Big Noyd - Only The Strong (September 23, 2003)

I've decided to finish off the two-month stunt blogging experiment with the sophomore effort from Mobb Deep affiliate Tajuan Perry, also known as Big Noyd (or Rapper Noyd, or Noyd, or sometimes Tito). Some of you two may find this choice puzzling, but this has been sitting in my pile of CDs for two years now, and now is as good a time to get rid of it as any. Also, I've been told that if I write about at least four Mobb Deep-related albums during a stunt, Prodigy will personally attack me in one of his many blogs that he writes from prison. So, that's thrilling.

I'm on record as liking Big Noyd's debut album, the Episodes Of A Hustla EP. It ended up only being an EP release on Tommy Boy Records because of Noyd's prison sentence (so he didn't have time to record any more tracks), but what it lacked in marketing and promotion it gained in entertainment value: almost entirely produced by Havoc of Mobb Deep, it was really fucking good, and it was short enough to know when to end before Noyd's presence became overly annoying.

Rapper Noyd obviously lost his space on the Tommy Boy roster after his time sevred, but to be fair, Tommy Boy doesn't exactly know what to do with their rap artists anymore anyway. He signed a deal with Landspeed Records and quickly recorded his first full-length project, Only The Strong. Production was mainly handled by Havoc, The Alchemist (who had also manned the boards behind the other Mobb Deep affiliate album, the Infamous Mobb's Special Edition), and Emile, with Noyd occasionally sharing mic duties with his boys in the main Mobb duo.

Only The Strong was highly anticipated, mainly by people who seemed to forget that a little bit of Rapper Noyd went a long way, and was met with an inordinate amount of praise. He didn't sell many copies, but he did well enough to be tricked into believing that he could have a good run as a solo performer, instead of simply becoming the fourth member of the Infamous Mobb. Leaving the rest of us hip hop fans to suffer violently.

Sigh.

1. ONLY THE STRONG INTRO
This rap album intro is actually weaker than most. Which means that it sounds really really awful.

2. WATCH OUT
Havoc's beat is annoyingly peppy, which is ridiculous within the context of Mobb Deep and their cohorts. Rapper Noyd's skills behind the mic, which weren't that strong to begin with but were still enjoyable enough on Mobb Deep's The Infamous and on Noyd's own Episodes Of A Hustla, seem to have taken a long walk off of a short pier, and his gangsta threats are neither gangsta nor threatening. This can't be a good sign.

3. SHOOT 'EM UP (BANG BANG) (PART 1)
The Alchemist provides an interesting backdrop for Noyd to attempt to ruin with his inane gun talk (and before you say anything, yes, I'm fully aware that gun talk is what one should expect when a song is called fucking “Shoot 'Em Up (Bang Bang) (Part 1)”). One is left wondering what Havoc and, well, even Prodigy could have done with this monster of an instrumental. Still, Big Noyd manages to come off as decent on here.

4. SOMETHING FOR ALL THAT (FEAT PRODIGY)
I don't know what I hate more about this bullshit song: the weak beat, which doesn't appear to be sure of what party it's currently attending; Prodigy's awkwardly-paced “hook” that sucks on an elephant's right testicle as a mid-afternoon snack on any given Tuesday; or the back-and-forth between Noyd and Cellblock P, whom appear to have never rhymed ever in their respective lives. This shit is awful.

5. WE GANGSTA
I found myself not completely hating this one, clichéd title aside. I think it's because of Havoc's instrumental, which seems to be reaching for an audience which is entirely different than who Noyd himself is trying to appease. The contrast here is at least a little bit interesting to hear, although not more than the once.

6. BEING ON POINT (PRELUDE)
…

7. ALL 4 THE LUV OF THE DOUGH (FEAT PRODIGY)
Havoc's beat sounds like something fellow Queensbridge native Nas would have briefly considered, but ultimately decided against, for Nastradamus. Accordingly, Big Noyd attempts a more serious persona on the mic, and he sounds alright enough, but Prodigy's chorus immediately pulls the rug out from beneath you.

8. INVINCIBLE (FEAT INFAMOUS MOBB)
With very few exceptions, there is never a good reason to include a female vocalist on a song by either Mobb Deep or their golf caddies, whether they're properly credited on the back of the album or not. This posse cut (a contest created to determine who gets to hold Havoc's weed on even-numbered days) is relatively ineffective. Kind of a waste of everybody's time, really, especially my own.

9. WILDIN' ON THE TOUR BUS (SKIT)
Skits were never really Mobb Deep's strong suit.

10. NOYD HOLDIN' IT DOWN (FEAT HAVOC)
Noyd tries to get into the club alongside Havoc, but instead comes dangerously close to getting laughed right out of the industry. Was he really trying to get some radio airplay? Who the fuck advised him that this shit was the way to get there? At least Hav quickly drops his verse and moves on to greener pastures at the bar.

11. SHOOT 'EM UP (BANG BANG) (PART 2) (FEAT MOBB DEEP)
Cornier than its predecessor, but also catchier, and ultimately, better. Hav and P take a while to adapt to the new climate, but once they catch on, the entertainment value increases tenfold. Leaves you feeling hungry after an hour, though.

12. AIR IT OUT (FEAT HAVOC)
The Alchemist beat that both Curtis Jackson and Jadakiss (from The Lox) swiped to battle each other was first utilized by Rapper Noyd on here. Al's beat is undeniably hot, but Noyd sounds the same as he always does, making him an awkward fit. Not that Curtis sounded any better, mind you, but it is what it is.

13. HIGHER (FEAT SHAKIM)
Emile's instrumental walks that fine line between possibly interesting if I was high and as annoying as being high around someone who insists on being a Debbie Downer. And that's all I care to write, since all of the rhymes sucked balls.

14. GOIN' RIGHT AT 'EM (FEAT PMD)
Probably the strangest guest spot I've written about in a while, but various members of Mobb Deep and EPMD have worked together in the past, much to Keith Murray's dismay. Sebb's beat is alright, and Parrish Smith evokes just the right amount of nostalgia, but overall, this isn't very memorable.

15. THAT FIRE (FEAT V12)
Meh.

16. THE KID IS NICE
What the fuck is this shit?

17. N.O.Y.D.
A weak way to end an album. Thus ending the trifecta of terror that Only The Strong hangs its cap on at night.

FINAL THOUGHTS: I was a huge supporter of the Episodes Of A Hustla EP. That project was short and sweet, with almost every track connecting with the audience because, well, they had to. However, Only The Strong is a showcase of excess, with too many bloated songs recorded by Big Noyd, apparently for no other reason that because he could. Noyd can shine when his contributions are aided (read: limited) by his Mobb Deep brethren, but when by himself, his deficiencies (in both his lyrics and his ear for beats) shine brighter than the glare coming from the back of the CD as I threw it into an open field for my dog to retrieve. Only The Strong contains a couple of decent tracks, but those tracks are surrounded by an inordinate number of bricks which sink the project. As I stated before, a little bit of Noyd goes a long way.

BUY OR BURN? Mobb Deep fanatics that let this slip past them may want to burn this, but everyone else can walk on by. The man's limited appeal has narrowed his fanbase down to four people, none of whom read this blog anyway.

BEST TRACKS: “Shoot 'Em Up (Bang Bang) (Part 2)”; “Shoot 'Em Up (Bang Bang) (Part 1)”

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Big Noyd – Episodes Of A Hustla

Tha Alkaholiks - Firewater (January 24, 2006)

Firewater was touted as the fifth and final album by West Coast party kings Tha Alkaholiks. It was released almost thirteen years after their first disc, 21 & Over, and it was a promise that the group has kept, at least as of this writing: other than a few solo albums from Tash and J-Ro, there hasn't been a reunion, and there doesn't appear to be one in the works, either, although the group broke up amicably.

Firewater was the last effort by Tha Liks to provide the hip hop landscape with feel-good music, promoting a lifestyle that most other rappers had seemingly moved away from (weed still appears to be the vice of choice for hip hop). No longer a part of the Loud Records family (as that label had gone under), J-Ro, Tash, and E-Swift signed a one-off deal with Waxploitation Records, distributed by the Koch graveyard, and announced in 2004 that this was their last album.

This didn't really surprise me. The genre had changed in the five years since their last album, and their break may have been a little too long for Tha Liks to catch up. Focusing on the subject matter of drinking somewhat irresponsibly has always been a bit of a gamble for record labels to sell to a mainstream audience: when was the last time there were multiple deaths on the highway because someone had smoked too much pot? While the crew was able to offset their words (which, to be fair, usually included some cautionary tales) with hot beats that appealed to hip hop heads, their fourth effort, X.O. Experience, found the group saddled with the task of getting the club audience to care, so outside help like Rockwilder and The Neptunes were brought in: while their efforts were fruitful, the labels forgot to take into account that people are already drunk when at the club: they don't need to have someone extolling the virtues of beer goggles.

Still, I enjoyed their music, so I was sad to see them go. It's never the acts that you can't stand that retire, you know. (The lone exception: Master P. But did you ever really consider that guy to be a rapper?)

1. INTRO
Unnecessary.

2. TURN IT UP
Um, Tha Liks seem to be aiming for a mainstream audience, and their attempts are damn near condescending. Tash sounds good, and J-Ro is okay, but the inane hook and the beat's unquestionable bid for radio airplay both fall flat. It's not as if drinking is a subject that should be limited to underground artists or anything, but this song takes all of the fun out of getting drunk. Tha Liks shouldn't have to try this hard to bump in the clubs: they should just be themselves. I know, I know: easier said than done when it comes to the music industry.

3. THE FLUTE SONG (LALALA)
The female vocals on the “hook” sound like a reference track for the instrumental, and probably should have been deleted. Other than that misstep, this song was alright, as it manages the impossible: it recalls fond memories of older Alkaholiks content while sounding absolutely nothing like anything in their back catalog.

