O.G.C. - Da Storm (October 29, 1996)

Yeah, that album cover is absolutely hilarious.

Jack McNair aka Starang Wondah, Barrett Powell aka Louieville Sluggah and Dashawn Yates aka Top Dog were childhood friends who went through many career choices together. First, they were children, then fuckups, then roadies, then rappers, then cameo professionals. Not the typical career path for a group affiliated with a bona fide legendary hip hop act such as the Boot Camp Clik. Especia-fucking-lly when all your BCC affiliates have hyped you up in every single one of the Clik's previous three projects, so far. And this is how you repay them?! By making the best possible album you can make?! Wait a minute...

OK, I know we started off on the wrong foot here, Messrs Clappaz. I'm only this agitated because of all the BCC, you're the act with the least amount of material. Why must the BCC release a goddamn group album for us to hear the motherfucking Originoo Gunn Clappaz spit verses? Why can't some of y'all release solo projects??!! Louie released two solo projects, you say? Oh.

Whoops.

So after marketing genius Dru-Ha made the genius decision to ingeniously cancel the Fab 5 album Without The Freddy and ingeniously split said Fab 5 back into their original groups, (Do I sound a tad bitter? Because, I fucking am.) Heltah Skeltah took full advantage and relatively hit another home run for the team with their debut Nocturnal, which contains Leflah: Arguably the most popular BCC song, (I'm not calling it by its moronic other name) and kept the momentum going after the underground popularity of Black Moon's Enta Da Stage and especially Smif-N-Wessun's Dah Shinin'. Now, it was up to the youngest trio of the group to step up and show they're cut from the same cloth as their predecessors.

Which should be an easy task, because it's not like these dudes haven't been tested before. As I said, there were numerous moments on the previous albums where various members of O.G.C. were thrust into the spotlight. Take their participations on BCC classics like Cession At Da Doghillee, Headz Ain't Ready, their Fab 5 songs Blah and the aforementioned Leflah for example, all in which they shone brightly. Especially Starang. This dude has spit punchline lava ever since he grabbed the mic with his kin Top Dog on the famed Sound Bwoy Bureill. Not to say Louie and Top Dog were bad by any means, but Starang was the clear star of the group.

I digress, though. Duck Down finally decided to release a Mr. Walt production as the lead single again. Said lead single, No Fear, had a video where the trio infamously dissed late legend The Notorious B.I.G. and his weed carriers Junior M.A.F.I.A. for some utterly stupid shit. This led to the Junior M.A.F.I.A. crew heading to a studio where the BCC were recording. Shit went down, as one would expect. Thankfully, it didn't escalate beyond that and both crews tremendously downplayed the incident ever since.

Anyways, if you think about it, the last Dewgarde bros. production that was used as any type of single was Sound Bwoy Bureill, which was two albums ago. A testament to how fast things were moving in the BCC. So now the team behind Da Storm, O.G.C.'s debut, are stuck between trying to combine the old Beatminer-saturated direction with the new collaborative direction behind the boards. So Team Beatminerz, once again producing the bulk of the album, went with the Dewgarde bros. to take five cuts while Baby Paul, production star of Nocturnal, took a backseat with just two. the rest were outsourced to much of the same people who worked on the Heltah Skeltah debut. That way, everybody was pleased with the resulting balance.

Did O.G.C. survive their proving grounds?

INTRO
This album unfortunately has the most skits out of the BCC four. That is not cool with me at all.

CALM BEFORE DA STORM
Shaleek, who handled Heltah Skeltah's solo joints on Nocturnal, opens the album up for O.G.C. with a fittingly dreary instrumental that our hosts paint their mission statement over. Basically, they're strictly about braggadocio. That's all you're gonna get. Each Clappa sounds off with a verse apiece, with Starang naturally besting his brethren. Not a bad way to set shit off.

NO FEAR
Our lead single. Mr. Walt, once again to be called Mr. fucking Walt, combines John Kaizan Neptune with Lonnie Liston Smith with absolutely unrecognizable results. It's beats like this one that demonstrate why good sampling is not stealing. O.G.C., in turn, come correct with a definite early highlight. All of them. Yes. Even Louie and especially Top Dog, whom I've always considered the weakest of the three. And yet he and Louie share more chemistry together than either of them do with Starang. Anyhow, this shit was awesome.

BOOM...BOOM... PRICK
...

GUNN CLAPP
Mr. fucking Walt keeps things simple this time, by cutting two samples from the same Earth, Wind & Fire record. And he still manages to keep things interesting. Here, our trio sound like a true group as they lyrically try to outdo each other. Starang still wins, but the effort the other two show is truly not to be scoffed at.

EMERGENCY BROADCAST SYSTEM
Big Tigger was a presence before Rap City? Didn't know that. This skit blows, by the way.

HURRICANE STARANG
If there ever was a talent who screamed: "SOLO CAREER!" It was Starang Wondah. This song is currently one of the most infuriating experiences in recent memory. Not because I didn't like it. Far from that, this is by far one of the greatest songs in hip hop history. It's because it led to absolutely nothing for its hero. I truly believe Starang Wondah is the BCC's Killa Sin. I mean, you have guys like Sean Price (RIP) who wasn't pegged out to be the "star" of an overarching hip hop group and was underestimated by everybody. And not only did he manage to shatter all doubters' criticisms, but he scorched way past his most ardent supporters' expectations. While carefully groomed talent like Starang Wondah fall flimsily by the wayside. Truly a shame, as he outright demolishes Mr. fucking Walt's brilliant composition, consisting of a New Spaces loop. Now I am most definitely not aware of what he might've went through these past 20 years, so nobody can really accuse him of negligence except those whom he allows to. Bottom line: This was truly bittersweet.

DANJER
I was pleasantly surprised with how Louie and Top Dog carried this Baby Paul production (which also samples the same New Spaces record as Hurricane Starang) effortlessly, bouncing off each other as if they were brothers, or cousins and shit. They might actually be cousins, you say? That explains a lot. Like why these two sound almost exactly like each other. It would also explain why, once again, these two have more chemistry with each other than either of them do with Starang. On that note: Imagine if Starang Wondah, instead of hooking up with these two, hooked up with Ruck & Rock. I'm sure they would've obviously been an unstoppable punchline trio but, alas, you can't have everything.

ELEMENTS OF DA STORM
Over a very intruding Steele beat, some dude called Yuwee rambles incoherently in extremely broken Arabic. Trust me. Anyone who reads this site frequently knows that I'm a longtime resident of the Arab world, (read: 20 years) and as such, I speak perfect Arabic. (Disagree? Leave something in the comments section. Lord knows there's plenty of room since nobody who comes to this friggin' site bothers to leave any feedback.)

DA STORM
Evil D returns, toting a very prevalent Moody sample, and crafts a loop that plods along in all the right ways. On this record, Top Dog interpolates Deborahe Glasgow's hook on Shabba Ranks' Don't Test Me. O.G.C. would then perform Da Storm in some club where Biggie (RIP) and his Junior M.A.F.I.A. were in attendance. And before you can say 'Shabba', out comes Junior M.A.F.I.A. with the abysmal Get Money Remix with the Big One belting out Deborahe's hook within the very first minute. May I present the aforementioned utterly stupid shit that got Starang beat the fuck up. And while I couldn't give less of a fuck about Junior M.A.F.I.A., O.G.C. were totally in the wrong here. Anyways, Da Storm by itself is pretty goddamn awesome. All three Clappaz carefully thought out their 16s and delivered, with Starang obviously being the best of the bunch again.

WILD COWBOYS IN BUCKTOWN (FEATURING SADAT X & SEAN BLACK)
DJ Ogee, longtime affiliate of the Diggin' In The Crates Crew, gives our trio one of his hand-crafted beats. The result? Not as good as one would expect when looking at the ingredients present. A kickass Quincy Jones record? Check. A bunch of MCs spitting for their life? Check. Well, except for Sean Black whose rhymes I never want to hear ever again. Whether on this album or otherwise. Which shows you that the producer is the one with the most heavy-lifting to do, and this particular tidbit surprises me since Ogee has done some brilliant work with DITC's OC on Word..Life and would continue to do so on OC's 1997 opus Jewelz. It should be noted, however, that Louieville spits some of the best shit I've ever heard from him throughout his entire career. In case you were wondering: Yes, his bars are better than any of of his fellow collaborators on this song. Sadat X aka Derek X aka Mr. Murphy. neither drags this song down nor elevates it. Shame, that.

GOD DON'T LIKE UGLY
You'd think that Mr. Murphy would appear on his fellow Brand Nubian Lord Jamar's production. Oh well. Lord Jamar, enemy of the politically correct, co-produces this song with Buckshot. Their beat is infinitely better than the last time they hooked up on Heltah Skeltah's Intro (Here We Come), with smart use of the Green-Eyed Bandit's sampled lyrics from EPMD's classic song Strictly Business throughout this cut. Our trio once again bounce verses off each other effortlessly, as if these types of grim beats are an unspoken factor to their chemistry. Starang tones down his voice just enough to make his punchlines much more direct, which was a deft touch.

ELITE FLEET (FEATURING M.S., THE REPRESENTATIVZ & BAD VYBES)
Baby Paul returns with his tried-&-true formula of sampling the first few seconds of a record, this time a John Payne Band song, and delivers his best motherfucking beat ever. No bullshitting here. I keep rewinding this track endlessly every time it plays across my iPod. Such a beat can only be complemented by a balls-out perfomance or an expertly-done posse cut. O.G.C. go with the latter, and while the guests are nowhere in the vicinity of the BCC's skills, they do just fine. Credit to Louie's closing verse, where he comes with enough energy that sells his admittedly above-average boasts.

FLAPPIN
For the album's final record, O.G.C. were blessed to gain the services of not one, but two of the absolute best producers this industry has ever seen. And they just so happened to be Alkaholiks family, who were predominantly from the West Coast. E-Swift just so happened to find himself in NewYork and specifically in front of our trio's recording studio. Oh, and future bloggerland darling Madlib came along lest you think E-Swift would be half-assing it. Which was preposterous, for his previous work with the BCC on Heltah Skeltah's Operation Lock Down resulted in an unadulterated classic hip hop song. This time, he does an even better job with the help of his wizard of a protege when they combine two loops from The Everly Bros. and Galt McDermot, respectively, with mind-blowing results. Our trio choose this very fitting beat to provide their balls-out performance that I stated earlier to be necessary for converting beats like this into classic songs, with Starang shooting to the cosmos of legendary punchliners once again. Their magic inside the booth obviously excited some of their fellow BCC brethren, as you can distinctly hear Tek ad-libbing excitedly in the background. A perfect end to the album.

