-Yo’s execution, the chorus and Sir Jinx garbage instrumental send this song crashing in fiery flames.

A Few Good Men – On this one Yo-Yo challenges the brothers to step up and be the strong positive role models the black community needs them to be. Lench Mob affiliated Kam, is credited for writing Yo-Yo’s lyrics on this one. But not even Kam’s pen and Yo-Yo’s voice can hide the mediocrity of DJ Pooh’s instrumental.

Will You Be Mine – Yo-Yo closes Black Pearl with a cheesy love rap, over a sappy r&b tinged instrumental, courtesy of Sir Jinx. This was corny.

Black Pearl is not a terrible album. A third of the songs are fast forward material, but at 12 tracks and a total run time of only 38 minutes, none of the songs run too long, which makes listening to even the bad songs, bearable. I’m sure Yo-Yo was excited to have creative control of Black Pearl, but looking back, I’m sure she would even admit it might have benefited from a little Cube Vision.

-Deedub

Over the years, I’ve purchased a lot of used albums, for many different reason. Some because they had an interesting title or artwork. Some because they were affiliated with a group/crew that I liked. Others because a producer I like produced a track on an album for an artist that I normally wouldn’t check for. If I’m remotely interested and the price is a dollar, there isn’t much I won’t buy, folks. Today’s album is one of many in my collection, that I bought used for a dollar on the strength of 1 song, Do you remember N2Deep?

Hailing from the Bay area city of Vallejo, California, N2Deep was the Caucasian duo of James “Jay Tee” Trujillo and Timothy “TL” Lyon. The group originally went by the name 3Deep, and included Jay Tee, TL, and the group’s in-house producer, Johnny “Z” Zunino. Johnny Z decided to take a back seat from being an official member of the group (even though, technically he would remain the third member of the group, producing the entire debut album), which led to Jay Tee and TL changing the group’s name to N2Deep. The duo released their debut album Back to the Hotel on Profile records in the summer on 1992.

Back to the Hotel would earn the duo two gold plaques, one for the album, and another for the lead single and title track (which is the one hit I was referring to in the first paragraph). While Back to the Hotel was a commercial success, it did not receive a lot of critical acclaim. This is my first time listening to Back to the Hotel in its entirety, so lets see if its lack of love from real heads was justified.

Intro – The album opens with a sample of Third World’s “96° In The Shade” (I must add, that they had some tight harmony on that record) and a bunch of random background noise. I’m not sure what the purpose or meaning was behind this intro, but whatever.

Toss Up – Jay Tee and TL kick Back to the Hotel off with what will be a recurring theme throughout the evening: mackin’ and bangin’ out the ladies. Johnny Z builds his funk instrumental around a portion of Newcleus’ “Jam On Revenge”, as the duo discusses finding chicks and using them for one thing, which they affectionately refer to as toss ups, which the kids today would call  “jump-offs” or  “bust downs”. This was garbage.

Back To The Hotel – This is the song that will forever define N2Deep’s music career. Most people probably don’t remember the group’s name or the song title, but as soon as they hear the Lafayette Afro Band horn sample, they’ll think its Wreckx-n-Effect’s “Rump Shaker”, then the drum claps drops, and they realize it’s that hotel song from those two white dudes. Speaking of white dudes, hilariously, for the second consecutive song, TL rhymes “honky” with “donkey”. And while we’re discussing rhymes, Jay Tee and TL are not that nice when it comes to spitting them. Johnny Z’s dope instrumental is what makes this song memorable.

Do Tha Crew – This could work as the prequel to Snoop’s “It Aint No Fun (If The Homies Can’t Have None)”, only less entertaining. On this one our hosts insist that the females they get down with, share the love (or booty) with the homies. Lyrically, this was garbage, but Johnny Z’s instrumental is kind of nice, especially the Johnny “Guitar” Watson horn sample brought in during the hook, which sounds very similar to the sample used on Jay-Z’ “People Talkin’, which actually uses a loop from a different Johnny “Guitar” Watson song. But I digress.

The Weekend – Apparently this was the third single released from Back to the Hotel, though I don’t remember hearing it on the radio or seeing the video back in the day. Over a decent Johnny Z instrumental, Jay Tee and TL celebrate the weekend by getting tore down and poking on something sexy.

Get Mine – Yes, they’re talking about pussy. This was a hot mess.

V-Town – N2Deep shows love for their hometown of Vallejo, that they affectionately call “V-Town”, and invite a few of their fellow V-Town neighbors, E-40 and B-Legit, to join in on the fun. Johnny Z’s instrumental isn’t terrible, but none of the parties involved say anything that makes Vallejo sound like a place I need to visit.

Ya Gotta Go – Jay Tee and TL get their Cold Crush on as they finish each other rhymes on this brief interlude. This was kind of corny.

Comin’ Legit – Jay Tee gets his first solo joint of the evening, and it may as well be a freestyle, as there is really no theme to his rhymes, and his hook is butt. Johnny Z lays down a below average instrumental, as Greg “Starchild” Houston adds some live guitar licks to it, included an extended solo to close the song. From the rhymes to the production, this was weak.

Mack Daddyz – Jay Tee had a solo joint, so it’s only right that TL gets one too, right? (N2Deep’s buddy Daddy Milo, adds a short reggae chant during the bridge of the song, and Jay Tee does stop in close to the end, to drop a few lines as well, but it still qualifies as a solo in my eyes, so there!) Instead of straying from N2Deep’s favorite topic, TL sticks to the script as he brags about his pimp game (his line out about wining and dinning a chick but never spending a penny, was kind of amusing in a, it doesn’t make sense, kind of way). Johnny Z’s instrumental was cool, but TL’s rhymes are subpar and juvenile.

The Revenge Of Starchild -This is a brief guitar solo from their good buddy Greg “Starchild” Houston. Decent.

Shakedown – Jay Tee gets his second solo joint of the evening, but this time around he’s focused. Johnny Z samples Steel Pulse’s “Blues Dance Raid”, which gives the instrumental a reggae feel, with Starchild adding some guitar licks that give it a Latin feel (early stages of the Reggaeton movement, you think?). Jay Tee speaks about the importance of racial unity because “we’re all the same color, underneath”. Jay Tee doesn’t sound great on this one, but I’ll give him props for the positive message. The Johnny Z/Starchild instrumental was decent.

What The F**k Is Goin’ On? – To even things up, TL gets his second solo record of the evening, and like Jay Tee, he’s uses his second solo to bring a little substance. Sort of. Over a decent funk instrumental (and guitar licks from Starchild), TL talks about the violence in his hometown of Vallejo. I wasn’t really feeling this one, and the added expletive in the song title was really unnecessary.

N2Deep (We’re Who?) – Just in case you were curious who N2Deep was, they wait for the final song on the album to answer that question. Johnny Z loops up a JB’s record and turns it into a smooth and funky instrumental. Unfortunately, our hosts don’t put it to good use, which can be said for most of Back to the Hotel.

After several listens to the album, I’ve concluded that Back to the Hotel is not very good. Johnny Z provides a few decent instrumentals, that probably sound even better, if listened to while cruising the streets of California on a beautiful 80°, sunny summer day. But no matter what coast you’re on, Jay Tee and TL’s rhymes just don’t cut it, potna. Johnny Z’s production may have worked better behind more talented emcees. N2Deep should have taken Back to the Hotel, back to the drawing board, before releasing this mess.

