My Gut Reaction; Redman - Mudface (November 13, 2015)

Shortly before I effectively gave up on this blogging shit for two years, Reggie "Redman" Noble released his eighth solo album, Mudface. The timing wasn't great for either him or myself. On my end, Mudface dropped while I was attempting to go the entire year writing only about West Coast-based artists (and mixtape selections, and random articles about remixes, and the like - you think I forgot what I was trying to accomplish that quickly?), so New Jersey hip hop was out of the question for me. And as for Reggie himself, Mudface marked his first independent release after being released from Def Jam Records, which had been his label home his entire goddamn solo career, and it suffered from the general lack of exposure that underground albums without massive marketing budgets tend to succumb to.

My Gut Reaction: Redman - Reggie (December 7, 2010)

As it has been foretold at each year's passing, the major labels in the music industry tend to unleash product during the final month of the year that are best described as "tax write-offs".  As all major labels are essentially giant fucking corporations, and this is America, they are not very pleased with the idea of spending any additional money on goods and services that they can very easily unload onto the public with a minimum of effort.  Rushing albums for release in December of each year allows the bookkeepers to remove  line items that will not have to carry over into the start of the new fiscal year, and they also get the additional bonus of appearing to be artist-centric, as opposed to seeking out profits with each new project.

Redman's Reggie, his seventh solo album, will most certainly not make Def Jam any fucking money, so its surprising appearance on store shelves (after a nine-month delay and a title swap, adjusted from the more confusing Reggie Noble "0" 9 1/2 to what you're looking at now) can only be attributed to the label's incessant need to appear more hip hop friendly than it truly is these days, with its attempt to appeal to the older heads who grew up when the label was The House That Russell Built.  (Upcoming albums from Sheek Louch and Ghostface Killah also help further this theory.)

Tax write-off status aside, Reggie is unique within Redman's overall body of work, in that he has claimed in interviews that he is not the actual performer on here: instead, an alter-ego named Reggie is handling all mic duties.  Three years after his last solo effort, Red Gone Wild: Thee Album (and one year after dropping Blackout! 2 with his smoking buddy Method Man), Reggie Noble apparently decided that what he really wanted to do was release an album full of "pop"-type songs, those more likely to be heard in the club rather than exclusively within the earbuds of your friendly neighborhood backpacker.  This was a conscious decision, though: Redman has admitted that he was going for a much "bigger" sound, and probably attributes all of the adjustments to the Reggie alter-ego, so that his hardcore fans can simply sidestep this entry in his catalog and move along.

With this change comes a tidal wave of red ink, as Reggie edited the fuck out of his traditional blueprint to fit his new "character" (which, coincidentally, sounds exactly like him in every single way possible, but that was to be expected).  On Reggie, gone are the obligatory appearances by his fellow Def Squad members Erick Sermon and Keith Murray: hell, Reggie is Redman's first album to not feature any production from E-Double, and if I remember correctly (since I'm writing this after having listened to the disc), he doesn't promote that particular crew at all.  Instead, he brings in his Gilla House merry band of weed carriers, who have co-starred with him on two Ill At Will mixtapes (the first two, the ones that actually star Redman, not the ones drafted by other artists to talk shit about him) and on Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, along with some odd, out-of-place guests like Bun B, Faith Evans, and Kool Moe Dee.  And, naturally, Method Man makes his mandatory cameo, since Reggie Noble appears to feel more of a kinship with the Wu-Tang Clan then the guys who were actually around when his career began.  But I'm probably reading into things too deeply, and I'm sure Keith Murray will crawl up from under his rock and deliver a guest verse on whatever ends up being Reggie's follow-up.

In addition, Redman chopped all of the filler from Reggie, so this project ends up being the very first one in the man's catalog to not feature any skits whatsoever.  He also fired all of the recurring characters: Reggie features no introduction from Dr. Trevis, nor is there another chapter in the ongoing saga of Soopaman Luva.  All we are left with is a tightly-paced thirteen tracks consisting of actual songs, with mostly no-name production (which isn't always a bad thing) laying a foundation for "Reggie" to attempt to decimate.

Unsurprisingly, Def Jam Records failed to do any sort of real promotional push for Reggie, leaving the artist to do everything himself, even forcing him to record and release his own music videos.  Since this album was supposed to originally drop in the first quarter of 2010 (it was promised, along with a new Method Man solo effort, in the booklet of Blackout! 2), Redman tested the waters by unleashing a slew of new music, including tracks such as "Coc Back", which was originally intended to be the first single, but ended up on the cutting room floor.  The deleted tracks wound up on both a Reggie-endorsed DJ Rake mixtape, which is confusingly also entitled Reggie, and the self-released Pancake N Syrup mixtape, which hit the Interweb mere days before Reggie found its way to store shelves.  

So at least we can't say that Reggie Noble isn't a hard worker.  

1. REGGIE (INTRO)

Here lies proof that Reggie won't be your average Redman album: instead of enlisting his Dr. Trevis persona to introduce the project, Redman elects to spit a verse instead. Which is pretty goddamn good: the way it pairs up with this instrumental from The Futuristiks (with Team Ready getting a co-production credit), which reminds me of De La Soul's “Stakes Is High” (thanks to the use of the same Ahmad Jamal “Swahililand” source material that De La used), is fucking electric. And then Reggie starts to sing, via Shawn Carter's arch-nemesis, Auto-Tune. Truthfully, he doesn't sound any worse than every other rapper who has secretly harbored dreams of becoming an R&B singer, but it still throws the listener for a loop.

2. THAT'S WHERE I B (FEAT. DJ KOOL)

That's how the title reads in the liner notes and on the disc itself, so that's what I'm going with, regardless of what it says on the back cover.  On here, Reggie recruits his “Let's Get Dirty” co-star DJ Kool (of “Let Me Clear My Throat” fame – that shit still bangs today, by the way) and verbally dismantles the surprisingly effective club-ready Ty Fyffe beat. Our host refers to himself as a “'70s baby” on here, which may automatically cause my younger readers to look away in disgust, since Reggie Noble is probably the kind of guy who spins tales to his nephews and nieces about how gas prices used to be incredibly low and how he used to walk to school barefoot in the snow, backwards, twenty miles uphill each way, but I urge you to give this song a spin anyway. Redman has the unnatural ability to sound at home over nearly any type of beat imaginable: “That's Where I B” is no different.

3. DEF JAMMABLE

Although this song, Reggie's first single, has been floating around on other hip hop blogs for several months now, I've never actually listened to it until today. (I'll explain why later.) The title is kind of amusing the first time you read it, but it stirs up memories of how badly Def Jam Records has fouled up the marketing of just about every single Redman project post-Doc's Da Name 2000 (including Reggie, which you wouldn't even know was released this week had it not been for Redman's own street team promoting it on your favorite blogs). This song is only alright, though: DJ Khalil's beat is fairly boring, and Reggie's bars, some of which worked fairly well and some of which sound as though they were performed on autopilot, couldn't do much to salvage it. Auto-Tune makes a return appearance on here, as well, when the Funk Doc croons the chorus. This was the first disappointment on Reggie thus far. 

4. FULL NELSON (FEAT. READY ROC, RUNT DAWG, & SAUKRATES)

More singing can be found on “Full Nelson”, but this time it's handled by Reggie's Canadian import friend Saukrates, leaving our host more time to work on his verse. This Gilla House posse cut features two above-average contributions from Ready Roc and Runt Dawg and a killer performance from Redman, all laid over a window-rattling Tone Mason instrumental. This shit was nice, son! It's good that Redman has the ability to surround himself with talent when his immediate Def Squad family is otherwise occupied: there are very few rappers in our chosen genre with this trait. Speaking of which, whatever happened to Icadon/Icarus?

5. LIFT IT UP

This song only runs for two-and-a-quarter minutes, so it doesn't last long enough to annoy the listener, but it was still pretty awful. Redman's Reggie alter-ego is singularly focused on getting played in a club setting: that's the only explanation I can come up with for this project's overall sound thus far. Reggie sounds bored as shit during his two verses on here, almost as though even he wanted to burn through this as quickly as possible. “Lift It Up” should have been reassigned to mixtape purgatory. I did enjoy the visual imagery of being so high that marijuana emitted “through [his] veins”, though.

6. ALL I DO (FEAT. FAITH EVANS)

The appearance of a featured vocalist on any Redman song is cause for alarm, but, thankfully, Faith Evans, who takes leave of the magical forest she currently resides in to cash a paycheck, doesn't turn “All I Do” into a love rap: instead, Reggie crafts a personal ode to hip hop and how its various incarnations have molded his life and helped him with establishing his career and lifestyle. For that reason alone, “All I Do” isn't objectionable enough to complain about, especially since Redman sticks with the literal theme and does not try to turn it into an extended metaphor for something else. However, Reggie does sound a bit uncomfortable during this song, possibly because it doesn't sound as though it would fit in with the rest of his back catalog. But this was still alright.