FINAL THOUGHTS:
I'm surprised I'm writing this, but song-for-song: This album is a tad more successful than Nocturnal. Hell, were it not for the painfully-awful skits, this might've given Enta Da Stage and even Dah Shinin' a run for their money. Proof that O.G.C. were, for a brief period of time, worthy of standing alongside their brethren as the mighty Boot Camp Clik. Sadly, the entire act would experience backlash when they made the genius decision to distance themselves from production team Da Beatminerz' trademark dusty & dreary sound. No doubt, Dru-Ha's idea. The entire BCC would find some mild success with their followup albums before plummeting hard into irrelevancy for three years until their revival with the marvelous Triple Threat campaign that showed a renewed focus from all parties involved.

WORTH IT? Would you rather proclaim your love for "tha coco" to the heavens? Because it's totally cool if you prefer that rotting piece of filth to a bonafide classic album. It's also totally cool to get your OT Genasis on somewhere away from this blog. If you'd rather not do that, then acquire this album yesterday.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
HARD TO THE CORE
This is another one of those tracks that the internet apparently doesn't know who its producer is. Well, whoever it was, he/she/they must've been working on this track before Da Storm's release. That, and the obvious 1995 shoutout by our trio. I will give them this, though: If he/she/they aren't Da Beatminerz or part of their team, he/she/they sure nailed their sound. I mean, this could've fit snugly on Da Storm. And all three Gunn Clappaz come fucking correct with their boasts-n-bullshit. Really top notch chemistry between them on display here. You should really check this out as soon as possible, especially if you loved Da Storm.

For those who crave more BCC.

Heltah Skeltah - Nocturnal (June 18, 1996)

This post is especially painful.

The world lost a fucking legendary human being. Kind. Giving. Funny. Talented. Opinionated. Tough. Badass. Underrated. Underestimated. All these and so many more are barely enough to describe a man like Husayn Sayyid, known to world by his birth name Sean Price, also known by his many self-styled nicknames: Tawl Sean aka Ruckus Da Irrational aka Dutch aka Da Inflixta aka The Brokest Rapper You Know aka Kimbo Price aka Mic Tyson aka Gray Hulk (His final tag name on Twitter). All these are the tip of the iceberg, believe me. He was a genuine person who had his priorities sorted out right, evidenced by the way he turned his life around from a violent adolescence to a positive life as an adult. He always put his family and loved ones above all else. I have said before that I wish I could've grabbed a bite with him. Why? Because I'm not one to dehumanize someone by putting them on a fucking pedestal the way celebrity culture demands from various people, such as taking photos, autographs or the like. I believe that to be one of the most disrespectful things you can do to a person, simply for the fact that you'd be tremendously isolating said person when all he wants is some genuine human interaction. No, I wish I could've known this person. This gem of a human being. And sadly, he's no longer with us. I pray for him to be in a better place now. My sincere thoughts & condolences go out to Husayn's family & loved ones.

Of course, I can't talk about this man on a hip hop review site without mentioning his significant role in it. And nowhere is said role more apparent to me than in his body of work with longtime cohort Jamal Bush, who also assigned himself a slew of nicknames such as Da Rockness Monsta aka Da Flipsta aka Sparsky aka Grand Son of Sam aka Military Punisher aka Bummy Jab, as rap duo Heltah Skeltah of the Boot Camp Clik, in which Sean inexplicably singled his teammate out as the "better" rapper. Of course, as a person who studied these two meticulously and thereby came to the conclusion that choosing one of them over the other is impossible, I find that claim to be absolute nonsense. My opinion goes that Sean Price cannot go into my MC Hall Of Fame without Rock. Bottom line. I don't care if Sean has a better solo career. They're both essential inductees.

Anyway, in 1995 the Boot Camp Clik was firing on all cylinders following the relative success of Dah Shinin', co-founders Smif-N-Wessun's debut, and the Clik's subsequent credited debut on the song Headz Ain't Ready on the second New Jersey Drive OST. Now if you know the lineup of this merry band of men, you are surely familiar with the rest of the group: trio O.G.C. and our two hosts. What some might not have known was that a very interesting project almost came to fruition following Smif-N-Wessun's magnum opus. You see, Heltah Skeltah and O.G.C. briefly combined forces to form a supergroup within the BCC called the Fab 5. They even recorded a single as such. This single, Blah, was supposed to be newly-formed label Duck Down's trump card. But it was the b-side, Leflah, that blew the fuck up. Similar to what Cypress Hill went through with The Phuncky Feel One/How I Could Just Kill A Man. Matter of fact, it's exactly that. Only without all the mainstream success.

So now that Leflah became a relative critical hit, the way is paved for the following album, right? WRONG. Some airhead decided the album was a bad business move and the Fab 5 would be better off separate & in their original lineups. You say it was Dru-Ha? Well, he might not be an airhead but that was still a dumb decision. One Dru himself admitted as such recently saying that you just can't manufacture the type of buzz Leflah stirred up. No shit, sherlock! So everybody chugged along with that stupid-ass decision with a quick shift of plans, with Heltah Skeltah slated up next. Our duo benefitted from this move greatly, however, by having Leflah added to their debut. I'm sure O.G.C. were thrilled for their brethren, team players that they were. Just ask Diddy.

The addition of Leflah, now insipidly rebranded as Leflaur Leflah Eshkoshka, really boosted the promotion for our duo's debut LP, Nocturnal. So Duck Down followed up with Nocturnal's true lead single, Operation Lock Down, which had one of the most visual hip hop music videos ever made. Trust me, it's something you need to see. Hell, the original video was an even more impressive accomplishment, given their obvious financial limitations at the time of its making. Operation Lock Down only added to the critical acclaim Leflah garnered while also helping to establish Heltah Skeltah as their own entity. More importantly, Operation Lock Down along with the earlier Blah were the very first singles from the BCC not to involve anyone from Da Beatminerz team and yet they still retained the dark Beatminerz sound which most BCC fans fell in love with. Indeed, there was a new production movement in motion to coincide with Duck Down's launch as they looked to expand their reach, which made for some interesting choices behind the boards.

Of course, none of this talk of production and sounds really matters if the MCs weren't dope. And as previously stated, both halves of Heltah Skeltah were ridiculously good. While they both focused on punchlines, the sheer difference in their lyrical approach allowed them to compliment each other very well. You see, the late Husayn Sayyid aka Ruck was effortlessly calculating with his punchlines. And you had to hear them in order to get them, not read them off a piece of paper or a Rap Genius page. On the other hand, Rock was clearly the outlandish half as he was the one who came with lines that instantly jumped out of the speakers at you, while his image being colorful enough to immediately create a lasting impression, and his voice forever being an enemy to monotone. Also, it should be noted that they both shared a distinction with Steele from Smif-N-Wessun  and Black Moon's Buckshot in that they are able to generate incredible chemistry with whoever they step in the booth with.

Let's dig in to Nocturnal, shall we?

INTRO (HERE WE COME)
Heltah Skeltah reach out to the recently-infamous Lord Jamar, who's actually an accomplished producer, along with BCC bandmate Buckshot to immediately set the pace for this entry into BCC lore with a fittingly-dark instrumental. Needless to say, it almost veers into the useless-crap territory that is populated by oh so many rap album intros. But once OGC's Starang Wondah finishes his very essential rambling, Rock swoops in with a one-verse wonder that basically lists the albums tracks for you by borrowing an element from each song whether it be its name, its hook or so on. I dunno, I'm not feeling it but it could've been much worse.

LETHA BRAINZ BLO
Let's get something straight here folks: Mr. Walt and Evil D are barely on this album. Hell, Evil D has only one production on the entire LP. So, the original Beatminerz influence was already waning from Dah Shinin'. Instead, it's teammate Baby Paul who's picking up the pace with the most productions out of any producer on the album with five credits. His first here shows him to be a true student of the Dewgarde brothers as he takes the first few seconds from a Johnny Pate record and crafts a banging beat for Ruck and Rock to tear apart. And do they ever. This duo establishes itself as a tag team worthy of mention alongside legends such as EPMD, Method Man & Redman, Organized Konfusion and their own BCC family Smif-N-Wessun. This track is simply punchlines galore: Rock's "You're sweet as muffins, that mom dukes bake I break/Yeah my Timberlands make everything from your head to your North Lake ache" versus Ruck's "First of all, n****s don't know jack, my flow's fat/So fat, my gat splat at n****s who claim that my shit's wack" Take your goddamn pick. This shit was awesome.

UNDASTAND
To be honest, this song is the first song I gravitated to when I heard Nocturnal in its entirety for the first time. I know, I listened to the full album. Who does that nowadays, right? So, Baby Paul's kind of on a banging run here. This time, he brilliantly chooses Soledad De Murcia, a ripping jazz classic, and samples the first few seconds again. This guy must have a penchant for finding these types of samples. For their part, our duo switch to the '16-16-8-8' formula with each MC once again making it very hard to choose a favorite. A damn fine one-two combo from all parties involved.

WHO DAT?
Buckshot is daringly going for dolo behind the boards on this one. The beat's surprisingly mellow and allows Husayn and Jamal to rip shop with a short eight bars each. This was not bad in the least.

SEAN PRICE (FEATURING ILLA NOYZ)
I know Illa Noyz is Sean's brother and he spits crazy bars on this, but I still can't help but think of this song as a Sean Price solo. The man simply owns the track. He makes the track his personal property. He can sue you for everything you're worth if you trespass on this track or even think of insinuating such a thing. This song marks a first in BCC lore, where a member from an established duo creates an entire market for a solo career with one song, and he's not even alone on the damn thing. Props to Shaleek for one of the most inventive instrumentals of 1996, no exaggeration.

CLAN'S, POSSE'S, CREW'S & CLIK'S
A Beatminer produced this song? A real Beatminer?! I must say that I expected more out of Evil D's beat, but it does its job. Rock and Ruck bring more truckloads of punchlines like rapid fire. Seriously, check these out: Ruck: 'Some may wonder, the evil these two men do/Torment you, lyrical landlord, your fucking rent due' Rock: 'Suplexed your grandpops then like corn I pop shit/You can't flush, fucking with us you're smacked with hock spit'

THERAPY (FEATURING VINIA MOJICA)

I love punchlines. I really do. I mean, just look at the paragraphs above. But one thing about a punchline rapper that might cause him trouble is when he decides to be 'artsy'. Granted, some are more capable than others. For example, with all due respect to dudes like Akinyele. But they haven't shown signs of having an Uncommon Valor performance in them the way RA The Rugged Man (Another punchline hall-of-famer) did. Even if it did come out of fucking nowhere. This is where songs like Therapy come in. Heltah Skeltah have crafted an undeniable classic with a full-blown thesis of ghetto troubles for young males while still retaining their trademark punchlines. This interesting concept is backed with an awesome Baby Paul sampling of Milt Jackson and The Ray Brown Big Band. Two seconds. That's all it took for Baby Paul, in his third outing on the album, to create one of his best beats. I will say that Vinia Mojica's hook is technically proficient if a bit unnecessary. All in all, one of the best things Sean Price has ever done in this game, if not the best.

