Big Noyd - Episodes Of A Hustla (September 16, 1996)

Tajuan Perry must be really good pals with Mobb Deep. How else would you explain him popping up as much as he did on the vast majority of their albums? His early verses in particular, back when Mobb Deep half Havoc actually knew what he was doing behind the boards, really stick out, as he was putting a lot of thought behind the brags & stories he told in those rhymes. Matter of fact, his reintroduction to the game is widely regarded as one of the best verses in hip hop history, no bullshit. That verse alone impressed Tommy ain't my motherfuckin' Boy (Thanks, Max!) enough to come galloping towards Mr. Noyd with dollar signs in their glazed-over eyes. And with the strong emotional support group that Mobb Deep commanded back then, Big Noyd was set for very big things, indeed.



Until he got locked up before the album was finished.



I can only imagine how a label as fucking eager as Tommy Boy to screw a rap artist would react to such circumstances, especially in the 90s. And, since Big Noyd was not yet a household name, Tommy Boy went with the shortest contractual obligation possible: by releasing the songs previously recorded as a mere EP. Big Noyd's career never recovered from that. OK, now that that's out of the way, let's discuss the actual music at hand, shall we?


Since Noyd was introduced to the game by Mobb Deep, who were riding a big wave of success from their sophomore album The Infamous, off which Noyd contributed the aforementioned classic verse on Give Up The Goods (Just Step), and since Havoc of said Mobb Deep's sound was beginning to carve out quite the sizable lane in hip hop back then, it only made perfect sense that Noydy here worked almost exclusively with Havoc for his shortened solo debut. What Mr. Noyd didn't plan, however, was that Tommy Boy were smart in their selection of the finalized EP tracks, as almost all of them featured Prodigy of Mobb Deep contributing a verse or even a hook. Thank you, fuckfaces. That was real nice of y'all. Also, this EP marks the first official introduction of Mobb Deep's weed carrier group known as the Infamous Mobb, which may not be the momentous occasion I'm apparently writing it up to be, although that depends on how much of a fan of Mobb Deep you actually are.



Onwards.



IT'S ON YOU

Skit.



THE PRECINCT (INTERLUDE)

Skit!!!!



RECOGNIZE & REALIZE (PART 1) (FEATURING PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP)

The lead single. Nice move, Tommy Boy. You had to pick the least polished song from the shit. Oh well. It certainly helps that Havoc is on fucking fire behind the boards, which drives Noydy and Berty here into a lyrical frenzy as they attempt to refreshingly outdo each other on wax. The song, while in relatively low quality, sounds great. Nice!



ALL PRO (FEATURING INFAMOUS MOBB AND PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP)

I present to you the iffiest Kejuan Muchita beat from his peak period, a beat which I still prefer over all of his current shit. All of it. Anyways, this sounds as though it was recorded back when Twin Scarface was alive, as Godfather Part 3 (No, really. That's his fucking rap name. Lucked out there, eh?) sticks to adlibs. Oh, and Prodigy and Noyd sound terrific on here.



INFAMOUS MOBB (FEATURING PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP)

Tommy Boy! What the fuck are you doing naming this song after them when they don't appear on the shit? What?! The song was already mixed by Havoc that way?! Then, he must've been coked out of his ass, something he proves on that unintentionally funny-ass hook. Prodigy keeps his wits about him as he delivers some introductory bars a la Raekwon on Ghostface Killah's Motherless Child. Also, similar to that song, Noyd then unleashes a one-verse wonder of threats that sounds pretty good and convincing. After which Kejuan here graces us once again with his dazzling display of balance, as he tries to keep his coked ass from falling to the goddamn booth floor before finishing that travesty of a hook. His beat was crazy nice, though.



INTERROGATION (INTERLUDE)

SKIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



USUAL SUSPECT (FEATURING PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP)

Now this should've been the lead single. Too bad it's the second one. Anyways, this shit sounds straight up fun. Big Noyd weaves in and out of the fairly decent Havoc beat like he was born there. Berty apparently couldn't contain his excitement at Noydy's performance and decides to step in the booth and shout out some of the Mobb's crew in rhyme. You have no idea how refreshing that is, coming from the RZAs, the Bustas and the Fat Joes, ruining a beat with their 45.5 hours of shoutouts on every fucking song.



EPISODES OF A HUSTLA (FEATURING PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP)

If you are a fan of Mobb Deep and somehow haven't heard this song: close this page, go to YouTube and look this song up. This song has that Havoc beat that will slip you outside of the real world and into a trance if you keep listening to it too much. Prodigy sticks with hook duties here, and Tajuan unleashes three excellent verses that show you why he was chosen to be involved so much in the Mobb's music. So, yeah, this song is the shit.



RECOGNIZE & REALIZE (PART 2) (FEATURING MOBB DEEP)

Mobb Deep collaborate properly with their protege. Which simply means that Havoc finally spits his only verse, a proper verse, of the EP. Big Noyd and Prodigy rehash some of the rhymes used on the first version, only that by the time you take notice of said issue, you're already enjoying this shit. Besides, they come with all new rhymes that are just as good later on in the song. This ranks right up there with any Mobb Deep classic cut in their vast catalog.



I DON'T WANNA LOVE AGAIN (FEATURING SE'KOU)

I don't know who this Se'Kou chick is, but she threw me off with her crooning after the hook when I first heard this song. Noydy crops up later on here, spitting an admittedly pretty damn good verse in dedication of a fallen comrade. Havoc's beat sounds appropiately somber, which adds to the theme of loss all present are trying to convey here. Didn't know Noyd had this side to him when I first heard this. Nicely done.



USUAL SUSPECT (STRETCH ARMSTRONG REMIX) (FEATURING PRODIGY OF MOBB DEEP)

Even though it says Stretch Armstrong remixed this song, this sounds so much like a Havoc beat that I don't even mind, especially when this version has a more melodic beat than the original. Which isn't that strange since the beat does sample Isaac Hayes, melody extraordinaire. The lyrics remain unchanged, however. I take my statement about the original being lead single material back, as this should've been the lead single.



FINAL THOUGHTS:

It's a damn shame no one copped this back when it first came out, due to the phenomenal job the fuckfaces at Tommy Boy did in promoting this EP. And thank y'all oh so very much for filling this shit up with all those very necessary skits, which contributed oh so very much to the artistic growth of poor Noyd as an MC. Do I sound a bit bitter? You goddamn right I am! Because this EP belongs right up there with Mobb Deep's absolute finest work. Havoc was still a beast behind the boards, and Prodigy played the Tragedy to Noyd's CNN, appearing on 99.999% of the songs present. Both MCs knock the shit out of the park every damn time, which is to be expected of the Mobb back when their chemistry was at its peak. Said chemistry was to continue on Mobb Deep's following release, Hell On Earth, on which a freshly-released-from-prison Noyd is all too happy to reclaim the role of the Mobb's head weed carrier.



WORTH IT? I just wrote that the Mobb were at their peak during the crafting of the songs on this EP. That should automatically translate to go get this shit now. Big Noyd would never sound this good on his own again.



TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

ARMED AND DANGEROUS

Dear fuckfaces at Tommy Boy,



Wouldn't this song have fit better on the 11-track tracklist than any of the three fucking skits present? Of course, my prior statement would only be true if this song bangs, and boy does it ever. Havoc samples Roy Ayers' We Live In Brooklyn Baby, a sample which I will always associate with Smif-N-Wessun as their take on it is the stuff of legend, to great effect. The beat provides Big Noyd the necessary canvas to paint his patented rhymes of street tales. Allow me to add that his calm & slow delivery rips the beat to shreds and forces you to pay attention to his awesome verses. Particularly, the first verse is a tale of revenge reminiscent of Cormega's Dead Man Walking. Noyd's tale is even more impressive since he told said song's entire story without leaving any detail out within one verse. Damn shame that this song only exists in poor quality, but thankfully not too poor, which allows you to hear Noyd and Hav do their motherfucking thing. Loved the Prodigy adlibs in the beginning, too.



More Mobb Deep...

Nas - It Was Written (June 28, 1996)

'Twas the late 1990s, and all through the entertainment industry worldwide, shit was fucking good. Well, except if you're a movie buff. Anyways, some of the very best video games of all time were released in that period, including, among many more that escape me at the moment, the Metal Gear Solid series, the Resident Evil series and the Legacy Of Kain series. Fighting games and beat 'em ups were still very popular as the Tekken series, the Street Fighter series, the King Of Fighters series and its many offshoots were riding high, and my favorite fighting game series of all friggin' time, Bloody Roar, had debuted its first two installments, with BR2 being the series' peak from a presentation standpoint, in said period. Like I said, shit was fucking good.

However, there was one sector of the entertainment industry that I was completely oblivious to, which was the music industry. We simply didn't have in our local stores the variety that most stores worldwide had. All of them local stores we got only cared about the fucking radio hits, and I've eventually discovered what every modern music fan knows by now that radio blows. Over time, though, I found that I've grown quite fond of a particular form of modern music, hip hop. And since then, I've learned that there was a Golden Era of hip hop music, when everyone was creatively competing with each other at the highest level and constantly testing themselves to bring out the very best material they can put out. I'm not going to pinpoint the exact time this era ended, but I will say that ever since 1983, hip hop music has never been the same.

One of the many lynchpins of this genre that was considered essential listening by every single person who came across it was a little piece of work called Illmatic. This album consisted of 9 tracks and an intro, on which one MC waxed poetic about every single thought he could think of for 8 tracks while the ninth was utilized as a duet between him and some unknown dude. After Illmatic's release, though, everybody in hip hop music knew and appreciated that MC, named Nas. Hell, his work was so loved that the nobody who rapped alongside him, AZ, established a full-fledged 20-year career and dropped some quality records of his own during said career. But was this love justified? Listen to the goddamn album and judge for yourself. Key word: Listen. So naturally, the pressure was on regarding the eventual sophomore album very commonly greenlit by the fuckfaces at every label in existence.

