Group Home - A Tear For The Ghetto (June 1, 1999)

In 1995, the duo Group Home, made up of rappers Lil’ Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker, released their debut album Livin’ Proof. Production was handled primarily by DJ Premier, who was helping out his Gang Star Foundation squires (in fact, both Dap and Melachi had made their respective debuts on Gang Starr projects): his beats on the project elevated it to essential listening, and both artists sounded pretty good over Preemo’s classic boom bap, even if they weren’t really the best rappers on their own. Four years later, they released a follow-up, A Tear For The Ghetto, on Replay Records, and in an effort to prove their worth as men or some shit, they only managed to secure one instrumental from Preemo, outsourcing for the majority of the studio sessions: not so coincidentally, A Tear For The Ghetto tanked (it’s not like Livin’ Proof sold a million copies or anything, but it was incredibly well-received), stalling Group Home’s career for many years, so much so that you two may have forgotten that they were even a thing before you read today’s post.

I’m not really sure why Dap and Melachi wanted to venture out for A Tear For The Ghetto: my assumption is that they just didn’t want to repeat themselves. But choosing to work independently of DJ Premier’s influence was seen as a fucking stupid move on their part by hip hop heads, who would later admit that all they really liked on Livin’ Proof were the beats, since that album contains Preemo’s finest production work outside of Gang Starr’s projects. (I understand that Livin’ Proof was a favor Preemo did for his partner, the late Guru, as Dap and Melachi were friends of Guru’s who he wanted to put on.) So instead of the obvious choice, Dap and Melachi looked elsewhere for the soundtracks to their various street tales, coming across the likes of The Alchemist, Agallah, and Charlie Marotta, among others, along the way.

A Tear For The Ghetto features a lot of Group Home’s friends and affiliates as featured players, along with comedians Mike Epps and Dominique Witten, who provide inane and unnecessary skits throughout. There aren’t any shocking cameos on A Tear For The Ghetto, nor did any of the artists present move on to bigger and better things (aside from Guru, obviously, and maybe Agallah, as this project dropped before he formed his DipSet ties). I imagine a lot of this project will be brand new to most of you two, since absolutely nobody that bought this album still owns it today aside from me, apparently, so cue it up on YouTube and follow along.

1. TEAR SHIT DOWN

After a brief opening skit that brings nothing to the table, Group Home’s attempt to prove that they are, in fact, able to function outside of the DJ Premier umbrella kicks off with “Tear Shit Down”, which, curiously, only features Lil’ Dap spitting two verses over an Agallah instrumental that is kind of fucking fire. Although Dap is now forced to adapt to life on the outside (of D&D Studios), he does an admirable job, his bars delivered with something resembling confidence, even with a chorus that is corny at best. It is a strange creative decision for Melachi the Nutcracker to sit out the album opener, especially for a project that was supposed to prove that there was more to Group Home than Livin’ Proof, but if he just wasn’t able to trade his shift at Burger King with anyone that day, Dap should have invited another guest into the studio. Hell, Agallah was right fucking there. Still, this wasn’t a bad way to start at all.

2. DA REAL GH

Melachi the Nutchracker, who clearly has no handle on the concept of career longevity, makes his first appearance on “Da Real GH”, a calming-yet-propulsive production from Charlie Marotta (a dude known for his work with the Hit Squad collective, a fact that may cause at least one of the two readers out there to seek this album out). He sounds about the same as he did on Livin’ Proof, as does his rhyme partner, so at least Group Home has mastered the art of consistency. This track isn’t quite as effective as the group reintroduction it was clearly intended to be, but, I mean, it was still entertaining.

3. STUPID MUTHAFUCKAS (30 MINUTES TO WAR)

Wow, that introductory “joke” was as unnecessary as Rick Ross on Kanye West’s “Monster”. The song itself, though, is flames: The Alchemist gives “Stupid Muthafuckas (30 Minutes To War)” a sinister, dramatic instrumental that, frankly, Dap and the Nutcracker do not deserve. For his part, Dap sounds better on here, taking full advantage of the opportunity with his version of a cold, calculated flow stretched out over the bookending verses and the hook, which isn’t very good, but whatever, it’ll still get stuck in your head. Melachi is pretty terrible, though, so much so that he almost, almost disrupts my general enjoyment of the song. Al’s best truly carries this one home: I wish he had saved it for the late Prodigy instead. And yet, even with all of this shit-talking on my part, I would absolutely add this to my running playlist. So there.

