House of Pain - Fine Malt Lyrics (July 21, 1992)

If you're a frequent reader of this blog, you'll notice that after mentioning him in my review for the classic All We Got Iz Us by your favorite baldhead loons Onyx, I never really talk about Eminem here. I just don't see the need to, as this is a blog discussing boom bap, not whatever the hell he's into nowadays. However, it is my honest opinion that it's the genre that suits his wordy style the most. Just listen to Don't Front, his cover of Black Moon's I Got Cha Opin. Right? You'll also notice that I haven't been very productive here in recent times. I'd be lying if I didn't say that the lack of comments wasn't one of the reasons for such a slowdown, even if it definitely isn't the chief reason. Bottom line, I like to engage with anyone reading these ramblings of mine, so if you're feeling like some of the shit you're reading sounds baffling, sound off. It really helps.

I bring him up today because of his storied history of lyrical beef, almost every one of which he came out on top. Not to discuss how he won, but to discuss how he views his opponents today. Almost every one of his past adversaries still views him as such, except for two that come to mind. One act was the Insane Clown Posse, a duo of rappers/wrestlers appealing to a mostly working-class white fanbase. (Credit to them for creating a surprisingly sizable movement around their brand.) The other is one-third of our focus for today.

Erik Francis Schrody aka Whitey Ford bka rapper/actor/guitarist/activist/anarchist Everlast was a teenage graffiti writer who eventually met Mark Richardson aka Mikal Safiyullah bka underground legendary MC Divine Styler on the graffiti scene in LA, who just so happened to be an associate of hip hop pioneer Ice-T. Being from NY, Divine Styler was well-versed in the graffiti scene and took Everlast under his wing. During that period, it eventually came to light that Everlast dabbled in rhyming as well, with a demo that was eventually well-received by Ice-T himself. Ice then insisted on bringing the new whiteboy into his then-burgeoning rap collective the Rhyme Syndicate. Naturally, an album deal from Warner Bros. Records followed, resulting in Everlast dropping his solo debut Forever Everlasting. Which... yeah, it flopped hard. Despite housing a batch of decent tracks, it came off exactly as it seems at first glance: A white kid tryna trend hop. Everlast himself is actually extremely happy it flopped now. Hard to blame him, as it wouldn't've been fun to be Vanilla Ice, at all. Thankfully, he reconnected with a childhood friend immediately thereafter.

Daniel O'Connor bka Danny Boy was a graffiti artist who originally hailed from New York and was quickly developing as a graphic genius when he got wind that his boy Everlast didn't really get on with his Rhyme Syndicate deal.  After reconnecting, D showed E a few concepts he was developing for a hip hop group. An old demo with 'House of Pain' written thereon caught E's eye, to which he suggested their younger friend Leor Dimant nka DJ Lethal as their DJ. Danny immediately developed the aesthetic behind the group: A no-nonsense trio of Irish hooligans who loved brawling, drinking & hip hop. (Despite Lethal being Polish, he went all in on the idea.) All this was prior to the most integral coincidence in this story, tying together all this rambling with my Soul Assassins run.

Apparently, E was dating a girl back then whose fucking roommate was with a then-unknown DJ/producer by the name of DJ Muggs, later of the epic Cypress Hill. Muggs had just finished working on his crew's eponymous debut when he became fast friends with E almost a year before it dropped. Shortly thereafter, E met yet another Cypress general, the mighty B-Real, and spent the entire night freestyling with the crew. That same night, Muggs played the entire debut album for everyone. Needless to say, Erik was blown away. B then jumped into Muggs' ear, egging him on to work with E after being thoroughly impressed with his pen game. The very next day, Muggs calls E, invites him to the studio, and upon his arrival, gives him a tape containing just two beats previously rejected by West Coast lyrical warlord and current Big 3 owner Ice Cube. One of those beats was Jump Around.

Now let's talk about Robin motherfucking Williams.

By the time I came across his stellar work, he had already established himself as an absolute powerhouse in both comedy and drama. However, the sheer volume of iconic roles he played in the 90s is nothing short of transcendent. One of those unforgettable roles was Daniel Hillard in Mrs. Doubtfire: A down-on-his-luck voice actor who is willing to do anything to spend time with his children. Now, just imagine the impact of that scene where Daniel & his son were dancing on that table on a prepubescent mind (One completely smitten with Lisa Jakub, might I add). A splendid visualization of the chaos that Jump Around ensues has not been portrayed so well since. Once Robin nailed that scene, it was all over for me: I HAD to hear more of that song. Unfortunately, I was still in elementary then so no dice for me. RIP Robin Williams. Your absence still hurts.

Back to Jump Around & its creators for a bit: Everlast used the tape Muggs gave him and made a demo tape housing the final cut of Jump Around for his new House of Pain venture and, within a mere week, there was a gargantuan bidding war for this hot, new rowdy Irish hip hop group with a smacking song. Out of all the offers on the table, House of Pain went with Tommy Boy, best known for acts such as Queen Latifah, De La Soul & Naughty By Nature. During the proceedings, Cypress Hill & House of Pain became even more involved with each other, and with a third budding hip hop group called Funkdoobiest, DJ Muggs officially formed the Soul Assassins collective, thereby setting the stage for further collaborations within the three camps.
After Cypress Hill's debut became an underground smash in LA, Muggs took DJ Lethal under his wing and molded him into a producer for House of Pain as they set up crafting the debut LP, the title of which the internet can't make up its mind about. Fuck it, I'm calling it Fine Malt Lyrics.
Naturally, Jump Around was chosen to be the lead single. What's weird is that it took three months to finally click with everyone and sell five hundred thousand units, a whole two months after the release of the actual album. Once it hit, though, it was unstoppable, completing the millionth sale just a month further, which propelled Fine Malt Lyrics to gradually sell one million units over the three months following that achievement. This obviously means that many people have very nostalgic feelings toward this piece of work, myself included. It was one of the very first hip hop albums I listened to in its entirety.

Time to see if it holds up. Fine Malt Lyrics, boy/girl (pick one):

SALUTATIONS
Rap album intro. You know you just wanna skip to the next one.

JUMP AROUND
Absolutely essential move that House of Pain opened up their album with this song! Why don't more rap acts do this? Yeah, if you've been literally living under a rock for the past 26 years, this song is one of my handful of favorite mainstream HIP HOP songs. Everlast just tees off on DJ Muggs' exemplary beat with battle lyrics that remain his most popular lines, with one of the most memorable performances in hip hop history. The magic ingredient Muggs added to make this beat, which starts off with a beautifully fitting Bob & Earl excerpt, was an ingeniously handpicked Jr. Walker horn sample and an equally-mindblowing Chubby Checker sample masterfully slowed down, interwoven in a way that renders producers speechless. According to Muggs and E, this song was made way before Jermaine Dupri cultivated the idea for Kriss Kross. Their proof? Muggs played Jump Around for Ruffhouse with the intent of signing House of Pain to the same label they were at. Ruffhouse passes on the deal, then miraculously Kriss Kross puts out Jump on Ruffhouse. That's why you hear Everlast dissing a Ruffhouse A&R/producer by the name of Joe Nicolo aka The Butcher at the end of the song, where he calls him The Biter. Bottom line? Put this song up against any timeless hip hop classic. I dare ya.

PUT YOUR HEAD OUT (FEATURING B-REAL)
From the most popular DJ Muggs production ever to one of his most underrated. A grimy-ass beat immediately attacks your senses, in what can be traced as the beginning of DJ Muggs' transition into macabre production territory. Everlast and B-Real are having noticeable fun with Muggs' work as E bookends B's contribution with two verses loaded with BNB: boasts n bullshit. However, it's B who really shines here with his mastery of flow & quotables in full display to the listener as he eviscerates his end of the deal. This was the second beat on the tape Muggs gave E as well as the very first song House Of Pain ever recorded, by the way. Two songs in and you can see why Tommy Boy were so eager to sign these dudes.

TOP O' THE MORNING TO YA
DJ Muggs finally relinquishes his grip over production duties to DJ Lethal, who debuts with a Staples excerpt that leads into a ferociously playful Willie Dixon mesh. Everlast gives three verses that decrease in bar quantity with each verse, with the first being one of his many standouts throughout the LP and the last being a measly four bars. Danny Boy surprises everyone with his rhyming debut on this song, and I'll say this: He may be limited, but at least he's giving it his all. Plus, I like the Malt-O-Meal reference. Brings back the fuzzies, you know. You'll have a lot of fun with this.

COMMERCIAL 1
A soundbite from the 1977 adaptation of HG Wells' The Island Of Dr. Moreau, no more.

HOUSE AND THE RISING SON (FEATURING SON DOOBIE)
DJ Lethal delivers a beat that is as mellow as it's gonna get for a group called House of Pain. And Everlast and fellow Soul Assassins OG Son Doobie from Funkdoobiest get their shit-talking on, proper. This is the very first time I ever heard Son Doobie and something about his tone of delivery struck me: He has a very meaningful voice that can be utilized quite effectively from time to time. Overall, this shit will also be a good time.

SHAMROCKS AND SHENANIGANS
Over a DJ Lethal instrumental dominated by John Lee Hooker samples, E & D take turns bashing the comp, and despite the sometimes-simplistic schemes, you're sold every step of the way simply because you hear how much fun these two are having. Which seems to be a consistent theme on this album. Awesome song.

HOUSE OF PAIN ANTHEM
Once again DJ Lethal centers his entire beat around an act of his choosing, this time being jazz rock band Chase. The result is a menacing-ass beat that's absolutely perfect for splattering threats aimed at imaginary opponents. By now, it's pretty much established that you're not getting more than 16 bars outta Danny Boy due to him receding lead rapper duties to Everlast, who reminds you with his first verse that he can get down and dirty with his battle raps if need be. The overall track isn't as fun-loving as the previous three songs, but it still fits the overarching aesthetic nicely. Well done.