-Deedub

Most heads probably don’t remember when Pete Rock remixed Johnny Gill’s “Rub You The Right Way” back in 1990, and along with CL Smooth, spit a verse on it. Pete Rock already had a foot in the game at the time, producing tracks for his cousin Heavy D (rip) in the late eighties, but the “Rub You The Right Way” remix was PR and CL’s introduction to the world as a group. Most heads probably became familiar with the dynamic duo with the release of their EP,  All Souled Out in 1991, which created a bit of a buzz, thanks to “Mecca & The Soul Brother” and more so, “The Creator”. They would return in 1992 with the release of their debut full length album Mecca & The Soul Brother.

The title, Mecca & The Soul Brother, is a reference to the duo’s other aliases (CL being the Mecca Don and Pete Rock the Soul brother).  Like All Souled Out, Pete Rock would produce the entire project (with a little help from a special guest on one song, that we’ll discuss a little later), providing soulful loops over his signature heavy drum, for his partner in rhyme, CL Smooth, to spit over. While Mecca & The Soul Brother didn’t sell a ton of units, it did receive heaps of critical acclaim, as many consider it to be one of the greatest hip-hop albums of all time, and The Source even put it on their 1998 list of 100 greatest albums of all time.

Return Of The Mecca – Pete Rock kicks things off with a short spoken word piece, before his signature heavy drums come in, and CL (whose alias is also Mecca, hence the song title) goes right to work, constructing intelligently articulated battle rhymes, that can easily be missed if you don’t pay close attention. I’m not a huge fan of PR’s instrumental on this one, but it wasn’t terrible.

For Pete’s Sake – Pete Rock hooks up a beautiful backdrop on this one, that CL uses to spill more of his smooth verbals over. PR actually spits a verse on this one too (that he oddly recites half of before the song even begins), courtesy of Grand Puba, who penned it for him; but he’s a producer, so the ghostwriting is forgiven (Pete would actually pick up the pen for Main Ingredient, and write some pretty dope lines [see “Escapism”], but I digress). This is sick!

Ghettos Of The Mind – Hmmm…this PR instrumental sounds very similar to the one he used for “Return Of The Mecca”, which I wasn’t a big fan of. Too bad this one didn’t have a better backdrop to bring out the jewels CL drops, as he challenges all ghetto dwellers to first change their way of thinking, so they can then change their physical condition.

Lots Of Lovin – This was the third single released from Mecca & The Soul Brother, and the perfect example of what a hip-hop love song should sound like. Pete Rock creates a laid back melodic backdrop (with some keyboard work provided by Nevelle Hodge) that has good vibes dripping all over it, while CL articulates his love and affection for the lady in his life. CL avoids the corny clichés and cheesy lines (for the most part) that most of his contemporaries fall into when attempting this type of song, and provides a mature and manly perspective on love, without sounding sappy. Well done, gents.

Act Like You Know – Now this is a legendary production duo: Pete Rock and Large Professor. PR gets the production credit with a co-credit going to Extra P for this funky concoction. CL sounds, um, smooth as usual, but the PR/Large Pro instrumental is the star of this one.

Straighten It Out – This was the second single released from Mecca & The Soul Brother. Over a soulful mid tempo groove, CL confronts bootleggers, older artist that protest hip-hop heads sampling their music, and challenges his team to get things in order to keep their business tight. This was solid.

Soul Brother #1 – Pete Rock rolls dolo on this one, as he spits two more Grand Puba written verses over his own dark, funky, and yet, so smooth, instrumental. Dope.

Wig Out – This was pretty average.

Anger In The Nation – The lyrics on this one are credited to CL Smooth and his cousin, Adofo Abdullah Muhammad. CL states in Brian Coleman’s Check The Technique, “I wanted to make something real conscious, and be deliberate about it. Adofo showed me how to approach it and what I should say”. CL gets on his soapbox as he addresses the racial issues confronting America. Solid rhymes from CL but PR’s instrumental was hard to swallow, apparently even for PR, as he has been quoted as saying he could have done better with the production on this one. Agreed.

They Reminisce Over You (T.R.O.Y.) – This was the lead single, and (brace yourself) it may be the greatest hip-hop song ever recorded. After a soulful instrumental intro that sets the mood for reminiscing, Pete Rock brings in the sickest horn sample ever used in hip-hop, and drops a glorious instrumental built around Tom Scott’s “Today”(which is where the horn sample was taken from as well) and monster drums. CL fittingly, takes a trip down memory lane, as he vividly repaints his journey from birth to manhood, sharing some of his memories along the way. The song title is a dedication to one of Heavy D’s back up dancers, Trouble T-Roy, who died a few years prior in a freak accident. This was and always will be brilliant. I’m sure they made their late homie proud.

On And On – This one begins with a Pete Rock beat box and his younger brother, Grap Luva freestyling. Then the beat drops and the real song begins. Not a terrible song, but quite a drop in quality compared to the monster that the previous song was.

It’s Like That – Filler that should have been left on the cutting room floor. You’ll forget everything about the song as soon as it’s over.

Can’t Front On Me – Now this is more like it. Pete Rock steers this ship back in the right direction with an aggressive instrumental that happens to sample the same song (Where Do I Go?”, from the Broadway play Hair) but a different version, that Pete would later use for easily one of his top 5 greatest instrumentals, Run DMC’s “Down With The King”. CL spits his battle rhymes in such a gentlemen like manner, that his adversaries probably wouldn’t even realize he was coming for their neck. This was dope!

The Basement – PR and CL invite a few of their crew members to the stu for this cipher session: Rob O, Grap Luva, Dido and the overweight lover Heavy D (rip). Each party kicks a verse, and honestly, no one really stands out. PR’s instrumental is decent but not what I would expect to hear behind a cipher session.

If It Aint Rough, It Aint Right – This is another one that probably could have been left off the final cut. CL sounds solid, but PR’s instrumental is only average.

Skinz – It’s only right that our hosts invite Grand Puba to join in on this one, as they each spit a verse about Puba’s favorite topic, and he easily walks away with this one.

Let me first start by admitting that I have severely underappreciated the skill and professionalism that CL brings to the table as an emcee. Pete Rock has and will always be respected as one of the greatest hip-hop producers of all time, but I’m sure like me, many others have also overlooked the Mecca Don and not given him his just dues. After several listens to Mecca this past week, my respect for him as an emcee has gone up, tremendously. Now that I go that out the way, on to my feelings about Mecca.

The chemistry between this duo is undeniable, and for the most part, CL Smooth’s intricate and sophisticated flows sound perfect over PR’s soulful soundscapes, although there are a few dry spots along the way. Mecca has quite a few sick joints and undeniable classics (including arguably the greatest hip-hop song of all-time in “TROY”), but four or five songs should have been chopped off as they sound like filler material. Mecca is a solid full length debut from the duo, but I’d have to take a long hard look at The Source’s top 100 list, twice, before I co-sign their claim.

-Deedub

The original member of EPMD’s Hit Squad, K-Solo, dropped his debut album Tell The World My Name in the spring of 1990. The album was moderately successful, as a few of the singles made some noise on the Billboard urban charts (The Hot Rap Singles), making way for Solo’s follow-up effort, Times Up.

While K-Solo would not completely abandon the production talents of his mentors, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith (they do get a few production credits on Times Up. Parrish actually gets an executive producer credit as well), he would recruit an unknown producer from Pennsylvania named Sam Snead (who would later join forces with Death Row, remember his single “U Better Recognize”?), to maestro the bulk of Times Up.

