Tash - Rap Life (November 2, 1999)

Oddly released on the same day as Sauce Money's Middle Finger U (it was apparently a good day to release hip hop albums that nobody would know existed), Tash's Rap Life explored the West Coast party life that his crew, Tha Alkaholiks, was synonymous with, albeit from his lone point of view.

I've mentioned in the past that Tash is one of my favorite rappers, so snagging his solo debut (on Loud Records, the same label his crew was a part of, alongside the Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep, and, um, the Cella Dwellas) was a literal no-brainer. Although I suppose for it to be "literal" would have required me to leave my brain at home while I drove to Best Buy like a fucking zombie, something which I used to do religiously every Tuesday, back when seeing the new releases on the shelf was actually exciting. Anyway, Tash's Rap Life featured production from more varied sources than his buddy E-Swift (although everyone involved has a distinct West Coast sound: would it have killed the guy to get someone from New York behind the boards?), and a surprisingly all-star team of guests: besides his Liks brethren, Rap Life features Xzibit (okay, that's not much of a stretch, given his origins with Tha Liks), Raekwon, B-Real, Kurupt, and, in the most shocking move ever, both members of Outkast. On the same song. No, really.

While Rap Life received positive reviews for the most part, nobody bought the fucking thing, so the solo debut of Tash became a forgotten footnote in hip hop history. Afterward, Tash linked back up with Tha Liks and recorded another group effort. However, the word on the Interweb street is that Tash recently signed a deal with Amalgam Digital for another album, which places him alongside Joe Budden, Saigon, and Icadon as the only people I know on that label. Hey, Amalgam's slowly getting their shit together, aren't they?

Side note: ego trip's Big Book of Rap Lists informs readers that Tash's rap name is an acronym for "Tough-Ass Son of Harold". This is just one more reason why rappers need to stop coming up with the acronym before finding power phrases that actually make fucking sense. That bit of advice would also seem to apply to the federal government.

1. RICOCHET (FEAT E-SWIFT, UNCLE LEEK, & XZIBIT)
Wow, no rap album intro? Praise the Lord! This shit sounds pretty damn good, serving as an effective reintroduction to the world of Tash and Tha Alkaholiks, and he sounds as good as ever. Don't get too excited over the featured guests, though: they only contribute backing vocals.

2. COPS SKIT
Well, that was quick. Groan.

3. G'Z IS G'Z (FEAT KURUPT)
This Battlecat-produced gem sounds like an essential reference point for newer hip hop fans who want to immerse themselves into the West Coast without all of the G-Funk getting in the way. I've always felt that Kurupt only sounds good over Left Coast beats (that opinion is questionable in and of itself, I know, since there are plenty of West Coast rap songs where he sounds like a tool), which is strange since he's from fucking Philadelphia, but whatever.

4. PIMPIN' AIN'T EASY (FEAT CHA CHA)
The verses are pretty interesting, but the hook renders the entire song ridiculous. Which isn't always a bad thing, but that tactic doesn't quite work on here.

5. RAP LIFE (FEAT RAEKWON)
Raekwon's hook crams way too many words into the chorus, and it ends up sounding awkward, but Rae's actual verse is surprisingly energized (remember, this song was recorded well before Raekwon started showing symptoms of sleep deprivation on wax). Tash blows him out of the water, though, as producer Younglord provides a beat that sounds like his natural element. I'm left wondering why Tash has yet to appear on a beat that is out of his comfort zone, such as a hard-hitting Rza beat or even DJ Premier: he would probably sound great.

6. THE GAME (FEAT CARL THOMAS AND UNCLE LEEK)
I can't imagine Loud Records imposing a requirement of a radio-playable track on Tash, so maybe the man actually wanted to record a generic rap song with an R&B hook. Regardless of the reasoning, this is a misfire.

7. GAME SHOW SKIT
...

8. ONLY WHEN I'M DRUNKER (FEAT J-RO, E-SWIFT, & PHILLIP JOHNSON)
The tweaking of the original "Only When I'm Drunk" instrumental is actually pretty fucking genius. (You haven't quite heard "Seven Minutes of Funk" sound quite like this, and considering how often that song has been sampled in hip hop's history, that's saying something.) The re-teaming of Tash and his Liks brethren brings back fond memories. The singing on the chorus, though, is unexpected and unnecessary.

9. GOGGLES SKIT
...

10. NIGHTFALL
This Fredwreck beat is nice. And Tash rips the stuffing out of it like an attack dog off of its Ritalin. What more can you ask for? I'm actually shocked that nobody has ever thought to jack this instrumental for their mixtape. I'm also thinking that this track would have made a good single.

11. BILL CLINTON SKIT
...

12. SMOKEFEST 1999 (FEAT OUTKAST, B-REAL, & PHIL DA AGONY)
E-Swift's beat is more suited to Big Boi and Andre 3000 than anybody else on here (which is weird, since E-Swift works with Tash on a daily basis), but this isn't a bad track: it's just not as good as you would hope, considering the lineup. Tash adapts nicely, as do Likwit affiliate Phil Da Agony and Cypress Hill's B-Real, but considering the subject matter, Outkast are an odd choice, since they don't usually brag about how much weed they smoke. You know who would have made more sense on this track? Method Man and Redman. Actually, those two would have been way too obvious.

13. FALLIN' ON (FEAT HALF MOON, MIKI, & ROCKWILDER)
Uses the same sample from "The Edge" (from David McCallum and David Axelrod) that Dr. Dre would use (two weeks later, oddly) on his own "The Next Episode", from 2001. Yeah, that's right: Rockwilder and Tash came out with their version first. Tash also feels extremely comfortable over this beat, so much so that it's interesting that Dre didn't reach out to the man for a guest spot on 2001. Sigh.

14. TASH RULES (FEAT LV)
The guy from "Gangsta's Paradise"? Pass.

15. ICE-T SKIT (FEAT ICE-T)
...

16. TRUE HOMIES (FEAT XZIBIT & PHIL DA AGONY)
The three rappers work well with each other, but the song leaves you wishing that the instrumental was more engaging.

17. BLACKULA (FEAT E-SWIFT & J-RO)
The other Alhaholiks reunion track on Rap Life isn't as good as "Only When I'm Drunker", but that doesn't mean that it's a bad song. It just sounds, how can I say, less fun?

18. BERMUDA TRIANGLE
Pretty dull way to end an album, in my opinion.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Rap Life is a surprisingly entertaining solo debut from one of my favorite underrated emcees. Tash successfully captures what makes the best work from Tha Alkaholiks sound so good, and adds some new ideas and unexpected guests, with good results. The second half of the disc doesn't quite match the heights that the first half reaches, but taken as a complete package, Rap Life is nice. It's so good, in fact, that I'm left wondering why it's taken Tash so fucking long to release a second album.

BUY OR BURN? I think hip hop heads should buy this shit. Sure, you have to find it first, which may take a while if you're not one to buy stuff online, but Tash has always been consistent with his, and his solo debut contains a lot of great tracks. So go ahead and cop it: it'll be worth it, believe me.

BEST TRACKS: "Nightfall"; "G'z Is G'z"; "Only When I'm Drunker"; "Fallin' On"; "Ricochet"; "Rap Life"

B-SIDE TO TRACK DOWN: The "G'z Is G'z" remix, which uses the same beat but features Tash and Kurupt sharing the mic with Snoop Dogg and Xzibit. Should have been included on the album instead of the original, in my opinion, as it comes off as one of those West Coast anthems that doesn't sound embarrassingly dated today.

-Max