AZ - Pieces Of A Man (April 7, 1998)

Yeah, I still want to talk about Anthony Cruz.

In 1995, AZ dropped his debut album Doe Or Die off the strength of his appearance as the lone guest verse on Nas' Illmatic, which many hail as the greatest hip hop album of all time, a statement I've repeatedly said to be completely absurd because there is no such thing. Doe Or Die was also hailed as an instant classic that helped usher in the mafioso craze that the East Coast clung to for so long, started by Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., yet another album acclaimed to the heavens. This craze was responsible for quite a few works of art that helped elevate the genre, such as Mobb Deep's Hell On Earth, Nas' It Was Written & Reasonable Doubt by Jay-Z. However, it also spawned quite a few works that had songs that are so garbage they dragged hip hop back down, such as the divisive nature of the late great Biggie's Life After Death, and the eponymous album by The Firm.

The latter was supposed to be Dr. Dre's stamp that legitimized his reign over mainstream rap while also being another landmark in the respective belts of its members Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown & Cormega. And it really seemed like it was heading in that direction after these four participated in Affirmative Action, one of the best posse cuts I've ever heard on Nas' sophomore album. No, really. Also, listen to its remix along with the first version of La Familia and you'll see too that shit was good money regarding the Firm. That is, until Steve Stoute fucked the whole venture up. By kicking Cormega out and replacing him with QB upstart Nature, who just wasn't ready then, The Firm lost their cohesion together. That set a chain of events that led to the resulting album being one of the biggest flops in hip hop history, despite it allegedly selling over one million records in the US. The resulting backlash hit The Firm's new members square in the jaw, and their reputations suffered.

So where does all this leave Mr. Cruz? Well, he still believed that the Trackmasters, responsible for half of the Firm album's production as well as the majority of the 1996 albums of its' members Nas & Foxy, had something to contribute to his musical visions. Which they did by producing an absolute embarrassment of a song called Hey AZ, which had Comby-levels of radio pandering, so of course it was a minor hit. Great news for AZ and co., until the label bafflingly left it off the album. Naturally one would blow a gasket, but not Mr. Cruz. He just went about his BI and enlisted the Trackmasters again, along with producers like LES, Goldfinga and Nashiem Myrick who were famous for bringing a similar aesthetic to Poke & Tone's, as well as one surprise production choice. (Well, not really) Fully armed with the production team he wanted, AZ set out making what is now his favorite body of work. Of course, he doesn't care one bit that it fell just short from earning an RIAA Gold certification for five hundred thousand pressed units, he still claims it as his favorite album.

Does it deserve that title?

NEW LIFE (ALBUM INTRO)
Now this is an intro! Goldfinga gives AZ a properly bleak instrumental sampling one of Hanz Zimmer's many timeless compositions for Tony to wax poetic on, which he does beautifully with an introspection fitting of an album titled Pieces Of A Man. Lyrically, AZ shows on this track that the Firm's colossal failure has not affected his skill level one bit. Nice!

I'M KNOWN
Goldfinga's back at it again with another minimalist gem, which prompts AZ to launch into a thug rap befitting of the beat's grimy quality. This really feels like a successful continuation of the mafioso themes present on Doe Or Die. Nice!

HOW YA LIVIN' (FEATURING NAS)
I friggin' love this song! L.E.S. comes correct with a perfect Trackmasters-esque beat, looping a Glenn Jones 80s classic, that doesn't sacrifice its boom bap-ness. This track furthers the list of quality AZ collaborations with his Firmmate, with both MCs conveying success comfortably without sounding obnoxious. 2 for 2, so far.

TRADING PLACES
L.E.S. cedes his space for the actual Trackmasters, and boy do they ever fuck up. AZ was just trying to continue the tales of success that he had done so nicely on the previous track, only for these two fucks to completely ruin the mood with the tropical-esque bullshit they were so famous for back then. I always had a Trackmasters bias when discussing them because of their work on the song that introduced me to hip hop, Hit 'Em High off the Space Jam OST, but this shit is indefensible.

WHAT'S THE DEAL (FEATURING KENNY GREENE)
We go from low to sinking low wth the one thing I never want to hear on any type of album: the obligatory sex skit. I don't care how fly you think your life is, these skits are simply abhorrent fuckery. Then of course, we cut to a Trackmasters beat, complete with a dope-ass Woods Empire loop, that would've been perfect for the previous track. So yeah, AZ wastes it with his airplay-whoring sex rap. Let me tell you something, Tony: You say you didn't want to put out Sugar Hill because you felt like you sold out? Nah b, these couple of tracks here are where you sold out.

LOVE IS LOVE (FEATURING HALF-A-MIL & NATURE)
Thank the Lord you're back, Goldfinga! We need a beat that can save the album's flatlining momentum ASAP! Why are you focusing on a weed carrier in the intro now? Get back to focusing on AZ, now damnit! Thankfully, Goldfinga snaps out of his stupor and delivers a beat that's somehow even bleaker than the album's intro, even though he samples the same Hanz Zimmer record. AZ brings the weed-carrier from the intro, the late Half-A-Mil, and fellow Firmmate Nature one a posse cut that reflects on their journey from the perilous life of crime and all the changes such an abrupt departure entails. AZ comes correct as per his usual standard, Half-A-Mil doesn't embarrass himself and I must say that Nature shines on tracks like this one. This was a step back in the right direction.

THE PAY BACK
Goldfinga is on a fucking tear on this album: The dude hasn't come with a wack track yet, and this one is his best, by far. Ingeniously speeding up a six-second Sade loop, the result sounds like a menacing Latin acoustic riff that allows Mr. Cruz to paint a harrowing one-verse revenge tale, and the effect the resulting war on him after he succeeds in offing the fucker has on his mentals n’all. I'll say this: AZ is one of the best hook writers in hip hop, even though here he only uses it after he finishes his verse. And he repeats the shit too many times. Still, one of my favorite songs in this dude's discography.

JUST BECAUSE
L.E.S. bows out of this album's proceedings with a party beat that thumps just right utilizing a slowed-down Glow Of Love sample to great effect. I will say, though, that this track among a couple of others are where you see Tony finally compromise his lyrical integrity on this album. And the result is a little sad. I mean, his bookending verses are alright but the second verse is just atrocious. It is what it is.

SOSA
Poke & Tone are back after three tracks of being grounded for their screwups on their last two contributions, and they sheepishly hand in their apology production which utilizes another acoustic riff. No lie, it's one of the best beats they're ever done and AZ relishes in their mastery, delivering a one-verse wonder that recalls the same hunger that produced some of hip hop's best songs ever on his debut. This was awesome.

IT'S A BOY THING (FEATURING NATURE)
What the fuck, PNT?! Here I am in the above paragraph praising what you did on them boards, then you come with this piffle? Firmmate Nature returns, but is relegated to the insignificant hook while AZ wastes some more good lyrics on one of the most generic late-90s-early-00s beats you'll ever hear. Shit sounds like a beat that Jay-Z, DMX & Ja Rule turned down for being too pandering.

PIECES OF A (BLACK) MAN
Trackmasters, you truly mystify me. Why so inconsistent with your productions? You've already achieved the necessary balance to cater to the radio and to the underground on Nas' sophomore, so what happened? The reason why I say this is because here these two goofs give us their best beat, bar none, on the entire album. This shit is right up there with their finest work on It Was Written, and AZ completes the formula with some damn sharp introspection about his come up, a subject he rhymes so well about. This song exemplifies why I think AZ is right up there with the top MCs to ever choke a mic. Another one for the good.

LAST DAYZ (FEATURING MONIFAH)
Smoove? I'm sorry but I can't take that nickname seriously unless you're a comedian. AZ enlists Monifah on background vocalist duties while Smoove loops an R.Kelly sample for AZ to spit about troubles facing him as a then-upcoming black youth who's trying to make a living for himself. Basically, the same subject as the atrocious We Can't Win from his debut, but with proper musical backing and without the pretentious five percenter preaching bookending the damn song. As such, I enjoyed this song a lot. Monifah came correct with her contribution, the lyrics were on point and the beat was pretty enjoyable. So, yeah. Count me a fan of this song.

