Yo! Bum Rush The Show (January 26, 1987)

Posted on 11/23/2010 by deedub77

Yo!  Bum Rush The Show is the debut album from the legendary hip-hop group Public Enemy.  PE was compiled of lead emcee Chuck D, crew clown Flavor Flav,  Terminator X (the deejay), Professor Griff and the S1W’s (other than look intimidating and bustin’ a couple dance steps now and then, I’m not sure what purpose they served to the music…I recently saw them on Ceelo Green’s show Lay It Down, and, will just say they haven’t been diligent with their exercise regiment, these solders have been a little to at ease), and The Bombsquad (led by Hank Shocklee, his brother Keith Shocklee, Eric Sadler, and Gary “G-Wiz” Rinaldo). I feel like I just read off all the credits at the end of Avatar. 

To make a long story short:then, college radio deejay Bill Stephney was hired by Def Jam, and his first assigment was to sign an unsigned Carlton Douglas Ridenhour, (better know as Chuck D, it just sounds funny to refer to him as Carlton).  Since Bill had already worked with Carlton during his deejay days at WBAU, Rick Rubin sent Stephney to recruit Carlton. Add Flav and the rest of the crew, and the rest is history..

Many of you are probably familiar with their latter work, most likely their second effort It Takes A Nation of Millions, which received both commercial and critical acclaim (and created an equal amount of controversy), and is heralded by many as the greatest hip-hop album of all-time (but will discuss that at a later date). Yo! Bum Rush To Show is where the legacy of Chuck D and crew, begins. How does it sound over 20 years later?  Lets find out.

You’re Gonna Get Yours – Kind of ironic to hear one of the most militant/conscious emcees open things up with an ode to his 98’ Oldsmobile.  Chuck, being the thinker that he is, probably thought this would be a good way to get the brothers attention, and it ends up sounding pretty decent.

Sophisticated Bitch – Carlton hits us with a dedication to all the uppity women out there. The track serves as a decent canvas for Carlton to paint on.  The last line about the lady getting beat down to near death like proportions was pretty amusing (ah, listen to it before you call mean heartless) Sooooooo!  This was kind of nice. 

Miuzi Weighs A Ton – Carlton uses a nice metaphor comparing his vocal to an uzi.  This is a rare “battle” rhyme from Carlton, but he actually sounds pretty good doing it. Nice rhymes to a decent track, this was pretty entertaining. 

Timebomb –  Carlton rips this one (extended) verse wonder,  over a minimal beat that lets Carlton shine and show his skill.  Carlton may be remembered as a rapping activist but he lets the world know he is not only a conscious rapper  but a more than capable emcee who can rip shit if he so chooses.  This was dope! 

Too Much Posse – Flavor Flav gets a chance at a solo joint.  I’ll just say this, there is definitely a reason Carlton is the lead emcee.  Thankfully this is just one verse so it’s over pretty quick. 

Rightstarter – This is more of the Carlton that most listeners will remember him by.  This was a decent enough conscious song.

Public Enemy – Hilarious to hear Flavor Flav refer to Carlton as “Chucky D”.  Carlton once again spits a potent battle rap to anybody who questions his ability, over a minimal but effective track (I’m starting to sound like a broken record).  As the track fades out, Flavor sounds like the little brother, whose big brother just knocked out the neighborhood bully on his little brother’s behalf.  Chuck sounds refreshingly hungry on this one. 

M.P.E. –For the first time on this album, Carlton and Flav trade verse on the same song.  While Carlton sounds good and Flav sounds like, well, Flav, the track is too boring to even care.  Can someone tell me what MPE means?  Wait, I don’t even care.

Yo! Bum Rush The Show – Once again Carlton’s booming vocal sounds decent but the beats sounds empty and boring.  Most entertaining part of this song is Flavor Flav’s random rants in between Carlton’s verses. 

Raise The Roof – I guess this is PE’s attempt at a party song?  No wait, Carlton’s last verse it way too meaty to be called a Party song.  Eric Sadler gets his first and only production credit on the album, as co-producer of this track.  This was forgettable. 

Megablast – Carlton and Flavor simultaneously spit the verses on this song, not only about the crack dealer, but also the the crack head.  Carlton sounds a little uninspired on the second verse. Overall this was okay.

Terminator X Speaks With his Hands – And this one pretty much plays how it reads.  Mr. X gets a shot to display his skills but doesn’t do much, for me at least. 

