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HardC.O.R.E. Vol. 3 Issue 6
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Vol. 3, Issue 6 December, 1995
The electronic magazine of hip-hop music and culture
Brought to you as a service of the Committee of Rap Excellence
Section 1 -- ONE
***A***
Table of Contents
Sect. Contents Author
----- -------- ------
001 The introduction
A Da 411 - table of contents staff
B Da 411 - HardC.O.R.E. staff
C Yo! We Want Your Demos staff
002 Monthly Articles
A The Unbearable Nothingness of davidj@vnet.net
Hip-hop, 1995
B SOUNDTRACKS: Year in Review YCAA10A@prodigy.com
C The European Report helmut@cosy.sbg.ac.at
D Contemplatin' msamia@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il
E Roots 'n' Rap rapotter@colby.edu
F WU-TANG CLAN: '95 Review YCAA10A@prodigy.com
G The Homeboy from Hell Monthly isbell@ai.mit.edu
KRS-ONE
003 The 1995 New Jack Hip-Hop Awards
A The Official Nomination Form isbell@ai.mit.ed
004 The Official HardC.O.R.E. Album Review Section
A Kool G. Rap krs_one@iastate.edu
B Ornette Coleman rapotter@colby.edu
C The Pharcyde davidj@vnet.net
D RBX msamia@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il
E South Circle krs_one@iastate.edu
F Tha Dogg Pound krs_one@iastate.edu
G Twins msamia@pluto.mscc.huji.ac.il
H "The Show" Soundtrack krs_one@iastate.edu
***B***
The C.O.R.E. creed
We at C.O.R.E. support underground hip-hop (none of that crossover
bullshucks). That means we also support the 1st Amendment and the
right to uncensored music.
The C.O.R.E. anthems
I Used To Love H.E.R. Common Sense
Crossover EPMD
Mass Appeal Gangstarr
True to the Game Ice Cube
Outta Here KRS-One
How About Some HardC.O.R.E. M.O.P.
Time's Up O.C.
Straighten It Out Pete Rock and CL Smooth
In the Trunk Too $hort
Remember Where You Came From Whodini
Access info:
FTP: ftp://ftp.etext.org/pub/Zines/HardCORE/
Gopher: gopher://gopher.etext.org:70/11/Zines/HardCORE
WWW: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~krs_one/
E-mail:
***C***
Aight, let's say you got a hip-hop demo that you've been trying
to shop around. A few people like it, but nobody with some clout is
buying. Or let's say you know someone who's got some skills, but you
don't know what you can do to help 'em get on. Suppose even further,
that you've got an internet account and want to give you and your
friends' efforts a little publicity. Well, have we got a deal for
you...
HardC.O.R.E.'s review section isn't just for the major labels.
In fact, some of us would much rather review what the independent folks
are making, since they aren't affected by the A&R and high level decisions
of major labels.
So we want to hear what you guys are making. A few groups are
getting their demos reviewed here among the likes of Gangstarr, Heavy D.
and the Boys, A Tribe Called Quest and Ol' Dirty Bastard. Who knows?
You might even hear bigger and better things from The Mo'Fessionals, DOA,
Raw Produce, and Union of Authority before you know it. With all the
people subscribing to or reading HardCORE, you never know who might
want to hear your music.
Give us a shout. You can e-mail me at davidj@vnet.net or Flash
at juonstevenja@bvc.edu, and we'll let you know where you can send
your tape. Keep in mind that we're pretty honest with our reviews
(if we think your shit is wack, we'll say so to your face), but if you
think you got what it takes, you'll see a review from us before you know
it. All you have to lose is a tape, right?
Peace... the HardC.O.R.E. Review Staff
Section 2 -- TWO
***A***
David J.
--------
THE UNBEARABLE NOTHINGNESS OF HIP-HOP, 1995
Is it 1996 yet?
The question rests on the lips of every hip-hop fan on the globe
after what has to have been the most boring year for hip-hop music this
decade. While we sat on our hands waiting for the next groundbreaking
album, or the next big-name veteran effort, to hit the record shops,
labels dredged up cookie-cutter groups claiming to be new artists,
spinning the same ol' same ol' on turntables all over the country. It
was a year that would make even the most dedicated of hip-hop heads
yawn and go diggin' in the crates for sounds from '88.
