My Gut Reaction: Group Home - Where Back (April 23, 2006)

Never the most prolific of rap duos, Group Home, made up of members Lil Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker, managed to take advantage of their Gang Starr Foundation affiliation for two full-length projects: their 1995 debut, Livin’ Proof (which is still considered by me many to be DJ Premier’s finest hour production-wise), and their follow-up, 1999’s A Tear For The Ghetto. That sophomore effort managed to move less than zero units: Dap and Melachi famously had to pay hip hop heads out of pocket in order to convince them to take a copy of the album home with them, and that was even though it featured beats from The Alchemist, Agallah, and Preemo.

I didn’t see Group Home’s name pop back up on anybody’s radar until the passing of Guru, who had put both men on to the rap game in the first place. As a way of paying tribute, the duo reunited to release Gifted Unlimited Rhymes Universal, named after the phrase Guru had always claimed his rap nickname was an acronym for, and even put some of the proceeds into a trust fund set up for Guru’s son. That project hit store shelves in 2010, so it had been eleven years since Group Home had bothered doing anything with music, which I understood: the industry is a beast, and it chews people up every single day, so I appreciated that these two were able to get away to regroup, ultimately deciding that recording was something they both truly wanted to continue doing.

Turns out, I was pretty fucking incorrect there, because Group Home’s third album, Where Back, dropped in 2008, a full two years prior to their alleged “comeback”. What the hell, am I right?

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.

For The Max-Approved Mixtape: Group Home - "Serious Rap Shit"

Artist: Group Home featuring Guru and Big Shug

Title: "Serious Rap Shit"

Producer: Guru

Album: Livin' Proof (1995)

There has been enough virtual ink spilled writing about the New York rap duo Group Home.  Most of those articles and Twitter comments quickly veer into "Group Home is terrible" territory.  Honestly, that kind of talk isn't unwarranted: here we have a situation where two well-below-average rhyme spitters lucked into a working relationship with one of the finest producers our chosen genre has crafted (DJ Premier), and the end result was a debut album (Livin' Proof) that sounds much better than it has any right to.   The weak-ass lyrics are seemingly washed away in a sea of forgiveness that doubles as what makes up the best boom-bap Primo has ever managed to come up with outside of his own group, Gang Starr.  (Jeru The Damaja fans will probably balk at that statement, but it is what it is.)  

But here's the thing: Group Home is not made up of two below-average rappers.  Lil' Dap is actually pretty decent, his smarmy, streetwise flow merely elevated by the backing beats.  Melachi the Nutcracker, now that guy sucked: his excitable demeanor is that of a chihuahua frightened by his own shadow, a chihuahua who is awful at writing rhymes.  Why did he get the chance to spit weak-ass fire over pounding Primo production?  Right place at the right time, mostly.  The planets had long since shifted out of alignment once Group Home dropped their sophomore album, A Tear For The Ghetto, that featured one measly Primo beat, and people rightly stopped giving a shit about the team, but Livin' Proof stands as, um, living proof that the music has to be good in order for anyone to pay attention to the rhymes.
 
However, what most of those articles fails to mention is that DJ Premier did not produce every song on Livin' Proof.  The subject of today's post, "Serious Rap Shit", was actually handled by Primo's late Gang Starr partner Guru, who also spits the first verse.  The video above only features the song itself, but the actual album track includes an introduction with some obvious Primo board work: once that quickly cuts to Guru's own brand of boom-bap, the energy of the track (and the album as a whole) spikes, with a cavalcade of sounds mashed together that would sound corny on their own (is that the sound of lasers firing down upon mankind?), but come across as somewhat sinister on "Serious Rap Shit".  

Guru's verse is pretty good, if much simpler than anything present on the best Gang Starr tracks: it's kind of like he intentionally dumbed himself down in order to hang with his younger charges ("Yo, the G-U-R-U of the Gang can always hang", he says at one point without a trace of irony).  But, again, he still sounds good, as though he takes "this rap shit serious", as Lil' Dap recites during the hook.  Dap is, unfortunately, stuck exclusively with hook duty, leaving Melachi room to expand his verbal horizon, and, unsurprisingly, he isn't great.  But "Serious Rap Shit" is yet another example of the music helping to course-correct the bars.  Gang Starr Foundation affiliate Big Shug closes things out "bounc[ing MC's] off walls, like superballs" and actually turns in the best performance, meeting that sweet spot between aggression and clever writing: the only way this song could have ended better is if Bumpy Knuckles suddenly arrived on the scene for no reason.

I realize that last paragraph makes it seem like I'm trashing "Serious Rap Shit", but here's the thing: I actually love this track now.  My earlier, sparsely-written review makes it seem like I didn't care for it at the time, but I actually like a lot of Livin' Proof now for the same reasons everyone else kind of digs it: back then, DJ Premier could do no wrong.  So why go with the one song Guru produced?  "Serious Rap Shit" isn't better than the best songs on Livin' Proof (such as the title track, "Tha Realness", or, my personal favorite, "Suspended In Time"), but, well, it's actually underrated as fuck: Guru, Shug, and, yeah, even Melachi all rip it to shreds like the posse cut it claims to be, and Guru's instrumental is kind of dope in its essence.  Yes, it doesn't sound like DJ Premier: yes, Primo probably wasn't even on the fucking planet when Guru created the beat.  But none of that matters if the music works, and I'm happy to say that this song only gets better as it ages.  So maybe Group Home wasn't made up if the best rappers in the world: at least they can say that they took the art form as seriously as they were allowed.

