Real Live - The Turnaround: The Long Awaited Drama (October 1, 1996)

I mentioned in my previous post that I was a huge fan of producer K-Def's work behind the boards. I wasn't bullshitting, believe me.

But first, I have to say I've been a fan of Tragedy Khadafi's various cameos splattered throughout the mid-90s, even though I fucking hate his Khadafi nickname and prefer to call him just Tragedy. Most notable of which was on CNN's lone classic, 1997's The War Report, which actually was Tragedy's brainchild & passion project according to hip hop lore, and the fucking awesome Strange Fruit off of Pete Rock's solo debut album Soul Survivor. Yet, I have not been able to get into Tragedy's albums Against All Odds and Still Reportin', which I thought were his only albums for all intents and purposes at the time. But it was a simpler time where I didn't know of Mr. Percy Chapman's previous incarnation as the Intelligent Hoodlum, a much better pseudonym in my opinion, under which he recorded his eponymous debut album in 1990 and his K-Def-helmed sophomore album. That particular album, aside from quenching my thirst for good Trag lyrics over production worthy of said rhymes, really got me asking: who the hell is this K-Def dude? Has he done anything else in this hip hop game?

Real name Kevin Hansford, K-Def is a producer from New Jersey, a very slept-on hip hop hotbed in the 90s, who sometime in early said 90s hooked up with Marley Marl of Juice Crew fame (One of the godfathers of hip hop, straight up.) and became an understudy of his, honing his craft on the production tip under the very best. His work includes quite the few tracks from the first two albums by fellow NJ sensations Lords Of The Underground, for whom legendary punchline extraordinaire Redman was a DJ, and more importantly to me, all but 3 songs of 1993's Tragedy: Saga Of A Hoodlum, by and large Tragedy's best solo contribution to hip hop in my eyes.

In a very pleasant surprise for me, he's done some other shit, as well. For somewhere in the mid-90s, Mr. Hansford hooked up with a certain Lawrence Wright, who secretly isn't very known as MC Larry-O. They teamed up to form Hansford & Wright, 'The Best Goddamn Divorce Law Firm In Town'. No, really. That was their slogan. Over time, however, they eventually found that their lawyer homies gassed them up into thinking they were the best when they weren't. In fact, they pretty much sucked. So, our two heroes quit the law business, gave their lawyer homies the finger and switched to being Real Live, a DJ-MC combo alongside the Gang Starrs, the PR-CLs & the Show & AGs of the world.

Now, back on K-Def a little bit. All his previous production work under Marley was severely overshadowed by one simple yet important obstacle: His works were mainly promoted under the fact that, well, he was under Marley. So, this project was really the first in where he's completely free of that huge shadow. As for Larry-O, he had something going for him that he might not care to admit at the moment: He sounds and looks a lot like a certain late legendary Notorious B.I.G., although he obviously does not have his once-in-a-lifetime creativity and flow. However, Larry still wasn't known. Like, at all. So, the general picture was that the odds were stacked somewhat heavily against our protagonists. But, you as well as I know that in hip hop, that's mostly a good thing.

Did I just give out my final review decision? Oops. Read on, motherfucker.

1. INTRO

I swear. Just once.  Please.

2. POP THE TRUNK

From the very first second you hear Havoc's sampled voice, you just know. K-Def brilliantly freaks one line a piece from two of the absolute best songs in hip hop history, Mobb Deep's Survival Of The Fittest & Redman's Can't Wait for the song's hook, all to the ingeniously slowed-down loop from James Brown's blaxploitation classic Slaughter Theme. Larry-O makes his mission statement very clear: A good serving of East Coast thug rap. Technically, he's not bad. He can come up with his fair share of decent imagery and punchlines. He's no Prodigy nor is he a Big L.  But in some cases, an MC doesn't need to be. What he does need is to be believable, and in that aspect, I believe Larry-O will fuck me up if I cross him the wrong way. The rest is left to K-Def's wizardry behind the boards, which straight up elevates the material heard on here to extremely valuable status. This shit bangs.

3. THE GIMMICKS

Speaking of thug rap, Kevin samples Biggie's immortal verse from the likewise-immortal remix to Craig Mack's Flava In Ya Ear here, making this song a prime example of how much Lawrence sounds like the sampled icon. Allow me to reiterate just how important Larry not embarrassing himself is to the end product. K-Def proves just how much of a musician and a composer a proper hip hop DJ/producer is with his downright breathtaking mashup of Diana Ross's Brown Baby/Save The Children, Isaac Hayes' The Look Of Love & Average White Band's 1975 disco classic School Boy Crush. No lie, merely two songs in and this review is showing me just how much K-Def is slept-on. By EVERYBODY.  Larry-O can only sit and watch as his fairly good lyrics are elevated to classic status by his DJ's work. This amount of praise simply spilled out without me intending to do so, but that's how good K-Def really is. One of the best 1-2 combos I've come across, and if you're a longtime fan of hip hop, you know how rare that last statement is.

4. THEY GOT ME

This was an interesting lyrical display from Lawrence. Here, he waxes poetic from the perspective of a street hustler who's captured in defeat by his enemies. The most defining part of this display was the fact that Larry doesn't take the sucker route and describes with as much detail as he can how his foes end up killing him and what was running through his mind in the meantime. Larry outshines K-Def for the first time on this album, and it's glorious. Note that I think K-Def still did an amazing job behind the boards.  The song ends with a short instrumental with Larry dropping some brilliantly flowing basic thug raps, then asking K-Def to cut the beat off in the pretense that they're saving shit for the "next" album. How'd that work for you two, may I ask?

5. AIN'T NO LOVE

First thing you hear on this track is Bobby Bland's sampled voice from his 1974 soul display, Ain't No Love In The Heart Of The City, and the confrontational manner in which the song is sampled is a foreshadowing sign of what to expect on this song. The strings of Freddie Hubbard's 1979 jazz composition Little Sunflower playing under the sample, another example of brilliant musicianship by K-Def, are then brought to the forefront of the song as Larry-O takes to the mic.  He then proceeds to give one of the most brilliantly written street hustler raps I've ever heard by setting the grim conditions that gave birth to his mentality in the first verse, utilizing the second to describe his motivations and process, then finally visualizing the despair of the reality he's living in while implying an ill-fated end. This was as effective a marriage between beat and rhymes as any hip hop classic I've ever heard, and that's a long fucking line of classics. The cherry on top was the short-but-sweet instrumental at the end, Pete Rock-style.

6. ICEBERG SLICK

I find it absolutely hilarious that Kevin here chose to sample Lil' Kim, of all people, off the fucking ridiculous Junior M.A.F.I.A. single I Need You Tonight, but he pulls it off. RIP Aaliyah. K-Def's turn at sampling the song that gave birth to most of hip hop's Golden Era sound by its very lonesome, Bob James' 1974 classic, Nautilus. Larry-O here thought it was the right time to introduce his alter-ego, Iceberg Slick, who's apparently a drug lord from the streets with limitless funds and an endless army of cutthroats and you know the drill, via a more aggressive delivery. This wasn't bad but Larry's lyrics pale in comparison to what we've previously seen from him on here.

7. LARRY-O MEETS ICEBERG SLICK

So apparently this is a song produced by aforementioned hip hop godfather Marley Marl. A fact which is absolutely against this album's cohesion with all due respect to Marley, who ad-libs in his famous manner throughout the song. His sampling choice for the session is Isaac Hayes' 1975 cut Ike's Mood/You've Lost That Loving Feeling, on which Lawrence starts us off by reciting a bar from the previous song coupled with an original bar as the earbleedingly boring hook. Lawrence then launches into a story describing the character introduced, once again, in the previous song interacting with the actual drug lord, Larry-O. The ensuing events are intended to be a journey inside Larry-O's head as he rationalizes why this character formed inside his consciousness in the first place. Larry's lyrics are good, but the way the hook repeats at the end of the song brought me a physical headache, no lie. Dare I say it but Marley Marl is the reason this song sucks balls as a whole.

8. ALL I ASK OF YOU (COMMIN' THRU)

Marley's back to ruin another song by sampling Ask of You by Raphael Saadiq off the Higher Learning OST. This was very unfit of what Larry-O displayed with his lyrics, as by this point he needs to get back with K-Def post-fucking-haste. Motherfuck this radio-pandering beat.