The conflict between the music industry and music itself left
hip-hop high and dry in 1995, with the notable exception of a few big
names. It's hard to call a year highlighted by a new KRS-ONE album a
bad year, but amidst a sea of clones, KRS could effortlessly walk on
water with his eighth album. Of course, in a year like this, any album
creating new styles, educating the people, and still resounding with
phat beats stands out, because there were so few of them. This doesn't
take away anything from Mr. Parker's self-titled bomb -- and it is the
bomb -- but he literally had no competition, on wax or in concert.
Unless, of course, you count The Roots, and since "Do You Want
More?" was officially released in January, '95, I do. Philadelphia
returned to the map in a major way with the emergence of this talent-
laden live band, whose major label debut set a standard that nobody
could touch. Tracks like "Mellow My Man," "Silent Treatment,"
"Distortion To Static," and the ever-present "Proceed" (how many
versions of that song WERE there, anyway?) made "Do You Want More?" a
must-have for hip-hop fans everywhere. Why haven't YOU gotten it yet?
Beyond that, however, The Roots raised the standard for live
performances with a showmanship that has been sorely missing in hip-hop.
With little more than a keyboardist, bass player and drummer, as well as
an unparalleled human beat box (Rozell The Godfather of Noise), The
Roots not only added spice to all of their original tracks, but paid
homage to hip-hop itself with near-perfect sounding covers of the best
tracks in rap's short history -- "Make The Music With Your Mouth,"
"Rapper's Delight," "Rebel Without A Pause," "The Bridge Is Over," and
on and on and ya don't stop. Simply put, they can move any crowd you
place in front of them. If they come to your neighborhood, don't sleep.
As for everyone else -- well, where were they? Wither De La
Soul and A Tribe Called Quest? They were due this year, but never
surfaced. Wither Large Professor? He said "Buy the album when I drop
it" in '93, but all we got from him was a dope remix of Common Sense's
already dope "Resurrection." Wither the NWA reunion, or "Helter
Skelter," the proposed Ice Cube-Dr. Dre album?
Perhaps the death of Eric "Eazy E." Wright shook up the former
members of that pioneering gangsta group, leaving them to hide in other
projects. While Ice Cube took to the big screen (and ducked one fierce
diss from Cypress Hill), Dr. Dre went back to the studio (after settling
more legal trouble) and brought us a single here and there, as if he's
just trying to keep his fans waiting. Meanwhile, Eazy's label, Ruthless
Records, kept pushing the unintelligible Bone Thugs'N'Harmony, then
released a posthumous Eazy single that for once wasn't half bad. We may
see that brand new Eazy album Ruthless has been promising since late '93
yet.
Indeed, though, Eazy's death was one of the few big stories of a
year populated by little ones. Snoop Doggy Dogg hired Johnny Cochran
to get those '94 murder charges dropped, while Snoop's friends and label
mates made all the loot on "Dogg Food." Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth went
their separate ways, while Guru & Premier worked on their own projects,
none of them reaching the critical mass of Gangstarr itself.
Tupac Shakur finally renounced Thug Life, and Hammer quickly
renounced his brief foray into gangsta rap, returning to his gospel
roots. They must have read my column in our first issue for '95. So
did a million others, who marched on Washington, D.C. and renewed their
commitment to take responsibility for themselves and their actions as
black men in America. (Like *I* could really have had anything to do
with the Million Man March, but it's nice to know someone else out there
thinks taking responsibility is something worth doing.)
Then there was the music itself, as blah a collection of tracks
as I've ever heard. Sure, a few artists stood out with dope albums in
1995 -- KRS-ONE, Raekwon the Chef, Grand Puba, The Pharcyde, Showbiz &
A.G. -- but beyond those (and The Roots), nothing jumped up and grabbed
me, shouting out that it was the bomb. Many efforts just bombed. The
big Kool G. Rap/Nas collaboration was ruined by Buckwild's lazy sampling
(everyone says my remix was better), and aside from Raekwon, the Wu-Tang
sound wore thin quickly, thanks to the RZA's producing too many tracks
for too many people. On top of that, all but a few tracks climbed above
100 bpm. Groups must have been scared of going too fast, else they may
not have been considered real on the marketplace -- a place where, in
all honesty, reality is warped more than the Starship Enterprise.