Yo! Bum Rush The Show (is the “Yo” really necessary?) presents us with a young Chuck D, who seems more concerned with rep, rank, and swagger then battling the status quo with musical messages, which on the next PE album he would begin to mature into. That said, it was kind of nice to hear Carlton just emcee for emcee sake, as he sounds pretty good doing it.  But don’t get it confused, he still manages to sprinkle a few jewels while doing it.  We also get to hear Flavor play his best court jester role, that he would perfect on the next few albums.  Hank Shocklee’s (and the rest of the Bombsquad) got their feet wet on the production, and do a dcent job, overall.  Yo!Bum Rush The Show by no means is a classic album but it does have its glimpses of greatness.  It was nice to hear where the young men from PE started, compared to what they would maturate into (and in Flav’s case, later destroy his rep with the minstrel show that was Flavor Of Love).

-Deedub

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Kool Moe Dee – Kool Moe Dee (1986)

Posted on 11/18/2010 by deedub77
In 1986, Kool Moe Dee released his self titled debut, Kool Moe Dee.  Kool Moe Dee, formerly of the pioneering rap group, The Treacherous Three, is probably best remembered for his infamous battle with LL Cool J.  Moe Dee (who was a well respected emcee back in the early eighties) accused LL of stealing his rhymes and proclaiming himself king without out paying his dues (I find it interesting in the album notes liner notes, he “thanks” LL amongst others, for “breaking his style through”…it reeks of sarcasm). Based on the fact that LL is still making music (which at times I wonder why) and Moe Dee hasn’t released an album anyone has actually listened to since 91′, its pretty safe to say LL won the war.  In Moe Dee’s 2003 book release There’s A God On The Mic, he “modestly” named himself the 5th greatest emcee of all time, while LL came in at 7th.  The fact that Moe Dee proclaimed himself a better emcee than LL is not as shocking as the fact he also ranks himself above such greats as Nas, Biggie, Jay-Z, Kool G Rap, and a bunch of other emcees that would rap circles around the little burnt up French Fry.  I happened upon Kool Moe Dee at a local Pawn America a year or so ago, while on one of my many used cd excursions, and paid a whopping 99 cents for it.  While I’m familiar with the work on his latter solo projects (i.e. How Ya Like Me Now and Knowledge Is King), I’ve never heard Kool Moe Dee in its entirety.  On that note let’s give this disc a spin and see if our humble host is worthy of the praise he showers himself with.
 
Go See The Doctor – Moe Dee starts things off with a cautionary tale about being overly promiscuous.  The open line (I was walking down the street, rocking my beat, clamping my hands, and stomping my feet) paints a pretty funny visual.  Can you imagine a dude walking down the street, with headphones on, clapping his hands and periodically stopping to stomp his feet? Hi-larious!  This song is filled with sound bites other artist would later sample.  Moe Dee demonstrates his strong storytelling ability over a simple but decent enough track.  This was a pretty good start to the show, nicely done Moe Dee. 

Dumb Dick (Richard) – Moe Dee keeps with the storytelling, this time spinning a tale about a guy name Dick who thinks with his, um, dick.  Moe Dee uses very clever wordplay (“he hated to go (to school), but he loved to cum”) over an empty drum beat.  Even with the empty beat, Moe Dee’s lyrics are engaging and entertaining enough to keep this song from getting boring. This was enjoyable.

Bad Mutha – Moe Dee hits us with a battle rap, not necessary aimed at Mr. Smith, although he does refer to a “ biting barbaric” who rhymes over “fresh beats with weak lyrics”. Hmmm…I love how he takes a shot at Slick Rick, claiming to like his songs a lot, only to turn around and call him an “average” emcee.  I have to admit, Moe Dee killed it on this one, living up to the song title. 

Little Jon – Just so opposing emcees can regroup after being destroyed on the previous song, Moe Dee goes back to his proficient storytelling.  This time he gives us a tale about Lil Jon (no, not the crunk captain that reigns in ATL, YEAH!) who is overcome by the demons of street life. Though I wasn’t crazing about the beat, the syntherzied track sounds more complete the most of what we’ve heard up to this point on Kool Moe Dee, thanks to a few guitar licks, and the Roger Troutman-like vocal on the hook.  This was decent.