9. THE TURNAROUND

Kevin! Am I glad you're back. I don't mind that this song is another thug rap anthem, it's a welcome scene compared to the beats you've heard for the past 2 songs. Too bad, the lyrics aren't as good as said 2 songs, but at least they're not straight up ass. Thank you, Marley, for extremely lowering my expectations. The song ends with another instrumental, which is immediately followed by a skit which finds Larry clowning one of his hoes, a skit which was extremely necessary. Extremely. Like your life will never be complete without hearing this skit type of necessary. Oh, was I too sarcastic?

10. TRILOGY OF ERROR

And it didn't take too long for K-Def to hit his brilliant stride again. Awesome! Here, he samples David Axelrod's 1977 jazz hit Terri's Tune, a sample I'll always associate with Inspectah Deck who sampled the same source on his song Elevation off of his underrated 1999 debut, Uncontrolled Substance. Nevertheless, I'll concede that K-Def freaks it better. For his three verses, Larry flexes his storytelling muscles again with a story per verse this time. Each one describes a different act of betrayal from one of Larry associates with the final story being, of course, about a woman who sets him up. Larry chooses her story as the perfect time for a cliffhanger, never to be goddamn continued. The song ends with an excerpt of a live show where the DJ cuts up...

11. REAL LIVE SHIT

...the lead single, released over a year before the album, and by God, is it a monster. K-Def constructs a magnificent East Coast hardcore beat from an almost unrecognizable sampling of both Poor Abbey Walsh by Marvin Gaye and Hydra by Grover Washington, with an excerpt from Nas' It Ain't Hard To Tell, which happens to be one of my two favorite songs on Illmatic, the other being Halftime. It's like he's forcibly showing every other producer at the time to be a complete amateur. Larry steps up to the plate and you immediately recognize that you're listening to a special entry in thug rap, from his effortless confidence to his forceful rhymes. There's a very valid reason this is Real Live's signature song. Side note: Is that Marley Marl on the hook?!

12. DAY YOU DIE

K-Def is showing off here. Lou Donaldson's It's Your Thing? Really, Kevin? Nicely done, anyways. Larry-O sounds more comfortable on here than usual with his boasts n bullshit and he amps up his delivery as a result, which is always nice. Apparently, K-Def took it on himself to provide the hook not in rhyme, but in dialogue. Somehow, it all works. That's all I really got. The song ends with a fucking whimsical instrumental.

13. CRIME IS MONEY

Over a Minnie Riperton sample, specifically Rainy Day In Centerville, Larry-O really flexes his imagery muscles in this b-side to Real Live Shit. I personally found this performance by him to be among the best he's done on this project, so far. So, while people might point this out as yet another thug rap exercise, it's really not so when the subjects exhibit a little thing I'd like to call "skill". This little thing I just mentioned is present here, and in loads. From the expert production, which I truly cannot understate, to the effort in the writing that clearly pays off. Props to the line: "Now every n**** wanna see a mill/And still hold the block down like Big Will."

14. MONEY & SHOWS

Now, while this wasn't bad, I am confused as to why this song is censored for one. Furthermore, Larry-O and K-Def both seem to be coasting on this track, whether it's Kevin's plain (by his pretty fucking lofty standards that we've seen from him so far on this album, anyway.) sampling of Eddie Drennon's Do What You Gotta Do, or whether it's Larry-O delivering a paint-by-the-numbers thug rap that is in no way, shape or form different than most of the thug piffle rampant in 1996. This was a not-so-slight slowdown...

15. REAL LIVE SHIT (REMIX) (FEATURING GHOSTFACE KILLAH, LORD TARIQ & KILLA SIN)

...that is fucking fixed with this brilliant remix of the lead single. Remember how I described the original as a monster? Well, this remix is its big bad brother. K-Def reworks the same ingredients that made Real Live Shit into a recipe that's even better than the original. Former weed carrier-turned-tenth member of the Wu-Tang Clan Cappadonna (aka Cappachino The Great aka Papi Wardrobe aka Oh Donna aka that dude who almost ruined Wu-Tang Forever aka he who was kicked out of the Wu camp for a long time and had to resort to driving a goddamn cab until he got back into the Clan's good graces) provides us with a wordy hook that still remembers to stay the fuck out of the way as all four MCs rip the instrumental a new digestive system. Ghostface is up first, spitting a verse that descends from the very best of hip hop braggadocio dynasties, following a sample of his timeless participation in GZA's 4th Chamber. This verse was actually used prior in an unreleased-til-2014 version of Mobb Deep's classic Eye For An Eye. Then, after the returning Nas sample from the original Real Live Shit, Lord Tariq, of all the rappers in that year, gives P.Tone a run for his goddamn money. I guess me not really expecting anything from Tariq was a factor in me liking his verse that much, but I digress, the man killed it. Speaking of killing, Killarmy's Killa Sin, the second Killa after Ghostface Killah (that's a lot of kills) on the song, sweeps in and, no lie, delivers the best verse on this remix. Hell, this verse is his best guest verse ever. Ever. The only shit that tops this is his best work with Killarmy, straight up. Poor Lawrence was left with no chance of following that verse, even if he didn't have the worst contribution on the song. In no way am I ever implying that his rhymes were bad, it's just that his three guests were that much better than him. Hell, I even enjoyed Oh Donna's wordy hook. This was a damn fine way to end the album and, fuck it, one of the best remixes in hip hop history.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Wow. 

I swear to God I didn't start this review with the intention of praising this album as much as I did, yet here we are. Reviewing this album made me feel two things. One was straight up awe: While I did like this album before this review, I had no idea, I swear once again, that I'd emerge out of this review loving the damn thing. The other was vindication. Let me explain: As I'm digging deeper into this hip hop journey of mine, I've slowly formed the opinion of 'show, don't tell'. This holds especially true for this genre. Don't tell me you're the best, show me you're the best. A prime example, K-Def's work on this album dares, fucking dares, the competition to come up with something better, dammit. The production present on here is nothing short of elite. (with the exception of Marley's tracks: Marley Marl should've never come within fifteen feet of the boards) I'm dead serious. Mr. Hansford's compositions demand respect sheerly from the level of skill & effort put into them, and they rank right up there with your favorite boom bap producers' most famous works. For his part, Larry-O does just enough, since admittedly his lyrical prowess rarely matches K-Def's wizardry behind the boards. Nevertheless, he effectively holds up his part of the deal, providing quite a few moments of brilliance in the process. And in 2015, this shit holds up very nicely, indeed. One thing, though: I never understood why this album's commercial performance was so poor. Maybe it was because it was distributed by Big Beat Records, a label that knew nothing of how to promote hip hop, except for Quad City DJs & Junior M.A.F.I.A.; especially Lil' Kim. Because she basically promotes herself. Case in point, look at how bad they did fellow NJ legends the Artifacts. But we'll get to that later.

Sadly, Real Live disbanded not long thereafter. K-Def kept himself busy for the most part, including providing Ghostface Killah with genius production on It's Over off of his overrated Pretty Toney Album. (Blasphemous?! Sound off in the comments below!) Larry-O, however, all but vanished from the industry, only appearing on Marley Marl's Foundation Symphony off his Re-Entry album in 2001, and never returning. I'll admit, that song was pretty good, even if Lawrence's delivery was a lot louder, which didn't suit him at all. 

WORTH IT? You bet your sweet ass. This album should be in your collection last millenium, please. This is the type of album you brag to your spoiled friends about when said spoiled friends question your hip hop knowledge. I cannot recommend this shit enough.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

GET DOWN FOR MINE

First thing I thought of when I heard the sample of Love Unlimited Orchestra's Strange Games & Things, which itself is a cover of Jay Dee (Soul)'s Strange Funky Games & Things, was EPMD’s Manslaughter. That makes sense, since EPMD are the first hip hop act to sample this wonderful song. Knowing that, I'm happy to report that K-Def does this sample justice, providing the proper backing for Larry-O to spit his thug raps with much-appreciated venom. Seriously, the man goes off, with his flow and delivery adding to the overall satisfaction you'll feel after hearing this. And, thank you dear God: he finally performs a hook that doesn't make you want to shoot yourself. This appeared on the High School High OST, released a month before The Turnaround, which provided some good promotion.