Nas' alleged direction, aided by the help of one MC Serch, was to do a full album collaboration with Queensbridge hip hop legend Marley Marl. I'll let that sink in for a moment. But, at the same time, Nas was nagged about something: Constantly brought to his attention was the fact that Illmatic sold zilch off the gate, with it going gold almost two years after its release. That was considered a major catastrophe by the aforementioned label fuckfaces, so they advised Nassy to fire Serch, abandon his direction entirely and head for a new one with dollar signs in his eyes, with the aid of new manager Steve Stoute and production team the Trackmasters. I'm not saying anything here, just mentioning my resentment at not being able to hear that supposed album come to fruition. Back to the subject at hand, Stoute certainly worked his magic, but even he wasn't stupid enough to forget that Nas came from an underground background that had to be catered to and relayed that approach to said Trackmasters. They convinced Nas that an entry in mafioso rap was the way to go. Personal side note: I'll always have a bit of a soft spot for early Trackmasters work, as they've produced the very first hip hop song I've ever heard back in my childhood: The Monstars Anthem off the Space Jam OST, which I still view as a good song. Good times.

Now, ever since Raekwon of the Wu-Tang Clan's lauded solo debut Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... reinvented mafioso rap as a viable, metaphor-filled theme for hip hop music in 1995, many figures in the entire industry jumped right on the bandwagon, resulting in many an abomination by infinitely lesser-skilled rappers who failed to realize that OB4CL was a highly-focused album with many important factors contributing to its success, with the exception of acts such as Nas' boy AZ, who wasn't as successful as one might think with his debut Doe or Die, mainly because of the absence of a proper producer who truly understands how to come up with an original image using said theme and whose production matches AZ's lyrical skill. Now, on the flipside, there were some who understood enough of the mafioso rap formula to come up with their own successful visions, such as, oh I don't know, HHT’s lord and savior Jay-Z, who released Reasonable Doubt to much critical acclaim. Nas' fellow QB natives Mobb Deep, fresh off the success of their sophomore album The Infamous, fit the mafioso theme like a glove as well. So Nas had plenty of influence around him to produce a sizeable entry into the mafioso subgenre.

Enter It Was Written. Nas released the lead single, If I Ruled The World (Imagine That), with red-hot Fugees member Lauryn Hill to the elation of radio stations everywhere, which paved enough groundwork for It Was Written to sell a shitload of copies (to be precise, over two million) in three months, a far cry from the Illmatic sales climb. But, the important quest to ask was: Was the album any good?

ALBUM INTRO
I know for a fact that Nas recorded this out of his ass. Please, do yourself a huge favor and skip this shit.

THE MESSAGE
Nas allegedly aims a diss at both 2Pac and Biggie on a Trackmasters beat sampling Sting? I don't know how they made it work, but this song is awesome. Nas sets the mafioso platform up perfectly for the rest of the album, as well.

STREET DREAMS
I liked this track, as well. This is a continuation of the themes present in the previous song and throughout the album. I'm actually surprised everyone balked at this album while singing the praises of other lyrically similar albums, namely one such album, where an expensive clothing line is name dropped every two seconds on most of said album. I won't say its name, you know the one I'm talking about. This song also heated up Nas' beef with 2Pac, as they both sampled the same source material, although I'll admit that I feel the Trackmasters flipped the Linda Clifford sample leagues better.

I GAVE YOU POWER
Simply put: A hip hop landmark. Nas raps from the viewpoint of an inanimate object, which has been done before and since. Which doesn't really matter, though, if the execution is fucking brilliant. All this is possible, of course, with DJ Premier's wizardry as he concocts a brilliant slow-driven 20-second loop from Eric Gale's Forecast that transforms into a breathtaking beat sampling the legendary Ahmad Jamal. This time, Nas chooses to lyrically embody a gun and lets loose with some of the greatest lyrics & concepts ever put to a Primo beat. This was awesome.

WATCH DEM N****S (FEATURING FOXY BROWN)
The Trackmasters are back sampling hip hop lynchpin Bob James in a beat that provides Nas a canvas for painting a vivid portrait of betrayal. This hit in all the right notes and as a plus, Foxy Brown is restricted to the hook. Yay!

TAKE IT IN BLOOD
2Pac’s former best friend, the late Stretch, produces a gem of a beat sampling soul band the Fantastic Four, complete with a sweet Kool Keith sample, that one can only appreciate when listening through the entire album and not skipping to the fucking singles. Nas re-enters his lyrical home turf when bragging and throwing in some cultural references and he sounds fucking great doing so, which is to be expected. You have no idea how happy I am that he kept this style from his debut.

NAS IS COMING
Here's where everybody is brought to a freaking halt. What in the blue horsefuck is Rommell Young doing on a Nas album? Nevertheless, I'm of the camp that the song sounds great, even if Nas' second verse is absolute gibberish. Dre really dug deep for Nas, as he sampled, among other things, two seconds from a fucking Scooby Doo episode. I guess RZA's outlandish approach to production got his creative juices pumping and he wanted to flex some production muscle. I repeat, this is a great song. (Disagree? Comment section. Now.)

AFFIRMATIVE ACTION (FEATURING THE FIRM)
Poke & Tone return to the fold with Dave Atkinson to lay down a beat worthy of The Firm's only commercially released track. I'm talking about the real Firm lineup, of course. AZ, Cormega & Nas sound like relatives who've been practicing their verses for the school play for 16 years, meaning that their chemistry is undeniable, and Foxy Brown allegedly recites her ass off. Yeah, because allegedly her rhymes were never hers, as they were allegedly ghostwritten by Jay-Z. Personally? I believe the allegations and I will not be convinced otherwise. (Don't like what you're reading, Foxy? Voice your discomfort in the comments section!)

THE SET UP (FEATURING HAVOC)
Nas brings Havoc, fresh off discovering his calling as a producer on The Infamous, (even if his production peak was only for like 4 years, said peak was masterful.) to the fold and requests a beat for him to bludgeon to death. Havoc gladly obliges, so in return, Nas places him on the hook for the motherfucker. The end result is something I would've gladly welcomed on a Mobb Deep album. Back when they were in their prime, of course. You will never catch me listening to that fucking Blood Money travesty. Anyways, this song knocks in all the wanted ways.

BLACK GIRL LOST (FEATURING JO-JO)
Oh, was this ever a misfire. Nobody, I repeat, nobody was checking for any rapper to act holier-than-thou and chastise women when he's out getting his fuck on (pun very much intended) with groupies every other night. Even though the beat by P&T and LES was kind of technically proficient with the Stephanie Mills sample, Nas cuts even further and sings the hook in the presence of Jo-Jo. I mean, my dude, what is the point of bringing one half of Jodeci, a popping 90s R&B act if I ever saw one, if all you're gonna give him is a lame-ass outro that sounds simply awkward. Fuck this song.

SUSPECT
LES is out for redemption, bringing with him a beat so deeply rooted in gritty mid-90s NY tradition, especially in its sampling of Chuck Mangione & Quincy Jones, which is thankfully right up Nas' alley. He then takes this opportunity to weave one of the timeless crime stories told in the mafioso subgenre, thereby establishing himself as one of its grandmasters. Seriously, props to all parties involved in this masterpiece.

SHOOTOUTS
I swear, it's like the Trackmasters are mostly remembering their origins as producers of Kool G Rap's classic Ill Street Blues, as they sample the famous opening blaring horns from The Avengers 1965 TV series theme then follow it up with brilliant use of the prevalent Al Green sample. Furthermore, this track is lyrically a continuation of the winning form of the previous song, with Nas weaving another epic crime tale for your listening pleasure. Nice!

LIVE NIGGA RAP (FEATURING MOBB DEEP)
Mobb Deep finally grace this album with their overdue presence. And their chemistry with Nassy here is infectious. Havoc returns behind the boards for a magnificent beat on which Prodigy sets us off with an immortal verse he originally wrote for CNN's classy response to Tha Dogg Pound's seminal New York, New York, conveniently titled LA, LA (Do yourself a favor. If you've never heard LA, LA yet, get the Kuwait Mix version, as Marley Marl’s beat is fucking bananas.) And you know what? He was wrong to abandon that song and jump on this one, even though this is still dope as fuck. Anyway, his verse takes the cake early on, as Havoc and Nas play catch up, with Nas yielding better results than P's partner, as usual. Still, all who was featured on this song made it the classic it's supposed to be.

IF I RULED THE WORLD (IMAGINE THAT) (FEATURING LAURYN HILL)
The lead single and the song responsible for It Was Written's massive commercial success. You know, aside from the promotion, the tours, the public appearances, the press conferences, the interviews, etc. The Trackmasters straight up jacked the first loop of Whodini's Friends for this beat, and I'll admit, Nas freaks it better than the source material. Yes, he carved his own identity into the beat, doing so with the aid of the ever-talented Lauryn Hill on the vocals, who chooses to interpolate both Kurtis Blow and The Delfonics and somehow makes it work. Thereby providing the opportune canvas for our host to wax poetic about his dreams of ending the ghetto prison, with some rap cliches thrown in for good measure. For what it was, this was pretty damn good.

Almost every version besides the US CD version has the following track:


SILENT MURDER
Stretch RIP returns for my favorite track on this entire album with a surprisingly haunting loop of a Soul II Soul sample, on which Nas spits rhymes of various imagery about life in the ghetto mixed with sly social commentary as only a true hip hop poet can.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
A ton of people hate this album and vilify it as the point where Nas' lyrics fell off into irrelevancy. I say to every single one of them: Give me some of what you're smoking. ALL of your favorite mafioso albums weaved the exact same picture as this album here, with Nas sometimes even besting his peers. Nas paid proper respect to the standard set by Raekwon's Purple Tape by crafting his own mafioso vision with the highest of focus. And, because every human piece of work is flawed, there were some slip-ups. But they sure as hell didn't detract from the overall experience. It certainly helped that Nas had the Trackmasters heighten their focus on the overall sound of this album to match his, with the remaining guest producers all doing a phenomenal job. So, while cohesion was never one of Nas' strong points in album crafting, here I say: This album is by far the Nas album I revisit the most. Yes, even more than Illmatic.