PLACE TO BE
And now it's back to business as usual. Quick note: Sean/Shawn J. Period impressed the hell out of me with his work on fellow Virginian Skillz' debut From Where??? Dude provided the best beats on that album, which is especially hard when you're up against the likes of Large Professor, J Dilla, Buckwild and the fucking Beatnuts. So anytime I find his name on something again, I immediately check it out. That's how I got into the Artifacts in the first place. Anyway, his work here is more of the same brilliance, providing the perfect backdrop for Husayn and Jamal to spit a 16 each. By now, their wittiness has become a standard that each of them is held at. To clarify, this was deliciously good.

SOLDIERS GONE PSYCO
Baby Paul's back at it once again with the sampling of a certain record's first few seconds. It's Wade Marcus' turn this time. Let me remind you that this is simply not possible if the producer doesn't have a background in DJing. It is what it is. The beat, of course, is fuel enough for Mr. Inflixta and Mr. Flipsta to come correct with yet another '16-16-8-8' punchline display. Good shit here,folks.

THE SQUARE (TRIPLE R) (FEATURING THE REPRESENTATIVZ)
Heltah Skeltah engage in a tag team match with the Representativz, one of which is Rock's younger brother Lidu Rock. (Horrible choice of nickname. Just horrible.) The lyrics by all involved are good, but the beat by the other Representativ Supreme is a steaming barrel of sewage. So much so that it threatens to make me regret ever listening to Nocturnal. It's that bad.

DA WIGGY
Mr. Walt debuts his first of two productions on Nocturnal by combining a menacing Meters bass loop with the famed Strange Games & Things' first three guitar notes. It's wizardry, really. Rock and Ruck cleverly split lyrical duties in a rare structure where first Ruck spits his 16 bars then Rock spits an 8 and they go to hook duties, following it up by Ruck spitting an 8 and Rock ending it with his 16. And the rhymes are fucking good. This is a definite highlight.

GETTIN ASS GETTIN ASS
That is almost ruined by this goddamn skit. I hate to speak less of the dead but Sean already showed us his Dr. Killpatient character on Therapy and it was funnier then. Hell, his motherfucking ad-libs on that song were funnier than this entire skit. That's all I have to say about this particular waste of space. How about we move on, eh?

LEFLAUR LEFLAH ESHKOSHKA (FEATURING O.G.C.)
Ah yes, the famed Fab 5 joint. Baby Paul signs off for the night by looping a Catalyst record. And, you guessed it: He loops the first few seconds. And I wouldn't have it any other way. The Fab 5 effectively remind you of the incredible chemistry between the entire BCC on posse cuts such as this one. Allow me to state that Starang's opening verse is one of the very best in hip hop history. But don't worry, though. The remaining 4 rip shit up just as hard. This might probably be the most famous BCC song, and it would be worthy of such a title. I'm a Headz Ain't Ready type of cat, myself. It's all good, though.

PROWL (FEATURING LOUIEVILLE SLUGGAH)
Mr. fucking Walt is back with a menacing page out of Baby Paul's book by sampling the first few seconds of a Lalo Schifrin record. Now since Starang Wondah and especially Top Dog got some shine on preceding joint Dah Shinin', it's only right that this album dedicates a slot to Barrett Powell bka Louieville Sluggah on their album. Even though it's an incredibly short slot. I'll credit Rock, though, for sounding genuinely thrilled when introducing Louie, who spits only 8 bars. Somehow, these 8 bars do the job and have you wanting to hear more from him. After which Ruck & Rock gallop ahead with the rest of the track, of course. When the dust settled, I ended up loving this song.

GRATE UNKNOWN
Shaleek's back. And I find it interesting that he's in charge of both rappers' solo showcases on the album. Of course, Illa Noyz' verse needs to erase its existence in order for that fact to be 100% accurate but, hey, nobody's complaining. What do you mean, it couldn't even if it wanted to?! Slapstick aside, Shaleek sprinkles a sample from an unknown cover of I Cover The Waterfront by Johnny Green and Edward Heyman to impressive effect on a magnificently weird beat for Rock to spit his solo game. And, just in case anyone had any doubts, he comes correct. It's a damn shame his solo career went nowhere, because he had that charisma that's impossible to fake about him, and he was good at flaunting it.

OPERATION LOCK DOWN
The lead single is the last track on the album? This is some Illmatic type of fuckery right here. So, E-Swift from Tha Alkaholiks is the producer of this song and, by God, was that an inspired choice. His George Benson loop is flawless, and it gives Ruck & Rock enough energy to deliver an equally-flawless tag team performance. The punchlines are a quote a second and the flow is just breathtaking. When you finish this song, you'll feel as if you just finished listening to a prog rock concert. I don't care if I'm pushing it, that is how I feel.

OUTRO

Looks like someone's not quite over that beat yet, as this outro is basically a skit over the Operation Lock Down instrumental. Which is absolutely lame as all fuck. Shame. This album deserved a better ending than this.

FINAL THOUGHTS: What can I say about Sean Price's lyrical talents that hasn't been said already? Especially in the past month. It's so sad that somebody from the underground has to die in order to get coverage and people trying to cash in on his success, so thank God he passed in the midst of family, physically and legally so no one can exploit his immense remaining body of work for their own profit. Every single collaboration Duck Down cook up featuring Husayn later has to pay for his wife and kids' well-being. I have a feeling he would've wanted it that way. I'm also attempting to give his partner Rock his just due, as even in BCC fan circles, he gets slept on heavy. In closing, these two are the perfect punchline tag team and deserves their place in history. Baby Paul, Da Beatminerz and the remaining producers also deserve heavy praise for their accomplishments on this gem of a debut. Especially Baby Paul.

WORTH IT? You goddamn right it is. Go get yourself a slice of punchline wizardry. This remains the finest Sean Price material out there, in my humble opinion.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
BLAH (FAB 5 SONG)
The originally-planned hit which wasn't really a hit. Some dude called Tony Moore produced this gem, where he succeeded in capturing all five members' chemistry together in a brilliant whirlwind of threats, punchlines and thuggery. This is a worthy addition to your BCC collection.

Finally and most importantly, don't ever forget to donate to this link. Support Husayn Sayyid's family, for they are in a desperate time right now. riP!

Explore more from the BCC.

Smif-N-Wessun - Dah Shinin' (January 10, 1995)

In 1993, a certain MC spit the following line: 'These type of tunes got me consumed in a rubber room.'

Ever since the very first time I heard Enta Da Stage by Black Moon: MC's 5ft, Buckshot and DJ Evil D,  I've always found a way to replay many Beatminerz-produced songs again and again. Trust me, my wife's sick to death of it. I might've denied them being the powerful production force that they are at first, because believe it or not, Enta Da Stage was not my first exposure to Da Beatminerz, consisting of real-life brothers Evil D and Mr. Walt. No, I first heard their work on OC's Dangerous, a flossy duet he did with late punchline juggernaut Big L. Back then, I dismissed them as yet another Trackmasters-esque team, and no one has the right to blame me for that misjudgment. Especially if you heard that song. Anyway, I neglected to notice that they had an entire sound prior. A sound that stretched out over the course of four albums prior to Dangerous, specifically 93-96 and beginning with, of course, Enta Da Stage.  And after I'd listened to that album, I was instantly fiending for more.

Now, this time I had already done my research regarding what the Boot Camp Clik actually planned next. And from Da Beatminerz' side, it was very obvious that Evil D and Mr. Walt were gearing up for big things production-wise. For in 1994, Black Moon remixed two of the more popular tracks from their album, Buck Em Down and I Got Cha Opin, while releasing all-new songs, Reality (Killing Every...) and Murder MC's, as b-sides to said remixes. There was something different to their approach this time round. Both brothers were more serious about coming off as professionals, and it truly shows in their work. From samples to cutting to mixing, everything sounded crisper and more refined, contrasting with the uniquely-raw sound of Enta Da Stage. I wanted more. Little did I know I had so much more coming when I figured out that they had planned to make their next project as directors of a hip hop album. The results became Smif-N-Wessun's debut album. This album.

Smif-N-Wessun, Darrell Yates and Tekomin Williams aka General Steele and Tek Smokee Lah respectively aka Mr. Vicksta and Mr. Rippa respectively aka Dred and Bal-head respectively aka Steele and Tek for short, were lifelong friends along with the rest of the Boot Camp. However, their bond to each other as friends transcends your average lifelong friendship in the industry. So much so that according to Tek, Steele taught him how to rhyme, starting with writing his first rhyme. Many respected duos experienced break-ups, beefs, falling-outs and so on, but not these two. Together, they debuted on Enta Da Stage on two songs, both were highlights of the entire album: Black Smif-N-Wessun and U Da Man. Lyrically, the two complimented Buckshot very well with these guest appearances, both even upstaging him on Black Smif-N-Wessun. Of course, given the limited lyrical subject matter prevalent on the rest of the album, that wasn't very hard to do, but still. So, when those three formed the rest of the BCC as a rap collective, it made sense that Smif-N-Wessun would be the next act out the gate. Buckshot called on the service of Team Beatminerz, who've since added two members, Babee Pall & Rich Blak, to their roster, and it was on. Releasing the first single, Bucktown/Let's Git It On, the two patois-obsessed weedheads had a relatively modest underground hit on their hands, so production continued full-speed ahead... And they succeeded in building the very first shitting robot. Think about it. A robot who shits. Brilliant.

All silliness aside, Dah Shinin' rarely gets talked about in hip hop circles anymore. Fuck, it rarely gets talked about in BCC fan circles anymore. Unless it so happens to be the 20th anniversary of said Shinin'. Meanwhile, every once in a while you find a tribute to the Illmatics, the Ready To Dies & especially the Reasonable Doubts of the world. Now, while in no way am I trying to imply that these were even remotely bad albums, I am calling out those fuckers who barrage the internet with absurd, even obscene, claims like, such and such album is "teh goatz". Ditto with rappers, producers & songs. I will always have an issue with this line of thought. Because whether you like it or not, boldly making such statements harms each and every act who put their blood, sweat and tears into their product yet for some reason never reached a wide-enough audience. Bottom fucking line: Grow the FUCK up.