DANNY BOY, DANNY BOY
And we're back to party mode. Matter of fact, this song is by far one of the two most fun on the entire record. Just so happens that this mood switch coincides with DJ Muggs' return behind the boards, once again throwing a myriad of samples at you. E & D are infectious in their back & forth. Too bad the whole song lasts just under two minutes. Still, a banging ass good time, nonetheless.

GUESS WHO'S BACK
Everlast continues his mission to blow your mind away with his punchlines, and while they're not really the mind-blowing type, I must emphasize the value of enjoying your work because songs like these really reflect positively on the listener. Guess Who's Back is no different as E goes for dolo with three verses pack to the brim with talking shit over Muggs' equally-enjoyable beat made from an Albert King/Paul Butterfield hybrid. Nice!

COMMERCIAL 2
See Commercial 1...

PUT ON YOUR SHIT KICKERS
DJ Muggs returns with another sample-heavy beat for the other most fun song on this album. You notice that the fun factor mostly goes up when Danny Boy's in the picture, as demonstrated to great effect here. Personally, I crack up every time I hear D singing the Missouri Dawg song. This album is awesome, so far!

COME AND GET SOME OF THIS
Everlast is alone again. It's fine, though. He already proved numerous times on this album that he can carry a solo track on his own. You'll enjoy the one-liners here, as you did the rest of this album. However, behind the boards is the better spectacle, as the beat is a tag team between Muggs and longtime Soul Assassins member DJ Ralph M from Funkdoobiest. As such, the beat sound uniform of what was expected from the crew at the time, which is intended as a high compliment. Good shit.

LIFE GOES ON
Whoa. The fun factor just returned big time! All due to the infectious beat by DJ Ralph M. Everlast's lyrics are your typical course of BNB mixed with some simple theological explorations of the NOI randomly thrown in, which comes off as Everlast spitting these lyrics while baked outta his goddamn mind and thereby only adding to the accidental hilarity. His delivery of said lyrics is the icing on the cake.

ONE FOR THE ROAD
I'm telling you, you can literally hear Everlast enjoying the hell outta recording his lyrics. Here, he clearly revels in his glee whilst performing the entertainingly childish hook paying tribute to Mickey's beer while DJ Lethal, returning from quite the rest period, supplies his mans with his equally playful instrumental, sampling Jr Walker among others. The streak of hot tracks continues!

FEEL IT
This may be the most blood pumping beat on the entire album besides Jump Around and Put Your Head Out, courtesy of a DJ Ralph M bowing out of Fine Malt Lyrics. Everlast relishes in the opportunity to lace the resulting instrumental with a portion of his seemingly-infinite book of talking shit. Love this song!

ALL MY LOVE
This isn't really a full-blown song as it is an outro that happens to house a singular uneventful verse. The shoutouts, though... It appears RZA has finally been dethroned as the king of hip hop shoutout tantrums. You only need to listen to this once, but I guarantee you'll be entertained, par the course.

JUMP AROUND (PETE ROCK REMIX)
Pete, you know I love you. It's well-documented on this blog how vital I think you are to the game. Hell, this remix is not too shabby at all. But, I'm sorry: You ain't fucking with the original on this one, bruh.

FINAL THOUGHTS
You know, as much as I love messages and positivity in my hip hop, I can also appreciate music that I can have a roaring good time to. Y'know, goof off and shit. I distinctly remember my Knucklehedz review and how I described them as the East Coast's answer to House of Pain. Now you know what I'm talking about. I'd call this album a damn fine dose of harmless troublemaker boom bap with some damn fine beats and brags. DJ Muggs makes sure that him, DJ Lethal and DJ Ralph M maintain a consistency throughout the album that never falters in what can be considered as the first album establishing the Soul Assassins production brand, and Everlast and Danny Boy deliver spectacularly on the vibes front: You are never left with the assumption that these dudes are fronting to be something they're not, and I've always appreciated that. Plus again, the brand of Soul Assassins MCs may be best represented here, as the lead MCs of all three affiliated camps are displayed here. Now, hand me that stool, please. I'd like to smash it on the head of Pitchfork's Jeff Weiss.

WORTH IT? If you hate fun and good times, then stay away from this album. If you like Jump Around, then get this album ASAP. (Because I know a shit ton of people whose exposure to House of Pain is exclusively limited to Jump Around. Yes, I'm talking about you.)

Are you a Soul Assassins follower? You are? Knock yourself out! If you just wanna see what else the Jump Around dudes did with their life, here.

Redman - Whut? Thee Album (October 9, 1992)

Reggie Noble. DJ Kut Killa. Redman. Funkadelic Devil. Soopaman Luva. Funk Doctor Spot. Eminem's favorite rapper. Possibly the late great Sean Price' favorite rapper, too. Where do I even start with this dude?

I'll probably start by mentioning that I was introduced to this crazy and straight up hilarious character in three video games: the first two Def Jam AKI Corporation wrestling games and True Crime NYC. Comedy relief in all three, his work genuinely made me interested in whatever material he put out. Until I heard that dratted fictional radio station The Liberty Jam that very same season off the underrated PSP game GTA LCS, set in 1998. On that station, host DJ Clue picked a song from the timeless Muddy Waters album, widely heralded as Reggie's finest hour in hip hop, called Do What Ya Feel. It wasn't a single. It wasn't even that popular by the time the game was released. But it was the second ever Redman & Method Man collaboration and it damn well left an impression on me. By then, I was already a fan of Mef since he appeared on the Monstars' Anthem. You already know my history with that song and with Mef himself, so lemme tell you I was rooting for him to body this dude. I'll confess right now that I then felt Mef was the alpha and Reggie was a sort of sidekick. Little did I know how wrong I was, as Reggie blacked the fuck out on Do What Ya Feel, leaving Mef to impressively bat cleanup. Ever since, that song has become a favorite of mine every time I delve into a Def Squad run.

But let's get back to this time period, as then Reggie only had three songs to his name. All were features for the duo who mentored him into this game: EPMD. The two architects of the grimy Jeep-rattling funk sound found Red in a hole-in-the-wall club in New Jersey called Sensations. He was DJ Kut Killa for current Newark City Coucil hopeful Dupre Kelly bka the legendary Doitall from Lords Of The Underground (How dope would it be to finally have someone from hip hop become a government official?! And no, I'm not talking about Headcase becoming president. We're already suffering from one fucking moron running the world into the ground, we don't need another.) when Erick Sermon pressed Reggie to rhyme. Son declined, then E pressed him again. Reggie spit a few bars, one among them being: "I float like a butterfly, sting like the rock group" That line drove Erick, bandmate Parish Smith and future mentor K-Solo insane. The pair threw Reggie onstage that night!

Redman would be tailored to debut on EPMD's third opus, Business As Usual, where he remains the lone guest rapper to appear twice on the same EPMD record. The verse he did on Hardcore would get Reggie his deal with Def Jam, the house that the fuckwads built. Reggie would eventually turn that deal into a long-lasting career with the label filled to the brim with critical and commercial achievements. I started with critical for a damn reason.

On Business Never Personal, Red would emphatically enforce the assumption that he was, as I've previously stated on this blog, a blackout king. Now, defining the term 'blackout' would require stating blackout examples from the hip hop spectrum. Think Sticky Fingaz on Purse Snatchaz, Inspectah Deck on Assassination Day, Busta Rhymes on Scenario, etc. Reggie here qualified to be a blackout king with his verse on Head Banger, widely regarded as one of the utmost examples of the neglected hip hop art of posse cuts. The fuckfaces at Def Jam were backed into a corner: They had to release an album by this guy yesterday.

Whut? Thee Album began production prior to the infamous EPMD breakup, so it was most definitely affected by the whole farce. By the time everyone got back to their battle stations, EPMD had split. Which deprived Redman, for a short while, from his affiliation with EPMD's supergroup the Hit Squad, consisting of him, the aforementioned K-Solo, Das EFX and the Knucklehedz. (Future Bad Boy alumni Craig Mack RIP and future Def Squad lynchpin Keith Murray would've been the next two acts to be introduced. Alas.) The end product still contains several shoutouts to the legendary collective, so there's that. Still, promotion suffered which directly impacted its reception. Despite all the surrounding turmoil, Reggie still dedicated a great deal to keep his baby a mirthful affair through utilizing skits alongside the actual tracks, in an homage to Prince Paul and various West Coast acts. You’ll see if his natural humor was successfully replicated for the proper album. And although it took eight long months, Whut? Thee Album still managed to sell over five hundred thousand copies stateside and influence would-be rappers everywhere to this very day.

Reggie Noble's debut, boy/girl (pick one):

PSYCHO WARD
Reggie debuts Dr. Trevis, his first of many mainstay characters throughout his career. I'll confess: Red is one of the few rap acts who can do skits well.

TIME 4 SUM AKSION
Despite what the Hit Squad's dissolution may have implied, it was always the plan for Erick Sermon to handle the production on this entire album, similar to how PMD did K-Solo's Tell The World My Name. Which is great for Reggie as he's entering into production for himself here (under his real name, might I add) Him coming from a DJing background served him all the better, as well. Now, this second single here is a clear statement that Erick didn't need the EPMD brand to reproduce their Jeep-rattling funky sound. Its instrumental opens with a grandiose Dramatics sample, then throws you down a well of bombastic samples chaotically thrown together around a famous excerpt from B-Real of Cypress Hill (another group criminally underrated when discussing their contributions to hip hop) to form the blood-pumping result. And best believe Reggie capitalized magnificently, with his incendiary punchlines still leaving crowds breathless at every live show he does. The icing on this deliciously hardcore cake is the Zapp loop during the bridge. You will be a hazard to others around you when this shit plays.