THE TURNAROUND (THUG REMIX) (FEATURING TRAGEDY & CAPONE)

I'm still scratching my head as to why Trag doesn't collaborate with K-Def more often, as he is, for my money, the perfect MC to spit over his beats. Especially back then. Maybe Real Live would've lived a little longer had Tragedy been the MC. I'm digressing again. Anyways, following his introduction of the song's hook, Tragedy certainly brings the goods here as he incinerates the beat, awesomely-constructed around Teddy Pendergrass' Come Go With Me, with his opening verse, which is filled with that QB imagery you love so much from greats like Nas, Prodigy and Cormega. All of whom, like it or not, molded themselves after Tragedy in one way or another. Larry-O is up next and he makes sure he follows up with something worthy on this posse cut, delivering a verse that's equally awesome. Capone of CNN fame bats cleanup and he does so pretty nicely. I must add, I've always liked Capone better than Noreaga, since I find that Capone had a better grasp on his lyricism and flow. His voice is obviously ridiculous but he makes it work and he certainly sounded better than NORE on the songs he actually appeared on in The War Report, their best album bar none, even though he was ass on his solo song, Capone Bone. Nevertheless, all parties involved in this particular song delivered an amazing performance on all fronts. This song's worthy of being in your collection.

For more on K-Def, click here.

Mic Geronimo - Vendetta (November 4, 1997)

Michael McDermon, working nightshifts spitshining in Madison Square Garden as Mic Geronimo, caught one hell of a break in 1993 when he hooked up with DJ Irv, resulting in his first underground buzzmaker, Shit's Real. (which, of course, was later cleaned up to It's Real.)  Somehow, this was enough to convince a label with the stupidest name I've ever seen, Blunt Records, to sign our protagonist to their lucrative contract that wasn't designed in any way, shape or form to rip him off wholesale. Coz labels is good peoples. So, Mic drops his debut in the most difficult year for him possible, 1995, when everybody was putting out their best material.  And, through God's grace alone, he managed to make enough of an impression to warrant Blunt (I'm really trying here.) to commission a second outing from the fucker. Even though The Natural went earwax, a condition which has yet to change, because the people behind the music (the likes of Buckwild, Da Beatminerz, ChySkillz & Mark Sparks of Shoop fame) gave a fuck about it actually being good.

Also, along with everything going for him, Mic can actually spit when needed. His monotone flow and thuggish persona was lapped up by critics & the odd backpacker white kid who stumbled across the goddamn thing. which is always a plus in this game. Now, I really can't front, I liked The Natural. The ingredients were mixed just right for me to constantly bump it for the past 3 years, because as I've stated earlier, I first heard him in 2012 on Large Professor's awesome cut, Mack Don Illz, and he did not impress me there. Luckily, I was so fond of Buckwild's mid-90s material that I checked his shit out and here we are.

Keep in mind that his guest star on The Natural, masseuse of thumbs Royal Flush, split to seek his own solo fortunes with his release, Ghetto Millionaire, containing many of the same ingredients, yet partly mixed in an effort to suck up to the radio, resulting in something not present in The Natural: Some truly abhorrent shit for songs.

So, gasp, selling snot didn't sit well with Blunt's superiors, TVT Records, who like every fucking Disney princess ever hand-drawn, wanted something more. Long story short, Mic Geronimo's music had to go the route of Jay-Z, DMX & Ja Rule, all of whom appeared on Time To Build off The Natural. Therefore, Blunt's will be done, producers like Diddy, Prestige & an organism called The Legendary Traxster were brought for the campaign to conquer radio almost exactly two years following Mic's debut, even though they failed horribly on such attempts in Ghetto Millionaire, which still sold ass, and, oh fuck it. I can't prolong this any further. This is Mic Geronimo's Vendetta.

1. NOTHING MOVE BUT THE MONEY
Don't know what I was expecting from Diddy, really. This was 1997, after all. Mic appears to be embracing this new direction wholeheartedly, so he really has no one to blame but himself. Want me to spell it out for you? This song blows.

2. VENDETTA
Oh hell no. Mic's speed-rapping now? The Legendary Traxster gives you every reason not to look for any of his material for as long as you live. This album is off to a horrible start.

3. SURVIVAL
Havoc lends our host one of his worst beats of all time. I'm talking Blood Money-type of ass.  Proof positive that Havoc started slacking off with his production way before Prodigy's rhymes took a nosedive.

4. LIFE N LESSONS
By now, DJ Irv has fully and irreversibly devolved into Irv Gotti, so you know what you're gonna get. Mic's rhymes are thrown right back in his face similar to the way you throw your intern's stupid-ass ideas back at him. You take extreme pleasure relishing the fact that he slaved all weekend on the papers you just rejected. You sick 1%-life living asshole.

5. FOR THA FAMILY
K-Def has always earned my respect. His work with Tragedy Khadafi and as one half of Real Live still bangs to this day. So, imagine my utter bewilderment at his presence on a project such as this. Thankfully, he flat-out refuses to compromise his brand of quality boom bap to Blunt, and we're presented with the first song of the evening that can be addressed as a decent song. Mic seems to have awoken from his drugged haze and proceeds to rhyme in a manner vaguely reminiscent of how he did on The Natural. This wasn't bad.

6. STREET LIFE
Who in the FUCK is Chris Large? He has just slaughtered any good will Mic had going for him from the previous song by this desperate crossover attempt. This is worse than watching Jodie Foster succumbing to Harvey Keitel's pimping while subconsciously waiting for a Robert De Niro that will never save her.

7. BE LIKE MIC
This was produced by P & Time. Both P and Time need to be smacked upside their head. Mic? No, that's too soft of a punishment. Someone needs to enroll him in the roughest & most unprofessional wrestling academy out there so they can twist his intestines backwards. Fuck this excrement.

8. UNSTOPPABLE
Chocolate Boy Wonder, am I glad to hear you on this album. Please talk some sense into this piece of shit before it's too late. He did, actually. Pete's treat actually would've fit perfect on INI's lost album. Mic, thank you dear God, plays his part admirably. The best song on the album, far and wide.

9. SINGLE LIFE (FEATURING JAY-Z)
Did you ever want to hear Mic Geronimo and Jay-Z rhyme over some 80s pop with Carl Thomas crooning you into the depths of hell? You didn't? Are you sure? Too bad. Jay-Z has already hit his stride in selling out and sucking the radio's cock, and he drags Mic down with him. Besides, it's not like Mic was struggling to break that image or anything.

10. THINGS AIN'T WHAT THEY USED TO BE
Prince Kaysaan and, surprise, Royal Flush yank you the fuck out of sellout land to give you a fairly generic beat that sounds like Come fucking Clean when compared to the rest of the shit present on Vendetta, especially considering the fact that Mic actively tries to rap about something of meaning, this time. Meh.

11. HOW YOU BEEN?
Continuing the trend started on Ghetto Millionaire which proves that somewhere along the line, Buckwild of DITC lost his damn mind. This was intended to invoke sympathy for our host as he rhymes an admittedly heartfelt tribute to his mother. However, Buck fails him here with this crud. Shame. This could've been something.

12. USUAL SUSPECTS (FEATURING DMX, JA RULE, THE LOX & TRAGEDY KHADAFI)
Our final song of the evening is, of course, a posse cut.  DMX & Ja Rule echo Hov's sentiment in paying our host respect in the worst way possible, alongside new fans The Lox and old fan Tragedy who stole Royal Flush, Mic's running man, later on. Prestige's instrumental is pretty consistent with the theme of the album: Blowing the radio's genitals. I lost a ton of respect for Tragedy for appearing on this crap, since he's supposed to be this anti-radio vanguard and shit.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Well, what more is there to say about Mic Geronimo? If he had any clout in the industry following his debut, TVT & Blunt succeeded in obliterating any remaining trace of said clout with this album. I mean, this is Diddy-levels of radio-pandering we're talking about. Two tracks are all that I listen to anymore, and I don't do so that often. What's more, this album also succeeded in tarnishing the reputation of quite the number of respected producers. I never looked at Havoc and DJ Irv's material the same again. However, I take solace in the fact that this album still didn't sell shit.  Nobody owns this piece of crap.

WORTH IT? Why, yes. I've spent all this effort bashing the fucking thing for the sole purpose of you owning this shit. But, if you do commit to this excerpt of ear-rape, don't let anybody know you own this shit. Hide it from your subconsciousness, if possible.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
QUEENS LIFE
This was a proper Havoc beat that was given to Mic in a move that made so much sense, since everyone was comparing Mic G to Prodigy by the time Havoc hooked up with our host, and given that this was before he went brain-dead, he sounds really fucking good in his element on Havoc's sinister beat. This song by it lonesome owns the entire album I've just reviewed. Even the Pete Rock & K-Def joints.

Mic Geronimo's prior shit, fella.