WHATEVER HAPPENED (THE BIRTH) (FEATURING RZA)
I told you this wasn't really a surprise. My guess is that AZ must've left an impression on the Abbott when they recorded the Doe Or Die remix to the extent that they had to work together again. And these two deliver my favorite song on the entire project as they tag team with a verse each, with RZA unloading a Sunshower-worthy performance, although AZ matches him blow-for-blow wisdom-wise. This shit bangs!

TRIAL OF THE CENTURY (FEATURING FOXY BROWN & PANAMA P.I.)
Time to dip into the storytelling well again, as AZ brings out Nashiem Myrick from Comby's jolly bag of Hitmen. Nash here loops six seconds from a Leo Dan oldie and speeds it up so it's transformed into a beat worthy of a street tale ending with a court drama. Although I enjoyed Panama P.I.'s hook, I think it pales to his work on the title track of Onyx' All We Got Iz Us. And Fox Boogie was totally useless here, with four bars that point towards her being AZ's character's baby moms. Other than that, this was pretty good.

BETCHA DON'T KNOW (FEATURING KEANNA HENSON)
Oh no. Tony Dofat's production is not welcome at all as the final beat on the album. It truly shows, as AZ regresses lyrically in an embarrassing manner. The Najee sample was boring and Keanna Henson was insipid on the hook. It's a damn shame that this album ended on such a whimper.

FINAL THOUGHTS
So obviously AZ still has some problems with cohesion, and this album has some truly shitty songs. But I'm actually surprised to say that AZ may have a point in liking this album more than Doe Or Die. There are at least ten good-to-great songs out of fifteen. That's not a bad hitrate, at all. In fact, I might even go far as to say that this album was more thought-out than his debut. The reason I say this is that this album shares with its predecessor a batch of fucking great songs, a batch of putrid songs and a batch songs in the middle. It's that last group where Pieces Of A Man surpasses Doe Or Die, as the gray-area songs here are flat-out superior to their counterparts on his debut. I must point out, though, that the shitty songs on Doe Or Die are much better than the shitty songs found here, as the crap you're presented with this time is easily ear-rape material. All in all, yeah. This outcome surprised me.

WORTH IT? As weird as it sounds, yes. I think this album deserves to be in your collection. Just stay away from vinyl pressings, because you will skip at least four songs on here.

For more on AZ, get your fill here. You gluttonous bastard, you.

AZ - Doe Or Die (October 12, 1995)

Anyone reading this have a life-altering experience, lately? Show of hands? To those of you who did, now you know where my mental's at and why it took me so long to come back.

Now that I'm here, though, today's subject kind of fell into my lap. I mean, I obviously already knew of East New Yitty's Anthony Cruz bka AZ. What I meant was that up till now, I'd decided not to review any album from this dude's catalog. Not because I think that they're good or bad, but simply because for the longest I just couldn't figure out what I wanted to say about son. It didn't really help that throughout this hip hop fandom of mine, I've encountered dude's work countless times. Then, these past few weeks came. I was adjusting to my current situation when I stumbled upon something I already watched way back in the summer: the BET half-hour documentary about our subject for this post. While it was a doc I enjoyed immensely, it wasn't until I watched it again these past few weeks that it started a massive back-&-forth debate in my head regarding ol' Antonio's impact on this genre. Add that to me stumbling upon 36 Seasons by Ghostface Killah, on which AZ was co-starring, a role in which he stole the show every time you heard him, and my AZ retrospective journey was officially underway. Fast forward to now, I finally know where this guy fits in this blog of mine.

Out of all the Brooklyn neighborhoods frequently mentioned in hip hop, Anthony Cruz was born in the one that intrigues me the most, East New York. So many of my favorite boom bap tunes were inspired by that place. I was also very intrigued that Stetsasonic were from ENY as well, and that their early park jams were the main reason he fell in love with the art form. (For the record, if you don't know who Stetsasonic are, you should probably stop reading this very instant and burn their catalog into your brain. Like now.)

This change in Tony's life was largely hidden from the world. In fact, apart from immediate family and very close friends, nobody really knew that AZ was a potential MC, until one of his homies hooked him up with an upstart DJ/producer, some dude who called himself Pete Rock, in 1989. You might've read about him once or twice or a hextuple of times here. Of course AZ, being the aloof & bashful twerp that he was back then, never pushed for a collaborative album with the Soul Brother back when the legend was cutting his production teeth. I'll let you think about that lost opportunity for a moment. And yes, I do enjoy making you think about these lost possibilities. Builds character, you see. To crank your irritation up a notch, the hip hop world wouldn't have even heard of Anthony Cruz had it not been for a chance meeting with another then-up and comer in hip hop, one Nas.

After meeting each other through a dude called Yammy, Large Professor Nas immediately noticed that this AZ cat was a diamond in the rough who simply cannot slip through the fingers of hip hop history. So, once the dude who was originally scheduled to appear as the sole guest appearance on his album got locked up, Large Professor Nas remembered that burning desire he had to put Mr. Cruz on. And that's how Life's A Bitch, the last completed record off Illmatic, was born.

You can probably guess how things went from there. Everyone and their government mule wanted to hear more from AZ. Matter of fact, that one verse incredibly got him the deal with the late EMI Records, whose fuckface execs ran to him with big-ass dollar signs in their eyes. Everyone around Tony was so elated that he was finally provided the platform an MC of his potential deserved. So, he went about recording the single that was to be his opening statement in the rap game, the one song that everyone was hopefully to point to years later when remembering his impact on hip hop history. The resulting single, Sugar Hill, sold five hundred thousand copies in less than three months. Naturally, album time was upon our protagonist.

Given that its release followed Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., the quintessential mafioso rap album in my opinion, Doe Or Die was considered the second mafioso masterpiece which helped further the mafioso influence spread throughout East Coast hip hop back then. Along with the critical acclaim came the inevitable comparisons to Illmatic. And if there's one negative from AZ debuting on that album, it's the fact that he's always shoehorned in lyrical comparisons with Nas, even when they're not sharing the same song. I feel this really detracts from the opportunity to appreciate his lyrics, because songs like Life's A Bitch effectively demonstrate how Tony can be a lyrical force to be reckoned with. Hell, this is a stigma he's still carrying, goddamnit. And that's where this review comes in. You're here to find if Mr. Cruz exorcised that stigma on his debut.

Doe Or Die, boy/girl (pick one):

INTRO

Is it just me, or have these intros/skits/outros long overstayed their welcome in this genre? It's even worse when they are backed by amazing beats such as this Lunatic Mind recipe. Yet another composition needlessly flushed down the toilet.

UNCUT RAW

Here Tony assesses the motives of a young criminal mind in the ghetto. Simple note here: Any aspiring MC who hasn't yet studied AZ on songs other than Life's A Bitch is really missing a a lyrical spectacle. And it is here that the first issue I have with this album shows itself: The beat by a certain Loose (me neither) is merely serviceable. See when you have an MC the caliber of Tony here and you're seeking to craft the ultimate hip hop song, musical and lyrical quality must both be present. The result ain't ass or anything, but I won't go out of my way to include it on any playlist of mine, and you shouldn't either.

GIMME YOURS (FEATURING NAS)

Time for old friend Pete Rock to step behind the boards. I tell you: I friggin' love the shit outta this song. I couldn't give less of a rat's balls that Nas is atrocious on the hook, the Soul Brother still found a way to make this shit a classic. AZ does not switch up his MO and this time, the Minnie Riperton-sampling beat matches his contribution punch for punch. If it weren't for Nas making every lost R&B legend throughout history turn in his grave with his putrid I-Level interpolation, this would easily be one of the greatest hip hop songs ever made. As such, it's still one of the greatest hip hop songs ever made. Then there's the remix, produced by Erick Sermon. Now, this was done back when the E-Double was just starting to make a limited reputation for himself as one of the go-to producers for radio appeal, and as such, his remix sounds a bit poppy. Nevertheless, it is a more fleshed out track with a proper vocalist singing the I-Level interpolation instead of Nas, violator of R&B. You'd be correct in assuming that the remix is the better song, but I actually listen to the original more. Not sure what this signifies.

HO HAPPY JACKIE

Oh Buckwild, how I miss your boom bap beats. Le sigh. Here he hits another homer with a brilliant sampling of Kool & The Gang. So of course, AZ spends the entire song ho-shaming a girl. Look, obviously these types of women exist, but I'm sorry: I can't believe they were as rampant as most rappers imply them to be. Misfire. Call em like ya see em, people.