4. POPULAR DEMAND
I hated this shit. That's all I got.

5. THE GET DOWN
I happen to believe that Tash can rhyme to almost any beat and sound good, but E-Swift's instrumental puts that theory underneath a microscope for closer examination. This shit was boring as hell. I'm starting to remember why I stopped listening to Firewater.

6. GET INTO IT
If partying with Tha Liks really comes with an all-inclusive package of drinks, then I can forgive this otherwise trite song with a dull instrumental from The Rural (a terrible name for a production unit, by the way). If they just made that shit up just to make the chorus rhyme, then I am not having it.

7. FADED
I didn't find this skit funny the first time I heard it.

8. CHAOS
The crazy drums on here define the Danger Mouse beat, giving “Chaos” its first shot of energy and a much funkier sound than anything else on Firewater so far. (I'm surprised, too, especially since I'm not the biggest Danger Mouse fan.) Tash and J-Ro also seem refreshed behind the mic. This could have made more of an impact had it been sequenced immediately after the intro, but I digress.

9. HANGOVER (FEAT STYLIZTIK JONES & BISHOP LAMONT)
I found it weird that Tha Liks didn't already have a song with this title in their catalog, especially given their typical subject matter and their fucking group name. E-Swift's shuffling beat is okay, and Styliztik's line “if this is The Matrix, I'm the glitch” was of funny, but Tash is the shining star of this set. Tacking on probable Aftermath escapee Bishop Lamont at the end also added nothing to the proceedings.

10. PARTY YA ASS OFF
No thanks. After hearing this shit, I'd rather stay in and read some Grisham.

11. HANDLE IT
Meh.

12. ON THE FLOOR
The dialogue sample, commanding listeners to “get your ass on the floor”, is too disturbing and jarring to justify dancing in a club setting (or in the privacy of your living room, for that matter: you're too afraid that the owner of the authoritative voice will jump out of the speakers and shake the shit out of you). Which is too bad, as the song sounded pretty good without that shit.

13. POVERTY'S PARADISE (FEAT POOH)
There's hardly any rapping on here at all: Pooh's vocals sound alright in an “absolute definition of the term 'studio musician'” kind of way. I don't buy albums by Tha Alkaholiks to hear about society's ills, though: you drink to forget that shit. So, yeah, this didn't work for me.

14. DRINK WIT US
E-Swift's beat is much more dramatic than it needs to be, but I enjoyed J-Ro's BDP-inspired hook listing their friends within the industry, especially when he name-dropped the Deftones and Fishbone alongside the usual suspects Wu-Tang, King T, and Lootpack. They also shout out Xzibit, confirming that their brief feud had ended. The end of the track turns into a dedication to fellow artists who have passed on, making this the most touching song Tha Alkaholks have ever recorded, and it's still about drinking.
15. DO IT
The Rural's beat throws in an unexpected sample from “Ready Or Not, Here I Come (Can't Hide From Love)” (by The Delfonics), which I hadn't heard since Missy Elliott's Timbaland-produced “Sock It 2 Me”. There is nothing remotely West Coast about this instrumental, but I actually liked this track a lot.

16. OVER HERE (FEAT KING TEE)
This is how Tha Liks decided to end their final album? My wife had to wake me up to let me know that the CD stopped playing.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Firewater capped off the career of Tha Alkaholiks, who immediately (and amicably) disbanded after this disc was mastered (although they all still continue to work). This album contains a handful of tracks that deserve their place in their catalog, but it mostly proves that maybe Tha Liks should have called it a day after X.O. Experience. J-Ro and Tash sound like grizzled veterans who are still capable of bringing the noise when called upon, but they come off as weary, as if they noticed life (and, more importantly, hip hop) passing them by at a speed which they couldn't catch up with. This left Firewater sounding dated, even when it was a brand new album. That said, “Drink Wit Us” simultaneously pays homage to some of the fallen greats in hip hop while acting as historical evidence that Tha Alkaholiks have played a large role in the hip hop genre, making it a perfect final act for Tash, J-Ro, and E-Swift. It's just too bad that Firewater actually ended with fucking “Over Here”.

BUY OR BURN? I would like to tell you two to buy this, but most of the songs on here suck balls, to tell you the truth. Just burn the songs listed below and add them to an all-Liks playlist that you can create using their first four albums (and Tash's solo debut) as a basis. Or, at the very least, listen to “Drink Wit Us” and pour out some liquor for Tha Alkaholiks.

BEST TRACKS: “Drink Wit Us”; “Do It”; “Chaos”

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Tha Alkaholiks and their catalog are being discussed here. Make your opinions heard!

Dreddy Krueger Presents...Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture (October 18, 2005)

Here's my theory as to how this project came to exist. Dreddy Krueger, who was a rapper in the Wu-Tang Clan affiliated Royal Fam in a past life, started up his own vanity record label, and called it Think Differently, a name inspired by a series of Apple advertisements back in the day (hence the album cover logo, which rips off a certain high-powered corporation who is doing their best to brainwash everybody in America into inserting those little white earbuds into their brains). The label was originally started up as an official outlet for unreleased Wu-Tang Clan material: its first releases were all mixtapes filled with rare songs and remixes. But Dreddy soon felt the need to branch out, signing actual artists to the label while securing a distribution deal of its own, with Babygrande. The label itself doesn't seem to exist anymore, and its artists were all absorbed into the Babygrande fold, but in its short lifespan, it released one especially interesting project, entitled Dreddy Krueger Presents...Think Differently Music: Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture (which I will shorten to Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture for the remainder of this write-up).

Dreddy Krueger envisioned an album made up of the distinctive beats that the WU-Tang Clan were known for, mixed with the abstract lyricism that only the underground's elite could provide. Dreddy embraced the do-it-yourself indie culture with open arms, and sought out only the best artists and producers all by himself. Given his work ethic, he soon obtained contact with the likes of Cannibal Ox, Del Tha Funkee Homosapien, Aesop Rock, R.A. The Rugged Man, and more, and found his beats with the help of Wu-Tang affiliate Bronze Nazareth, Preservation, and the kingpin himself, The Rza. He also signed on a number of Wu and Wu b-team members to participate, including The Rza himself, Gza/Genius, U-God, and others.

Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture was highly anticipated ever since it was first announced, mainly because it featured a collaboration between The Rza and MF Doom, but also because the idea was something that the Wu fans that remained could get behind: listening to their favorite artists in an entirely new chamber, watching them adapt to the styles and behaviors of those outside of their inner circle. It was an admirable effort, even if Dreddy Krueger failed to get behind the mic himself (which is too bad, since I quite enjoy his work).

1. INTRODUCTION
After stealing the intro that HBO uses to distinguish their own original programming from the movies that they show, Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture begins with an all-instrumental interlude. I would go so far as to call it theme music, had the theme been carried throughout the disc as a whole.

2. LYRICAL SWORDS (GZA/GENIUS & RAS KASS)
A pretty good way to start things off. Nice to know that Ras Kass can play nice with someone from the Wu that isn't The Rza or Killah Priest. Rassy kind of takes over the track when his verse kicks in, and the Bronze Nazareth instrumental runs for much longer than it needs to (was there supposed to be a third rapper jumping on at some point, Bronzey?), but this was still pretty nice.

3. SLOW BLUES (VAST AIRE, TIMBO KING, PRODIGAL SUNN, & BYATA)
If this was your only frame of reference for Cannibal Ox's Vast Aire, then you would probably think that the man sucked behind the mic. Those of you fortunate enough to already be familiar with The Cold Vein will fins that Vast sounds a bit challenged by Bronze's instrumental, but he adapts quickly enough, ensuring that this song fucking rocks, even with Timbo King (of Royal Fam) contributing a verse. Nice use of the harmonica, as well.

4. STILL GRIMEY (U-GOD, SEAN PRICE, PRODIGAL SUNN, & C-RAYZ WALZ)
U-God (him? Really?) doesn't ruin Preservation's beat, but I still didn't care for his verse or his hook. Sean Price, however, furthers my need for an all Wu-Tang/Boot Camp Clik collaborative album ASAP. This track was alright, but I will say that it isn't on the same level as the two which preceded it, so we've hit a speed bump of sorts.

5. SKIT
Dialogue taken from Enter The Dragon. Not as obscure as I would like in my Wu-Tang kung fu samples, but whatever.

6. THINK DIFFERENTLY (CASUAL, ROCK MARCIANO, VORDUL MEGA, & TRAGEDY KHADAFI)
This was always one of my favorite songs on the disc. Both Casual and Rock Marcy decimate Bronzey's knocking beat. Tragedy's final verse brings the energy down a bit, but this shit fucking rocks regardless. You're left wondering how this would have sounded had Bronze Nazareth given this beat to the actual Wu-Tang Clan, though.

7. INFOMERCIAL #1 (JIM JARMUSCH)
Jim Jarmusch, indie film director (among other things, he's best known for Stranger Than Paradise, Coffee & Cigarettes, and Ghost Dog: The Way Of The Samurai, which was scored by The Rza), was ostensibly chosen to provide interludes for this project due to his status as an independent entertainment king. Also, because he's friends with The Rza, Gza/Genius, and Dreddy Krueger. An inspired choice, regardless.

8. BIOCHEMICAL EQUATION (THE RZA & MF DOOM)
A collaboration between production weirdos Prince Rakeem and MF Doom should have made my head explode. Instead, when I first heard this song, I was bored to death. Instead of filthy drums or Hanna-Barbera cartoon samples, we get Rza's digital orchestra, which doesn't seem to suit either rapper's rhymes. I wonder if Doom has a remixed version of this track, one which features his own beat versus The Rza's, locked up in a vault somewhere.