Royal Flush - Ghetto Millionaire (August 19, 1997 )

My second Blunt/TVT Records alumni is one of the many headscratchers of this genre we love. You know the ones. You hear them on a couple of hot songs and you genuinely look for more of their material. Then, after hearing what you asked for, you're left confused about whether you found what you were looking for or not. But, hey. That's why I'm writing about a guy like Ramel Govantes, whom you can still catch selling shish kabobs in Queens at 3 AM to this day, just look for the name Royal Flush aka Mr. Govantes' Kebob for a Shishy Evening and you'll find him in a jiffy.

So Govy here apparently hooked up with the subject of my previous post, fellow Queens Arab barbecue expert Mic Geronimo, in the early 90s, which resulted in our current subject appearing heavily on Mic's seminal 1995 debut, The Natural. (An album I'll admit to being quite fond of.) Ramel's chemistry with the Masta I.C. was pretty undeniable, and  he also impressed with his command of the microphone, which is always good to have. Which for some reason led to Blunt being sold on the idea that Flush should get an album on his own. So all parties involved went to work on just that.

Blunt seemed to like the ingredients that made The Natural whatever it was to fans, so they made the decision to bring back most of the people who produced said album to work on Mr. Govantes' shit as well. However, this decision seems to have been made before Blunt received sale numbers for The Natural, evidenced by the fact that they went the screamingly opposite direction with Mic's sophomore release, Vendetta. (An album I'll admit to utterly loathing.)

This album, however, marked a transition in some of those producers' directions in their music, similar to quite a few production juggernauts. Some started sucking faster than others, I'll admit, because people like Erick Sermon took their sweet time descending into garbage territory, while others like Diamond D flipped at the drop of a hat, never returning to what made them great ever again.  Well, not ever.

Now that nobody's reading this post, I'll keep the review going for my nonexistent fanbase's entertainment. Here's Ghetto Millionaire.

1. INTRO

One thing that always pissed me off about this album is the various intros throughout. As if one wasn't infuriating enough.

2. I BEEN GETTING SO MUCH $

Goddamnit, Buckwild. What the hell went wrong, duke? It's almost like he's trying his damnedest to ruin his beautiful legacy as if it's the most despicable thing in the world to be associated with. Govy here (I don't give a flying fuck if you're annoyed by me calling him Govy instead of Royal Flush, by the way. Save your breath.) marks this special occasion by interpolating Phil Collins' defining song, In The Air Tonight, which is a favorite of mine. Boy, is this one a stinker. Motherfuck this song.

3. ICED DOWN MEDALLIONS (FEATURING NOREAGA)

Fun fact: Flush's actually Capone of CNN fame's older cousin. You can tell if you pay close enough attention. They sound pretty alike. Although I guess he's bringing Noreaga instead to the party because of Capone's prison term at the time. Anyways, this is the start of our host's relationship with EZ Elpee, piano sampler extraordinaire, who doesn't sample any pianos here. Go figure. Anyways, Noreaga sounds at home on the hook while our host runs down the mandatory three verses. The end product sounds surprisingly not that up to par. Not bad, but not amazing.

4. CAN'T HELP IT
My God, this song blows.  I've always hated the Love Is A House sample and Khadejia's interpolation of Michael Jackson's I Can't Help It falls to the ground nostril-first. Trag's future BFF is left trying to pick up the pieces with whatever he can find in his rhymebook, but to no avail. Prince Kaysaan fucked up on this one hard. This is definitely not a good sign.

5. ILLIODIC SHINES (FEATURING MIC GERONIMO)
Hold up, Prince Kaysaan sort of redeems himself here. Maybe it's because Mic Geronimo continues his winning form from The Natural and fucking drags Ramel along for the ride, who excels rhyming alongside his partner. This was pretty good.

6. MOVING ON YOUR WEAK PRODUCTIONS (FEATURING PHENOM PACINO)
Da Beatminerz come with an instrumental that would've been perfect as an 80s love ballad, but I guess the drums hit the way they're supposed to, so I don't mind that much. Flush and his weed carrier, apparently from their support group Wastlanz, rock over the Nas sample well, with thuggery that would make Tragedy Khadafi proud. Might I add that the name Phenom Pacino will never be taken seriously.

7. CONFLICT INTRO
See?

8. CONFLICT (FEATURING WASTLANZ)
The producer's called Sha Self, what were you expecting? I mean, really? Generic late 90s rap song #868430.

9. SHINES INTRO
&^%$#! (Always loved when comics & cartoons did this.)

10. SHINES
Hi-Tek lends Flush his services right after he formed Reflection Eternal with Talib Kweli, and it's one of the best cuts on the album, landing at just over three minutes. Hi-Tek becomes the gajillionth producer to effectively freak a Prodigy of Mobb Deep sample. Ramel sounds right at home, for the record, with lines like: "I'm dyin over better things, not flooded pieces/Kids die for no reason, sick believin/I wish we all wouldn't wear it even." This was really fucking good.

11. FAMILY PROBLEMS
Man, why are the songs that are thought out the most always the shortest on these goddamn albums? Anyways, EZ Elpee returns behind the boards and, could it be? Yes! We have pianos! Mr. Govantes utilizes this opportunity to let off a one-verse wonder that's pretty fucking descriptive. Now, if this story's true, I'm gathering our host was a juvenile when he did what he did, because there's absolutely no way he'd be a free man if he was an adult. The album's momentum is getting a bit better.

12. WHAT A SHAME (FEATURING NOREAGA)
Another EZ Elpee track. (Why doesn't he call himself EZ LP and be done with it. That 'Elpee' spelling gets on my damn nerves every time I come across it.) Here, he brings us samples of The Jones Girls' When I'm Gone effectively. Mr. Govantes and NORE's first real collaboration gives us their take on the One Love idea. It's not bad, per se, but the idea's novelty has worn off a long time ago, to the point that many songs of this nature come off as biting and following a trend. This one doesn't feel like such, though.

13. REGULATE INTRO

If the album had a voice by this point, I swear I know what it'd say to me. It'd say: U mad, bro?

14. REGULATE (FEATURING MIC GERONIMO)
Yet another EZ Elpee beat. I guess our host saved him and his family from a flaming building, and now he's invited over every Thanksgiving. Anyways, this track is a foreshadowing element of things to come for Mic Geronimo, even though it's Govy spitting the club-friendly rhymes. This was meh, at best, solely because of Flush's verse.

15. WORLDWIDE
L.E.S.'s beat is a weird choice for Trag's future BFF's thuggery as he disses the shit outta the Dogg Pound. The beat contains a sped up sample of the opening violins on Billy Preston's You Are So Beautiful, so that it sounds like a broken synthesizer, which is to say, not so bad, per se. Ramel is in full-on thug-rap-reppin-NY mode with his verses, despite the instrumental, which shows the level of commitment presented by him on this song. I'd still listen to it, but I wouldn't go out of my way looking for it or anything.

16. N****S NIGHT OUT (FEATURING JA RULE)
Scratch that. Worldwide is a fucking work of art. A symphony defining an era compared to this shit. The mutated Buckwild is back, and you can imagine my fury at the ignorance present here. Forget the fact that I actually like the source material, Boz Scaggs' Lowdown, Buckwild's sampling here adds absolutely nothing to its legacy. Worse yet, it detracts from it. Furthermore, you can guess what that title lyrically brings out of Govy here. This crapfest is complete with Ja's filthy hook.  And yet, this is still loads better than the last time Buck & our host for the evening hooked up on this album. Nevertheless, skip this shit.

17. INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY INTRO
You know what I needed more than anything in the entire world by this point? Forget something to eat. Forget some goddamn water. No, I needed another intro. They cure AIDS, they do.

18. INTERNATIONAL CURRENCY (FEATURING WASTLANZ)
ChySkillz debuts his lone track on this album with a beat that sounds once again straight out of Buckwild's best material. Maybe ChySkillz was trying to smack some sense in Buck. This leads to Flush and his weed carriers actually handing out some well thought lyrics, despite the pig-ass hook. This was much needed at this point.

19. WAR
Ramel catches wreck on a beat that he produced himself. Given the final result, maybe he should've produced his album by his damn self. At least, we wouldn't be exposed to shit like this album's first song. The beat surprisingly sounds pretty on point and our host is serious with his writing, the line 'Who's to blame? Man or cocaine? This world is insane' particularly catching my ear. This was another step in the right direction.

20. MAKIN MOVES (FEATURING MIC GERONIMO)
Is it possible? Can it BE? LORD YES! A PROPER BUCKWILD INSTRUMENTAL! To anybody who still decided to read this review and document my suffering so far, this is a prime example of what I was talking about when praising Buckwild's production skills. Maybe it's because he worked on this in 1996, but no matter. Buck freaks a brilliantly-sampled Montara by Bobby Hutcherson to sweet perfection, and our host is downright cleansed by it, delivering a gut-wrenching performance into the average street hoodlum's mentality. Best song on the album by far, even with Mic stuck delivering a hook that's not to be proud of. One of my favorite Buckwild productions.