Do You Know What Time It Is?  –  Moe Dee sends a warning to the ladies: you won’t get in his pockets, though, he’ll try to get in your pants, because he knows the time.  This was…okay…I guess

Rock Steady – I failed to mention this earlier, but the entire album was produced by Moe Dee and the Godfather of New Jack Swing, Teddy Riley (and a few other dudes I’ve never heard of). Moe Dee would continue to work with Riley on his latter work, a few which became major hits. Oh yeah, back to the song, it sucked. 

Monster Crack – Ah, clever Moe Dee… smooth transition from “Rock Steady” into “Monster Crack”.  Moe Dee tackles the issue of crack use from several different perspectives. Once again, Moe Dee’s rhymes are proficient, but the track left a lot to be desire. Though the rhymes are pretty good, unlike some of the earlier songs, they’re not interesting enough to ignore the lacking track, making this just, okay. 

The Best –  Right from the jump, Moe Dee in your face with a lecture on the elements that make up a great emcee, and he never lets up.  Moe Dee is college educated, and I think I read somewhere at one point he was a college professor.  Over one of the more engaging beats on the album, Moe Dee rips this to shreds,  while learnin’ opposing emcees a lesson or two. I will no longer sleep, Moe Dee can spit! This was really nice.

I’m Kool Moe Dee – Moe Dee poses the question “Are you crazy?”, to anyone questioning his position in the emcee food chain.  Moe Dee proclaims himself as the greatest of all time, while calling out emcees who’ve made their name by “screamin and yellin’” (if this isn’t a direct shot at LL, then I don’t know what one is).  The simple drum beat works well with Moe Dee’s rhymes on this one, as he completely destroys this one.  Moe Dee is a beast! Great way to end your solo debut.

I’ll admit, my knowledge of hip-hop from the early 80’s is limited. I’m always searching the net, local pawn shops, and record stores for more albums from those early days. That said, from the stuff that I’ve listened to from this era, Koo Moe Dee definitely deserves to be mentioned in the conversation as the best (at least during that era). Looking back at the reviews I’ve done up to this point, Moe Dee makes Run DMC, the Beasties, and Whodini, all sound like amateurs compared to his lyrical output on Kool Moe Dee.  Young LL had one album under his belt upon this album’s release,  and while he would improve, and in my eyes ultimately when the war of words with Moe Dee, Mr. Smith wasn’t fuckin’ with Moe Dee at this point.  Kool Moe Dee proves that Moe Dee he is a bona-fide lyricist (with a bit of a chip on his shoulder) ready to take on anyone who crossed his path or questions his ability and dominance.  Although Moe Dee, Mr. Riley, and the rest of the production team’s beats needed a lot of work (like most earlier 80’s hip-hop artist), Moe Dee’s emcee skills carry this album to make it an overall enjoyable listen. Sorry for doubting you Mr. Moe Dee.

-Deedub

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Beastie Boys – Licensed To Ill (November 15, 1986)

Posted on 11/16/2010 by deedub77
 

 

The Beastie Boys are the punk, turn rap trio from Brooklyn, who helped build the empire known as Def Jam. In 1986 they released their debut album Licensed To Ill, which went on to sale a gazillion copies, and cemented Rick Rubin as one of the best hip-hop producers of his time. If you would like a more thorough background on the trio and the creation of this album, I encourage you to check out http://hiphopisntdead.blogspot.com/search/label/Beastie%20Boys and read Max’s write up on Licensed To Ill.  I’ve always wondered if the trio’s popularity was based on pure talent or more on the novelty of a white act taking part in a musical genre dominated (and created) by African Americans.  Just a thought.  The Source awarded Licensed To Ill a five mic rating in 2002. 

Rhymin & Stealin – Dope Beat!  Right off the bat Mr Rubin starts the show with a banger.  While The Beasties don’t say anything memorable (other then the reference to Ali Babba and the 40 thieves), but still manage to sound decent.  Nice way to start your debut. 

The New Style – There are quite a few recognizable lines in this song that would later be sampled by other artist.  Mike D’s line about liking under aged girls was kind of distrubing, and I don’t remember the Beasties being so violent (MCA is gangsta!).  Mike D’s impromptu English accent on this song was pretty funny (its sounds believable, him being from Brooklyn and all).  Overall this was…okay.

She’s Crafty – Mr. Rubin you’ve done it again!  I love the guitar rift that the boys share lines on about a slick chick named Lucy.  The fellas chemistry really shines through as they bounce off each other to stitch together a pretty interesting story.  This was pretty enjoyable.  

Posse In Effect – The trio spit random crap about absolutely nothing, and Mike D pulls out his “Brenglish” accent again for this one.  This ends just in time to avoid reaching the annoying level.