9. O.D.B. TRIBUTE (DJ NOIZE)
Borrows the eulogy used in the funeral sequence of Four Weddings & A Funeral to pay homage to the late Ol' Dirty Bastard. Nothing more to say: the title is fairly self-explanatory.

10. FRAGMENTS (DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN)
Kind of awkward, and not everybody will appreciate Del's flow. As the title suggests, Del's verses all sound a bit incomplete, as if the audience has been deliberately deprived of the information needed to piece this puzzle together. Bronze's beat isn't bad, but this song is more than a little bit frustrating.

11. INTERMISSION
A brief instrumental-slash-potty break.

12. STREET CORNERS (BRONZE NAZARETH, SOLOMON CHILDS, & BYATA)
This wasn't bad at all. With a title like that, one may expect a high-energy description of life on the corner, but Bronzey's own beat invites more of a quiet reflection than bombast, and all three emcees, including the producer himself (who, surprisingly, hadn't shown up behind the mic at all until this point) follow through effectively.

13. LISTEN (LITTLES, KHALID, & PLANET ASIA)
Complements the previous track very well, although this one will get more heads nodding. Former Mobb Deep associate Littles goes the metaphor route, while the other two clearly do not, but this shit still bangs.

14. INFOMERCIAL #2 (JIM JARMUSCH)
...

15. VERSES (SCARAMANGA SHALLAH, LA THE DARKMAN, RAS KASS, & GZA/GENIUS)
That has got to be one of the most literal titles in all of hip hop. All four artists rip shit over this DJ Noize production, which is so smooth it could be used as an alternate score for On Golden Pond. The standout is Rassy Kassy, though: that guy should just align himself with the Wu, since he fits their beats much more than he does his own. He should also record an entire joint record with the Gza, as this is the second song on this project that they both appear on, and they're both pretty good. Just putting that out there.

16. PRESERVATION (AESOP ROCK & DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN)
Aesop Rock and Del (again) rock the same sample that Dr. Dre twisted into a mild radio hit for Eminem ("Crack A Bottle", if you're like me and have already pushed that crappy track out of your subconscious). I will admit, those of you who didn't hear this track prior to Marshall's take will be too distracted to pay it any mind, but for what it's worth, it's alright. Nothing special (Aesop and Del perform admirably over producer Preservation's beat...hey, wait a minute), but nothing great, either.

17. CARS ON THE INTERSTATE (C.C.F. DIVISION)
Allah Mathematics brings a beat that is suitably Wu-Tang, but this song sucked balls. There's no reason for these Wu-Tang Clan c-teamers to have appeared on this project. Maybe Dreddy was blackmailed?

18. GIVE IT UP (R.A. THE RUGGED MAN & J-LIVE)
Preservation's beat should have been much better, but the two emcees salvage it, especially The Rugged Man's constant amazement that he's sharing the song with a schoolteacher. Both men hold a lyrical clinic that will allow you to overlook the weak musical backing.

19. BLACK DAWN (BRONZE NAZARETH)
Considering that he provided many of the beats, it's no real surprise that Bronze Nazareth gets his own solo track on here, although it is a bit inappropriate. (Then again, one could argue that, since nobody really knows who he is, be symbolizes both the "Wu-Tang" and the "Indie" classifications in one package.) Regardless, this song is boring anyway, so the project ends on a down note.

The vinyl version of Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture ends with the following bonus track.

20. O (JIM JARMUSCH)
Over music, Jim Jarmusch reads out loud an essay, penned by Gza/Genius, about the importance of the round shape of the letter "o". It's interesting, but also ridiculous at the same time. Kind of like a lot of Wu-Tang Clan ideas, if you really think about it. Fans without the ability to play vinyl aren't missing much, but completists can find this online if their hearts desire.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture is an experiment that actually works. Combining the Wu-Tang Clan's style and beats with those of some of underground hip hop's finest proves that the Wu have a lot in common with indie rap, especially since neither camp sells many records these days. Not every track works, and I was left wishing that more of the Wu came out to play (Method Man is too commercial to fit in on here, but everybody else could have made it work), but Wu-Tang Meets The Indie Culture is an entertaining diversion, one which demands a sequel, so somebody better get to work.

BUY OR BURN? I think you should actually buy this shit. Wu-Tang Clan fanatics and lovers of the genre will both find something to like on here. As I mentioned above, not every song works, but there are more hits than misses. And, hell, just how often can one recommend a rap album featuring Jim Jarmusch?

BEST TRACKS: "Think DIfferently"; "Slow Blues"; "Verses"; "Listen"; "Street Corners"; "Lyrical Swords"

-Max

Cam'Ron - Confessions Of Fire (July 21, 1998)

How exactly that album cover was supposed to pull in anything but a loyal female audience I'll never understand.

The story goes that Harlem rapper Cameron Giles, known as Killa Cam, was a part of a crew called the Children Of The Corn, alongside Murda Mase, Big L, and his cousin Bloodshed. After Bloodshed passed away from injuries sustained in a car accident, the group disbanded, and the three remaining rappers went on to find solo success. Two of those three hit the jackpot first, though: Big L, thriving from his outside affiliation with the Diggin' In The Crates crew, released a couple of albums and became a lyrical monster prior to his own passing in 1999. (Cameron made a cameo appearance on Big L's first album, but Murda Mase, curiously, did not, although Cam's future boss Jay-Z somehow found the time to show up to the studio.) Mason Betha, of course, won the lottery, signing with Puff Daddy's Bad Boy Records and selling the fuck out, rechristening himself Ma$e and rhyming about the joys in the excesses of life, all before finding God and becoming a pastor.

Cameron took a little bit longer to find his outlet: it wasn't until Ma$e convinced his labelmate, The Notorious B.I.G., to give him a listen that his career moved at all. Biggie introduced Cameron to his manager, Lance "Un" Rivera, and the newly-named Cam'Ron soon found himself signed to Un's label, Undeas Entertainment, alongside Biggie's mistress Charli Baltimore, who, to be fair, was also a part of Biggie supergroup The Commission (alongside himself and Hova) that never got a chance to record a single song due to Biggie's untimely passing.

Cam'Ron's debut album, Confessions Of Fire, was released in 1998 with a mild buzz created by its first three singles: "357", a violent street tale, "Horse & Carriage", the radio-friendly piffle, and "Pull It", a tunnel banger featuring DMX that failed to make the final cut of Confessions Of Fire due to sample clearance issues, but can easily be found on the Interweb if you're interested. Its production was primarily handled by Un and Darrell "Digga" Branch, with the likes of Swizz Beats and the Trackmasters also holding court. Although he garnered nary a play on MTV (I think they may have shown the "Horse & Carriage" video once or twice, but never during the day), Cam'Ron managed to sell over five hundred thousand records in his first time up to bat: Charli Baltimore, in contrast, never got to see her debut album on a record store shelf, but I'll get to that story soon enough.

Undeas Entertainment soon folded, due to financial concerns (and the fact that Jay-Z allegedly stabbed Un for bootlegging his album Vol. 3...The Life & Times Of S. Carter). I'm not entirely sure what Un has been up to since, but Cam'Ron has successfully moved on, releasing albums of increasing popularity and boosting the stock of his weed carriers, who used to refer to themselves as the Diplomats (or DipSet) until they all decided that they liked money more than Killa Cam.

But we'll get to all that shit later.

1. INTRO
This shit was super long with no real payoff. All sorts of ridiculous.

2. GLORY (FEAT NOREAGA)
Swizz Beats was, inexplicably, the shit during the latter part of the 1990s, so getting him to provide a beat or two for Cam's debut was a gimme. On here, the man spits a couple of lengthy verses in a cadence better suited for a conversation, which is entertaining, and a couple of the jokes he cracks made me laugh. However, Noreaga's presence on the hook was unnecessary, and there's hardly any substance to to dull instrumental.

3. 357
The first single and video. This song samples, of all things, the theme song from fucking Magnum P.I.: you would have thought Ma$e and Cam would have been wearing fake Tom Selleck mustaches while they were running from the feds in the corny video. (At least, I would have thought that to be funny.) Some of this rapid-fire threat set to music is spoken for mere shock value (especially when he says that he'll force your brother to eat your mother out), but at least most of this is delivered with confidence.

4. ROCKIN' AND ROLLIN'
This shit is weak, reaching out for a radio audience that didn't yet exist, thanks to Jermaine Dupri's co-production work. Cam's gibberish rapping also becomes annoying for the first time in the man's career on this song. Bleh.

5. WRONG ONES
Killa Cam tried his damnedest to appeal to the female half of the audience with this love rap, which shakes up the status quo of Confessions Of Fire so abruptly that you'll be tempted to double check the disc just to make sure that your evil twin, who is a railroad tycoon prone to tying his opponents to train tracks while twirling his mustache, hasn't switched albums on you. Moving on...

6. DEATH
DMX has his song-length conversations with the devil, but Cam'ron goes the more existential route, playing chess with Death himself. Some of this is interesting, especially when Cam reveals that he's still kind of dealing with the loss of Bloodshed and does not want to die himself, kind of like Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey, but the beat is much too peppy for the subject matter: "Suicidal Thoughts" this is not, although Digga and Un try to trick you into thinking that "Death" is on that brilliant song's level by utilizing a Biggie vocal sample throughout.

7. HORSE & CARRIAGE (FEAT MA$E)
Killa Cam's first foray into the radio-friendly mainstream features his old running buddy Murda Mase riding shotgun on the chorus to this Trackmasters-produced song. This shit is admittedly ridiculous, especially Ma$e's crooning on the hook, but I'd be lying if I didn't cop to liking this crappy song back in the day (you can thank Bad Boy's influence on the genre at the time, as this falls into the same category: if the women like it, then...). It doesn't work so well for me now, though. Side note: I always thought it was hilarious that the video for "357" leads directly into this piffle, since this is essentially the polar opposite of that track.