On to the review:

TIMZ N HOOD CHEK
I love that fact that Dah Shinin' mirrors Enta Da Stage in not including an intro. However, my issues with the tracklisting on Enta Da Stage also continue here: The fuckheads at Nervous should've placed the lead single and its b-side as the opening two tracks. Other than that, I'm surprised that Evil D went with such a minimalist approach. I mean, as always, the beat is meticulously crafted from Galt MacDermot source material, but the result almost falls flat on its face. Almost. Steele sets shit off in a manner that forces you to pay attention, with each and every one of his boasts hitting you square in the chest, and you realize you're dealing with a different animal than Buckshot. These dudes are both very big on imagery amid their threat-filled verses. Especially General Steele. He's not my preferred MC out the BCC for nothing.

WREKTIME
Allow me to applaud Da Beatminerz for once again delivering an audio painting of beautiful contrast. You see, by now this team has really come into its own with regards to its unique sound. Mr. Walt's composition on this track demonstrates just that with a very mellow Barbara & Ernie bass loop meshed with incredibly hard Mad Lads drums. The Eric Gale saxophone sample scattered around the track is the icing on the cake. This is not lost on Steele-N-Tek, as they turn in a brilliant verse each, punctuated by an insanely-annoying hook that threatens to blow this song's momentum out the sky with an anime-style laser beam. one of those always depicted to destroy planets and shit. They choose the third verse to debut their twist on the famed back-n-forth style of MCing on the album, pioneered by Run-DMC & perfected by certified legends such as EPMD, Raekwon & Ghostface (RAGU for short) and many others. Of course they had already debuted this style in 1994 on the b-side Let's Git It On, but it's nice that they followed up and stuck to what works here. And I must say, this duo holds up where many similarly-skilled duos failed in that they just sound natural using this style. The first real hit on the album with me.

WONTIME (FEATURING HELTAH SKELTAH)
I take that back. Wrektime is absolute trash compared to this. Mr. Walt, whom from here on out in this review shall be known as Mr. fucking Walt, collaborates with Rich Blak on, by far, the grimiest and most demented beat on this album. Fuck that: It's, by far, the grimiest and most demented beat in the entire BCC's catalog. There is no room for melody here, and Rock delivers a fucking masterpiece of a hook, with Sean Price (RIP) chiming in with one ad-lib: 'One time!' I swear, that ad-lib sounded like one of those voices you saw in a horror cartoon as a child and proceeded to have nightmares about for your entire prepubescent life. However, even with all that, the true centerpiece of this track will always be our two hosts. Both of them. See, very much like other famed hip hop MC duos, one of the members outdoes the other, being the workman of the act, while the other's performances act as somewhat secondary and supporting to the first, even if they both had equal mic time. But, when both MCs fire on all cylinders and throw everything they know about rapping into the song, the result is nothing short of grandiose, and that's precisely what happens here. Steele & Tek launch into a violent, hardcore-imagery-filled performance with the middle verse in particular stealing the show, as it describes some of the more violent aspects of life in jail from the first person. What I loved most about their contribution was how much Tek stepped up and matched Steele blow for blow, which is no easy feat, trust me. This is a damn highlight.

WREKONIZE
Babee Pall's debut, my fellow lonely soul. He too chooses a minimalist approach for this track, although his results fare much better than Evil D's last offering, with his clever looping of a New York Port Authority bass sample. The future Cocoa Brovaz spit a verse apiece filled with descriptive images of stature and loyalty. Nothing could've possibly followed Wontime successfully, but this here makes do with what it has.

SOUND BWOY BUREILL (FEATURING TOP DOG & STARANG WONDAH)

Apparently, people who aren't fans of reggae hate this song and vice versa. I fall in neither category, seeing as I don't listen to reggae all that much and yet I fucking love this song. The whole instrumetal screams dancehall and you really had to see the accompanying video to get a feel of why this song is so loved. Both Beatminerz make it their mission to keep things as simple as possible with their original composition. Our hosts debut two of the three Originoo Gunn Clappaz to assist them, so of course one of them had to be Steele's brother Top Dog. However, it would be Starang Wondah who would turn heads the most, as his punchlines are already at mastery-level with his very first recorded appearance. The lyrics are mostly braggadocious, which fits the dancehall vibe like a glove.

K.I.M.
Mr. fucking Walt is back with another booming production, effectively looping Paul McCartney this time. Our duo launch into another imagery-filled tale of violence. Steele barely edged out his partner, even though Tek came with a dope-ass line about police brutality. Hey, you know who Steele's closest competition from other acts around that time would be? Prodigy from Mobb Deep. The two are so similar in many ways. Both had an incredible talent for descriptive rhymes. Both were clearly the superior MCs in their respective duos. Both dropped early albums in the highly-revered year of 1995, although this is fairly minor. Only difference they have now is the fact that P fell off hard, while Steele somewhat maintains his lyrical sharpness to a degree.

BUCKTOWN (FEATURING TOP DOG)
The debut single. Both Beatminerz produce this classic tune, brilliantly utilizing a four-second Jack Bruce loop. Darrell & Tekomin respectively spit one verse each and combine eight bars each for the final third verse with the now-classic hook following each contribution. This is the only song off this album to carry on the shouting hooks from Enta Da Stage. Speaking of the chorus, I must add that Da Beatminerz directed its performance very impressively indeed. And yes, that's actually Top Dog chanting the final 'Home of the Original Gun Clappers'. It even shows so in the video. Which fits oh so perfectly, as Dashawn just so happens to be an Original Gun Clapper himself. Fancy that.

STAND STRONG
Evil D brings out the big guns by sampling that Isaac Hayes record. Yes, The Look Of Love is upon us. You might even prefer calling it Da Look Uv Luv by this point. Anyways, Steele outclasses Tek by a fairly considerable margin this time, even though Tek wasn't bad at all. There's something to be said about a dude who can effortlessly spit rhymes like: "Will your boys leave you stranded in the midst/Of a battle where you get that ass shattered at your own risk?" and make them connect hard.  Too dope.

SHININ...NEXT SHIT
Evil D brings us a short instrumental, Pete Rock-style, before Mr. fucking Walt comes in and obliterates whatever memory you had of said instrumental with a gorgeous Roland Hanna Trio piano loop. I've heard the original sample and trust me, friend: Mr. fucking Walt elevates that hit to mythical heights. Of course, none of this means anything if the lyrics aren't any good. And, thank God, they are very good. In fact, I'd argue that Steele delivered a career-high performance again. Tek can only do so much. Seriously, Steele blacked out on both verses in an awesome manner. Evil D, you better step up your game heavy.

CESSION AT DA DOGHILLEE (FEATURING BOOT CAMP CLIK)
Which is precisely what Evil D does from hereon with that sweet Bobbi Humphrey flute sample.  This is the BCC's official debut on wax, and one of my favorite things about them is their undeniable chemistry on posse cuts, very similar to a certain Wu-Tang Clan. Every one in the crew who isn't Buckshot spits a verse to claim the title of 'best verse on the shit'. Yeah, that's what it's actually called. What did Buck do in the meantime? Oh, just hook duties. Even if he is the co-founder of the fucking group. Naturally, Steele's final verse outclasses them all but on a more serious note: It has become very painful to listen to Sean set the song off. We truly lost a punchline legend.

HELLUCINATION
Evil D really stepped it up after Mr. fucking Walt's challenging feats on Next Shit. This Minnie Riperton audio note is a fucking masterclass in sampling, as D lays the foundation for the duo's attempt at story time. I haven't noticed this until recently, but Tek-N-Steele weave a detailed plot-driven story on wax. It has it all: Moods swinging, violent imagery, and the whole. I guess the lyrics were alright but the beat was what carried me through, no question.

HOME SWEET HOME
Babee Pall is back after a lengthy absence. His Roy Ayers sample is interesting in many ways, as for some reason I get the feeling that this song was the blueprint for everything else on the album.  Maybe I'm wrong, who knows? Anyways, the resulting beat is appropriately dark and our duo come up with a pretty good ode to their hometown, one filled with death left & right.

WIPE YA MOUF (FEATURING BUCKSHOT)
Our final Babee Pall composition for the album is unfortunately utilized the worst, as our two hosts pick this song to dis the shit out of the 'dickriders' of the world. You would think that this would be conducted in a manner that would command respect, but they come off ignorant as shit. The whole concept of 'dickrider' is me as a fan gobbling up everything you do and not calling you out on your bullshit, right, Smif-N-Wessun? Well, I am not one of those fuckers. I will tell you what it is if I ain't feeling it. And this shit should've been left on the cutting room floor. Matter of fact, it shouldn't have ever left either one of your minds. I feel sorry for Babee Pall's wasted effort in piecing together the Ahmad Jamal beat. It deserved more.

LET'S GIT IT ON
Thankfully, the next song on the list is the b-side to the 1994 lead single. This shit right here, again, should've followed Bucktown as the opening two tracks of the album. Anyways, this marks another Beatminerz tag team, and the results are absolutely glorious. These two turn an extremely upbeat Mandrill sample into the most sinister theme your nightmares ever heard. And the fucking flute and keyboard samples amplify the sense of dread that creeps over you just before Smif-N-Wessun step to the mic and spit their shit. And I said Smif-N-Wessun for a damn reason. This is the aforementioned real debut of the duo's back-n-forth style, and it sounds even better here. They just descend from that cloth of versatile MCs who respect the fucking craft and it shows, believe me. Another smash hit.

P.N.C. INTRO
Really, guys? You'll throw an intro in now?!

P.N.C.
Evil D goes for delf on the final cut, preceded by a useless intro where Steele spits a rhyme that he would later use on the same goddamn song. I mean, why? Anyway for the swan song of this monolithic album, D loops a very fitting One Way sample that set the somber mood just right. Steele shines brightly here, outclassing his still-impressive P.N.C. to the degree that I guarantee his voice being the one you remember the most when thinking about this album. There was no way to end this album better than this.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Something has to be said about Da Beatminerz dictating the creative direction of this album. Today, both brothers will tell that out of the first four out the gate, this album was the most difficult of the bunch. But boy, did it pay off. Tek and especially Steele grow out of Black Moon's shadow very early on while slipping up only twice. Granted, they were a skit and a horrible, awkward fucking song but still. Dah Shinin' set off a definite landmark year in hip hop's history, and I'm proud to say they did it with class. Except when they recorded Wipe Ya Mouf.

