Are these kids from NYC or Seattle? Not that it makes a huge diff - the single's pretty fiznat - but it's being advertised as a cut feature on a DJ Premier tape. Anyway, this is all trivial sh*t that you, the reader, could possibly care less about. Single's tight. I like Third Degree as an MC...good rhymes in flow and content...not striking so much as just plain effective. Beats by Mr. Supreme get props too...especially the A-side where he borrows from the same source that Puba did on one of his "2000" songs. Flipside isn't quite as interesting but comes crunchier on the drum tip, whereas the A is more vibe-y. Worth checking for. Produced by: Mr. Supreme
After going through some mad drama on Correct Records, Black Attack has resurfaced on Rawkus for a quick single project. While I never found Black Attack to be the finest wordsmith, he handles his biz with efficiency and I definitely think he's got potential as a braggart MC. Both sides of this 12" are nice...A-side got's more of that power beat while the B (my favorite) flips this nice piano loop. Joining Black Attack is long-time collaborator Problemz and one has to wonder if "correct technique" isn't some kind of subtle dig on his old label (but if so, I don't get it). Another strong single from this kid...I hope this one helps Black Attack get to where he's going. Produced by: N/A
I liked the original...smooth, jay...very likeable. The remixes are decent but far more predicatable. The Crush Sounds remix just flips Teddy Riley's beat for Queen Pen's "The Man Behind the Music"...fat, but yo, Teddy already flipped it you know? The Hot to Def remix is your typical best-o'-hip-hop-collage including Jay Z's "Who You Wit" and one from the Cru. Fun (and club friendly), but like I said, predictable. Produced by: Various
One of the funnier songs to ever grace colored (green) vinyl, "The Bomb MC" ego trips more than Ultra, De La and the 'zine combined. Among the other claims these cats make: "I sold Chuck D the '98 and the Uzi", "called up my n*gga K, told him to go solo" and "I introduced the breakbeat to Kool Herc". It's pure comedy, but unlike a parody song, there's actual rhymes and production going on. Strictly Shaq-sized braggadocio. Produced by: Coke
While I've been enjoying Raw Track's stuff so far, I have to admit that they're steelo is getting a tad redundant. That doesn't mean their sh*t isn't tight...for street-soldiering songs, it's all pretty good, but as a concept, you can only milk it so far. Anyway, take my recommendation as this: if you know what you're getting, you'll be cool with it...but this sh*t ain't for everyone. Produced by: Rock Wrecka & Madsol-Desar.
He could use some better hooks (no offense), but otherwise, Defari's showing no signs of slowing with his new single. Rockin' beats and rhymes, Defari makes for an interesting study in Alkaholism...he's not as flow-steady as Tash or J-Ro, but it's hard to dismiss this high school teacher's rhyme flow when he gets a' rollin'. Both sides are nice, but I'm digging on the uptempo "Bottom Line" which clocks well-over 100BPM, smacking ya up with the quickness. Produced by: Evidence.