So what am I hoping for in '96 (aside from the quick healing of
this surgical incision in my ass)? I'm hoping that artists dig deeper
for samples and lyrical styles. I'm hoping that a few new kids step up
that aren't afraid to experiment with some different flavors. I'm
hoping Cube will return fire on Cypress Hill -- even if KRS-ONE insists
we "Squash All Beef," we could use a decent MC battle for once. I'm
hoping someone else besides DJ Samps (WXDU 88.7 FM, Durham, NC) will
play some of my remixes. I'm hoping Mariah Carey will fess up and stop
pretending to be down with the Wu-Tang Clan. I'm hoping they give
Spinderella her turntables back so that she'll stop looking like a cute
fifth wheel.
Most of all, though, I'm hoping hip-hop goes back up in 1996,
and quite honestly, there's little room for it to go anywhere else.
***B***
John C. Book
------------
SOUNDTRACKS: THE YEAR IN REVIEW
There have been a number of soundtracks to drop this year, and a
lot of them have either contained new rap songs or, in the case of the
"Dead Presidents" soundtrack, showed the origins of many of the samples
we hear in a lot of songs today.
Three soundtracks that have managed to do well in the last few
months are "Clockers," "Dangerous Minds," and "New York Undercover."
"Clockers" is the soundtrack to the latest Spike Lee joint, and
one thing I've admired about Lee is that while he has gained a wider
audience, his movies, as well as the accompanying soundtracks, have
stayed true to his roots. This LP is no exception. Most people know
this album for "Return Of The Crooklyn Dodgers" by Crooklyn Dodgers '95,
featuring Chubb Rock, Jeru The Damaja, and O.C. The two tracks by
Rebelz Of Authority ("Blast Of The Iron" and "Sex Soldier") are pretty
good, but one has to hear a few more tracks before making a decision,
since these songs aren't exactly too challenging.
"Dangerous Minds" is somewhat uneven in terms of musical merit.
Most know the album for Coolio's "Gangsta's Paradise" (which isn't
exactly one of Coolio's best -- Coolio's worst songs sound better than
this). Rappin' 4-Tay donates two songs that aren't too bad (with "A
Message For Your Mind" being the best of the two), but the best track
here is Systa's "It's Alright". Craig Mack helps out these Jodeci-
proteges, and it's very funky. Aaron Hall's "Curiosity" appears here,
and in this version it is very impressive, like anything Hall has ever
touched. If you want the Marley Marl remix with Redman, you have to buy
the 12" single. On a scale of 1 to 10, this gets a 6.
The soundtrack to "NEW YORK UNDERCOVER" is primarily R&B, but
hip-hop is definitely represented as well in the form of Little Shawn
("Dom Perignon" is wack, he's done much better in the past), Lost Boyz
(these kids need to come out with an album soon), and Heavy D. appearing
in Monica's awesome "I Miss You (Come Back Home)". The TV show is
always packed with rap music, so it's a surprise that there's not more
here. Perhaps a Volume II is in order.
There was a time when mainstream soundtrack albums didn't have a
rap song. It would be Pointer Sisters-type fodder. That has changed in
the last three years. One thing I have noticed a lot in the last two
years is that rap artists are recording some of their best works for
soundtracks. Let's hope this continues, but most of all, let's hope
more rap groups will work on their albums as if they were soundtracks,
resulting in quality product.
***C***
Helmut
------
THE EUROPEAN REPORT
Being nifty, or how do you make it flow?
One of the most common criticisms of hip-hop in Europe is that
hip-hop is not music. You can hear all the well-known arguments like
"just turn on the drum machine" or "they are just playing records" or
"some beats with a staccato of 'bitch this, motherfucker that'" when
people start to talk about their conception of hip-hop. Nevertheless, a
small percentage of people will say that they like the music, though
they usually cannot understand the lyrics, and if they understand them,
they cannot relate to them. Only a select few know that it takes a lot
of skills and real talent to get the vibes goin'.
Interestingly enough, these same people know a lot about music
in general. A fellow university student and jazz musician told me a lot
about his studies on the "art of rappin'" and how difficult it is to
deliver the rhymes exactly and fluently. He has learned some things
about breathing techniques which helped him play the trombone. He also
told me (as have plenty of others) that his daughter, only a few months
old, becomes really focused and concentrated and seems to really enjoy
it when she hears hip-hop music.
At this point I have to admit that I got lazy during a July
visit to Florence, Italy. I attended a concert of the great Austrian
jazz musician Joe Zawinul (the former leader of "Weather Report") at a
marvelous "piazza" right in Florence. Arriving way too early,
I watched the roadies preparing the stage, when suddenly Joe sat down a few
seats off to my right. I had the idea of asking him about hip-hop and his
opinion of the "musicality" of hip-hop. It would have been a nice
scene: an unknown Austrian hip-hop writer interviewing a very famous
Austrian jazz musician on hip-hop at an ancient place in Italy.