WORTH IT?
You bet your sweet ass, it is. Don't let the negative hype fool you: This is a quality album that deserves to be in your collection.

See more Nas here. 15 cents per adult and 8 for the chilluns. Don't be shy.

Mobb Deep - The Infamous (April 25, 1995) & 1994 Sessions (April 1, 2014)

I'm killing it with the consistency, I know. Paint that shit gold.

In truth, this post has caused me physical pain from the amount of times it got deleted, no joke. Every time I rewrite my thoughts, something happens to my device which causes me to sink into a day of depression, until today. Among some other personal shit I'm going through. So, like I said, paint that shit gold.

Story time: I'm playing Grand Theft Auto: Liberty City Stories. (Tell me if you know where this is going.) I switch over to The Liberty Jam radio station. I hear an ominous loop of reverbed hi-hats and snares. Then, DJ Clue shouts with his ever-annoying voice: "NEW MOBB DEEP!!" (even though the game was set in fucking 1998.) Keep in mind that by this point I don't know what the hell a Mobb Deep is. Then I hear Shook Ones Pt. II for the first time, and my mind is officially blown. Who are these people? And how do they pull off sounding so menacing so effortlessly? Especially the first cat, I remember wondering. There was something different about his delivery, as you can literally hear his conviction and you feel like he already knows he's got you in the palm of his hand. And what can I say about the beat that hasn't been said already by many a better writer than I? I go to my safe haven, Wikipedia, and I find out Mobb Deep is a group made up by Havoc & Prodigy. Wait a minute, those two names ring a bell. Oh yeah! it's the two thugs who were constantly beating the tar out of my created fighters on Def Jam: Fight For NY!

And that's how I became a Mobb Deep fan.

Albert Johnson and Kejuan Muchita were in the pickle of all pickles when their debut album Juvenile Hell, the one shot they placed all of their hopes and dreams on was a colossal clusterfuck of a failure. (Even though looking back now, it wasn't nearly as bad as it seemed. In fact, I found parts of it quite entertaining.) Not only did their label 4th and Broadway cast them away in the cold, lonely wastelands of no-deal-land, everyone who was on board the project seemed to disassociate themselves with the group. Furthermore, hip hop acts like Biggie, Def Squad and the Wu-Tang Clan were quickly taking over the radio in a triumphant stand for mainstream East Coast hip hop while the likes of Jeru The Damaja, O.C. & fellow QB native Nas were the new critical darlings. And during our duo's plight, they also realized they had limited funds for them to make the music that they wanted, what with them being unwanted free agents with no money to pay for a hot beat for them to spit on. In short, Mobb Deep felt like the end of their career was almost upon them. Almost.

In the most unpredictable of ways, our duo went back to the drawing board. There they found out the two most important reasons Mobb Deep is a hip hop landmark today: 1. Prodigy, who was more into production, found out Havoc had an untapped genius as a producer. 2. Havoc, the MC of the group, noted that out of nowhere, Prodigy transformed into a lyrical phenomenon. Production-wise, it might've been the fact that Hav's younger brother, a kid who went by the name of Killa Black, was a fugitive around that time that pushed Kejuan to recognize some of the darkest, most soulless sounds ever to be put to wax in many old melodious hits. Killa Black, who would take his own life a year later, would be immortalized on various future Mobb songs alongside Twin Scarface, one of the Mobb's close crew and the identical twin brother of Infamous Mobb member Twin Gambino. Prodigy's sudden lyrical talent, however, came so suddenly that it caught everybody by surprise. Turns out, it was the result of a particularly nasty bout with sickle cell anemia, a condition P was born with. P wrote his heart and soul on his rhymebook when he was in the hospital. So, in reality, Mobb Deep already had everything they ever needed. They would go on to record a crucial demo, put together by The Source senior contributor Matty C and his partner & fellow A&R Schott Free. DJ Stretch Armstrong of the famous Stretch & Bobbito Show, also a fellow A&R, played a certain track from the demo called Patty Shop which caught the attention of Loud Records, headed by Steve Rifkind. Loud knew a goldmine when they found one, and when they heard said song they immediately greenlit a single deal. The result? One hell of a scorcher by the name of Shook Ones, released by Loud in 1994 and thereby sending the aforementioned Steve Rifkind into a frenzy of hype and excitement, along with whoever had the friggin privilege of hearing that track. A full album deal was greenlit afterwards, which allowed our heroes to release its sequel Shook Ones Pt. II to the unsuspecting masses, who gobbled the shit up. So much so that they flocked over to the single that followed like those pigeons from the Home Alone 2 scene where they attack Joe Pesci & Daniel Stern. Which was good because Survival Of The Fittest is just as much of a classic as Shook Ones, if not even more so. Then, came the album.

The Infamous sold more than five hundred thousand records in the US in exactly two months, a feat which is unheard of today by a hip hop act. In another spoiler, allow me to add that it did so for a good goddamned reason.

THE START OF YOUR ENDING (41ST SIDE)
Havoc succeeds with Mobb Deep's identity reinvention from the very first second you hear his sampling of Grant Green's Maybe Tomorrow. Which is somehow supposed to mean that the beat is friggin' awesome. Both K and Bert sound so far ahead of their past selves it's not even funny. Upon further investigation, I've come to the conclusion that I may have sold Havoc's pen game a bit short and I'm man enough to admit it.

THE INFAMOUS PRELUDE
You duped the consumer good there, Loud. For a moment, a guy would think he's finally getting an skit-less album. Of course, now they know better.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
Nobody approach me when this song is on. You might not recognize me from the trance I'm in. My humble sentiments are that mainstream hip hop should kindly go fuck itself in the most uncomfortable, inappropriate & undesirable way possible for not making songs half as good as this anymore. Remember those two halls of fame that I talked about earlier? Well, Havoc & Prodigy cement their rightful place in said halls of fame with this song alone. Prodigy delivers what many people consider his most memorable verse with a conviction that simply escapes most rappers now, as you can hear the lifelessness in this at-the-time young man's voice with every line he spits, a terror that can only be experienced when paired with the right beat. And let me tell you, Havoc provides a now-classic instrumental built around one of the most unrecognizable loops in hip hop history. So unrecognizable, in fact, that it became the stuff of legend until Havoc finally revealed the source material only a few years ago, a mere second from the opening piano solo of Skylark by the Barry Harris Trio and Al Cohn. Trust me, this is an experience that will haunt your dreams.

EYE FOR AN EYE (YOUR BEEF IS MINES) (FEATURING NAS & RAEKWON)
Lyrically, Havoc is predictably the weak link here and his verse is dope as fuck. What does that tell you about the lyrics on this song? Havoc once again finds the briefest of loops in Al Green's Wish You Were Here and brilliantly transforms it into the soundtrack of torture. Nicely done.

JUST STEP PRELUDE
Apparently, TaJuan Perry aka Big Noyd aka Pizza Dude was famous for freestyling about hood life. This was one of those sessions, coupled with an equally amazing lyrical showing from P to no music, which becomes an acapella by definition. Skip it, I won't tell.

GIVE UP THE GOODS (JUST STEP) (FEATURING BIG NOYD)
Apparently Q-Tip of A Tribe Called Quest fame had a heavy hand in helping Havoc craft this album's sound. Even though I initially disagreed with that bit of trivia, it's not really that far off since Tip is a musical genius. Anyway, he has only three production credits on the album, so he definitely helped. Even though all of his contributions on the album are dope as fuck, this one's by far the best. His Esther Phillips loop is instantly recognizable to many hip hop heads along with a famous Skull Snaps audio clip sprinkled throughout, and both Mobb halves do their part very well, but the show belongs to Pizza Dude as he follows his hosts' footsteps in successfully eradicating any memory of his real debut on Juvenile Hell. This verse was responsible for his Episodes Of A Hustla EP, which you know I'll review later on, God willing.

TEMPERATURE'S RISING (FEATURING CRYSTAL JOHNSON)
The second Q-Tip beat of the album is built around a Patrice Rushen Where's The Love loop to excellent effect. I'll have to admit, I feel that Crystal Johnson should be known much more than she is, as her vocal talent is undeniable, plus her Leon Ware cover is brilliant! The Mobb's take on what I call the One Love formula works for me because instead of an incarcerated comrade, they're speaking to one who's on the run (read: Killa Black) during the course of their tribute. And I'm pleased to state that both do an equally good job. And how many people find it cool that Tip produced both odes to absent comrades discussed here? Not as good as Just Step, but still pretty fucking awesome.

UP NORTH TRIP
After a useless excerpt from the Fatback Band's To Be With You, Havoc (allegedly) returns behind the boards for this beat which samples I'm Tired Of Giving by The Spinners. I will say that my former argument would be weak against one who's of the opinion that Q-Tip had more of a hand than what was credited and who uses this song as an example thereof. Then again, I am a blogger, so I just have to be stubborn about my opinions or other bloggers will call me a lazy-ass flunkey. So, Havoc's (alleged) beat inspires Prodigy to yet another riveting display, while Havoc, while nailing the flow part, is stuck with random goddamn threats, thereby can only look weak in comparison. His verse tries to get across, before Prodigy's verse guts it from behind shinobi-like. P has said in the past that Illmatic had a big influence on him sharpening his pen, and it fucking shows. P carries the lyrics of this song like a champ.

TRIFE LIFE
The numerous Norman McConnors samples serve as the foundation for a Havoc beat that is utilized by the Mobb to describe the thuggish roles some females play in 'hood life'. And even though Hav & P both paint very vivid pictures about said subject matter, the fucking beat takes center stage for me. This, unlike the previous song, is undoubtedly a Havoc beat as it weaves the samples together in a clear statement of its maker's talent. He even lets the beat ride RZA-style, which I always like when the beat is this good.