The remix is a'ight (not the best I've heard from the big man), but why stick Cru on the cameo? Sure, it's one better than Mase and sh*t, but I think this is some label sh*t more than a real attempt at making the remix all that and a bag o' chips. Produced by: Diamond
Hot off "Taste of Chicago", E.C. Illa tries his hand at some old school funk. 'Tis a'ight...his flow is both boon and liability depending on how much of it you can take. Unfortunately, production on the 12" doesn't keep up with his verbals, sounding more flat than fat. Worth checking, but not his best work to date. Produced by: E.C. Illa
After some lackluster singles, Hi Tech sparks up a fat one with "All Time Einstein". While we all might be tiring of the looping every hit song from the 1980s, I got to give DJ Shok props for sampling the "Hill St. Blues" theme. Yes, it's an obvious loop, but it sounds so damn good, one has to wonder why no one (like Puff) didn't think of it earlier. Plus, Hi Tech's got another strong joint in the form of "The Tech's Techique" making this single one of better surprises I've happened upon. Produced by: DJ Shok
Damn, ANOTHER Rawkus single? And another banging one at that. L Fudge is supposed to be the most "freestylee" of the folks you've seen on Rawkus so far, meaning that his rhymes have a more off the dome quality than Mos Def and Kweli's expositions. All sides rock well like Norman, but DJ Spinna gets mad thumping ill on "What If" and Shawn C's work with "Liquid" flows with some piano funk. Super hot. Produced by: Shawn C./DJ Spinna
When I first reviewed this, months back on tape, I thought it was a rather disappoiting single from the same folks who brought you "Tried by 12". On second listen, now that it's on vinyl...I'm still not overwhelmed by it, but it is a better single than I originally gave credit to. The lyrics aren't that engaging, but the beat held my attention, largely thanks to the souful sample of a diva's mournful crooning. Worth a spin. Produced by: Spencer Bellamy
Though I liked her last single, this new one is harder to feel hype about. The A-side is ok, but it brings back a very well-used Patrice Rushen sample that doesn't add any kind of freshness to the song. The B-side's duet with Nikki D could be a meeting of femme fatale minds, but instead, the beat kills any momentum generated between Nikki and the big Mama. This is not a bad single, but it falls short of its potential. Produced by: Curt Cazal and Big Pa
Another emerging artist from Canada, I first heard about this 12" less for the MCs and more for A-Trak, the Invisibl Skratch Pikl of the north. To be honest...I can't figure out what the big deal is...it's not a bad single, but it didn't blow my mind. Production and lyrics seem good, but it's the type of song I'd hear on the radio and not think twice about. A-Trak's got some ill scratches Your call. Produced by: Dave One
These two are on some weird sporadic sh*t - their last single was damn near two years back where they dropped the classic, nonsense simile, "Q Ball and Curt Cazal represent like box cutters." Well, they're back and lookee, lookee...their remix of "Rock the Spot" flits that same damn bassline that everyone from Redman, to Jermaine Dupri, to the Alkaholiks have lifted. But it still sounds good and I like these two as MCs. The B-side adds Mama Mystique on the cameo, but the song itself wasn't much to peep out. Produced by: artists
Even if advanced word on the album is less than flattering, this new single is kinda hot. DJ Clark Kent, who's perpetually the farm school producer, comes with a nice, horn-hit-heavy track that powers the R on his lyrical mission. The fact that all you seem to remember R's flow (vs. his actual lyrics) and the beat says a lot about how good both are. This isn't a classic, but for a 12", I'll give it its 15 seconds of fame. Unfortunately, I revoke any and all rights to do so with the booty B-side "Suavehouse remix" of "It's Been a Long Time". Don't even sweat it G. Produced by: DJ Clark Kent/Smoke One
Did no one notice that these cats had an album? In case you missed it, don't sleep on this new singlewhich is predictably good, especially the jay "Soul Obligation" remix and "Chat 'Bout" which has got a nice drum break crashing through it. One of these days, these brothers will get their due, though as one of the few Canadian hip hop groups to be signed to a major, you'd think they'd have a little more pub going for them. Produced by: artists
Having through Sauce Money was overrated, I'm steadily being convinced otherwise. He's not a supa emcee, sounding like any number of other ruff n' ready MCs from the NYC, yet if he represents a certain vein of lyricism, at least he's representing well. This new single is from the "Soul in the Hole" soundtrack, arguably, one of the better songs on there...and I can't help but agree. Premier comes with a sick beat and Sauce Money seems to tone down the Cristal and Glock rhetoric a tad to just rip some good rhymes. Tight single. Produced by: DJ Premier
B-side is forgettable, but the A-side is a load better than his laughable, "Broken Language II". I still think Trigger has long been overrated and it's little surprise that his short-lived deal with Def Jam was...well...short-lived. Yet, "Make a Move" at least benefits from decent production which makes this listenable and then some. Produced by: Kenny Gee/D/R Period
