Group Home - Livin' Proof (November 21, 1995)

Group Home is a duo that is (was?) part of the Gang Starr Foundation, along with fellow members Jeru the Damaja and (duh) Gang Starr (made up of Guru and producer extraordinaire DJ Premier). They both made their debuts on Gang Starr albums and, through some sort of deal with the devil, were able to secure Primo's work behind the boards of their debut, Livin' Proof.

Lil' Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker are proof positive that anyone, truly anyone, can be made to sound good over a Primo-blessed instrumental. You don't listen to Livin' Proof for hard-hitting lyrics or helpful insight on ghetto life; you can't. Shit, you don't listen to Livin' Proof for the lyrics at all. You listen to hear a master at work. This album cements the legend of DJ Premier as one of the top five hip hop producers of all time, even more so that his Gang Starr albums, because this album shows, beyond a doubt, that he can make people who aren't in his core group sound good.

1. INTRO
Yeah yeah, I see it; another useless rap album intro.

2. INNA CITI LIFE
Hard drums, check. Nas vocal sample, check. Weak ass lyrics, especially from the Nutcracker ("I'll make you jump/Psych!"), triple check.

3. LIVIN' PROOF
Listening to this track almost, almost makes you wish Inspectah Deck (of the Wu) was a group member, as his vocal sample on the chorus sounds better than the actual rhymes.

4. SERIOUS RAP SHIT (FEAT GURU & BIG SHUG)
One fact that many Primo stans overlook is that he didn't produce the entirety of this album. This track, for instance, is produced by his Gang Starr cohort Guru. Upon a return listen, it's pretty obvious Primo had nothing to do with the track.

5. SUSPENDED IN TIME
The crown jewel of the album. The vinyl single features the "Groovy Mix", which is the exact same song, but it features a sung chorus from Amel Larrieux (of Groove Theory) that fits the song perfectly, so everyone should seek that version out online. Now. Go already! Wel'll wait.

6. SACRIFICE (FEAT ABSALOOT)
After a brief interlude from an uncredited Jeru the Damaja, Melachi talks into one of those vocal distortion box things that Warren G uses to portray that ridiculous high-pitched "G-Child" on his solo albums. Roger Troutman he ain't.

7. UP AGAINST THE WALL (LOW BUDGET MIX)
My guess is, the title implies this mix was either straight-to-video, or filmed in Toronto, doubling for New York.

8. 4 GIVE MY SINS
Produced by Jay-Z's former mentor/current nemesis Big Jaz. Sounds like shit. No wait, not just shit; boring shit.

9. BABY PA
The majority of this three-minute opus is an overlong skit. So it will be technically accurate when I classify this as a "fucking skit" and move on.

10. 2 THOUSAND
Not every Primo song is golden, as this track proves.

11. SUPA STAR
The first single, which I never really liked upon its release. (I bought the CD based on the strength of "Suspended In Time", and was very disappointed that the "Groovy Mix" wasn't included.) If you take all of the artists that Primo has 'clicked' with and toss them in a hat, any name you pull out could rock this shit better. (Royce da 5'9" comes to mind.**)

12. UP AGAINST THA WALL (GETAWAY CAR MIX)
If any song didn't really need two different versions recorded....

13. THA REALNESS (FEAT JACK THE RIPPER & SMILEY A/K/A THE GHETTO CHILD)
Probably one of the darker Primo contributions, built around a somber yet eerie track and a Prodigy (of Mobb Deep, not the electronica group) vocal sample.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Livin' Proof is a conceptual mess that sounds good, thanks in no small part to Primo (who really should get back to producing that hardcore hip hop shit, instead of just simply cashing Aguilera checks). Any aspiring emcee should practice over the instrumentals of these songs; at least you can't sound as bad as these guys.

BUY OR BURN? I like to believe that readers of my blog appreciate beats as well as rhymes. I've written a couple of reviews where I've mentioned that the lyrics aren't thought provoking or require much attention, but the artists in question are capable wordsmiths who are able to ride the beats effortlessly, whereas Melachi and Lil' Dap just...can't. As such, you can easily find the instrumental version of this album on some other blogs, so I would go that route.

BEST TRACKS: "Suspended In Time"; "Tha Realness"; "Livin' Proof"

-Max

(**EDIT: I swear, I hadn't heard the Royce da 5'9" mixtape The Bar Exam (where he actually rhymes over this beat) at the time I wrote the review. So I'm considering myself to be a little bit psychic right now.)

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