8. ME, MY MOMS, & JIMMY (FEAT KENNY GREENE, JIMMY JONES, & FREDERICKA)
Sampling the Tom Tom Club's "Genius Of Love"? Who are you, Mariah Carey? This shit is just weird, especially when Fredericka (I'm still not sure if this was supposed to be Cam's actual mother) spits some bars. As far as I care to research, this is the first recorded appearance of Jimmy Jones, better known now as Jim Jones, a hip hop jackass who has nevertheless managed to carve out a niche of the genre for himself, and is now technically much more popular that Cam. Sad, that.

9. PROPHECY (FEAT KELLY PRICE)
Kelly Price's chorus doesn't fit in with Cam'Ron's overall theme on this track. Not that it truly matters, as this shit is so boring that you'll probably cut it off midway through anyway.

10. WE GOT IT (FEAT MA$E)
Cam and Murda rhyme over the same sample Nas rocked for his "Dr. Knockboots". This sounds like the type of shit that would have been the first single, had Cam signed with Puffy instead of Un. And this would be Puffy's idea of a "street" single.

11. D RUGS (FEAT BROTHA)
Cam starts things off promisingly, dedicating the song to those whose parents chose their boyfriend or girlfriend over them, and then switches shit into a metaphor (a blatant one, by the way) for a parent addicted to drugs. The hook, sung by Brotha in a manner as to remind listeners of Curtis Mayfield's "Pusherman", is stupid, but Killa Cam's lyrics are actually not bad.

12. FEELS GOOD (FEAT USHER)
Wikipedia claims that this was a hit single, but I don't remember it ever getting any burn on the radio or on BET. I'm not the biggest fan of Usher (I have it on good authority that the guy is a douchebag in real life), but the man has some good performances under his belt ("You Make Me Wanna..." is still my shit); this is not one of them. This shit was poor.

13. PHONE INTERLUDE
...

14. A PIMP'S A PIMP (FEAT JERMAINE DUPRI)
What the fuck is this shit?

15. CONFESSIONS (FEAT JACOB YORK)
This is just goofy. Cam'Ron gets his Slim Shady on and spits some of the most fucked up shit that came to his mind at the time. Ultimately, his brain goes completely "banoodles", and we listeners receive a track that could have been an audio tour of a mental breakdown, but instead turns into a track that exists simply for shock value, much like Marilyn Manson's more recent releases. Some of the imagery conjured up is fairly disturbing, though, so I have to give the man some credit.

16. FUCK YOU (FEAT MA$E)
More of an interlude passing as a song. Murda Mase kicks things off with an angry tirade, and then Killa Cam calls out the folks who refused to support him while he was coming up: one could look at this as an anti-dedication. The singing at the end is pretty fucking hilarious, I have to say.

17. ME & MY BOO (FEAT CHARLI BALTIMORE)
This C&C music factory created an entire song exploring the concept of having platonic friends, all while claiming that they have never hooked up with each other. Which is probably true, but I've found that if one is overly zealous in denying something, then there's probably more truth to the story. I found it curious that Charli disappears entirely during Cam's final verse, in which he appears to lose the theme of the track like a set of keys.

18. SHANGHAI
This Swizz beat is offensive to Asians, and Cam'ron may as well be rhyming about mystical thousand-year-old dragons in Tienanmen Square, as the instrumental is so fucking distracting that you won't care anyway.

19. WHO'S NICE
After a long-ass intro, Cam'Ron finally spits a verse, some of which is curiously censored. He sounded okay, and the Digga/Un instrumental is alright, but this is too little, too late.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Confessions Of Fire is a fucking mess. Cameron Giles does have an interesting way with his words, and his flow is entertaining at times, but the beats that he is matched up with all seem to be aiming for the wrong audience: while Cam is clearly trying to appeal to the streets the majority of the time, his producers are steering him toward radio stations, which makes the project sound schizophrenic. There isn't anything appealing on Confessions Of FIre at all: I wouldn't recommend a single track on here.

BUY OR BURN? I don't find a need to do either, but fans of the DipSet movement may be curious to hear how Cam'Ron's mainstream career started. This was so annoying that I plan on never listening to it again, though.

BEST TRACKS: None.

-Max

Goodie Mob - World Party (December 21, 1999)

Once upon a time, there was a rap crew out of Atlanta, Georgia, that was known for two things: their affiliation with a duo named Outkast, and their socially conscious lyrics that made one think about the world we are living in. That rap crew was called the Goodie Mob, and it consisted of four members, Khujo, T-Mo, Big Gipp, and Cee-Lo, their de facto leader.

Their first two albums, Soul Food and Still Standing, earned them record industry plaques to hang on their label office walls, and they garnered a small but loyal fan base who would hang on to their every word. And the group did not disappoint: those first two albums, combined with their sporadic guest appearances on Outkast albums and other outside projects, all proudly carried the Goodie legacy.

So when it came time for album number three, an obvious query was made: what if, instead of writing more socially conscious songs, the four men try to appeal to the mainstream with songs deliberately recorded for the radio and the clubs? While it is unknown who exactly decided that was the direction to go (my chips are on the record label), the Goodie Mob's World Party was created to appeal to an audience that, at this point, didn't even know they existed. To do this, outside producers were sought out to provide more mainstream musical backing for the crew, although the usual players (Organized Noize, Mr. DJ, the Goodie themselves) were able to fight for scraps.

Clearly the group wasn't too happy about the new direction, or at least one member wasn't: Cee-Lo, long considered to be the breakout star, performs on the project to the best of his ability, but abruptly left the group to pursue a solo career, and did so during the recording process, which may help explain why World Party only consists of fourteen tracks, only twelve of which are actual songs, making this their shortest album yet.

World Party was released in 1999, one year after Still Standing, to mediocre reviews, poor sales, and, curiously, mild radio spins, so that aspect of the project did actually work as they had intended. However, down to three members, the Goodie Mob continued to push through, electing to record a fourth disc without one of their key members, and Cee-Lo moved on to a solo career that, thus far, seems to have been capped off by his work with Gnarls Barkley.

A good postscript to that tale is that Cee-Lo and the Goodie Mob have since reunited this year, and are planning at least one reunion concert and, hopefully, another album.

But this post is about the crappy World Party. (Fuck, I gave the ending away!)

1. INVITATION TO THE WORLD PARTY
La La, the former radio deejay and MTV veejay who is now best known as Carmello Anthony's baby's mother and one of the players on VH-1's Charm School (which just makes me sad), provides a bilingual intro that guaran-fucking-tees that World Party will not meet your high level of expectations at all.

2. WORLD PARTY
The hook borrows liberally from Lionel Richie's "All Night Long", which I fucking love, I shit you not, but that fact alone should inform you two that "World Party" explores different terrain than the previous two Goodie Mob projects. The Organized Noize production is repetitive and appears to be aiming for a club atmosphere, but the lyrics are all vintage Goodie. Save for the hook, of course.

3. CHAIN SWANG
The beat, which is credited to Coptic, Derrick Trotman, and D-Dot (one of Bad Boy's Hitmen and the the guy who also portrayed The Madd Rapper for that label's 1990s projects), provides a dark environment for the brothers Goodie to establish their habitat, and it sounds really goddamn good, if a bit repetitive. However, due to that repetitive nature, one is left with the feeling, for the first time, that the beat was not specifically crafted for the group: they merely purchased the instrumental for their own sordid purposes. As such, this song is good, but nowhere near great.

4. GET RICH TO THIS / PARKING LOT (BREAK) (FEAT BACKBONE & BIG BOI)
Before today's listening experience to prep for the post, the last time I heard this track was while I was perusing a crappy gift shop on the Las Vegas Strip. (No, not the one that claims to be the world's largest.) True fact: the cashier was blasting this from his iPod speakers, and I remember thinking, "Of all the Goodie Mob songs, this is the one you like?" However stupid this shit is (and it is really ignorant, almost offensively so), this still ends up being catchy as hell, so although the Goodie themselves may not be the biggest fans of it, the song is a mild success. Also, is there a better theme song to have stuck in your head while walking through the hotels on the Strip? Special guest star Big Boi (from Outkast) is accustomed to this kind of subject matter, so he sounds just fine, but Cee-Lo sounds befuddled and his verse comes off as entirely unnatural. Not much of a call for social change on here, you see, but it's still kind of entertaining.

5. THE DIP
I couldn't get into this one at all. The vocals all seem to blend in with the beat, which usually isn't a good thing for what is ostensibly a rap song.
6. ALL A'S (FEAT BACKBONE)
Mr. DJ's upbeat instrumental brings back the high energy of "Get Rich To This", but this song is much worse. Backbone's first verse, especially, is awful, Cee-Lo's is almost comically violent, and Khujo throws in some good old-fashioned homophobia for no good reason. Cee-Lo also seems to sound embarrassed to be performing on the hook.

7. WHAT IT AIN'T (GHETTO ENUFF) (FEAT TLC)
Even though both acts called LaFace Records their label home, I always thought this this collaboration was not organic at all (unlike the earlier work TLC did with Outkast). Just who exactly were the brothers Goodie trying to impress with this duet of sorts? It also doesn't help much that this comes off as more of a TLC song featuring the Goodie Mob than the other way around. The only rapper that sounds decent over this faux-futuristic beat is Left Eye (R.I.P.).

8. I.C.U. (FEAT SLEEPY BROWN)
The Organized Noize beat isn't bad, and the Goodie sound a hell of a lot more comfortable on here than they did on the last song. However, nothing here sticks to your bones like a "Cell Therapy" or a "Dirty South".