4. STREET LIFE

Abruptly ends before it hits the two-minute mark, as though Dap (who produced a pleasant instrumental here) wanted to move on to his next idea as quickly as possible, but most likely did this in order to mask a subpar performance from either The Nutcracker (who doesn’t appear on here otherwise, and maybe was cut?) or Dap himself. Plays more as an interlude than anything else, albeit an interlude with its own lead-up to the first bar. Not awful, but again, it simply just ends, which is the most memorable aspect of it.

5. SUN FOR A REASON (FEAT. KAI:BEE & BLACK E-STARR)

Given the chorus on this DJ Rad production (which is quite good), it makes sense why the Nutcracker doesn’t appear on “Sun For A Reason” (a title that makes no sense given the lyrical content): it’s clear to me that Lil’ Dap is introducing guest stars Black E-Starr and Kai:Bee (I knew I saw that name somewhere else besides the Rhyme & Reason soundtrack) as a part of his “brand new team” that he would like the listener to “check out” by “open[ing] your eyes”, please. The guests are fine, nothing special, but Dap is, correctly, the star of “Sun For A Reason”, delivering two verses and another half-assed hook that clearly show that Dap was the only person interested in keeping Group Home going. Still, not bad.

6. THE LEGACY (FEAT. GURU)

The lone connection to DJ Premier on A Tear For The Ghetto, and his production work on “The Legacy” is a far cry from anything on Livin’ Proof. Instead, the beat on here (which is still pretty good) sounds like an outtake from the Gang Starr Moment of Truth sessions. (Timing-wise, this story checks out.) Bizarrely, but expected at this point, the Nutcracker only opens the track with some generic shoutouts, and then promptly takes a nap, while the always reliable Keith Elam and Lil’ Dap handle the actual verses. Guru (R.I.P.) obviously murders his host, but Dap’s flow sounds improved as hell, as if he knew this would be the last Preemo beat he’d ever get and didn’t want to squander it. It’s almost as though Melachi sits this one out because he knew he would ruin it otherwise. By default, “The Legacy” is the best song on the album, and there is nothing further to discuss.

7. RUN FOR YOUR LIFE (FEAT. AGALLAH & BLACKADON)

Aside from the rest of the album, I guess. It’s pretty obvious by now that this isn’t a Lil’ Dap solo album only because marketing it as such could have possibly turned some fans away in 1999: I almost want to list Melachi as a guest star on every track he bothers to make an appearance on for accuracy’s sake. Anyway, the “Run For Your Life” instrumental (provided by guest Agallah, or 8-Off the Assassin, depending on when you first came across him during your lifetime) grows on you as the track progresses, and 8-Off, Dap, and Blackadon all contribute decent verses that won’t necessarily compel one into following the titular command, but at the same time, you’ll be convinced that any of these three could possibly be capable of the most brutal revenge you can think of. For the four minutes this song runs for, anyway.

8. MAKE IT IN LIFE (FEAT. AGALLAH)

Agallah is giving actual group member Melachi the Nutcracker a run for his money on A TearFor The Ghetto: perhaps Lil’ Dap should have formed a spinoff duo with 8-Off instead. His beat on “Make It In Life” doesn’t hit quite as hard as his other musical contributions have: the drums should have been louder. That may be too much criticism for a track that ultimately isn’t all that much to work with anyway, but artists should always look for ways to improve at their craft. Shockingly, the Nutcracker does provide the closing verse on “Make It In Life”, and while he isn’t very good, it’s still not a terrible performance. You will never need to seek this one out on your own, but if it were to pop up on Pandora or Spotify for some weird reason because their algorithms just don’t work like that, you’ll probably just let it play through.