21. REPPIN
L.E.S. returns to ruin any goodwill Govy earned from the previous track with this radio-fucking song. Almost as bad as I Been Getting So Much $, but not quite. What more do you want from me?

22. DEAD LETTER
The prerequisite ode to fallen comrades. I guess Mr. Govantes has enough emotion in his delivery necessary to count this as one of the not-so-bad songs, so there's that. The beat by a thing called Low wouldn't sound out of place as posthumous 2Pac song #6748. I don't know, I still liked it.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Let's play math: You have 22 tracks: 5 worthless skits, 6 bile-ass songs and 11 good-to-fucking-awesome songs. What would you think of it? Royal Flush can hold his own behind the mic if the beat's good enough, although that's not always the case, e.g. Regulate. The guests also vary in quality, from brilliant a la Mic Geronimo, to downright embarrassing a la Ja fucking Rule. I don't know, I'm still confused by this release. It's worth pointing out that Blunt failed in their pursuit to repeat The Natural's success, if you can call it that. However, Ghetto Millionaire did succeed in repeating one of its predecessor's feats: Not selling a single goddamn copy. Oh well.

WORTH IT? This is one of those albums that services like iTunes was invented for, where you can acquire the good shit and leave the rest. It's up to you if you want to get the whole damn thing and support the artist. Besides, for those iPod junkies, like myself, you can always delete the rotten shit. Speaking of rotten.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

ROTTEN APPLE
This EZ Elpee track was released to hype up the album, and ended up being one of Ramel's landmark releases. This is one of those songs that you're mystified as to why they're left off the album, as it would've fit perfectly on it. Anyways, EZ samples Nas' The World Is Yours in an effective manner, while Flush waxes poetic about the paranoia surrounding 'the life', and does a pretty good job up until his final verse where he almost ruins his work by flossing for a bit, then reverting to his by-now trademark thuggery. Overall, this was worth the search for me.

For more Royal Flush, click on his name.

Mic Geronimo - The Natural (October 17, 1995)

I think I wanna talk about a project involving ChySkillz some more. Sort of.

Buckwild, along with fellow DITC producer Diamond D, is responsible for one of my biggest heartbreaks in my journey into hip hop.  Let me elaborate.  My introduction to him was through his collaboration with Celph Titled of AOTP fame, where they actively sought out his 90s material exclusively during 93-97. The result of course blew my mind, as literally every beat I heard from the man on that project caused me brain damage from too much headnodding, including the Pete Rock-style instrumentals after a few of the songs. I was so blown away by the material I heard that I had to check out all the songs he did, with the mere mention of his name drawing me to an entire project. If you're a rabid consumer of hip hop, you know exactly what I'm talking about when it comes to your favorite producers.  However, something seemed to have happened to dude, because he started producing some absolute piffle as soon as 98 hit.  Don't believe me? I dare you to listen to OC's Bon Appetit with a straight face. Go on.

So, I started categorizing his music, along with others that I've had a similar experience with, another prime example being Erick Sermon. In Buckwild's case, I now only listen to his material in the aforementioned 93-97 period. So, when I found out that he had contributed fairly heavily to Queens native Mic Geronimo's 1995 debut, The Natural, I immediately went in for a looksee.

So what is there to say about Mic Geronimo? Well, I, for one, feel it's very strange that an artist like Mic, real name Michael McDermon, is being treated like he's all but evaporated from our chosen genre, even though he played a major part in putting on arguably the three biggest Def Jam artists in the late 90s. Trust me, you'll know them when we get to them, the world got physically sick of them collaborating with each other later on.  Now, for what it's worth, the first time I ever heard Mic Geronimo was three years ago when Large Professor snatched him up from his apartment to appear on his 2012 cut, Mack Don Illz, off the Professor@Large album. I remember thinking he was fairly alright, but there wasn't any lasting impression or the like. But, I digress.

I came to find out that this album had a couple of producers who share Buck's problem, in my eyes. One was DJ Irv, now known as Murder Inc (whoops, sorry. The Inc.)'s very own Irv Gotti. Now, I must be honest, I'm kind of on the fence about lil' Irving here. On one hand, he's responsible for one of Shawn Carter's most enduring songs, Can I Live, off his mafioso classic Reasonable Doubt. On the other hand, he's responsible for the world suffering through Ja Rule. Oh well.  Turns out, Irving was the key factor in Mic signing to Blunt Records, a subsidiary of TVT.  I think the record label's name is a big reason why Mic was never as relevant as he should've been.  Irv produced the debut single, Shit's Real, and the fine folks at Blunt decided it was album time.

On the way, Mic somehow got with fellow Queens hoodlum Ramel Govantes, aka Royal Flush (currently serving time as Tragedy Khadafi's BFF), resulting somehow in Govy appearing in one way or another on nearly every goddamn cut on the album, a la Tragedy on CNN's The War Report.

So, what was the end result?

1. THE NATURAL

We're off with a production from Mark Sparks of Shoop fame, which was done during the phase that every R&B producer goes through where he wanted to make people forget that he's an R&B producer, which can result in good music.  Mark Sparks, in particular, produced one of my favorite Jazzmatazz songs, Medicine, which featured True Master rhyming alongside the late legend Guru (RIP). This song is equally awesome, yet for entirely different reasons. One, it's one of those atmospheric beats that transports you straight back to mid-90s New York. Second, Mic sounds pretty fucking comfortable in his material, which is always a good quality in an MC. It's this very quality that made greats like Guru, Rakim, Tragedy and Prodigy excel behind the mic, and Mic has plenty of it. A headbanger.

2. LIFECHECK

Da Beatminerz in their first of 2 contributions. Keep in mind, this is Dah Shinin'-era Beatminerz, and as such, the material heard here isn't quite up to par. Mic picks up the song, however, with his effortless flow and calm shit-talking. I still liked the end result, nonetheless. That's all I got.

3. WHEREVER YOU ARE

Now this was more of what people expected from R&B producers of that period. Mic's take on Mark Sparks' feel-good music threatens to veer into generic love-rap material during his first verse, but goes back to basic braggadocio that we've heard from countless other aspiring MCs, and the end result is still better than every "made" rapper on the radio today. Sad, that.

4. MASTA I.C. (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

I swear, there's just something different about Buck's production in the era I keep mentioning, almost whimsical even. This was an interesting choice for the second single, and it's a smash with me. Yeah, even with that stupid-ass hook. Mic simply goes off on here with his boasts, with lines like: "I subdued the microphone and left it in submission/Then cracked the philly open and found a talent that was hidden." This shit bangs. Oh, and that's Royal Flush on the hook.

5. MAN OF MY OWN (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

First time I heard this beat, I thought of Buckwild immediately, because of the horns' placement in the midst of all the samples. But nope, this was ChySkillz' handiwork. Now, it's not that big of a mystery why his production is a massive nose-dive in energy when compared with his Onyx output, but, as I've stated before in other similar instances, that can be a good thing. It certainly fits our host's monotone delivery like a glove and Mic doesn't compromise in the consistency of his output. Not as much a statement as the previous song, but pretty fucking good, nonetheless. Royal Flush? On the hook, again.

6. TIME TO BUILD (FEATURING JA RULE, JAY-Z & DMX)

I fucking told you the combo was recognizable, didn't I? The first official track to feature the holy trinity of late-90s mainstream rap sounds like none of their future material together, which is a straight-up godsend. Hell, this is one of the select handful of Ja Rule performances that I'll ever sit through without physically suffering. Irving, another late-90s mainstream mainstay, provides us with his take on DITC beats in the era of this album's crafting, which inspires all participants involved to catch wreck in similar DITC fashion. Seriously, this cut would've fit snugly in Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous, besides the fact that, you know, Big L isn't on the goddamn song. By the way, Jay has lost the Das EFX-sewage flow (No, really. That's what they call their famous flow.) by the time he recorded his shit and started sounding like what we hear on his debut, which is always a good thing. More importantly, DMX walks away with this song's best verse which, to my utter delight, sounds as far away from his Swizz Beatz-produced delivery as humanly possible. Even with everybody else turning in a stellar performance, (Yes, even Ja surprisingly sounds great on here.) just face it, people: There's no denying that a very hungry DMX is a legitimate threat on the mic.