DA FUNK
The previous onslaught is haphazardly cut midway to bring attention to this song, which I suspect to be a Reggie Noble production in its infancy, which starts with a loop centered around its Parliament roots, switches to a dope Meters guitar riff then back to the original beat. Redman keeps barreling through with his mission statement: Punchlines that blow your socks off. As if he knew he'd piss people off by the mere mention of the racist Cheeto at the end, Reggie cuts this song as well..

NEWS BREAK
..into this TV report about the '92 riots. TV skits are yet another staple that continues throughout Reggie's legendary career.

SO RUFF
The skit transitions into another one where Red slaps the stinking piss out of a dipshit interviewer (who will return in future albums. I love that character!) Reggie then proceeds to get his storytelling on over a whirlwind of Zapp & Parliament samples provided by the Green-Eyed Erick. Both stories kicked here are written pretty well, might I add. Third dope song in a row!

RATED ‘R’
A dominant Maceo & the Macks loop, with epic Rakim & Ice Cube samples for the hook to boot, sets the tone for yet another scintillating punchline display by the dopest clown MC you'll ever know, whom is slowly but surely creeping his way into your favorite rappers list by now. Here, Reggie dials up the violence a significant deal as he assaults you with ways to freak you out. He dedicates the second verse to bashing the shit outta villains from classic horror films. the first being Chucky from Child's Play, which makes Redman's notable cameo in Seed Of Chucky all the more hilarious. Little known fact: the dude hyping up Reggie throughout the song is his first cousin Tame One from the legendary Artifacts duo. Yeah, yet another streak of quality in yet another Hit Squad album.

WATCH YO NUGGETS (FEATURING ERICK SERMON)
We arrive at the loudest instrumental on this bitch, courtesy of E-Dub and his exquisite sample swirls. This time, it's ESG UFO, Stevie Wonder and P-Funk visionary George Clinton that deliver the goods. The track opens with Erick spitting some fly shit, but he sounds as if someone just socked him in the jaw hard. Maybe this track was after his breakup with Parish. But if so, why does Reggie shout him and Solo out on his following verse. Anyway, when will the onslaught of dopeness end?!

PSYCHO DUB
Thank God, this skit is short. It threatened to ruin the momentum this album is keeping so impressively.

JAM 4 U
You'll enjoy how the previous skit transitions into Reggie getting baked as fuck. You'll also pick up on Das EFX' Straight From The Sewer playing in the background while Red discredits the sellouts. You know, the ones that needlessly take up sitcoms and gimmicky game shows, regardless of said maneuvers' effects on their overall legacies. Wait a minute.... Anyway, the song features Reggie straight up stunting on the competition with his flow manipulation. The album's momentum amazingly continues.

BLOW YOUR MIND
This album is serious about impressing you! The lead single was the first Redman song I actively repeated on my iPod, way past my introduction to his music on GTA LCS. With another instrumental borrowing heavily from Parliament classics, E-Dub continues to evaporate any doubt that he could carry an entire act behind the boards. Redman needed to make this count, of course, and while the rhymes displayed here are incredible and a nice fit to the beat, the rest of the album so far has outclassed it by leagues. Props, to the Gap Band sample in the hook, though. And there's a hilarious bit in the middle where Reggie's supposed to rap in Korean, but fucks up and barrels on with the punchlines anyway! Overall, great song!

HARDCORE (EXCERPT)
I wrote excerpt because the album only played Reggie's impressive verse from EPMD's Hardcore, which got him signed to Def Jam in the first place. My opinion of this song has not changed, although the album's momentum has finally stopped. About time you took a breather!

FUNKY UNCLES
Another skit, another Hit Squad single playing in the background. This time, it’s Spellbound by Kevin Self Organization Left Others. This skit introduces my absolute favorite character from the Reggieverse: (term coined by Max!) Boy/girl, (pick one) say hello to Uncle Quilly! This dude is hilarious and here he tears into MC Hammer. This skit caused Hammer the hypocrite to call upon various Crip associates of his to actually attempt to kill Reggie. Poor Hammer is butthurt nobody likes nor respects his bitchass.

REDMAN MEETS REGGIE NOBLE
We transition into Reggie's own banger of an instrumental, sampling a breathtaking Village Callers sax excerpt along with that Emotions loop. Here, Redman perfects the inner conversation style popularized by one timeless Slick Rick, who still never seems to get the credit he deserves. Anyway, this song is hilarious and ingenious at the same damn time. It appears the album's hit-rate is back on track!

TONIGHT’S DA NIGHT
Ah, yes. the third single and one of the two most popular songs on this shit, the other being Time 4 Sum Aksion of course. The beat is one constant Isaac Hayes loop beautifully interlocked with a Mary Jane Girls sample for the hook. Clearly influenced by Scratch, Bring It Back Reggie rhymes about some "punk smooth shit" before unveiling his true masterpiece: one hell of a quotable hardcore performance. One thing heads keep overlooking about Reggie is how influential his flow game really is. Go ahead, listen to these lyrics and imagine any one rapper off your bullshit top 5 lists spit this. Yep, thought so. Trust me, this timeless classic is a staple at Red's live shows for a reason.

BLOW YOUR MIND (REMIX)
Over a slightly inferior Reggie Noble production that relies heavily on an annoying Zapp sample, this is the exact same song as the original aside from the first 8 bars of the second verse. And this time, Reggie does not fuck up his Korean performance, which is somehow less funny. This was unnecessary. It is what it is.

I’M A BAD

Now that’s more like it! E-Dub’s beat is his most suffocatingly grimy on the entire album, which sends Reggie off in rare form. The man even predicts how his two-decade tenure at Def Jam would end with one bar. Which bar, you ask? What, you want me to ruin the fun? No, this is a record that you need to hear for yourself. There’s a funny reward for doing so in the song’s midst. Trust me.

SESSED ONE NIGHT

Another 90s skit featuring a cop harassing people, and this time the cop’s black. Amazingly, the track playing in the background is Looking At The Front Door off the incomparable Main Source album Breaking Atoms. I don’t care if I’m showing my bias, I’ll gladly big up Large Professor any chance I damn well get.

HOW TO ROLL A BLUNT

Speaking of legendary crate diggers, the Soul Brother PR himself returns to yet another Hit Squad act and produces an absolute masterpiece of a union between Keni Burke and Jimmy McGriff. The Cypress Hill influence continues with Reggie educating wannabe stoners everywhere with the track’s obvious subject. Props to him for still keeping things humorous. This album is achieving one rare feat of consistency here.

SOOPER LUVER INTERVIEW

And we’re introduced to our final Reggieverse character on the album: The ever-stunting showoff Soopaman Luva. Why do I call him this when his name is spelled differently on the tracklisting, you ask? Don’t ask stupid questions.

A DAY OF SOOPERMAN LOVER

And thus begins another saga featuring a morally conspicuous character by a Hit Squad act, the first being the Jane saga by EPMD. You’ll enjoy how this dude is so self-absorbed that he has trouble sticking to his story without hilariously going off into a braggadocious tangent. And this happens on every chapter of this beautifully funny series. Also, this saga is mostly famous for housing two beats in each song. Here Reggie produces the first, a prominent Johnny Guitar Watson loop, while Erick delivers a funky James Brown cookup. This was a great final song.

ENCORE

Simply the Blow Your Mind beat looped till fadeout. This was pretty useless, although I’m glad it’s at the very end. And we’re done.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Holy shit! This album is a hip hop statement if I ever heard one. I guess Reggie Noble was frustrated with the fact that he was delayed so long, only for his team to go up in smoke when it was his time to shine. Because son packed a whole truckload of content in this album. Whut? Thee Album has everything you might like in a hardcore hip hop album and then some: social commentary, wit, humor, badassery, lyricism, you name it. Top it off, the music is a worthy continuation of the Hit Squad’s timeless Jeep-rattler brand. The dude did say that people ‘fucked up by letting him make an album’.

WORTH IT? Right now, this must be the most well-known album I’ve reviewed from the Hit Squad so far, but if you don’t house this album in your collection for any reason whatsoever, you need to put down that Cardi B garbage you were thinking of listening to and rectify that shit ASAFP.

Still can’t get enough Hit Squad? Here you go. For more Uncle Quilly though, here.

EPMD - Business Never Personal (August 7,1992)

At the end of 1991, the house of one Parish Smith of EPMD was robbed. The assailants clamied to the police that Parish's EPMD partner Erick Sermon paid them to do so. The implications of this incident would lead the entire Hit Squad movement, by then tearing emphatically through the whole hip hop industry, to a deafening halt and, more importantly, put a loathesome strain on a lifelong friendship.

To understand the magnitude of hip hop's loss, the achievements of said Hit Squad must be reflected upon: 3 gold albums, 1 platinum album and a gang of timeless hits by them and fellow Squadians K-Solo & Das EFX. A considerable heap of critical acclaim for the movement's largely-unified sound of grimy funk beats added with a colorful variety of lyrical styles was all the more reason for the Hit Squad to become the blueprint for the collective that would definitively take their place within the annals of hip hop history: The Wu-Tang Clan. Surely you know I'm right by now.

Shedding light away from the negativity for a bit, EPMD were riding high as all the chips of the Hit Squad's success continued to stack in their favor. The surpise sleeper hit Dead Serious along with Time's Up, the second critically acclaimed K-Solo album in a row, prepped Erick "Microphone Wrecka" Sermon and Parish "Microphone Doctor" Smith for launch into a world currently occupied by Sean Comby Combs & them… That of the hip hop executive. Except that EPMD feel like a much more legitimate fit for that lane, don'cha think? Anyway, our duo felt that it was high time they progressed into their fourth opus and second release under the house that the fuckwads built, Def Jam, as they added the finishing touches on what would become the debut album of the lone remaining Hit Squadian, one Reggie Noble aka DJ Kut Killa bka the mighty Redman.