Coincidently, the album title would also describe K-Solo’s rap career, as Times Up would be his last album, after falling out with EPMD and the Hit Squad and (like Sam Snead) later signing to Death Row records, only to get lost in the shuffle during the Dr. Dre/Suge Knight fall out. There has been talk about Solo releasing his third album There Will Be Hell To Pay,  for over ten years, so its safe to say that shit aint coming out. And honestly, at this point would anyone even check for it?

I Can’t Hold It Back – This was the lead single from Times Up. Sam Snead gets the production credit for this one, as he borrows a dope bass line and horn loop from Parliament’s “The Big Bang Theory”, a piece of “Atomic Dog”, the Honey Drippers “Impeach The President”, and turns these elements into a dope instrumental. Solo sounds decent, as he addresses “rumors” that he fell off, why he doesn’t feature other artists on his songs, and of course he had to bring up the whole DMX thing again. This was a solid start to the evening. I love this instrumental.

Letterman – This was the second single from the album. Pete Rock turns a sick organ loop and a Kool & The Gang horn sample into a certified banger, that K-Solo uses to spell the hell out of his rhymes over. I remember the video for this had a cool comic book thing going on. This is a forgotten classic that is still guaranteed to make your head bob and put that stank face on.

Long Live The Fugitive – I absolutely love this sample of Funkadelic’s “I’ll Stay” (De La Soul also used the sample on their classic “Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa” from De La Soul Is Dead). Solo gets the production credit, and he spits one quick verse that revisits “Fugitive” as some cops who are friends of Corky’s (the guy Solo beat down on “Fugitive”) family pull Solo over and give him the Rodney King treatment before locking him up. The story line was a bit strange but I love this instrumental, so I’m willing to overlook any of the songs shortcomings. This song sort of sets up the next song…

Premonition Of A Black Prisoner – Sam Snead (with a co-production credit going to K-Solo)hooks up a solid instrumental that has a serious tone to it, and out host mirrors that tone with his content. Solo relives his experience of being incarcerated and sheds light on some of the corruption he witnessed in the prison system. Technically, this was cool, but the song feels like its missing something, like it’s heart.

Sneak Tip – Solo’s on some Wizard Of Oz type shit on this one. It all starts when Solo goes to Foot Locker to buy some Pumas, and while trying them on he falls into the shoe box and ends up in a village called Shoe Horn, where all the shoes come alive. While in Shoe Horn, Solo makes new friends (the Pumas he was trying on and Tim [as in Timberland]), meets a few honeys (Avia and a red bone named Fila), makes some enemies (Reebok [Fila’s man] and Adidas), before he seeks the Wizard of a Sneaker to help him get back home. This kind of reminds me of Spice 1’s “187 Proof”. Prop’s to Solo for the original concept and clever lines, but the Sam Snead instrumental (with a co-credit going to Parrish Smith) was a bit underwhelming.

The Baby Doesn’t Look Like Me – Erick Sermon gets his first production credit (with a co-credit going to K-Solo) of the evening. The Green-eyed bandit borrows the bass line from Collage’s “Get In Touch With Me” and a vocal sample from Carrie Lucas’ “Show Me Where You’re Coming From” for the backdrop, as solo raps about nearly being duped into believing he’s the baby daddy of his ex-girl’s newborn. No matter how many times I listen to this song, Solo’s line about getting a job at Burger King, so he can buy nice thing for he, she, and the baby, is hilarious. All in all, this was a decent listen.

The Formula (House Party) – I guess this is supposed to feel like a house party performance, hence the reason K-Solo’s mic has a muffled live sound, as he kicks battle rhymes over a decent PMD instrumental. I don’t know how I feel about this one. I would like to hear what it sounds like without the distortion and theatrics.

Who’s Killin’ Who? – Sam Snead hooks up a smooth, semi-melancholy instrumental that Solo uses to ask the song title’s rhetorical question and confront the issue of black genocide. This was nice.

Household Maid – Sam Snead gives Solo a wacky instrumental to match his content, as he talks about bangin’ out his household maid as a shorty. Solo paints some pretty graphic verbal pics on this one, that I’m sure 2 Live Crew and Too Short would both be proud of.

Rock Bottom – Erik Sermon gets his second production credit of the evening (with a co-credit going to Sam Snead) as Solo talks about coming from the bottom, I think. Everything about this song was boring as watching paint dry.

King Of The Mountain – Now this is more like it. Sam Snead hooks up a banger to close out Times Up, and Solo manages not to embarrass himself behind the mic.

Times Up is a decent sophomore effort from K-Solo. The majority of the production work is enjoyable, and Solo sounds decent on most of the tracks as well. But overall, Times Uplacks personality. So even though it’s a decent listen it doesn’t have that unspoken quality to make it memorable, which is probably more the host’s fault than the producers. Give Redman or Keith Murray the same batch of beats and I think you’d have a more entertaining album. Word.

-Deedub

This past weekend I was reading an article from Rapzilla.com, which for those who may not know is a website dedicated to Christian hip-hop music and artists. The article was titled Top 20 Christian Rappers of All Time. I haven’t followed the Christian circuit closely in the last 10 years, so some of the names were unfamiliar to me, and others were names I’ve heard of but never heard their work. There were a few questionable entries on the list and a few names that were missing from the list that definitely should have been included, in my opinion. But I had no qualms with the name at the top of the list. The name at the top of the list is a Christian hip-hop pioneer, arguably the most influential emcee of the sub-genre, and the leader of the group of today’s post, Super C aka Sup The Chemist.

We last heard from Sup and SFC at the tale in of 1990 with their second full length release A Saved Man (In The Jungle). Our believing brethren started out as a 4 man crew, but after the first album (Listen Up!), Brother G and Q.P. left the fold (not necessarily Jesus’ fold, but the SFC fold), leaving only Super C and DJ Dove to uphold the SFC name. A Save Man wasn’t a classic by any stretch, but it was a vast improvement from where they started. In ’92 SFC would release their third album, appropriately titled, Phase III.

Phase III would mark the return of Q.P. to SFC, as he would get a significantly larger amount of time on the mic than he did during his first stint with the group (which makes me wonder if that may be why he left the first time around). Like SFC’s past projects, Sup would handle the majority of the production on Phase III, with help from Dove and a few others on a few tracks.

Of course Phase III didn’t sell a ton of units, as it was released on Brainstorm, which was an independent label focused on spreading the word (of God that is) through alternative types of Christian music, specifically, hip-hop and rock.  It did receive critical acclaim and is considered by those in the know, SFC’s best work.

Intro – Another useless album intro.

Hoods Of Good – Over semi-cheesy sounding rock guitar licks (which completely clash with the Jeff Lorber Fusion”Rain Dance” sample [that Lil’ Kim would later make popular a few years later on her “Crush On You” single] brought in during the hook) Sup and Q.P. use this one to declare themselves “hoods of good”, proclaiming the name of Jesus and shining the light in a hood near you. This whole song was a bit cheesy.

Glory Halagroovin’ – You can put this title in the running for cheesiest ever. Oh yeah, the song wasn’t good, either.

Terror On Tape – It took us three songs, but finally Super C provides the first solid instrumental on Phase III. It’s almost like this higher quality instrumental inspired his flow as he sounds more alert and on point than the first few songs, spewing out battle rhymes aimed at demons. The lyrics are a bit cheesy but Sup proves he can actually spit.