WORTH IT? Anybody who loves the BCC, or good-ass hip hop for that matter, and knows this album yet thinks lesser of it should kick themselves in the nuts. Right now, please. What if you don't have nuts, you ask? You'll figure something out. For those who're exposed to this musical oddyssey for the first time: This album's essential status cannot be contested.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
WREKONIZE (REMIX)
Apparently the internet is confused as to who actually produced this shit, whether Babee Pall or Steele. The Grover Washington source material is so unorthodox for these two that it surprisingly works very well, coupled with the duo giving eight bars each in the first two sixteens, with the final verse being that tag-team flow they've perfected by now. Their subject matter is basically their tribute to the Native Tongues messages. And I must say that I am all for that type of music in my collection.

HEADZ AIN'T READY
The credited debut of the Boot Camp Clik. Produced by both Beatminerz, this first appeared on the New Jersey Drive Vol. 2. Its remix popped up on the unofficial 1996 Black Moon compilation Diggin' In Dah Vaults and, again, the internet can't seem to make up its mind whether Buckshot or Da Beatminerz made the beat. I personally prefer the earlier version, even though the latter has like two extra bars each from Starang and Louie. This is unquestionably my favorite BCC song for the simple fact that it's the only song released during the period where the Clik relied heavily on Da Beatminerz to provide that dark sound, and the BCC simply shined the most when combined with that special sound. Again, their chemistry as a group here is only rivaled by the best Wu posse cuts. This is another song you simply must acquire. That's a wrap.

I got some more BCC fo' yo' ass.

Black Moon - Enta Da Stage (October 19, 1993)

I dedicate this next run to the memory of the late great Sean Price.

The first time I've ever come across anything remotely concerning any act in the Boot Camp Clik's vast history was me confusing Buckshot, real name Kenyatta Blake, with Buckshot LeFonque, a collaboration between DJ Premier and saxophone genius Branford Marsalis. Quick Wikipedia check later, I find Buckshot's claim to prominence: His lifelong membership into legendary hip hop group Black Moon consisting of Kaseem Reid, nicknamed 5ft The Accelerator (truly inspired, good sir) and Ewart Dewgarde, nicknamed DJ Evil D. Of course, I didn't know if these guys were legendary or not.

There are quite a few reasons why I say legendary, mostly related to this very album here. We'll see if that branding is justified later in the review, but for now, let's admire the iconic album cover above, achieving such status via simplicity alone. The wonders a forgotten stain on Evil D's jacket can do.  So, these three hook up with Nervous Records through Chuck Chillout and proceed to sign one of the absolute worst contracts in the history of this rap game: They sign over the rights to their own fucking name. Which might explain why there has not been another Black Moon album for the longest. Nervous, apparently happy with the robbery, gives them the green light to make a lead single, resulting in Who Got Da Props. Obviously, it created enough buzz for them to commission the group for a full album.

During that time, Buckshot struck up a relationship with one of the few dudes from Nervous who actually cared about the musicians and put their best interests at heart. AND he was a Jewish snotty-nosed whiteboy, go figure. That person turned out to be Andrew Friedman, affectionately nicknamed Dru-Ha by the group, who is currently Buckshot's partner at the Duck Down empire. Dru-Ha's relationship with Buck would become so deep that he would appear on a song from the actual album and would be referenced in multiple BCC hits later on. Thick & thin 'n all.

When it came to album time, all the chips were set but one: Evil D was the real-life younger brother of a then-Music Factory employee named Mr. Walt. Apparently, Walt was so famous that Ed Lover bigged him up heavy when Black Moon did one of their Yo MTV Raps appearances. Walt & Evil D formed their famed production team Da Beatminerz just around that time. Da Beatminerz would form their very own sound that would continue for multiple albums starting with their very first credited production: The second single, How Many MCs. What was that sound, you asked? I'll talk about it in the review, duh.

Before that, though, let me highlight a certain aspect some might find off-putting: The entire BCC has a certain fetish for misspelling words in their artistic output. Be it their songs, albums and even their names. First example? I dunno, Enta Da Stage? I can only imagine what a collaboration between them, Onyx & the Def Squad would look like. They'd probably name it 'Def Bal Clik Prezens: Conekshun - Da Album' or some shit. This misspelling thing? You'll be seeing a lot more of that. Truss.

Speaking of BCC, Buckshot would also round up quite the bunch of his homies, who would form the members of the group, starting with Tekomin Williams, nicknamed Tek (another inspired nickname) and his partner Darrell Yates, nicknamed Steele. Both called themselves Smif-N-Wessun, which was a very stupid choice as I'll explain later on. I will explain, I promise. Now go suck on some yoghurt (Important note: Apparently Steele by himself was the crew's rhyming mentor, yet Buckshot got signed first. Don't believe me? Check the VladTV video where Sean P (RIP) mentions his favorite rappers.) Moving along with crewmembers Dashawn Yates, Steele's lil' bro aka Top Dog aka Top Dog Big Kahuna, (I know, right?) Barrett Powell aka Louieville Sluggah, Jack McNair aka Starang Wondah, Jamal Bush aka Rock & the aforementioned Sean Price aka Ruck. These 5 called themselves the Fab 5 and were due a debut album called Without The Freddy (clever) but Dru-Ha, in his infinite wisdom, decided against releasing it and split them into their original two groups: Ruck & Rock were Heltah Skeltah & the rest were OGC. Oh, you want to know what OGC stands for, huh? OK. It's, brace yourself, Originoo Gunn Clappaz. I am not bullshitting. I've gone into the Boot Camp Clik long enough. Back to the review:

POWAFUL IMPAK!
In retrospect, Buck's opening statement was an unspoken slogan for the entire BCC mission in rap. And, believe me, he earns his keep. For Kenyatta raps for delf on ten of the fourteen songs on this album. The moment the beat kicks in, you hear a Thriller U sample that was mixed so well you believe it was made for the damn song. Props to Da Beatminerz for making a killer loop from that Jean-Jacques Perrey joint. As mentioned, Buck gives us his mission statement for the album: I am superior to you in every way and I will fuck you up. It's one thing to include violent content mindlessly. But when you include punchlines that are this good, that shit's elevated to an art form. A true showcase of a proper marriage between beats and rhymes with one goal: feeling the 'impak' in your chest. Props for not including the obligatory rap album intro.

N***Z TALK SHIT
It's the small things that make a song work. This song might not be as extravagant as the previous one, but fuck me if that Miles Davis looped baseline wasn't an awesome touch. Buck gets right down to business, opening up another page of his punchline book. Although, I will state that the misogyny gets very old very fast. A nice followup.

WHO GOT DA PROPS?
Ah yes. The one that started it all. I honestly feel pissed off about these albums' structuring, because it's not like they were intricately thought-out concept records. So why in the fuck aren't Who Got Da Props & How Many MCs the first two joints on here? No disrespect to both previous songs, but my proposition just makes sense to me. What do you mean, I show signs of OCD?! In all seriousness, the rhymes here show us just how much raw talent Buckshot had as an MC: he says in an interview that his flow is very amateurish here and says so as if it was a bad thing. I disagree, though, Buck. I think the status of these rhymes is elevated more and more through every passing year because they were easy to follow. Now, it's hard for me to read about all the legendary 20-year rap groups and their accomplishments and not associate Black Moon with them, and the rhymes on this song are the genesis of why that is. By the way, Evil D, in his third solo production of the evening, (Why does it have to be an evening? Why can't it be a 'morning'? Or afternoon? Or, hell, why can't it be noon itself?) hooks us up with that Ronnie Laws loop. Simple yet genius. This earned the lead single status and is a bonafide classic that you need to hear immediately if you haven't yet done so.

ACK LIKE U WANT IT
I find it fitting that the very first Beatminerz production we hear after How Many MCs would be a duet between both MCs in the group. By now, you've already been accustomed to Buckshot's voice, but no matter how many songs you hear dude on nor how many times you hear said songs, you will never, and I mean never, get used to 5ft's brash-yet-squeaky voice. It always detracts from his rhymes, which are admittedly impressive. Anyway, here both MCs show enough chemistry to overlook that particular slight. For their part, Da Beatminerz craft a bass loop from Lee Michaels that's very fine work indeed, with a Tyrone Washington saxophone loop layed perfectly on it when the hook comes in. Speaking of the hooks on this album, the whole shouting crowd hook phenomenon? Dates way back since 1987. And it was popularized by Naughty By Nature and driven to unfathomable heights by Onyx. So, I don't get the whole "Black Moon started the shouting hook" thing. Unless I'm missing something, then leave a comment below and tell me what it is.

BUCK EM DOWN
A Donald Byrd sample, turned absolutely haunting by Evil D, acts as the calm to the hook's storm. One of the best hooks ever written by Black Moon, to be honest, and yet this version always sounded like they were shouting 'Bucktown!' instead. Anyway, Buckshot seems to be trying extra hard to come off as a thug here, as his subject matter here is essentially the various aspects of the 'I will fuck you up' life. If that makes any sense. Oh well, I enjoyed his flow and passionate delivery here, so this gets a pass from me. There's a remix out there with slightly altered lyrics to fit radio airplay. I would like to commend the entire BCC for finding a way to still convey their ruggedness in their clean versions, thereby silencing the fuckheads at Nervous. Bravo, fellas.

BLACK SMIF-N-WESSUN (FEATURING SMIF-N-WESSUN)
Evil D finds an exquisite Ahmad Jamal loop and turns it on its head with the patois sample at the beginning, where you know you're in for some shit. As you can read above, this is the official debut of rap duo Smif-N-Wessun, where Tek sets shit off with a rhyme that Steele may or may not have written for him. In any case, it sounds really good. Buckshot then sweeps in with a punchline rap filled with violence and sexual imagery, which left a bad taste in my mouth and almost ruined the track for me. That is until Steele closes the song with a definite contender for the best verse on the album. I will stop hiding the fact that Steele is my favorite MC outta the BCC right about...

SON GET WREC
Evil D, oh Evil D. Why did you have to slip up on this track? The Brother Jack McDuff and Season Of The Witch samples don't really mesh, even though they're technically crafted well. And there's that nagging issue of 5ft's fucking voice. It's like one of those weasels from Who Framed Roger Rabbit suddenly decided he wanted to make an East Coast rap record and in a misguided attempt to sound slimier than usual, he made the inspired decision to drink a ton of root beer just before the recording session. Alright, OK, rant over. Can't fault the rhymes nor the hook for at least trying. Next!

MAKE MUNNE
A prevalent KRS-One sample immediately grabs your ears even before your digest the rest of the beat. This is meant as a compliment to Mr. Walt's ear, in his very first production role by himself. His choice of an Alyson Williams R&B record for a sample was a stroke of genius, as the note heard in the beginning of the loop somehow validates the rest of the beat. Buckshot recognizes this, of course, as he delivers an impassioned performance about making money. Very nice.