By now, the minimum expectation for an EPMD album was at least five hundred thousand shipped units and a mountain of critical acclaim praising the game-changing nature of said release. Amazingly, Business Never Personal (Almighty God, does that title piss me off now) scored on all fronts, with the album achieving the gold plaque in a mere two months and thereby becoming the fastest-selling EPMD album. Many fans of these two claim this album as their very best, and you're here to fact-check the validity of that claim.

Business Never Personal, boy/girl (pick one):

BOON DOX
A prominent Earth, Wind & Fire loop laced with that James Brown guitar riff helps EPMD top the opening track of their last album, as this braggadocious display of theirs deserves all the light shed on it. This was awesome.

NOBODY'S SAFE CHUMP
Aside from the useless skit at the beginning, E& P successfully recreate the feel of their classic album cut Manslaughter, with their beat based on a melodic Bobby Womack loop.  This album cut game is hard to pull off, yet these two make it seem effortless.

CAN'T HEAR NOTHING BUT THE MUSIC
Trust this pair to turn a four-second excerpt of a soulful Barbara Mason ballad into a hardcore Jeep-rattler. One thing though, Parish: What were you on when you performed the eponymous hook?! The actual verses prevent said hook from developing into a full-blown annoyance that ruins the overall song. Instead, it’s merely a hilarious distraction that you enjoy along with the rest of the track.

CHILL
Now this beat here. EPMD, fucking legends that they are, craft a majestic horn sample woven through an ingeniously slowed-down Foreigner excerpt that makes their patented BNB sound like it was delivered by two giants towering sky high over New York. The DOC and Rakim samples sweeten the deal that much more. This shit is awesome!

HEAD BANGER (FEATURING K-SOLO & REDMAN)
Ruff Ryders' Ryde Or Die? Thank this song. Parliament is the order of this song as our duo upscale the excerpt to a gojazillion! Once again, EPMD allow fellow Hit Squadians Kevin Madison and Reggie Noble to completely outclass them on record, which they do as Solo brings the Knick Knack Patty Wack steez (without spelling shit, thank the Almighty) while Redman completely incinerates the memory of his Hardcore verse with a contribution that deservedly got him his first Source Hip Hop Quotable, so if people were checking for him before, they were rioting in anticipation of his debut, now. Bottom line, this is my joint-favorite song on Business Never Personal and straight up one of the best posse cuts in hip hop history. Hell, this is the song that inspired Protect Ya Neck!

SCRATCH BRING IT BACK, PT.2 (MIC DOC)
DJ Scratch builds a simple loop out of an Emotions bass chord, where Erick bigs up his DJ. Following which Parish spits some hot garbage on purpose. Erick then reprimands him in a funny ass interlude mid-song and orders him to black the fuck out as the beat switches to yet another classic ESG UFO loop by the pair. Parish obliges, of course, with his finest braggadocio to date. I'm not joking. Dope song.

CROSSOVER
By sampling a then-recent Roger Troutman hit then immediately following up with a grimy beat looping a badass Idris Muhammad bassline, EPMD have mastered the art of musical contrast in one go. Which worked wonders for their intended concept, as the hook was intended to be a parody of the crossover attempts rampant at the time. Bafflingly, Crossover remains EPMD's biggest song, as it sold over five hundred thousand units by its lonesome. Once again, these two prove just how adept they are at trashing the music industry following their timeless Give The People (Jeep Mix). And again, songs like this show just how unstoppable Parish can be when motivated, even though Erick barrels through the opening with quotables galore. I applaud the fuck outta EPMD for making this their lead single.

CUMMIN' AT CHA (FEATURING DAS EFX)
Featured Hit Squadians Das EFX pride themselves to be 'Straight From The Sewer'. If any song they ever participated in reflects this, it's this one. The instrumental is that grimy, suffocating gutter shit that you want from your Hit Squad joints. And even though Head Banger is the more popular posse cut, this song bangs just as accordingly. Lyrically, Das EFX rip into the beat something heavy, leaving nothing but destruction in their wake as EPMD deftly set up the alleyoop. This song was actually performed on the Tonight Show back in 1992 when that asshat Jay Leno hosted the shit. That performance deserves to be seen, so I'll include it here. My other joint-favorite song on Business Never Personal.

PLAY THE NEXT MAN
Another EPMD classic instrumental, another heavy Parliament influence! Too bad it's wasted on yet another misogynistic painting of women. These stereotypes were never that rampant, people!

IT'S GOING DOWN
Off the Juice OST, this mesh of a timeless Marvin Gaye performance with that bloodpumping sax, complete with a Billy Squier excerpt threaded therein results in one stadium destroyer of a beat, accompanied by our duo packing enough ammunition from their extensive reserves of battle rhymes. Props to Parish "destroying posses of demo tapes like Agent Orange" Being that they're musical geniuses by this point, EPMD recognize this song's live potential so well that they've never played it during one of their recent live shows. Do I sound pissed? You already know my answer.

WHO KILLED JANE?
This Rick James song has been sorely missing from Jane 3. Well, now it makes its triumphant return to the Jane saga with the best chapter yet with a deftly interwoven Curtis Mayfield snippet. The pair weave the tale implied in the title with just the right amount of social commentary sprinkled across the usual brilliant humor, as Erick & Parish portray a cop & a suspect respectively. Perfect ending to the album.


FINAL THOUGHTS
By all means, heads thought that EPMD reached their absolute zenith with Business As Usual. Oh, how utterly wrong everyone was: These two have turned this consistency issue most rappers struggle with into a goddamn artform, as Business Never Personal remains EPMD's most focused project to date. Almost every single song bangs. I wish I was kidding. Oh, except for that Play The Next Man shit, as you damn well know by now that that don't fly here at BBR.

Sadly, the events described at the beginning of this review eventually shattered all that could've been expected from the legendary Hit Squad team, as not long after this classic album dropped, EPMD splintered apart. Unfortunately, there were some careers that were shelved. Those inculded a pre-fame Craig Mack and saddest of all, the Knucklehedz, as the EPMD franchise went up in smoke within a few months. Erick Sermon and Parish Smith stayed far away from each other for four years, with each dude suddenly deciding to establish a solo career. Hell, they even traded subliminal shots at each other. Good thing they reunited in 1997 but that was when commercialism and Wu-Tang ruled hip-hop. EPMD has since remained a niche and a reminder of what could've been. They still make dope music and get pretty good tour money, though, which may be all that matters to them anymore. It ain't like they've lost their livelihood over this shit.


WORTH IT? Despite the then-somber future of the band, I recommend you acquire this album with every fiber of my being. You read the above. You know where I stand on this ageless art piece. You'll be able to add it to your EPMD shrine, similar to myself.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
BROTHERS FROM BRENTWOOD, LI
The b-side to their popular lead single. Even though Erick and Parish utilize an Emotions loop that's been exhausted by most of their fellow Hit Squadians, they still invest new ways to make it sound fresh and exciting. Also, it still feels good to hear these two have fun talking shit together on a record. Call me sentimental and see if I give a fuck. And we're done.

Interested in more of the Hit Squad catalog? Here you go. EPMD enthusiasts can head here, instead. Your call.

K-Solo - Time's Up (June 2, 1992)

After securing the only guest spot on EPMD’s second gem "Unfinished Business", Kevin Madison by day and K-Solo by night managed to convince Erick & Parish to commission an entire album produced by them, despite him introducing a fucking ridiculous gimmick AND fucking it up royally.

With this opportunity that many better rappers dreamed of, Kevin Self Organisation Left Others managed not to fuck it up too much, producing an album that, while hitting all the required notes, failed to connect as a whole with enough people to be fondly remembered 30+ years later.

Nevertheless, songs like "Fugitive", "Tales From The Crack Side" & "Your Mom's In My Business" managed to win over enough acclaim at the time to secure backing for a sophomore effort.

The year is 1992. EPMD, K-Solo & Redman are on top of the fucking world solely because of EPMD's shrewd business moves. Having signed Das EFX the previous year, who went on to release a fucking classic in Dead Serious Thereby, the whole collective would begin their reign as the Hit Squad, a tour-de-force of talented rap acts that would leave quite the dent on the rap game in the coming years.

Next up was our headliner. Now, the first album, while containing a couple of questionable choices, somehow allowed him to discover his knack of storytelling by weaving some interesting themes. This time, being the visionary that he is, he thematically introduces absolutely nothing new to capitalise on his momentum. What he DID do is update his production significantly by introducing the MVP of this album.

On "Your Mom's In My Business", Kevin shouts out a very interesting figure in hip hop.  And no, I’m not talking about his ex-DJ Biggie Smalls the first, later revealed to me as DJ Scratch. (How boneheaded was the decision to replace Scratch as his DJ?! Although that might’ve been because he had obligations with EPMD. Ah well.)

No, he shouts out Sam Sneed, a complete mystery to the world of hip hop at the time, who would enter the game with a bang as a respected underground producer on this very album.  His work here would open the eyes of one Dr. Dre, who would promptly sign him to Death Row Records, promising him the promised land & using his services as producer & occasional rapper for a bunch of tracks, one of which was "U Better Recognize", his debut single & only well-known song, before treating him to the dreaded "Best of luck in your future endeavors." Sam would never return full-time to hip hop ever again, leaving this album as the most extensive completed body of production in his catalogue.

Yes, but what about Kevin? (Anyone else think that Kevin Madison sounds like a rejected Home Alone name?)

Well, the debut gave us a glimpse of what to expect from him lyrically.  Now, knowing that this album also sold zilch copies, let's find out if he can update his formula this time around:

I CAN'T HOLD IT BACK

Enter Sam Sneed.  The second single & the first of six Sam Sneed productions on the album.  You'll see why I mention this guy so much when you hear the P-Funk-heavy beat, as it fucking bangs. Sneed’s instrumental helps Mr. Madison reach new heights with his rhymes, as he sounds pretty fucking inspired, resulting in the song being elevated to new heights. This is what a beat’s proper function is. Nicely done, Kevin and Sam.