Oh, well. Maybe Joe reads HardC.O.R.E.
Having collected some personal experience during the past months
in trying to put some beats and samples together, I've gained even more
respect for the musical talent behind major artists. It's still a
mystery to me how real producers and DJs in the States do it, especially
when you listen to European hip-hop groups you immediately know it is
not American hip-hop! Many times this is very obvious, because you got
the different flavors, like North and West African influences in French
hip-hop, or all the different Asian flavors in British hip-hop, but even
when European producers use the same samples (yes, they do use a lot of
James Brown) it sounds different. It's not necessarily a BAD different,
but there always remains a glimpse of mechanical, technical music.
Maybe it's also the missing link between music and the MC's
voice. "It's mostly the voice" as Guru says, and that couldn't be more
true for many European hip-hop groups, especially white ones. No matter
how hard they try, they never deliver the magnificent flow and the
perfect combination of beats and lyrics of a Q-Tip, a Guru or a Nas.
Well, we better keep tryin'...
***D***
El Surround
-----------
CONTEMPLATIN'
Bitches ain't shit??
"Bitches ain't shit but hoes and tricks."
What? You never heard that line? Well, it degrades all women.
It will cause a social disaster. It will....SIKE!!!
Seriously, everybody's entitled to his or her opinion, but to
stamp rap music (and the whole hip-hop nation) as a misogynist community
and saying that "Whoever supports Gangsta Rap celebrates the rape,
torture and murder of women" (C. Delores Tucker) is something a lot of
people just don't understand, including myself.
First of all, it's as obvious as 2+2=4 that there are a few
words in the hip-hop vernacular which used to be understood as a one-way
insult. Rap drained the power out of these words. Everybody knows that
in order to make something bad better, you can look upon it as something
good. Using the word "bitch" as an expression of showin' a woman where
she belongs is something completely different than "Pull over, bitch!!",
whicih is completely different than (God forbid) a female dog. Now I
can see y'all asking- "But when Snoop calls a women a bitch, she
shouldn't be hurt?" Well, if you ARE a bitch, than you should get hurt
'cause he means you. If you are a perfectly okay woman, though, then he
does not mean you.
Doesn't C. Delores get it by now!? When Rappers talk about
bitches, they don't talk about the majority of females who are out there
doing something for themselves, but rather, he addresses CERTAIN women
that ARE bitches. When a rapper talks about hoes, he means not ALL
women, but prostitutes, who are unfortunately a part of inner city life.
There are things that can be taken as offensive by females, and
that happenns when folks like the late Eazy say "To me, all ladies are
bitches, scandalous, money hungry...." and so on. I guess Eazy didn't
get along with women when he was young (and alive). But to all the C.
Delores Tucker wannabes out there -- hey, chill out!! If you're not a
bitch, then he's not addressing you. For all we know, half the time he
could be talking about men. Some of them are bitches, too, ya know.
***E***
Professa R.A.P.
---------------
ROOTS 'N' RAP
They gave birth to most of you MC's:
Women in the history of Hip-Hop
Looking at the cover of the SOURCE's "Year in Hip-Hop" issue, I
could tell something was missing -- and it wasn't just that their
artists of the year weren't all *my* artists of the year. There wasn't
a single female MC in sight. Now, to be fair, most of the major women
rappers who might have shared that spotlight didn't drop a new album
this year, so I can understand why Latifah, Lyte, and Yo-Yo might be
absent. But what about Patra? Heather B? Simple E? Me'Shell Ndege
Ocello? You say hip-hop is male dominated and always has been? It's
time to get your ass back to school and start all over with Lesson One.
Back in the day, Grandmaster Flash recalls that there were just
as many female crews as male, though fewer of them made it through the
hectic competition of those early years. You'd have to dig pretty deep
in the crates, but take a look back at the glory days between 1979 and
1984, and you'd find quite a lot of women rappers -- DJ's too. The
legendary Sha Rock (the "+1" of Funky Four Plus One), Lady D, "Sweet"
Naomi Peterson, Paulette and Tanya Winley (Paulette, with a little help
from her disco-mogul father Paul Winley, cut the first hip-hop record by
a woman), DJ Lady B, D'bora (the DJ of the Mercedes Ladies), and
Sequence (anyone besides me remember "Funk You Up?"). And all this was
nothing new -- women have been Signifyin' shit from way back when -- try
1954, when Big Maybelle cut the legendary dozens duet "Gabbin' Blues."