7. LEMME GET 2 (FEAT. SAUKRATES)

Rich Kidd's beat leads the listener to believe that this song may be a mediation on lost loved ones or some other topic equally as serious, but instead, Redman and Saukrates (who sings another hook, but this time, also spits a verse) boast about living the high life by bragging about two of the three bullet points that always come up whenever a rapper is in this position: inordinate amounts of pussy, and the ability to travel freely. (For those of you who are curious, “having shitloads of money” completes the trifecta.) Reggie spends too many bars describing the act of being on a plane, which sounds about as boring as actually being on a plane (that isn't a private jet, anyway), but he still tries his best to sell the shit out of his verse, thanks to his attention to detail in what would normally be considered a pedestrian performance, and Sauk even sounds decent. This isn't bad, but I can't really recommend it to anyone, either.

8. MIC, LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

Hey, kids! Do you remember the producer Rockwilder? Of course you do: I keep questioning the validity of his successful career whenever one of his beats pops up on one of the older albums I review. Well, he's apparently still working today, as evidenced by his work on this awkwardly-titled Redman song that sounds corny as shit, especially when the robotic female voice during the hook dictates the theme of each of Reggie's three verses to the audience, which makes this song sound like a poor excuse to string together three otherwise unrelated mixtape freestyles. Reggie sounds technically proficient, but this song was boring as fuck. At least Rockwilder's beat has been updated for the 2010 audience, though it still sucks. It was nice for Reggie to send some work Rockwilder's way, though, since Redman is the reason Rock had a career in the first place and all.

9. CHEERZ (FEAT. READY ROC & MELANIE RUTHERFORD)

This song was underwhelming at best. Reggie and his weed carrier (given that this is Redman we're talking about, I mean that in the most literal sense this time around) have an effortless chemistry behind the mic, but the M-Phazes beat sounds as schmaltzy as pre-The College Dropout Kanye West, and having R&B singer (and Gilla House associate, if memory serves me correctly) Melanie Rutherford sing the chorus disrupts the flow of what is ostensibly a song celebrating the success of an underground hip hop career. (That sounds like an oxymoron, I know, but just go with me on this.) This was alright, but it's not real.

10. ROCKIN WIT DA BEST (FEAT. KOOL MOE DEE)

This enjoyable effort was a smartly calculated bid for Reggie's continued relevance in our chosen genre: our host reaches out to the older audience (let's be honest, the odds are pretty good that, if you're a fan of Redman, you're probably at least in your late twenties or early thirties) by including witty wordplay and what amounts to a fairly useless cameo from old school legend Kool Moe Dee, while also appealing to the newer heads by spitting over a rather hostile ThreeSixty instrumental that gets the neck moving. This song won't suddenly convert anyone over to the Doc side, but it was still pretty good.

11. LITE 1 WITCHA BOI (FEAT. METHOD MAN & BUN B)

It wouldn't be a Redman album without an ode to the stickiest of the icky: the weed song is possibly the only consistent theme running through his catalog now, since the Def Squad fails to make their presence known on Reggie. And of course his partner-in-rhyme Method Man would make his obligatory appearance on this track. But the problem is that this song fucking sucks, no matter what the other blogs tell you: neither Meth nor Red sound at all natural smoking homegrown over this Southern-tinted Audibles instrumental. (For the record, Bun B, who last worked with hip hop's Cheech and Chong on “City Lights” from Blackout! 2, sounds okay, since he's in his wheelhouse and all.) I find it troubling that a Meth and Red song can sound this fucking terrible: this doesn't leave me with especially high expectations for the upcoming Blackout! 3. Sigh.

12. WHN THE LIGHTS GO OFF (FEAT. POO BEAR)

Nope, I double checked: that is actually how the word is spelled in the title. Clearly, Reggie was in too much of a hurry to use spellcheck. This was, quite possibly, the most “mature” Redman song ever recorded. I put the “mature” in quotes because Reggie is still talking his shit, but this time around, he's also reflecting on his life in our chosen genre and how lucky he has been to enjoy it for so long, all while acknowledging that he has had to work hard for his position as an elder statesman. The beat is fairly non-Redman in nature, and Poo Bear's chorus is pretty generic, but there isn't anything technically wrong with this song. I don't think it'll end up on my iTunes Redman playlist anytime soon, though.

13. TIGER STYLE CRANE

This was the first song I heard from Reggie that was guaranteed to make the album (as opposed to those various teaser singles that our host dropped and the label forgot about), and I loved it so much that I refused to listen to “Def Jammable” or any other new product, just in case they tainted my theory that Redman was still capable of bringing some hot shit to the table. The Fyre Dept.'s beat is fast-paced and a perfect fit for Reggie's boasts (which are recycled from a satellite radio freestyle he performed over the beat for Jay-Z's Dr. Dre-produced “Trouble”), and his self-produced music video only adds to the lack of luster. “Tiger Style Crane” doesn't really fit on Reggie (indeed, the outro of “Whn The Lights Ho Off” implies that the previous song was originally conceived to be the ending of the album), but it's a welcome gift for the self-proclaimed “eleventh member of the Wu-Tang” to give his fans.

THE LAST WORD: Reggie is a step in the right direction for Redman, in that it sounds much better than the disappointing Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, but it still doesn't consistently work. In excising the elements that made his previous efforts run overlong (the multiple skits, recurring characters, and most of the guest spots from folks outside of his immediate Gilla House crew), Reggie Noble has also lost most of the sense of fun his earlier projects exhibited. True, Reggie doesn't have an opportunity to lose focus and ramble on during an album that consists of thirteen (relatively short) tracks, but our host is at his best when he has no such restrictions. About half of Reggie works beautifully, with Redman's nimble verses playing tag with instrumentals that manage to keep up, but when our host deviates from his previously-established formula, the results run the gamut from poor to terrible (or, in the case of “Lite 1 Witcha Boi”, terribly poor). Still, even though this wasn't a complete success, Reggie does manage to prove that Redman is capable of creating (some) compelling music, with or without the help of his boys. I just hope that his follow-up to this doesn't completely ignore his past life as a flagship Def Squad member, and maybe also provides some clarification on this whole “eleventh member of Wu-Tang” thing, since Reggie Noble would sound pretty good over some Wu-Elements contributions.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:

Catch up with Reggie Noble by clicking here.

My Gut Reaction: Method Man & Redman - Blackout! 2 (May 19, 2009)

I know, Max ran out to pick up a Wu-Tang Clan-related album the week of its release? How shocking! But you all saw this coming, anyway, so you two just need to play along.

Ten years after releasing their original collaborative effort Blackout!, Method Man and Redman (finally) bring us the long-awaited, awkwardly-exclaimed Blackout! 2. Unlike the first album, which at least pretended to be a Wu-Tang Clan/Def Squad presentation (with the ball falling into Reggie's court more so than Meth), Blackout! 2 doesn't include any Rza involvement at all. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if The Rza wasn't aware of this recording until he walked into Best Buy yesterday morning on his way to the grocery store to pick up some more honey to dip his blunts in.

Anyway, Def Jam Records reintroduces Clifford Smith and Reggie Noble, two elder statesmen of hip hop, into an environment where nobody really gives a fuck about either rapper. They have their fans (like myself), but they reenter a rap climate that has changed drastically in the past decade (which was also my complaint regarding Eminem's Relapse). This may help explain why Def Jam's marketing department decided to release three singles from the project at once: "Mrs. International" (the song for the ladies), "City Lights" (the track for the stoners), and "A Yo" (the song purportedly for "real" hip hop heads, featuring production from Pete Rock, himself a hip hop elder as well). The liner notes all approach My Bloody Valentine 3-D territory, which I don't really mind, since that movie was hilariously awful, but the fact that, underneath the CD tray, the label markets the fact that you can buy ringtones of all of the songs involved on Blackout! 2 scares me more than a little.

Fingers crossed!

1. BO2 (INTRO)
Red and Meth spit a verse apiece over this Allah Mathematics beat, making this the only semi-Wu instrumental on all of Blackout! 2. Good to see they got it out of the way. Reggie outraps his smoking partner, as he usually does anyway, but Meth sounds rejuvenated, excited by the prospect that his rap career may actually pick up again, and his attitude is contagious.

2. I'M DOPE N---A
I thought the stupid title was going to foreshadow a horrible song, but guess what? I loved this shit. Havoc's beat is the best thing I've heard from the non-imprisoned half of Mobb Deep in a long time, and both Red and Meth rip it to shreds. This would make some dope entrance music for either rapper. Or even for myself.

3. A-YO (FEAT SAUKRATES)
The Saukrates hook leads me to believe that Nate Dogg, an obvious influence, was simply unavailable. Upon its release, "A-Yo" never really impressed me, regardless of the pedigree of Peter Rockingham behind the boards, but within the context of the album, I still don't like it.