7. SHIT'S REAL

The lead single, produced by DJ Irv again. And, I gotta say, I'll always prefer DJ Irv to Irv fucking Gotti. Anyways, the sampling of Deniece Williams' Free was on the money. As such, this contains my favorite Mic Geronimo showing on this album, for he delivers that monotone flow that sounds like he has absolutely nothing to lose, resulting in lines like: "For every episode I unfold/There be another sick story in my mind to be told" delivered with conviction that keeps you coming back for more, finding his boasts to be just the right amount of authoritative. This song was the perfect lead single for a project like this. Loved it!

8. THREE STORIES HIGH (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

Buckwild returns for one of his most demented beats, with very little melody to speak of. A perfect canvas for our host to debut his homie, who impresses with his first presence on the mic. These two form an effective tag-team, with the thuggery present, even if not as refined, guaranteed to please fans of groups like Mobb Deep and CNN. I guess it makes sense that Royal Flush is now running with Trag. This was highly entertaining!

9. SHARANE

Mark Sparks returns behind the boards for a beat befitting of the East Coast sound of the time, and Mic shits on it with his contractual obligation of a song. I've always hated songs like this, and it being a narrative does not change my mind.

10. MEN VS MANY (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH, C-LO & O.C.)

I'd have thought Omar Credle would prefer rocking over a Buckwild beat, but here you go. The gang wreck shop over a proper Beatminerz beat, where everyone plays off each other back and forth, except for C-Lo who contributes a single verse to the proceedings. Everyone seems to be having fun here, but naturally, Brooklyn's OC sounds the most confident behind the mic, which makes perfect sense. All in all, this was yet another high point on the album, an album that’s quickly turning into quite the gem!

11. TRAIN OF THOUGHT (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

I have to say, I'm pretty disappointed in Royal Flush's frequently wasted efforts on hook duties. Otherwise, this song was a prime example of just how Buckwild evoked an electric chemistry with whomever he produced for during that period. Buck returns again with his best beat on the album, with Mic effectively ripping the beat to shreds and spitting on the remains. Just… chefkiss.

12. THINGS CHANGE (FEATURING ROYAL FLUSH)

Apparently Royal Flush heard my plight earlier, so he threatened to bitch slap Mark Sparks if he didn't feature him on his homie's next song. I guess Marky took it personally, as even though he provided the duo with a fairly somber beat with smacking drums, he added a crooner to the proceedings that threatened to derail the momentum of the entire album. It’s a good thing that Mic & Flush went into the booth and spit some of the realest bars on any of their records together in an ode to fallen comrades, unfazed by the crooning fuckery that is the trashass hook. Overall, this was still pretty good. Moving on.

13. MASTA I.C. (REMIX) (FEATURING MR. CHEEKS & ROYAL FLUSH)

Okay, so apparently the internet's confused about who actually produced the song. Some sources say it's DJ Irv, other sources say it's Nashiem Myrick from Diddy's jolly bag of Hitmen. I'm guessing it's Nashiem, since they say his fucking name on the song, alongside the fact that the song comes built-in with its very own R&B hook. Anyway, the beat is pretty goddamn addictive, and all parties involved remain fairly aware of that as they proceed to demolish it in a worthy manner. One point, though. Mr. Cheeks is repeatedly being credited as the Lost Boyz on many instances such as this one, (including Onyx' Shut 'Em Down album. These plugs were shameless, and I'm proud of them being such.) and granted, Freaky Tah rhymes like, what, half a bar? It's still not enough for them to be credited as the entire Lost Boyz. Mic & Flush prove once again that they’re a criminally underrated tag team in this boom bap game. This shit was nice, son!

FINAL THOUGHTS: So what really is there to say about Mic Geronimo? Well, allow me some hard truths here: Mic Geronimo, despite never really pursuing this career, had something special in that pen of his that allowed him to shine on this debut album The Natural. And I do mean shine in every sense of the word. The man had a commanding presence on the mic, wrote with a purpose and immaculately picked the beats that ended up matching him perfectly. And the guests he brought in were nothing to be scoffed at, and I ain’t even talking about the usual suspects: OC, Mr. Cheeks and especially Royal Flush had stellar chemistry with our host. And as for the Def Jam trio? Jay’s transition into the Jay we ended up hearing on Reasonable Doubt started on Time To Build, X showcased once again why he was ready since he signed to Ruffhouse. As for Ja’s bitchass? Had he stuck to this style, maybe he would’ve never got on and we wouldn’t’ve had to suffer that trashass Murder Inc run. Back to the album, it remains a time capsule of something that can’t be faked nor manufactured. And that’s how real Mic Geronimo’s The Natural proved to be. Shit’s definitely real.

 

WORTH IT? You bet your doughy, warty & rotten rusty sheriff’s badge, it is!. Although it does contain a single snoozefest, Mic's product here is something special. So much so I’m fairly baffled that underground heads don’t talk about this album more. Heed the words you read and go get this shit NOW!

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

HEMMIN' HEADS

Now this DJ Irv concoction I highly recommend. I have to say, I'm surprised that Irving was once as consistent as he is, because he gives us an absolutely smacking beat. One which Mic doesn't shy away from completely obliterating. A completely understandable prelude of his Can I Live work, even if it sounds nothing like it. I'm telling you, the Irving-Mic combination, when it clicks, lyrically brings the best out of Mic. This was a satisfying listen and should've been on the album. And we're done.

Want to know more about this dude? Here.

Onyx - Cold Case Files Volume 2 (August, 2012)

I've talking about nothing but Onyx on this blog for exactly three weeks. Damn.

This album is probably my favorite Onyx discovery, as nobody I know has even heard of this shit. I remember traversing YouTube one sunny evening when I came across a series of videos featuring Onyx' Fredro Starr and Sticky Fingaz commentating on each and every one of their group's 90s videos. And Slam Harder. You know. Because they haven't forced that despicable song down our throats enough. Anyways, all the other videos were rather insightful. I guess now we can blame Onyx for the disaster that is Brett Ratner. The videos were clearly made in 2005, as Fredro states in the Last Dayz commentary.

Their dated nature was also made obvious by the fact that they were talking about the late Bruce "X1" Sandlin's "new shit sounding crazy". Of course the circumstances surrounding X1's death remain mysterious to this day, other than him being found dead in Las Vegas. Some said it was suicide. Some aren't quite so sure. In any case, this was a terrible tragedy and my condolences go out to his family and friends. RIP X1.

At the end of each video was an advertisement of the abovementioned picture and how to cop the accompanying album. Which was a journey in all of itself.  See, the album was Onyx's first, and so far only, foray into self-distribution. Now, this can really be a double-edged sword, if you think about it: On one hand, you guarantee that all the revenue of every fucking buy goes in your pocket.  On another, you open yourself up to piracy even more than standard distribution. Unless you got some impenetrable method unknown to hackers worldwide, which I'm pretty sure no rapper has neither the financial nor the technical means to yet.

So, Onyx had to settle for a "pay what you feel, including free" model on Onyx's Bandcamp page or an iTunes buy. Now, them letting their fans pick the price is a fucking ballsy move that proves their confidence in their fanbase, which is an awesome approach when looking for ways to repay your fans' years of support. Kudos to you, Onyx. Even though Diddy would cry salty tears into his 50-million-dollar pillow at the lost marketing opportunity but whatever.

The important thing is that Onyx actually took the bold step and we're here now with yet another Onyx collection that appealed.  So, is it any good?

1. SET IT STR8 (FEATURING DEZ)
Onyx starts us off with a Shut 'Em Down outtake that should've made the fucking album. Sonsee sets shit off with a few lines from his impressive verse on Face Down, a song that I've already voiced my intense disdain for due to Self's horrendous beat. X1 follows up with his usual standard, which is pretty goddamn good. Dez from Gang Green sounds right at home filling in for Fredro, while Sticky bats cleanup. I'm surprised to say this, but I thought I'd favor Sonsee's verse but after close inspection, everybody came correct, each verse complimenting the other nicely. This was as good a start as any. Hey, at least it wasn't another intro.

2. KIDZ FROM QUEENS (FEATURING STILL LIVIN')
Damn, the Gang Green love is running strong so far, huh? Fredro is absent from the proceedings again with his spot filled by Gang Green's Still Livin' this time, who delivers the standout verse on this track, also a Shut 'Em Down outtake. That doesn't mean that Sonsee and Sticky were dozing off, however, as both turn in solid verses. This song and the previous one were obviously Face Down prototypes, with Sticky lowering his voice forcing you to pay attention a la said song, which incenses me even further at it. Anyway, this song was awesome. Good one-two.