But when old school gave way to new school, most of these female artists --
like their male peers -- were forgotten.
One artist no one is likely to forget is Roxanne Shante.
Spawned, like so many others, in the UTFO "Roxanne Roxanne" payback
fever, Shante, as she's been calling herself more recently, takes second
place to no one. Her duels on the mic with artists such as Sparky D and
Kool G Rap are the stuff of legend, and it took Latifah, Lyte, and Yo Yo
an album apiece to try to even the score touched off by her "Big Mama"
rap (and there are those of us who think that none of these payback
attempts could kiss the high heels of the original). There was another
Roxanne once -- the "Real" Roxanne -- but no one ever came close to
Shante. With a voice that always sounds sixteen years old (and that
*was* how old she was when she cut "Roxanne's Revenge" in Marly Marl's
living room) and rhymes that would make the ruffest ruffneck cringe,
Shante is to many the greatest female MC of all time.
But it wasn't long after Shante's emergence that the field
suddenly got crowded again. Salt 'n' Pepa (debuting, like Shante, on
the Pop Art label with their contribution to Super Nature's "The Show
Stoppa (is Stupid Fresh)" in 1985) soon rose to become hip-hop's only
consistent platinum-selling female crew. While S&P alternated between
blowing up and going pop, MC Lyte took advantage of the spare beat-box
feel that heralded the first wave of the New School, over which she
dropped sharp-edged rhymes with her distinctive, smooth vocal tones.
Nikki D, another pioneer who's had a hard time breaking through, will
always be the first lady of Def Jam. But for many, it was Queen
Latifah's debut in 1989 that proved that a female MC could rap as rough
and sound as hard as any man; she sure wasn't sixteen, and her vocal
style was not about to take a back seat to anyone:
A woman can bear you, break you, take you.
Now it's time to rhyme, can you relate to
a sista dope enough to make you holler and scream ?
-- "Ladies First"
For a while, women rappers were picked up by the industry,
touted as a sort of weird curiosity on the order of hairless housecats.
Dozens of women rappers with little or no talent clogged the record
bins: who can (or wants to) remember Antoinette, MC Peaches, the Def
Dames, JJ Fad, or L.A. Star? Yet every year, two or three women have
stepped to the mic and commanded much respect, though that hasn't always
translated into major sales. Among those unfairly slept-upon artists
are women such as May May Ali (Muhammad Ali's daughter and a fine rhymer
in her own right), Nefertiti (remember "Miss Amutha Nature?"), the
Poetess, MC Choice (the Houston-based rapper who cut N.W.A. down to less
than life size in "The Big Payback"), Paris proteges the Conscious
Daughters, Lin Que (who was also Isis for a brief time), and Shazzy.
Women also began to play a pivotal role in many larger groups, from
Dionne Ferris (Arrested Development), Lauryn (the too-rarely
acknowledged lyrical genius of the Fugees), Ladybug of the Digable
Planets, and the Coup's Pam the Funkstress -- a top-notch DJ in a world
where that art is fast being forgotten.
But by the mid-nineties, with women rappers no longer a novelty,
hip-hop's breakdown into micro-genres made the going a whole lot
tougher. Sure, there was Da Brat -- everywhere, for that matter -- but
her lyrical "skills" seemed to consist mostly of seeing how many times
she can use the same phrase in one rap. The Bo$$ was good, dirty fun,
at least for one album. Heather B. has had two kick-ass singles with "I
Get Wreck" and this year's "All Glocks Down," but whether this will open
any industry doors for her remains to be seen. Latifah's been busy, but
not much with music lately, and many capable women rappers have seen
their second albums fall victim to the industry's "float a single, sink
an album" strategy -- among them Lin Que and Shazzy. The past year or
two has seen other promising debuts, such as Simple E and Me'Shell Ndege
Ocello, which are still waiting for a follow-up.