RATHER UNIQUE

The PR returns on production duties and while his Les McCann-sampling beat is the textbook example of what sampling can offer music in general, I can't claim that he hasn't made better Petestrumentals. For example, his work with INI. Or the earlier Gimme Yours track. Still though, this is one awesome song. The minimalist beat provides ample space for Tony here to roll out the quotables show. And by God, does he ever. This dude is that MC, schooling you and kicking your ass with his wordplay. Two for the good!

I FEEL FOR YOU

We go from Pete Rock to Amar Pep, one of AZ's childhood friends. Unfortunately, the step down in production quality is absolutely jarring. AZ's attempts at thug rap are commendable, but ultimately meaningless as Amar's beat absolutely refuses to let you tune it out and try to focus on the lyrics. What makes this so frustrating is that the beat can only be described as noise. And not Bomb Squad-brilliant noise, but babies crying after shitting themselves-noise. Antonio, I know you're a stand up guy who does right by his homies, but goddamn: Less ass on them boards, please.

SUGAR HILL (FEATURING MISS JONES)

The producer of Life's A Bitch is reunited with AZ to give him his biggest record. And, believe me, L.E.S. pulls no punches with the radio-pandering, with the Sugar Free sample running rampant throughout the instrumental. Hell, Miss Jones even interpolates the record's famed hook in a manner that fits this track. Here's the thing: I actually dig this record as a song. But as a hip hop track it's just too corny. Of course, AZ comes correct on them lyrics with his rags-to-riches mafioso approach here, as he's always done so far. I must say that the influence on the lyrics may be G Rap & RAGU, but on the music it's BIG's Juicy all the way. I stand by what I said earlier, though: I dig this record as a song, but not as a hip hop track.

MO MONEY, MO MURDER, MO HOMOCIDE (FEATURING NAS)

DR Period, fresh off his hardcore flex with MOP's debut album To The Death, switches up his production approach entirely for this track. Here, he exhibits a level of skill previously unheard from him on his To The Death work with a deft sped-up O'Jays sample that amps up the theatrical value as AZ & Nas craft their classic mafioso duet. The interplay between both MCs is electric and furthers the mafioso rap lynchpin status that this album is trying to achieve. After the song ends, you're treated to a short one-minute mini-song with yet another fantastically haunting beat by Lunatic Mind. And this time, AZ spits 8 bars that will stick in the back of your brain for quite some time. I'm just a bit vexed that this wasn't the intro to the album.

DOE OR DIE

In an attempt by EMI to throw off the audience, AZ enlists the help of Rap-A-Lot producer N.O. Joe, whose Houston brand of G-Funk bred many a hit for the likes of the Geto Boys, Scarface & UGK. In return, AZ spits some of his best lyrics ever on the beat. Now, I appreciate the attempt to broaden one's horizon, but the jump needs to sound organic. Trust me, the bleak lyrics are not a good fit for the party feel of N.O. Joe's G-Funk presented here. If you want to hear these lyrics paired with a beat that does them justice, there's a remix on Youtube by Boston production heroes the Vinyl Reanimators (famous for their acclaimed work with Edo. G & the late Scientifik) so go check for that. You're welcome.

WE CAN'T WIN (FEATURING AMAR PEP & BARSHAM)

I tell you, this album's cohesion has been shot to hell too many times. For example, here Amar Pep returns on the boards with a beat that sounds like it was made by a five year-old. It's here that AZ decides to bring his homies on this posse cut about five percenter conspiracy theories, on which he completely obliterates them on the lyrical front. For the record: Barsham sounds like the younger, greener brother of AZ. The dude rambling incoherently in the bookends of this song needs a crisp punch in the face last century. Fuck this song.

YOUR WORLD DON'T STOP

Because we can't have nice things, the awesome original version of this song by Spunk Bigga was scratched off the album because of bullshit regarding an uncleared Lou Donaldson sample. Instead, one of my favorite beatsmiths, Original Flavor’s Ski aka Ski Beatz aka that motherfucker who later produced Dead Presidents for a certain Jay-Z, issues a remix with cleared samples that is simply suffocating in its minimalism. Maybe that aspect fits a song about a jailed convict more, but the vocalist's off-key chants are even more jarring than Nas' earlier ear-rape, unlike the original where the sampled chants are perfectly on-key.

SUGAR HILL (REMIX)

L.E.S. remixes his original creation with a more hip hop-oriented beat, sampling the same Stylistics record made famous by EPMD back in 1989 on their hit It Wasn't Me, It Was The Fame. He also samples Miss Jones' final chants on the original Sugar Hill. Let me tell y'all: This is more like it! The instrumental makes AZ's lyrics sound more desperate, fitting the mafioso approach like a friggin' glove. This was a damn fine way to end the album.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Now that we're done with the track reviews, let's address the obvious: Does this album warrant all those comparisons to Illmatic? The answer should be a resounding 'Hell no'. The main thing Illmatic had that this didn't was the presence of a producer orchestrating the album. Illmatic had Large Professor overseeing every bit of its crafting as the perfect A&R. Doe Or Die was afforded no such luxury, and as such it suffered from the fuckfaces at the label talking into AZ's ear and pulling him in the directions of their every whim: One moment they want the poppy Juicy-like single with Sugar Hill, the next they want the Cuban Linx mafioso banger so they get Mo Homicide, after that they go after that G-Funk money through making the title track, then they go back to trying to recapture Illmatic's magic with Gimme Yours and Rather Unique. See the problem here? There are too many musical discrepancies to consider this album a back-to-back classic, which is a problem AZ still suffers from on his subsequent albums. What's even more infuriating is that AZ here was right under Pete Rock's nose: These two could've extended the magic found on Rather Unique and Gimme Yours to a full masterpiece of an album, through him producing the entire thing or taking Large Professor's Illmatic route and A&Ring the album properly. Instead, what we get is a compilation of Tony's best songs mixed with some alright joints and truly horrid tracks, none AZ's fault of course. Unless he was responsible for Amar goddamned Pep being here. Cuz lemme tell ya: Whoever decided that Amar buttfucking Pep's beats deserved to score full songs while Lunatic Mind's contributions were relegated to mere intros and interludes should be kneed in his/her nethers.

FINAL RATING: 3 outta 4. Even though this album contains at least four of the best songs in hip hop history, I cannot in good conscious say that the full product is zero skips. So buy the recommended tracks, stream ‘em, burn ‘em, buy the whole thing, whatever. Just make sure you get a taste of AZ backed by the worthy beats found on Doe Or Die. Some of the best hip hop you'll ever come across in your life. Trust me.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN

DOE OR DIE (REMIX) (FEATURING RAEKWON)

Further proof that the remixes to this album's singles far outclass the originals, here AZ enlists the help of the motherfucking RZA, Abbott of the Wu-Tang Clan, who sculpts a track right out of the Cuban Linx mold, complete with a Raekwon feature for AZ to indulge to his heart's content. AZ takes full advantage of this opportunity, relishing in his invitation to Wu territory and managing to create a song that would've snugly fit on the Purple Tape. Of course, Raekwon sounds absolutely thrilled to spit alongside Tony here, which is always a plus. So yeah, this song's perfect. I'd like to point out that there are three versions of this song, all official. This is the one I'm reviewing here, because I feel it's more complete. Again, you're welcome

For a further exploration of the Visualiza, here.

Pete Rock - Soul Survivor (November 10, 1998)

By now, the lone bastard reading this blog has sufficient evidence that Pete Rock is an essential part of hip hop history. His fine-tuned ear as a producer is a true rarity in the annals of hip hop lore. Well that's a friggin' lie, but he is part of an elite class of beatmakers that have shaped the sound that personifies boom bap, which is noteworthy enough in and of itself. This reputation is mainly due to his works with one CL Smooth: they gave the world All Souled Out, Mecca And The Soul Brother & The Main Ingredient. Three glorious releases that together provided the full spectrum of what hip hop was meant to sound like. Those albums were so good that they left a lasting impression over whomever enjoyed their music: These two sound like what your favorite meal tastes like. And you know what? Count me the hell in. I still replay these albums to death, and I thank the Almighty that my medium doesn't include an expirable and very finite rewind button. You know, because I established a notorious reputation for being the guy who broke all the rewind buttons in my vicinity, be they video, cassette or iPod. They did all that, and then they went and broke up. So rational, right?