9. REBUILDING
The instrumental is credited to both D-Dot and his apprentice, a young Kanye West, but I have it on good authority that 'Ye handled the beat all by himself and The Madd Rapper added his name to help the sale, not unlike what Dr. Dre and Timbaland do. This is actually really fucking good: this is the closest World Party has come to sounding like uncompromising Dungeon Family music. And they had to turn to a guy who President Barack Obama would later call a jackass to get to that sound. Weird.

10. JUST DO IT / POOCHIE (BREAK)
Fuck you, I won't do what you tell me.

11. STREET CORNER (FEAT BACKBONE & JOI)
Meh.
12. CUTTY BUDDY (FEAT SLEEPY BROWN)
Of all the topics I never wanted to hear the Goodie rhyme about, the concept of a friend with benefits (or a fuck-buddy) was close to the top of the list, especially since Mike Jones later mastered this subject matter in the new millennium. (Ah, sarcasm.) The crew are entitled to have a little fun with their music, and they can certainly have their sexual healing, but I don't ever need to hear them talk about it, especially when Cee-Lo sounds as if he had to down eighteen shots of Patron in order to spit his verse out. This is just weird.

13. FIE FIE DELISH
Easy Mo Bee (three days in a row!) provides the beat: that guy sure gets around, doesn't he? It's always interesting when the Goodie Mob journeys out of their comfort zone (such as when they work with DJ Muggs), but they all seem to be overwhelmed by the instrumental, especially Cee-Lo, who, surprisingly, turns in one of his worst performances to date. It's entirely possible that he had already checked out of the group mentally at this point, but still.

14. GO BACK (BREAK)
This is just a rap album outro, and a relatively forgettable one at that.

FINAL THOUGHTS: While not as bad as most critics claimed it to be a decade ago, the Goodie Mob's World Party still sucks camel dicks. The balloons aren't properly inflated and they're all bunched up in one corner, the drinks are all watered down, the food selection is lacking, the male-to-female ratio isn't favorable at all, and T-Mo, Khujo, Big Gipp, and Cee-Lo all sound as if they're trying too hard. There's nothing inherently wrong with wanting to look past society's ills once in a while so that one could try and have a decent time, but the paradigm shift between Still Standing and World Party is so jarring that most of the crew's fans probably found themselves falling off of a fucking cliff. People look to the Goodie Mob to not hear songs about getting money and promiscuous sex, a fact that the group chose to brazenly ignore. On the plus side, a lot of the instrumentals were interesting, at least, but this World Party should have been cancelled due to inclement weather.

BUY OR BURN? Burn this if you absolutely must. Loyal Goodie Mob enthusiasts will find at least one song to like on here, but liking one song off of a CD with fourteen tracks isn't economically feasible right now.

BEST TRACKS: "Rebuilding"; "Chain Swang"; "Get Rich To This"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Other Goodie Mob releases are being discussed here.

Afu-Ra - Life Force Radio (May 21, 2002)

In the year 2000, rapper Afu-Ra, an apprentice of Jeru The Damaja who appeared on his The Sun Rises In The East and Wrath of The Math, released his solo debut Body Of The Life Force. While decidedly free of any Damaja-laced tirades, Afu managed to finagle production and cameo spots from the likes of DJ Premier, the Cocoa Brovaz, Gza/Genius, Masta Killa, DJ Muggs, and Da Beatminerz. It gained a small cult following, and Afu-ra was encouraged to swing for the fences a second time.

So when Koch Records announced Life Force Radio, Afu-Ra's follow-up, expectations rose exponentially. However, both its guest list and its production seemed to downgrade from the debut, and the concept of a radio station called "Life Force Radio", one which seems to play nothing but Afu-Ra's shit, was a pure example of what suspension of disbelief was all about.

Life Force Radio ended up not doing as well as the man's debut. Undeterred, Afu-Ra elected to continue to not work with Jeru The Damaja and, instead, stuck by his own weed carriers while they all attempted to figure out just who, exactly, was the carrier of said weed in that relationship.

1. ASUN / THE MESSAGE (FEAT ASUN THE BLACK SUN)
No comment.

2. SCAT MAN
I didn't like the beat, but I appreciated Afu-Ra's rhymes on here. He sounds about the same as he did on Body Of The Life Force, but that style still works when paired up with the right instrumental. I like the fact that the rhymes are fast and furious, but then the "hook" is sing-songy. But, yeah, not liking the beat kind of ruined shit for me.

3. STICK UP (FEAT BIG DADDY KANE)
Afu-Ra and Big Daddy Kane don't make for the most natural pairing, but they both sound alright over this dull Curt Cazal instrumental. I was left wishing that this collaboration took place over a more majestic beat. Unlike some of Kane's other recent cameos, though, this one didn't feature any bars that stood out, making this simply a serviceable song.

4. HIP HOP (FEAT RESPECT)
Easy Mo Bee's loud, crashing beat sounds like a perfect fit for M.O.P. However, that duo showed up at the studio on the wrong day, and ended up on an entirely different track, leaving Afu all by his lonesome. He doesn't sound bad on here at all, although the speed-rapping was a bit much, but we're all ignoring the bigger story: I just wrote about producer Easy Mo Bee on two consecutive days. How cool is that? Somebody give that guy a deal to release a CD of popular rappers rhyming to his distinctive beats: the genre could certainly use it.

5. CROSSFIRE (FEAT M.O.P.)
Billy Danze gets slightly political on here, threatening to invade Kuwait and shoot [Osama Bin Laden] in the face" for causing the collapse of the Twin Towers. He usually sounds animated anyway, but on here, he's fucking pissed off. Sadly, that ends up being the only truly memorable thing about this track.

6. OPEN (FEAT TEENA MARIE)
This was corny as hell. Afu's "uniquely argyle" wardrobe choices for Wednesday was a funny description, but I cannot believe that Afu-Ra's handlers were so concerned with getting the man a wider audience that they committed to a radio friendly single (one which never got any burn on the airwaves). And I was left feeling worse for Teena "Square Biz" Marie than I did when I found out that she signed with Cash Money Records. Groan.

7. LYRICAL MONSTER
Not the greatest Primo beat, but it sounds alright underneath Afu-Ra's spittle. Unlike Primo's work with Afu's mentor Jeru The Damaja, though, this sounds like DJ Premier made a beat for the highest bidder, instead of crafting the track with the artist's involvement: The Sun Rises In The East is as much a Primo masterpiece as it is Jeru's.

8. MISS YOU (FEAT ALANA DA FONSECA)
Meh.

9. PERVERTED MONKS (FEAT A-SUN, CA-SEE, & RESPECT)
Easy Mo Bee's beat was actually pretty damn good, and Afu fit it like a glove. Unfortunately, his weed carriers (who also make up most of Afu-Ra's crew, the Perverted Monks, who later managed to release one album) also appear on here, and each time the mic is passed, the transition is jarring.

10. GHETTO CITY STREETS (SKIT)
Even though there is singing featured on this skit, this still ended up being a spoken word interlude. Pass.

11. READJUSTMENT (FEAT Q)
Uses the same David Axelrod sample (from "Smile") that Pete Rock used on "Strange Fruit" and Lord FInesse rocked over "Actual Facts". However, while those two beatmasters made incredible beats off of six seconds of an Axelrod track, for some reason Easy Mo Bee can't do the same. I didn't really like this at all.

12. 1,2,3
Curt Cazal's beat is almost too old-school: it sounds like it's scoring the era of Prohibition. Afu's chorus is also really weird. ("Who loves you better: your mother, wife, or daughter?" The fuck?) Those were the main reasons I couldn't get into this song. Well, those, and the final verse, which just clinches it.

13. THINK BEFORE YOU... (FEAT JAHDAN)
Sounds like a poor man's version of Body Of The Life Force's "D&D Soundclash". Guest star Jahdan comes off as an alternate universe Busta Rhymes, one who prefers singing to rapping. Other than that, this song wasn't all that bad, but I'm missing Afu-Ra's debut more and more now.

14. AURAL FIXATION (FEAT THE HUMAN ORCHESTRA)
Hearing Afu-Ra rhyming over the accompaniment of a human beatbox sounds like the essence of true hip hop. In reality, it was probably cheaper to get someone to make the music with their mouth than it would be to hire musicians: someone had to somehow pay for both The Rza and Big Daddy Kane to appear on the same album, after all.

15. DANGEROUS LANGUAGE (FEAT RZA (AS BOBBY DIGITAL))
I'm sure Afu was also disappointed that his guest star didn't also handle the beat. However, fellow Wu-Element True Master does a great job with it, and the two men sound as if they had been rhyming together for years. Even though The Rza is in full-on Bobby Digital bullshit hip hop superhero mode, his verse is less cryptic than usual, making this song that much more enjoyable.

16. SACRED WARS (FEAT DON PARMAZHANE & THE BLOB)
I'll be honest: when I first heard this track, I thought it was a gag: the rhymes of the guests are so far off the mark that I thought this was a skit. Alas, I was wrong: Don Parmazhane is a rapper who also appeared on Guru's Baldhead Slick & Da Click album. So he seems to be well liked in the Gang Starr Foundation. As such, everybody was dead serious on here.

17. BLVD. (FEAT GURU)
Afu actually uses the phrase "she sells seashells by the seashore". No, seriously, he really does. His lyrics do get better, but that corny misstep ruins the song for me. Well, that, and the experimental, mostlky bland DJ Premier beat. Well, those, and the fact that Guru only appears on the hook. At least I can finally shut this Life Force Radio off.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Life Force Radio only works if you buy into the concept if an entire of Afu-Ra tracks playing back-to-back on an actual station, which is a feat that the man is simply not capable of. This album is wildly inconsistent, with Afu's street tales and quasi-religious mathematic psychobabble alternating with...songs for the ladies? The hell? The production has also taken a step backward from Body Of The Life Force, leaving many of Afu's lyrics buried in horrific instrumentals. The man just cannot carry an entire album by himself. Well, maybe he could, if he got DJ Premier to produce the whole sucker, but even Primo's beats on here sound bargain-basement. A disappointment.