Slow Ride – Wow, I don’t remember the Beasties obession with guns on Licensed To Ill either.  It’s kind of funny to hear their gun talk over a beat that samples the same song used as the theme music for Pee- Wee’s Big Adventure.  Although it was humorous, it wasn’t effective. 

 Girls – Wow…horny and very corny…next!

Fight For Your Right – Ah, the offical frat party anthem.  If you’ve got ears you’ve heard this song before.  I’ve always hated this song, and that hatred is just as strong 20 plus years later.

No Sleep Till Brooklyn – Yeah boy, now Me. Rubin is back in the building!  Rick laced this track with nasty guitar licks  and a very sick solo at the end.  As usual, the boys hit the track nicely without saying anything memorable.  I wonder what Run-DMC would of sounded like on this track?  This still sounds good today and actually sounds like something an artist might use today.

Paul Revere – Classic!  This might be one of the top ten hip-hop songs of all time (yeah I said it, what?!).  The boys ride Mr. Rubin’ssimple, but effective beat like P. Rev road his horse during that midnight run to warn his peeps of the pending British invasion (he would of been wonderful working on the Def Jam street team, I see you William Dawes).  Dope beat and storytelling at its best-this just reminded me why I fell in love with hip-hop in the first place. 

Hold It Now, Hit Now – I love the way “Revere” merges into this track.  I’ve always liked this song for its quirky feel and the organized, yet chaotic beat on the hook.  Though I love it, I could see how someone new to the Beastie’s brand wouldn’t feel this.

Brass Money – You’ve heard this song before.  I’ve never cared for this song and I’m sticking to my story.  The beat’s corny and the boys don’t cover any new territory with their rhymes.  I’m seeing a pattern here: if the beat bangs the Beasties random lyrics sound good, but if the beat sucks, all of a sudden the randomness isn’t quite as entertaining…hmmm.

Slow And Low – This was decent and easy to digest.  With so many White Castle references I’m shocked they didn’t get an endorsement deal.  The beat sounds a lot like LL’s “Rock The Bells”, which shouldn’t be a surprise, since Mr. Rubin is responsible for both tracks.

Time To Get Ill – The beat definitely fits the song’s title as Mr. Rubin uses random vocal samples and scratches throughout.  MCA boast that he “has mor rhymes then Phyllis Diller”? WTF!  This was okay, at best.

One thing that remains consistent for the duration of Licensed To Ill: When Mr. Rubin’s production shines the boys shine, but unfortunately when the tracks don’t work the boys lyrically sound dim. Let’s be honest, the Beastie Boys were and never will be great lyricists, its more their free-spirited vibe that makes them so infectious, which in the end makes Rick Rubin the most essential piece to Licensed To Ill.  Did The Source Get It Right?  While Licensed To Ill  was a commercial success, after listening to it today it’s definitely not a 5 micer.  With that said, it contains one of the best hip-hop songs ever created and a handful of good songs, which makes it a solid effort.

-Deedub

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Whodini – Back In Black (October 25,1986)

Posted on 11/09/2010 by deedub77

Back in Black is Whodini’s third release, and happens to be the only Whodini album I own.  Most of you have at least heard of the trio from Brooklyn, made up of emcees Ecstasy and Jalil, and deejay Grandmaster Dee.  Riding high on the success of their 1984 sophomore effort, Escape (“5 Minutes of Funk”…”Friends”…”Freaks Come Out At Night”…that album…please say you remember at least one of those songs, I’d hate to feel old all by myself), the boys came back (and for some reason felt it very necessary to sport black, as not only the the album title suggest, but they also don all black on the album cover as seen above…although, it would of been hilarious to have the same album title and the trio decked out in fuchsia for the album cover), and were able to build on its predecessor’s success, as Back In Black would eventually go platinum as well.  As I read the liner notes, I found it interesting that Larry Smith (the same Larry Smith would handled production duties for Run-DMC’s debut album) was responsible for the production on Back In Black.  How will Larry’s beats compliment Whodini’s flow?  Let’s find out.