Freedom In Captivity – Sup and Robski (one half of the Dynamic Twins) hook up a decent reggae tinged instrumental that Sup uses to discuss the idea of spiritually appearing free yet still living in bondage to the thing you’ve been freed from. Interesting theory that can be applied to both the spiritual and the natural realms. Props for the unique concept, but Sup sounds uncomfortable and as if he’s trying to force his size 11 rhymes to fit in (or on) a size 10 instrumental. The Bob Marley vocal sample was a nice added touch.

One – Interlude

What We Need – Q.P. stumbles back into the studio after a forty day fast and joins his partner in rhyme Sup as they uplift the name of Jesus, of course. Q.P. is not a terrible emcee, he’s just not memorable or as skilled as the undisputed leader of SFC, Super C (even if his line “Shadrach, Meshach, and a bad negro” was super corny). Speaking of Sup, his mellow mid-tempo groove makes for a pleasant backdrop.

Music Is My Life –  DJ Dove gets the production credit for this solid instrumental that samples Kool & The Gang’s “Dujii” and adds a vocal snippet from C+C Music Factory’s “Everybody Dance Now”.  Sup (Wait. Did he just refer to money as a nigga? I’m sure he caught some slack from the conservative Christians for that line) and Q.P. use this one to express how important music is to their lives and why they do it. Nice.

Phase III – Sup, Dove, and Cut No Slack all get production credits for this one. It starts out with the loop made popular by PE’s “Rebel Without A Pause”, which returns periodically throughout the song. Then a funky, yet so smooth, bass guitar loop (at least I think it’s a loop) is brought in to carrier the song, with a soothing flute break during the hook. Sup is back to dolo on the mic, as he proclaims his freedom in Christ and takes shots at his adversaries, aka Satan and his henchmen. This was pretty nice.

Unity – Someone (that doesn’t sound like Sup, Q.P. or Dove) shares a short spoken word poem about the importance of knowing your purpose and unity amongst all races, that leads into this…

The Setting – This interlude borrows an exert from the beginning of an uncredited preacher setting up his sermon entitled “The Spirit of the Nigga”. Ha! I have to track down a copy of this sermon.

Kill The Spirit – I’m not sure how I feel about this one. Sup and Q.P. invite special guests Alliance Of Light (which would later change their name to the Gospel Gangstas, and even later to, Gospel Gangstaz. I’ll discuss them a little later down the road) to discuss what they collectively refer to as “the spirit of the nigga”. According to their rhymes, this “nigga spirit” is a spiritual force that causes laziness, poverty, ignorance, violence, broken homes and any other negative attribute you can think of, in the black community. So, if someone from another race is suffering from one of these same character flaws, does he also have this so-called “nigga spirit”? Or are SFC and company naïve enough to think that only black folk deal with these issues? Remember, America was founded on violence, and it’s founders weren’t black. This song may have gone over a little better had they not presented the content in such a serious tone, though it would still be inaccurate. The Super C and Cut No Slack instrumental was cool, especially the portion that samples The Brothers Johnson “Tomorrow” on the second half of the song.

In The House – Sup and DJ Dove hook up a monster instrumental that Sup and Q.P. use to discuss their personal experience of receiving the Holy Ghost. Non-believers may not feel (or be able to relate) to SFC’s content on this one, but they’ll definitely be able to feel the music.

Swingin’ – This is probably the closest thing to a battle rap that you’ll here on Phase III. Sup, Q.P. and DJ Dove all come out swingin’ (at sin and the devil), and all three sound pretty nice, including Dove, who spits his verse in Spanglish. The up-tempo Sup produced instrumental is highlighted by a sick bass line sample that sounds reminiscent to the bass line from Curtis Mayfield “We’re A Winner”. This was hot.

Another One – Interlude.

Skanewpid – Super C hooks up a beautiful instrumental, with an absolutely gorgeous sax sample on the hook (I’m a sucker for a nice sax loop). I believe “skanewpid” is Sup’s slang word for “stupid”. Sup spits random foolishness for 3 verses, but still manages to make this enjoyable, which can more so be credited to his production than his verses. This was a nice touch and a break away from the spiritual monotony presented so far on Phase III.

D.J. Dove – As the title suggest, this is a DJ Dove solo. Dove builds his instrumental around One Way’s funky “Cutie Pie” record, adding in some cuts from previous SFC joints, vocal samples from Troop and Run DMC, and a snippet from the Fat Albert And The Cosby Kids theme song (yet another Cosby reference…I should seriously start keeping a tally). Not only does Dove hook up a solid instrumental but he also spits some decent rhymes in Spanglish, or as he refers to it, his Latino style.

113.3 – Sup loops up a piece of Idris Muhammad’s “Crab Apple” for the back drop as he and Q.P. drop lines about their hip-hop ministry. You can’t go wrong with Jesus and the infectious bass line from “Crap Apple”.

Victory – Sup and Dove hook up a decent instrumental that Sup uses to proclaim his victory over the world through his faith in Christ Jesus. I love the smooth Latin flavored break they bring in during the hook.

More Skanewpid – Over an acoustic guitar, Sup comically sings his thank you’s to all those who bought Phase III. This was an original and cool way to end the evening.

From ’89 to ’92, Super C showed signs of being a competent emcee and occasionally displayed his ability to make a dope beat for SFC or his fellow believing comrades (see the Dynamic Twins’ Word 2 The Wize). On Phase III, Sup finally harnessing his potential and it takes shape on a consistent basis. Phase III gets off to a mediocre start, but begins to find its way about a fourth of the way in. By the midway point it’s in full swing, and the second half of the album is packed with solid joints. Sup’s emcee skills were still a work in progress at this stage (and Q.P. is really not even worth mentioning), but he does enough to prove he definitely had talent. Like a lot of Christian hip-hop projects, Phase III‘s content gets stuck in one lane and doesn’t go beyond singing rapping praises to Jesus name, quoting scriptures or battling demons, but unlike their Christian contemporaries, SFC had a way of presenting their message in a lighthearted tone and not taking themselves too serious, which can be heard on their silly interludes and the “Skanewpid” suite.

Phase III is not without flaws, but it’s pretty solid, and it’s the first Christian hip-hop album that I think not only believers, but secular heads as well, would take serious, had they known about it.

-Deedub

While thumbing through the pages of Gang Starr’s Daily Operation liner notes, I found it pretty ironic (and probably more amusing) that in the duo’s long list of shoutouts, they gave props to an emcee who most would consider illegitimate or a cornball. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Father MC.

Timothy “Father MC” Brown came on the scene in 1990, inking a deal with Andre Harrell’s, once dominate r&b label Uptown Records. Father released his debut album Father’s Day in late 1990, and created a bit of a buzz with two minor hits in “Treat Them Like They Want To Be Treated” and “I’ll Do For You” (two songs that would introduce the world to Jodeci and Mary J Blige, respectively). Both songs (and the album) were heavily influenced by the Uptown new jack swing r&b sound that many of his label mates used at the time, including Guy (which included Teddy Riley, the father of new jack swing), Al B. Sure, and to a lesser extent, Heavy D (rip). After the mild commercial success of Father’s Day, Father would return in ’92 with his sophomore effort Close To You.

Like its predecessor, Close To You would feature heavily r&b flavored production from a cast of producers that would include Eddie F (from Heavy D & The Boyz), Prince Markie Dee (formerly of the Fat Boys) and Howie Tee. It would also include lyrics written by Father MC and his team of writers (which alone should be reason enough to have the “MC” officially removed from his moniker) about love and romance. Which you probably already figured out based on the album art work.