Q.U.- HECTIC
This Havoc beat serves as foundation for a lyrical competition between both Mobb halves, as they go back & forth for a bit, trading excellent verses with each other, until Havoc eventually relents to Prodigy's prowess. P then takes to the mic and opens one of the most vivid windows into the ghetto thug's mind ever written. Props to Havoc throwing the famous Quincy Jones sample used previously on Shook Ones Tha Dos on here, as it somehow added to the brilliant final product.

RIGHT BACK AT YOU (FEATURING GHOSTFACE KILLAH, RAEKWON & BIG NOYD)
Havoc sets a very prominent Les McCann loop as the foundation for this posse cut that I always argue with people about when trying to determine the best posse cut on this album. This song is my choice because I'm a big fan of the unique back & forth style used on here by Rae & Ghost which previously debuted on the Chef's Heaven Or Hell as a tribute to EPMD. Add Big Noyd's continuing winning form from his last appearance on this album and you have one of the greatest posse cuts in hip hop history.

THE GRAVE PRELUDE
...

CRADLE TO THE GRAVE
The previous skit should've been included into this track, as it's too goddamn short to be given its own space on the tracklist. Anyway, it serves as a plotline for a revenge tale brilliantly written by Prodigy. Havoc, on the other hand, exhibits why I think he should've stuck to the boards when he commits to the story for only his second verse. His remaining lyrical contribution are, once again, random thuggery, which really detracts from what could've been a classic staple in hip hop. It really deserves such a title given P's writing, as I swear, he seems like he's gaining momentum with his pen game with each passing song. Havoc deserves credit for the haunting beat built around the briefest of Teddy Pendergrass notes. This song is still very good, but it could've been so much more.

DRINK AWAY THE PAIN (SITUATIONS) (FEATURING Q-TIP)
Q-Tip's final production showing on the album warrants a verse from the legend that fits right in between his many contributions to the genre. Hell, this whole song sounds like a Tribe song. In fact, I'm adamant that this track was Tip's brainchild. Hav & P dedicate their verses to their preferred liquor brand of choice, depicting them as the most desirable of women. Whatever, Tip takes this song, weaving a crime tale using various clothing brands as the characters. Now we know where Lupe Fiasco got his influence for that Twilight Zone joint off his Fahrenheit 1/15 mixtape series. The beat was an awesome yet very characteristic loop of Mr. Tip using a prominent Headhunters sample.

SHOOK ONES PT. II
Other than the ingenious meshing of samples ranging from Quincy Jones to Herbie Hancock, please refer to track #3 for further review. Seriously, every attribute about that song applies here. Oh, you still want more? OK, story time: (Hey, you wanted more.) Listening to The Liberty Jam radio station in GTA:LCS, I always gravitated to this song here's depiction of the criminal youth thought process through the present thuggery. I was particularly struck with how Prodigy, 19 at the time, sounded like the most apathetic human being without even trying and I always asked myself: What makes someone reach that mindstate in society? What can someone possibly go through that would make him that heartless at that age? Havoc adds an equally harrowing verse, yet he lacks the conviction P displays. This song is a hip hop staple for a good reason.

PARTY OVER (FEATURING BIG NOYD)
This album closer depicts a point in time where Mobb Deep and their cronies were having fun in a way simply not possible anymore, given the Mobb's recent meltdown. Over a loop taken from the fucking awesome Lonely Fire by Miles Davis, Hav, P & Noyd all swiftly interchange verses of threats & tales of violence in one smorgasbord of action-filled wizardry. Prodigy hits full throttle with his imagery here, and there's no doubt left in your mind that you'll remember this dude's lyrics for a long time. Album over.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
Like I said in the first review, what can I say more than what's already been said? The Infamous sold 500,000 copies in exactly two months, and you know what? It's worth every fucking cent & should've sold more. I can only pity those few who actually listened to Juvenile Hell first, then wrote these two off. For Havoc & Prodigy, as everyone already knows by now, pull off the hip hop image reinvention of the fucking century. Havoc and Prodigy switch their previous roles as producer and lead MC respectively, and hip hop, nay, art is all the better for it. Prodigy exhibits a mastery over words that is rivaled by a very select few MC's, and Havoc produces masterpiece over masterpiece on this album showing a consistency that mainstream rap simply isn't aware of. Props to the two shits. Much props.

WORTH IT?
If, by some freak incident, you're into hip hop and don't know this album, do what I originally did and stop browsing NOW! Go and fucking stamp this shit into your head. Then, you just might be able to clean toilets here. This album is worthy of its place among the great hip hop albums of the mid-90s, and it certainly did enough to make Mobb Deep a hip hop household name.

I had to compensate for my absence, didn't I?
For the people who're currently balking at the goddamn screen, asking: (Y U nO reeViEw CD1?) I say, leave this blog now. You won't like it. Anyway, the abovementioned classic fucking album certainly had its share of stories, unreleased cuts & throwaways. I've decided said throwaways are worthy of shedding some light on, especially when Mobb Deep themselves think they're worth your time, evidenced by the fact that this is part of an official release by the duo. CD2 of our couple's 2014 double album The Infamous Mobb Deep, comprised of masters found on old floppy disks, mind you, is almost too unfair to CD1, which is composed of all new material. (Show of hands: Who's old enough to remember floppys? No one? Thought so.) It's simply impossible to stack the two CDs against each other, as they were made by entirely different people, in my eyes. So, how is this CD really expected to end? Read on, motherfucker.

EYE FOR AN EYE (FEATURING NAS, RAEKWON & GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
This original take is getting a lot of love from the Interweb, which is totally to be expected. Prodigy uses one of the verses he ended up using for the fucking awesome Gusto by Long Island former lyrical wunderkind A+. P seems to love this verse very much, as it pops up more than once on this album. He has every reason to, of course, as the verse is one of his best ever. Speaking of using verses that pop up somewhere else, Ghostface uses his awesome verse from the Real Live Shit remix off of The Turnaround, a classic album I reviewed earlier on in this blog, and Nas' verse is the same as the final version. So, that leaves the Chef & Havoc as the only ones with verses no one heard until this track's release, and they sound pretty damn good. Especially the Chef. Hav's beat freaks a different part of the same Al Green source for the final version, and still makes it sound dark. Nice!

SKIT
Taken from the Yo! MTV Raps episode where Mobb Deep first made their appearance, accompanied by Nas & Raekwon where everyone spits a verse while rocking Wu Wear. I think it's amazing that Nas & Rae sound like they're absolutely thrilled to spit alongside the Mobb even though it should be the other way around. Still, a skit is a skit.

GET IT IN BLOOD
This song houses Prodigy's other Gusto verse. This verse is equally as potent as the one previously heard on the last song. I have a very strong suspicion that Havoc did not write his rhymes on here, as the imagery present very clearly screams Prodigy. Plus, there's the fact that he spits a verse that we just heard from Prodigy on the fucking previous skit! Props to his beat, though.

GIMME THE GOODS (FEATURING BIG NOYD)
I stopped every thing I was doing once I heard Havoc's beat on here, as this alternate version of Give Up The Goods (Just Step) blows the album version out of the motherfucking water. I cannot stress enough how much this song is flat-out better: The menacing beat, for one, is another one of those addictive beats that you'll hear in your head for months to come. All of the verses are the same, except for Big Noyd's, who unleashes a full-blown crime saga with one long-ass verse with proper attention to detail. His verse alone makes this song my preferred version by a fucking light year.

IF IT'S ALRIGHT (FEATURING BIG NOYD)
Sampling Gil-Scott Heron's Winter In America, this telling Havoc beat houses another collaboration with Noyd, one that the group chooses to speak on the hardships of the ghetto. I must say, either P is writing Hav's rhymes on this disc, or Havoc is a stupid motherfucker for leaving these rhymes on the cutting room floor instead of using them on the final product. That's how much better he is on here. Prodigy is his usual poetic self, of course. So, yeah, this song was the tits.

SKIT MOBB 1995
Another throwback interview, although this one's useless.

SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST (FEATURING CRYSTAL JOHNSON)
This remix to a goddamn staple of hip hop doesn't really add up, and yet I still fucking love this song. Maybe it's because Crystal Johnson is present on here, although she doesn't really contribute much. The same cannot be said however for both Havoc and Prodigy, who add a ton of new rhymes to the ones already burnt into our brains, and they pull it off in typically awesome fashion. This time, the beat is a more obvious sample of Al Wilson's Medley: I Won't Last a Day Without You/Let Me Be the One. I approve greatly.

TEMPERATURE'S RISING (FEATURING CRYSTAL JOHNSON)
The same Patrice Rushen sample that graced the original does so accompanied by the infamous beginning seconds of the ESG UFO sample for this slightly altered remix, as the end of Prodigy's Now-PG-13-but-still-fucking-awesome verse is a little different and Crissy here brings a different yet better interpolation of Leon Ware's vocals. Other than that, this song's very much similar to its original.

THE BRIDGE (FEATURING BIG NOYD)
The fabled remake of MC Shan's most famous song. Havoc supplies a mellowed out beat with hard-as-fuck drums for the Mobb and guest to wreck shop over. And, even though Hav spits his fairly decent verse from DJ Frankie Cutlass' Know Da Game and Big Noyd raps his ass off again, this is the Albert Johnson show all the way, as he spits one of the coldest fucking verses I've ever heard from the man. Ever.

SKIT
There's a video on YouTube of this skit as Big Noyd spits his verse from Right Back At You with fucking Agallah beatboxing. I didn't know he was down with the Mobb! Still, skip this skit.

THE MONEY
The rhymes we hear here are later used on Das EFX' banging-as-fuck Microphone Master remix, except for an extra Havoc verse that's neither here nor there. The beat, however, is typical early Havoc material, as he works in the Rakim sample between the Funkadelic sample transformed ingeniously by Havoc into an ominous loop. Then the beat simply rides for an additional three minutes while the Mobb chat with the fabled Killa Black among others, which we really didn't need to hear.