Funky Beat –  Most of you have probably heard this at least once in your life. Larry Smith starts this one out with a pretty nice beat that surprisingly still sound pretty good.  And the lyrics?  Let’s just say you can tell this is 1986.  Right off the bat you can tell Ecstasy is the more polished emcee of the two (he even takes the time to show off his mastery of addition, which was pretty corny). It was nice to see the deejay get a chance behind the mic, although he shouldn’t quit his night job to start writing rhymes fulltime.  What in the hell does Jalil mean by “All deejays are created equal”?  Is that a compliment or a dis to his deejay?  While we’re talking about disses, was the line about not “needing a big ole band” a shot at anyone in particular?  Overall nice way to start the album as it kind of breaks the ice and welcomes you to their album, over a funky beat … Ooh wee! 

One Love – Arguably their biggest hit (if not Freaks Come Out”), I’m sure you’ve all heard this song,  or at least the hook used or referenced in some other song.  The two emcees trade versus about how fortunate one is to experience true love in life, with out sounding corny.  Nice to see both emcees get personal and vulnerable on their verses.  The only downer about this song is the lame explanation of each of the letters that make up the word “love”: pretty lazy with the acronym fellas!  This still sounds great today. 

Growing Up – Ecstasy and Jalil drop jewels about the maturation process and the lessons they’ve learned going from boys to men.  I love the bass line on this one, and it still sounds good today.  Larry Smith’s production has definitely “grown up” since his work on Run-DMC’s first album. I’m A Hoe – And then he hits us with this crap. Jalil rolls solo on this one and brags about the crew’s sexapades over a almost non existence but still very annoying beat (or should I say beep, that is literally what it sounds like). On the second verse he claims not to touch another man’s “property” (as if women are cattle), but by the end of the same verse he’s impregnated another man’s wife. Between the annoying beep, the corny lyrics, the juvenile flow, and the terrible hook, this song sucks.  Ecstasy was wise enough not to come anywhere near this train wreck.

How Dare You – I’ll take this time to say this: though Ecstasy wasn’t a “great” lyricist, he should be recognized for having one of the best rap voices in the history of hip-hop.  Other than that I got nothing folks…

Fugitive – Not sure what this song has to do with being a fugitive. This must have been the trio’s attempt at a “rock hop” song to give them some of that Run DMC commercial success. I could take or leave this one, you be the judge.

Echo Scratch – Living proof that there is nothing new under the sun. Before the abuse of auto-tunes took over the music industry, Whodini experimented with the computerized voice effect. This was mediocre at best.  Next…

Last Night – My, my, my, the hook is reminiscent of someone running their fingernails across a chalkboard.  I like the bass line, and Ecstasy kicks two nice verses, but other then that this was annoying as hell.

The Whodini Mega Mix – This plays out just as it reads.  The trio mash together the biggest hits in their catalog (i.e. “Freaks Come Out”, “Five Minutes”,  “Big Mouth”) and it plays out like a Whodini mix tape.   This was cool, although it was a weird way to close out an album.

The Good Part – And the excruciatingly painful hooks continue where “Last Night” left off.  The beat is all over the placed and sounds forced. This wasn’t good.

Back In Black starts out strong on the strength of Larry Smith’s production (surprisingly) and Ecstasy’s polished vocal, but quickly fades, as the production grows boring in the middle and doesn’t picks up steam again, until the mega mix (which in my book doesn’t count ,since its a bunch of snippets of previously released songs), which by then is too late. On a positive note, even though Mr Smith’s beats tend to reside on the dull side, they definitely sound more complete and diverse then his offerings on Run-DMC’s debut.  Random thought: who would you take in a battle, Run or Ecstasy?

-Deedub

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Run DMC – Raising Hell (July 18, 1986)

Posted on 11/07/2010 by deedub77

Raising Hell is the third release (thanks for catching my error, Caliex!) from Run-DMC.  After virtually using three different beats to craft 9 songs (go ahead, listen to it…I’ll wait) on their self titled debut, there was a lot of room for improvement left for Raising Hell.  But that was 1984 and this is 1986.  Exit Larry Smith enter Rick Rubin to handle production duties.  Like its predecessor, Raising Hell was also added to the “The Source 5 mic club” in 2002.  How will the trio pair over the heavily rock influenced production of  Mr. Rubin?  We shall find out.

Peter Piper – Classic Run DMC song.  Right off the bat the production sounds a billion times better than the last album.  The Queens duo spit random rhymes referencing Nursery Rhymes and classic kid stories.  This still sounds good.

Tricky – Ah, classic Rick Rubin hip-rock.  Mr. Rubin’s production sounds 100% better then what he put out on Cool James’ debut, Radio.  Raising Hell is off to a pretty good start.

My Adidas – The duo pay homage to their sneaker of choice. The beat is simple but still effective.  Even though I’m a Nike guy, this song bangs!