So what does the future of hip-hop look like? Will it feature
an all-male cast, or will women rappers rush in and take control like
Pam Grier in "Coffy?" It's too early to say, but with t-minus five
years and counting, as rappers of the apocalyptic persuasion put it, it
couldn't happen too soon. In the meantime, headz whose crates still have
a big empty spot when it comes to women rappers should check out the
following recordings:
(Professa RAP's top 12 albums by Women Rappers)
1. Shante, The Bitch is Back, Livin' Large LLCD 3001 ******
2. Conscious Daughters, Ear to the Street, Scarface P2 53877 *****
3. MC Lyte, Ain't No Other 7 92230-2 *****
4. Queen Latifah, All Hail the Queen, Tommy Boy TBCD 1022 *****
5. Nikki D, Daddy's Little Girl, Def Jam CK 44031 *****
5. Salt-n-Pepa. Hot, Cool, & Vicious PLCD 1007 *****
6. Shante, Bad Sister Cold Chillin' CD9 25809-2 *****
7. Isis, Rebel Soul, 4th & B'Way 444 030-2 ****
8. May May Ali, The Introduction, Scotti Bros. ****
9. The Poetess, Simply Poetry, 7 92168-2 ****
10. Simple E, Colouz uv Sound, CD 07822-11021-2 ****
11. MC Choice, The Big Payback, Rap-a-Lot CD RAP 105-2 ****
12. Yo Yo, Make Way for the Motherlode, 7 91605-2 ***
(Editor's note: A good portion of the HardC.O.R.E. staff is appalled at
the Professa's lack of a mention here for Bahamadia. You just can't
say she ain't phat...)
***F***
John C. Book
------------
THE WU-TANG CLAN: A YEAR IN REVIEW
If 1995 belonged to one group, then the Wu-Tang Clan had this
year locked down. Their debut album, "Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers),"
is already two years old, and yet they have come out with more records
than any rap artist in the 90's. As for accomplishments, all one has to
do is take a look at their track record.
1994 was the year the Wu broke out, when you could find various
members working with Biggie Smalls, Big Daddy Kane, Showbiz & A.G., and
Shaquille O'Neal. They had two hit singles ("C.R.E.A.M." and "Can It Be
All So Simple"), and two members released albums. But it was nothing
compared to the onslaught of releases that surfaced in 1995.
When January hit, the agenda was already known. Two members of
the Wu would release their debut albums while another would be releasing
his long awaited second album.
Ol' Dirty Bastard was already the class clown within the Wu, but
on "Return To The 36 Chambers" (Elektra) he went all out with no
boundaries. He got rough and raw in a salute to his home ("Brooklyn
Zoo"), he delivered the traditional sex rhyme ("Don't U Know"), sang a
passionate love song ("Drunken Game (Sweet Sugar Pie)"), and showed us
the next stage in the Wu-Tang onslaught ("Protect Ya Neck II"). His
work with Mariah Carey in the "Fantasy" remix surprised everyone on both
sides of the fence, but it provided Ol' Dirty with his first look at how
it feels to be #1. One of his best verses of the year could be found in
Funkmaster Flex's "Nuttin' But Flavor", where he saluted the old school
with style and finesse. Just as Method Man did with Spice 1 last year,
Ol' Dirty had no qualms about being down with West Coast rappers, as his
Studio Ton remix of "Shimmy Shimmy Ya" teamed him up with MC Eiht and E-
40.
Raekwon The Chef was considered the little rebel that could,
somehow being overshadowed by the power of the Method Man. With a
release on 1994's "Fresh" soundtrack, fans had to prepare for Chef's
supreme recipes. "Only Built 4 Cuban Linx" was the main course, and
it's no wonder everyone ate it up. This was "The Godfather",
"Scarface", or "GoodFellas" put to music, a conceptual album that placed
the Wu in the role of Gambinos. In this world, either you live and die
by the sword, or die unsuccessfully. Fans were more surprised by Ghost
Face Killer, leaving some to wonder why this wasn't a Raekwon and Ghost
Face album (some have said Ghost Face steals the show during most of the
album). "Ice Cream", featuring Method Man in the infectious chorus, and
new rapper Cappachino doing a verse, became the surprise hit of the
Fall. Rae & Ghost Face rapped in an underground remix of Jodeci's
"Freek'N You", immediately catching a buzz with fans and thus becoming
one of their best moments to date.
But if there was one album that was anticipated more than all
others, it was the second LP from The Genius. "Liquid Swords" was
delayed for over 15 months, and The GZA was forced to watch his mates
release classic albums, but fans knew what The Genius had in store, and
they were right. Each song was in itself a mini-movie, and lyrically he
was blowing everyone who stood in his way. From "Labels" (which was the
underground hit of the summer) to "Cold World" to "Unexplained", The
Genius was pouring out his soul, and yet he knew there was a lot more
where that came from.