3. BRING IT
This was another Shut 'Em Down outtake that was a poor attempt at paying tribute to hip hop's pioneers, including Rakim and Audio Two among others. The beat will bring you to sleep. And he lyrics fail to add anything worth substance. And yet, I'd rather listen to this than Onyx's entire new material in the 2000s, sans Black Trash. Very sad, that.

4. HI HOE
As misogynistic as this song is, the group sounds like they're having fun with the admittedly nice beat. However, you know my stance on this shit.

5. CRIME STORIES
One of Sticky's solo ventures in storytelling. We know he's good at this and all he needs is a good beat, which he kind of gets here. His attention to detail is pretty impressive as the story goes on. Not bad.

6. PUNKMOTHERFUKAZ
This is the full version to the half-thought song we got on All We Got Iz Us, complete with lyrics on the group's website that, I'm pleased to say, have been uploaded to Rap Genius successfully. This full version would've fit nicely on the album, as Agallah's beat fucking bangs and Onyx tear it to pieces, accordingly. Despite the somewhat bad quality, this was awesome.

7. TO ALL Y'ALL CREWS, WHATEVER
This song alone was what pushed me to listen to this album, as it was a song never heard before by anybody prior to release.  See, even with its bad quality (quite recurring throughout the album), this song lives up to its rare stature. One of those Agallah beats that I've been vocal about my fondness of before, this was a perfect fit for that growling type of shit-talking prevalent in everybody's favorite Onyx album, All We Got Iz Us. This was quite the find for me that I still regularly listen to.

8. ANYTHING GOES
A Shut 'Em Down throwaway that's exactly that for a good goddamn reason. Here, Onyx are pimping their live shows (which were pretty fucking awesome back then) to the meh-est beat you can think of. That's about it. Even Sticky's punchlines can't save this one.

9. GIVE IT ALL YOU GOT (FEATURING GREG VALENTINE)
Here, Fredro and Sticky prove to hip hop that a good sample doesn't mean a good song. The sample in question being Keni Burke's immortal 1982 hit Risin' to the Top. Which Onyx completely waste performing their bread and butter violent raps. I think the contrast is crystal clear to everyone who heard this misfire.

10. FLIP DAT SHIT (FEATURING NAUGHTY BY NATURE, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G. & 3RD EYE)
Hey, ChySkillz! Long time since you last popped up on BBR! This collaboration might be the sole reason most people cop this compilation, as it features a pre-fame Biggie Smalls spitting for his life, alongside a very in-form Treach, both spitting and ghostwriting for Vin Rock, (Yeah. I'm saying it. Vin never wrote his rhymes. Vin, if you don't like what you read, sound off in the comment section below.) and 3rd Eye, whom I swear had an identity crisis back then, as he apparently chose to deliver his verse as two separate voices. Not the first time I've heard that from him, as he did the same thing on PMD's solo debut in 1994. Oh, and Onyx use their final verse on Judgment Night. Their end product is slightly inferior than the song they ended up using it on but nice, nonetheless.

11. PUSSY ON THE REGULAR
Fredro's disgusting interpolation of his verse on Last Dayz that appeared on Bacdafucup Part II started here. Other than that, refer to track #4.

12. TAKE THAT
Remember my Shut 'Em Down review? When I said that there was a full version to Sticky's one-verse wonder on Take That? Here. And might I add that this song is every bit as awesome as you'd expect it to be. The beat by Keith Horne aka K-Love is the same one used on the released version, and Fredro and Sonsee match Sticky's intensity step by step. The result is glorious, I tell you.

13. RAZE IT UP (ORIGINAL)
Exactly as it reads. The group rock over K-Love's same brilliant instrumental but this time, it's Fredro on the hook. And to be honest, Fredro's always been Onyx' workman so I prefer his performance over Sticky's on the released version of this song. Speaking of Sticky, he obviously worked hard to improve his verse, as the one we hear here pales in comparison to what we ended up hearing, but this one's still good.

14. LOVE OF MONEY '96 (FEATURING CHOCOLATE)/HIDDEN TRACK
Lady and/or dude, the original Rob & Vic. Once again, I really wish they stuck with this version, because Chocolate's hook sounds infinitely more on-key here than the final product. Also, X1's delivery here sounds crazier, which fits the desperate theme as I've said before. Excellent song. Unlike the hidden track, which is X1 talking about his perfect woman, a concept so goddamn redundant it physically makes me sick. I would enjoy this if there was actual effort put into the lyrics, but I should've known better.

15. WE COMIN' THRU Y'ALL
Hey! It's K-Love's Broke Willies beat! So fun! Seriously, though, this wasn't as good as the parody that ended up on the album, as this song is the regular "crowd participation" hook, punctuated by violent verses by our hosts. It's not technically bad, but Broke Willies is just so much better. Side note: This compilation sure has a lot of Shut 'Em Down throwaways, huh?

16. WALK IN NEW YORK (DEMO)
Interesting. This sounds exactly as advertised. However, the beat doesn't sound like an Aga beat. Instead, I'm willing to bet my dad's 30-year old FC Barcelona shirt that this is a ChySkillz beat, before he was snatched up by Shaq then ditched to the curb after his album. Hear it and you'll get my point. Most of the rhymes ended up on the released song, though Fredro's line: 'To all my future criminals/We maximize the minimal/I know what we've been through/The knot-ups is offending you" should've made the cut, in my opinion. Interesting song, to say the least.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Peace, Onyx. It's been fun. Seriously, though, the very nature of this project should be a godsend to Onyx fans. Plus, for the assholes out there, they're simply telling you to buy it for free. And besides, 6 crap songs out of 16 is still a bargain, right? Right?!

WORTH IT?
Did you not read the paragraph above? YOU CAN GET THIS FOR FREE. What're you waiting for?



The comment section's below. If you think I'm crazy, tell me.

My previous Onyx work is but a name click away. You know you want to.

Onyx - Cold Case Files: Murder Investigation (August 19, 2008)

You didn't think I was done with everyone's favorite group of certified loons, did you? You did? Well, when life gives you lemons...

Speaking of which, the late great Jason Mizell aka Jam Master Jay, of hip hop royalty Run-D.M.C. and the executive producer of Onyx' entire Def Jam tenure, was unfortunately murdered in 2002. Jam Master Jay was a pioneering DJ that was a premier showcase of the importance of the DJ to hip hop. JMJ's contribution as founder and developer of the art form simply cannot be overstated. His murder was a devastating incident that still hurts his family and friends, along with those who established a connection with him either personally or artistically. On a lesser note, he impacted so many influential hip hop figures, who never were quite the same after losing him.

Because, since the trio lost their mentor, (who actually committed to the very last Run-D.MC. album at least a year before his murder, so they might've lost his creative input even before that) Onyx have been on a downward spiral with their releases for over 13 years, with the notable exception of Sticky Fingaz' Black Trash. Releases like Firestarr, on the other hand, broke my heart. One of the many reasons is that you'd expect a guy who produced a bona fide CLASSIC album (All We Got Iz Us) to at least take control of his own goddamn album in a similar manner, but noooo, he's only an executive producer whose horseshit at executive production while something named a Davinci fucks up his and Onyx' albums. (Don't even get me started on Bacdafucup Part II. Think I'm fucking kidding?) and the less said about their group & solo ventures with D3 Entertainment, the better. In all honesty, all this confusion that Onyx went through might also be attributed to Fredro Starr signing his deal with Koch, a label notorious for luring some of the biggest acts in hip hop history who have either lost their way or no longer know what they're doing in the game, with a few exceptions. To top it all off, they seem to have lost unannounced 4th member, the late Bruce "X1" Sandlin (who filled the spot of original member and co-founder, the late Big DS. RIP both.) among all the confusion.

I mean, come on. Everybody who's read the past few posts knows how much of an Onyx fan I am, so it's only right that I call them out on their bullshit.

Which leads us to 2008, where Onyx found out that their best days might be behind them. Of course, we all know that now, but clarity is always nice. So, the group tried to mount a comeback in the independent market and, to be honest, they had some interesting ideas. First of all, Sticky secretly compiled never-before-seen footage of live performances and interviews of the group and released them with his narration on a label he currently runs called Major Independents, which has since released numerous music videos for Onyx and two rap musical movies (A Day In The Life & Caught On Tape. They're the first of their kind and very impressively cast, might I add) all under his direction.  Anyway, the resulting DVD (Onyx: 15 Years of Videos, History & Violence) is actually pretty fascinating.  Along with it, Onyx decided to release every single obscure song they had in their collection at the time in the compilation I'm choosing to review today. Which amounted to about 15 songs and an intro.