THE MONEY (VERSION 2)
Same song, but with a shitty beat and no phone dialogue.

WE ABOUT TO GET HECTIC (FEATURING TWIN GAMBINO)
This was what ended up as Q.U.-Hectic?! This is a completely different song! Seriously, the James Brown Payback sample just does something to a song that massively amps up the energy level, especially if left in the hands of producers like early Havoc. Speak of the devil, His flow on his long-ass verse here is the best I've ever heard from him. By far. Thing is, he's too confused by his verse's own length. Which results in a failed attempt to impress the listener. Oh well, He can find solace in the fact that Gambino didn't do much better. Prodigy, on the other hand, shines in another home-run display of skill. The end product wasn't half-bad.

THE INFAMOUS
The second time P uses this verse on the album, with the first being the Eye For An Eye prototype earlier. Havoc uses his now-famous verse from the final version of Eye For An Eye. We're also treated to a verse unheard from Prodigy which, of course, is dope as fuck. The beat is minimalist in a way that serves the song well. That's all I got.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
This was fan service at its finest, as Mobb fans will find plenty to dissect here. Whether it be listening to verses unheard or reintroducing oneself to verses featured on other acts' songs. All the while listening to good beats from a time long past in the Mobb's layered history in this industry. Is it better than the end product? Mostly, fuck no. Except for that Gimme The Goods joint. That should've made the fucking album.

WORTH IT?
Oh hell yes. Listening to these songs in raw form offers an entirely different listening experience when you've heard the material on something equally good. Don't miss it.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
SHOOK ONES
The real song that started a revolution in hip hop music. This was originally released as a promotional single in 1994, then later added to later pressings of Hell On Earth, not The Infamous. Which was pretty stupid. Anyway, this is the darkest Mobb Deep song in their canon, and the way Prodigy sets it off has already become legend. Havoc uses the verse that later ended up on Part 2 but he flows better here. The instrumental is, once again, stuff of nightmares. This song is perfect for workout music simply for the emotions that it brings out of you. You literally feel like you glossed over into whatever demon dimension your favorite Japanese video game houses. In short: this was awesome. And we're done. I have slaved over this post, I tell you.

More Mobb Deep to be found here.

Nas - Illmatic (April 19, 1994)

I mean, come on. As soon as you saw the previous Mobb Deep review, you knew, right?

I first came across Nasir Bin Olu Jones (his real name, I swear.) when I heard NY State Of Mind on the radio of True Crime: New York City, but that didn't really count because I wasn't really paying attention to what I heard aside from Protect Ya Neck by the immortal Wu-Tang Clan. Like, at all.

Anyway, I first consciously came across Nasir reading about him on Wikipedia back when I just started taking hip hop seriously. I was mildly interested at first, but that didn't lead into any step regarding me following his career. As I progressed further into my respective video game, Wikipedia and YouTube voyages, I came across Mobb Deep. And since I knew by then that Nas and them shared stomping grounds, I figured I'd give his material a whirl. Think about it, Mobb Deep actually introduced me to Nas. How many hip hop fans took that musical route? And since I have ADHD with mild OCD, I researched Nas' beginnings on Wikipedia, so that I can have a proper perspective on his progression. Boy, was I in for a ride.

No Nas origin tale is complete without mentioning that one William Paul Mitchell, conducting lectures as the Large Professor at Harvard in The Precise Methods Of Not Selling Out, was instrumental in: 1. Bringing The Nasty One to the public eye on his brilliant posse cut Live At The Barbeque (a track that also unleashed Akinyele, an undisputed-yet-very-underrated punchline legend) off his still-too-underrated-after-24-goddamn-years classic Breaking Atoms in an appearance that, while obviously housing a style that descended from the Intelligent Hoodlum school of thuggery, nevertheless blew my mind, accomplishing its job as an effective punchline rap rather effectively. What do you mean, it's a Main Source album?!. 2. Introducing Nas to future manager Michael Berrin aka MC Serch aka White Bespectacled Dude With Flat Top, who took the management gig after William himself turned it down. Serch then put Nas on his brilliant posse cut, Back To The Grill, where he delivered another similar punchline offering that only served to increase the public's thirst for more Nas.

Important to note though, LP still stayed with his protégé, guiding his steps and, according to Nas himself, helped him hone his lyrical genius a great deal. Which really wasn't that far off, considering LP's own lyrical prowess at the time. More importantly, LP started campaigning heavy to issue a full Nas album. I even heard that him and MC Serch got into an argument about it once, which ended up with LP almost smacking Serch! I didn't know William was that tough! So, MC Serch succeeds in convincing Columbia to issue our hero a single on the Zebrahead OST to test the waters. William didn't need any more than that. Thus, Nas' debut single Halftime was born. Halftime was a roaring success in the midst of a fucking travesty of an OST about the most boring Romeo and Juliet reimagining you can think of. Seriously, what is it with good rap songs associated with horseshit movies? Oh well. Everyone (read: NY) now craved a full Nas album. An album which Nas chose to name after a gangster in his hood whose nickname was immortalized after Tragedy used it first in his 1988 smash The Rebel. I'm referring, of course, to one Illmatic Ice, whom I admittedly don't know anything about aside from this story.

And by the looks of it, the timing couldn't be more perfect, as the East Coast Renaissance was by now in full swing with its landmark releases in 1993. You know the albums I'm talking about. You don't? Really? Dead Serious? 19 Naughty III? Bacdafucup? Midnight Marauders? 36 Chambers? Ring a bell?! Of course there are more albums that are equally important, but I chose to mention those that most people bought back then in hopes that as much people flock into this blog of mine as possible. I digress, this is another opportunity to showcase Mr. Mitchell's crucial status to this album and, more importantly, this genre. For as soon as Columbia greenlit the album, William started rounding up the producers which he thought could vibe well with his boy. And herein lies the key difference between Illmatic's beats and most of Nas' remaining catalog. See, it took the ear of a credible producer like Large Professor to bring the right producers who can collaborate effectively to present a cohesive musical setting, perfect for son to spit his genius on, unlike most of Nas' other albums, because whether he admits it or not, Nas has a shit ear for beats. A problem that has not been fixed to this day. Anyway, William unleashed Nas' second single, It Ain't Hard To Tell, which was the lead single for the album, to the fiending hordes more than a year after Halftime, and that was the last straw. The people had to have Illmatic now.

There can't be anything more to say in introducing this album that better critics & writers haven't already said billions of times, so fuck it, I'm not going to drag this intro on anymore than I already have:

1. THE GENESIS
Despite many people loving this intro, featuring Nas' brother Jungle of Bravehearts infamy and the album's only guest MC, Anthony Cruz aka AZ, this shit remains a useless rap album intro. I don't care if Nas' verse off Live At The Barbeque is playing in the background, a skit is a skit.

2. N.Y. STATE OF MIND
First up, my technical introduction to Nas (which I don't remember really. I was too preoccupied with getting Marcus Reed through his perilous NY voyage alive.) and arguably his most popular song to date. With good fucking reason. DJ Premier, fucking beat wizard that he is, meshes samples from Kool & The Gang, Donald Byrd & that beautiful Joe Chambers piano loop into a masterpiece, one which Nasir reportedly bodies on the first take. His lyrics describing the street thug mentality shows he studied the Tragedy formula well, coming up with his very unique interpretation of said subject matter. It's extremely understated how much Nas was a student of the greats, and how much that approach made him one. A truly magnificent song.

3. LIFE'S A BITCH (FEATURING AZ & OLU DARA)
AZ's debut on wax remains one of the best debuts in hip hop history, no lie. Nas makes damn sure he's not eclipsed on his own shit, and the listener is left to suffer in picking his favorite verse. The two MC's expertly tackle the pursuit of riches from their point of view without waiting for other people's approval, which is essential in this composition's success. L.E.S. brilliantly samples Yearning For Your Love by The Gap Band with a winning cornet solo at the end by Nas' father Olu Dara. Another home run.

4. THE WORLD IS YOURS
Pete Rock is up next, and boy, does his beat take you for a doozy. The Ahmad Jamal piano loop coupled with the evident T La Rock audio sample he combined together is absolutely timeless, and Nas hits us with the metaphors of a kingpin's point of view on material life this time, in crucially vivid detail. One of the best hip hop songs ever made, no lie. Fuck the hook, though. What? I didn't say it was perfect. (Here's a jewel every art fan must digest: No piece of art is flawless.) Moving on.

5. HALFTIME
Nas' first single, and really the first complete taste the fans got from him as to what he can do. So, allow me to state that this is my 2nd most preferred cut on the album. Large Pro lays the blueprint to the other producers on this album for how the beats are to be constructed by ingeniously laying a bass loop from Japanese Hair Cast with splashes of Average White Band throughout and the horns from Gary Byrd's Soul Travellin' Pt. I as the hook. Nas' mission statement is clear: Punchlines that'll knock you out on your backside. He damn well succeeds, injecting some social commentary and self-empowerment in said punchlines. Awesome!

6. MEMORY LANE (SITTIN' IN DA PARK)
DJ Premier exhibits one of many examples of just what makes him highly regarded in this thing of ours by picking a loop that you originally would never think can be flipped into an even decent instrumental. Not only does he do that, the loop is somehow transformed into a time capsule that will transport you to an Autumn afternoon in early 1990s Queensbridge. Nas relishes in such backdrops as he blacks out with a masterclass in MCing: Punchlines, history lessons and introspection all rolled into one beautiful package. These might be the most impressive display of lyricism I've ever come across from Nas. Definitely a highlight.

7. ONE LOVE
Ah yes, the one song off the album that launched a legion of imitations, with some morphing into classics in their own right. Q-Tip, maestro of the first three Tribe albums, (you know, the favorites) samples the Smilin' Billy Suite Pt. II xylophone number by the Heath Brothers. I'm not that crazy over the beat, but I'll admit it's a fitting backdrop for Nas to flesh out the concept of speaking to the incarcerated folk. This is some of the most relevant social commentary ever committed to lyrics.