X-Cutioners: X-Pressions (Asphodel)
Much as I'd like to prop this full-length DJ album, I just wasn't that daled by it. Unlike Rob Swift's "Soulful Fruit", which was a creative blend of Swift's own personality on wax...this felt so much more disparate. Understandly, this probably results from the attempt to merge the four distinct personas of the X-Cutioners: DJs Roc Raida, Mista Sinista, Rob Swift and Total Eclipse. But beyond that, there are just some rather snooze-worthy tracks, especially the conventional productions for other MCs. Even the group turntabling segments didn't sound that fresh, especially when put up against the ISP vs. Clamz of Death EP which is much more sonically interesting and aggressive. The best parts of "X-Pressions" were really the individual scratch sessions which let each DJ catch wreck with fiery solos rather than get constrained during the big band moments. It's still a significant turntabling effort, but one is still left wanting a little more substantial scratching for our itches. Produced by: The X-Cutioners
Who's the A&R at Universal? On one hand, they have Rakim. To a lesser degree, they have Tracey "One Hit Wonder" Lee. And at the least, they have A+, who's record so far has looked more like C-. This new single won't pull up his GPA much either. The A-side is the insipid crossover crap-o-la that we're used to on the A-side. The B-side is a straight slap in the face of any real hip hop fan who thought Ed O.G.'s "I Gotta Have It" was a classic. Boosting from the same Bohannon sample, A+ tries to bite the magic, but all you get is the taste of mediocore fluff. Produced by: N/A
An ok single, but rather predictable in rhyme and reason, especially on "Jezebel". In two months, it'll be a faded memory. Produced by: Tacuma/Rockit
Nothing you absolutely need...particularly the "T.O.N.Y." remix which is yet another flipping of the Blackbyrds' sample. CNN fans will rejoice. The others won't trip.
So not. They use the same damn bassline that Redman, Jermaine Dupri, and the Alkaholiks have flipped without bringing anything new to the song. The B, "Clap Your Hands" is yet another over-used and abused series of cliches. Produced: DJ S&S
Yuck. Produced by: D/R Period
Decent pair of songs off the album, but do you need the instrumentals that bad? What happened to the times when EPMD dropped fat remixes? Produced by: EPMD
Lot of prime credentials: good producers, good cameos, but the sum of the parts are less than their components. "Gunzis4" is your typical NY gun clap trap. Blah blah blah. "Time Bomb"? Why has Public Enemy's classic become so popular ten years later? Anyway, even Evil Dee's cameo doesn't save it from sounding like anything more than a mediocore cover. "War & Position" takes a step up from the gun clap to the CNN war fantasy. Predictable again. Produced by: N/A
S'okay Bay Area single. Kind of a typical SF underground joint meaning it's a tad underproduced and the lyricism still could use some refined practice. Produced by: Kalifornia Noise
Damn...these kids are still around? You gotta give 'em credit for perseverence, but after suffering through the A-side, I was thinking it was all I could give 'em. "Fatherless" is absolutely no big deal. Not even medium. The radio edit is aptly named: hello recycled beats! Now, the B-side's got some flav, likable beats at the very least until the ridiculous hook spoils the mood. Produced by: Hype Dawg
What a difference a year makes. While the phrase "fallen off" is used far too easily in today's impatient times, it's hard to ignore how the Natural has now gone artificial. Whether it's geting drowned in the syrupy warm basslines and strings of "Survival", puffin' lah with Sean Combs on "Nothin' Move But the Money" or teaming up with Monifah on "Street Life", it looks like Mic G has traded in his Wastelandz credentials for a visa into Crossoveria. He still packs some of that Masta I.C. flav on jams like "For That Family" and last year's incredible "Unstoppable". But like his QB compadre Escobar, poor record sales on the first LP have prompted Gerinomo to chase platinum plaques. Yeah, yeah, you know the bizness, but for Mic G's fans the only vendetta is the corporate vengeance exacted on their hopes for another underground LP. Produced by: Buckwild, K Def, Pete Rock, Puffy, et al.
Remedy's been noted as the first white rapper to emerge from Camp Wu, but one wonders if this is some kind of disclaimer. Read: "Yo, Remedy is down with the Wu...but he's white you know? So if his sh*t ain't john blaze, well, we warned you." That's not to say that Remedy is weak, but any time you position whiteness in a marketing scheme, it's due time to ask a question or two. That being said, this new 12" is a'ight, but nothing remarkable. Wu connected or not, neither the beats nor rhymes reflect the kind of precision Shaolin science that we've grown to love (or loath). More like a third string member of the Wu Tang team, Remedy has got the momentum of the Wu name behind him, but he doesn't take this single far enough ahead to get ahead of the pack. Produced by: Remedy