LETTERMAN

Mr. Madison acquires the services of the legendary Pete Rock in his prime to produce the lead single which is basically... A continuation of the fucking spelling gimmick laid over some dope Jackie Mittoo organs overlapping a vintage Kool & The Gang sax.  Get a clue, Kev. We're not gonna forget your snafu if you keep reminding us of it.  The only reason I can think of Atlantic warranting a sequel to "Spellbound" is that, somehow, the dipshit record execs' tiny little creative minds thought that continuing this gimmick would result in more sales. Even though the first time wasn’t exactly OPP or Can I Kick It.  Of course, they were wrong.  Again. I will say that while the album version is cool, the remix, also commissioned by the PR and used for the video, is infinitely preferable because Pete does away with Solo's asinine hook and amps up the Jeep-rattling sonics. Moving on. 

LONG LIVE THE FUGITIVE

Solo reprises his role (not for the last time) as the Fugitive from the first album, returning to his strong storytelling ways and doing so accompanied by a haunting Funkadelic loop provided by.... HIMSELF???!!! This was one surprise you never would’ve seen coming!  The tale was short & sweet. Just enough to whet my appetite for the next track.

PREMONITION OF A BLACK PRISONER

Here, Kevin continues the tale of the previous track, talking about himself and another inmate, who just so happens to be innocent.  I think this time, he wanted to expand on the themes of "Fugitive". Which was a wise decision, as they fit snugly in this grim-yet-unfortunately-relevant story.  He is accompanied by the second Sam Sneed knockout as he ingeniously slows down a Commodores loop to achieve the desired somber mood.  Seriously, the man is on quite a run during this album.  The momentum is stalled a bit when Kev starts naming his "hit" songs, which doesn't fit the context at all, but the ending to the inmate's harrowing tale provides a telling image.  Overall, this shit was nice!

SNEAK TIP

Sam Sneed does it yet again, delivering the fucking goods in this spiritual sequel to "Tales From The Crack Side," containing the same degree of paranoia, yet this song is actually much more light-hearted than its predecessor.  This time, though, Solo's rhymes don't stand on the realistic edge for long, as he essentially rips off both "Alice in Wonderland" and “the Wizard Of Oz” in a streetwise manner.  The end product is not too shabby, but he's delivered better elsewhere.

THE BABY DOESN'T LOOK LIKE ME

Here, Mr. Madison continues reusing themes from the first album, and so far shows good results.  Kevin travels back to the girl troubles barrel, as so many people have stories for a rapper to use here. Or maybe Kev has fucking bad taste in women. In this tale, he tells how his girl was fooling around on him & got pregnant by a different man.  Erick Sermon returns to contribute to his Hit Squad brother his first of two contributions on the album, although the Carrie Lucas loop sounds so much like a Sam Sneed choice, instead of his usual funk-centric direction. Altogether, Good track.

THE FORMULA (HOUSE PARTY)

The most cinematic song in the entire Hit Squad repertoire makes its appearance.  The brainchild of Parish Smith, who produced the beat, the song starts sounding like a skit, describing a bunch of hoodlums trying to enter a K-Solo concert then transitioning into what sounds like a live freestyle.  The performance fits the underground stage vibe, and the beat, that Jeep-rattling funk of course, is fucking bananas. The song ends when a fight breaks out between the crowd, where Solo stupidly shouts "Cut the sounds off!" while the beat keeps on knocking and he keeps ad-libbing.  Overall, a very entertaining piece. 7 years later, EPMD would issue a remake of it on their final Def Jam album, Out of Business, and produce similar results. Is it just me or does this track serve much better as the intro to the album?  My hat's off to Parish!! (and I don't even own a hat. Because I got this crazy dandruff problem, you see.)

WHO'S KILLIN' WHO?

Sam Sneed appears for contribution #4, and yet again produces a fucking gem. The brilliant fusion of Barry White and Eddie Kendricks accompanies Solo's newfound conviction in spitting his lessons. Here, he continues the theme of "The Messenger" from the first album, but with better results. His voice now carries a certain authority behind it while still being able to relate to the hardheads.  Not bad at all.

HOUSEHOLD MAID

Now, ladies & gentlemen!!! It's sex rap time!!!  K-Solo turns in a much better effort at the sex rap than his previous attempt on "Renee-Renee". The beat is Sam Sneed's first throwaway track as he tries his best Pete Rock imitation, and fails to make an impression.  The rhymes were funny, at least.

ROCK BOTTOM

E-Double returns for his second beat, which delivers his brand of heavy funk properly this time. By his standards, the beat is alright since I like Erick's sound when he's producing grimy gutter shit. Similar to his later work on his debut. For his part, Kev does alright with his lyrics, delivering a notable performance.  Could've been much better, though, given Erick's work with a certain Reggie Noble.

KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

Mr. Madison ends his album with the final Sam Sneed highlight, which is basically the spiritual sequel to "Drums of Death" on the first album. Centered around a majestic Marvin Gaye loop, the beat contains a damn fine sample of the still-very-underrated DMC from Run-DMC to excellent effect and Kevin deals with it accordingly by ripping it to fucking shreds. He lists several of his more notable tracks, which I'm OK with on braggadocious tracks, then continues to tell his story of how he got into music. Corny but vivid. A fitting end to the man's solo career.

FINAL THOUGHTS: This time around, K-Solo sticks to his fucking guns for better or worse, tackling almost the exact same themes as his debut. His lyrical imagery, however, experiences some noticeable growth. Even if his delivery doesn't. It should be very notable that he's not the sole headliner this time around. Sam Sneed deserves as much recognition on this album as Kevin himself.  Maybe even more so. The man turns in a fucking enthralling performance throughout the album, giving K-Solo the necessary edge to improve his product, which he does. Of course, none of this translated into any commercial success whatsoever, so don’t blame Sam for jumping at the promise of what Death Row could offer. Aside from "U Better Recognize", he produced some notable hits like "Natural Born Killaz" and "Keep Their Heads Ringin'" with the good doctor himself, on both of which he wrote Dre's verses. All the while attempting to release his solo debut to no avail. After that, he vanished off the face of the industry and hasn't been heard from until 2010, where he released said debut along with enough alterations to completely fuck up the original.

As for our host?  He followed his pal Sam to Death Row Records where, aside from a few leaked tracks like 16 Dead Doggs, all the bullshit effectively ended his solo career right then & there. He does pop up on Redman's classic "Muddy Waters" where he costars with the Funkadelic Devil himself on the lead single, "It's Like That (My Big Brother)". But that beat was fucking meh and, most importantly, Kevin no longer sounds like a veteran or even a talented MC. Instead, he sounds like a C-teamer who was given the shot of his fucking life on a Redman album.  And he still fucks it up. After a showing on PMD's "Awakening" album and his appearance on Beef I, K-Solo is rarely heard from until the 2012 Hit Squad Reunion, playing some of his old hits. Talk about a fall from grace. He did receive a nice YouTube documentary called They Call Me K-Solo here, although the link doesn’t work for mobile users for some stupid reason. Anyway, this album is a worthy addition to the catalogue of any Hit Squad enthusiast.  Or any head who knows his hip-hop.

WORTH IT? No rap album is worth $50.  Period. Other than that, most definitely! Sam Sneed shines brightly on this gem album, and K-Solo has (or had, anyway) enough skill in him to deliver a quality project, despite rehashing revisited themes.  Plus, his storytelling during the early 90s was always enjoyable. And EPMD themselves (especially Parish) deliver some decent productions, as well.

Click here to further indulge your Hit Squad gluttony, and here if you’re just interested in K-Solo.

Das EFX - Dead Serious (April 7, 1992)

(Again, we have another review I wrote for Max’ Hip Hop Isn’t Dead. I expect to be posting more of those in the near future, and here you get to read the “blogger’s cut” of those posts, if you will. Once again, shoutouts to Max. Also, this Hit Squad run will only be concerned with albums executive-produced by EPMD.)

Remember when mainstream hip hop actually sounded good?

In the early 1990s, the G-Funk sound from the West Coast had the game, to quote Inspectah Deck, "in the Cobra Clutch". Its figurehead, Dr. Dre, had been storming the charts ever since his days with N.W.A. His Death Row Records brethren only furthered the aggressiveness of their takeover, basically snatching radio airplay from under New York's struggling noses. Well, not necessarily struggling: a few established acts, such as Public Enemy, were still selling well. But the new blood failed to make any sort of impact on the radio, and the old guard were fading from popularity.

As a counteractive measure, New York stuck to its roots, producing gritty hip hop albums with heavy emphasis on creativity, and they eventually gained some ground back within the mainstream in what was dubbed "The East Coast Renaissance". But which act spearheaded the movement back into the public eye?

Three acts come to mind: Naughty By Nature, Onyx and Das EFX.

Now the first two knew what they were doing when they crafted such well-known songs as "OPP", "Hip Hop Hooray", and "Slam". But ironically, Das EFX had absolutely no friggin' clue what they were doing, and they watched as their self-produced debut single, "They Want EFX", became a hit nationwide in 1992. But I know what the real question on your mind is: Who in the flying fuck are Das EFX?

They were one Teaneck, New Jersey native named Andre Weston, who was was an excellent plastic dishwasher under the name Krazy Drayz, and Brooklynite William Hines, who was the water boy for the local girls' junior high soccer team, who for some reason kept calling him 'Books In Reverse'. Which was pretty stupid from the fucking brats. But he cherished them oh so much that he went with Skoob as his rap name. Get it? Books? Skoob? Hardy har har. The duo named themselves Das EFX, with “Das” standing for “Drayz And Skoob” and “EFX” meaning, well, effects. I’ll let the fact that they almost named themselves Skoob And Drayz Effects sink in for a moment. Sad EFX. Yep.