Now, this compilation came across my attention during one of my Wikipedia voyages. I remember the time so perfectly, because it was my very first assignment away from my hometown. The loneliest month of my life, so far, was also the first of many times that I dove headfirst into my hip hop journey, with these divings becoming the highlight of most of my days. I distinctly remember listening to the following albums for the first time: Gang Starr's Moment Of Truth and their Full Clip compilation, Celph Titled's Nineteen Ninety Now (which singlehandedly began my DITC fandom), Cypress Hill's Temples of Boom, and Onyx' Cold Case Files. It also reintroduced me to Cypress Hill IV, which took me back to my Twisted Metal 4 days. Good times.

Cold Case Files was released by Iceman Music Group, which also released Sonsee's debut Tytanium, an album that I still haven't been able to finish listening to, in 2009. Iceman Music Group also released one of Killah Priest's smorgasbord of solo albums in that two year period, which is The Exorcist and All In Together Now Raw, a tribute by Brooklyn Zu to ODB, which I'm sure is a sweet gesture and all but I don't think many people heard it. Matter of fact, I don't think many people know or even give a shit about Iceman Music Group, a fact majorly emphasized by the fact that it hasn't released anything else yet.  Oh well, I digress.

So, what is in this compilation exactly?

1. U.S.G.
An aborted intro from a 90s Onyx album. Even if this was released on one of their albums, you only needed to hear this once.

2. GHETTO WAY OF THINKING
An early smash! Onyx used these awesome verses in the Vissi D'Arte mashup off the classic Def Jam failure, 1997's the Rapsody: Overture.  The beat sounds like a mid-90s Fredro production, the type people fell in love with on All We Got Iz Us, and it friggin' bangs accordingly.  Also, I realised that my earlier prediction about Fredro & Sonsee's mic-time being shortened on Vissi D'Arte was actually true: Their verses here are complete & more enjoyable. I can only imagine how Sonsee's contribution would've sounded on Vissi D'Arte's awesome beat.  Nevertheless, this song is still addictively good.

3. O.N.Y.X.
Then, we get to this shit. The remix of this song was included on Onyx' abysmal Triggernometry, and it's just as bad as this original. Guys, if fucking D3 Entertainment thought this was boring, chances are it's goddamn boring.  The beat was an earsore and nobody sounded impressive nor interesting on here.

4. SEE U IN HELL (PT. 2)
Onyx record some rhymes over Tragedy Khadafi's Alluminati beat, and rip the shit out of it. This was clearly recorded in the Shut 'Em Down era as X1, sounding very young, is present in their lineup. (Notice how I insist on not adding him as a guest performer in the header of the song.  I'm doing that for a reason, lil fam.) The contrast in the group's hunger is very evident between this song and the previous one.

5. EVIL STREETS (REMIX) (FEATURING METHOD MAN)
Ah yes.  This song is one of the most infamous Onyx collaborations, courtesy of yet another Agallah production. You need to keep in mind that Agallah made all of his beats for Onyx during a very short timespan in which he reached '5yr-plan-RZA' levels of focus, so it should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody that he knocks this one out of the park. Another thing, this was pre-Wu-Tang Forever, so Mef was during his absolute peak here. Yet, even with his grimy-as-fuck verse, Sticky walks away with this song.  His verse & delivery thereof are just undeniable.

6. ROCK U
This was another Agallah production during that period I spoke of earlier, and it's almost like those beats make you recognize that. I know you didn't listen to me before but trust me, they're that good. However, the hook is a goddamn misfire. The lyrics are pretty decent, but that hook, though. I really wanted to let this slide, as it contains one of my favorite Fredro performances on the mic, but that flippin' hook, b.

7. HYDRO
This sounds like a Shut 'Em Down-era track. Too bad you'll never get to fully appreciate it, as the quality on here is awful. Fucking awful. Next!

8. PURSE SNATCHAZ PT. 2 (FEATURING SMOOTHE DA HUSTLER, TRIGGER THA GAMBLER & D.V. ALIAS KHRIST)
This was a remix that was made possible by the arseholes-that-be at Def Jam, in one of their few glimpses of brilliance, as most parties were on Rush Associated Labels at the time. The end result is a massive song that's almost as perfect as the original, if it weren't for DV's sucky hook. Otherwise, everything was put together nicely: From Agallah's beat that samples the same Jimmy McGriff song (Love Of My Life) as the original (though, again, not as masterfully) to the rhymes that were executed pretty well. Fredro's second verse was a highlight for me.

9. WILI'N WILI'N (FEATURING ALL CITY & STILL LIVIN')
This was interesting. A Shut 'Em Down outtake, this song contains one of the best Sonsee performances that I've ever heard from the man. His choice to contrast everyone else's attempts at speed-rapping by flowing normally pays off tremendously with his verse ending up the only one stuck in your head. The rest bored me to shit on an admittedly decent, minimalistic beat. Greg Valentine is severely relegated to singing 'wiliiiiiiiiin' only once on the hook. This one's up to you.

10. FREE STYLE
Another famous Onyx recording over Rampage's fucking awesome Wild For Da Night instrumental. This seems to be the original See U In Hell, as its hook is the very phrase, so it absolutely confuses me why they choose to call it by the very imaginative abovementioned name. The lyrics, even though you've heard most of Sticky's verse by now, are fucking awesome by the way.

11. I'LL MURDER U (REMIX) (FEATURING GANG GREEN)
This was a nice surprise as by this point I've already heard the original song (which is credited to Gang Green, by the way.) Using the same Agallah instrumental as the original, Onyx join their musical progeny on a monster posse cut, where X1 delivers the standout verse. I loved this shit.

12. MAD WORLD (FEATURING WHOSANE)
Choosing Whosane to fill in for Sticky Fingaz, who's on hook duties, is interesting to say the least, but Onyx pull it off. This was what the majority of Shut 'Em Down should've sounded like, as the strings sample fits the apocalyptic themes of the lyrics like a glove. Speaking of which, the lyrics are home runs from all parties involved. Sonsee, who usually shines on these themed tracks, surprisingly takes a backseat, despite a smoldering verse, to Fredro who steals this song with his opening verse. Check this line: "It's everyone for self in this 5-borough cell/You're in Hell where it says: These streets are worse than jail!" This was an awesome find.

13. I DON'T WANT TO DIE (FEATURING CHOCOLATE)
This actually got many a chuckle out of me, simply for how stupid Chocolate's interpolation of R. Kelly's smash, I Believe I Can Fly, sounds. The rest was pretty decent. Lyrics and beat were tight, although I'm not crazy about Sonsee's contribution here. Oh well. This took time to grow on me.

14. RETURN OF THE MADFACE
Fuck this shit, I am NOT listening to another Triggernometry outtake. You won't neither. This almost sounds like an intentional insult to the fans of Bacdafucup. The Bacdafucup that actually matters. Skip this sewage.

15. CANDY MAN
An X1 solo joint that sounds like it was recorded in the mid-90s. This sounds so much like an Agallah beat, but so far I simply cannot prove that. There is absolutely nothing on the internet that points out information about the producer.  X1 delivers, in my not-so-humble opinion, his finest performance ever.  He's that good on here, even if the song is cut midway. Still, this was awesome.

16. HARD TO BE A THUG
Another solo, this time by Sticky himself. This sounds very dated and the beat's tempo is offputting, similar to every generic beat that came out circa 97-02, but it barely scrapes a way into my comfort zone, so it's fairly good. Sticky goes in a rage-filled analogy about "thug life". On the subject of which I say, 2Pac (RIP) has wiped out any positive feeling I've ever had for that phrase. Now, it's just an abrasive phrase uttered by anybody who's trying to make up for their severe lack of identity, very similarly to the words pimpin', swag, etc. Oh, the end result of this song? It was pretty good. (Damn ADHD.)

FINAL THOUGHTS: This collection was a revelation to me. At a time when I felt I couldn't have any more of that good Onyx, they release this collection to feed the starving masses. And, considering the fact that they were in the middle of a creative slump that took some fucking effort to shake off (read: their recent material is fairly decent), the majority of this shit becomes that much more valuable. Make no mistake about it, this album has some premium grade sewage, but the good stuff will take care of it smooth-like.

WORTH IT? It's a good thing this collection is readily available online, so I suggest you acquire one as soon as possible. Oh, and turn on the A/C on your way out. I'm sweating fucking bullets in here.

Anybody not liking what they're reading? Sound off below.

Onyx's back catalog, for those who love the punishment.