4. DANGEROUS MCEES
Standard Erick Sermon instrumental work, although it still sounds good. The hook sucks (seriously, whenever I wrote about a rap song, which is about 90% of the time, you should just assume that the chorus is terrible, unless I say otherwise), but it's good to hear both Red and (especially) Method Man ripping shit as if it were still the mid-1990s. Ah, those were the days.

5. ERRBODY SCREAM (FEAT KEITH MURRAY)
I give credit to producer Swiff D for trying something different, but no matter how hype the lyrical delivery of the three emcees sound, the slowdown during the hook is unsettling. Anybody else think it was a bit awkward for Def Jam to acknowledge Keith Murray (he of the "allegedly assaulting the Def Jam street team" infamy) and his contribution?

6. HEY ZULU
I liked this song, up until the lame-ass chorus. Reggie and Meth sound energized, though. With this kind of hustle, they may just get How High 2 greenlit yet, regardless of studio involvement. At least the soundtrack would probably be decent.

7. CITY LIGHTS (FEAT BUN B)
Sounds very much like Big Boi's "Kryptonite (I'm On It)": it took me a bit to separate the memory of the old song with the existence of this one. Especially since they're both about the same subject matter. Method Man sounds entirely out of his element, which will make listeners uncomfortable, but Reggie manages to adapt well, and Bub B (from UGK) is right at home: the contributions from those two help negate Clifford Smith completely, making for an enjoyable listen. Pimp C, rest in peace.

8. FATHER'S DAY
Method Man clearly had something to prove on Blackout! 2, as he pulls the rug right up from under Reggie lyrically. This song starts off sounding like an out-of-place interlude, but everything falls into place rather nicely. As long as they don't shoot a video dressed up as Robin Williams and Billy Crystal, we're good.

9. MRS. INTERNATIONAL (SKIT) (FEAT TANISHA GREEN, MICHELLE PINCKNEY, & SAUKRATES)
Kind of goofy, but like all skits involving Reggie Noble, I can see this becoming less funny with each listen.

10. MRS. INTERNATIONAL (FEAT ERICK SERMON)
Maybe I'm just not remembering correctly, but I don't recall the original Blackout! requiring a song for the ladies. I don't know whose idea it was to have Erick Sermon (a) not produce the track, and (b) actually sing on the hook, but the gamble works. This is wholly pleasant, in a "I probably wouldn't listen to it often, but I wouldn't change the station if, somehow, Meth and Red pulled off the impossible and managed to get on the radio in my neck of the woods" kind of way.

11. HOW BOUT DAT (FEAT READY ROC & STREETLIFE)
Did Icarus and Redman have a falling out that I'm not aware of? That's the only reason I can think of that justifies Ready Roc's new position as go-to weed carrier and kidney donor alongside Meth's longtime candle warmer Streetlife. This is not to say that he sounds bad, though: this shit is actually pretty enjoyable, thanks to the focus of all four rappers involved. The hook is a bit corny, though. I laughed out loud when Reggie shouted "I'm the boss!", though, thanks to the goddamn Lonely Island CD. Come to think of it, Blackout! 2 would probably go nicely with a bottle of Santana DVX.

12. DIZ S IZ 4 ALL MY SMOKERS
I picture an all-star pothead remix of this laid-back track, performed possibly to raise funds to post bail when Tommy Chong eventually gets arrested again. The sudden change of pace during the hook is jarring, but otherwise, this isn't bad.

13. LOCK DOWN (SKIT) (FEAT DJ KAY SLAY, C.O. ELLIS, & READY ROC)
...

14. FOUR MINUTES TO LOCK DOWN (FEAT RAEKWON & GHOSTFACE KILLAH)
The only song on Blackout! 2 to feature other members of the Clan and they couldn't even find a leftover True Master beat to rock over? This was kind of majorly fucking disappointing. The rappers all lack commitment, Raekwon's narcoleptic ass especially. (Anyone still looking forward to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2? Because, sadly, I still am.) Meth's line "next to Rza, ain't no n---a bigger than the group" is interesting, especially since he makes that point on a song featuring two members of his group who publicly complained about The Rza during the recording of 8 DIagrams (an album I still like today).

15. NEVA HERD DIS B4
Once again, Reggie refers to himself as the "eleventh member of [the] Wu-Tang [Clan]". It must be an honorary title, kind of like the "Ph.D in Bloggerology" I received from Arizona State University last year. Let me tell you, that thing gets you out of maaad speeding tickets, yo.

16. I KNOW SUMPTN (FEAT POO BEAR)
Redman is one of the few rappers I like who can attempt a club banger and not have to compromise his flow. (Even when he works with Christina Aguilera, with a song that is a guilty pleasure, and not just because of her assless chaps, he still comes off as Reggie fucking Noble.) King David's beat fit the man like a glove, and Meth sounds, well, at least he saw fit to show up that day.

17. A LIL' BIT (FEAT MELANIE RUTHERFORD)
Good to see Reggie throwing his Gilla House studio singer some work. The production proves that hip hop hasn't really been missing Rockwilder's sound (he co-produces this track with Chris n Teeb, two other producers that you'll probably never hear from again), This is easily the worst song on Blackout! 2, but considering the fact that this is also the last song on Blackout! 2, the pain subsides faster than you would think.

THE LAST WORD: I'm not sure who Def Jam thinks the audience for Blackout! 2 is, but this album is deserving of one. It's nowhere near as consistent as Blackout!, but it hits many high points, thanks to the professionalism of both Redman and Method Man. One wishes the production was on par with the talent that Reggie and Clifford still possess (today's rappers could learn a lot from these two stoners: maybe all the weed keeps them focused?), but even still, I enjoyed this throwback to a golden era more so that Relapse. This disc is destined to be overshadowed by Marshall Mathers, but you should still go to the store and support the arts. There's a two-disc version that includes a DVD or something: that version was sold out when I hit the stores, so I couldn't tell you what appears on it, but either way, Red and Meth have garnered enough goodwill in the past two decades to earn your money.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Wu-Tang Clan posts? Def Squad write-ups? Max has them.

Redman - Red Gone Wild: Thee Album (March 27, 2007)

2007 finally saw the release of Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, Redman's sixth solo album, which had been promised for several years at that point. The album itself was in danger of becoming one of those fabled follow-up projects that rappers discuss in interviews for years on end but never materializes (such as Dr. Dre's Detox, Raekwon's Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2, and, in a much more broad sense musically, Guns 'N Roses's Chinese Democracy (at least until it finally hit Best Buy store shelves fourteen years after its inception)). However, the difference between Redman's project and the other three listed is that Redman's previous album, Malpractice, caused him to lose a lot of fans, so there weren't a whole lot of folks out there anyway that gave much of a fuck about the guy's career in 2007. Malpractice found our rhyming hero managing to amuse only himself with increasingly nonsensical thematic structures (what the fuck was the "Roller Coaster Malpractice" skit supposed to be about, anyway?) and reliance on an uncharacteristically poor selection of beats. So Red Gone Wild: Thee Album was intended to be his return to form, which it could have been, had his label, Def Jam, not derailed his efforts by keeping the disc in the vault for so long, forcing Reggie to retool some older tracks and rethink his original concept.

As I mentioned in the write-up for Reggie's last mixtape, Live From The Bricks, the version of Red Gone Wild: Thee Album that we received was not the album that was intended to be released. Multiple tracks promised by Redman (and leaked to the Interweb) were ultimately cut, possibly due to age or poor reception, such as the Eminem-produced "I C Dead People", which was constructed as a dream/nightmare collaboration between Redman and the ghosts of 2Pac, The Notorious B.I.G., Big L, and Big Punisher (or, rather, the ghosts of older verses from the late rappers). Other tracks which are missing entirely include "Fuck Da Security" (or "Rush Da Security", as it is known on the Def Jam promotional twelve-inch: it does manage to put in an appearance on foreign editions of this disc, however) and "Future Thugs", which also featured labelmates Ghostface Killah and Ludacris. However, one older track that did manage to make the cut was the Timbaland-produced "Put It Down", a song that Reggie had mentioned for many years: Redman bragged that he had purchased Timothy's instrumental (along with several others) long before his takeover of pop radio (with the assistance of Justin Timberlake and Nelly Furtado).

So, was Red Gone Wild: Thee Album worth all of the fuss?

1. FIRE
Well, it's not a rap album intro, so that's a plus. Although Reggie actually rhymes on this track, it's a pretty unmemorable effort, but I still prefer it to an intro.

2. BAK INDA BUILDIN'
Hey, Dr. Trevis has returned! This track could have made for a much better album opener. The instrumental (provided by Adam Deitch, a drummer and producer who has worked with Jean Grae, Talib Kweli, and Afu-Ra) and Chris Pinset (who has worked with Redman on Red Gone Wild: Thee Album)) is actually interesting, for one. But that could just be me.

3. PUT IT DOWN (FEAT DJ KOOL)
Redman has gone on record that he had this Timbaland beat in his back pocket well before Timbo's reincarnation as a pop producer. Considering that this instrumental sounds like one of LL Cool J's outtakes from the same sessions that produced "Headsprung", that may not be a solid bragging point. However, this shit does sound really good. Reggie rides the Timbaland track as if he and Timmy were born to create this song.