All I Want – This is really the only reason I re-purchased Close To You (I originally bought it on tape way back in the day) a few years ago when I bumped into it in the dollar bin at one of my frequents. No, Father doesn’t sound impressive on the mic, neither do the vocals of Terri Robinson and Melissa Pierre singing on the hook. I do love the Dave “Jam” Hall produced instrumental, though. Even if it sounds a bit too r&b clean for a rap artist.

One Nite Stand – This was the first single released from Close To You, and it features a guest vocal from the then up and coming but now legendary, Mary J Blige. Over one of Eddie F’s r&b flavored instrumentals, Father drops cheesy line after line in an attempt to convince a chick he’s trying to do more than just hit it and quit it. He even goes as far as saying “sex aint my appetite I just want to treat you right”. Negro please. Even if you are trying to legitimately be her man you still want to bang it out from time to time.

Close To You – Eddie F builds this synthesized r&b laden instrumental around a sample of Alicia Meyers “I Want To Thank You”. R&b group Intro stops by to sing the hook on this one. Father’s rhymes aren’t designed to impress real heads, but I kind of like this instrumental.

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright – I believe this was the second single released from Close To You. Prince Markie Dee builds his instrumental around Chic’s “Good Times” as Father’s fellow Uptown label mates Jo-Jo and K-Ci Hailey of Jodeci, stop by to sing the hook. This was garbage.

Do The One, Two – Eddie F samples Parliament’s “Flashlight” and I’ve never heard the loop sound so clean and undesirable in my life. Mary J adds vocals to the hook, but this still was not good.

Red Lace Lingerie – Prince Markie Dee loops up the Mary Jane Girl’s “All Night Long” for the backbone of this backdrop. Father uses it to instruct his lady to put on her red laced lingerie, so he can take it if off and beat it up. I’m paraphrasing, of course. Father suggests the proposal with more finesse and tact. Wait. Was his line “you had a taste of chocolate, now come taste the fudge” aimed at Kane? Word? Father didn’t really want it with Kane, did he? Either way this was weak, and he sounds like a perve during the last-minute of the song, moaning and groaning as if he’s busting a nut.

My Body – Father hi-lariously flips the script on the ladies as he accuses them of only wanting one thing from him, which I believe is self-explanatory based on the song title. He starts the song off with probably the funniest line of the entire album: “honey check my intellect first, I know you want my body but my mind comes first”. Prince Markie Dee’s instrumental is actually pretty decent, it’s Father’s rhymes and content that bring this song down to corny status.

Ladies, I Luv ‘Em – This is Close To You‘s version of “Treat Them Like They Want To Be Treated”, only minus Jo-Jo and K-Ci. Apparently Father didn’t have enough in the budget to pay them to sing the hook on a second song, so instead an uncredited guest does his best Jodeci impersonation. You’ll forget about this one once it’s over.

Baby We Can Do It – This is a bad rap and r&b remake of the SOS Band’s “Take Your Time (Do It Right)”. Next…

Go Natalie – I believe this song was on the soundtrack for the movie Strictly Business (it was definitely played in a scene during the movie), that starred a young and gorgeous Halle Berry. This song is actually about Berry’s character in the movie. Interestingly, this song was written by Little Shawn (remember “Hickeys On Your Chest” Little Shawn?) and the production credit is given to Howie Tee, who completely rips the Brand New Heavies “People Get Ready” record and adds a couple of irrelevant sounds to it.

On The Road Again – Yes, this is a hip-hop version of Willie Nelson’s song with the same title, and it actually sounds cornier than you are currently imagining.

Look. I’m not completely opposed to heavily r&b laden synthesized hip-hop (some of hip-hop’s greatest producers have done it), but it has to be properly balanced in order for that shit to work for the entirety of an album. Unfortunately, for Father MC and even worse, the listener, Eddie F, Prince Markie Dee and company didn’t find the proper formula to pull off this difficult task on Close to You. But even if they did, the bigger problem with Close to You is its host. Father MC has a quality rapping voice, however he never gets away from his tender “love raps” or party rhymes (he’s kind of like a nineties version of Pitbull, only less successful) and tends to sound synthetic and cheesy in the process. It’s clear Father MC was created to reach the female listener. If only he had the chops he could have been an r&b singer.

-Deedub

Hip-hop has seen a lot of faces and characters over the years. From the early eighties to now, the game has seen several dudes come in hot as white coals on a barbeque grill, only to fizzle out faster than a sparkler on the Fourth of July. Many gimmicks and trends have come and dominated the game for a season, only to blow out as swiftly as a birthday cake candle and forgotten sooner than the wish that went along with it. Only a few groups have been able to stand the test of time, not following the trends or compromising the quality of their music or integrity in an attempt to stay relevant and sell records. Gang Starr is one of those anomalies.

For those who may not know, Gang Starr was comprised of DJ Premier (who if he is not the greatest hip-hop producer of all time, he’s 1B, next to Dr. Dre; yeah I said it) and the late Guru on the mic (rip). We last heard from the legendary duo in ’91 with their well received sophomore effort Step In To The Arena, in which the duo showed progression from their mediocre debut No More Mr. Nice Guy. They would return in ’92 with their 3rd release, Daily Operation.

Like the rest of Gang Starr’s catalog, Daily Operation didn’t earn the duo any hardware for units sold, but it did garner favorable reviews from critics and more importantly, the streets. Numbers may not lie, but they don’t tell the full truth, either.

Daily Operation (Intro) – In case the song title wasn’t clear enough, this is an intro.

The Place Where We Dwell – Over a stripped down, but effective Premo instrumental, Guru big ups the borough the two New York transplants represent. Go Brooklyn!

Flip The Script – In his signature monotone voice Guru is in battle mode as he turns in decent rhymes over probably my least favorite Premo instrumental on Daily Operation. Not a bad song, just not my favorite.

Ex Girl To Next Girl – This was the second single released from Daily Operation. Premo hooks up a sick jazzy instrumental (complete with killer trumpets on the hook), which works as the perfect backdrop for Guru to reminisce about his ex-sugar momma who once had him wrapped around her finger. Classic.

Soliloquy Of Chaos – This Premo instrumental is a monster. He loops up a piece of Ahmad Jamal’s “Misdemeanor” record (which Dr. Dre also sampled a few years prior for D.O.C.’s  “Funky Enough”) as Guru discusses the senseless black on black violence that plaques the black community. By the way, I love Guru’s line “did you come to see my show or to the stupid nigga playoffs?”. This one still sounds dope and is still very relevant.

I’m The Man – Gang Starr invites two member of the Gang Starr Foundation to the studio for this cipher session: Jeru Da Damaja and Lil’ Dap from Group Home. A la “Jackin’ For Beats”, Premo changes the instrumental up for each emcee. Guru bats first, followed by Lil’ Dap, then Premo drops the best instrumental of the three (it’s a monster) for Jeru, who completely steals the show and shuts this shit down, literally and figuratively.

92 Interlude – Instrumental interlude that takes a piano loop from Aretha Franklin’s “Young, Gifted, And Black”. Premo would later add drums underneath the same sample and use it for Heavy D’s (rip) “Yes Y’all” record off his 1993 Blue Funk album.