SLAVE
This is one of the most ambitious songs on this here album, by far. Buckshot delivers an almost-song-length metaphor about an MC's role in the industry. If you only knew what was gonna happen to you later on, Buck, you'd have so much more ammo. Evil D is out for redemption, trying to one-up his older brother with a retooling of a 9th Creation sample that fits the theme like a glove. This was pretty awesome.

I GOT CHA OPIN
This cut received a fair amount of new publicity almost two years ago when a certain megastar, who almost signed to Duck Down in the late 90's, released a cover version of it. Everybody suddenly started to appreciate Black Moon's genius, and I ask: Where the fuck were all these dick-riders before Eminem released Don't Front?! I will say that Eminem wasn't the first one to cover the damn song, as Busta's Flipmode Squad released a pseudo-sequel called We Got U Opin (Part 2) with a slightly-tweaked beat that also featured Buckshot on the hook and contributing a verse. Anyways, the original here by Mr. Walt features a masterful combining of a Ten Wheel Drive loop with soundbites from Odwalla and Jimbrowski sprinkled all over the track. Buck delivers a performance that mirrors the earlier Slave in opening one of the clearest windows into the rapper's world as an MC, but this time, he's showing gratitude to his success while flipping off the naysayers, turning this into a winning number. Black Moon would release a 'remix' only a year later. Honestly, it wasn't a remix as it was a full-blown re-imagining that featured an entirely different beat and brand new rhymes, the beat this time featuring a very prominent Barry White record, which was flipped by both Beatminerz. For his part, Buck delivers very different lyrics about the exact same subject matter, which might sound easy on paper but when you actually hear it, you'll recognize Buck's effort, no question. Both this song and its remix are absolute hip hop staples.

SHIT IZ REAL
Here Evil D goes again, trying to compete with his brother, both delivering some of the best work in their respective careers, so far. Here, D opens up with a John Klemmer sax solo followed by that Faze-O sample. Which was unrecognizable, because D shortened his loop just enough for the sample to go unrecognized. Excellent work, D! Midway through the song, you hear a certain surprising guest ad-libbing for Black Moon and I'm interested in how they hooked up with, of all people, Havoc from Mobb Deep. Back to Buckshot's lyrics: Here, he takes the chance to flex his braggadocio muscles again, and the lyrics, while very technical, don't hit home and connect with the beat because of the subject matter. These lyrics deserved a hard-ass beat and Evil D made a mistake pairing up his masterful beat with these particular lyrics. I call it like I see it.

ENTA DA STAGE
Encircled by the excellent Alice Coltrane loop, Fredro Starr's voice is another surprise on this album. All of Black Moon would consider this as one of the signature songs of this album, and I am inclined to agree. Lyrically, Buckshot basically mentions all of his team's 'hit' records amidst more of his regular shit-talking, so whether that's a good thing or not is entirely up to you.

HOW MANY MCS...
This Grover Washington sample is an automatic rush for me, and this song is to blame. Buckshot delivers another braggadocio performance but what's different this time is his imagery. Dude takes a page from monotone greats like Guru and Rakim, thereby elevating this song into a downright classic. And again I ask: Why in the seven blue fucks isn't this the second song of the album, seeing as this was the second single and was released months prior?

U DA MAN (FEATURING DRU-HA, HAVOC & SMIF-N-WESSUN)
True story: Sean Price (RIP) once told a fan that Dru-Ha had a solo album in the works. But the really funny and hilarious fact is how Dru got away with saying the N word, being Jewish n'all. (My honest opinion is that this word should never be used again. By any race. However, I'm also very aware that I live on Earth, not shoe-in land.) Anyways, Havoc from Mobb Deep finally makes good on his appearance earlier, with a verse that could've fit snugly on Juvenile Hell. And I mean that as very high praise indeed. Smif-N-Wessun follow through with a blistering contribution, especially from Steele. But, I'll have to admit, Buckshot's toasting stole the song for me. On a final note, I must say that this song's awesome drums aren't enough to cover its incompatibility with the Keni Burke sample. The remix, however, suffers from no such problem, as Evil D's loop is a fucking classic.

FINAL THOUGHTS

This album was overlooked in its heyday, and in many ways, it still is. No matter how much success Duck Down experiences, this album can always get more shine, if only on the strength of how sonically groundbreaking it was. Seriously, Da Beatminerz are the true stars of the show most of the time, elevating Buckshot with their wizardry behind the boards to new lyrical heights, even if he might be painfully lacking in subject matter to some. Not taking anything away from Buck as an MC but this rarely swings the other way around. Apologies to 5ft, but I've never understood why he hasn't made more appearances on his own group's debut album. I mean, it could be worse. He could've been the Masta Killa of a three-man group, but this is basically a Buckshot album fully produced by Da Beatminerz, as is the case with the two follow-up albums.  But yeah, this album is very much a fucking classic.

WORTH IT? Um. You kinda need this in your collection if you ever want to look good in front of those fucking hipsters who are simply fans of only the obscurest of pretentious bullshit that passes for rap music these days. Or, you can pretend you've lost all sense of reason and go listen to Fetty Wap. Your choice, really.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN
REALITY (KILLING EVERY...)
In a rare twist, Evil D and Mr. Walt surrender production duties to a William Rosario, whose production sounds like he did the best Beatminerz imitation of all time, with a Quincy Jones loop meshing beautifully with the Roy Ayers sample, resulting in a beat so atmospheric you'll have no choice but absorb every rhyme that comes out of Buckshot's mouth as he launches into yet another nut-grabbing performance. I get it. Not everybody's a fan. But, weirdly enough, Buckshot's material from this period is getting even more popular right now than it was before.

MURDER MC'S
As the Donald Byrd sample subsides, Buckshot takes the rare route (for him) and injects the bookending verses with imagery that has to be heard to be fully appreciated, while pretty much going through the motions in the middle verse. Awfully nice of him, as the Evil D beat is a meticulously-chosen Lee Michaels loop that shows how focused him and his brother were at the time. Why I say at the time? Because Da Beatminerz, like every legendary production act, were never bulletproof. They have their fair share of stinker beats. Fin.

Head towards some more BCC now.

A Quick Update

I've been thinking about my situation regarding my review format.

While I still feel very strongly about sticking to certain discographies once I start reviewing them, I have come to the realization that I haven't specifically stated that once I finish with a certain selection of a movement's discography, I can't go back to another selection. Therefore, I'll rectify the matter by saying that I might divide some of my movement selections due to their sheer length. For example, if I choose to review Wu-Tang albums, I might review the albums from the 5-year plan, then review the first four Boot Camp Clik albums, then come back and review the 2nd round of Wu solos, and so forth. That way, I'm still consistent with myself and my output. Keep in mind that these runs might consist of simply three reviews apiece at times.

Thanks for reading!

Cormega - The Testament (planned release: September 1, 1998; actual release: February 22, 2005)

So, tell me if you heard this one before: This is a story about a rapper who was fucked over by the industry. Thought so.

OK, so first there was this dude called Marley Marl. He was a DJ. He was from Queensbridge. He rolled with a bunch of rappers from there. To name a few: MC Shan, Craig G, MC Poet (nka Blaq Poet) and Tragedy. That last dude influenced a lot of similar-minded QB MCs, including one who called himself Nas. That last dude would release his debut, Illmatic, in 1994. It would cause many perfectly sane people who are either fans of hip hop music or contributors to that very genre to lose their shit on a regular basis at exactly how good it was as far as albums go. On that hip hop landmark, Nas would write a song called One Love, produced by Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest, which would be imitated to the end of time, as it's basically a letter to incarcerated loved ones. Nas drops a line in One Love that goes: 'What up with Cormega? Did you see him? Are y'all together?

Naturally, back then nobody knew who this Cormega person was. So, hip hop nerds went crazy looking for any info on him. Turned out that a dude who went by the name Cory McKay did some pretty impressive spitshine-cleaning in various grocery stores as Cormega. The store owner told him not to spitshine the vegetables numerous times, but Cormega McKay absolutely insisted on doing so. 'What would I tell Mommy?' was his excuse. So, the store owner fired little Cormy and kicked him out in the street, telling him in a fit of anger to go be someone useless, like a rapper or something.

Little did he know.

Cormy took those words to heart and began writing like crazy. Thereby appearing on DJ Hot Day's debut album, then Phd's debut album. (Phd is the aforementioned Blaq Poet's group. The first of several.) By the time the masses heard the second Cormega appearance on wax, he had become a local rap superhero. Unfortunately however, Mega got himself locked up for armed robbery and did 4 years time. The Nas shoutout was during said jail time, so by the time he was released, a shitload of people knew who he was. Naturally, the two became steadfast friends after he recognized this. They would later form a supergroup with Brooklynites AZ & Foxy Brown and call it The Firm. You know. Because mafioso stereotypes weren't rampant enough back then. The Firm, including Cory, would appear on Nas' second album, It Was Written, and later sign with a certain West Coast producer named Dr. Dre and his then-fledgling label Aftermath. In the midst of all this, Mega was signed as a solo artist to the grandaddy of all labels, Def Jam. All seemed to be good in Cormy's life.

Keyword: seemed. Following Cormy's refusal to sign a bullshit contract with Steve Stoute, Steve-O would launch an extensive campaign to blackball Mega throughout the entire industry, beginning with kicking him out of The Firm and replacing him with an MC with zero prior history with the remaining Firmmates. Some dude called Nature. Cormy blew a gasket, of course. So much so that it affected his own solo deal with Def Jam in the middle of his solo debut album's crafting process. By the time he finished it and called it The Testament, his relationship with Def Jam and his then-manager, the late Chris Lighty, had soured irreparably. Def Jam then gave him his second kickout in his career and shelved his intended debut. All seemed to be over in Cormy's career life.

Keyword: seemed. Mega would gather his act together, found an independent label called Legal Hustle, release his 2nd debut The Realness and become one of the forefathers of the fledgling hip hop independent scene, and would establish a career that is still going pretty damn strong now. He would find enough success to enable him to buy his original shelved debut and release it in its unaltered form. These types of albums usually come with much fanfare, and truthfully? Not all of it's justified. You're reading this review to see if this album earns it, though. Am I right or am I right? Thought so.

I must confess: My love for Nas' artistic output so far has initially caused me to dislike Cormega. But, after listening to his numerous collabs with people such as Large Professor & the Wu, I gradually warmed up to his work. I officially became a fan of his when I heard his album Born & Raised. He has simply grown so much as an MC during his career. Add that with the fact that, while not perfect, he has a fairly good ear for beats.

What better place to start diving into this dude's material than his debut? It's readily available, so it shouldn't be a problem if you decide it's worth your time. Let's go.