Afterwards, CL basically took a vow of musical celibacy by mostly refusing to fuck with anyone else, while Pete tried to continue on his own through his newly-established label Soul Brother Records, a vanity deal under Elektra. He even had a full roster locked and loaded with full albums that he oversaw top-to-bottom. Then, Elektra fell under the dictatorship of Sylvia Rhone, who basically shut down each and every hip hop act that sold less than 500,000 units. Unfortunately for Pete and his roster, that meant his entire venture was to be burned to the ground. The Life I Live and Every Man For Himself fell into release hell and have been there ever since, save for a shady BBE/Rapster double album release which only made matters worse. That was when Pete regretfully shut down Soul Brother Records (including a planned album with MC Mekolicious, whom I will get to on this post), gave Elektra the one-finger salute and jumped ship over to Steve Rifkind's then-prosperous Loud Records.

Now refreshed and ready to reintroduce his solo brand to the world, Pete basically called in all the favors he had in the game back then and made his album a sampler of the hottest boom bap acts of the 90s, while he relegated himself to the guest role on his own shit. Props to Max from HHID for that particular image.

Here we go:

SOUL SURVIVOR INTRO
Over a jazzy sample, Pete simply rolls out the shoutouts. Next!

TRU MASTER (FEATURING INSPECTAH DECK & KURUPT)
I don't care if my Wu bias shows, Inspectah Deck remains one of the best MCs to ever spit on a Petestrumental. And it helps that the beat behind him, magnificently looping The Impressions with touches of Herbie Hancock, is one of Pete's finest works of his career. I would've preferred, however, that both Pete and Kurupt's verses were removed from the remainder of the song, as they both sound pretty atrocious. As does Pete's hook, which is really weird because his hooks on InI's shelved album were frighteningly awesome. Kurupt's lyrical fall from grace remains as baffling today as it was 20 years ago.

HALF MAN, HALF AMAZIN' (FEATURING METHOD MAN)
The lone track not produced by the Soul Bro. Instead, it's the Younger Soul Bro... OK, Grap Luva does the beat. I understand why some people might find this beat to be too minimalist, but I adore this shit! Pete's performance sounds as if he's simply there to hype up Mef's, and hype it up he should: This is one of the most scorching showings I've ever heard Mef in, and that's saying a lot. The man is simply electrifying in his confidence, which helps the punchlines barrel through any reservations you might have with the beat.

RESPECT MINE (FEATURING OC)
Pete's back on the boards, coming up with a better result than Grap Luva's beat, and it's another duet with another confident MC from another legendary hip hop collective: This time, it's OC from the slept-on Diggin' In Tha Crates Crew. And OC simply follows up Mef's achievement on the previous track: he utterly demolishes the instrumental along with Petey's lyrical contribution. I must note that Pete's lyrics sound pretty bland compared to his own performances on his shelved collabs with InI and Dedi. Shame.

THA GAME (FEATURING RAEKWON, PRODIGY & GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
The classical backing provided by the Soul Brother illustrates the magnitude of this all-star Loud posse cut well, as Prodigy and RAGU rip the beat to bitty shreds. RAGU do their thing of course, yet it's Prodigy who really shines here. I really wish Pete didn't feel the need to chime in with his mediocre-by-comparison lyrics. Oh well, still a massive song.

#1 SOUL BROTHER
Pete once again proves why he's the king of looping xylophone samples, with his craftsmanship shining through the Silhouettes loop he chose. And it's an impressive solo showing as well, though I wouldn't go out of my way to recommend this for any lyrical wizardry playlist on any iPod out there. Still an enjoyable song.

ROCK STEADY PART II (FEATURING PETER GUNZ & LORD TARIQ)
Short intro by Heavy D aside, I immediately enjoyed the prominent Love Unlimited Orchestra sample because of me associating it with the legendary EPMD. Lyrically, though, Lord Tariq was the only MC worthy of note here, and his verse still doesn't fully impress. As for the Petes on this song, they are predictably shit.

TRULY YOURS '98 (FEATURING LARGE PROFESSOR & KOOL G RAP)
Truly, an ode to a truly undeserving song. Truly a shame that such a legendary lineup dedicated their verses to a truly undeserving subject: bashing women and bragging about your possessions. And the beat, jacking Marley Marl's truly horseshit original wholesale, remains truly horseshit. The comments section is there for a reason, so come at me, motherfucker.

IT'S ABOUT THAT TIME (FEATURING ROB-O & BLACK THOUGHT)
I swear, every time Pete works with the returning Robert Odindo, something snaps inside your host whenever he decides to step up to the mic and the quotables start flowing. It helps that Black Thought is a quotable machine. Rob-O continues his excellent chemistry over Pete's wonderfully minimalist beat. That's pretty much all I got. Dope song. Yep.

ONE LIFE TO LIVE (FEATURING MC EIHT)
MC Eiht is a curious subject when it comes to me. The man is undoubtedly capable of producing some classic work on his native West Coast, and it's obvious that he knows his producers. However, he seems to perform better over East Coast sounding beats, such as his work with the legendary DJ Muggs, despite his distinctive West Coast drawl. However, I'm sorry, he's not infallible: His most well-known song, Streiht Up Menace, was never received well by yours truly. It is what it is. Thankfully, his duet with Pete here falls within the former classification. Yes, it's a pretty dope showing from him, because I just can't for the life of me remember one thing about Pete's verse. The Nat Adderley-distorting beat is addictive, though. Oh well, I guess I'll give the overall product a pass.

TAKE YOUR TIME (FEATURING LOOSE ENDS)
Another solo showing by our host, where he allows the Loose Ends, an R&B group, equal credit time with him, clearly making this song the radio effort. As such, it really sounds pretty epic. Although I guess that's due to Pete's deft piano sampling then his lyrics, which are admittedly fair here. The hook will piss you off, however. Still, don't let that stop from enjoying this shit.

MIND BLOWIN' (FEATURING VINIA MOJICA)
The ladies song. You know where I'm going with this, so I won't even bother. I will say that Pete does not make a convincing case with his trivial lyrical effort. Shame that such a beat was wasted here. Same for poor Vinia, as she delivered her end of the bargain.

SOUL SURVIVOR (FEATURING MISS JONES)
I must admit, I've always thought Miss Jones brought it proper. That hasn't changed here. Pete's third solo effort is his best lyrically, for his passion improves his rhymes past whatever limitation he might have in that particular department. The beat is predictably amazing, as well, with the Modaji sample flipped expertly. Awesome song!

DA TWO (FEATURING CL SMOOTH)
The only question that will remain stuck in your brain after hearing this song will be: How the FUCK did I make it through the last 13 goddamn tracks without hearing CL Smooth over a Pete Rock track? Pete crafts his best beat on the album bar none with a breathtaking Emotions/Stanley Cowell recipe for CL to sink his teeth into. And let me tell you, boy/girl (pick one), dude has not lost one step. He devours the beat with an all-new mashup of his two distinctive styles from their previous two albums together the way you devour your favorite dish after two weeks of the crappiest rations known to humankind. Incidentally, Pete also contributes a good enough verse to keep the song going, only for CL to effectively stake his claim of the Petestrumental, the way he's done countless times way back when. The rest of the songs on this album are so far beneath this high, it's not even funny.

VERBAL MURDER 2 (FEATURING BIG PUN, NOREAGA & COMMON)
I love the late great Big Punisher. Really, I do. He's an all-time great, and Capital Punishment was the second coming of Ready To Die. He even does a great job here, with a dope-ass Phil Collins reference to boot. But, really, you just can't top the previous track. No two ways about it. Add that to the fact that the following combo of NORE/Common simply pales in comparison to the original's Mekolicious/Pete Rock. Yes, you read correctly: There's an original version of this song, and minus Punny's verse, it's ten times better than this one. Nore tries here, but let’s just say he’s not where he was on The War Report. As for Common? He failed to capitalize on the feverish chemistry he had with Pete on his eviscerating Ice Cube diss, The Bitch In Yoo. Once again, the comments section is there for a goddamn reason.