8. ONE TIME 4 YOUR MIND
William provides his weakest beat on the album, which is still awesome. Hell, by its very lonesome, it still dominates the entire Cash Money catalog. The Walter L sample succeeds as the backdrop to Nas delivering some of the best braggadocio rhymes ever committed to wax.

9. REPRESENT
The final DJ Premier instrumental of the album finds him brilliantly freaking Lee Erwin's Thief Of Baghdad into yet another NY anthem. I'm noticing that this particular 'NY anthem' attribute is prevalent throughout all the songs so far, as each one is a representative of a side of the Rotten Apple. Again, kudos to Large Professor for this album's cohesive sound. Nas ends his lyrical voyage into hood life with the ignorance that always precedes one's downfall, injecting just enough despair to root for our hero but not enough to count him out. Truly a musical triumph.

10. IT AIN'T HARD TO TELL
The album waited until the last track to give you its lead single, which just so happens to be my most preferred Nas cut. Matter of fact, anybody looking for a song most suited to give you the short Nasir Jones tour, look no further than this track. For It Ain't Hard To Tell has the whole package: sick punchlines, intelligent references & a poetic knack that is very rare in any lyrical songwriter. All to the most fitting of LP beats, where son samples Michael Jackson's Human Nature, Kool & The Gang's N.T. and an audio sample from Mountain's Long Red to breathtaking effect. Although, I have to mention that the beat for a previous version, Nas Will Prevail, which uses most of the same sample material, sounds a lot better. All in all, the prime definition of ending the album on a high note.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
To any music fan who's reading this review, I've been waiting to address the following matter for a long time: Debates like what's the best album ever made or who's the best rapper of all time can only be detrimental to the art form even if said art form is built on competition. People keep forgetting that more importantly, hip hop was created as a means to unite. By no means am I saying that there's no dedication, care nor respect required, of course. And that's what hip hop music should be judged by. Fuck it, that's the criteria any musical offering should be judged upon. From founders like Grandmaster Flash And The Furious Five, The Cold Crush Brothers and the Treacherous Three to pioneers like Public Enemy, The Juice Crew, Ultramagnetic MCs, EPMD, Gang Starr and NWA, not to mention figures like KRS-One & Rakim: All of these acts respected their craft's history and thereby contributed in one way or another to the growth of hip hop music. So how does one do so in my humble opinion? There, at the very least, needs to be an acceptable combination of lyrical ability, musicianship and relevant subject matter. And when all three are available in spades? You have a musical piece suited for the Hip Hop Music Hall Of Fame, and trust me, there is a fucking legion of fully fleshed out albums that fit the bill. Ilmatic just so happens to be one of them. Simply put: Illmatic definitely descends from the aforementioned lineage. The crystallized chemistry between beat and rhyme is undeniably evident and in droves. Large Professor captained the All-Star team into providing the most fitting musical canvases possible for a rapper of Nas' talent to shine on and Nas took that offering as seriously as he possibly could, resulting in a humanly flawed but damn fine work of art that helped hip hop music grow. So is this the greatest hip hop album of all time? Is Nas the greatest MC of all time? No on both accounts. But most importantly, they don't need to be. Because there is NO place in art for such positions, anyway.

WORTH IT?
Everyone who's ever had even a passing interest in hip hop has heard or owned this. Be part of the latter and own yourself a piece of musical history.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
DEJA VU
This is probably the most famous unreleased song by Nas. And rightfully so. An unknown producer by the name of Chris Winston provides a haunting beat for Nas to paint the flipside of what he offered on The World Is Yours. And, as every Nas fan already knows, yes: That first verse is his immortal verse on Raekwon's Verbal Intercourse. The other two verses are equally amazing, though. Even his delivery sounds miserably and desperately calm. This was awesome.

UNDERSTANDING
I'm sure Nas fans know this one too. A simple minimalistic beat and Nas is off with another dazzling display of braggadocio. This seems to be released on certain cassette versions of the Bad Boys OST, yet was omitted from later versions and CD pressings. Why U do dat, Columbia?

ONE ON ONE
This is a personal favorite of mine because it's inspired by Street Fighter, and Nas still chose to flip it his own unique way. Even though this was on the horrid 1994 Street Fighter film's OST, a surprisingly varied hip hop offering by Priority. The beat was produce by Chris Large and, hey, it's Mr Freaknasti, whom you might remember as the mysterious producer of Tragedy's The Posse (Shoot 'Em Up). (I still think it's K-Def using a pseudonym, but I may never know for sure) Side note: Whoever thought that adding the noname crooner on here should be piledriven to the concrete floor. And we're done.

More Nas here. And more LP here.

Mobb Deep - Juvenile Hell (April 13, 1993)

I'll bet you knew from the start of my previous review that I was heading into this direction, didn't you? You clairvoyant bastard, you.

So, yeah: What can I say about Mobb Deep that hasn't already been said by, seriously, every hip hop critic who ever existed? At least I was introduced to Mobb Deep when nobody gave a fuck about Mobb Deep anymore, so there's that. Hell, I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who got his first exposure to the two dwarfs from their appearance in Def Jam: Fight For NY, a game that also introduced me to Sticky Fingaz (whom I embarrassingly didn't know was part of rap group Onyx of Throw Ya Gunz on Def Jam Vendetta fame) and a game I'm still quite fond of. On another embarrassing note, I originally thought Kejuan Muchita and Albert Johnson were simply Havoc & Prodigy, having no clue whatsoever of their group's infamous moniker. (see what I did there?) Then, the first song I heard from them was Shook Ones pt. II on GTA: Liberty City Stories (again paralleling my introduction to Da Balhedz) and it was a wrap from there. I gobbled down every Mobb song I later came across, all of which were conveniently from either The Infamous or Hell On Earth, their best album bar none. Side note: I've always hated Havoc the video game character more than Prodigy, but that's probably because of his tendency to beat the shit out of my created fighters, even though I'd eventually win every time.

So it's ironic that my sentiments there would be echoed on their rapping career, as well: I've always thought  that despite his appearances on Black Moon's 1993 classic Enta Da Stage and Tragedy's fucking slept-on gem that same year, Tragedy: Saga Of A Hoodlum, Kejuan, aka K, should've never picked up the microphone, but maybe it's simply because of how much of a lyrical beast Albert, or Bert, is. No lie, if I had an MC Hall Of Fame, Prodigy, or P as he'd like to call himself, would be a shoe-in. (Again, see what I did there?) Of course, his uncredited rhyming debut on the Hi-Five song Too Young (off the Boyz N The Hood OST) does not count. Havoc, (or as he'd like to call himself, Hav) on the other hand, would go into my DJ/producer Hall Of Fame, no question. Some of the musical backdrops son came up with are among the most atmospheric, gritty and straight up mind-blowing I'll ever hear in all of music. So, imagine my surprise when I found out that when these two midgets first started, P was more into production and Hav was more of an MC. Moreover, Hav helped P hone his lyrics, while P helped Hav hone his beatmaking. Truly, the world has gone mad.

Overacting aside, these two certainly didn't find their chemistry overnight. They had to work on it, which is completely out of the question in mainstream hip hop today. Actually, I take that back. Mainstream hip hop has always wanted the readymade and had no time for fostering talent, as exampled by my review subjects today. For their real debut, Juvenile Hell, was considered a failure by all who came across it. Their label, 4th & Broadway, threw our two protagonists out on the street the minute they saw numbers they didn't like, which tells you about their faith in their talent. Keep in mind that they directed every fucking step of the direction this album took, painting our duo in the troubled ghetto kids formula that was pretty wildfire back then. But was the album itself so bad?

I'll admit it right now: I believed all the bad talk about it for the longest time. I mean, everyone and their grandparents are still trashing this album. I thought: Why trouble myself with an insignificant chapter in these dudes' careers when Mobb Deep themselves don't even talk about it anymore? And yet I ask anyone who's pondering the same question to grow the hell up: You won't know if certain music will be a hit with you until you listen to it first. And on that note, anyone who's expecting a beta version of The Infamous should stop doing so, as this is an entirely different album. However that still doesn't necessarily mean it's bad.

Does it?

1. INTRO
God bless the days of my critical ignorance. When I didn't have to suffer through the fact that rap album intros are physical torture.

2. ME AND MY CREW
The first thing you think of when you hear the hook is these guys can't be the same dudes who wrote Shook Ones. Both first verses by K & Bert sound very elementary. Bert, however, wakes up noticeably with his second verse. Not so lucky with K, though. The production is handled by two Dale Hogan and Keith Spencer. The only other known production these two provided were two songs off of Kool Moe Dee's fifth album. Which was after he completely fell off, of course. All things considered, this was fairly good. Keda Productions (I swear to God, they actually called themselves that) effectively sample Miles Davis and Skull Snaps, providing a decent beat that'll catch you totally off guard if you've already burned The Infamous into your mind. But still, the song kind of works.

3. LOCKED IN SPOFFORD
Kerwin Young and Paul Shabazz present us with the first of quite the few productions on this album. Now, these two here are affiliates of Public Enemy's The Bomb Squad, so this should mean we're in good hands, right? Well, at least this song was decent, with unrecognizable samples of Joe Tex and Barry White. Hav finally finds his wits about him and delivers a serviceable verse, yet P still comes off more experienced than him. Huh. To be honest, I think since Hav wrote some of P's rhymes on this album, he's pretty fucking stupid to give him his good rhymes.

4. PEER PRESSURE
The lead single, produced by DJ Premier. I'm calling it like it is: This is one of the most laid-back Primo beats I've ever heard. It's an absolutely perfect beat for Guru (R.I.P.) to spit on, but Mobb Deep? Hell no. It simply sounds like the two shitstains didn't even record their lyrics to the same beat. I'll get back to that later. But yeah, this was definitely a misfire.