4. GIMMIE ONE
While I appreciate the reference to Stephen Chow's Kung Fu Hustle (a flick that's really fucking good), I found this track to be boring as shit. The fact that this was produced by Pete Rock surprises me to no end, given the final result.

5. FUCK UR OPINION (SKIT)
...

6. SUMTN 4 URRBODY (FEAT BLAM, READY ROC, RUNT DAWG, ICADON, & SAUKRATES)
A posse cut featuring the supporting players from Reggie's three previous mixtapes. It's gracious of Redman to limit his own contribution to eight bars halfway through the track, but he really should have either started shit off or closed it out, if only as a show of dominance. Even though I was nonplussed with Saukrates on here, everybody else was pretty good, so as a whole, the song is decent.

7. HOW U LIKE DAT (FEAT GOV MATTIC)
With so many references to Reggie's mixtape series (Ill At Will, for those of you not keeping up), this track comes off more as a freestyle than an actual song. So it makes sense that the beat is of no consequence, as it exists solely so Reggie knows when his sentenced are supposed to end. Reggie dominates the track (his guest is only afforded the last thirty seconds to spit) and, curiously, refers to himself as having "a Wu-Tang tongue" while calling himself the "Def Squad lieutenant". Hmmm.

8. FREESTYLE FREESTYLE
I seem to remember bloggers going apeshit bananas for this track when Red Gone Wild: Thee Album was released. I suppose Reggie's rhymes are good, but he sounds a tad bit bored. That's probably because the song as a whole sucks balls, in most part due to Scott Storch's non-beat. Maybe if Storch was a better producer (he has a couple of good tracks on his resume, but that's where it stops), he wouldn't have so many financial problems right now. Maybe that last statement is a bit unfair, as the economy is rough all over, but maybe the guy should have saved his fucking money instead of buying a boat and whatever the fuck else he purchased in an ill-advised attempt to make Lil' Kim happy.

9. WALK IN GUTTA (FEAT ERICK SERMON,KEITH MURRAY, & BIZ MARKIE)
I didn't like this song back in March of 2007. Today, I can appreciate it for what it is, an above-average Def Squad song. Keith Murray sounds like he's actively trying to get his fans back, and Erick Sermon has (apparently) no need to improve his flow, since he still has everyone's nostalgic EPMD respect, but Reggie steals the show on his own album, which is not only nice, it should have been a given.

10. WUTCHOOGONNADO (FEAT MELANIE RUTHERFORD)
I'm going to walk away, that's what. This is nothing like the Reggie Noble music that people actually like to listen to. This track is followed by two separate skits, one of which ties up the trials and tribulations of the journalist that's appeared on previous Redman albums rather nicely, and those might be a better listen than this shit. Both skits appear prior to the next track.

11. DIZ IZ BRICK CITY (FEAT READY ROC)
For what is ostensibly an anthem to Reggie's hometown, this track sounds oddly sentimental. But it's not bad. Redman's punchlines are amusing, and the DJ Clark Kent beat is relaxing. The hook is all sorts of fucking awful, though.

12. RITE NOW
This was, more than likely, a condition of clearing the Al Green sample, but this song is edited. (For the most part, it's squeaky-clean, but a couple of gunshots, sexual content, and the word "fuck" manage to make an appearance.) Reggie sounds as if he's being physically restrained, and the beat isn't anything we haven't already heard from Erick Sermon.

13. BLOW TREEZ (FEAT READY ROC & METHOD MAN)
This is among the worst Redman/Method Man collaborations that I have ever witnesses, and I've caught episodes of their Fox sitcom. The flow of the song is a reggae-tinged crawl, which doesn't work for any of the rappers involved, and the lackluster stab at a South-esque hook (a repeated vocal sample) is simply the bow on a gift-wrappes pile of shit.

14. PIMP NUTZ
What the fuck is with that chorus?

15. MR. ICE CREAM MAN (SKIT)
This skit runs for just over three minutes, making this Reggie Noble's magnum opus. However, Prince Paul he ain't. This skit is entirely unnecessary.

16. HOLD DIS BLAOW!
At this point, Red Gone Wild: Thee Album has officially turned into a fucking chore to write about. Reggie brings absolutely nothing to the table, and he's supposed to be one of my favorite lyricists. The beat also sounds like a pale imitation of what Rockwilder might sound like today, which is great, since Rockwilder is actually behind the boards. Sigh...

17. GET 'EM (FEAT SAUKRATES & ICADON)
Meh.

18. MERRY JANE (FEAT SNOOP DOGG & NATE DOGG)
This weed anthem is pretty fucking stupid. Redman sounds alright, and I always appreciate a Nate Dogg hook, but both Snoop and the beat are in the running for the grand prize in a "Worst Part Of An Already Bad Track" competition. Still, I found myself wondering what Method Man would have sounded like with these three guys on the track.

19. GILLA HOUSE CHECK
I just don't care about this album anymore.

20. NO MO' SOOPAMAN LUVA
A skit that exists only to lead the listener into the next song, which just so happens to be all about Reggie's Soopaman Luva persona. Fans of the "Bathtub" intro from Snoop Doggy Dogg's Doggystyle might get a kick out of it.

21. SOOPAMAN LUVA 6 (FEAT E3, MELANIE RUTHERFORD, & HURRICANE G)
This installment is rather ridiculous, since it's all about Reggie trying to break Hurricane G out of prison (although, predictably, he gets a tad bit distracted). Speaking of which, Hurricane G's presence completely fucks this track up. I can tolerate her on some things (okay, mainly on the Cocoa Brovaz's "Spanish Harlem"), but, for the most part, I find her voice annoying as fuck. I'm kind of mystified as to how Erick Sermon could have knocked her up in the first place.

22. SOOPAMAN LUVA 6 1/2 (FEAT HURRICANE G & MELANIE RUTHERFORD)
Picks up immediately where the last installment left off, and while the beat is a lot better, there still isn't anything on here worth listening to. Maybe it's time for the Soopaman Luva to retire in Miami-Dade County.

23. SUICIDE
Adam Deitch and Chris Pinset's beat is half-great and half-annoying as shit. Hearing Reggie singing is oddly compelling, but rapping is obviously his bread and butter. I have mixed feelings about this track, but regardless of what I believe, this song should never have been designated as the last song on any Redman album.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Red Gone Wild: Thee Album is a major disappointment, considering the buildup over the past several years. I realize that a few of my two readers may try to rationalize their purchase by proclaiming that this disc isn't actually that bad, but it is what it is. With only one possible single for the radio and one other track that appeals to the hip hop heads ("Put It Down" and "Walk In Gutta", respectively), if I were running Def Jam, I wouldn't have promoted this shit, either. It should have been left in the vault: at least that way Reggie could have continued to talk it up in the press and it could have taken on a mystical quality, not unlike Rakim's Dr. Dre-produced tracks recorded while he was signed to Aftermath. I'm now officially depressed.

BUY OR BURN? If you are currently in a coma and the promise of some new Redman material is the only thing that could possibly get those brainwaves going and revive you, then your caretaker should burn this and play it for you ASAP. However, that's the only reasonable excuse for even attempting to track down this shit. I'm a Redman fan, and even I want to throw this disc out of a moving vehicle.

BEST TRACKS: "Walk In Gutta"; "Put It Down"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Here are some write-ups for some better Redman projects (and also Malpractice).

For Promotional Use Only: Redman - Live From The Bricks (2007)

Reggie Noble's sixth solo album, Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, had been promised to consumers for at least three years as of January 2007. Redman had seen multiple release date changes, complete album overhauls, and even a negative review in Blender (one which referenced songs that never made the album, leading me to believe that there's a bootleg of that motherfucker somewhere to be found). Reggie also had to deal with a record label (Def Jam) that had little to no faith in the older members of its roster (see: Redman, Method Man, LL Cool J) and, as such, failed to promote them properly. So Reggie opted to market himself by his own damn self.

Reggie fans saw two mixtapes from his Ill At Will series hit shelves in support of Red Gone Wild: Thee Album (to date, no third volume has been released). A steady buzz had been created, and eventually Def Jam had to acknowledge it, lest Redman sic a rabid Keith Murray on their street team again. Once the label announced a firm release date for March 2007, Reggie quickly dropped Live From The Bricks, a mixtape meant to keep hope alive. A partnership with DJ Scoob Doo, Live From The Bricks showcased Redman and his weed carriers (including the skilled Icarus, or Icadon, depending on which side of the bed he woke up on that day) rhyming over various beats (both original compositions and those jacked from established artists). The mixtape is sequenced like a regular Redman album, skits and all, except for the fact that there are several songs in the disc's second half that fail to feature the star attraction entirely.

The jury's still out as to whether Live From The Bricks either hurt or helped Reggie's actual sales, though.