Method Man was still reaping the benefits of his 1994 debut
album "Tical." The remix for "All I Need", featuring Mary J. Blige,
earned Meth his first #1 hit single. It was definitely an
unconventional love song, but one that managed to sell over 2 million
copies in the U.S. alone. Meth continued to mix it up with other
artists, being heard in songs from Show & A.G., dancehall artist
Capleton, and Boyz II Men. Meth also had two surprise hits, "The
Riddler" from the "Batman Forever" soundtrack, and "How High," a duet
with Redman.
U-God, probably the most mysterious member of the Wu, managed to
break out of his shell by being heard on Raekwon's and The Genius'
albums, as well as joining Cypress Hill on "Killa Hill."
Inspector Deck gave us a preview of what's to come with a track
on the "Tales From The Hood" soundtrack. Many fans are waiting to hear
his debut album scheduled for 1996.
If there is one person who deserves to be called producer of the
year, that honor belongs to Prince Rakeem, a/k/a The RZA. Four albums
he produced were certified gold in the U.S., all albums were in the Top
10, and it seemed like he didn't have time to do anything else. The
biggest surprise to come was on Raekwon's "Wu-Gambinos," where RZA
delivered a laid-back style that hit everyone like a couple of hard-ass
slaps, before speeding up his delivery and smashing all criticisms of
his style being generic. Mix that with him producing and rapping in
Cypress Hill's "Killa Hill," and making an appearance in the Million Man
March song "Where Ya At." It left everyone demanding a solo album from
the RZA, but with all the work he already has planned for 1996, a 1997
release date for his own joint doesn't seem out of the question.
Along the way, Wu fans got to hear new artists blossom from the
empire, including Pop Da Brown Hornet, Dark Skinned Assassin, KGB, and
Rugged Scientist. Sunz Of Man also began to gain an audience of their
own. Rap fans also got to see the Wu on the big screen with the release
of the long awaited hip hop documentary "The Show."
The Wu refused to stop, and it seems like nothing will stand in
their way. With another Ol' Dirty Bastard project in the works, an
Inspector Deck album already in the can, a Ghost Face Killer solo album,
a new Wu-Tang Clan album in preparation, and rumors about the Wu-Tang
motion picture, 1996 is going to be another crazy year for fans and non-
fans alike. "Expect the unexpected" seems to be their motto, and who
knows what will be the next piece in their mission. The Wu-Tang Saga
Continues...
***G***
Charles Isbell
--------------
HOMEBOY FROM HELL MONTHLY
Boom? Bap?
Boom! Bap!
This time: _KRS-ONE_ by KRS-ONE
Next time: _Hiphopera_ by Volume 10
_Do You Want More?!_ by The Roots
_Boxcar Sessions_ by Saafir
_Black Business_ by Poor Righteous Teachers
Last time: _The Infamous_ by Mobb Deep
_Holy Terror_ by The Last Poets
_Non-Fiction_ by Black Sheep
_Genocide and Juice_ by The Coup
_Muse Sick-N-Hour Mess Age_ by Public Enemy
Catch Ups: _Tricks of The Shade_ by The Goats
_Enta Da Wu Tang (36 Chambers)_ by Wu Tang Clan
_Cypress Hill_ by Cypress Hill
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Distinctiveness: Yep, it's KRS-ONE.
Dopeness Rating: I was expecting a disappointing follow up to _Return
of the Boom Bap_ just because, well, it was so damn
good; however, this self-titled CD is nice, if a bit
uneven. Phat+.
Rap Part: Phat+. Not much else to say on the lyrical tip.
Sounds: Solid Phat stuff. Boom! Bap!
Predictions: He will lose no fans with this one.
Rotation Weight: Quite a while.
Message: I am better than you... and you... and you... oh, and
you, too.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tracks: 14 tracks at 66:05. That would make ten minutes and
one second more than last time.
Label: Jive. Produced at various times by KRS-ONE and DJ
Premier, mostly.
Profanity: A bit (no sticker) but not much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
KRS-ONE and BDP have been around since the ice ages. They began with
_Criminal Minded_ waaaaay back in the day, dropping what is considered
by most headz to be a true hip-hop classic. They continued with 1988's
_By All Means Necessary_, featuring "My Philosophy" and "Jimmy";
_Ghetto Music: The Blueprint of Hip-Hop_, with the slammin' "Why Is
That?" and "You Must Learn;" the mostly wack _Edutainment_ (except, of
course, for "Love's Gonna Get 'Cha" and "Blackman's in Effect"); his
live album; and the solid _Sex and Violence_.