9. A TRAIN X-PRESS

DJ Rad returns with an instrumental that swaps out the boom bap influences on “Sun For A Reason” for dramatic intensity, and both Dap and Melachi adjust accordingly, with the Nutcracker turning in his finest performance of A Tear For The Ghetto thus far, and I say that even though some of his rhymes rival the shit your two-year old nephew spits off the dome when he isn’t able to form a complete sentence to ask for a specific type of cereal. Dap’s flow is more suited for the music, abandoning the boasts-n-bullshit for a more meditative stance on street life. A very nice surprise that I had forgotten even existed.

10. BE LIKE THAT (FEAT. AGALLAH, BLACKADON, & GURU)
Agallah handles the hook (alongside Dap) and the production for “Be Like That”, an amalgamation of boom bap with a heavy West Coast G-Funk influence that doesn’t entirely connect, but it also doesn’t not work. At least it inspires some decent performances from Dap and the Nutcracker (who runs out of words toward the end of his verse and resorts to repetition, which sucked), along with guest Blackadon. But, unsurprisingly, “Be Like That” goes home with Guru, who, shockingly, pops up a second time on A Tear For The Ghetto (I told you Dap and the Nutcracker were his boys) with a shorter verse that still seems to have been crafted with more care than nearly everything else on the project.

11. DIAL-A-THUG (FEAT. BLACKADON & BLACK E-STARR)

The song title is horrific, advertising a different type of track than anything Group Home would ever be able to credibly pull off. Which is a shame, as DJ Rad’s beat is pretty goddamn good. At least all three participants (the Ntucracker wisely sits this one out, and I wish I could have joined him) stick with the theme, which isn’t funny and isn’t menacing, but is a waste of everyone’s fucking time. DJ Rad should just sell the “Dial-A-Thug” beat to someone else, perhaps an artist who will know what to do with it. Go ahead. Max says everything will be fine. No, you don’t have to get your lawyer involved.

12. POLITIC ALL NIGHT

A self-produced one-verse wonder from Lil’ Dap, who, funnily enough, has a pretty decent ear for making beats. “Politic All Night” fades out abruptly before his verse ends (well, just barely: it’s pretty clear that he was finished, so I’m not really all that upset here), which brings into question just exactly what the hell he thought he was trying to accomplish. But if you skip past this interlude-length track, whose verse isn’t all that great, you’ll never find yourself worrying about that anyway.

14. WE CAN DO THIS (FEAT. BLACK E-STARR & JACK THE RIPPER)

Nah, son. This was weak as hell. (Underground hip hop heads, of which you must be, as otherwise why the fuck would you read a blog post about Group Home’s second album?, may also recognize “We Can Do This as Brainsick Mobb’s “No Limit 2 Life”, which doesn’t change my stance on the track, but it’s good to know.)

13. KEEP RISING

Mislabeled as “We Can Do This” on all physical versions of A Tear For The Ghetto, and vice versa for the previous track. This Lil’ Dap solo shot handled by Jiv Pos is possibly the best argument I’ve heard for a Dap solo project. This isn’t a great song or anything, but it does prove that he is able to carry a track all by his lonesome.

15. 12 O’CLOCK (FEAT. NIKKI BONDZ)

Once again, Lil’ Dap replaces the Nutcracker with another rapper that actually wanted the work, with the honor going to Nikki Bondz. “12 O’Clock” is a moody crime tale that unfolds over an instrumental (credited to All The King’s Men) that is pretty goddamn effective, and the guest star does a pretty good job playing the role of Dap’s friend who also has no idea just how deep he’s gotten. “12 O’Clock” isn’t anything you would go out of your way to listen to and/or add to a playlist, but it is surprisingly entertaining. Who knew?

16. OH SWEET AMERICA

I’m starting to believe that an instrumental version of A Tear For The Ghetto could have become a cult favorite: there is literally no reason why Group Home should have been given these beats. 8-Off’s production work on “Oh Sweet America” is so good that it offsets the corny-as-shit hook and the performance by the Nutcracker, whose higher-pitched vocals clash with the downright beautiful music. Why didn’t Melachi ever record with M.O.P.? I’m sure Preem could have hooked that up: his energy (in his delivery, if not in his pen game) would have meshed fairly well with the Mash Out Posse. “Oh Sweet America” is too self-serious to ever be considered “good”, but the beat is fire.