1. JERSEY CONFERENCE CALL
Wouldn't be a mixtape without an intro setting up the whole house of cards, right?

2. LIVE FROM THE BRICKS
Reggie rips the shit out of the Jake One beat that was originally blasphemed by Hot Rod (from the G-Unit...hey, whatever the fuck happened to that guy?) for "Be Easy". (For those of you two that care, the beat was originally used by Bishop Lamont for "Fuck Yo Couch", and he did a much better job with it than what Hot Rod could ever dream of.) The pairing of Jake One and Redman could do hip hop some good. Perhaps someone should set up a meet and greet.

3. SHUT 'EM DOWN
Not very impressive. Redman sounds awkward as he slows down his flow to a conversation-style. Maybe this track only sucks because of the beat, but it still sucks.

4. HOW THE BRICKS GET DOWN
Wake me up when it's over. No, really. I can be a deep sleeper.

5. CLICK CLICK
Okay, now that's more like it. This shit is just cool to listen to. Sorry, but that's all I got.

6. WALK IN GUTTER
This was a sneak preview of the Def Squad reunion track "Walk In Gutta" off of Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, although you only get to hear Reggie on this version. I didn't like the song when I heard it for the first time, but in listening to it today, it's actually pretty good. I have no idea what I was smoking back then.

7. YES SIR
Reggie jacks Justin Timberlake's "My Love", with only decent results. This song sounds exactly like how you would imagine it to after reading the first six words in the last sentence. The outro runs for waaay too long to be taken seriously.

8. BRICK CITY CHAMPION
There's just something about Jay-Z's "Lost Ones" beat (produced by Dr. Dre and friends) that causes rappers to wax poetically (and seriously) about life. Dre, you should give Reggie a call. Considering how he kills this instrumental, you two may be able to help each other out.

9. IT'S OURS (SKIT)
...

10. BRANSON BRANSON
This song would have been alright had there not been the sound of a burp incorporated into the beat. I'm not sure what a burp has to do with a song that was titled in tribute to hip hop's foremost drug dealer, but whatever.

11. FROM THE BRICKS TO THE WEST (SKIT)
...

12. IF YOU GOT BEEF THEN RUN ON UP (FEAT MARKIE)
Reggie participates in a West Coast slow-roll kind of thing that is so West Coast that a Nate Dogg soundalike even pops up on the hook. Hell, it might even be Nate Dogg for all I know, although it doesn't sound much like him. This isn't bad at all.

13. WE MOBBIN' (FEAT READY ROC)
Nothing special here, folks. Move it along.

14. IS YOU DOWN (SKIT)
...

15. GET OFF MY DICK (FEAT READY ROC & ICARUS)
Just in case you believed Reggie abandoned his Gilla House crew in the name of promoting Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, this track is proof positive that his sixth solo album would be more of a group effort. This track is alright, but in about an hour you'll just be hungry again.

16. BRICK CITY CODEINE
Zzzzzz.......

17. PIFF PIFF
I'm almost embarrassed for Reggie at this point.

18. FUCK YA OPINION
This is a move in the right direction, although the title is actually better than the song itself.

19. R&B SMOKE BREAK (FEAT MELANIE)
Reggie's resident studio singer Melanie sings over Snoop Dogg and R. Kelly's "That's That Shit". While she does a pretty good job, I really did not want to remember that particular song. Sigh.

20. SIT BACK AND ENJOY THE SHOW (FEAT YUMMY & ROCKWILDER)
Although it isn't appropriate to the song itself (which is actually more than decent), Reggie's verse is fucking hilarious: his delivery alone of "I hit your barbecue with family like the Wayans, 'cause I'm deep, n---a!" is just funny.

21. I KNOW (FEAT E3)
Clearly you don't, or else you would have realized this song was a bad idea.

22. I TAKE YA CHAIN (FEAT ICARUS)
With this track, Reggie takes a smoke break and lets all of his weed carriers take a crack at a song of their choice. I've always hated Fat Joe and Lil' Wayne's "Make It Rain" (one guess as to why), but Icadon's song-jacking is just funny to me. This may not be an actual good song, but it was entertaining enough, in a mixtape kind of way.

23. LET'S GO (FEAT SAUKRATES)
Saukrates sounds fucking great over this beat. I have to say, although I haven't liked a lot of his work ever since he hooked up with Redman's camp, I'm impressed about this.

24. I DON'T BUDGE (FEAT READY ROC)
Ready Roc jacks one of Obie Trice's most underrated beats, with excellent results. Damn, this beat is catchy: Witt & Pep, the producers of Obie's "Cry Now", should give themselves a pat on the back. Go ahead, I can wait.

25. ASK SOMEBODY (FEAT RUNT DAWG)
Runt Dawg sounds like a less-mumbly Curtis Jackson, but he still comes off good over this beat. Some of this shit is actually really funny, so the comparison to the G-Unit general is negligible.

26. BRICK CITY GANGSTAS (FEAT MR. RED, MR. PURP, & READY ROC)
Well, it's about fucking time Reggie (also known as Mr. Red for this one song only) appeared on his own goddamn mixtape. While the track itself is alright, there's hardly anything memorable about it.

27. BRICK CITY TO ROCKLAND COUNTY (FEAT BLAMM & LD)
I liked the beat, as it sounds different that what Redman typically chooses to rhyme to. However, while Reggie sounded good, I found myself slowly becoming annoyed with the guests.

28. INTERNATIONAL (SKIT)
...

29. WELL WELL WELL
Meh.

30. WALK ON
This is weird. This track is essentially made up of all of Redman's verses from his collaboration with Method Man, "Walk On", from Meth's 4:21...The Day After. The reason I find it weird is that, at this point, Meth's album had already hit the shelves, so everyone that cared had already heard all of Reggie's rhymes, which are all run together here. It leads me to believe that Reggie's original verse was chopped up to infinity and beyond when they were constructing the Meth song, and that Redman and Method Man weren't actually in the same studio when they recorded their duet. You know, that may help explain my comment on the Meth album, where I was confused as to why it took three separate producers to create one fucking song...

31. MY FIRST BRICK CITY SONG
Reggie certainly loves jacking beats from his then-boss, Jay-Z ("Lost Ones" from earlier in the album, the R.Kelly/Jay-Z jack from the second volume of Ill At Will, his freestyle over "Trouble" that hit the airwaves after this mixtape's release (the one that proved that Paul Wall was vastly inferior when paired up with an actual talented rapper), and now Jay's "My 1st Song"). I'm sure it gives him a bit of a thrill, stealing his boss's thunder like that. This is a decent outro to what has become an overlong mixtape.

SHOULD YOU TRACK IT DOWN? Sure, why not? There's enough good on Live From The Bricks to warrant seeking it out on the Interweb. As with all mixtapes, there is a lot of utter bullshit on here, and it's much longer than it absolutely needs to be, but the great tracks (including some from the Gilla House crew that don't even feature the headliner) will make it worth your while. Feel free to download this and enjoy. It's at least a far better listening experience than Malpractice was.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
More Reggie Noble-related stuff to be found here.

For Promotional Use Only: Redman - Ill At Will Mixtape Vol. 2: BC4 (Straight Outta Lo-Cash) (2005)

In 2004, Reggie Noble was allegedly scheduled to drop his album Red Gone Wild on Def Jam Records. However, sensing a shift in momentum, Def Jam shelved the release, claiming that Redman wasn't the best outfit for the day. Our chosen genre had evolved, almost overnight, into, essentially, a funhouse mirror image: it was distorted, mutated into a shell of its former self, resulting in people liking the garbage from the South, which had the nerve to call itself fucking rap music. Reggie seized the opportunity to keep his name alive in the industry by releasing Ill At Will Vol. 1, a mixtape designed to market what was slowly becoming a nonexistent album in the vein of Cormega's original version of Testament and Large Professor's The LP.

In an ideal world, that mixtape would have dovetailed nicely in to the marketing of Red Gone Wild. Since we don't live in an ideal world, it's important to note that, while the disc was met with a positive reaction, Def Jam still wasn't convinced that Reggie Noble had fans, choosing instead to keep its head buried in the sand. In 2005, Redman quietly dropped a second volume, Ill At Will Vol. 2: BC4 (Straight Outta Lo-Cash), an awkwardly-titled mixtape that can be seen as more of a showcase for Reggie's Gilla House cronies Icarus, Saukrates, and fellow Jerseyite Gov Mattic.

Ill At Will Vol. 2 was made available for sale online, and if you really wanted to, you can score an import copy on Amazon. However, it wasn't nearly as successful as its companion, and Reggie was forced to shake his head, all while Def Jam quietly laughed behind his back, chuckling about the fan base that didn't actually exist. Reggie scrapped the majority of Red Gone Wild (an album that saw its promotional copies reviewed in magazines such as Blender, who I remember giving it a bad review), abandoned the few singles that had leaked ("I C Dead People", the Eminem-produced song that featured haunting sampled vocals from deceased artists 2Pac, Biggie, Big L, and Big Pun, was one of the many casualties: other tracks, such as "Fuck Da Security" (or "Rush Da Security", depending on where you found it), and "Future Thugs", a collaboration with labelmates Ghostface Killah and Ludacris, still haven't officially seen the light of day) and started from scratch.

