InI - The Life I Live (bootlegged as Center Of Attention) (shelved,1995)

I'm particularly excited for today's post. It's been the one album I've been itching to review ever since I started reviewing Pete Rock's discography.

This selection has quite the history. Story time: After Pete parted ways professionally with his rhyme partner, the criminally-underrated CL Smooth, he was looking to branch out in his choices, signing new acts forming from previous affiliations to his new vanity label Soul Brother Records, and recording full albums with them. Now, two of those particular acts have already been revealed (sort of) to the public on the two previous releases Pete was featured in: The very revered Mecca And The Soul Brother, and the very rebuked The Main Ingredient. (A rejection totally unjustified, might I add.) What were those acts, you ask? One was a Mount Vernon MC who went by the name Dedi The Original Baby Pa. (Don't ask.) All I've managed to find about him was that his birth name is Sylvester James, and given the interweb's track record, I'm not even sure if that's really true. The other was a full-fledged hip hop group called InI.

Of course, nobody really knows the origins of this group, although I might suspect that the lineup started as a duo comprised of one Robert Odindo bka Rob-O (really inspired there) and Gregory Phillips, Pete's younger brother, bka Grap Luva. You might also remember Rob-O from the late great Heavy D's A Buncha N****s sharing the mic with Busta Rhymes and the late greats Guru and Biggie, and you might remember Grap as the dude who was dancing in the Mecca And The Soul Brother video and freestyling on the intro to PR & CL's non-single hit On And On. According to Grap, Rob was the one who rounded him up with the rest of InI's lineup: MC Rahsaan Rousseau aka Ras G & Marco Polo nka Jolomite.

Back to Pete for a second, he still had some clout within Elektra back then. Add that to his fantastic relationship with then-president of Elektra Bob Krasnow, who actually liked InI & Dedi and was pushing for their albums' respective releases. Then, shit went south when Krasnow left and was replaced by Sylvia Rhone, who simply shut down production entirely for both albums. I guess Freddie Foxxx was right about her on his timeless track Industry Shakedown. Then again, he might've been dissing her for doing Pete wrong, given the fact that Pete himself produced that particular song.

Now, poor Dedi lost everything with that shutdown, but InI managed at least to release one single with a video prior to that cataclysmic event. (To some of their careers, anyway.) Fakin' Jax, given the turn of events, finally saw a release in 1996 and became an underground hit in the process. Back then, such success practically ensured that the album would be bootlegged to oblivion. Sure enough, the album defined hip hop history as one of its most pirated albums ever.

The bootleg has gained infamy for being called Center Of Attention. However, Grap Luva mentioned in an interview with famed blogger Dart Adams here that the album was certainly not to be called that. The real name was intended to be The Life I Live. Thank you Dart for allowing Grap to clear that up. Now, I will say that the tracklist I'm using right now was originally intended as the true tracklisting of the album, according to this blogger's post, because Pete Rock has gone on record lambasting the 2003 Rapster/BBE rerelease, which paired almost all of the tracks from this album with Dedi's lost album. The shit was packaged as the Lost & Found: Underground Soul Classics, which would ultimately turn out to be a total dick move. Get this: Pete himself gave the label the original studio tracks while trying to work out a deal with them that would get InI & Dedi paid. In typical record label assholery, the shitheads did him totally wrong and dropped the entire collection without paying him. You can read Pete's full disclosure on the same post above. (Read the comments to that post for a surprise treat.)

Of course, there's a good reason to invest the time to listen to the intended version, because it comes with a signature of Pete's that's completely missing from the Rapster release: Pete's patented interludes that you know and love are sewn expertly throughout this version, making it abundantly clear that this really is the version him & InI wanted to release to the public in the mid-90s.

I must mention again that this album has been bootlegged to kingdom come because it's one with a richly disturbed history. Here's why everyone made such a fuss about it: (I know that by saying this that I've already spoiled my opinion. I don't care. I also don't care that I'm not including Pete Rock as a guest performer in the track credits because as far as I'm concerned, he's the unofficial sixth member. Hell, the bootleg cover above lists him alongside the others, so why can't I?)