BUY OR BURN? Burn this if you must. Afu-Ra has followed his mentor into the fire of horrible production values, and there may or may not be any sort of an escape to hope for.

BEST TRACKS: "Dangerous Language"; "Lyrical Monster"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Afu-Fa - Body Of The Life Force

Slick Rick - Behind Bars (November 22, 1994)

Master storyteller Slick Rick recorded his third album, Behind Bars, while on a work release furlough from being, well, behind bars. He was still serving a sentence for the second degree murder charge he caught (after shooting his cousin, who admitted later that he was trying to set Rick up, and an innocent bystander), combined with the immigration hassles he was dealing with, which would eventually result in the man coming thisclose to deportation before getting pardoned by the New York governor David Patterson, presumably for his positive contributions to hip hop.

Behind Bars is actually the second album MC Ricky D released while in the slammer. Prior to beginning his prison sentence, Def Jam Records locked the man in a studio with producer Vance Wright, and the two knocked out The Ruler's Back, the follow-up to his well-received debut The Great Adventures of Slick Rick, in a matter of days. The label set the tracks free in 1991, and critics all across the land were confused at how Ricky's skilled wordplay could possibly be paired up with mostly ridiculous sounding house beats, thereby nearly derailing the man's career, all while he couldn't do anything to fight it.

This time around, Vance Wright was allowed to stick around in the studio, but Def Jam trumped him at nearly every turn, hiring on names such as Prince Paul, Pete Rock, Easy Mo Bee, Large Professor, and, in what seems like an odd turn but it's not so weird when you realize that he was one of the label's biggest stars in 1994, Warren G.

Behind Bars wasn't very well received commercially, but it helped win some of Ricky's fans back, as it was considered a sort-of return to form, one which could have only been made better if the man himself was able to promote the project.

Anyway.

1. BEHIND BARS
Prince Paul (and The Epitome of Scratch) provides the instrumental for Ricky's fictional exploits in prison, ironic given the context of Ricky's life at the time. Paul's beat isn't as goofy as he is characteristically known for, in fitting with the theme, and Ricky's attention to detail is impressive. Sadly, this version of the song was not the one Def Jam commissioned a video for.

2. ALL ALONE (NO ONE TO BE WITH)
This is depressing as shit. Much more serious than Ricky's typical material, here he takes on the subject of loneliness and how it specifically impacts the main character of his story. Proof that he can weave a compelling tale even without the aid of humor. Vance Wright's beat, unfortunately, diffuses the track, as the moody melody is frequently interrupted by a Slick Rick vocal sample, but you can't have it all, I suppose.

3. SITTIN' IN MY CAR (FEAT DOUG E. FRESH)
The version I'm more familiar with, unfortunately, is the Jermaine Dupri remix, which was released to both radio and BET. And I actually like that remix, which is a rarity for me, considering the guy who was behind it. But Vance's original production is good, too, and Doug E. Fresh's beatboxing, which reunited him with his old rhyme partner, is a nice touch. Ricky's monologue seems to work regardless of the musical backing, which is both weird and impressive. I remember the video for this featured Doug E. sittin' in the titular car while a silhouette of someone who was supposed to be Slick Rick performed for the cameras. I always thought that was interesting.

4. A LOVE THAT'S TRUE, PT. 1
Ricky provides his own beat, which works very well for the aggressive content. The man shares his adventures in searching for the love of his life, and as of yet, he seems to only come across "bitches" with herpes (clearly he needs to expand his search parameters). This is nowhere near Rick's classic storytelling, but this wasn't at all bad.

5. CUZ IT'S WRONG
Easy Mo Bee's beat was pleasant, and Ricky flows over it like water rushing over a riverbed. Nice!

6. LET'S ALL GET DOWN (FEAT NICE & SMOOTH)
Greg Nice's shouting at the very beginning is annoying as fuck: I almost wanted to throw this CD off of a high-rise. His verse is pretty lacking, as is Smooth B.'s, but Ricky's calm demeanor provides a hilarious contrast to the very excitable guests and the beat they brought with them, so this doesn't end up being a complete waste of your time.

7. I'M CAPTIVE
Slick Rick spins a yarn from the point of view of a slave, easily making this the most controversial song on Behind Bars (especially when the main character starts sleeping with his master's wife). Pete Rock inserts his trademark horns into the proceedings, helping make this shit sound as jazzy and anachronistic as possible.

8. GET A JOB
This sounds as if Slick Rick borrowed one of Pete Rock's discarded instrumentals from The Main Ingredient. I liked this beat more so than the one from "I'm Captive", but chastising those who are too lazy to find work doesn't typically make for a good rap song, so this was a bust.

9. A LOVE THAT'S TRUE, PT. 2
Slick Rick hijacks the same instrumental from the first installment and, surprisingly, provides listeners with a reggae song. He doesn't sound half bad, but it's not what listeners would expect, so it is what it is.

10. IT'S A BOY (REMIX)
The original version was featured on The Ruler's Back, but this remix has Large Professor behind the boards. Extra P gives this track the gravitas it originally deserved, and your mind will automatically delete any memory of the original song.

11. BEHIND BARS (DUM DITTY DUM DUM MIX) (FEAT WARREN G.)
It's not very often that this sentence gets the opportunity to be read, so here goes: Warren G. remixes the original Prince Paul-produced track. Fuck it, that was so weird that I'll write it again: Warren G. remixes the original Prince Paul-produced track. This is much more radio friendly, owing to the G-Funk sound that was still winning fans in the West, which pisses me off, as that means that Paul Huston was cheated out of having a radio hit of his own. However, looking past Warren G.'s ill-conceived vocal contributions, this was still some pretty good stuff. Not a bad way to end things, either.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Behind Bars still suffers from the lack of follow-through from its star attraction, as Slick Rick was still a prisoner in the system when this was mastered and released, but Def Jam learned from the mistakes they made during The Ruler's Back, and surrounded the man with name-brand producers this time around. The songs don't span as many topics as either of Ricky's previous efforts, but the execution of this is much more polished, as he is paired up with master beat crafters who seem to all understand Slick Rick's place in the hip hop genre. As such, Behind Bars is actually a hidden gem in the man's back catalog. It isn't as good as his debut, but it's miles ahead of The Ruler's Back, which counts for a lot.

BUY OR BURN? I would actually recommend a purchase. This shit was surprisingly good (even though Def Jam could have just bitten the bullet and includes the "Sittin' In My Car" remix as the final track, but whatever), and hip hop heads will all find something to enjoy.

BEST TRACKS: "Sittin' In My Car"; "Behind Bars"; "It's A Boy (Remix)"; "Cuz It's Wrong"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Other Slick Rick projects are being discussed here.

Jurassic 5 - Power In Numbers (October 8, 2002)

That's not the cover of my version of this album, but we'll run with it anyway. (For the record, I own the blue one.)

Power In Numbers is the third album from six-man collective Jurassic 5, and their second for Interscope Records. The team of Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even, and their deejays Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist, were riding high off of the surprising success of their mainstream debut, Quality Control, which somehow managed to please both critics and the folks that bought the damn thing.

Power In Numbers is akin to a movie sequel that begins right after the events of the preceding film, as its introductory track uses the same music that ended Quality Control. While it is generally seen as a successful continuation of the fun music that they mastered, I look at Power In Numbers as a more aggressive project, one which is much darker in tone. The album cover appears to be promoting a revolution of some sort, and the J5 respond in kind, as if they're trying to prove to their audience that they are capable of more that the affable passing back-and-forth of the mic.

Chali 2na remains the lead voice of the crew, not by choice but by mere distinction, as he has the voice that you could pick out of a lineup, but Akil, Zaakir, and Marc 7even all step up a bit, so as not to get lost in the shuffle. This time around, they sprinkle storytelling, self-esteem, and atypical (for them) hip hop bombast into their tracks, while Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark work around them to provide organic beats that were made from composted remains of other beats. Although these two produced Quality Control in its entirety, they cede production duties on three occasions to outside influences, allowing the J5 to show the world their skills at adaptation.

And so.

1. THIS IS
Even though this intro is a direct continuation of the last track that we heard off of Quality Control, it already comes off as darker than that previous project. So, in that respect, "This Is" sets the tone effectively, I suppose.

2. FREEDOM
I found this song, which focuses on the concept of freedom, what it actually means, and those who fight for it on a regular basis (although, I have to say, today's armed forces aren't mentioned at all - does this mean Jurassic 5 are against the war?), faulty in its execution, but its heart is in the right place. DJ Nu-Mark's beat isn't a call to arms or anything especially revolutionary: it just is, and the rappers all do what they can.

3. IF YOU ONLY KNEW
This was fairly dull, as it sounded like one of the most boring J5 songs off of their debut EP/LP. The fact that this was produced by Juju, of The Beatnuts, shows more promise for Juju than anything else, as he proves that he can adapt to any artist's style. But still, yeah, this sucked.

4. BREAK
Ah, now that's more like it. Cut Chemist's beat features hard-hitting drums, which wrap themselves around both the melody and your subconscious, and Chali, Akil, Zaakir, and Marc 7even all rip shit as if their internal alarm clocks buzzed them out of a good dream and they're all pissed about it. Sure, it sounds like an outtake from Quality Control, but a lot of Quality Control rocked, so that comparison isn't detrimental at all.

5. REACT
A deejay interlude featuring music, sampled dialogue, and absolutely no rhyming. Interesting the first time around, but you're forgiven if you never want to hear it again.