INTRO

Cormy starts his tradition of opening up albums with rhymes to an instrumental with no beat here. Cory is, without question, one of the better writers of introspective rhymes. As such, this was when he still didn't have a good grip on that aspect of his lyrics, so this falls flat.

62 PICKUP

Cormy starts his career out with a beat produced by himself? Pretty risky. Unfortunately it doesn't pay off as his one-verse wonder, while sound, doesn't mesh with the whimsical beat at all. The waste of good lyrics will only annoy you. I know it did me.

ONE LOVE

RNS, a Wu-Tang affiliated producer, backs Mega's reply to Nas' shoutout with a decent instrumental. You knew Cormy was gonna write this, obviously. And honestly, it speaks volumes about the depth of Nas and Mega's on-off friendship that he still kept this on his album, even though they were beefing at the time. Plus, the rhymes on here match Nas' original extremely well. I loved this song.

INTERLUDE

Cormy also starts his tradition of acapella verses here. Unlike some of his later iterations, this was pretentious as all fuck.

ANGEL DUST (FEATURING HAVOC)

Featuring Havoc as a rapper on a song he didn't produce completely mystifies me. Especially when he's relegated to hook duties. Furthermore, having Prodigy shout Mega out uncredited adds only to the frustration, which should be settling in quite nicely as you're reading this. However, Sha Money XL (whom I never knew was a producer, in all honesty) brings our host a cinematic beat that would've fit on The Infamous & Hell On Earth, and Cory definitely adds to the comparison by spitting thuggery that would've fit perfectly on said albums, as well. This wasn't bad. I honestly feel like he's pushing the limits to what he can do with mafioso imagery, though. He needs a concept, fast.

DEAD MAN WALKING

Right on cue! This was one of Mega's best-known songs, simply for the fact that he actually performed it regularly live back in 1998 on the Survival Of The Illest tour with DMX, Onyx & Def Squad. This song is a classic hip hop revenge tale with the details interwoven by Mega making this song a must-hear. It doesn't hurt that the instrumental by DJ Hot Day & Jae Supreme fits the rhymes like a glove. This was intense.

MONTANA DIARY

A continuation of Angel Dust. And this time, the hook ruins the entire song. I told you Mega was running out of gas.

TESTAMENT

Or is he? This Dave Atkinson production bangs appropriately in a way we haven't heard yet on this album so far, and it influences Cormy to step up his imagery & flow schemes to admirable heights. Nicely done, indeed. By the way, this version of the song does not contain any type of diss towards Nas. It's pretty damn annoying to see people interpret lyrics that were never intended to mean anything because of simple personal agendas.

TESTAMENT (ORIGINAL)
This is the version Nas haters should be looking for, as it contains a brief-yet-clear dig at Mega's former friend. The beat and many of the rhymes are the same, though.

EVERY HOOD (FEATURING HUSSEIN FATAL)

Even though Cory's first verse is scorching hot, everything else about this song's execution is absolutely repulsive. No matter how much you try, Cormy. If you don't have chemistry with another rapper, you just don't. Stop trying to force that shit down my fucking throat. All joking aside, RIP Hussein Fatal. My deepest condolences go out to his family & friends.

COCO BUTTER

An even worse song where Cormy's feeble attempt at love-rapping falls flat on its hideous, Deadpool-ugly-ass face once he decides to compare his infatuation with a certain boo to various drug-dealing imagery. Fuck this song.

KILLAZ THEME (FEATURING MOBB DEEP)

Many Mobb Deep & Cormega fans are already familiar with this song. Doesn't change the fact that this song is trademark Mobb Deep in its awesomeness. Many fans also know that the Mobb & Cormy were confused between this song and Mobb Deep's What's Ya Poison as to who would take which song. I wish the Mobb would've taken this song, because I feel it's a better showcase for Prodigy, while What's Ya Poison showcases Mega better.

LOVE IS LOVE

This composition by Nashiem Myrick, sampling the same exquisite Ohio Players song as Killah Priest's overrated B.I.B.L.E., brings out a side in Cormega that would be very thoroughly and beautifully fleshed out later in his career: Introspection regarding hood life. Whether it be the innocent, the dealers and people who share his current position in life, Cormega drops jewels in a way that has since made fans out of absolute legends such as the late Guru, Chuck D & PMD of EPMD, among many more. And with good reason, too, as his rhymes here are brilliant. This was a highlight, no fucking doubt.

DEAD MAN WALKING (REMIX)

Utilizing a slightly different take on the same beat as the original, Cormega presents to the listener the sequel to this story. He describes going to his victim's funeral and the thoughts going through his head while doing so. The attention to detail matches, if not eclipses, the original, which is pretty awesome. And we're done.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

Obviously, Mega shows without question that he's an MC of talent. However, it's my belief that had this album been released on its intended 1998 date, Cormy's career would still be the exact same as it is now. The album as it stands is pretty hit or miss, as would be the case for most of Cory's subsequent releases. The highs, however, are definitely must-hears. Mega reaches heights that can only be reached by MCs who deserve to be called such. Even some of the bad songs that aren't worth your time aren't horrendously bad. That classification only fits two songs here.

WORTH IT? Pretty much. You are guaranteed more than a few songs of sheer enjoyment, and most of the rest won't truly piss you off. The album is worthy of being in your collection. You still don't want it? Then why in the fuck did you read the whole goddamn review?! Go spread your negative energy somewhere else, it's not welcome here. What do you mean, I'm being negative too? Are you crazy?

For more Cormega, check here.

Capone-N-Noreaga - The War Report (June 17, 1997)

I am going through a shit time in my life, man. Give me a break.

In the hip-hop world, though, some different type of shit went down. Sean Price, member of legendary Brooklyn collective Boot Camp Clik as one-half of punchline duo Heltah Skeltah, and one-third of Random Axe, passed away in his sleep. If you're not familiar with his music, leave this page now and check out his Heltah Skeltah material and work your way up to his solo shit. I guarantee that you'll be blown away. Sean Price was an example of true dedication to the craft of MCing while staying true to himself, and I'm so sad I didn't get to sit down and have a deep conversation with him in his lifetime. RIP Ruck. Your punchlines and hilarious video skits will be missed. My deepest condolences go out to your family and friends.

Sean's always admirable approach to his profession always reminded me of another OG in the game: Tragedy, coincidentally one of our subjects for this evening. Now I don't want to run the risk of disrespecting a legend like Sean P by merely mentioning him in another group's review but it is my honest belief that if I focus on spreading good hip hop out there, I'm actually paying tribute to what Ruck stood for in his art: good hip hop. After releasing his sophomore effort Saga Of A Hoodlum in 1993, Percival Chapman the Fourth of Queensbridge, known in bowling alleys nationwide as the Intelligent Hoodlum yet secretly competed in juggling festivals under the aforementioned name Tragedy, found the critical and commercial reception lacking (despite the undisputed fact that it was a work of art) and decided, albeit for a minuscule period of time, that he didn't have what it takes to continue his chosen career path as an MC in the treacherous world of the music industry. Which so happened to coincide with the sudden dominance of a few fellow QB artists who were heralded as spiritual successors of his, some whom he even trained personally. You might know of them. Nas? Mobb Deep? Thought so.

So, our protagonist began entertaining the familiar 'Hey, I might actually be worth something after all in this game.' dialogues normally associated with such situations, leading into him beginning a different campaign in pursuit of hip hop glory and riches. Mostly riches, but glory's kinda nice. He went through his bowling buddies notebook (because nobody had cellular phones that could save more than a gajillion contacts with the easiest of ease back then. I think.) and found a certain Kiam Holley, who called himself Capone, truthfully one of the most unimaginative rap names imaginable in a mafioso-rap-saturated market. Numerous attempts as a duo yielded failure after failure, pushing Tragedy to look for another person to fill in as hype-man and add a little something more to the group. This time he went to fellow looking glass enthusiast Victor Santiago, who for some reason kept yelling Noreaga in his sleep so much that his folks started calling him that very name. It is of note that Noreaga was NOT from QB last I checked, thank you. Conveniently enough, both he and Capone choose this most opportune time to get themselves locked up. I'm guessing Tragedy might've been a tad miffed, but somehow they turned this into the best thing to happen to them at that time. See, the two snots didn't really click with each other until the shared jail time and by the time they got out, the two were inseparable. Corny enough to be a movie, really.

By this stage, Capone had already heeded Tragedy's tutelage and became a full-fledged MC. Unlike Noreaga, who was still struggling to lose an idiotic trait of his that would plague him fairly consistently throughout his own career: Many a time comes when the motherfucker simply refuses to flow. Inspectah Deck, Victor Santiago was not. However by then, Tragedy seemingly had enough of his bullshit. He most likely slapped him upside his fucking head a good one and knocked some sense into him. Hey, at least it kept him in check for this album, right? Or maybe it was Mr. Holley inexplicably getting himself locked up again, thereby forcing Mr. Santiago to step up and take his profession seriously, to the utter relief of Mr. Chapman the Fourth. The incarceration of Capone also led to the The War Report getting pushed back a full two years, which was a big deal back then as the hip hop climate was rife with change. Some was good, some was Diddy & Big Willie.

So now that Trag mobilized his forces, (You know. Aside from Pone thrown in the slammer again, of course.) Only two things remained on the agenda: 1. Acquiring some production suitable for his grand vision. 2. Forming a distinctive identity for this group.

I'll let the review talk about the first one while I address the second, for it is much more important to me seeing as I am a resident of the Arab World, and have been so for quite some time now: I personally find it incredibly ignorant, maybe even downright insulting at times, to imploy numerous Arab countries, phrases & ideals in a context of turmoil & thuggery as a metaphor for something as trivial as survival in the music industry or as a measurement of skill in the art form. Number one reason as to why is that I adamantly disagree with the stereotype that the entirety of this part of the world is in constant conflict is because read a book about these people, motherfucker. A book that serves no agenda whatsoever. Trust me, you'll quickly find one. Magic of Google 'n'all. Two: That fucking Arab terrorist image. Aren't you just SICK of going down this particular road? I know hundreds of Arabs here who, quite literally, only know of guns through the movies they watch or the video games they play. Also, statistics say that those terrorists rightly vilified in some media outlets are mostly of non-Arab origin, yet the media only focus on the Arabs in those situations. We all know that terrorism is inhumane but the focus should be on disassociating these criminals from ALL of humanity. Tragedy, you lost a lot of points in my book for that one. I get the 5% Nation babble & shit, but keep those thoughts about this place to yourself, thank you. And by the way: I know that's why you chose the name Khadafi and all but, seriously, the man was not the rebel the West perceived him to be. And, given the way he died, maybe it's time you took the path of your disciple Noreaga and change your name to Afi or some crap. Tragedy Afi, huh? Could work. You know what? Just stick to Tragedy, man.