INTRO
Accompanied by a sweet instrumental that Rob-O himself produced, (I cannot overstate how blown away I am by this revelation, courtesy of Grap Luva himself) Pete gives us... yet another boring rap album intro and yet another waste of some damn good music. I am very glad this was left off many bootlegs of this album.

THE LIFE I LIVE
We open up with some introspection and, as you'll notice pretty quickly, this trio got some damn introspection fo' yo' ass. Pete's haunting vocal sampling of Rotary Connection, merged with the short sax breaks in between sampled from John Klemmer, aids in the proceedings as Grap, Ras & Rob really immerse the listener into their respective lives while throwing in some bragging for good measure. Rob really stakes his dominance over this track, although the others aren't really that far behind. A soothing beat closes out the track leading into...

SQUARE ONE
I must be honest with you. The Billy Taylor piano sample, although slightly uptempo, really hits a sombre note as the beat went on. This is all, once again, another testament to the fact that Pete is a hip hop musical genius. And on that note, the three MCs really give you a fantastic lyrical lesson in perseverance while striving for your dreams, with Grap Luva's lyrics in particular standing out. Combine that with Pete providing a simple uttering of the title as the hook and we're good money, yo. The song closes out with an excerpt of Mekolicious' eponymous Pete Rock-produced track, one of many such bites spread throughout the album, which sounds as good as it should.

FAKIN' JAX
The one song that the public remembers from 20 years ago, and by God this song leaves its mark. You might notice that this version of Fakin' Jax leaves out Pete's little intro found on every other version of it. Speaking of Pete, I'm here to announce a watershed moment in his lyrical history: Pete has finally exorcised his lyrical demons! According to Grap Luva, (whom I still can't believe chose to share this info with me) Every verse you hear from Pete Rock on the album is his and his alone! Totally changes his verses' impact on me all these years later. Nevertheless, this is the Rob-O show all the way, because of the obvious fact that this is his most remembered 16. However, poor Ras and Grap were relegated to sharing 8 bars each. Yet somehow, the song still works, with Grap and Ras still managing to leave their mark. All set to Pete's gorgeous sampling of a Dorothy Ashby gem. Might I add that when people sample Mobb Deep, not many people think to sample poor Havoc so good on you for doing that, Pete. There's a reason a lot of people were coaxed into bootlegging this album, and Fakin' Jax may very well be it.

STEP UP
Now on the production front, the internet's confused whether it's Pete or Grap who handled this beat. I'm more inclined towards the Grap opinion because Pete himself states so in the closing friggin adlibs. Grap proves here with his prominent sampling of a splendid Jackie Mittoo record that he is just as meticulous as his older brother behind the boards, resulting in a soulful beat gracing our ears. He and his two cohorts catch wreck with him & Rob bookending the song with two verses each while Ras provides the cream filling with one hell of a 16. This shit banged in all the right ways.

KROSS ROADS
Your ears are treated with a magical romantic loop, courtesy of Rob-O yet again, that will be forever ruined by a song that is simply one of the most disjointed Pete Rock beats you'll ever hear, ruining a timeless Harold Melvin song by sampling it in the most obscene of loops. It's so bad that the magnificent Grant Green xylophone sample linking the loop still isn't enough to save it. Rob-O picks this opportune time to bless you with a tragic love story that will put you in a coma. It's that boring. As if to confirm this song's shitty stature, Pete performs a hook that just compounds the problem. This shit was trash in every sense of the word.

VOCAL SKIT
Pete graciously introduces you to the members of InI Method Man-style over some chill vibes of his own production. Well, not quite, as Mef has the charisma to do so without turning it into a snoozefest. Pete doesn't, however, so this is entirely skippable.

CENTER OF ATTENTION
One of my three favorite songs from this project in no particular order, and it's because of Pete's Monty Alexander loop. Add that to Pete's redemption of his Kross Roads fiasco with the best motherfucking hook he has ever performed. EVER. I'm dead serious. Yet again, the beat pushes our trio to lyrical splendor, with Rob-O in particular blacking his ass out. Seriously, the dude hits a stride that you'll rarely hear in MCs with releases as rare as this. Ras and Grap could only watch as their stellar contributions are absolutely decimated. This shit is as classic a hip hop song as you'll ever find. The interlude closing the song simply adds to its awesomeness.