6. A DAY AT THE RACES (FEAT BIG DADDY KANE & PERCEE P)
The Jurassic 5 rhyme over what could double as the score to an unnamed blaxploitation flick, and its hurried pace is matched evenly with each verse. To my knowledge, this is the first real Jurassic 5 song that featured actual name-brand guest stars, but strangely, the weakest link on here is Big Daddy Kane himself, as he simply sounds overwhelmed, and yet he still sounds alright, which is a testament to how well crafted this song actually is. Percee P fits right in to the proceedings, which was nice.

7. REMEMBER HIS NAME
The false start is kind of hilarious, as if the song itself was interrupted during the recording process, but this track is anything but funny. Everybody tries to recall the identity of a murder victim and, at the same time, we're taken through their thought processes as they attempt to rationalize the death. Pretty interesting.

8. WHAT'S GOLDEN
I remember this song being used in a Sprite commercial around the time Power In Numbers was released. This first single deviated from the sound of Quality Control, but the rhymes are as playful as ever. I have to say that the hook sounds forced, as though it was an imposition from the label. Even so, this still sounds pretty good today.

9. THIN LINE (FEAT NELLY FURTADO)
Jurassic 5 were, apparently, aiming for radio airplay with their love song, even enlisting Nelly Furtado to sing on it. While she does a good job, pre-Timbaland makeover, Interscope Records apparently thought otherwise, replacing her with Mya for the radio edit, as if Mya would somehow sell more records. They're both cute, but they're not interchangeable, people! Anyway, given the former's recent success and the latter's inadvertent slide into obscurity, I'm sure the label was kicking themselves for that stupid move, as the original track was good as is.

10. AFTER SCHOOL SPECIAL
Meh.
11. HIGH FIDELITY
Brings Power In Numbers back on track, with its steady drums, dialogue samples, and the playful interchange between Marc 7even and Zaakir, who handle the track all by themselves.

12. SUM OF US
The other two rappers, Akil and Chali 2na, get their own track to balance out the universe. Chali, unsurprisingly, rips the shit out of Nu-Mark's banging production, leaving Akil to sweep up the debris. The hook is a bit too wordy, but it relays a good message, so I'll let it slide.

13. DDT (FEAT KOOL KEITH)
A weird interlude featuring Kool Keith (and nobody else) spitting an acapella verse with his trademark bizarre imagery (as you may have expected, he starts rhyming about bugs at one point). To this day, I still have no idea why Jurassic 5 included an interlude from a guy who wasn't even in the group, but it's an interesting diversion, and hey, Kool Keith doesn't make many appearances on major label projects, so there you go.

14. ONE OF THEM (FEAT JUJU)
Darker and grimier (slightly, anyway) than any other J5 track to date, thanks to Juju's second of two production efforts and his lyrical contribution, of which some of the bars are pretty funny. The crew step up to the task, though, and even if they aren't the most convincing, they turn in respectable performances.

15. HEY (FEAT BOY WONDER)
This was a failed experiment, but it was a noble effort. Unfortunately, "Hey" sounds like the J5 entrusted their producer, the Sa-Ra Creative Partners, to thrust them into the crowded adult-contemporary-hip hop ring populated by the likes of Mojoe, the Nappy Roots, the regular Roots Crew, and a handful of Outkast's songs, and the shit simply doesn't fucking work.

16. I AM SOMEBODY
I didn't care for this song. Positive messages are nice, but so is entertaining music.

17. ACETATE PROPHETS
A deejay cut sequenced as the (incredibly long) outro, not unlike how they did in Quality Control. It was nice, but I probably won't need to hear it ever again.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Power In Numbers plays like how Quality Control would have sounded, had the Jurassic 5 been a little bit bitter about their place in the hip hop genre, and their aggression was shaped into the presented lyrics and themes. The music, mostly provided by group members DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist, is almost consistently entertaining, but the crew slips up a bit whenever an outside factor is introduced (with the exception of "One Of Them" and Percee P's verse on "A Day At The Races"). Chali 2na extends the distance between himself and the rest of the crew (lyrically, at least), but Akil, Zaafir, and Marc 7even all manage to shine in their own way, or at least much more so than they ever did previously. Power In Numbers is a worthy addition to your library, especially if you're one of the few who already bought Quality Control and are looking for a bookend.

BUY OR BURN? If you enjoyed Quality Control, you should purchase this one immediately. If you've never listened to any J5 music, this probably isn't the best introduction to the crew, but you'll be entertained, so fuck it, you should also buy it.

BEST TRACKS: "Sum Of Us"; "One Of Them"; "What's Golden"; "Thin Line"; "Break"; "High Fidelity"; "Remember His Name"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Other Jurassic 5 projects can be discussed here.

King Tee - Act A Fool (November 15, 1988)

The city of Compton, California, is probably best known today for supplying the hip hop world with the likes of Dr. Dre. Newer fans may also claim The Game as the city's mascot. But just as important to the genre is Roger McBride, also known as King Tee.

McBride is seen as one of the West Coast's pioneers, solidifying a gangsta image while cutting it with equal doses of humor and frivolousness. He is wholly responsible for introducing Tha Alkaholiks into the mainstream: that's the main reason why Tee always ends up on Liks albums. But that happens later in his story.

King Tee's debut album, Act A Fool, dropped in 1988 on Capitol Records. It managed to sell over half a million copies, even though it failed to find a large audience: this speaks to the importance of word-of-mouth advertising. Tee performs by himself for almost the entire length of the album (he's joined by guests for only one track), and handles production exclusively alongside DJ Pooh, another West Coast stalwart (who has also worked with, among other, Ice Cube, both in music and in the art of screenwriting).

The production on Act A Fool is almost entirely built out of samples from other genres, not unlike what was coming from the greater New York area at the time. In fact, Act A Fool could be seen not as a response to the East, but as a companion piece, as something that could be enjoyed by any fan of the art form.

That said, I'm not really sure I could convince anybody to listen to Act A Fool today, especially if your frame of reference exists solely around the output from the new millennium, but let's give it the old college try.

1. ACT A FOOL
The fact that Tee uses the phrase “Disco sucks!” will tell you just how dated this shit sounds. I can see this song making a slight comeback, though: it sounds like something that you would score a car ride with in a lower-budget teen comedy. You will also notice that King Tee sounds completely different on here than he does on his more recent output. Time (and puberty, and weed smoke) will do that to you.

2. KO ROCK STUFF
This song is all over the fucking place, which is kind of the point. His boasts are appropriately old school, but newer listeners will be nonplussed by the overly simple drum pattern on here.

3. THA COOLEST
Some may be downright insulted as to how easily King Tee flows over this DJ Pooh production, which sounds more like a New York creation than anything from the Golden State. And thankfully, there isn't really a chorus on “Tha Coolest”, which is the coolest fucking shit ever.

4. FLIRT
Remember when rap songs sounded more like this than what is currently playing on your radio? I don't actually like this track, but I prefer it to any random Soulja Boy track any day of the motherfucking week.

5. BAGGIN' ON MOMS
Well before The Pharcyde did essentially the same thing, this interlude features approximately eight hundred and fifty-seven “yo' mama” snaps. Just the mere fact that I used the term “snaps” should give you two an idea of what this skit is all about. The fact that the last joke is accidentally fucked up upon delivers is amusing, though: was there a fix?

6. BASS (REMIX)
Probably due to the fact that this song is technically a remix (the original appeared on a 12-inch single), this track has a sound that's more complete than the rest of Act A Fool thus far. Tee's rhymes are still on the simple side of things, but his flow hints at what is to come later. However, I don't care for this track that much because of the remixed Pooh instrumental, which is too busy for my tastes. Oh well.

7. LET'S DANCE
Sounds like King Tee's take on an Eric B. & Rakim-style song, minus the hook, which one can barely hear without turning the volume all the way to eleven. Look past the corny title and subject matter, and you'll discover an entertaining-as-hell song.

8. GUITAR PLAYIN'
There isn't much guitar playin' on here, but this still isn't bad. Tee waxes lyrically (as much as rappers tended to back in the late 1980s, anyway), with a fantastic end result. I wish there was a bit more to the beat, and there's no real reason for this song to last more than five minutes, but whatever.

9. PAYBACK'S A MUTHA
If “Let's Dance” was Tee's Eric B. & Rakim tribute, then “Payback's A Mutha” honors the work of EPMD, mainly because he layers his boasts over James Brown samples, but also because of the swagger he confidently holds while on the mic, not unlike a certain Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith. This shit is nice.

10. JUST CLOWNING (FEAT BREEZE & MIXMASTER SPADE)
This just sounds fun, as well it should, with a title like that. Don't come tardy to this party looking for lyrical substance, though, and you'll be much better off. It's interesting to hear rappers performing over a beat when they're not trying to one-up each other: that's relatively rare in hip hop today.

11. I GOT A COLD
A corny way to end your album. Also, kind of disgusting.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Act A Fool is one of those albums that has actually aged a little bit better with time. King Tee's rhymes, combined with DJ Pooh's production work (and his own), have grown into a combination that exemplifies what's missing from hip hop these days: this shit is what rappers do to avoid real jobs, so it's supposed to be fucking fun. It's just music, people! The songs presented on here also help bridge the gap musical gap between the East and West Coasts. Act A Fool won't appeal to all tastes, and some of it does sound incredibly dated, but it retains its entertainment value and is a worthy addition to any musical library.

BUY OR BURN? If you stumble across this in the record shoppe, you should pick it up. It should be very inexpensive, and you will enjoy it.