Walk This Way – I love the way My Adidas transitions into this.  If you haven’t heard this song before you seriously must live under a rock.  Steven Tyler of Aerosmith fame, renders his vocals (and his song) for Run DMC to rap over.  Lyrically, Run and D sound like preschoolers, but the song’s overall energy still make the song bearable. I never loved this song but I can listen to it without skipping it.  Then again, I also sat through Matt Damon’s train wreck The Informant! in its entirety without walking out the theater, so I’m a pretty patience dude.

Is It Live – The liner notes say the drums were programmed my Sam Sever, who would later find employment doing production work on 3rd Bass’ first album, and make up one half of the group Downtown Science (a hip-hop group from the mid nineties I’m sure most of you haven’t heard of ).  The drum beat has that DC go-go sound that I never cared for, while D for some reason, thought it important to let the world know that he never dated a girl with a jerry curl (yes, even in its proper context it sounds as random as I wrote it). Yes, the song sucks, but now I’m curious as to what happen to my copy of Downtown Science.

Perfection – Simple drum pattern for the beat and average lyrical output.  Perfection isn’t the term that comes to mind, more like BORING! Next…

Hit And Run – Run demonstrates his below average beat-boxing skills (Buffy he is not)while D takes care of the emceeing.  This wasn’t good.  After a strong production start, Mr. Rubin’s beats (with the help of Sam Sever) have taken a turn for the worst.

Raising Hell – Ah, that’s more like it.  Mr. Rubin hits us with one of his signature rock tinged tracks (which he actually plays live guitar on),  which Run and D spit over, nicely. Now things are getting back on track.

You Be Illin’ – This song reminds me of LL’s “I’m Going Back To Cali”.  Run’s reference to Dr J in the second verse definitely dates the song. This was slightly amusing, making it an okay listen.

Dumb Girl – Run and D tell tales about a gold digging, fame seeking, sex fiend, and since she possesses these qualities (I mean, traits) they proclaim her mentally inferior…or dumb.  The vocal sample of “dumb” starts to grade on the ear frombthe first time it’s heard.  This song was pretty dumb.

Son Of Byford – This was a complete waste of wax and time.  For some reason DMC felt it was necessary to revisit a portion of his rhyme from “Hit It Run” over Run’s beat box, this time without the help of a beat.  And ironically, we get the same results. Useless, but at least it doesn’t last long.

Proud To Be Black – As Run says at the beginning of the song, this was their “serious song”. They mix a little black history with random rhymes about themselves,  and for good measure, throw in a little insight on things they would never do (or be). PE they are not.  This was kind of a weird way to end the album.

Raising Hell was definitely a step in the right direction from the Legendary Queens crew.  It starts out very strong, only to fizzle in the middle, and scrambles to regain its form in the end, but that feeble attempt fizzles like alka-Selsior tablet in a cup of water.  Mr. Rubin’s beats definitely were refreshing (at least early on), and by 1986 standards well polished.  Run sounds sharper this go round and D, well, still sounds like D…where’s the deejay cut at?

Did The Source Get It Right?  With only a handful of good songs, Raising Hell is definitely not a classic, but will forever live off the mega hit that was “Walk This Way”, which propelled Run-DMC into the mainstream (with the help of MTV) and thrust them into superstardom.

-Deedub

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LL Cool J – Radio (November 18, 1985)

Posted on 11/04/2010 by deedub77

Radio marks the beginning of the musical career of James Todd Smith, also known to most of the world as LL Cool J (an acronym for Ladies Love Cool James).  If you’ve never heard of this emcee you’re either a monk, or were born deaf and blind.  While many associate Run-DMC’s Run-DMC as the first Def Jam release (when in fact Run-DMC has never released an album on the Def-Jam label), Radio is the first pillar laid to construct the hip-hop empire known as Def-Jam.

A young (he was sixteen upon the album’s release) and hungry LL takes care of the microphone, while Rick Rubin handles the production duties for the entirety of Radio.  Radio was also rewarded a belated “Source 5 mic status” in 2002.  I was only 7 years old when this album came out in 1985, and while I do remember the singles (i.e. “Rock The Bells” and “Radio”), this is my first time listening to Radio in its entirety, which might be a good thing, since nostalgia can sometimes stand in the way of an unbiased opinion.