Anyways, EPMD, high off the success of their third masterpiece Business As Usual, found these two shits in a no-name hip hop contest in Virginia that would award one hundred dollars to the winning act, just as Erick Sermon and Parish Smith were beginning to build up their powerhouse Hit Squad collective. As a result, they signed the pair to EastWest Records and executive-produced their entire debut, Dead Serious, which turned out to be a great fucking move, as the album sold a jillion copies and made Das EFX household names.

But is this a good album, or just another pile of crap?

This is Dead Serious.

MIC CHECKA
Enter the other headliners of the album: Solid Scheme, consisting of Chris Charity and Derek Lynch, were a production duo that Skoob knew from growing up in Brooklyn. “Mic Checka”, the second single from the album, fucking bangs due to a deft James Brown loop. Even with the ear-gouging loop that will be all that you remember from this song, the “iggedy” gimmick (that the duo calls, get this, "sewage") is in full effect from the very beginning. But contrary to what many think, the "sewage" style wasn't these guys' fundamental claim to fame, even if it was a major one: rather, it was the duo's attempt at covering every pop culture reference and nursery rhyme they can think of to create hilarious punchlines that very few rappers can conjure, such as Lord Finesse, Big L and their Hit Squad comrade Redman. The references to Slick Rick and “Bonita Applebum” were pretty good. More importantly though, Solid Scheme issued a remix with a prominent bassline that rips this version to shreds.

JUSSUMMEN
The hook here is a damn fine sample taken from Doug E. Fresh and Slick Rick's iconic “La Di Da Di”. I believe Solid Scheme deserve a crisp pat on the back for successfully replicating the Jeep-rattling Funk that is EPMD’s forte for the beats heard so far here. And the punchlines keep on flooding, with the Plymouth Rock reference killing me every time. Bottom line, you will enjoy this gem. Pete Rock, remixer extraordinaire, commissioned a remix that's still revered to this day.

THEY WANT EFX
The lead single. Your grandmother knows this song by heart. Hell, Brian Austin Green knows this song by heart, if Beverly Hills 90210 is any indication. This was a very interesting choice, as it wasn't as refined as the other tracks on Dead Serious, but in turn, the lyrical choices are more haphazard, which adds to the entertainment value. The use of the KRS-One and Erick Sermon vocal samples work in the James Brown-centric instrumental's favour, which was surprisingly produced by Das EFX themselves. This is the first of many songs in their catalogue where they would sample the voice of one of their generous benefactors. Solid Scheme would remix this as well, with the result being very hard to find these days. Those who witnessed this tidal wave of a song will remember it vividly though.

LOOSEYS
This track surprised the fuck out of me the first time I heard it. Drayz and Skoob Effects weave one the funniest stories I have ever heard in hip hop. The fact that these two choose to tell a story describing how they literally shit in their pants, never mind writing a full song about it, is a fucking ballsy move: it takes fucking guts from a rapper to even attempt tackling such an embarrassing subject. And it pays off ingeniously: each rapper tells a story from his own perspective that ends up with them (spoiler alert!) shitting themselves by accident. The vivid detail that they use throughout the story only adds to the hilarity. The Special Ed sample was cut brilliantly over the Booker T/MGs loop by Solid Scheme in a way that sounds comical, as well. One of my favourite tracks on the album, and the absolute funniest.

DUM DUMS
Another storytelling rap, although this one is a misogynistic embarrassment. The Solid Scheme beat was the only good aspect of this ear-grating experience, looping a legendary Otis Redding performance while freaking a well-known Run-DMC sample.

EAST COAST
Usually I tend to favour Skoob in the punchline department, but on “East Coast”, Drayz rips his contribution to fucking shreds. Both his delivery and his punchlines are top class, leaving no room for Willie Hines to even attempt thinking about catching up. I friggin' loved the Peggy Bundy reference, since she really never did shit! The ESG UFO heavy beat is further proof that Solid Scheme were to Das EFX what the Beatminerz are to the Boot Camp Clik. Here, they continue the run of sampling Erick Sermon's lines, along with those of fellow Golden Era icons KRS-One and Rakim. This shit is funny to me since even after EPMD broke up and Das EFX sided with PMD, they still kept sampling Sermon's voice. Interesting. Overall, a fucking awesome track. Even better, Solid Scheme's remix of this track kicks its motherfucking ass!

IF ONLY
Solid Scheme step up their game by producing what is arguably the best beat of the entire album, basing an epic loop over a timeless Stanley Turrentine record. Their love for sampling "La Di Da Di" continues, as if Doug E. Fresh had never made another song. Drayz pronounce the duo's affiliation with the Hit Squad loud and clear. You know, just before the Squad broke the fuck up later that same year. Lyrics-wise, a pop culture nerd would have a field day: Drayz slightly edges out his partner once again with his Benjamin Franklin reference. Another highlight: "I figgety-funked up Sanford and his fucking Son".  Nice!

BROOKLYN TO T-NECK
Solid Scheme produce an odd-sounding mesh of a beat sampling James Brown, Instant Funk, The Bar-Kays & that UFO record once again, with the result not sounding as accessible as their previous work, yet is still serviceable. The production duo sample fellow Hit Squad cohort Redman's vocals from the awesome EPMD cut "Hardcore", along with some from the very underrated Chubb Rock, who would collaborate with Das EFX in the future. However, “Brooklyn To T-Neck” is where the duo show the first signs of lyrical fatigue, producing barely passable rhymes that don't compare to the rest of the album.

KLAP YA HANDZ
The very first completed Das EFX recording. With a simple Emotions loop, the beat, produced by some unknown named Dexx, is a much needed wind-down in comparison to Solid Scheme's work, mostly perfect for workout music. You get the feeling that Andre and Willie were lyrically testing the waters with an early precursor to their current style, throwing some random catchphrases together to see what stuck. Skoob sounds a bit more experienced than his partner here. Weirdly, this particular track is the song that the duo performed in front of EPMD, which prompted Parish to issue the funniest ultimatum ever: "Look, you want one hundred dollars or a record deal?" EPMD must have been serious contenders for best A&Rs of all time.

STRAIGHT OUT THE SEWER
Dead Serious ends with the final single, a booming Solid Scheme production that brilliantly samples Biz Markie over an addictive mesh of Carl Carlton and Parliament. The duo flop their first stanza with mediocre rhymes, but then they both come back with better contributions in their respective second verses. This was not bad at all. Still a better introduction to the duo than "They Want EFX".

FINAL THOUGHTS: OK, let's cut the bullshit. Most people, who feel confused by Das EFX's gimmick and feel it to be entirely unnecessary, will do well to steer clear from Dead Serious, as it's very much a love-it-or-hate-it album. However, those who love the style will find a truckload to enjoy here. The pop culture references overload the entire album, many times producing a hearty laughing session. Trust me on this. The only thing I would've liked to see more of is songs like "Looseys": there aren't many rappers that are willing to paint themselves in embarrassing situations, and these two did a fucking fantastic job with it.

WORTH IT? By all means. It can be found very easily, and it is a fucking certified classic. Then you, like the rest of the mainstream back in 1992, can annoy your parents by bouncing around their basement bellowing at the top of your lungs: "BUM STIGGEDY BUM STIGGEDY BUM!!!" No? That was just me then?

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
HARD LIKE A CRIMINAL
So “Looseys” wasn't their only foray into storytelling. As I've since discovered, Das EFX released a b-side that didn't make the cut of Dead Serious. The absence of this song mystifies me, as this was the best Das EFX song in 1992, hands fucking down. This awesome Solid Scheme production, built over a weld of James Brown, Isley Brothers, Sly & the Family Stone and drums from Digital Underground, depicts the two as opposing sides of the young ghetto born-&-raised black male stereotype in the 1990s, with Drayz as the one who isn't "'bout dat life" while Skoob plays the role of the stereotype. “Hard Like A Criminal” is proof to me that Drayz is the primary storyteller of the duo, while Books is usually the one with the clever punchlines. The narrative depicted here is excellence executed, and there's even a surprise ending. Hell, the last verse by both MCs even received a quotable from then-relevant hip hop publication The Source, despite Drayz’ first verse being much more deserving. This was a joy for me to discover, and I am demanding you check it out for yourself.

For more on these Squadians, here. Otherwise, here for the overall family.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - Mecca And The Soul Brother (June 9, 1992)

Check out that flat cap. Stylin', yo.

So in 1991, the dynamic duo of Peter Phillips and Corey Penn, bka Pete Rock & CL Smooth, released an EP that firmly established these two as a force that's capable of doing BIG things in this game of hip hop. Aided by the Grand Puba-written The Creator, All Souled Out did good enough numbers to warrant a full-LP budget from the fuckheads at Elektra. Of course, this was back when sampling was treated properly. You know, before guys like Comby ruined this particular art form for mainstream rap forever.

Yes, sampling was once a very recognized factor in the making of hip hop music. This particular approach was vastly popularized by great and incomparable legends like DJ Premier, Large Professor, Q-Tip and Pete Rock himself. Because I'm reviewing his album, I'm going to stick with his output for now.

Speaking of which, the critical acclaim that All Souled Out gathered entailed some important call-ins for our duo, with most of them usually asking for Pete. Which is a damn shame really, as Corey has proven on the EP that he is nothing if not a phenomenal MC. The first of those features was a big-time showing on the late great Heavy D's album Peaceful Journey, where Pete produced two songs for Hev, who is incidentally Pete's first cousin. The most important of those two was the single Don't Curse, a who's who of hip hop heavyweights of that era which included the following: Hev on two verses (because it's his album, see), Puba (CL's cousin), Kool G Rap, Big Daddy Kane, A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip and thankfully CL Smooth himself. Oh, and Pete rhymes as well. His own rhymes this time, and it showed. Painfully. Those who were expecting the blazing display on The Creator were in for a horrible awakening. Nevertheless, the song did its job of elevating Pete as a producer worth his weight in gold, because he was commissioned to do a shit ton of remixes right after that. And that's when Public Enemy came knocking. Remember, this was when Public Enemy were the absolute hottest act in rap, so this was big.  The resulting remix of Shut Em Down is nothing short of timeless, even with Pete Rock's cornball-ass rhymes threatening to ruin the show once again. I heard that there was a version without Pete's rhymes on there, so if you happen to find it hold on to it for dear life. Anyways, great remix. Probably his best ever, although I must mention his fine work on Das EFX' Real Hip Hop remix in there, as well. Funny thing is, Pete also did a remix to Nighttrain, yet another PE track, and that remix featured CL on them rhymes. Once again, the issue I have with Pete somehow pushing himself as a bigger lyrical presence than Corey on the hit singles rears its ugly head, but I've gone about that long enough in the last review.