17. BREAKER 1-9 (FEAT. KAI:BEE)

Another skippable track that doesn’t feature the Nutcracker (which really should be seen as a plus the way this review is going, but I digress). The Buggy Eye instrumental was okay, but not very memorable. Kind of like the track as a whole.

18. BEEFIN’ FOR RAP (FEAT. STEPH LOVA)

The most fascinating choice for guest star on A Tear For The Ghetto appears on the Agallah-produced “Beefin‘ For Rap”, as radio deejay and television personality Steph Lova contributes the second verse, and she doesn’t sound half bad. 8-Off’s beat does carry the song, but everyone (including the Nutcracker) puts in the work, so while there wasn’t anything from this track that stood out for me lyrically, I still found it pretty interesting.

19. GAME RECOGNIZE GAME (FEAT. KAI:BEE)

Charlie Marotta returns to handle the final two tracks of the project. “Game Recognize Game” has a very stupid title and Kai:Bee talking the Nutcracker’s suite, at least until his verse fades out prematurely and the song abruptly ends. It’s almost as though Dap wanted to not even bother with this shit, but then realized Marotta had a guaranteed contract and shortened this one down to a glorified interlude instead. Moving on…

20. LIFE AIN’T SHIT (FEAT. AGALLAH)

Appropriately, the Nutcracker blesses the last verse of the evening on “Life Ain’t Shit”, which also features 8-Off the Assassin in a vocal role only. Marotta’s beat sounds better than his previous contributions to the album, but the lyrics tread familiar ground, not truly demanding to ever be heard. And that hook seems to ramble on for fucking days. Lil’ Dap must really like the sound of his own voice. Whatever, we’re done here. (I do have to give a shout to Melachi’s opening bar, “My life ain’t shit because my job ain’t shit”; dude, you’re a rapper. What job are you referring to?)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Group Home’s A Tear For The Ghetto has been the recipient of a lot of criticism, some of which is due to Lil’ Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker not being very good rappers, but mostly because the project wasn’t Livin’ Proof II: The Livin’ Proofening: it seems like hip hop heads were upset simply because Group Home dared to venture outside of the Gang Starr Foundation for their sophomore project. And yeah, DJ Premier’s beats on Livin’ Proof best absolutely everything on here, including his own lone contribution, but that’s an unfair comparison, because, again, Livin’ Proof represents Preemo’s finest production work not found on a Gang Starr project. Perhaps time has softened me a bit, or maybe it’s just that I didn’t allow myself to pay close attention when this project dropped nineteen years ago, but A Tear For The Ghetto is actually pretty entertaining in its own right. Lil’ Dap is trying very hard to make sure the Group Home name doesn’t sink, stepping up his writing game while showing some skill as a producer, which isn’t a plot twist I could have ever come up with. Melachi, well, still sucks, and he doesn’t have Preemo’s backing to fall back on anymore, so his faults are far more apparent, but he skips out on a lot of the album anyway, so he isn’t ever around long enough to divert your attention. The true stars of A Tear For The Ghetto are the many producers who helped shape the project, though: they don’t even bother trying to ape DJ Premier’s sound, instead giving Group Home their own versions of New York street life pressed to wax, and for the most part, they succeed. I mentioned before that an instrumental version of A Tear For The Ghetto could have become a cult classic: I mean that wholeheartedly. I love it when stuff I had written off years ago catches me off guard: this never happens anymore.

BUY OR BURN? You know what? If you can find this one (it is currently out of print, but you may come across a used copy), go ahead and pick this one up. You’ll be pleasantly surprised: just lower your expectations first.

BEST TRACKS: “The Legacy”; “Stupid Muthafuckas (30 Minutes To War)”; “A-Train Express”; “Oh Sweet America)

-Max

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Read up on the other Group Home project by clicking here.