Radio – Ah, just how I remember it… raw beat with a fresh, young and hungry LL yelling over it.  Nice to see Cut Creator get some love with a scratching solo in the middle of the song (I just saw him on the Monique show the other night. You have to give Monique props for her support of old school music)  Even though it felt like LL spit 20 verses this was still enjoyable.

You Can’t Dance – Mr. Rubin’s beat leaves a lot to be desired. Not even LL’s booming vocal and delivery could save this song.

Dear Yvette – An ode to Yvette, the neighborhood gardening tool.  The “elevator pro” once got down on a motorcycle?  Wow, what you got on that, Humpty? LL’s storytelling was pretty entertaining but unfortunately the instrumental was a mess.

I Can Give You More – The first attempt at a love rap from the young Mr. Smith. It might have worked if the beat didn’t sound like a Casio keyboard version of a Sherlock Holmes like jingle.  Absolutely nothing about the track screams love or romance.  On second thought, the instrumental sucks and so does everything else about this song. Later in his career, LL would master the art or the love rap (if you want to call it an art), while reaping from it financially and extending his rap career longer that it ever should have lasted.

Dangerous – Similar to “Jam Master Jay” from Run DMC’s debut, LL lyrically praises his legendary DJ Cut Creator.  As his “record revolves, deejays dissolve”, love that line. Although the beat is very simple, lyrically LL shines through.

Three The Hard Way – This short interlude (also known as El Shabazz) is a hidden accapella freestyle, featuring LL and, El Shabazz (I think?). Other than recognizing a portion of the lyrics sampled on Gang Starr’s “Flip the Script” this was pretty useless.

Rock The Bells – You’ll recognize the intro which was later sampled in his mega hit “Momma Said Knock You Out”.  This still sounds pretty good today.

I Need A Beat – LL sounds decent on the mic, but the instrumental manages to be overly simplistic and doing way too much, simultaneously.

That’s A Lie – We get a chance to hear a young Russell Simmons on this record.  LL’s flow sounds sloppy and uninspired.  This reeks of sounding like something Run DMC would have done, and that’s not a compliment.

You’ll Rock –  LL sounds good behind the mic but the instrumental is boring. I’m starting to sound like a broken record.

I Want You – Once again Cool James makes an attempt at a love rap.  While not as bad as his earlier attempt on “I Can Give You More”, it still doesn’t work. But if first you don’t succeed try and try again, I guess.  Will he get it right on his next album?  Stay tuned. Oh by the way, this was a terrible way to end the album.

Similar to Run DMC’s debut, the production on Radio leaves a lot to be desired. LL sounds as hungry as pastor coming off a 2 weeks fast, unfortunately the instrumentals gave him nothing to feast on.  I have a feeling I’m going to struggle with a lot of these mid 80’s hip-hop albums as the production had yet to develop that umph that it would a few years down the line.

Did The Source Get It Right: I think I already answered that in the previous sentences. If The Source’s evaluation of Radio took place upon its release, I might understand a 5 mic rating, strictly based on what LL’s contemporaries had released up to this point. But to evaluate it fifteen years later and still consider it a masterpiece is absolutely insane. Not only is it not a classic, it’s not even LL’s best body of work.

-Deedub

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Run-DMC – Run-DMC (March 27, 1984)

Posted on 10/24/2010 by deedub77

Let me start out by saying the graphic spelling of the group’s name (and album title) on the album cover has to be the most generic and pathetic graphic I’ve ever seen.  I realize it was done in ’84, but there were several talented graffiti artist who could have lended a hand and done a quality job. Now that I got that off my chest, lets move on.

Run DMC is the self titled debut album from the Legendary trio from Queens, NY.  Run-DMC consisted of lead emcee Run/DJ Run, now known as Rev Run, (also younger brother to hip-hop mogul Russell Simmons, and better known to readers under the age of 21 as the dad on his reality tv series Run’s House), his microphone partner DMC (check out “Hollis Crew” for more on the acronym that makes up his alias), and the legendary DJ Jam Master Jay (RIP). This is where the collective begin their mission to become the first outright hip-hop pop superstars. Russell Simmons and Larry Smith would be responsible for the bulk of the production on the album.

The Source magazine, which at one time was considered the hip-hop bible before the ruthless take over of the evil Benzino, would rate albums on a scale of 1 to 5  (1 meaning terrible and 5 meaning masterpiece/classic).  Instead of using stars, The Source staff was witty enough to substitute stars with microphones. This rating system didn’t go into effect until 1990, so in 2002 The Source went back and reviewed and rated all the albums released before 1990 that their staff considered to be masterpieces and gave them a 5 mic rating.  Run DMC is the oldest album in that bunch to receive a retro 5 mic rating. I will add a short segment to each album review that received a 5 microphone rating called Did The Source Get It Right?  at the end of each album review (yes, even the 5 mic ratings that were given during the evil reign of Benzino).

