September 16, 2007

Redman - Muddy Waters (December 10, 1996)


Reggie Noble, who plays the rapper Redman on television, released his third solo offering, Muddy Waters, on Def Jam Records in late 1996. In doing so, he proved himself as one of the most consistent artists in the genre, handing Def Jam a gold-selling record that showcased hilarious lyrics and some of the tightest production co-conspirator Erick Sermon has ever made.

Muddy Waters is actually the first Redman album I had ever heard from start to finish, and that's only because of a friend of mine in Spanish class who was nice enough to dub a copy of the whole thing onto a 90-minute cassette tape, without bothering to jot down a tracklisting, so I was forced to hear the album in its entirety in order to hear "Whateva Man", the second single, and one of Reggie's top five songs ever recorded. Reggie has claimed in recent interviews that his new album, supposedly due in November 2007, will be called Muddy Waters 2, so it appears that even he holds this album in high regard.

Let's find out if we should.

1. INTRO
Oh, Dr. Trevis! Whenever living in this world gets too chaotic, I just remember that water is always wet, the sun is always hot, Salma Hayek is always hot, and Dr. Trevis will always appear on the introductory track of a Redman solo album, and I feel pretty zen afterward.

2. IZ HE 4 REAL
A short one-verse number by Reggie that probably could have been better served as the intro.

3. ROCK DA SPOT
Reggie is always handy for a pop culture reference or bizarre metaphor in a pinch.

4. WELCOME (INTERLUDE)
Muddy Waters is the first Redman album that is filled to the brim with really insipid skits, usually consisting of promoting a fake radio station; most of these weren't funny in 1996, and they sound really horrible now. (Prince Paul, Reggie ain't.) The beat, when Reginald decides to rhyme, is pretty good, though.

5. CASE CLOSED (FEAT ROCKWILDER & NAPALM)
No clue who Napalm is in the grand scheme of things, but yes, it's the same Rockwilder who would go on to produce "Da Rockwilder" on Red and Meth's joint album (heh, I didn't mean that as a joke, but after re-reading that last sentence, it is kinda funny). Rock probably stuck with producing for a reason, but the song as a whole is pretty good.

6. PICK IT UP
This was released as one of the singles, and I still believe it to be a weak choice. The song is meh at best, using the universal Redman standard, but when compared to Def Jam's output in 2007, I'd listen to this in an endless loop in a heartbeat.

7. SKIT
...

8. SMOKE BUDDAH
I never cared for this song in 1996; today I still don't find anything memorable. However, I had completely forgotten about the fake commercial informing the listener that the next song was provided by ridiculously-acronymed corporations like NASWIPP (N----z Against Smoking Weed In Public Places), and that made me chuckle.

9. WHATEVA MAN (FEAT ERICK SERMON)
One of my favorite Redman songs, period. Red and E Double ride the low-key beat and spit some of the funniest stuff I'd heard in a while. (At least, Redman does; Erick sounds okay as usual.) One of the great mysteries of Def Jam, though, is why Erick Sermon was completely left out of the accompanying video (although his verse was played), while Red starred alongside Method Man, who had nothing to do with this track. Another question to ask the mystics of hip hop is why the video for "Whateva Man" ended with a "To Be Continued..." tag, when Red and Meth never followed up on their Blues Brothers-esque quest. Whatever man, this song rocks. And you gotta love Reggie dancing with an umbrella.

10. CHICKEN HEAD CONVENTION (SKIT)
I don't know if anyone who reads this blog has ever seen Wonder Showzen on MTV2, but on that program there is a recurring sketch where the kids shout "Funny!" or "Not Funny!" whenever something is flashed on the screen. This skit falls into the second category, no contest. Misogyny at its most ridiculous, yet displayed in unironic fashion, so completely skippable.

11. ON FIRE
You could have sequenced some Eric B. and Rakim song, or "The Symphony", or anything by Grandmaster Flash and The Furious Five, and it would have sounded pale in comparison after "Whatevea Man", so this song fails based on that alone. Otherwise, pleasant enough, like waves crashing against the shore, or an angel getting its wings.

12. DO WHAT YA FEEL (FEAT METHOD MAN)
Produced by Pras of The Fugees, of all people. (I guess he had to prove his worth to somebody.) This song is hands-down the best Red and Meth collabo to not appear on their double headliner Blackout!. The simple drumbeat and bass notes are just evident enough to advise the listener to the slightest hint of melody, while drawing the listener's attention to Red and Meth ripping the shit out of the instrumental.

