Scientifik - Criminal (1994: released on CD April 18, 2006)

I would be lying if I said I knew a whole lot about the rapper known as Scientifik. I'm aware that he passed away a long time ago, and that the specifics of his passing are cloudy at best (I've read conflicting reports about a car crash, a shooting, a domestic disturbance, and combinations of two or more of the above), but I'm not here to judge the man's life: I'm here to judge the music.

Criminal was a debut album that ended up being the only album in a shortened career for the Lawrence, MA emcee. Scientifik was blessed with many friendships in the music industry, and was able to secure some instrumentals from some of the best to ever provide that East Coast boom-bap sound.

Criminal was recorded in 1994 for Mercury Records, a label that was going through some severe financial trouble: shortly before the album's original release date in 1994, the label went bankrupt, so only a few copies of the vinyl were released, and zero CDs were pressed. As such, this album has been incredibly elusive, even for me (I'm good, but I'm not that good: the copy I have is burned, just like everyone else's).

I had originally heard of Scientifik on one of the early Wu-Tang forums, since The Rza produced the track "As Long As You Know", but everything I read at the time indicated the artist's name was Criminal Scientifik, so it's obvious that there was a lot of mystery surrounding the existence of this guy. A quick mention in ego trip's Big Book of Rap Lists sparked up my interest again (and also corrected everyone's errors).

Traffic Entertainment re-released Criminal in 2006, along with a second disc titled The Most Blunted, which, depending on who you ask, is either Scientifik's demo tape or his aborted first album. This is very good news for fans of early 1990's hip hop, with the grimy gutter sounds that were par for the course pre-Diddy.

Now where the fuck did I put my copy?

1. LAWTOWN
Oh man, nobody makes beats like this anymore. Scientifik jumps straight into the song (fuck a rap album intro), with Ed O.G.'s musical backdrop immediately taking you back in time. A bit of the hook is questionable, though: "Put the gats down, I think not/ 'Cause if it don't stop we be licking that cock." Taken both in and out of context, I'm thinking, huh?

2. I GOT PLANS (FEAT DIAMOND D)
Diamond D sounds good, but I get the feeling he only used certain words just to make his verse rhyme, specifically "I caught my girl cheating, so I beat her with a switch". Now that's gangsta! The reference to Justin Warfield definitely carbon-dates this track, but this song is pretty fucking good otherwise.

3. JUNGLES OF DA EAST
Bringing the energy down a notch, Scientifik reps the East Coast over a tightly produced slower paced beat (brought to you by the artist and Shame) which is still dominated by drums. Not bad.

4. OVERNITE GANGSTA
A two-verse scathing diatribe against fake-ass gangsters that ends just before Scientifik runs out of insults.

5. YEAH DADDY
I shit you not, my head was actually nodding to this Diamond D production once the drums kicked in, the beat is that fucking good. If only the hook (and, by proxy, the song's title) didn't suck, this song would be fucking awesome.

6. STILL AN HERB DEALER
The standard "I may be a rapper now but I'm still working part time on them corners" track that was a requirement of all rappers who were worried about losing their street cred since they weren't actually on the streets anymore. Wouldn't your nights be filled with shows, groupies, and having your boys hold your weed for you? Where would one find the time?

7. AS LONG AS YOU KNOW (FEAT ED O.G. & PRINCE RAKEEM)
This song is so old, The Rza was credited as Prince Rakeem, and the beat sounds absolutely nothing like any Wu-Tang track, which is a testament to Rza's excellence at his craft. This track was originally credited as an Ed O.G. song that featured Scientifik: not really sure how the situation switched up the credits, but who cares: they've perfected their back-and-forth to sound like long lost twins, separated at birth, reunited by chance at summer camp, conspiring to get their parents back together. This song is fucking awesome.

8. FALLEN STAR
Buckwild's beat sounds slightly different that his other work on Criminal, but that shouldn't be seen as any sort of disqualifier, since this song is still pretty damn good.

9. DOWNLO HO
The beat fucking rocks, although I may be biased, since it's the same music that accompanies the interlude before "Respiration" on the Black Star album. The theme of the rhymes doesn't really fit the instrumental, though (calling out an otherwise respectable woman for acting shady), but that shouldn't deter your listening.

10. CRIMINAL
Only slightly weaker than the rest of Criminal, but still a good way to end your album.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Criminal is one of those rap albums that nobody has but everyone should. Had it actually seen its original release date, there is no doubt in my mind that it would have been one of the best hip hop albums of 1994. It still sounds really good today, and as a bonus, it's really short: at only ten tracks, it's perfect for my attention span. Also, the fact that there are no skits, intros, or outros, makes me like the disc that much more. May he rest in peace.

BUY OR BURN: You gotta get this shit any way that you can. If you luck into finding one of the re-released copies in the store, it's well worth investing your money. If all you can do is burn it, well, that's what the other hip hop blogs are for, but, once again, you gotta get this shit any way that you can.

BEST TRACKS: The entire album. Seriously.

-Max