MIND OVER MATTER
Follow that with a track that matches the previous one's heights, punch-for-punch. The keyboards Pete samples from Raw Soul Express mixed with a straight-up mean sampling of former partner-in-rhyme CL Smooth and Biz Markie respectively, provide the track with a rush of adrenaline that is somehow elevated with the trio's performances. And once again, Rob-O eclipses his partners' contributions, even though Grap Luva comes in at a very close second this time. I must note that some bars from Ras G's verse have him wearing his Rastafari beliefs on his sleeve, which might provide for some good imagery in your verse but the subject ultimately falls flat, with Emperor Haile Selassie, their revered figure himself, rejecting their beliefs in a public interview in 1967. That's all I have to say about the subject of Rastafarism itself. Back to Ras' verse, his punchline game is actually pretty good with him having admirable command of his pen. The second track in my trilogy of favorites on here. This song is placed at the end of the a-side, and is closed out in proper fashion with another Mekolicious excerpt.

GROWN MAN SPORT (FEATURING MEKOLICIOUS)
And yet another Mekolicious excerpt opens up the b-side, before Pete reveals a jumpy-as-all-fuck Fela Kuti loop*. Ras G sets you off with his best verse on the project. If you're not nodding your head like crazy by the end of his verse, go check your pulse for me. Grap follows up with a verses that cements his status as InI's workman, a function usually reserved for the leader in such groups. This group's leader, however, is Rob-O, who next gives you a performance that's good but not quite up to his standards. Probably because he was exhausted by his previous two showings. Mekolicious finally debuts on the album after all these hints he kept dropping in those excerpts of his. And I must say: the guy sounds a lot like Sheek Louch from D-Block. At least, he doesn't sound like he's forcing it to work. Marco Polo makes his lone lyrical contribution to the album... and it's in bloody French. I have no words. Overall, the song still manages to be pretty enjoyable, regardless.

THINK TWICE
Ras goes out for a Pepsi, chocolate milk, whatever he drank back in those days, so Rob and Grap replace him with the Soul Brother. I am yet to recover from the revelation that Pete's lyrics are %100 his. Allow me an observation that might seem as if it's from left field: Grap and Rob's voices are nigh indistinguishable. I used to struggle trying to find out who's who so much that I glossed over the actual lyrics themselves. That problem was thankfully rectified once I saw the Fakin' Jax video for the first time. Anyway, all three performances here are very battle-oriented, and Pete's work behind the boards accommodates the verses pretty well, with the magnificently-cut David Axelrod sample really pumping the MCs' energy up a few notches. This was awesome.

TO EACH HIS OWN (FEATURING Q-TIP & LARGE PROFESSOR)
The track with the all-star guest list, and I'm surprised Pete stuck to hook duties on this one. Because it's pretty clear that both Tip and LP came through as a favor mostly to him. OK, maybe Grap too but you get my point. The only no-show on this track is Ras whom I kind of miss here, because lyrically the guy can be pretty devastating when he's criticizing the industry. Maybe it's because of the fact that Rob went on a vastly different route than the remaining three MCs, talking about the dangers of unprotected sex, while the others stuck to bashing the industry. Might I add that Tip really didn't have a reason to do so. Yet. Once again, Pete's amazing ear for xylophone samples shows itself with an ingenious Cal Tjader loop. Top-notch stuff, really.

PROPS
After a throwback Petestrumental, you're treated to another solo Rob-O exhibition. And the beat sounds like something Pete made in the early stages of his career. This is clearly show by the myriad of samples he pulls from, ranging from The Howard Roberts Quartet to the Mohawks to James friggin' Brown. Rob furthers this realisation of mine with his rhymes, clearly written at a very early stage in his career. Because he hardly sounds as advanced as the Rob-O we're mostly treated to on the other tracks. This is still a dope song, but we've seen much better from both parties.