Did The Source Get It Right?  Is Run DMC even worth a listen?  Come on, you at least have to listen to it once for the historical value alone.

Hard Times – This is a song about struggle, or just an acknowledgement of the necessity of money, it’s all about perspective. By ’84 standards the instrumental is decent enough, I guess. In ’84 I’m sure Run and DMC’s rhymes were state of the art, now they simply sound dated.  This was definitely recorded before it became standard for hip-hop artists to use the 16 bar verse format to shorten songs in an attempt to get more radio spins, as Run and D’s verses tend to run on forever.

Rock Box – I love this instrumental, specifically the guitar licks. Run and D both sound fresh and youthful.  D’s line about someone “taking the emcee test and failing” is pretty hilarious. What kind of questions would one find on this mythical test? Even better question:what kind of questions would one find on this test in 1984?

Jam Master Jay – The duo pay homage to their deejay. Decent song for what it is.

Hollis Crew – The instrumental sounds a lot like the one used on “Jam Master Jay” with a slightly different tempo.  DMC felt it necessary to let the listener know before taking on the stellar alias he currently uses, he once went by Easy D.  Before you start cracking dirty jokes about the name, he quickly explains it’s because rapping came so easy to him.  He also explains what DMC stands for and the meaning of the “M” in that acronym is redonkulous.

Sucker M.C.’s – Okay.  Maybe I’m loosing my mind but this instrumental sounds suspiciously similar to the one used on the two previous songs. Since this was 1984 and hip-hop music was still finding it’s self, I’ll show some grace.  Every time I hear this song it reminds me of the scene from Boyz N’ The Hood where Tre, Ricky, and Doughboy have a run in with the “neighborhood thugs”, who happen to be playing this song on their boombox as Doughboy gets his ass kicked.  The infamous emcee test is mentioned again, this time by Run, who claims he took the test and got an “A” for amazing.  Corny much.  Run’s first verse will probably sound familiar to most as different segments of it have been rehashed in other hip-hop songs through the years.  Even with the recycled instrumental this was an enjoyable listen.

It’s Like That – Now our Queens buddies recycle the instrumental used on “Hard Times” (give me a break).  Apparently this instrumental brought out the “consciousness” in the duo since both songs deal with social ills. Not a great song by any stretch of the imagination, but not a complete waste of time either.

30 Days – The synthesizer effect at the beginning almost makes you believe this is a  completely original instrumental.  Then Run starts his first verse and the cats out the bag: it’s the same frickin’ drum beat that was used on “Wake Up”.  DMC boats he has a 50 rating as an emcee but fails to mention on what the scale is. If we’re talking a scale of 1 to 100, 50 is not too hot, son.  The song overall was average.

Jay’s Game – Back in ’84 the deejay got a lot more respect on hip-hop albums then they do now.  It was nice to see the duo render center stage to the legendary deejay as he cuts it up using a few sound bites from Run and D.  This was a decent way to end the album.

Back in 1984 I’m sure Run DMC was the joint, but in 2010 much of the album sounds dated.  A couple of really good songs (“Rock Box” and “Sucker M.C.’s”) and a bunch of mediocre songs makes for a difficult listen in its entirety.  Run shows signs of the more developed emcee he would blossom into, and DMC, is, DMC.  I still want to see the results on his emcee exam.

Did The Source Get It Right?  Nope.  There are a few solid songs on Run DMC but the bulk of it ranges from mediocre to down right skippable. What’s your opinion? Hit me up in the comment section.

-Deedub

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hello world!

Posted on 10/24/2010 by deedub77

My name is Deedub, and I am a hip-hop addict.  I fell in love with hip-hop back during the golden age of hip-hop (early nineties), and over the years I’ve compiled a pretty sizable cd collection.  Lately I’ve been listening (and longing) for the the old school and have decided to chronologically listen and review each album in my collection.  Since I’m an avid collector and my collection is always growing, I will occasionally break the chrono order when applicable.  Yes, I know I’m missing some key pieces and my collection is nowhere near complete, but hopefully you’ll enjoy my commentary, discover a hidden gem, or help me discover something new.  Let’s go!

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