STRANGE FRUIT (FEATURING TRAGEDY, CAPPADONNA & STICKY FINGAZ)
Yet another Pete Rock/Mekolicious rejection, but this time the end product was greatly improved, resulting in my second favorite song on this album. Even though the previous version had rhymes from Pete that best any rhyme of his here, Mekolicious being his usual dope self and an eerie NORE performance that truly reflects his War Report acumen, There's just something special about this particular combo of Tragedy, Cappadonna and Onyx' own Sticky Fingaz. Tragedy's verse from the original remains untouched, and that's nothing if not an awesome thing, for his verse is a legendary display of thuggery laced with his unique brand of epic imagery. He just has the ability to make words sound epic. Oh Donna's the real surprise here, as his typically-infuriating insistence to stay offbeat actually helped his performance greatly over such a demented beat from the Soul Brother, who thankfully steered clear from providing any verses here. As for Sticky? Once you hear this beat for the first time, you will hold your breath in anticipation of his arrival on this shit, and he will not disappoint you. Props to Pete for flipping Billie Holiday over the creepiest of David Axelrod piano samples, itself a very popular sample in hip hop.

MASSIVE (HOLD TIGHT) (FEATURING HEAVY D & BEENIE MAN)
The final song on this album is a dancehall/rap mashup featuring the man who's responsible for Pete Rock's career: His cousin, the late legendary Heavy D. As such, I literally have nothing else to say about this track. To me it's just...there. I guess Hev's doing his thing of being the original fat playboy or something. Rest in power, Hev.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Well, that shouldn't have took me two months to write! Well, that's the problem of life. Sometimes everything's going your way, and sometimes you needlessly go to jail because of an asshole of a traffic patrolman even though you never broke the law in your life. Oh well.

REAL FINAL THOUGHTS
This album is the last of its kind in Pete Rock's discography: An album that is enjoyable almost from end to end. Most of the guests here bring such a distinctive and lasting flavor to Pete's beats that makes Soul Survivor a definite highlight in the man's career. Don't get me wrong, Pete still had some epic shit left in him, but gone was the man's consistency in backing dope lyrics with dope beats for an entire project. Such a shame.

WORTH IT?
You owe it to yourself to pick this shit up. This is Pete Rock's final classic album. And believe me, that's something to cherish.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
BACK ON DA BLOCK (FEATURING CL SMOOTH)
One of the definite hits in Pete's post-90s career, this is a damn fine PR-CL collaboration found on the first Petestrumentals album. I like how Pete tries his hand once again at singing the hook, because this time it's even more effective than his work on The World Is Yours by Nas. And with that, Pete's vocal contributions to the track are done as he leaves the rest entirely up to CL Smooth, who rises to the occasion in his typically splendid form. Why aren't these two making another album again?

For more from the Chocolate Wonder, here.

Dedi - Every Man For Himself (aka The Original Baby Pa) (shelved, 1995)

Today's post concerns a very mysterious nickname: Why does Sylvester James by day and Dedi by night call himself The Original Baby Pa? Was he the person who coined the term? Or is it yet another attempt to distinguish oneself from the rest of the herd of MCs trying to make it? Join us up next on (drum roll) A waste of everyone's valuable time!

Now, Mr. Dedi here thought everything was set for him in the rap game. Why shouldn't he? He was a member of one of the hottest underground cliques in 90s boom bap: Heavy D & The Boyz, Pete Rock & CL Smooth, InI and more. That meant he had the luxury of affording the beats of one Peter Phillips aka the aforementioned Pete Rock, who is one of the godfathers of crate-digging boom bap. Period. By that point, Pete had already made epic strides in the industry, mainly with his three collaborations with his forever-underrated former MC, CL Smooth. The All Souled Out EP, Mecca And The Soul Brother & The Main Ingredient are three timeless contributions to hip hop that deserve to be revered within the genre, each for their very own unique reasons. That's almost more than what the two late hip hop giants Biggie and Big Punisher were able to achieve in their regretfully-short lifetimes combined. Think about that the next time you try to make one of those dumb-as-all-fuck top 10 lists hip hop heads and critics like to throw around. And by the time Dedi's turn came about, Pete was just as active outside of his camp, working with legends such as Das EFX, AZ & Def Squad's Jamal. So, there was no reason for Dedi to fret.

Except Dedi forgot that he was in the music industry: A cutthroat wasteland ruled by numbers and stats. Enter one Sylvia Rhone. This skeletal witch from Hades made it her mission to oppose any and all hip hop acts selling under 500,000 units. Unfortunately, Pete Rock had an entire roster of such acts under his then-fledgling vanity label Soul Brother Records, and Dedi was the second act scheduled for release. The first, InI, barely got through with releasing a single and one measly video for it after Sylvia was done with them, and even then it was only because they were approved by her predecessor and she couldn't do anything about it. Regardless to say, InI's album The Life I Live has been in release hell ever since, being bootlegged to kingdom come as Center Of Attention for 20 years straight. After all that, what chance did poor Dedi have?

Well, aside from a feature still remembered 20 years later on Sadat X' Escape From New York, (which is an absolute classic song, might I add) you guessed it. Dedi's entire planned catalog of releases was shelved. Until Pete Rock attempted to salvage some cash for him and InI by negotiating with a label called BBE/Rapster, a label he'd already done business with when he released the first Petestrumentals album of, you guessed it, Petestrumentals. What he didn't count on was that as soon as he delivered the original studio files he had in his possession to them, they royally screwed him, InI and Dedi for all those tracks were worth by releasing the two shelved albums in an incomplete form without including Pete and co. in the monetary deal. Meaning that whatever success the fake-ass "Lost & Found: Underground Soul Classics" makes, neither Pete nor those two acts will see a dime of that money. Understandably, that resulted in me refusing to buy the InI album and resorting to listening to an unearthed version of the true intended mix from 1995 on YouTube here, while hoping there was some way Pete and co. could benefit from this directly.

Unfortunately, Dedi's shelved album has seen no such treatment, and what the world's left with is simply the BBE release tracks. Adding insult to injury, they called him Deda on their bullshit album cover displayed above. Friggin' Deda. Sounds like something a spoiled rich baby would say after he hurt his arm. Granted Dedi sounds exactly the same but still, this mistake caused the entire hip hop industry to mistake his name for Deda. Check Discogs if you don't believe me. It might not be that important to you, but put yourself in his shoes: You're a struggling rapper and you've exerted X amount of effort to establish a nickname that you want to build your brand over and provide for your family through. Now imagine some third-rate label changing that nickname without your consent (robbing you in the process, might I add) and plastering that shit all over their fake release of your hard work. Finally, imagine that lie being the one thing people associate your rap career with anymore. Enough said. Hell, I thought Deda was his name! Not anymore, obviously. Grap Luva, InI member and Pete's younger brother, has graciously pointed out a rhyme in which Mr. Dedi spells his name correctly, so thanks YSB.

In the interest of documenting Pete Rock's growth as a producer, I'll review these tracks but let me make this perfectly clear: In no way am I endorsing the 2003 BBE/Rapster release. These types are the scum of the earth.

EVERY MAN FOR HIMSELF (FEATURING PETE ROCK)
We begin the evening with Pete taking an incredible initiative through combining samples from Hubert Laws and Milt Jackson that showcase his masterful ear for xylophones yet again. I noticed that Pete started using scratched vocal samples more frequently for his tracks with Dedi, this song's choices being prime selections from Biz Markie and the late Guru. Dedi and Pete share verses that give a braggadocious performance each. Both definitely seem amped by the beat which makes the song work, at least. This was pretty good.

PRESS REWIND (FEATURING PETE ROCK)
Here Pete's younger sibling introduces Dedi as if the latter's the Grim Reaper, to which Dedi responds by bringing Pete along for another song. This time, all Pete gets is one verse and yet he still leaves his mark while Dedi runs away with two verses. Yet another BNB performance by both gentlemen. Sampling Dedi and Nas for the hook, Grap's Les McCann loop is yet another example of how the Younger Soul Brother is pretty dope behind the boards himself. This song did its job.