KEEP ON
The Monty Alexander sample here proves once again that Pete simply has a special connection with xylophones, because his best sampling work comes from artists proficient with these beauties. Our trio come with the ruckus, with their monotone reigning supreme and plowing through you with each successive verse. Ras' verse finds him relying on his beliefs yet again, clearly singling him out as the most devout Rasta of the group. His punchline game remains efficient, though. Pete once again performs hook duties, and he's more invested in these hooks than he's been ever since he broke up with CL Smooth. I miss that guy already. We're then treated to the final excerpt of the Mekolicious bites on the album. Shame, I was beginning to enjoy them.

WHAT YOU SAY
I don't care what anyone tells me, the magical David T. Walker sample makes this song. It practically strongarms our trio into blurting out quotable after unrelenting quotable. Also, I loved the PMD samples throughout, scratched Primo-style and giving the track its name. My favorite song from InI period and one of the very best Pete Rock productions you'll ever hear, no lie. This is yet another example of those songs that force you to relive a happier time in your life, even if you're not connected with the lyrics on display here in any nostalgic way whatsoever, and I've displayed countless such examples on this blog.

OUTRO
Pete goes into one of the lamest shoutout sessions I've heard in a very long time over a dope instrumental that's unworthy of association with such crappy displays. And the album ends with that. Groan.

FINAL THOUGHTS
I really wish there was some way I could officially support InI for this project. That BBE/Rapster release obviously doesn't count because all of that money goes to said cesspool. Why? Simple: This album is, by no small margin, one of the two best Pete Rock-helmed projects he has ever worked on. This album showcased a Pete Rock who was clearly continuing to sustain his production peak from The Main Ingredient, and the accomplishments he achieved on that album continued to show themselves here. Lyrically, InI deserve the platform they never had because of the group's label problems, because they really have a penchant for delivering some grown man rap. I mean that last phrase with every fiber of my being, despite my ideological issues with some of their messages. These guys really deliver a product that cannot be more needed in the current market, and it's a damn shame that Grap and Rob haven't yet found a way to release the proper album in a proper way that benefits the deserving parties properly.
WORTH IT? To all boom bap lovers out there, you owe it to yourself to give this shit at least one spin. This vid below is the full thing. Trust me, you will not regret it.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
NO MORE WORDS
Heavily sampling a single Cal Tjader classic, Pete Rock performs the hook like a trooper while leaving the rhyming to the main MC trio with Grap setting it off with some bragging bread and butter with a confidence that really elevates his lyrics. Most of Ras' verse has already been spit on Keep On but otherwise, good shit. Rob ends the track with a scorching verse that has him feeling his nuts to the fullest. Aside from Ras' contribution, this track should've made the album.

FAKIN' JAX (RUDE YOUTH REMIX) (FEATURING PETE ROCK & MEKOLICIOUS)
Now this Petestrumental is Pete simply showing off. He expertly welds together three samples from Baby Huey, Dorothy Ashby and Charles Wright and caps it off with not one, but two Havoc sample talking about fakin' said jax. And just as on the original, Pete sets you off, but this time, with a surprising downturn in quality, aside from the opening few lines. Trust me, you will notice when his lyrics take a turn for the shitty halfway through his verse. Shame that he couldn't continue his momentum, as I thought he was doing fine on the proper album. His younger brother is official, though, as he erases any memory of Pete's verse with a blistering eight bars. Rob-O follows up with almost the exact same verse he had on the original, and so does Ras G after him. Only Ras had eight bars then, which gave him the opportunity to expand his original contribution with an additional eight, fleshing out his verse properly to reveal a timeless contribution. Mekolicious ends the song with some impressive lyrics of his own, although you wouldn't know it after hearing his first two bars. So, my final verdict on whether this remix is a worthy followup or not is a resounding yes. And we're done.

*This Fela Kuti cat is one ballsy fucker. Hell, one of his releases has a cover with him naked with a legion of topless African women. Guess what the title is? I swear the following is word-for-word, with the spelling and cases intact as well: "The men in uniform alleged I swallowed some quantity of hemp. my shit was sent for lab test. result-negative. which brings us to... EXPENSIVE SHIT!" Poignant, isn't he?

For more on the Chocolate Wonder, here.