BEST TRACKS: “Payback's A Mutha”; “Tha Coolest”; “Let's Dance”; “Guitar Playin'”; “Just Clownin'”

-Max

Kool Keith - Sex Style (February 3, 1997)

In 1995, "Kool" Keith Thornton was upset with the direction his career was going. His crew, the Ultramagnetic MC's, had released several albums at this point, each of which lost more fans than the previous one, and Keith was growing impatient. As the breakout force in the crew, he consistently eyeballed a solo career: during the recording sessions for The Four Horsemen, the crew's third effort, Keith was recording tracks for a solo project that ultimately turned into something else entirely: a collaboration with Godfather Don called The Cenobites LP.

Eventually, Keith grew tired of waiting, and after a sort-of falling out with the rest of his crew (over trivial things such as "money", "royalties", and "payment": they later kissed and made up), he moved out west, looking to jump-start his solo career. He quickly connected with Kutmasta Kurt, a producer who would mold Keith's career through the present day, and Dan Nakamura, better known as The Automator: together, these three set the stage for Keith to take on the hip hop genre by storm in the mid-to-late nineties.

Keith actually worked on multiple projects at the same time: the man's work ethic is pretty impressive, even if the songs themselves are always of varying quality. To complicate things, he performed under several different aliases: Big Willie Smith, Dr. Octagon, one-half of the duo Ultra (alongside Tim Dog, Keith took on multiple aliases, including Reverend Tom), Mr. Gerbik, The Phantom, and many others. (It helps that most of these aliases all sounded exactly the same, theme-wise.) Aiding and abetting behind the boards, Kutmasta Kurt and The Automator (who only mixed down the projects in his studio, The Glue Factory in San Francisco, except for Dr. Octagonecologyst, on which he took the reins and co-created a master's piece, production-wise) provided backing tracks, and the occasional guest star (Motion Man, Sir Menelik, Tim Dog) would appear to give the man a chance to breathe, but these projects were pure unadulterated Keith, none more so than the lone one (at the time) that was released under the moniker Kool Keith.

Sex Style, "Kool Keith"'s solo debut, is notable for acknowledging Keith's obsession with pornography and crafting an album around stream-of-consciousness thoughts and masturbatory fantasies, and also some other stuff. (I also seem to remember this album originally being titled Erotic Man, but I could be entirely wrong, and that may just be the title of his autobiography or something.) Kurt produced the bulk of the project, with three songs handled by Keith's former Ultramagnetic MC's bandmate T.R. Love. The subject matter is already enough to make any church-goer blush, but Keith wouldn't be Keith if he didn't speak from his heart.

Or from his dick.

1. INTRO
Not much of a rap album intro (this is simply dialogue swiped from a movie), but at least it's short.

2. SEX STYLE
Almost every Kool Keith solo song features a reference to either bestiality of pissing on somebody: this title track features both. Kutmasta Kurt's beat is appropriately dark and seedy, and one fears that the label had to hire a jizz mopper to clean up the mess after Keith and his entourage left that evening. With this track, Keith ushers in an entirely new sub-genre: pornocore. Fans of the Dr. Octagon persona will actually transition into Sex Style fairly easily: those who prefer Dr. Dooom may have a tougher time connecting the dots, and those of you who only know of Kool Keith because he supplied the theme song for the Adam Sandler-produced flick Grandma's Boy will have their minds break in half. Or not, I don't know.

3. DON'T CRUSH IT
I always thought this song was pretty boring. Good to know that my initial reaction still holds true today.

4. MAKE UP YOUR MIND
The chorus is utterly stupid, but you can't help but get hyped to T.R. Love's bouncy instrumental. Keith himself also wakes up to the challenge, although this song can hardly be considered "pornocore" until the hook kicks in.

5. SLY WE FLY (FEAT NOGGIN NODDERS)
Kool Keith and one of Motion Man's earlier pseudonyms prove, once again, that they work very well together. My favorite line by far is Motion's "We look out windows and stare": his delivery manages to make that shit sound both hilariously esoteric and scary, although the latter interpretation is probably more of a reaction to Kurt's damp dramatic score. To be honest, this comes off as something that might have better fit on a Dr. Dooom project, but this shit is still really good.

6. PLASTIC WORLD
This really has nothing to do with Sex Style's overall theme, but staying on topic has never been Keith's strong suit. Instead, this is more in keeping with Keith's overall disgust with both the New York hip hop scene and the Ultramagnetic MC's fans who don't want to hear him branch out (in typically contradictory style, Keith mimics a supposed fan's argument during the song's intro: "Kool Keith should keep it real/he should rap about space and Mars"). It also justifies why Keith defected to the West Coast (and linked up with Kurt and The Automator). These lyrics were set to a different beat and released under an alternate name on the Interweb: I prefer the music from the retooling to Kurt's instrumental on here.

7. STUCK ON PUSSY DRIVE
Interlude...

8. REGULAR GIRL
Not many rappers would even thing to rhyme the phrases "balls", "Niagara Falls", and "Lou Rawls", but that's just how Keith's demented mind tends to operate. I liked his nonsensical attempt to construct an erotic rap, but Kurt's beat, with its instrumental burps and generic-sounding drums, didn't really work for me.

9. THE MACK IS BACK (FEAT SIR MENELIK)
T.R. Love relies on a distorted dialogue sample to fill out the chorus, making this the second track in a row that does so, which is frustrating. Keith clearly has delusions of grandeur, as evidenced by the intro to this song, but while this song is okay, it won't win him any fans. Sir Menelik, a now-former Kool Keith associate (probably better known today as Scaramanga), is introduced to the audience in a slightly condescending manner, which may help explain why there is hardly a mention of his cameo appearance online, although he is clearly the other rapper on here. This isn't a better collaboration than the one with Motion Man earlier, but Keith and Menelik used to also bounce ideas off of each other effectively.

10. WHAT'S HE LIKE?
Interlude...

11. STILL THE BEST
Keith brings out his Willie Biggs persona (he used to call it his Big Willie Smith character, but he changed it for obvious reasons) for a relatively uneventful stroll down the corners of his mind. Not bad, but not all that good, either. I'm beginning to question exactly why I like Kool Keith so goddamn much. (The answer is as follows: Dr. Octagon.)

12. IN YOUR FACE
The hook is insipid, as moth of Kool Keith's hooks tend to be. T.R. Love's beat is also missing all of the elements it would take to make me give a fuck. Keith drops the "pornocore" in favor of his other favorite pastime: dissing other rappers in an obtuse fashion. Which is to say, the fucker doesn't drop any names, but why should he? Kool Keith apparently hates everybody.

13. LICK MY ASS
Can't have an album titled Sex Style without an interlude featuring some chick having an orgasm. That is all.

14. KEEP IT REAL...REPRESENT
Those of you two who remember (or care about) the write-up for Keith's Ultra project Big Time will recall that I already reviewed this song, albeit in its "original" form. I still don't know what compelled Keith to use the exact same beat for two different tirades: it isn't as if Keith had a major label's censors breathing down his back at that point. This take (which first appeared on the Big Willie Smith EP, released in 1995 on Kurt's Funky Ass Records) is more sexually explicit than Big Time's (Keith brags about jerking off to the mere sound of Foxy Brown's voice - I'm sure she's honored by that sentiment), but it's still only alright.

15. LITTLE GIRLS
The hook is at a pedophile-level of creepiness: maybe Keith wanted to bust listeners out of their comfort zones, but it would help if he had actually made this into a good song. It isn't unheard of: Keith actually has a ton of good songs in his catalog. Almost none of which seem to appear on Sex Style, now that I think about it.

16. AFTER THE CLUB
Interlude...

17. LOVELY LADY
I actually love this goofy-ass song. Kurt used the overused-to-death drum break from "Impeach The President" (by The Honeydrippers) to back Keith's outrageous praise of his unnamed lady friend ("She's got me open like two big scoops of Raisin Bran" - what does that even mean?). I find this to be entertaining as fuck.

Immediately following "Lovely Lady" on the same audio track is a hidden song, one which goes by one of two titles, both of which I'll list below.

CAN I SEE YOUR PANTIES? or, TAKE OFF YOUR PANTIES (PHOTO SESSION)
Writing both of those titles in that manner reminded me of early episodes of The Bullwinkle Show. On this bonus track, Kool Keith jacks EPMD's "Ur Only A Customer" to ill effect. Had Sex Style ended with "Lovely Lady", this would have been a much better album, but Keith has never known how to leave well enough alone. It was kind of weird that he mentioned R. Kelly and pissing on somebody in the same sentence, though: in some circles, Keith Thornton would be considered a prophet.

Reissues of Sex Style have also tacked on an additional bonus track, "Get Off My Elevator", which originally popped up on the soundtrack to Office Space, of all things, as well as enhanced video content. I don't have the reissue, so I can't tell you anything about the video, but "Get Off My Elevator" is decent enough, if not very memorable.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Like most of Kool Keith's early solo work, Sex Style has more than a few flashes of brilliance, but these flashes are sometimes hard to find in the bacteria-filled muddy rivers and lakes that Keith is used to. The punchlines and thinly veiled threats come quickly, but Keith rhymes as if the beat is of absolutely no consequence, which, for most of Sex Style, they aren't. It is commendable that Keith was able to maintain many separate personas while recording this project, with minimal seepage. Save for the tracks listed below, Sex Style isn't a good enough sampler of what non-fans of Kool Keith are missing: a lot of this will fall flat if you're not already buying into the man's eccentricities. This one's for Ultramagnetic MC's fanatics only. Oh, and also for those of you who love porn. Go ahead, raise your hands: I know there are a lot of you two out there: we're all on the Interweb, after all.

BUY OR BURN? Only three of these songs are especially good, and only two of those threes actually deserve their spot in the Kool Keith canon. So this should be a burn (or only a passing glance) for everyone except for fans of Keith's work with Kurt. And even those folks should try it before you buy it, as Kool Keith remains a required taste.

BEST TRACKS: "Lovely Lady"; "Sly We Fly"; "Make Up Your Mind"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Other Kool Keith excursions can be found here.