Believe me, Pete's remixes warrant an entire discography devoted exclusively to them. On the production front, though, PR followed that up with some sweet production on ATCQ's Jazz (We've Got) and Main Source's Vamos A Rapiar. Well, in the second case, he simply found the sample whereas Large Professor was the one who worked on the entire beat, yet Pete still got co-credit. Unlike what happened on Jazz (We've Got), where Pete did the whole beat, then Q-Tip re-did the beat exactly the way Pete made it, and all Pete got was a shoutout. Well, PR says he's over it now, and judging by the fact that he worked on Illmatic with Tip later on, I'd say there's a fair share of truth to that.

Frustrating thing is, I wish I could say the same about CL Smooth's solo moves. I will say, however, that CL has always showed his lyrical progress when partnered alongside his DJ and the album I'm reviewing today might not be any different in that particular aspect.

Of course, no mention of Mecca And The Soul Brother the album is complete without mentioning its lead single They Reminisce Over You, widely considered as the absolute peak of both PR & CL's respective careers. Now of course, they released another single before the proper album called Straighten It Out which was pretty dope, but T.R.O.Y. is the single that people still talk about. Story time: I've established that our duo were very tight with the late great Heavy D and his group the Boyz. Well, apparently the glue that kept all of these guys together was one Troy Dixon, backup dancer and best friend to Heavy D and his Boyz, so naturally he was very close to Pete Rock as well. How he met CL Smooth is the stuff of Mount Vernon myth: Apparently, CL and him got into a legendary street fight that ended with them becoming steadfast friends. Unfortunately in late 1990, Troy (nicknamed Trouble T-Roy) fell to his immediate death in an accident caused by honest-to-God innocent fun. He stumbled off a ledge that just so happened to be at a considerably dangerous height. Now, because he lost his life in a pure accident, this somehow hit his family and friends even harder. Which is understandable because there's nobody to focus the negative emotions you feel on. Especially when someone that young dies from something that unexpected. This single was the result of that.

T.R.O.Y. was an immediate smash that tore through the hip hop world, especially with its unparalleled ability to aid a grieving human soul. It has now become so big that many hip hop historians have listed it as the absolute greatest song in hip hop history. While I completely understand their passion for it, I am steadfast in my stance AGAINST ranking art in any way, shape or form. You can mention your preferences, but generalizing is a definite no-no in my book. But you still understand the magnitude of this song now, so you better get ready for this album I'm about to hit you with.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth's sophomore, boy/girl. (Pick one)

RETURN OF THE MECCA
Remember my remark about Mecca in the previous review? I told you I'll get back to it.

First of all, I have to ask: Why is it that a sizable portion of good hip hop songs just have to come with putrid intros?! Second and most importantly, I have only the following to say about this intro: Please learn Arabic. And after you do, please read their history books. You will eventually find that most of what is being preached here to be inspired by the teachings of Louis Farrakhan's NOI and Clarence Smith's 5% Nation and to be absolute psychobabble. Normally, I am above badmouthing another person's belief but this intro, along with that godawful Wu-Revelation track on Wu-Tang Forever, attempts to directly dishonor the beliefs of over 1.5 billion human beings on the planet. It doesn't even matter if it's doing so willingly or not, that is something I cannot ignore.

Once again, thank God for iTunes, because I haven't listened to that intro ever since I figured out how to skip to the 39th second, which is the duration of this blasphemy.

As for the song itself? I don't mind it one bit. CL's always branded himself the Mecca Don, which can mean the Mecca in Ohio. Or Texas. Or Tennessee. Or Missouri. Or Indiana. Or Florida. Or California. I simply don't give a shit. As long as it doesn't contain any reference to Wallace Fard's teachings. So of course, this was a dazzling punchline display by CL, befitting of the famed b-side that gave this album its name. One thing I forgot to mention about Corey here, and this is for all you lyrical heads out there, is that his rhyming choices forerun a certain Ghostface Killah, critically acclaimed for his unique blend of imagery and punchlines. Well, pay close enough attention to CL's rhymes, and sure enough you'll notice that he follows a very similar lyrical pattern, even though they sound and flow nothing like each other: See, CL also utilizes a unique blend of imagery and punchlines all his own, and he's been doing so ever since All Souled Out. It is for that reason that I absolutely refuse to listen to anyone front on him in general as an MC. As for PR? You needn't doubt him bringing the goods behind them boards, because he did so something proper. His Mountain loop is a thing of sonic beauty, with dashes of Three Degrees and Tom Scott sprinkled throughout. Remember the name Tom Scott. Just saying.

FOR PETE'S SAKE

A mere two tracks in and this album's already hitting a brilliant stride. All it took from Pete was a Freddie McCoy xylophone loop interwoven with bits of Kool & The Gang, Sly & The Family Stone and Tyrone Washington. If your head doesn't nod for even a slight second from the resulting beat, you need your heart checked. Corey obviously takes the music to heart and starts spitting for his life before long, with one of the man's most quotable verses ever. Of course, Grand Puba answers his cousin's challenge perfectly, penning an equally quotable sixteen. Corey comes back to close out the song with a verse that establishes his superiority over his cousin on Pete's beat. What the hell am I doing mentioning Grand Puba when he's nowhere to be heard on this song, you ask? Well, I'm going to keep doing this every time Pete spits a verse completely written by someone else, in this case Grand Puba. Just to show you how jarring this practice is to me and to simply open your eyes. You're welcome.

GHETTOS OF THE MIND
And somehow, PR finds yet another killer loop in the same Mountain song sampled on Return Of The Mecca. This time though, he couples it with touches of Maceo just enough to give it a different flavor, and the gamble works magnificently. CL, however, didn't get the memo. I say this because the man turns in one hell of a thesis regarding ghetto life and its many pitfalls while highlighting a major cause: the song's title. I wish I could say this was a perfect marriage of beat and rhymes, though. This song suffers because of the decision to match such a beat with these lyrics, as they clearly deserve something more worthy. That decision falls squarely on Mr. Chocolate Boy Wonder's shoulders, so he's the reason the song isn't as awesome as it could've been.

LOTS OF LOVIN'
Didn't take long to venture into this sappy bullshit, did it? Literally, everything about this crap screams 'corporate cash-in'. From Pete's various Ohio Players samples to Corey's slippery rhymes, this was a definite misfire. I get the allure of a guy with Corey's voice pitch spitting love raps to women left and right, but I ain't feeling. You knew this was coming, mind you.

ACT LIKE YOU KNOW
Yet another Pete Rock/Large Professor collaboration. This time it's the other way around, where LP found one of the samples, the Woody Shaw one I presume, and PR flipped it into a banging beat and gave LP the co-producer credit. But not before adding some Eddie Senay guitars and Grant Green organs in the mix. As for CL, you'll rarely find a better trace of Ghostface's lyrical lineage to him than this song here. You tell me just how similar are the following lines: CL's "I stand by the rabbi, sail in Shanghai/Always had an alibi even if I lie" to Ghost's "I ran the Dark Ages, Constantine the Great, Henry the 8th/Build with Genghis Khan, the red suede Wally Don". Uncanny, right? Regardless of what you thought, this was pretty friggin' awesome.

STRAIGHTEN IT OUT
The second single. One that easily tends to get brushed aside when compared to the monster preceding it, T.R.O.Y.  It must be noted that this track's is almost of equal importance, since both the lyrics and the beat tackle the forever-relevant issue of music piracy. Now, let's be honest: I'm sure each and every person who fell in love with 90s boom bap during at least the past seven years has sampled an album or two off the internet. Way the cookie crumbles, really. Well, back in the actual 90s it was called bootlegging, our subject for this song. PR goes in with the Simtec & Wylie sample (actually called Bootleggin') bookending a majestic mashup of Ernie Hines and Kool & The Gang. CL answers his partner's challenge with three distinct verses, each one aimed at a specific threat to their musical fortunes: First is a dart aimed at bootleggers that still features some punchline flexing. Second is a shot fired at the musicians sampled, and how greedy they were getting in charging for their samples. As we all know, they got too fucking greedy. The third verse is the most overlooked but probably the most deserving of attention, for it schools the aspiring musician on formatting a solid business plan and not fuck it up for the rest. That and some more punchlines mixed with out of left field imagery. If I were to look at theses songs as a duel between MC and DJ, which seems to be the way everyone else looks at them, CL would definitely take this one.

SOUL BROTHER #1
Oh look, Grand Puba's back to give us yet another solo number, after his hit The Creator created a fairly big splash on the previous EP. Understandably, this might aggravate a reader of this blog that might misunderstand this as false advertising but hey, who's keeping track, right? So Pete constructs a monolithic beat for Puba's lyrics that welds together a trio of samples from Eugene McDaniels, Ohio Players and 9th Creation respectively, fleshing the result out with a sublime JBs sample chopped up and flipped to aid in the beat's progress. Puba keeps matters within the punchline realm, where his work remains revered to this day. So yeah, Pete hit the jackpot with this one.