None of the following songs were even close to consideration, by the way.

1. LO-CASH INTRO
Well, it is a mixtape, after all, so it would be kind of strange if there wasn't an intro on here.

2. I'M HIGH AS FUCK (FUNK DOC)
I'm not really sure why Reggie was compelled to refer to himself as "Funk Doc" on this mixtape (issues with Def Jam, maybe?), but regardless, Redman's lone verse on here is pretty damn good, and he's always sounded decent over even the most awkward of beats.

3. PARTY PEOPLE (FUNK DOC FREESTYLE) (FUNK DOC)
Reggie obliterates Marley Marl's beat for Big Daddy Kane's "Long Live The Kane". Nice!

4. TURN DAT SHIT UP (FUNK DOC)
And then we're presented with this shit.

5. DEEPER COVER (FUNK DOC FEAT ICARUS & SAUKRATES)
There's something about the beat to Dr. Dre and Snoop Doggy Dogg's "Deep Cover" that makes it almost impossible to sound bad, although Saukrates tries his best to prove me wrong. Reggie sounds pretty good, but the real star is Icarus, who rips his verse to pieces and makes a reference to an older Christina Milian song that will cause your mind to wander elsewhere.

6. ONE ON ONE (SAUKRATES)
This Sauk solo shot is a much better showcase for him. I highly doubt Dr. Dre would go out of his way to promote an artist that isn't one of his own on a random mixtape, but the impostor, who isn't convincing in the least bit, is a nice touch.

7. SAUKRATES SEASON (SAUKRATES)
This isn't objectionable in any way, but it's also not very memorable.

8. GILLA GRIND 4 HOES (FUNK DOC FEAT MELANIE & ICARUS)
Reggie swipes Shawn Carter's "Change The Game" and shares mic duties with his boy Icarus (or Icadon, depending on where you look him up) and female singer/rapper Melanie, who kind of fucks the song up. Reggie and Icarus sound good, though.

9. MADE IT (ICARUS)
The beat for this Icadon solo shot is annoyingly perky, like a hot, vapid cheerleader, but Icky has impressed me so far, and this track keeps those expectations high.

10. STAND UP (FEAT ICARUS)
Bonus points for not simply jacking the beat from that Ludacris song about the life and times of the midget that hangs around his neck. Kanye West's beat for Luda's song is at least engaging, though: the instrumental on here is on the opposite end of the spectrum. Like in the "don't bother" field. Oh well.

11. G.W. BRIDGE (FUNK DOC FEAT GOV MATTIC)
There's too much of a buildup, so much so that you'll probably think this is an interlude and not an actual song. Once it kicks in, Reggie and Gov Mattic (in his first rhyming appearance on an Ill At Will mixtape) dress to impress, and it shows.

12. DA BANGER (FUNK DOC FEAT R. KELLY & JAY-Z) (BEST OF BOTH WORLDS, PART 2)
I'm not sure if anybody really wanted to know what Redman, Kells, and Shawn Carter sounded like when on the same track, but here you go. At least Reggie inserted himself onto one of the better tracks from the second Best Of Both Worlds disc, and not the insipid, uninspired, ridiculously horrible first collaboration, which has been determined to be the root cause of most people giving up hip hop for Scandinavian death metal.

13. TEAR IT UP (FUNK DOC FEAT GOV MATTIC)
Nothing to see here, my two readers.

14. 8 1/2 MILE (FUNK DOC FREESTYLE) (FUNK DOC)
I actually prefer "8 Mile" to "Lose Yourself" when it comes to motivational Eminem songs, so I was pleased to hear about this track. However, this song sucks ass in an almost irresponsible regard.

15. LO-CASH OUTRO
Reggie and Gov Mattic proceed to promise two additional volumes of this series (numbers 2 1/2 and 3: both of them are also advertised on the back of the liner notes, but neither one ever materialized). Pretty run of the mill outro for a pretty run of the mill mixtape.

16. YOUR SO GANGSTA (BONUS CUT BITCH) (FUNK DOC FEAT FATIMAH)
If this were on an actual Redman album, you would skip it. The fact that it appears here on a mixtape and that it jacks the beat from a Twista song doesn't make it any less skippable.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Ill At Will Vol. 2 suffers from a fucked-up subtitle, a reliance on guests artists, and the use of weaker instrumentals than we're used to from our mixtapes. The real problem, though, is that Reggie Noble fails to impress, and I'm a huge Redman fan. His rhymes sound good on some of the songs, but on others he comes off as coasting, an unusual tactic from an artist that was getting fucked over by his label for not meeting expectations. Ultimately, this mixtape didn't set up Red Gone Wild very well at all, which may explain why it took two additional years for that disc to crawl up from under its rock.

SHOULD YOU TRACK IT DOWN? Naah. Don't bother: it's not very good. Fans of Reggie's (probably literal) weed carrier Icarus may find something of merit on here, but your time would be best spent discovering the cure for cancer or tracking down a prostitute with twelve toes.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Read all of the other Redman-related posts by clicking here.

For Promotional Use Only: Redman - Ill At Will Mixtape Volume 1 (March 13, 2004)

After Def Jam indefinitely shelved Reggie Noble's sixth CD, Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, Redman opted to keep himself in the public eye the best way a rapper can these days: he put out his own mixtape. He hooked up with some of his longtime weed carriers, found some original compositions (and swiped some timely instrumentals), and released the Ill At Will Mixtape Volume 1 on his own Gilla House label. It was met with critical praise, ostensibly because Redman is one of the better and most creative modern rappers of our time, but primarily due to the fact that no less of a supposed authority on hip hop culture than BET had informed Def Jam that the majority of their roster was no longer relevant to the current Rap City audience due to their median age, which has led to the unfortunate issue we still see today where the older (and in most cases, better) rappers have almost no marketing budget whatsoever, and as a result, sales of these older artists's albums have dipped, artificially insinuating that they are, in fact, not relevant to today's audience, when in reality nobody (outside of bloggers) is even aware of the new album's existence. The problem is that the label listened to the dollar sign: if BET wasn't willing to play the videos, no matter what they were paid (for those that don't know or are just very naive, BET and MTV are paid to play the videos by your favorite artist. They don't do that shit for free), for the likes of Redman, Method Man, and LL Cool J, then there was no reason to create a budget to produce a video in the first place.

Today's hip hop industry is a fucking shameful state of affairs, one that is even more traumatic for talented rappers who have the misfortune of still being signed to a major label. I'm going to end this intro by stating that it says a lot that Redman had to follow up this mixtape with a second volume before Def Jam would even consider thinking about possibly contemplating a release for album number six.

Sigh...

1. ILL AT WILL INTRO
I thought using the music from The Specials's "Ghost Town" was fucking brilliant, especially since it's such a good piece of music. This is just your usual mixtape introductory bullshit, but the background music makes it tolerable.

2. DA COUNTDOWN (SAGA CONTINUES)
On a mixtape that was created to advertise your upcoming (eventually, anyway) Def Jam album, maybe dissing Def Jam isn't the smartest career move. No wonder they shelved your disc for several years, Reggie! It had to be said, though; Def Jam doesn't know how to build artists anymore.

3. SEARCH 4 BARNEY (FREESTYLE)
This is just a cool-ass freestyle proving why Reggie Noble shouldn't be so goddamn underrated.

4. RED LITE DISTRICT (FEAT ICARUS)
Icarus comes pretty damn close to outshining Reggie on this short track. The beat could have been much better, though.

5. I C DEAD PEOPLE (FEAT 2PAC, THE NOTORIOUS B.I.G., BIG PUNISHER, & BIG L)
This song, supposedly produced by Eminem, is pretty audacious, utilizing vocal samples from deceased artists like Pac, Biggie, Big Pun, and Big L (that's a lot of "Big"'s in there) to make it sound like Reggie is participating in the best posse cut ever created, when in reality he's just having a spiritual experience in the booth, possibly caused by some very good (or very cocaine-laced) marijuana. It was supposed to appear on Red Gone Wild: Thee Album, but never did, possibly due to sample clearance issues, but probably because it would have been more than three years old when Red Gone Wild was finally released. He cuts the track off midway through, tempting listeners to buy the album to hear the rest, but if I remember correctly, the full track had already leaked well before this mixtape was announced. Still, it's an interesting song, if not a very good one.

6. GILLATIME (FEAT SAUKRATES)
Saukrates mentioning Archie Comics was pretty fucking funny, but Reggie referencing City Of God is priceless. If you haven't already seen that film, you're doing yourself a disservice.

7. WELCOME TO GILLA HOUSE
Meh.

8. DO YOU LIKE RAP MUSIC (SKIT)
...

9. BRICK INTENTIONS
Dr. Dre's "Bad Intentions" wasn't that great of a song to begin with, and, surprisingly, Redman doesn't really improve on it. It has to be due to the weak-ass instrumental.