I've digressed this album into the fucking concrete, apparently.

INTRO

...

BLOODY MONEY

EZ Elpee struck up an often fruitful partnership with Tragedy and his cronies (Well, namely one crony: Nore.) in 1997, starting with this very record. Nore sets the tone forthe rest of the album admirably, meshing well with EZ Elpee's now-signature piano looping, this time sampling from Philadelphia Morning, an instrumental from the classic Rocky OST composed by the legendary Bill Conti. This was proper in all the right ways as Nore sounds pretty convincing throughout.

DRIVER'S SEAT (FEATURING IMAM T.H.U.G. & BUSTA RHYMES)

Nashiem Myrick from Diddy's merry band of Hitmen scores a duet between Nore and Imam THUG, a nickname that does NOT compute in my part of the world, believe me. Imam was briefly one half of the Iron Sheiks along with this project's mastermind Tragedy, one which produced an absolute must-have in Trag's catalogue, Illuminati. Simply because Tragedy sounds like he's rediscovering his hunger for rhyming mid-fucking-song, which is awesome. This song? It moves things along, I guess. And Busta's cameo at the end infuriates me, because Busta: You’re supposed to rhyme on this shit, motherfucker!

STICK YOU

Capone & Tragedy's very first outing on this album is truly marked by an addictive song. Immediately, you're jarred by Capone's very different vocal tone. Dude sounds like he just drank sulfuric acid, and he sounds like that all the time. I don't mind it so much, though. Just thought I'd give you the heads up. The instrumental, by Naughty Shorts, (don't ask) strikes just the right balance between minimalism and melody. The skit at the beginning was entirely unnecessary, though. Other than that, this was awesome.

PAROLE VIOLATORS (FEATURING HAVOC)

Havoc's hook is standard issue. This duet between Nore & Trag is curious because the beat sounds so much like a Havoc beat, yet it’s actually credited to Tragedy as well. Perhaps Trag is a talented shaman when it comes to channeling other people. You know what I believe? I believe Havoc produced this beat for dolo, fuck the bullshit. He simply wanted to give a co-production credit to his lyrical mentor who might've been in a pinch when paying for the crew's dinner that night and Hav, super-producer that he was back then, just gave him that beat for free. Lyrically, Tragedy improves Nore's focus to impressive levels. This was a good follow-up.

IRAQ (SEE THE WORLD) (FEATURING CASTRO, MUSALINY, MENDOSA & TROY OUTLAW)

Nore, no matter how much love you're getting by this point, let me make one thing perfectly clear: You are not fit to lead a posse cut of weed carriers. This shit might fly on your own solos, but not on a goddamn Capone-N-Noreaga album. EZ Elpee does his job proper on the beat, but many people on here never should pick a mic up again. My opinion.

LIVE ON, LIVE LONG

Nore's tribute to his chum comes off as a bit cheesy, but somehow he pulls it off alright. At least, dude has some passion in him. Unlike the songs I hear today, which absolutely do not have soul whatsoever. Such as when whichever Fetty of the Wap tribe of the day blesses us with another of his "hits". It somehow helps that the beat, by something called a G-Money, is pretty fitting for this type of song.

NEVA DIE ALONE

Buckwild of the legendary DITC blesses the duo, or trio on this particular song as Tragedy comes out to play again, an eerie beat that loops a Herbie Hancock sample which inspires all three to rip the beat to shreds, especially Tragedy. He even states later on in his career that working on this album reignited his love for MCing. This was a definite highlight.

T.O.N.Y. (TOP OF NEW YORK)

Another song where all three get down, and this one's the second single. This jam is considered as CNN's signature song, and for an excellent reason. the 3 MCs' chemistry reaches one of its peaks on this album with every verse here complimenting the other well. Built around an exquisite Walter Jackson loop, the Nashiem Myrick beat is one that won't be leaving your subconscious anytime soon. More of this, please.

CHANNEL 10

Lord motherfucking Finesse brings CNN one of his best beats, a perfect atmospheric composition that was begging for Trag & co. to demolish. So of course Percival sticks with hook duties, although his hook is effective. But that's OK, believe me, for in his steed Capone unleashes an awesome contribution that made me seriously rethink my view of his abilities as an MC. Nore sounds more amped than usual, which is supposed to be a compliment. Side thought: I really miss Lord Finesse on the mic. Not saying he'd fit on this type of thuggery, though. I just miss his punchlines.

CAPONE PHONE HOME (INTERLUDE)

I get the sentiment, but it has no place on an album such as this.

THUG PARADISE

Tragedy & co. rip a freestyle to shreds. Sorry, but that's all I got on this one.

CAPONE BONE

Whoops. I may have spoken too soon regarding Poney here. For he wastes a perfectly banging Marley Marl instrumental on truly one of the worst sex raps I've ever heard. I mean, sex raps are by default repulsive, but damn, Poney, what the motherfuck?

HALFWAY THUGS

Another Nore solo. This one backed by a Charlemagne beat. (This Charlemagne is not that waste of human tissue you're probably thinking about from that radio show. I don't care how hard he's worked, that fuck wouldn't have the balls to contribute something meaningful to hip hop culture.) No lie, first time I heard this, I thought this was another EZ Elpee composition. So the fact that it isn't is a nice surprise. Nore takes the imaginary competition to heart with his grimy threats. Had he continued this approach, his solo career could've still interested me for a few more years. Instead, he chose to hook up with the fucking Neptunes. Nuff said. Anyways, this was pretty decent.

L.A., L.A. (KUWAIT MIX) (FEATURING MOBB DEEP)

The lead single, which began its life as a Tragedy single featuring CNN & Mobb Deep. Story time: Work on this album just so happened to coincide with the exact moment the East-West beef escalated: Some truly enlightened people decided in a moment of pure enlightenment (read: they were coked out of their minds) that it was a great idea to roll up and fire live gunshots at Snoop Dogg and the Dogg Pound while they were shooting a video for their East Coast hip hop tribute New York, New York. Yes, it was originally a fucking tribute, NOT a diss. Evidenced by DJ Pooh & Kurupt's approach to their product: Minimalist beat plus rhyming your ass off. Sounds East Coast to me. Anyway, Death Row, under the leadership of crazy person Suge Knight, decided it was an even better idea to insult the entire city in the song's video in retaliation by depicting Snoop & the DPG as giants wreaking havoc in NY. Needless to say, the NY hip hop scene didn't take too kindly to that. However, nobody replied from the big dogs. So, Tragedy took it upon himself & his CNN to record a "response" using the same DJ Pooh beat, while switching the hook to LA, LA. This response tackles the exact same formula as NY, NY, with no specific disses found on the track whatsoever. Later on, hip hop legend Marley Marl was brought on to commission an exclusive beat for said response, rechristened 'LA, LA'. This beat, complied of a ingenious mix of Al Green & the Magic Disco Machine among other elements, is by far the best Marley Marl beat I've ever heard. I don't care what I come off as when I write this, I consider this beat to be Marley's best work in hip hop to date. Of course the rhymes should be up to par, and thankfully, everybody brings their A-game & reach their absolute peak in their chemistry together. Especially Tragedy, as he spits as if this is the very last time he'll be allowed to rhyme. Ever. My only gripe with this classic is that despite the title stating that Mobb Deep will show up, only Havoc rhymes on the song, because Prodigy felt that his verse for this song fit Nas' Live N**** Rap better, thereby sticking to hook duties here. That might've made them more money, (because, come on, It Was Written sold a shit ton more than the The War Report) but he missed out on a critically acclaimed song that would remain in rotation till the end of time within my personal collection. Short answer: this shit is essential. Best song on the album, and my favorite CNN song by far.

CAPONE-N-NOREAGA LIVE (INTERLUDE)

Goddamnit.

ILLEGAL LIFE (FEATURING HAVOC)

Credited as a Havoc beat co-produced with Tragedy again, which I believe to be absolute bullshit by now. Trag probably wasn’t even around the studio when Hav cheffed this beat up. The song is a simple-yet-effective duet between the CNN parties, with Capone's lone verse eclipsing both of Noreaga's bookend contributions. Moving on.

BLACK GANGSTAS

Buckwild returns with one of his textbook magical atmospheric beats, comprised of a haunting xylophone loop taken from Gary Burton, which repeats my sentiments from Channel 10, for Tragedy is on hook duties once again. His hook, however, is better than the hook he provided on said song. As is Capone's verse which leaves Nore's in the fucking Sahara Desert as it soars straight into the moon. Seriously, Capone really showed a hunger that could've made him one of the greats. If it wasn't for his constant need to prove he's from 'tha streetz'. This was bittersweet in its awesomeness.

CLOSER

Ending an album like The War Report with a song from motherfucking Clark Kent?! I consider this to be one of the very worst decisions Tragedy has ever made in this hip hop game. Despite being a very credible producer, Clark Kent always has a nasty habit of looking for radio airplay in his beats and you know this for a goddamn fact, Trag. How could you allow this fuck within 10 feet of the studio at that time, man? And you're nowhere near the damn song! This bullshit attempt at positivity came off as all sorts of insincere. The Sam Sneed remix rectified some of the damage for me.

CAPONE PHONE HOME (OUTRO)

Enough with the Capone phone calls already!

FINAL THOUGHTS:

The War Report definitely qualifies as a headscratcher. One one hand, we have some truly abhorrent attempts at radio whoring, mixed with a lack of focus and too many goddamn skits. On the other, some bonafide classics that will stand the test of time. Most of the latter category has Tragedy's lyrical input, might I add. Tragedy's strange plan to re-enter the rap game apparently paid off though, as I always remember this album for containing a chunk of brilliant hip hop. The lyrical and musical high points on the joint are as high as any classic rap album I know out there, past or present. This thug rap example has truly enough goodness in it to forget that repulsive Closer abomination. What can I say? I love the word 'truly'.

WORTH IT? I'd say yes. If only for the thrill of hearing Tragedy rhyme his ass off again. The awesome beats on here might help sweeten the deal.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:

CALM DOWN (FEATURING NAS)

This gem right here was to feature Trag, Nas & both CNN members. Another missed opportunity resulting from Pone's stupid situation. EZ Elpee brings us a textbook piano sample of his (from a Bette Midler record, of all sources) that allows Tragedy, fellow QB native Nas & Lefrak outtatowner Noreaga to wreck shop. I honestly don't even mind Nas' appalling-as-always singing on the hook as these 3 really have a definite chemistry on here that still endures brilliantly. I still don't know why this was left off the album, as it fits perfectly within its context. Anyhow, it's incredibly easy to find, so git.

Believe it or not, there's more Tragedy stuff! I can smell your curiosity building from here...