Take It Personal – This was the lead single from Daily Operation. When this song came out back in the day, I wasn’t feeling it. A few years later and even more so now, it’s clear that I was sleeping on a classic. Premo constructs a bassy instrumental with a slightly dark and awkward piano loop that Guru spits razor sharp rhymes over, scolding his adversaries without even raising his voice. On my favorite line of this song Guru says “rap is an art you can’t own no loops, its how you hook ’em up and the rhyme style troop”. I wonder who that line was aimed at. CMW? Dr. Dre? Ed O.G? BDP? EPMD? All of these artist have at one point used the same loop for a song previously to or around the same time that Gang Starr did. But Gang Starr shouts out all of these artists in the liner note, so I’m probably way off.

2 Deep – This Premo instrumental is serious (except for the hook that includes a sample of what sounds like pouring water, which I’m still not sure what it’s supposed to represent; it’s not terrible, just not sure what value it adds to the song). Guru’s all over the place with his content on this one. He starts out talking about how complex his style is and how all contenders will “catch hell” trying to get with him on the mic, then he starts discussing his childhood, his religious beliefs, and all the division in the black community. All in all, still a solid song.

24-7/365 – The loop for this instrumental interlude was actually taken from the same record the Beasties sampled for “Pass The Mic” (Johnny Hammond’s “Big Sur Suite”). I’m surprised Premo never recycled this one for someone to spit over. It’s a monster.

No Shame In My Game – Premo hooks up a melodic mid tempo instrumental (that combines a Crusaders’ sample with a loop from Bob James’ “Nautilus”, which is arguably the most sampled record in the history of hip-hop) that Guru uses to justify his life style, vices and all. He spits one of his greatest lines on this one: “life’s a bitch, who are we to judge each other, I know I got faults I aint the only muthafucka”. Well said.

Conspiracy – This one is probably neck and neck with “Flip the Script” for my least favorite song on Daily Operation. Guru sounds solid on this one as he taps into his “conscious” side, addressing the wicked schemes set in place by the government, the church, and the music industry. The issue is Premo’s instrumental, which is barely decent.

The Illest Brother – Premo loops a portion of Bill Cosby’s “Get Out My Life, Woman” (at this rate by the time I’m done with this blog I’ll have more Bill Cosby references than he has accusers) and adds a beautiful loop from Ahmad Jamal’s “Ghetto Child” (side note: years later Kanye would sample a portion of this same record for Common’s “They Say”) in on the chorus. Guru spits so many ideas and scenarios out on this one that I’m still not sure what the overall point of the song is.

Hardcore Composer – This was cool. I love the Jungle Brothers’ vocal sample on the hook (“harder than the hardest hardest hard can get”).

B.Y.S. – Is an acronym for “bust your shit”.  The instrumental is built around a choppy slightly off kilter piano loop, that Guru uses to sends threats to anybody within earshot. This Premo instrumental is sick!

Much Too Much (Mack A Mil) – The production credit on this one goes to Guru and Louie Vega (a name that’s pop quite a few times on this blog). Overall, a decent joint.

Take Two And Pass – Guru discusses blunt smoking etiquette over a bassy laid back groove. This is perfect for midnight marauding, or if you’re just getting blunted.

Stay Tuned – Gang Starr ends Daily Operation with a super laidback, slightly eerie instrumental that Guru uses to talk up his team while letting the listener know this is it for now but they’ll be back later, so stay tuned.

Daily Operation picks up where Step Into The Arena leaves off. Premo strings together a quality collage of instrumentals built around jazz, soul, and funk loops that Guru uses as a platform to display his mic skills in his signature monotone delivery. The majority of Premo’s instrumentals will make you either bob your head, screw your face, or as Masta Ace once put it, “fuck up your head”, and sometimes a combination of all three (how funny would that look). There are a few meh points on Daily Operation, but the large quantity of bangers covers all of Daily Operation‘s minor transgressions.

-Deedub

We last left the Beasties Boys in ’89 with their sophomore effort Paul’s Boutique, which initially received lukewarm reviews, but eventually fans would warm up to it. Just as there was a 3 year gap in between the release of their debut (License To Ill) and Paul’s Boutique, 3 years would pass before they would release the follow up to Paul’s Boutique, Check Your Head.

As the story goes, after Paul’s Boutique was deemed a failure by their label few months after its release, Capitol stopped promoting the album and told the boys to just start focusing on the next one. Since the label stopped promoting Paul’s Boutique and didn’t give them a deadline to turn in the next album, the Beasties begin to assume the label was giving up on them. Around the same time the Beasties fell out with the producers of Paul’s Boutique (the Dust Brothers), in a dispute over royalties. With the Dust Brother out of the equation to produce the next album and feeling like their backs were against the wall, the Beasties went back to their roots. Band jam sessions.

For those who don’t know, the Beasties started out as a punk rock band, eventually migrating into hip-hop in the early eighties, so playing instruments wasn’t new to them. At these jam session MCA (rip) played bass, Mike D was on the drums, and Adrock on guitar. The Beasties along with “Money” Mark Ramos Nishita (who played the keyboard and would also contribute some vocals) and studio engineer Mario Caldato, would produce the entirety of Check Your Head , combining live instrumentation, samples, and samples of their live instrumentation. Check Your Head was another commercial success for the Beasties as it would eventually move over 2 million units (making it their third consecutive album to top the double platinum mark) and many believe it is their best album to date.

They said the same about Paul’s Boutique, so who am I supposed to believe?

Jimmy James – The Beasties kick Check Your Head off with a decent live mash-up as they drop random rhymes with distortion on all three of their vocals, which makes it nearly impossible to understand the lyrics.

Funky Boss – Over a simple drum beat and guitar riffs, the Beasties scream in unison, requesting that their funky boss get off their backs. According to Money Mark this was written about George Bush Sr. during the Gulf War. This is nothing more than a glorified interlude.

Pass The Mic – The Beasties past the mic like a hot potato as they take turns sharing boast on this one. It starts off with a raw drum beat, before the Ron Carter bass line sample from Johnny Hammond’s “Big Sur Suite” record (which Dr. Dre would also use on “A Nigga Witta Gun” on The Chronic) comes in and is sure to leave you screw faced and bobbing your head. At the end of the song they bring in some rock guitars that kind of disturb the groove. Regardless, this would be dope to hear live at a concert.

Gratitude – Adrock gets a rare opportunity at a solo joint. Unfortunately, thanks to the rock tinged instrumental and the distortion on his vocals, I have no idea what he is said.

Lighten Up – Nice smooth groove interlude.

Finger Lickin’ Good – I like the flute sample in between the verses. The rest of the song was trash, though.

So What’cha Want – This is the only single I personally remember being released from Check Your Head. Over a bangin’ instrumental the boys continue to drop random rhymes with distortion on their vocals. The video for this one has some pretty cool effects in it.

The Biz Vs. The Nuge – Biz makes a brief cameo on this interlude as he sings Ted Nugent’s “Home Bound”. Next…

Time For Livin’ – The Beasties are really on their white boy shit for this one. Over an up-tempo drum pattern and rock guitars, the boys scream and yell all over this track. Interesting fact: if you listen to this song in mono (i.e. on your phone without headphones) the vocals disappear, thanks to a janky tape machine they used that had one track out of phase. With or without vocals, this isn’t my cup of tea.

Something’s Got To Give – What the hell was that?

The Blue Nun – Interlude

Stand Together – MCA gets a solo joint, and like Adrock on “Gratitude”, the distortion on the vocals make it nearly impossible to make out what he’s saying. This instrumental sounds better the more you listen to it, especially the slightly out of tune sax sample at the beginning and end of the song.

Pow – Decent instrumental mash-up.