10. YEAH! YEAH! (FEAT SNOOP DOGG)
Reggie swipes his own guest spot from Snoop's own mixtape series (he was going through the same label drama, but to much less of a degree, since he had The Neptunes on his side). Snoop may as well have been spitting to the score from Xanadu, the way he fucks up on the Rockwilder beat. However, since Rockwilder lives in Reggie's guest house, it makes sense that the beat fits him like a glove.

11. DON'T WANT IT WIT US (FREESTYLE) (FEAT ICARUS)
I've always hated the Busta Rhymes song "I Know What You Want" (featuring Mrs. Nick Cannon), although I will admit to liking the video, if only because it reminded me of A-Ha's "Take On Me"; as such, it was pretty fucking impossible for me to get into this track.

12. BRICKS STANDUP (FREESTYLE)
Reggie swipes "What More Can I Say?" from Shawn Carter, with great results. But what is the point of cutting off the song before the second rapper can properly start? You already stole the goddamn beat; may as well see things through.

13. ILL AT WILL OUTRO
More of "Ghost Town". Redman promises a second volume, and shouts out for Method Man at the very end, which led to high hopes (for me, anyway) that there would be a bonus track. No dice.

FINAL THOUGHTS: The Ill At Will Mixtape Volume 1 was a great way for Redman to stay in the loop; it helps that every track was brand-spanking-new, whether it was a freestyle or an original composition. Some of the beats he chose to rock over are questionable at best (and very fucking ridiculous at worst), but since Reggie is able to rhyme to almost any type of sound, I'm willing to let it go, with the exception of that Busta Rhymes track, which I will hold a grudge about until the end of time.

SHOULD YOU TRACK IT DOWN? Yes. This mixtape was more entertaining than his last real album, Malpractice. All it needed was a couple of Erick Sermon instrumentals and some guest spots from Meth and Keith Murray, and this would rank right up there with his proper catalog. Google it: it isn't hard to find.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Read all of the Redman write-ups by clicking here.

Redman - Malpractice (May 22, 2001)

In 2001, Reginald Noble IV released his fifth album, Malpractice, on Def Jam, a label that was starting to lose its prominence in the rap game (unless your name was, of course, Shawn Carter). This album followed the platinum sales of Doc's Da Name 2000, a collaborative album with fellow pothead Method Man, the Def Squad group effort El Nino (with fellow jackasses Erick Sermon and Keith Murray, both considered too cool to have actual rap names), and the imprisonment and, later, release of Keith on assault charges, all of which occurred in the span of three years.

Good times.

Anyway, Malpractice has the distinction of being the first Redman album that offered an obvious club banger as its lead single, which should have been the first clue that Def Jam was starting to lose its way. Rockwilder provided listeners with "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get In The Club)", which, at the time, sounded like every other Rockwilder song he had done to that point (in 2001, he was actually a highly sought after producer; remember those days?), but still sounded pretty damn good. Spurred by the success of his single, Redman dropped Malpractice, which sold enough copies to be certified gold by the RIAA, but other than myself, I don't know of anyone that has it in their collection.

There may be a good reason for that.

1. ROLLER COASTER MALPRACTICE INTRO (FEAT ADAM F. & G. FORBES)
Where the fuck is Dr. Trevis? I don't accept that the mere title of the album is supposed to evoke feelings of Trevis; I'm also going to ignore the fact that those two concepts above (a "roller coaster" and "malpractice") don't lend themselves well to each other, and instead point out that this is a weak-ass rap album intro, among the worst Reggie has ever been associated with.

2. DIGGY DOC
So Redman's a fan of The D.O.C.'s first album. Yee-hah. While the lyrics are on point and oftentimes hilarious, Erick Sermon's production is downright lazy.

3. LICK A SHOT

The beat sounds like every other Erick Sermon song produced around this era. (You know what I'm talking about.) Surprisingly, Reggie also sounds downright lazy on here. Lose your creative spark much?

4. LET'S GET DIRTY (I CAN'T GET IN DA CLUB) (FEAT DJ KOOL)
This Rockwilder-produced club banger still sounds pretty good today, even if it leaves you feeling a little empty inside. Possibly best known for inspiring Christina Aguilera's hit single "Dirrty", which also featured Redman and was also produced by Rockwilder; I remember my initial opinion of Aguilera's song was pretty awful, but eventually I turned, and it probably only had a very little tiny bit to do with her assless chaps in the video.

5. WKYA (DROP)
And so the ridiculous skits begin.

6. 2-WAY MADNESS (SKIT)
I just heard this, and honestly, the only thing I remember is that the guy's beeper played Shawn Carter's "Streets Is Watching" as its ringtone, well before ringtones were even called ringtones.

7. REAL N----Z (FEAT ICARUS, MALLY G, TREACH, & SCARFACE)
Clearly, this is the song with the most imaginative title. I suppose Scarface is the biggest surprise on here, more because of the fact that he appeared in the first place rather than because he steals the show (he comes off as oddly average). This posse cut (which features two of Reggie's weed carriers) actually serves as a now-broken-down-and-sold-to-a-junkyard-comeback vehicle for Naughty By Nature's own softcore porn star Treach, who does quite nicely here. Did Reggie just say that he "fucks chicks off [of] Elmo flicks"? Because if he did, that's downright creepy.

8. UH-HUH

This song fares a bit better. Sounds like funkier Erick Sermon production, but it's actually produced by some guy named Big Soxx, and you know what Big Soxx means...that's right, bigg shoez.

9. DA BULLSHIT (FEAT ICARUS)

I have to be honest with my two readers. I'm not really looking forward to continuing this album's write-up. Oh, I'm gonna do it, because I have faithful readers that deserve more posts from me, but I just thought you should know: I'm not happy with Malpractice so far. I also think people won't understand the Sunshine Anderson reference in 2008, but that's just nitpicking. I can also do without the skit towards the end that introduces the next track, which is also a fucking skit.

10. WHO WANTS TO FUCK A MILLIONAIRE (SKIT)
...

11. ENJOY DA RIDE (FEAT METHOD MAN, STREETLIFE, & SAUKRATES)

The beat is okay, but not what you really want to hear Meth and Red rhyme over. Meth's official taco shell cleaner acquits himself as decently as ever, but the guy I liked the most on here is Canada's own Saukrates, who apparently is now best known for being Nelly Furtado's backup singer on tour. Boy, life sure takes you to funny places sometimes.

12. JERRY SWINGER STICKUP (SKIT)
...

13. J.U.M.P. (FEAT GEORGE CLINTON)

I've heard enough of George Clinton on both the Wu-Tang album and the Baby Elephant project. It's not like I hate the guy, but it just seems like he's just coasting off of his past successes. Redman sounds slightly inspired on here, though, so I can't really fault the track itself.

14. MUH-FUCKA

The beat is repetitive (I know, what hip hop beat isn't?) and the hook is weak. I've never been the biggest fan of tracks where rappers rhyme every line of each verse with the same word (that word being...oh, just look at the fucking title).

15. BRICKS TWO (FEAT D-DON, DOUBLE O, ROZ, SHOOGA BEAR, & PACE WON)

I suppose this is a sequel to the similarly-named New Jersey posse cut from Doc's Da Name 2000, but the difference between the two is that the one from the previous album is great, while this one is merely a curiosity piece. Why Pace Won isn't actually credited on the album itself is a mystery: surely he could have used the publicity, since dissing his former Outsidaz group member Eminem did so much for his career.

16. WRONG 4 DAT (FEAT KEITH MURRAY)

Ostensibly features the first Keith Murray vocals recorded since his release from prison; apparently they were done before he defected from his Jive Records contract to sign to Def Jam, if the liner credits are any indication. So when I say that Keith Murray's lyrics suck on here, understand that, for the love of God, people, he just got out of the fucking clink! Your time listening to this track would be better spent lamenting the fact that there is no proper Def Squad posse cut on Malpractice.

17. JUDGE JUNIQUA (SKIT)
I'll admit that I laughed back in 2001 with Reggie's interpolation of the the theme to The People's Court. But that's all I laughed at.

18. DAT BITCH (FEAT MISSY ELLIOTT)
The song itself is fucking terrible, so instead I'm going to focus on the fact that the liner notes list Jewell as the guest vocalist on the track, in addition to Missy. Yes, the Jewell from the Death Row records era. No, I don't know what she's doing these days, but if it's any indication, they're hiring at the Blockbuster Video down the street.

19. DOGGZ II (FEAT DMX)

Oh Lord, this song is fucking awful. DMX's guest spot is really reduced to a simple vocal sample that could have been taken from any random song in X's catalog. Seriously. Blindfold yourself and pick one.

20. WHUT I'MA DO NOW

Meh. (Oh come on, you knew that was coming.)