5. SKIT #1
..

6. HOLD DOWN THE FORT
Hav's production debut. Leaps and bounds ahead of anything on the album so far. Allow me to mention that no hook on this entire album is any good. However, P, or Cellblock P, sounds like he began transforming into the lyrical monster we know on this very record, and Hav, or Heavy Hav is all the more energized for it. This was kind of awesome.

7. BITCH ASS N****
Unlike this shit. I don't have to exert any effort in reaching the following conclusion: This is a song where Kejuan wrote all the rhymes for sure. Why? Because both MCs' lyrics are absolute barf, that's why. It doesn't help that the Kerwin/Shabazz beat sounds like cowdung, if cowdung made sounds.

8. HIT IT FROM THE BACK
Despite Bert and Method Max (!!!) producing a fairly decent beat, the constant 'From the back' audio clip prevalent throughout the beat and the sex raps on here relegate the song to dead ass status. Easily the worst song on this album so far. And you know what? I'm perfectly fine with Mobb Deep releasing a dead ass sex rap as a contractual obligation earlier on in their career. Because I know that these two got better later on. Much better.

9. SKIT #2
You already know.

10. STOMP EM OUT
The second best beat on the entire album is ironically produced by Cellblock P. Our duo bring out the only guest appearance on the entire album, their future longtime collaborator Tajuan Perry aka Big Noyd aka Pizza Dude, who would greatly eclipse his great showing here on Mobb Deep's next album. Another song where P sounds like he wrote his own rhymes, which is always a good thing. Another pretty damn good song, even with the patois that came out of nowhere.

11. SKIT #3
Let me get some french fries with that, please. Oh, I forgot the audio-text converter was still on. Whoops!

12. PEER PRESSURE (THE LARGE PROFESSOR MIX)
Remember how I said that our two protagonists sounded like they didn't spit their lyrics on the same beat in the original? Well, it turns out I'm right. You see, Large Professor stated in an interview a while back that the mix that he provides here is the original mix and the DJ Premier version is actually the remix. Nice work fucking with our perceptions, 4th & Broadway! Anyway, it certainly sounds like the original version as our hosts' delivery is perfectly on beat. Now that I can properly listen to the song, I can digest the fact that K wrote Bert's first verse, not his second. Simply because the second is a tremendous step up in quality over the rest of the song. But K wasn't half-bad, actually. Add that to the fact that Large Professor produced a beat that will smack you in your fucking face. The way he sampled the beautiful flute notes of Bobbi Humphrey's Black and Blue is absolute wizardry. All in all, I loved the end product here.

13. PROJECT HALLWAYS
The Kerwin/Shabazz combo returns with a smorgasbord of a beat that samples the famous bass notes of Grover Washington's Hydra. Not quite that ingenious Public Enemy smorgasbord, yet not that bad either. Cellblock P tackles the beat with lyrics that are the closest to his Infamous-era wizardry, so far, and Heavy Hav comes with the energy he exhibited on Black Moon's U Da Man & his Tragedy cameos that very year. This was another one for the good, but the hook was especially bad here.

14. FLAVOR FOR THE NON BELIEVES
The fuck is the 'Non-Believes'?! K’s writing wastes a perfectly banging Kerwin/Shabazz beat. One that samples The Meters and James Brown to blood-pumping effect. The thing that gets me every time about Kejuan is his absolute refusal to deviate from bragging and threats, nor does he expand his writing to make it the least bit interesting when he's threatening you. Poor Albert gets dragged down with his partner, although starting from the next album, all was about to change.

FINAL THOUGHTS: No, goddamn it. This is not comparable to The Infamous. It's not even remotely close. But was this the failure everyone keeps lambasting? Fuck no. For their very first outing, the Mobb did extremely well with the hand they were dealt. Sure, Hav didn't know his way around the boards yet, and P was just starting to figure out he was nice with the pen, but overall they did the best they could at the time & their efforts pay off rather nicely sometimes. I get why they don't talk about this album anymore, but maybe they should. If anything, simply to showcase how to recognize one's strengths and truly realize one's potential.

WORTH IT? Probably not. But if you can select the songs you want, there's some good shit to listen to here. I'm being completely honest. Although 4 skits and 4 really sewage tracks isn't a good look for a 14 track album.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
COP HELL
Bummed that DJ Premier wasted that Peer Pressure song? Well, this song is most definitely for you. By contrast, Primo here constructs a beat that even Melachi The Useless Fucking Nutcracker can body. So it's only right that both generals of the Mobb go the fuck in with their scathing attack on the Boys In Blue. This shit would've fit on Ice Cube's Death Certificate, if Cube was a teenaged dwarf from Queensbridge, NY. It's that good. Albeit, still not as good as anything on The Infamous.

May I tempt you with some more Mobb Deep?

Tragedy - Saga Of A Hoodlum (June 22, 1993)

This post is supposed to serve a double purpose. It's supposed to conclude my run in K-Def's discography, which I chose to tackle in reverse chronological order because fuck you, and start a new run into a bunch of discographies, all which I've categorized in my collection as the Queensbridge movement. And yes, there are many other movements. I must warn you, this run will be fairly long. And it will tackle a bunch of the most famous hip hop releases of all time, but I'm choosing to start with one of its most obscure.

Percival Coles the fourth (No, that's really his name) has a very interesting story in this hip hop game. See, he first gets with the legendary Juice Crew back when they were the fucking Juice Crew during which Marley Marl actually gave him the name MC Tragedy, with Trag inventing the word 'illmatic' on one of his two most famous songs of that era, The Rebel. The other is Live Motivator, and both of which can be found on Marley Marl's In Control Vol.1. However, in the midst of all that glory, he was locked up as a juvie, and at the same time, the Juice Crew fell from hip hop's eye. Like hard. During his term, Tragedy starts cramming about the 5% Nation and becomes very militant in his pro-black stance, coming out of jail and branded by his label as the Intelligent Hoodlum. That moniker fits Percival a lot better, in my honest opinion, as anybody who's listened to his music will attest that son is smart with his writing. His eponymous debut album, produced by Marl and an uncredited Large Professor, is cut from the cloth of the early 90s' best Afrocentric rap albums, a fact furthered by Percival's collaboration with Chuck D on America Eats The Young off Marley Marl's In Control Vol.2 album, even though Chuck sticks to ad-libbing on that particular song.

Yet, my post is intended to highlight an entirely different aspect of Trag's career: Whether anybody cares to admit it or not, Tragedy birthed the style that gave rise to fellow QB rap heavyweights like Nas, Prodigy, Cormega and the fairly obvious connection with Capone of CNN fame. Plus, he is solely responsible for the rise of Noreaga, who might not have been a rapper before meeting him. Don't know if I should thank Percival for that or smack him. Yes, there were rappers like MC Shan, Poet (now known as Blaq Poet) and Craig G, who's still very fucking nice with his pen. But nobody can argue with the fact that Tragedy was the first one who rhymed in a way those MCs related to in the aforementioned two songs. Anyways, there were many showcases in terms of the songs this guy's written, but never a full album that could be marked as the launching point for the QB sound that many classics were molded from. That is, until 1993 came along.

The Intelligent Hoodlum, despite receiving some critical acclaim for his debut, found that his brand was getting stagnant as most of the Afrocentric movements started dying down, unless you happened to be A Tribe Called Quest. Everyone was enamoured with the violent imagery coming from the West Coast scene and its domination of the airwaves back then, and the East Coast was just beginning to rebound using its own brand of grim street life with releases like 19 Naughty III & Bacdafucup. So, being that he actually rhymed about said street life when he first started, he thought that falling back to that setting would be truer to himself (read: keep him remotely relevant). But, he also considered the fact that he's still the Intelligent Hoodlum, so he has to throw in a message or two. Following that resolute resolution, he appeared as a contractual obligation for his label A&M Records on a soundtrack for a film that I'm sure no one saw, Mario Van Peebles' vanity project Posse, rapping impassionately about black cowboys, because they were relevant back in the early 90s. And even though the film failed as miserable a failure as you can picture, A&M still stuck by Mr. Hoodlum by green-lighting the budget to his album. So, now that Tragedy has all the elements lined up for him to make an album, he just needed to find a producer.

Enter K-Def.

Real name Kevin Hansford, K-Def was one of the few people who remained with Marley Marl when his Juice Crew venture went up in flames and vanished from the mainstream. He first gained exposure producing some joints along with Marley on the debut of then-underground darlings Lords Of The Underground, whom Kevin would maintain relations with throughout their respective careers. So, I'm guessing he and Mr. Coles hooked up through Marley. Add in a few other productions from various figures in the production game back then and you've got yourself an album, my friend.

Now quick note, the album's tracklist I'm reviewing today seems to match a Japanese rerelease in 2006, which featured a couple of tracks released alongside the 1993 original tracklisting. So, there's that.

Off we go.

1. SHALOM A LECK
No rap album intro to be found here! Awesome! K-Def sets shit off nicely with his sampling of Billy Joel's Piano Man, and I very much approve of Mr. Coles' effort to reintroduce himself with a quick verse backed with a proper beat, even though he veers heavily into shoutout mode after his verse. RZA would've been proud.

2. HOODLUM INTRO
Oh, here's the intro...

3. UNDERGROUND (FEATURING TRAG-LO)
Don't ask me what a Trag-Lo is. All I can think about at the moment is that the horns of Lou Donaldson's Pot Belly hit you in a way that would've made Pete Rock cry in appreciation. Tragedy sets shit off pretty nicely, with his by-now trademark depiction of violent imagery as vivid as ever while he brags about how he's tougher than you. Nice! His guest drops a single verse that's not that bad but is a significant step below Percival in quality. K-Def samples Run-DMC's Here We Go [Live at the Funhouse] effectively on the hook. Only quibble I have with the track is when Percival stops the entire track in the beginning of his second verse in a clear tribute to an old school hip hop act that I can't remember at the moment. The sentiment is sweet, but the execution was piss-poor. Other than that, this was pretty awesome.