The Maestro – In Brian Coleman’s book Check The Technique the Beasties said this song was originally named after the Maestro effects box, but then it morphed into Adrock and Mike D just talking their tough guy shit. This instrumental is hard. This is probably my favorite song on Check Your Head.

Groove Holmes – This is an instrumental homage to jazz organist Richard Groove Holmes, who actually died while the Beasties were recording Check Your Head. They were all fans of his work, so this tribute is fitting.

Live At P.J.’s – Over an instrumental that is supposed to sound like it was recorded live, Mike D gets a chance at his solo joint (I believe it’s just Mike D; sometimes I have a hard time distinguishing his voice from Adrock’s). I can actually make out his lyrics, but unfortunately he doesn’t saying anything worth hearing.

Mark On The Bus – Short interlude with Money Mark singing about dreaming while riding the bus.

Professor Booty – Over a simple and raw drum beat the trio take turns passing the mic as they drop what are probably their best battle rhymes (at least to this point in their catalog). MCA bats last and uses his verse to take a few swings at one of the Beasties’ long-time rival, MC Serch and lands some pretty decent blows in the process. This was decent.

In 3’s – Another live instrumental mash-up.

Namaste – The Beasties close Check Your Head with a spoken word piece over a laid back instrumental.

I’ve always felt the Beastie Boys were severely overrated and have benefited from their skin color, to no fault of their own. After listening to Check Your Head several times over the past week I have to say, it isn’t a terrible album. The pseudo live production includes some undeniable bangers, and while the majority of the instrumentals are only decent, there is a nice cohesiveness that ties each song together like a pretty little bow on a present. The biggest issue I have with Check Your Head is the lyrics/vocals. The Beasties are not great lyricists as is, but when you add vocal distortion (or cheap microphones) to the equation it makes matters that much worse. Maybe the distorted vocals was a way to distract the listener from focusing on the trio’s lyrical deficiencies. Regardless, Check Your Head is a decent listen, but the Beastie Boys are still overrated in my book.

-Deedub

Do you riggiddy-riggiddy remember Das Efx?

Das Efx was the dreadlocked duo made up of Brooklyn native William “Skoob” Hines and Andre “Krazy Drayz” Weston, who was born in Jamaica and moved to New Jersey as a kid. Even though the two lived pretty close by each other, they didn’t meet until their college days at Virginia State University. They met, clicked up and formed Das Efx (“DAS” is an acronym for “Drayz And Skoob”, and the “Efx” is short for “effects”, which is a reference to their love of reverb on their vocals, in their early days). While performing at a local talent show in Virginia, the duo caught the attention of EPMD, who was impressed by their original style. This would eventually lead to the duo becoming a part of EPMD’s well-respected Hit Squad and a deal with East/West Records, where they would release their debut album (on my birthday) Dead Serious.

Surprisingly, Dead Serious would not include production from PMD or the Green-eyed Bandit, nor would it include any cameos from the hit squad or anybody else for that matter. Instead, Das would give Skoob’s Brooklyn homeboys, Chris Charity (rip) and Derek Lynch, who together made up the production team of Solid Scheme, a shot to produce the entire album with the exception of two songs, which Das would produce themselves.

Das’ signature stuttering style, would propel Dead Serious to platinum success, critical acclaim, and a slew of copy cats (i.e. Ice Cube and a young Common, to name a few). The duo knew their stutter style had an expiration date, so they would switch things up on the next few albums, but were never able to match the success (at least commercially) they received with Dead Serious.

I’ve always loved the album title, as it’s in complete contrast to the album’s content. It’s almost like Das knew heads would hear the album and ask “Are these dudes serious?”. The album title is their response.

Mic Checka – Now this is how you kick off your debut album. This was the second single and easily my favorite song on Dead Serious. Solid Scheme hooks up an aggressively pounding backdrop that Skoob and Krazy flip all over, introducing the world to their signature style. This is a certified banger and a classic.

Jussummen – Solid Scheme changes the mood a bit with this mid-tempo instrumental that includes some live guitar licks from Bobby Sitchran (rip). Krazy sticks with the signature stutter style, while Skoob actually plays things straight, as if to prove he is more than just a “jibby-jabber” rapper. All in all, this was solid.

They Want Efx – The first single and easily the biggest hit in the Das Efx catalog. Skoob and Krazy get the production credit (with co-production credits going to Marcus Logan and Kevin Birdsong) on this one that is built around an ill James Brown sample (the same “Blind Man Can See It” sample that Diamond D used on Lord Finesse’s “Funky Technician”). The duo’s animated style and delivery combined with the funky instrumental make this an undeniable classic.

Looseys – I guess I never really paid attention to the lyrics on this song back in the day, but as I listened to them closely today, I was taken back to discover Skoob and Krazy actually wrote a whole song dedicated to literally shittin’ their pants. I’ve had the looseys (which is slang for diarrhea), but never to the point that I couldn’t make it to the bathroom. The instrumental is built around the same Booker T & The M.G.’s sample used on Cube’s “Givin’ Up The Nappy Dug Out” and Lord Finesse’s “I Like My Girls With A Boom”. This song is pretty wild.

Dum Dum – Cleverly, Solid Scheme takes a soulful Otis Redding loop, along with some live guitar licks (courtesy of Bobby Sitchran) and turn it into a solid backdrop, as our hosts display more of their storytelling abilities. Krazy and Skoob each take two verses to share the life and times of two different chicks whose deeds have earned them the label of dumb-dumbs. This one actually sounds better today than it did 23 years ago.

East Coast – This is probably one of my least favorite songs on Dead Serious. That said, it’s still not a terrible song.

If Only – This song sticks out like a sore thumb, but in a good way. Skoob and Krazy stick with their stuttering-nimble-tongued-style, but Solid Scheme mixes things up with the instrumental that has a jazzier feel than anything else on Dead Serious. This was dope.

Brooklyn To T-Neck – The title is a reference to the duo’s hometowns (Brooklyn, NY and Teaneck, New Jersey). The mushed together funk sound of Solid Scheme’s instrumental sounds like something EPMD would have concocted. Overall, a decent listen.

Klap Ya Handz – This is probably the most underrated song on the album. Dexter (Dexx) James (another one of Skoob’s Brooklyn homeboys) gets the production credit (with a co-production credit going to Das Efx), and it’s a thing of beauty. The mid-tempo melodic groove has an almost heavenly feel, and Skoob and Krazy tippidy tip-toe all over it, nicely. This is actually the song EPMD heard Das performing at the talent show in Virginia when they discovered them.

Straight Out The Sewer – Das ends the album with another track that sounds like it could have been produced by EPMD, but of course it’s credited to Solid Scheme. They could have left this one in the sewer. Easily my least favorite song on the album.

There’s a thin line between gimmick and original, and twenty plus years after Das Efx’ debut release, it’s safe to say they straddled that line to perfection. Over hard boom bap production that hits the mark more than it misses, the stuttering dreaded duo sew together nursery rhymes, random pop culture references, nonsense and random boasts, making it all sound fun, dope and entertaining, for the most part. It was also a genius idea to leave the track count at ten, so the listener doesn’t become overwhelmed by the duo’s antics. Dead Serious may sound a bit juvenile today, but it’s still an enjoyable listen, which has me looking forward to revisiting their sophomore effort Straight Up Sewaside. I’m dead serious.

