O.C. - Jewelz (August 19, 1997)

Three years after releasing his debut, Word...Life, to critical acclaim and poor sales, Omar Credle (who portrays the rapper O.C. at parties) switched labels (from Wild Pitch to Payday) and released Jewelz, his sophomore affair. This disc was also met with critical acclaim and poor sales, but this time he managed to inadvertently get one of his singles to chart on the Billboard Top 100, which surely was a cause for celebration in the Payday offices. I believe they may have even purchased O.C. an ice cream cake to mark the occasion.

A lot has been written about O.C.'s bad timing, or rather, his bad luck with the release of Word...Life. Had his debut disc dropped in a different year than Illmatic, the magnum opus by Nas, his career would have been a lot different, guaranteed. Omar's way around a story ranks right up there with the best of them, and unlike Nas later in his career, O.C. actually had an ear for beats. Instead, O.C. is forced to live with his street cred and his highly praised affiliations with the Diggin' In The Crates crew, Organized Konfusion, and the Hieroglyphics. Yeah, poor guy, I know.

Jewelz was a slight departure from O.C.'s debut in that it employed more producers and guests. While this could be seen as the kiss of death for many sophomore projects, this actually worked in O.C.'s favor, especially since he was riding a career high as one-third of the trio that appeared on the DJ Premier-produced "Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers"; appropriately, one of the special guest producers was DJ Premier himself, the king of the New York hip hop sound. One of those special guests was the unflappable Freddie Foxxx, who was in the midst of a career resurgence himself, thanks to his aggressive delivery and memorable cameos in the late 1990s. As such, Jewelz is undeniably New York, so much so that I probably already lost a couple of readers, but hey, that's the risk you take.

Let's begin.

1. INTRO
Although it's short, this instrumental intro is pretty useless. I could have skipped right to the next track and saved thirty seconds of my life for more important things, such as coke, whores, and Guitar Hero.

2. MY WORLD
Omar rips the shit out of one of the most peaceful and melodic Primo beats in history. This shit is so fucking good that I'm left wondering why it's taken me so long to finally get back to Jewelz.

3. WAR GAMES (FEAT ORGANIZED KONFUSION)
Omar reunites with his old running buddies Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch over a dark Primo instrumental that sounds three steps removed from Jeru The Damaja's "Me, Not The Paper". Oddly, for all of the fanfare, Organized Konfusion barely appear on the song itself, so for the two of you who were wondering how good Pharoahe Monch would sound over some Primo boom bap, keep those dreams alive.

4. CAN'T GO WRONG
This track was downright pleasant. That's all I got.

5. THE CHOSEN ONE
Ahh, the humble O.C. The song itself is alright, but Buckwild's beat is much more beneficial as a sleeping aid than as a vehicle for Omar to prove how much better a rapper he is than you are.

6. DANGEROUS (FEAT BIG L)

O.C. and Big Lamont attempt to rip shit over an uncharacteristically goofy Beatminerz track, one that sounds absolutely nothing like anything either rapper should ever consider being in the same room with, let alone rhyming to it. The hook is also very weak. Oh well.

7. WIN THE G (FEAT BUMPY KNUCKLES)
Although you have to contend with an awkward hook that culminates with Omar and Freddie Foxxx (also known as Bumpy Knuckles) harmonizing together, this simple Primo track allows O.C. and (especially) his guest to rip out the throats of random motherfuckers on the streets, and then throws their own throats back at them in a most hostile manner. You're left wishing there was a bit more to the instrumental, but the punchlines still manage to reel you in: when Bumpy states "Just because I hate your punk ass, don't make you no player", I laughed out loud, and really embarassed myself in front of my wife, so thanks for that, guys.

8. FAR FROM YOURS (FEAT YVETTE MICHELE)
This was the aforementioned single that hit the Billboard charts. It makes sense, given it's radio-friendliness, but I swear to you that I had completely forgotten what this song sounded like until right now, that's how memorable it was back in 1997. In fact, I've already forgotten what it sounded like, and I'm pretty sure it's still playing.

9. STRONJAY
O.C.'s storytelling abilities haven't been diluted, and even though his theme (an encounter with a female) has been done to death, his descriptions make the track come to life. Well, that, and the Beatminerz instrumental.

10. M.U.G. (FEAT BUMPY KNUCKLES)
I find it hilarious that Freddie Foxxx's alter ego is credited on "Win The G", but he opts to go with his standard rap name on here, even though he calls himself Bumpy Knuckles on the song itself and spits similar content. Regardless, the song is really good, but, then again, it's rare when Bumpy sounds weak over a Primo beat (although it has happened), and O.C. also proves himself worthy. Who's up for an all-O.C. and DJ Premier disc? Because it'll never happen, but you can start lighting those candles anyway.

11. THE CROW
I didn't care for this song at all.

12. YOU AND YOURS
I loved DJ Ogee's haunting piano loop, and O.C.'s lyrics are as tight as ever. The hook is pushing it, though. Interestingly enough, Omar makes it a point to give Jay-Z a shout-out: I wonder why these two never connected for a track. (Besides the obvious reasons, of course.)

13. HYPOCRITE
Short and sweet, but I can't remember any of it.

14. IT'S ONLY RIGHT
Omar sounds alright, but this Beatminerz track sounds like reference noise for an instrumental to be inserted at a later date. I can't believe that Da Beatminerz have managed to only make one of three songs actually hit.

15. JEWELZ
This was a pretty boring way to end your second album, even with Lord FInesse behind the boards.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Jewelz isn't as consistent as Word...Life, but O.C. has given us a solid sophomore effort. Lyrically, Omar is as good as ever, and the beats he is presented with are also at an advanced level, especially the DJ Premier tracks, which prove him to be one of the finest producers in musical history, not just in hip hop. There are missteps, sure, but most albums aren't perfect. Jewelz is entertaining as hell, though: it's so good, in fact, that you're left wondering what went wrong with O.C.'s career after this disc hit the shelves.

BUY OR BURN? Snatch this one up if you ever come across it at the store. When you support good hip hop, you'll feel better about life in general. As an added bonus, you'll receive a nice and sturdy plastic CD case, which you can use as a flat surface to separate the seeds and the stems on the fly, which will inevitably make you feel even better about life in general.

BEST TRACKS: "My World"; "M.U.G."; "Win The G"; "Stronjay"; "War Games"; "You and Yours"

-Max

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O.C. - Word...Life