BLAH UNO
Receiving its title form a single bar off Dedi's contribution to the timeless posse cut, Pete Rock & CL Smooth's The Basement, I'm almost willing to bet my left nut that this song was intended to be an important single for the shelved album, if not its lead one. I must say that Pete really continues his form admirably with the subtle-yet-memorable John Klemmer loop he presents to you. Dedi sticks to his guns in an admirable effort to stay consistent with his approach, delivering yet another performance with him feeling himself the way each and every up-and-coming MC back then did. Also present here is the second time Dedi attempts to tell the world the correct spelling of his nickname. It's there for everyone to examine in the beginning of the third verse. Yet another reason to send a healthy fuck you towards BBE/Rapster, who are still whoring out Pete's material by the way.

DO YOU UNDERSTAND?
I'm starting to think Dedi's forcing Pete to scratch his hooks Primo-style. And I have to say, Pete's pretty friggin' good at it, borrowing a suitable Big Daddy Kane line here to accompany his Dorothy Ashby-Cannonball Adderley Quintet-sampling beat. Dedi can only play along as the Petestrumental guides him to giving a textbook posturing performance the way a genius beat should. This was effective.

THE ORIGINAL BABY PA
The Soul Brother really earns his nickname on this beat as he conjures a mean-ass combo of a John Klemmer sax sample and a George Benson lick sample, sprinkled with some exquisite CL Smooth samples, and they all mesh beautifully, resulting in one of the most vibrant beats Pete ever produced and my joint-favorite beat of his on this collection. Dedi decides that such a sonic masterpiece is fit for yet another braggadocious display, but this time he brings an extra dose of conviction to his shit, which elevates the song somehow. This was impressive, really.

HOW I'M LIVIN`
This is the second song from this collection that qualifies for my earlier statement on Blah Uno. I'm also betting that this song here was intended as a cave-in to Sylvia Rhone's demands for a Comby-sounding single, because the Dazz Band sample-heavy beat unfortunately sounds exactly like that for all intents and purpose. Dedi, surprise surprise, brings you yet another BNB serving in an approach that's really starting to get old. I'd much rather listen to Pete's boring productions than to this horseshit.

CAN'T WAIT
It will take a Herculean effort for me to shake off the previous sewage masquerading as a song. Pete certainly gives such an attempt behind the boards with the majestic Ahmad Jamal Trio sample mainly forming the Petestrumental. Dedi infuriatingly sticks to the exact same shit he's been doing so far, bragging his ass off.  At least, he isn't shit on the mic. I mean, his flow isn't the worst in the world. But what really saves the song is Pete's Primo-esque scratch of various lines from Main Source's Vamos A Rapiar, with a smooth Jeru The Damaja touch later on in the song. Nice! The second joint favorite of mine here. Yes, there's a third one.

I ORIGINATE
Pete's really pulling all the stops to make sure his man Dedi doesn't fall flat on his fucking face, with yet another inspired beat, courtesy of a sick bass loop from Donald Byrd and some of his signature xylophone findings, seasoned with a flute cut from Hubert Laws and some scratched bars from Wild Style and from Greg Nice's most famous verse. Yes, the one from DWYCK. I'm aware that Large Professor uses the same Greg Nice sample in 2002 producing for the Beatnuts, but I don't lose any sleep over it and neither should you. Dedi's still chugging with the BNB, as you can see.

NASTY SCENE
I'm sure you're getting a little impatient with Dedi's lyrical ventures. I wouldn't blame you, because the fucker is completely missing the bones Pete's been throwing him throughout this collection. Nowhere is this issue more glaring than on this song, where Pete sets up a magnificently sombre beat from both David Axelrod and Bob James, whose musical catalogs have basically sustained 90s boom bap by their very lonesome. Add that to the menacing lines scratched on the hook from both AZ and Guru, in his second sampled appearance here. The beat practically screamed "storytelling", and what does Dedi do? If you guessed "deliver an intricate lyrical tale filled with the metaphors, imagery and similes that make for a timeless experience" I oughta smack you. You bet your putrid friggin' colon, he continues with the BNB he's been forcefeeding you throughout the rest of this collection. Shame.

NOTHING MORE, NOTHING LESS
This Freddie Hubbard loop with the dope Buddy Montgomery interlude in the third verse was the equivalent of Pete saying 'Yo, man. You want to stick to grabbing your nuts? Fuck it, yo. Go crazy.' because sure enough, Dedi comes in with another three verses all about his superiority over the competition. Oddly enough, this song didn't piss me off as much, coming off as 'meh' rather than 'screw this piece of audio manure' that might be attributed to Pete's wizardry.

TOO CLOSE
Finally, Dedi somehow manages to recapture some of the conviction amid his BNB. Maybe it's because of the mind-numbingly good Petestrumental behind him that sees Pete going absolutely crazy on the same Hubert Laws source he sampled for Every Man For Himself and I Originate earlier. The Erick Sermon scratched sample simply adds to this song's imposing feel. My final joint-favorite song of this collection.

RHYME WRITER
Pete makes the final beat in this collection a memorable one, with the Monty Alexander sample forming a bloodpumping loop, allowing Pete to scratch two bars from Dedi's contribution to The Basement yet again with Biz Markie and Spoonie G thrown in for good effect. This results, by far, in Dedi's most enthusiastic performance from the entire set. He finally sounds like he's evolved from his showings on The Basement and In The Flesh, and it's the delivery, not the subject matter that did it. Pity that there are no more songs in the collection that reflect this. And we're done.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Dedi presents you with his MO for these tracks: For better or worse, the man only knows how to brag in his rhymes, talking about absolutely nothing else for the entire release. Which is why all these tracks might feel like they blend into each other. And it's certainly not like Dedi is a punchline genius like, say, the following: Big Daddy Kane, Lord Finesse, Redman, Edo G, Akinyele, Das EFX, Big L, Sticky Fingaz, Keith Murray, the late great Scientifik, Heltah Skeltah, Starang Wondah, etc. However, Pete productions here, save for one glaring exception, continue his amazing form. They also occasionally provide Dedi's delivery with huge spikes of energy, which amplify the song overall. Keyword: occasionally. Furthermore, Dedi is certainly not the best MC, but he's no Melachi The Nutcracker, either. Which has to be a positive. Right? I must say that releases like this teach you things about yourself. Because many people claim to be fans of lyricism above all, while defending the legitimacy of mainstream rap's impact on the culture. I'm not ashamed to admit that I pay attention to the beat before the rhymes mostly. But that doesn't stop me from requiring a level of lyrical excellence in my songs. Ultimately, I prefer a song that has a killer beat but crap lyrics over one with a crap beat with killer lyrics. That's something I did not know by myself until I listened to albums like this one.

WORTH IT? It really depends on whether you're a fan of the beats more than the lyrics. If you prefer the beats more, then you should definitely burn all of these. (Don't think I forgot, BBE/Rapster) Pete Rock provides you with some of the best beats you'll ever hear. However, if you prefer the lyrics more, then steer clear. I'm sorry, but Dedi never really distinguishes himself from any other rapper-to-be from the 90s, aside form a few exceptions.Unfortunately, that small number isn't enough.


TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (SADAT X TRACK FEATURING DEDI AND PETE ROCK)
I've already mentioned this song various times, but this is where I elaborate: Pete uses the same beat he introduced during the short intro for his & CL's track In The Flesh and stretches the Modern Jazz Quartet loop out for a full song, naturally spicing it up some more to make it feel, for lack of a better term, bigger. Tell you what, the additions friggin' worked wonders, as Derek X and Dedi trade BNB as if they've been doing so all their lives. This song also serves the purpose of proving that Dedi works infinitely better when sharing mic-time with someone else, whether in a duet or a posse cut. And we're done.

For more releases in the Soul Brother's catalog, here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

For more on the Chocolate Wonder, here.

Pete Rock & CL Smooth - The Main Ingredient (November 8, 1994)

One year is a long-ass time. More accurately, it's been more than one year since people heard the duo of Phillips & Penn aka the PP's bka Pete Rock & CL Smooth on the song One In A Million off the Poetic Justice OST. People were absolutely salivating at the mouth to hear more out of the Mount Vernon duo. Not me, though. I didn't get exposed to our duo until the past decade, around the same time I heard most of the hip hop I love today.