WIG OUT
We now come to one of my favorite beats on the entire project, and the one I admittedly revisit the most. And it's all because of that Johnny Lytle xylophone sample, punctured by a sweet Eddie Harris sax note. You know, I'm slowly coming to the realization that Pete's signature sound being horns was a very rushed judgment of the man's ear for music, as he's proven with this track and For Pete's Sake that his ear for xylophones is even better. Props to him sampling Puba lines from The Creator. Corey, on the other hand, keeps true to the song's title and simply wigs out. This time, he chooses to add a ton of references to his already-successful blend of imagery and punchlines, thereby further establishing just how much people are sleeping on dude. True story: I almost crashed my car while listening to this song because I was enjoying it a bit too much.

ANGER IN THE NATION
After a short Les McCann sample, PR makes sure he doesn't repeat his mistake on Ghettos Of The Mind by giving CL the most suitable backdrop possible for his most focused lyrics ever. Never mind the 5% references in the first verse, he makes sure to highlight a set of the most glaring problems facing African Americans. And you can't help but admire how he still paid attention to flow throughout the track. Unfortunately, even though these two made this song as a commentary to the 1992 LA riots, the issues presented here are even more relevant today. This song is essential hip hop, folk.

THEY REMINISCE OVER YOU (T.R.O.Y.)
What a way to follow up the social commentary! The first single, boy/girl, (pick one) and you bet your doughy, smelly ass it still lives up to every bit of acclaim it accumulated throughout the years. Remember Tom Scott? The name from the first song review? Yeah, well this dude made a record, also sampled in the first song, and this record fell into Large Professor's hands, who gave it to Pete. That's right, fellow lonely soul: Pete didn't discover the sample. LP did. Although in the end, he did cut up the sample in various ways and make this beat from top to bottom similarly to both situations on Vamos A Rapiar and Act Like You Know, respectively. So, I must wonder: Why didn't you give LP the co-producer credit this time, o' Chocolate Boy Wonder?! (Pun very much intended) I've already talked about the inspiration behind the song's title, but I've yet to discuss the lyrical content itself besides highlighting its ability to aid a grieving human soul. This is one of the greatest mourning songs in hip hop, scratch that, in musical history. And according to Pete, the sheer emotion Corey and him went through when they lost Troy drove them to grieve in their own way separately. Only when Corey heard what Pete was working on was he inspired to spit the timeless rhymes you hear today on this particular beat. Of course, Pete was blown away with the three verses dedicated to Corey's mom, stepdad & Troy himself respectively, thereby establishing Corey as an authority in introspective MCing. So Pete went back to the beat and flipped the Tom Scott sample a few extra times to achieve the best result possible. This timeless piece of music is what we got, so if by any chance you're reading this review and you still haven't stopped, looked for the song on YouTube and listened to it, do so now. You're welcome.

ON AND ON
Damn, CL's killing it with the reflection! His first verse is a semi-biography that still makes you nod your head with his amazing attention to flow despite all the lyrical wizardry he's displaying. The second verse is basically a lyrical anti-establishment exercise, one that works fairly well I might add. The third verse is straight up MCing, pure and simple. And you know for damn sure by now how good CL can be at that. Props to the line: "But the past can never choose my future correctly/I found a greater source directly." On the musical front, we have PR answering his partner with one of the most complex beats on the entire album, one that constructs the main loop out of three samples: Lee Michaels, Kool & The Gang and mostly Jimmy McGriff. And the end result is pretty dope, if a bit underwhelming given all the ingredients. Still a damn good song.

IT'S LIKE THAT
A prominent Elephant's Memory sample assaults your senses (I honestly mean that as a compliment) after Pete's opening ad-lib (trust me, I'll get to those) which lets you know it's lyrical dominance exhibition time. Corey answers the invitation spectacularly, might I add, in what is ultimately a perfect marriage between beat and rhymes this time. Excellent track. Next!

CAN'T FRONT ON ME
Another braggadocious display by CL that almost totally eclipses his performance on the preceding song. I say 'almost' because his Arabic reference was simply ill-attempted: He was basically saying "Thank You" and "You're Welcome" to himself. That just sounds weird. Nevertheless, his performance on the rest of the track was truly stellar. PR also displays his patented wizardry behind the boards with him combining Dave Wintour with a sample from the same Tyrone Washington song he's used on For Pete's Sake. All in all? A great song.

THE BASEMENT (FEATURING INI, HEAVY D & DEDI)
The crew's first venture into posse cut territory, and by all accounts their biggest one yet. Pete sets the backdrop with the timeless Sister Nancy sample popularized by Large Professor on Just Hangin' Out, merged with a famed Keni Burke sample and surrounded by Lee Michaels and that Season Of The Witch note. The result is, and I know I've used this word many times but it's the only one that fits this beat, monolithic. You feel like you're in a city-large palace of hip hop, where the MCs present proceed to bring the palace down with their respective performances. Props to DJ Premier for making Heavy D's hit "Here Comes The Heavster" from one bar out of this song. Something to note, though: Seems to me that Pete finally got his lyrical act together. Hooray! A triumph on more than one front!

IF IT AIN'T ROUGH, IT AIN'T RIGHT
CL's back for dolo this time, and he's in the unenviable position of following up the mammoth song prior. He fails of course, but the important thing here is the effort, right? Well, his effort was a punchline clinic. Truly well played, good sir. PR goes absolutely crazy on his sample selection here, truly contending for the title 'Mad Scientist' that various producers seem to call themselves. He builds a smorgasbord of samples over the main Skull Snaps one, including bits of James Brown, Nautilus, Talking Heads, Parliament and Stetsasonic. About damn time I mentioned these dudes on this blog! Nevertheless, this song did the best it could, which is pretty damn good in the end.

SKINZ (FEATURING GRAND PUBA)
I fucking hate this song. No ways about it. The beat pisses me off, with that loud sax sample serving as the main loop seeming as if it's doing its damnedest to piss you off as much as you can. And you know damn well what I feel about the lyrics. it's just something about sex raps and their frequency that screams insecurity. But the thing that pissed me off the most about this song was a discovery I made long after I burned this song into my brain. I used to listen to everything back then. Story time: Remember how happy I was with Pete's lyrical contribution on The Basement? I was totally convinced that his lyrical days of woe were behind him. How could I not be? You heard his lyrics. That is, until one of my boys smugly showed me a reference on Discogs that one of the writers on this song here was one Robert Odindo. Who the fuck is Robert Odindo, you ask? He's none other than Rob-fucking-O from In-fucking-I, and he spit a magnificent contribution on The Basement right after Pete's supposed lyrics. Sure enough, I carefully studied their respective verses and Pete's bars damn sure sound like Rob's. Now do you feel the disappointment setting in? This is what happens when you realize that some of your favorite lyrics that make you love a certain rapper's work weren't written by him. Fuck this song. Fuck Pete's decision to end the album with it. And fuck Pete's decision to not admit that he's absolute shit on the mic. (Any problems you might have with me, Pete, remember that I love your production. Which where you get your bread from, anyways. If you want to add something I don't know, sound off in the comments section below. It's there for a reason.)

FINAL THOUGHTS
Two songs and a stupid-ass intro aside, Mecca And The Soul Brother realizes every bit of potential All Souled Out hinted at. This was a very focused LP from two very focused individuals: CL Smooth was a revelation of an MC on the EP, but here he delivers consistently breathtaking performances song after song. Whether it's his enviable ability to merge flow with substance and skill, or it's his confidence shining through conscious as well as boastful songs. Pete Rock, on the other hand, really elevates the legacy of his production that he built through his remixes here with his endlessly-talented ear for new music. On a different note: I flatly refuse to acknowledge the lyrics he didn't write as some lyrical accomplishment on his part. And yes, that unfortunately includes his contribution to The Basement. Furthermore, I must address the most irritating thing about him: His fucking ad-libs on every goddamn song. They seem to get more and more annoying with each passing track. For some people, this is an experience-ruining flaw. For others (myself included), I eventually tuned them out and focused on the quality music present on this here album. This was a definite win for all parties involved.

WORTH IT? I'm sorry, but we can no longer be friends if you don't get this album, study it and repeat the experience over and over and over again. Go listen to your Desiigners.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
IT'S NOT A GAME
This one's a b-side of the 1993 Lots Of Lovin' single. Ugh, I hate that song. This one, on the other hand, features a single solitary second of a Compost guitar number looped to infinity, surrounded by vocal samples from Willie Henderson. Yet somehow, PR makes it work. CL decides that this should be an exercise in bragging, even though the first verse is one of the more filthier sex raps he spit in his career. The hook, though, is either so bad you'll enjoy it, or so bad you'll turn the shit off. I happen to fall in the category of 'so bad I friggin' loved it'. This was pretty entertaining.

DEATH BECOMES YOU (FEATURING THE YG'Z)
This contribution to the Menace II Society soundtrack was originally intended as a parody of all the violent rap songs that began emerging in the early 90’s. In time, it was looked at as one, too, and it's not really hard to see why. Corey manages to fit all the curses, violent threats and thuggery he would ever need had he become a gangster-rapper (a fucking ludicrous branding if you ask me) in three venom-filled verses. Thing is, he's so good here that for a brief moment, you actually believe he's been one all his life. Of course, the only possible guests for such a song were the YG'z, the duo of Kenny Austin and Tommy Guest: Two rappers from Mount Vernon who ran with Pete & Corey during their come-up days, and while they're nothing special on that mic, they get the job done. Unlike the last rapper here, Pete himself, who manages yet again to utterly embarrass himself. I'm fed up with this guy's lyrics, to be honest, to the point I'm even doubting that the one good bar in his verse, 'I'm Menace like Dennis so don't try to play me close', isn't even his. You want proof? The following bar doesn't even rhyme with this one! All in all, I'm still happy. Because the three average-to-wack rappers on here always come after a scathing verse from Corey that softens the blow. So, this is still worth your time and investment.

For more on the Soul Brother, here.