Do you agree or disagree with this selection?  Discuss below.

-Max

RELATED POST:
Group Home - Livin' Proof (review)

Group Home - Livin' Proof (November 21, 1995)

Group Home is a duo that is (was?) part of the Gang Starr Foundation, along with fellow members Jeru the Damaja and (duh) Gang Starr (made up of Guru and producer extraordinaire DJ Premier). They both made their debuts on Gang Starr albums and, through some sort of deal with the devil, were able to secure Primo's work behind the boards of their debut, Livin' Proof.

Lil' Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker are proof positive that anyone, truly anyone, can be made to sound good over a Primo-blessed instrumental. You don't listen to Livin' Proof for hard-hitting lyrics or helpful insight on ghetto life; you can't. Shit, you don't listen to Livin' Proof for the lyrics at all. You listen to hear a master at work. This album cements the legend of DJ Premier as one of the top five hip hop producers of all time, even more so that his Gang Starr albums, because this album shows, beyond a doubt, that he can make people who aren't in his core group sound good.

1. INTRO
Yeah yeah, I see it; another useless rap album intro.

2. INNA CITI LIFE
Hard drums, check. Nas vocal sample, check. Weak ass lyrics, especially from the Nutcracker ("I'll make you jump/Psych!"), triple check.

3. LIVIN' PROOF
Listening to this track almost, almost makes you wish Inspectah Deck (of the Wu) was a group member, as his vocal sample on the chorus sounds better than the actual rhymes.

4. SERIOUS RAP SHIT (FEAT GURU & BIG SHUG)
One fact that many Primo stans overlook is that he didn't produce the entirety of this album. This track, for instance, is produced by his Gang Starr cohort Guru. Upon a return listen, it's pretty obvious Primo had nothing to do with the track.

5. SUSPENDED IN TIME
The crown jewel of the album. The vinyl single features the "Groovy Mix", which is the exact same song, but it features a sung chorus from Amel Larrieux (of Groove Theory) that fits the song perfectly, so everyone should seek that version out online. Now. Go already! Wel'll wait.

6. SACRIFICE (FEAT ABSALOOT)
After a brief interlude from an uncredited Jeru the Damaja, Melachi talks into one of those vocal distortion box things that Warren G uses to portray that ridiculous high-pitched "G-Child" on his solo albums. Roger Troutman he ain't.

7. UP AGAINST THE WALL (LOW BUDGET MIX)
My guess is, the title implies this mix was either straight-to-video, or filmed in Toronto, doubling for New York.

8. 4 GIVE MY SINS
Produced by Jay-Z's former mentor/current nemesis Big Jaz. Sounds like shit. No wait, not just shit; boring shit.

9. BABY PA
The majority of this three-minute opus is an overlong skit. So it will be technically accurate when I classify this as a "fucking skit" and move on.

10. 2 THOUSAND
Not every Primo song is golden, as this track proves.

11. SUPA STAR
The first single, which I never really liked upon its release. (I bought the CD based on the strength of "Suspended In Time", and was very disappointed that the "Groovy Mix" wasn't included.) If you take all of the artists that Primo has 'clicked' with and toss them in a hat, any name you pull out could rock this shit better. (Royce da 5'9" comes to mind.**)

12. UP AGAINST THA WALL (GETAWAY CAR MIX)
If any song didn't really need two different versions recorded....

13. THA REALNESS (FEAT JACK THE RIPPER & SMILEY A/K/A THE GHETTO CHILD)
Probably one of the darker Primo contributions, built around a somber yet eerie track and a Prodigy (of Mobb Deep, not the electronica group) vocal sample.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Livin' Proof is a conceptual mess that sounds good, thanks in no small part to Primo (who really should get back to producing that hardcore hip hop shit, instead of just simply cashing Aguilera checks). Any aspiring emcee should practice over the instrumentals of these songs; at least you can't sound as bad as these guys.

BUY OR BURN? I like to believe that readers of my blog appreciate beats as well as rhymes. I've written a couple of reviews where I've mentioned that the lyrics aren't thought provoking or require much attention, but the artists in question are capable wordsmiths who are able to ride the beats effortlessly, whereas Melachi and Lil' Dap just...can't. As such, you can easily find the instrumental version of this album on some other blogs, so I would go that route.

BEST TRACKS: "Suspended In Time"; "Tha Realness"; "Livin' Proof"

-Max

(**EDIT: I swear, I hadn't heard the Royce da 5'9" mixtape The Bar Exam (where he actually rhymes over this beat) at the time I wrote the review. So I'm considering myself to be a little bit psychic right now.)

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