4. FUNK MODE
K-Def showed mastery of the sampling art pretty early in his career, foreshadowing his works of art on The Turnaround. Meshing Lou Donaldson's It's Your Thing with the drums from Rufus Thomas' Do The Funky Penguin, Kevin puts the ball in Tragedy's court, and he takes advantage of the beat to deliver a punchline rap that's actually fairly decent. This Percival cat successfully proves he's pretty versatile. I have to say, I love the fact that there's no bullshit hooks, so far

5. GRAND GROOVE
This track is a bit confusing, as Tragedy dedicates this track to all his 'peoples who passed away', and trust me the amazing backdrop (in which K-Def samples DJ Hollywood's sample of Isaac Hayes' Ike's Mood I) fits the theme, yet he decides to drop a long one-verse wonder that has nothing to do with any type of tribute and doesn't fit the grim beat, even if it is really fucking good. So, yeah, I don't know what this was supposed to be. In my morbid sense of entertainment, though, I still liked it. Approach with caution.

6. AT LARGE
K-Def's take on using the Melvin Bliss Synthetic Substitution drum break, and he executes it beautifully. This is credited as a co-production with Marley Marl, but forgive me if I don't believe that for a second. You'll know why when you come across Marley's own beats on Saga Of A Hoodlum, and yes, he has a few. Tragedy uses this opportunity to direct three verses of politically charged venom at any government entity willing to listen, which I'm sure there's plenty. This sounds nothing like his material from the first album, as here he's letting loose a side of him that will stick to the present day. This shit was really good.

7. DEATH ROW
Another K-Def & 'alleged' Marley co-production. Tragedy's first bars grab you by the throat: "They got me hanging on death row, I should've squealed like a bitch" He then proceeds to delve into the final thoughts on said criminal on death row with haunting detail in one of Tragedy's best rhymes ever, no bullshit. Only criticism I have is the beat, which is technically pretty good. But yet again, it's so inappropriate for such rhymes. The beat sounds like something Biz Markie would use for one of his comedy raps. I'm currently doubting whether Tragedy, K-Def or Marley had anything to do with the mixing. Oh well.

8. SPEECH (CHECK THE TIME)
Skit.

9. MAD BROTHAS KNOW HIS NAME
See? I told you Marley had some beats on here. This track, like I said, is very clearly a Marley track, evidenced by the way his samples of Shades Of Difference by LaBelle and Veronica by Bad Boys are layered. Not to mention his, in this case, very effective use of keyboards. If you've listened to Marley's past work with any type of frequency, you'll know what I'm talking about. Percival takes full advantage of the opportunity presented to him by this track and gives us another smoldering two punchline verses. And this time, the beat and rhymes mesh together beautifully. This was awesome.

10. PASS THE TECK (FEATURING HAVOC OF MOBB DEEP)
Yes, that Havoc. Evidenced by the fact that I clearly wrote 'OF MOBB DEEP' above. Tragedy gives us his take on Das EFX' 'sewage style' flow, and he comes off as alright, if a bit gimmicky. I don't mind it because at least he's not spitting gibberish, unlike many Das EFX imitators back then. Havoc comes correct, his energy being the best thing about his verse, mirroring his contribution on Black Moon's classic U Da Man. K-Def's work behind the boards, with a Rapper's Delight sample & those damn sleigh bells, greatly amplifies the end product. The fucking knocking hook would've made Onyx proud. This shit bangs.

11. STREET LIFE
The Epitome Of Scratch gives you his lone contribution to the album. And it's one of the most depressing beats I've ever heard in hip hop to date. Somehow, that was intended to be a compliment. Tragedy usually flourishes on these tracks, and thankfully this one is no exception. Here, he continues to prove he's an effective storyteller with three stories about troubled ghetto people, each one more gut wrenching than the next. This was remixed into the third single, but the original is pretty good in itself.

12. PUMP THE FUNK
The second Marley beat, and if this wasn't a true Marley beat, I don't know what is. It's one of those beats where you're transported to a different time the moment you hear it & it bangs in all the right ways. I loved the MC Ren sample, as that motherfucker deserves all the shine he gets. Tragedy freaks another story, this time he describes how he's driving in his local 'hood with the sound system blasting out the car. Situations he comes across include some locals having a run-in with the police and street thugs & prostitutes scheming on him. I have to admire Percival's lyrical consistency, so far, and his patented imagery is ever present.

13. ROLE MODEL
Kool Tee & DJ Cory co-produce this song. Once again, Synthetic Substitution shows itself on the sample, but the beat is pretty fucking boring. This is the first beat on the album which I can confidently call a fuckup. It definitely doesn't affect lil ol' Percy, as he delivers the fucking goods with another trilogy of stories, ripping fake role models something proper. Too bad the beat is utter shit.

14. THE POSSE (SHOOT 'EM UP) (FEATURING BIG SCRAM)
The aforementioned single from that movie, produced by whatever the hell a Mr. Freaknasti is. This was promoted as the lead single for the album. First thing I have to say is that the drums sampled on this shit hit you in the goddamn chest and shatter both your ribs and your spine. The piano looped also adds an intense sense of energy, with both samples combining into a result which exemplifies the reason why I specifically gave this blog its name: Boom bap at its very finest. Now the rhymes, on the other hand, are one big, well-written history lesson about black outlaws in the Old West and how they're not as well portrayed in the media as white outlaws.

And therein lies my problem with the entire song. You see, I really don't get the glamorization of 19-century outlaws in the media, whether in past or present films. And I don't give a flying fuck what race they were. Were they really the exemplars of moral character that many, including Hollywood, made them out to be? Or is the whole phenomenon a romanticizing charade designed to arouse the petty and the simple-minded? And why are Tragedy and his guest that proud of the people they're rapping about? Was this pride simply out of association with these people's skin tone? Might I add that the hook sucks swine balls. And if that wasn't enough, Mr. Hoodlum starts shouting out his peoples in the absolute stupidest way possible. Oh, I don't have to describe it. You'll know it immediately.

Despite that last paragraph, I consider this a very sweet guilty pleasure. One with a wrecking beat and excellent rhymes, even if they're rhymes I don't really identify with.

15. GRAND GROOVE (BONUS MIX)
K-Def finally returns behind the boards for this brilliant song, after four tracks by as many producers. And he brings with him a song sampled & covered by a truckload of hip hop artists: Patrice Rushen's Remind Me. His take on it is truly befitting of the subject matter Tragedy brings to the table. For this time, Percival makes sure his rhymes are befitting of the intended tribute to his grandmother. He expertly sprinkles tributes to other people, though never named, and describes his struggles all in one. This is one song that is as gripping as any tribute in hip hop ever was. It's Dear Mama before Dear Mama was Dear Mama. (Objection? In the goddamn comments, please.) If you're reading this review and you haven't heard this shit, you need to hear it as soon as possible. Like now.

16. FUNK ROLL OUTRO
A dope instrumental, wasted as the outro.

The following two tracks might not be familiar to anyone who got this album back in 93:

17. FUNK MODE (REMIX) (FEATURING HAVOC OF MOBB DEEP)
Leave it to Large Professor to completely alter his sample to sound almost nothing like the original material, which in this case is Gwen McCrae's 90% Of Me Is You. Tragedy brings Havoc again in the studio, with LP referencing Mobb Deep and shouting out Prodigy in the end. Guessing by the fact that Havoc wrote SOME of P's rhymes early on in their career, it makes perfect sense why nobody had any faith in dude. But in retrospect, the rap geek in me wishes those two got down together in their respective primes on at least one record, since Prodigy is very similar to Tragedy. Hell, their names sound a little bit alike. Anyway, Trag and Hav do their thing on this remix and their chemistry continues. This was nice.

18. STREET LIFE (RETURN OF THE LIFE MIX)
The final song in this tracklist features a hook from Tragedy that wasn't present on the original. This hook is one of the best I've heard in hip hop, no lie. Not to mention his slightly altered lyrics and infinitely better delivery. The rest is left up to Kevin's fresh air of a beat, sneakily warping Minnie Riperton's singing at the end of her 1975 hit Inside My Love to sound like an instrument. The accompanying keys on the sample add that nostalgic feeling which greatly amplifies the end product, in my opinion. The video, shot in early 94, is dope as well. I love the videos where rappers use the shit to party at their old neighborhoods. This shit was correct in all the right ways.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
This is one review where I knew exactly what I was getting the minute I started writing it. Tragedy delivers his Intelligent Hoodlum swan song with as much focus as he can muster, and it really shows in his rhymes. There's really not one song with bad, or even mediocre writing by him on the whole album. I'm dead serious. And the beats by K-Def, Marley and co. are universally excellent, except for that weird-ass Role Model beat. However, if I was to point out a flaw in this album, it would be the mixing. The Death Row and Grand Groove (the original) beats' unsuitability to their respective rhymes shockingly detracts from the listening experience, and I highly doubt that a flaw this big would be lost on production generals like Marley and K-Def, especially when we know how meticulous the latter would get on The Turnaround. Despite my gripes, however, this is still a quality hip hop album that deserves as much recognition as possible, no thanks to A&M's bullshit promotion.

WORTH IT?
As a timepiece of the early 90s, you should own this shit. As a blueprint album for many Queensbridge classics, you should own this shit. As a rare piece of hip hop worthy of collecting, you should own this shit. As Tragedy's best album, bar none, you should definitely own this shit.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
PASS DA TEK (REMIX)
This track was actually released with the earlier Funk Mode remix as a standalone single, with Percival credited as simply Tragedy, before any of the Khadafi bullshit. As such, this cut was also produced by Large Professor, but Havoc is nowhere to be found. This works great, however, as Tragedy delivers one of his most focused punchline performances of his entire career, complete with the same awesome hook from the original version. For his part, LP proves to be just as competitive as K-Def with his beatmaking wizardry displayed in plain view by his sampling of The Loading Zone's Can I Dedicate and, of course, the enchanting drums from Melvin Bliss' Synthetic Substitution. A glorious end product awaits whoever collects this track. And we're done.

For more K-Def, click here, and for the rest of my reviews on Tragedy's catalog, click here.