21. SOOPAMAN LUVA 5, PART 1

Another Redman album, another chapter in the never-ending saga of Soopaman Luva. This time he's looking for his mojo, a plot device that I'm pretty sure was swiped from the second Austin Powers movie (I think). You can tell this CD is from 2001 because Red references Cita from BET (you know, that computer-generated veejay? Yeah, I don't remember her either).

22. SOOPAMAN LUVA 5, PART 2

Now this is a much-needed change of pace. Reggie drops the radio-friendly beat for some shit straight out of the gutter, although, ironically, the beginning of Part Two features Reggie actually singing. Is he implying that Marshall Mathers swiped his mojo during this song? Because I always considered Eminem to be the white Redman, so I always thought the reveal midway through was interesting, for all of the wrong reasons. I've always loved the line about how he knocked on the door enraged, "like a broke-ass rapper on a label that hadn't toured in days". Um, clairvoyant much?

23. SMASH SUMTHIN' (FEAT ADAM F)

While I enjoyed Reggie's collaboration with Roni Size on his last disc, I always found this effort with drum 'n' basser Adam F. lacking...something...I can't put my finger on it. Oh, wait, I can: creativity. The drums sound ripped straight off of Q-Tip's "Breathe & Stop", and the song isn't as majestic as its sound would have you believe. Just not a great ending to an album that also wasn't that great. (For those that care, this track also appeared on producer Adam F.'s KAOS: The Anti-Acoustic Warfare, which I never really listened to but always wanted to hunt down due to the guest spot by Old Maid Billionaire Huggy Bear. Someone please tell me if that album is worth my time!)

FINAL THOUGHTS: Malpractice is a creative misfire. It seems that Reggie may have used up all of his best rhymes on his last couple of albums, and Erick Sermon should have napped instead of producing this subpar material. The guest spots also seem to lack any sort of cohesion or skill; I'm not knocking Keith Murray (as I mentioned above, he has an excuse), but Method Man and Scarface? Really? Even though this album sold 500,000 copies, it's little wonder why it took Reggie six years to release a follow up (although being signed to Def Jam probably didn't help that equation, either).

BUY OR BURN? There's no way that I can justify anyone buying this reflective Frisbee. Burn this shit. Then go buy Muddy Waters again. I don't care if you already have two copies; there can never be enough Muddy Waters in your household.

BEST TRACKS: "Let's Get Dirty (I Can't Get In Da Club)"; "Soopaman Luva 5, Part 2"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Redman - Doc's Da Name 2000
Redman - Muddy Waters
Redman - Dare Iz A Dark Side
Redman - Whut?! Thee Album
Method Man & Redman - Blackout!!

Redman - Doc's Da Name 2000 (November 24, 1998)

After Reggie Noble released Muddy Waters, which in my eyes was a perfect combination of irreverent themes and funky beats, he decided against sitting on his laurels (read: critical acclaim) and jump right back into the game. First up was a collaborative Def Squad album, El Nino, with his partners in crime Erick Sermon and Keith Murray (which I guess I should have reviewed before this album, but fuck it, I don't have to go in chronological order all the time, do I?), which sold a bunch of copies off of the strength of their cover of a Sugarhill Gang song. Then, Redman decided to drop his fourth disc, Doc's Da Name 2000, on the masses.

Reggie decided to mix his fun-loving rhymes with some substance; namely, stories from his past, tales from his hood, and general repurposing of the Redman brand, so that he could be recognized as a great all-around artist. In reward, Doc's Da Name 2000 is the only Redman solo album (to my knowledge) to sell over one million copies. I'm sure this made him one happy man, since he was responsible for the A&R and marketing of his own album for the first time (actually, how many rappers on major labels do their own marketing?).

It's been a while since I heard this one, so let's take a look-see.

1. WELCOME 2 DA BRICKS (INTRO)
This is the intro? Where's Dr. Trevis?? Is it possible I was wrong about the consistent factors on Reggie's albums? We'll find out soon. Otherwise, this intro is pretty funny, but that's only due to Redman's line readings.

2. LET DA MONKEY OUT
Oh, there's Dr. Trevis! Max is still right! The hook here is annoying, but the song itself is still good.

3. I'LL BEE DAT!
The song is okay, and the video is hilarious, but I always questioned the use of this song as the first advertisement for Doc's Da Name 2000. (That was probably due to Redman's marketing suggestions, now that I think about it.) Contains a pretty boring Rockwilder track; this song is truly saved by Redman's rhymes.

4. GET IT LIVE
Not bad, but not great.

5. WHO TOOK THE SATELLITE VAN? (SKIT)
Like all Redman skits, this is mildly amusing the first time around, but grows more and more annoying with subsequent listens.

6. JERSEY, YO!
A cover/homage of Ice Cube's "Once Upon A Time In The Projects". Can't say I saw this coming.

7. CLOZE YA DOORZ (FEAT DIEZZLE DON, GOV-MATTIC, DOUBLE O, ROZ, & YOUNG ZEE)
Tame One (of The Artifacts) is listed in the album credits, but doesn't actually appear on the album version. Redman's sister Roz is actually pretty good: whatever happened to her? And am I the only guy that thinks Diezzle Don sounds almost exactly like Reggie himself? One of the better posse cuts to appear on a Redman album, and Red's not even on this song!

8. I DON'T KARE
This beat is dull. The hook reminds me of that Kool Keith song "I Don't Believe You", off of Matthew, which, when you hear that song, isn't that far off of a comparison to make.

9. BOODAH BREAK
This is really just an interlude, but it's not a bad beat for Redman to flow over.

10. MILLION CHICKEN MARCH (2 HOT 4 TV) (SKIT)
...

11. KEEP ON '99 (FEAT ERICK SERMON)
A change of pace from the high-energy tracks we just heard. Not bad, but not very memorable.

12. WELL ALL RITE CHA (FEAT METHOD MAN)
This track also appeared on the Method Man/Redman project Blackout!, although it popped up on this album first. Still one of the best tag teams in hip hop history.

13. PAIN IN DA ASS STEWARDESS (SKIT)
I would bet money that one of Redman's influences is none other than Prince Paul. That has to be why he includes so many so-called 'comedy' skits on his solo albums. Too bad most of them aren't any good.

14. DA GOODNESS (FEAT BUSTA RHYMES)
I seem to remember this being the second single, and that Busta Rhymes wasn't in the video. Reggie's attempt at bringing the world an Erick Sermon-sounding club banger is pretty club-banging.

15. MY ZONE (FEAT MARKIE & SHOOGA BEAR)
Reggie can truly rhyme over any instrumental, regardless of how ridiculous. Luckily, he doesn't have "bad beats" as one of his 99 problems for the duration of this LP.

16. DA DA DAHHH
An autobiographical song? That's pretty rare coming from Reggie Noble. Even more surprising: this one's actually good! And the ending, where he shouts "I got hair on my chest! Look at it!" is pretty amusing.

17. G.P.N. (SKIT)
...

18. DOWN SOUTH FUNK (FEAT ERICK SERMON & KEITH MURRAY)
If not for Reggie's Def Squad obligation, this song could have been left off completely, it's that poor.

19. D.O.G.S.
Meh.

20. BEET DROP
A cover/homage of the second half of the Beastie Boys's "The New Style". I like that Redman actively shows his influences love, so I like this track, although it's nowhere near better than "The New Style".

21. WE GOT DA SATELLITE VAN! (SKIT)
...

22. BRICK CITY MASHIN'!
According to ego trip's Big Book Of Rap Lists, Method Man had recorded vocals for this track, which utilizes an overused "Genius Of Love" sample, but had them deleted from the final version. It says a lot about Redman when I say that Meth is not missed on here.

23. SOOPAMAN LOVE IV (FEAT DAVE HOLISTER)
Is water still wet? Then I suppose it's about time for another installment of the 'Soopaman Love' series, this time featuring Def Squad crooner Dave Hollister. Truth be told, I never paid much attention to this storyline, but I appreciated the Mr. Show reference.

24. I GOT A SECRET
Jungle Redman? Roni Size brings us a completely different instrumental for Reggie to spit over, and for what it is, I think it sounds fucking awesome, and I'm not a big fan of Roni Size or drum-and-bass tracks.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Doc's Da Name 2000 may turn off most readers of this blog solely because it went platinum, but honestly, this album is a good start-to-finish listen. It's no Muddy Waters (the gem of Reggie's catalog, at least for me), but it all works. Too bad this would be the last time Redman would give listeners an entertaining album. Erick Sermon's production still suits Redman well, and Reggie slowly but surely is starting to produce more of his own work, and not just the skits, either!

BUY OR BURN? Buy this album. You'll like it, unless you don't like Redman, in which case, I hate you.

BEST TRACKS: "I Got A Secret"; "Well All Rite Cha"; "Da Goodness"; "Da Da Dahhh"; "Cloze Ya Doorz"; "Beet Drop"

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Redman - Whut?! Thee Album
Redman - Dare Iz A Dark Side
Redman - Muddy Waters
Method Man & Redman - Blackout!