Regardless though, these two really kept busy after their triumphant LP Mecca And The Soul Brother, (where their lead single T.R.O.Y. instantly became an anthem of grief still revered to this day) with guest appearances on Run-DMC's Down With The King (Pete producing three songs while rapping with Corey on the one that matters, the title track. Also the lead single.) as well as Da Youngsta's The Aftermath (Pete producing two songs while also rapping with Corey one the one that matters, Who's The Mic Wrecka?, which isn't even a single, even though it really should've been.) Add those to Pete's ever-growing list of production appearances on various then-high-profile artists' albums. To name a few: His own famous cousin Heavy D,  Doug E. Fresh, DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Nas, K-Solo, Redman, and the list goes on. Do you understand why a lot of people were waiting for this album now?

Which brings me to a different issue I currently have with these two's reception in the industry: Why is it that the benefits from the duo's discography seem exclusive to Pete Rock only? Don't get me wrong, the man deserves every bit of success he's got as a producer. However, there are literally no CL Smooth features anywhere relevant until friggin' 2004, unless it's a project somehow related to Pete Rock. It's as if he's forever linked with his producer. I can't believe it's because of lack of lyrical quality on Corey's end, for if anything, the man proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that he's one of the most complete MCs in history on MATSB. Maybe it's that Corey lacked some business sense back then. For whatever reason, it's a crying shame no one remembers him as much aside from T.R.O.Y., because he is for damn sure more than a one-hit wonder.

Anyways, Elektra somehow missed the effects MATSB had on the industry because, fuckheads that they are, they pushed for a sappy love rap PR & CL submitted as part of the drafted album sampler called I Got A Love to be the lead single for the new project. You know, because Lots Of Lovin' was a radio smash, right? Even though Pete was clearly pushing for another song, Take You There, to lead the album. After I Got A Love was released in September, it predictably flopped. Hard. Only in October did the fuckheads release Take You There as the second single, but by then it was too late.

Furthermore, the climate in which The Main Ingredient was released was vastly different to that of its predecessor's. This was the era where if you hailed from NY and you weren't from Death Row or Bad Boy or affiliated with either in some way, chances are radio will not give you a second glance. I mean, it's not like MATSB did Thriller numbers but it still somehow stuck with people till this day. You're here to find out if The Main Ingredient did the same.

Here we go:

IN THE HOUSE
After a short Deodato prelude where Biz Markie vocals are expertly cut, Pete breaks out an exquisite Cannonball Adderley Quintet loop where Corey gets busy with a first verse that reaffirms Ghostface Killah's similarity to his style. And by association, every acclaimed stream-of-consciousness rapper in the 2000s follows suit since they all bit from Ghost himself. Up next, it's Pete with yet another ghostwriter, Robert Odindo aka Rob-O from InI. Because Pete is forever cursed when it comes to lyrics and he knows this, so I can't blame him. In turn, he can't blame me for not crediting him with the lyrical skill his verse displayed so allow me to rephrase: Up next, it's Rob-O with a smoldering verse that really establishes his penchant for punchlines! No hard feelings eh, Pete? If it's any consolation, I really think Rob-O is the D.O.C. to your Dr. Dre so at least you chose well? Anyways, Corey bats cleanup with a verse that, while stylistically similar to his prior verse, differs from it in subject matter. Because this one is all about establishing him as a threat to those who take him lightly whereas the first showed his charms in parties and to the ladies. Might I add that the way Pete samples Q-Tip from A Tribe Called Quest sounds as if The Abstract's right there spitting the hook effortlessly with them. Here, I give this album an edge over the previous one in the choice for the opening track. The icing on the cake is the outro sampled from Roy Ayers. Awesome.

CARMEL CITY
Props to PR for discovering this Milt Jackson/Ray Brown Big Band sample, opening the door for other great artists to make classics like Large Professor's Ijuswannachill, Heltah Skeltah's Therapy and De La Soul's Dinninit. Furthermore near the end, Pete scratches the whistle sample as if it's the lost instrument in this masterful composition. Too bad CL here decided that this would be suitable for an insipid sex rap. The most infuriating aspect of his performance, however, is that his fantastic first verse tricks you into thinking the whole song will be a tour through the fictional titular city. I don't even mind him boasting about his sexual prowess during said verse, as long as it's not the main focus. Too bad he veers off into sex rap territory from the second verse onward. This song could've been so much more, but as it stands all you'll like is the beat and the first verse, which is disappointing.

I GET PHYSICAL
The minute you hear the great Big Daddy Kane's sampled voice, you immediately know what you're in for: A healthy dose of bragging. If done right, such doses can make for timeless experiences. In this case, the lyrics dished out by Corey here stand among the very best he's ever written. No lie. This shit ranks up there with all your favorite tracks devoted solely to the art of braggadocious MCing. Of course the George Benson loop supplied by Pete Rock has been mixed to utter perfection, so there's that. This will stick in your head for days.

SUN WON'T COME OUT
From one bragging classic to another as the quotables keep coming. This is one fine one-two combo, as CL wilds out on PR's amazing second sampling of Nautilus. Only problem I have with this song is Pete Rock's crappy hook. Damn, his listing of their hits grates on my senses. Adding insult to injury is the fact that the Harvey Scales sample that gave the song its title was sampled perfectly for the hook, so all Pete had to do was shut the fuck up. Oh well, our duo still deserves crazy props for this track.

I GOT A LOVE
And here's where the momentum comes to a screeching halt. Seriously, how can one listen to this and decide it's lead single material for a group like goddamn Pete Rock & CL Smooth?! This is one song that is an affront to each and every one of your senses. The beat is definitely half-assed, with its ludicrous Ambassadors sample and Corey dumbing his lyrics way too down for my tastes, even though his flow is still something impressive. I'm sorry but this song is inexcusable.

ESCAPE
Good thing I can count on Rob-O to get me back in the proper mood for some good hip hop, right? Because he has a definite chemistry that sends crystal clear signals of classic-music potential with the Petestrumentals he writes to. (See what I did there?) Speaking of which, the Petestrumental present here is absolutely breathtaking, with the Ramsey Lewis sample somehow flipped from its original uplifting tune to an ominously daring melody. Maybe it's the echoing Biz Markie sample in the background, as the dude's early material really had a grandiose feel about it. Or maybe it's that Pete's ear for bringing the unexpected out of a sample is frighteningly good, joining the rest of the legendary producers from that era in that particular aspect. For the outro, Pete freaks a mesmerizing beat once again out of the prior Milt Jackson/ Ray Brown Big Band sample.

THE MAIN INGREDIENT
In musical terms, this song's beat is the spiritual sequel to PR's previous work on If It Ain't Rough, It Ain't Right. Because he resumes his contention for the crown of 'Mad Scientist' that all producers aspire to achieve. Seriously, two seconds from Tyrone Washington? One second from George Duke, expertly paired with a friggin' chanting sample from Albino Gorilla? With a deft Les McCann switch-up thrown in for good measure? Add all that to an infectious combination of KRS-One, Big Daddy Kane and a two-second Tyrone Washington sax? I gotta catch my breath. Of course, he managed to make a battle-worthy beat out of all that, so CL really didn't have any choice but to fully commit to the bait. And he does so with a braggadocious contribution that very much matches the lofty-as-all-hell standards we've seen from him on that front. This man really is on a lyrical mission, one he's pretty much succeeded in so far. Too bad the ad-libs exceptionally grate on the nerves here. Once again, though, a magnificent outro by Pete that samples The Modern Jazz Quartet this time. Really killing it with these musical interludes

WORLDWIDE (FEATURING ROB-O)
Mr. Odindo is the breakout star of this album. For real, this dude's lyrics are featured on the album almost as much as Corey's. Eight verses in total! Pity that didn't really lead to something worthwhile for him. Nevertheless, He and Pete take turns reciting his lyrics, and Pete recites the dogpiss out of them. I do suppose that it's weird when someone performs your own lyrics better than you, but Pete's voice is more authoritative than Rob-O's own. In a way, I kind of prefer it like this. sort of keeps the illusion intact. The bat finds Pete once again working wonders with the xylophone samples, as expected. This song was awesome.

ALL THE PLACES
Opening with the final seconds of a James Brown classic? Timeless. This song is a hypnotic repeat of Sun Won't Come Out that utilizes a prominent Donald Byrd loop, only with PR heavily dialing down on the ad-libs, thank the Almighty. Trust me when I tell you that this is one of those beats that evoke a strong sense of nostalgia out of you, even if said sense doesn't necessarily correlate to the beat itself. Conversely, CL decides to dial up his imagery. Thereby forcing his stream-of-consciousness writing to display true feats of lyricism. Fourth smash in a row, so far.