-Deedub

Remember ABC? Another Bad Creation? They were the little nappy knucklehead kid group that Michael Bivens put together in the early nineties. They brought the world such hits as “Iesha” and “Playground”, which helped them sing and rap themselves to a platinum plaque for their debut album Coolin’ At The Playground Ya Know! (an album that I shamefully own but will definitely not include in this blog). Michael Biven’s success with ABC would cause another up and coming Atlanta producer to jump on the kiddie bandwagon as well. Jermaine Dupri discovered his guinea pigs while at an Atlanta mall, and would eventually form the backwards dressing braided hair Atlanta-based rapping gimmick duo, Kris Kross. With JD as their puppet master, Daddy Mac and Mac Daddy would make ABC’s success look like a failure as they would move over 4 million units of their debut album Totally Krossed Out (another album that I shamefully owned in my cassette buying days…don’t know if I ever bought it on cd, though) on the strength of their mega hit “Jump”, which actually takes shots at ABC’s catch phrase “mental” and their signature style of wearing their clothes inside out. Kiddie beef. Cute. The success of these two groups opened the door for kids in hip-hop, as they proved you didn’t have to be grown to sell records.

One of the kid rappers to pop up around this time was Bronx native and Native Tongue affiliate, Chi-Ali. I first became familiar with Chi from his cameo appearance on Black Sheep’s cipher joint “Pass The 40”, and assumed he was Dres’ little brother as he looked like his mini me (there is no blood relation between the two). Based on his relationship with NT and probably more importantly his relationship with Chris Lighty co-founder of the Violator label, Chi signed a deal and released his debut album The Fabulous Chi-Ali on the Violator/Relativity label. Chris and Chi recruited then, up and coming production team the Beatnuts, to produce the entire album (with the exception of 1 song), while Chris Lighty and Fashion (from the Beatnuts) would help Chi-Ali write his rhymes.

Unfortunately the album didn’t move a ton of units and Chi-Ali was quickly gone from the music scene. Then in 2001 he was back on TV, but it wasn’t in a music video. He was on John Walsh’s America’s Most Wanted for the January 14, 2000 murder of his baby mama’s brother over a money dispute. He was eventually apprehended and sentenced to serve 12 year in prison. He was released in 2012. Sadly, he’s probably best remembered for murder rather than his music.

Intro – It plays exactly how it reads.

Maniac Psycho – A pre-puberty voiced Chi-Ali shouts empty threats over one of the weakest Beatnuts instrumental that I’ve ever heard. Did he really just say “Chi-Ali, the closest thing to God”? The LL “Mama Said Knock You Out” vocal sample on the hook was nice.

Step Up – Chi leaves the shouting at home on this one as he raps in a more relaxed tone. The Beatnuts hook up a quality backdrop that Chi uses to brag and boast about his lyrical prowess. Unfortunately, he doesn’t bless us with any memorable quotes. This was still a decent listen.

Funky Lemonade – This one features more boasting and shit talking from our host, who at one point threatens to wet his competition like a pool (early signs of his troubled future, maybe?). The Beatnuts hook up a lovely instrumental built around a Kool & The Gang sample and a sick “wah, wah, wah” sample sprinkled throughout the song. I like this version but the Beatnuts outdid themselves on the nasty remix.

In My Room – Keeping thing on the mellow side, the Beatnuts hook up a scrumptious backdrop that Chi uses to talk the girls into entering his room for a little hanky panky. Cute.

Age Ain’t Nothin’ But A # – For you youngins, the “#” in the song title is short for “number” not “hash tag”. This is the only track on The Fabulous Chi-Ali that the Beatnuts did not produce. Instead, Mista Lawnge from Black Sheep, hooks up a smooth instrumental, looping up Ben Vereen, Stanley Turrentine and Roy Ayers records with a vocal sample from BDP’s “Criminal Minded” for the hook. Chi uses this one to dis girls his age, as he claims even though they have bangin’ bodies they’re not mental mature enough to be his lady. To listen to a 14-year-old speak about such a subject is hi-larious. Still an enjoyable listen, though.

Shorty Said Nah – Ah, what would a nineties hip-hop album be without a James Brown sampled instrumental. The Beatnuts loop up JB’s “The Payback” record as Chi turns a trip to get his slong wet into an epic action packed thriller, and you best believe there is gunplay involved. At least one of Chi’s rhymes will make you laugh (or at least chuckle)during the course of this song.

Let The Horns Blow – Chi-Ali invites a few of his Native Tongue brethren (Phife Dawg, Dres, and Trugoy), to the cipher, along with Fashion from the Beatnuts. It was kind of nice to hear this collective together. Not spectacular, but still enjoyable.

Roadrunner – I never cared much for the album version of this song, but the Tribe Called Quest produced remix is a monster. Both this remix and the remix for “Funky Lemonade” were recorded after Chi-Ali’s voice begin to change, so his vocal pitch is a bit deeper than it was on any of the songs on The Fabulous Chi-Ali, hence the reason the remix for this song is called the “Puberty Remix”. Both remixes also include new and improved lyrics from Chi as well.

The Fabulous Chi – The instrumental was cool, but Chi doesn’t say anything worth noting.

Looped It – Not a fan of this one.

Check My Record – Insert comments from “The Fabulous Chi” here.

Murder Chi Wrote – Over a dark Beatnuts produced instrumental, Chi-Ali recalls an evening out on the town with his partner Chris Lighty, in search of a good time with some cuties that quickly turns into a bloody mess. No, the song has nothing to do with menstrual cycles.

Chi-Ali Vs. Vanilla Shake – The Beatnuts use the same guitar loop from the Nite-Liters’ record “Damn”, that Dr. Dre would use a few months later on his banger “Lyrical Gangbang” from the monster album that was The Chronic. Of course the good doctor would make his interpretation stand out more by laying some Led Zeppelin drums (“When The Levee Breaks”) underneath the guitar licks, but that’s just why he is arguably the greatest producer in hip-hop history; but I digress. Chi uses this one to battle the fictional rapper Vanilla Shake, which I believe you all are sharp enough to figure out who that is a jab at. Like any well scripted and recorded battle song, the album’s host gets the victory.

Jump To The Rhythm – Now this was a peculiar song to find on The Fabulous Chi-Ali. The Beatnuts hook up an instrumental that has a semi-house sound, that Chi-Ali uses to talk about how much he loves to dance when he’s note bangin’ out honeys, drinking, smoking, or wetting brothers like pools. On paper it probably sounds like a disaster but this Beatnuts instrumental is actually pretty enjoyable.

Looking back at Chi-Ali’s short-lived music career, it’s probably not fair to put him in the same category as Kris Kross, Da Youngstas, or Another Bad Creation. Yes, he was a kid rapper (who had adults writing for him), but unlike his contemporaries Chi was not trying to reach the kid demographic. Chi rolled with the well-respected Native Tongue collective and rhymed over real hip-hop beats, not contrived concepts and intentionally pop sounding instrumentals, like his peers. Unfortunately, Chi-Ali was just not that nice on the mic, so like the chick on the last verse of “Age Ain’t Nothing But A #”, the more mature listener kind of brushed Chi-Ali off with the dirt and dandruff on their shoulder. For the most part the Beatnuts (and Mista Lawnge) hook up quality production on The Fabulous Chi-Ali, but his boasts, threats, stories, and adult like content are hard to believe when delivered from the high-pitched vocal of a little fourteen year old snot nose. If you’re a fan of the Beatnuts’ production (like myself) and aren’t expecting to hear a spectacular rhyme display, then you’ll enjoy The Fabulous Chi-Ali.

-Deedub