13. THE STICK UP (SKIT)
Okay, okay, I'll confess; I chuckled at the end of this skit, mainly because I forgot it was here. It's a parody of that old Coca-Cola commercial that featured Tyrese as the Guy Who Looks Like An Ass, who boarded a city bus singing some song while drinking a Coke, as if soda makes you feel that happy or something. The brilliance, if you can call it that, of this skit is that you don't realize what Red is trying to do until you hear his request for the singer to hand over his "fucking cola".

14. CREEPIN
Wouldn't have sounded out of place on Dare Iz A Darkside. Not clear if that is a good thing or not.

15. IT'S LIKE THAT (MY BIG BROTHER) (FEAT K-SOLO)
The first single, which sounds good, but I don't like K-Solo; it's as if Solo was hanging around in the studio with his sad puppy dog eyes, and Reggie felt so bad, he decided to remix his original first single just to give him a reason to feel special. Notice I wrote "remix his original first single"; the original version of this song is called "That's How It Is", and is far superior; it's strictly Reggie , over the same beat, with additional verses, and riding an Audio Two vocal sample in the chorus (which is all the rage, I hear, thanks to Curtis Jackson). I heard this version on the radio around the eve of the album's release, and was never able to find the original version, until the good folks at Time 4 Sum Aksion came through in the clutch; "That's How It Is" is available on the 12-inch single for "It's Like That", in its clean incarnation only, but screw it, it's worth the listen. Click on the link to hear that version of the song, just so you can tell your friends you heard a Reggie song that most people haven't.

16. DA BUMP
A bit too slow for my tastes.

17. SKIT
Not funny!!

18. YESH YESH Y'ALL
This song still sounds good today. The lyrics kind of override any opinions you may have on the beat, though.

19. WHAT U LOOKIN' 4
Meh.

20. SOOPAMAN LUVA 3 INTERVIEW (SKIT)
...

21. SOOPAMAN LUVA 3
Oxygen is what we breathe, Salma Hayek is hot, and Reggie's alter ego Soopaman Luva will appear toward the end of a Redman solo album. Sigh...

22. ROLLIN'
This song is the shit. Probably would have been a terrific outro.

23. DA ILL OUT (FEAT JAMAL & KEITH MURRAY)
Sadly, the requisite Def Squad posse cut for Muddy Waters sounds just plain bad. Reggie sounds okay, but Keith Murray, who usually is the standout on tracks like this, sounds uninspired; Jamal's verse makes you want to take the CD out completely, but don't despair; when his verse starts, it's similar to a countdown signifying the end of the album.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Muddy Waters is my favorite Redman album, and I'm pleased to report that it still sounds good today. Not to take anything away from Whut? Thee Album or Dare Iz A Darkside, but this is the Reggie album that I heard first, which led me to quickly collect everything he had done up to this point, so I'm always going to treat it just a little bit better than the rest. This does not bode well for any album called Muddy Waters 2, though, when it comes to my opinion; just a warning, Reggie; that album better be freakin' great.

BUY OR BURN? By all means, this album is worthy of a purchase. Hell, you should buy two, and give one to a friend who just doesn't realize yet that they need more Redman in their life.

BEST TRACKS: "Whateva Man"; "Do What Ya Feel"; "Rollin'"; "It's Like That (My Big Brother)"; "Case Closed"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Redman - Whut? Thee Album
Redman - Dare Iz A Darkside

Method Man - Tical
Method Man - Tical 2000: Judgement Day
Method Man & Redman - Blackout!

7 comments:

  1. "Otherwise, pleasant enough, like waves crashing against the shore, or an angel getting its wings."
    Dat's dat Fukin real shit kid. You kill me sometimes.

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  2. buying two copies is a good recommendation - this album is the best way to introduce a new listener to Redman.

    The sooperman luva on this album is probably the best one - not saying much though.

    Muddy waters 2 better be the shit..

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  3. Just when I thought that I was the only person who treasured this album, your review assured me that there's at least one more fan out there. I distinctly remember this CD staying in my old Jetta and every time I was about to put something else on, "Whateva Man" would come on and encourage me to listen to the rest of the album.

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  4. i dont know what youre talking about, rock da spot, pick it up and on fire is the shit.

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  5. wtf??? keith murray's verse was bananas on Da Ill Out

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  6. Huge improvement since Dare Iz A Darkside. Hands-down, my favorite Redman album. 95-96,Def Squad in their prime.

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  7. AnonymousMay 16, 2011

    too many skits, and many tracks sound similar.. a little letdown after Dare...

    Last classic Redman album

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