TELL ME
Um, what the actual motherfuck?! Aside from his by-now customary outro which samples that Oliver Sain sample, any wizardry Pete is attempting with his sampling of Stan Getz is obliterated by him braying on Corey's already-lame-as-menses hook. I know he isn't literally braying but he might as well be, truthfully. Hell, the resulting beat is one steaming pile of sow-dung. What makes the whole package even more of an abomination is the fact that Corey contributes the dreadiest of all narratives. Seriously, for a love story with a happy ending, this is one depressing story. This shit should've stayed inside Pete & Corey's respective heads.

TAKE YOU THERE (FEATURING CRYSTAL JOHNSON)
The second single, and the one PR & CL were pushing for to be the lead. Built squarely upon the same Keni Burke sample source PR used in his monster posse cut The Basement on MATSB, Pete enlists the help of one Crystal Johnson to elevate the track's status to a club banger. Goddamn, I wish all club bangers sounded like this again. The result is an epic sweeping instrumental that screams for CL to go nuts over. And go nuts he did, with a majestic serving of BNB (boasts-n-bullshit) that wouldn't sound out of place to this day. The man has transformed into a quotable machine. 'I’m living through my son so daddy see it this way/I want him in the NFL, his brother in the NBA'? Contrasts beautifully with lines like 'I’m blowing up spots for knots in the millennium years/And now I drop it on my peers, brings tears and fears'. I mean, these smacktalking combos are the stuff of myth. When this was released as a single, Pete released a remix thereto that will blow your head clean off your shoulders. It’s that good.

SEARCHING (FEATURING VINIA MOJICA)
Again with the love songs! Our duo must've gotten some crazy ass for this album to go the way it did, with four useless friggin' love songs outta sixteen. And you can't tell me that Mr. Peter Phillips' giant aping of Roy Ayers doesn't sound like the cheesiest of all cheesy R&B songs back then with a straight face. And Mr. Corey Penn sure saved the sleaziest of all his sex raps for last didn't he? Vinia Mojica would go on to do bigger and better things with her crooning. I've never wanted to call these two the PP's more than after listening to this garbage.

CHECK IT OUT
This song is going to have to be a blast if it's going to pull me out of the mood I'm currently in. Thankfully, it's just that. The Soul Brother earns his keep by looping a Young-Holt Unlimited sample at just the right measure. And the Mecca Don responds by turning in yet another flawless bragging display, albeit one that's splashed here and there with some vivid introspection and imagery, and you know how good he is at doing that.

IN THE FLESH (FEATURING ROB-O & DEDI)
This is supposed to be the sequel to The Basement, but unfortunately Grap and the Hevster are noticeable in their absence. Nevertheless, the remaining crew pull through after an above-average snippet by Dedi. The Modern Jazz Quartet-sampling beat on that intro would later serve as the backdrop of Sadat X' Escape From New York, also featuring Dedi. Here though, The George Benson loop, when finally unveiled, forces you to focus on the MCs' lyrics. Also, the addition of various Steve Miller samples further adds to the building crescendo of each verse, marked by Pete's melodic scratching of a sampled Big Daddy Kane uttering the track's title. This wouldn't count for squat, of course, if the rappers didn't deliver. Thankfully, they did, and in spades. Corey was his by-now standard arbitrary self in his bragging, with Rob-O following suit spectacularly.  Dedi did as good as one would expect of him, yet he kind of foreshadowed some pretty low lyrical moments for him here. As for Pete? Well, if Rob did well, you know Pete followed in similar fashion. Because, you know, Rob wrote his lines, see. (Fuck you if this whole ghostwriting schtick pissed you off)

IT'S ON YOU (OUTRO BY GRAP LUVA)
I'm not sure if you noticed, but there seems to be a void in the introspection side of this album so far, right? I mean, MATSB had so many reflection on the various issues facing black men. Well, imagine if all these songs were balled up and rolled into one. Impossible, you say? I give you this track: A mafioso tale encompassing the dark & soulless existence of winning in the criminal life. No tragic death found here, he wins. But the thing is, maybe the fact that he continues to live this miserable life is the real tragedy highlighted here. At least, that's what CL relayed with his best lyrical performance bar none in my humble opinion. A wicked combination of an Ahmad Jamal loop, a California Dreamers vocal sample and four Erick Sermon bars from his glory days with the immortal EPMD were all PR needed to surround CL's harrowing tale with the tunes it deserves. The icing on the was when PR looped Ahmad Jamal again on the outro for a small sampler from his younger brother Grap Luva, who does the best anyone can do with 30 seconds mic time. Why didn't you include him on In The Flesh? Why?

GET ON THE MIC
The title, given by a Biz Markie sample, can only mean that this track will be a battle track. Sure enough, Corey brings his brand of imagery, punchlines and brags to close out a brilliant partnership that has lasted for at least five years, while Pete gives him the bloodpumping backdrop that fits the occasion with a smartly-cut Jeanne & The Darlings loop. I would've closed out the album with the previous track myself and bumped this track up a few tracks. But that's me.

FINAL THOUGHTS
By the time you finish The Main Ingredient, it feels kind of bittersweet. Even though this really isn't the final time these two work together. I can't really put my finger on it, but maybe it's the fact that they dissolved this partnership that has produced many a classic. And yes, even a few on this album. Pete makes sure of that with his production that proves, if nothing, that his ear only got better with time, which allowed him to musically make The Main Ingredient one of my two favorite albums of his production career. On the lyrical front, it strikes me that CL is out to prove that he is an MC's MC on this album. Too bad, critics and fans alike didn't really give him a chance, with them too attached to his excellent choices in subject matter on the previous album. Here, he zeroed in on proving that he could lyrically do things no one else can do, no matter how hard they tried. And to that effect he succeeded gloriously. I mean, his flow still remains on of the most headnodding flows in hip hop history, and he was able to juggle that with lyrical dexterity. Sure as hell looks like a success to me. Best way to sum the lyrical content of this album in comparison to the previous one is that it's the Ironman to MATSB's Purple Tape. The Goodfellas to their Runaway Slave.

WORTH IT? You owe it to yourself to acquire this album. Everyone who has a vague interest in boom bap knows what Pete Rock could do with an SP1200 back then, and the vast majority of this album is no exception. And if by chance you claim to be a fan of these two yet you dislike the album? I'm willing to bet that you never really understood what CL Smooth was about as an MC, because he was so much more than a preacher on that mic.

TRACKS TO TRACK DOWN:
WHAT'S NEXT ON THE MENU
Off the Who's The Man? OST in 1993. The reason I added this song here rather than on the MATSB review is that I believe that the song could've fit right at home on this album, with PR's adrenaline rush of a mashup between Nautilus and Kool & The Gang. And the sax samples throughout add that extra bit of magic that make this beat absolutely timeless. CL answers his producer's challenge by displaying two verses that echo the various bragging vibes found on The Main Ingredient, except this time he chooses to amaze you with an all-new aspect of his performance: Breath control. This shit hails from the same school as the many wondrous contributions of the G Raps, the Treaches, the Big Puns of hip hop have given over the years. Oh, and this might very well be the only time that CL ever ghostwrote for Pete. To his credit, PR has always been pretty good at delivering lyrics on the mic if they’re written competently enough, and here they’re so good that Pete sounds like CL’s twin, the highest of compliments. A must-hear.

WE SPECIALIZE (FEATURING KENNY AUSTIN OF THE YG'Z)
Back with the xylophone samples is Pete Rock to take your breath away once again on this b-side to Searching. Yes, that piece of ear rape really came out as a single. Ugh. CL Smooth really did all the heavylifting on the lyrics here, since all Kenneth here contributed was a measly 10 bars. Granted his flow was impressive, only because it aped that of CL himself. Speaking of which, the man continues to amaze with his confidence shining through his choices in referencing, imagery and punchlines. Add that with Pete's smart scratches of KRS-One, the late great ODB and my favorite cut, PMD, and you've got yourself a hidden classic, my friend. And we're done.

For more of the one who isn't CL Smooth, here.