Last year, KRS-ONE first dropped Boogie Down Productions from the
credits and then dropped the incredibly mad silly phat+ _Return of the
Boom Bap_. In this reviewer's opinion it was easily the best of all
his efforts to date. I wasn't alone in liking that effort, KRS
managed to get a lot of dap and a lot of airplay.
Now he has returned again with _KRS-ONE_.
The first thing I thought while listening to this was that I might
have to change the rules of the Annual New Jack Hip Hop Awards. For
four years now, we've distinguished between hip-hop groups and
non-groups with a simple rule: if you only have one rapper, then you
aren't a group. This makes Public Enemy a group but not DJ Jazzy Jeff
and the Fresh Prince.
Now, I'm not sure this works any more. I think KRS-ONE shouldn't be
considered a group, but I think that there are at least two rappers on
all of his tracks: him and his enormous ego.
To begin with, he has thirty freakin' eight folks scattered throughout
_KRS-ONE_ paying homage to him. MC Shan is there. So are the Awesome
Two. Oh, look, it's Mister Magic and Rakim. One after another, they
come up and talk about how incredible KRS is.
Don't they usually wait until after someone is dead to do this?
Worse, these testimonials don't even appear on their own tracks. No,
they're stuck at the beginning of tracks so I can't program around
them.
Case in point: the first track is "Rappaz R. N. Dainja". DJ Premier's
production is put on hold for a minute and a half just so I can hear
Kevie Kev and eight other people rap, posture and thank KRS-ONE for
being the best thing since vinyl.
"No more talking, just bring it on"
But, then, it starts.
"No one is new to this
or new to Kris
in hip hop's atomic structure
I am the nucleus"
Ah, that's the ego-laden KRS-ONE I know and respect. The production
is top notch, of course. Phat beats, nice soundz. But more
importantly, KRS is in top lyrical form.
"The style that I am kickin'
is like chicken
it will be bitten, rewritten
then performed for $25 admission
reviewed in The Source
you will listen then find somethin' missin'
of course
it's skillz
that's what you're fishin' for
it's lost"
"Kickin' rhymes 'till I wrinkle"
And, really, that's what it's all about, isn't it?
"Tasty like a souffle french croissant
on Tuesday
Rappers be boo-tay
goofy
that's how they crew stay
bitin' whatever you say"
"Some rappers like to come to the party
Hopin' to leave with somebody
Check
I come with skillz
and leave with your motherf*ckin' respect"
Of course, it doesn't hurt that DJ Premier is in a good mood on this
one. The chorus sticks in your mind and the track is peppered with
nice sound tidbits here and there.
"Now you youngins grow up buggin'
Any new jock you huggin'
Weak production
Let me tell ya somethin'
Any MC can battle for glory
but to kick a dope rhyme
to wake up your people's another story
Act like you never saw me
'Cause when it comes to lyrics
I'm in a different category"
It's so good, in fact, that one doesn't really the mind Lord Finesse
comes in to pay homage at the end for no good reason.
Anyway, DJ Premier takes a break and lets Big French Productions do
the producing on "De Automatic" featuring Fat Joe. It shows a bit as
the soundz aren't quite as tasty. Still, they'll do until something
better comes along.
"When you was home with your mother
afraid of the dark
I was sleepin' out in Prospect Park
eatin' one meal every forty eight hours
writin' dope rhyme styles that you now devour"
....and then something better comes along. "MC's Act Like They Don't
Know" is the first release off this CD and one can see why. It's
nice.
"There once was a story about a man named Jed
but now Jed is dead
all his kids instead
wanna kick rhymes off the top of they head
word, what goes around comes around I figure
now we got white kids callin' themselves 'nigga'
the tables turn as the crosses burn
remember: you must learn"
Premier makes production look effortless and KRS-ONE makes lyrical
steak seem like you can just buy for 99 cents at the local K-Mart.
"Some MCs don't like the KRS
but they must respect him
'cause they know this kid
gets all up in their rectum
slappin' and selectin' 'em
checkin' 'em disprespectin' 'em
just deckin' 'em
deckin' em deckin' em"
Like most of the other tracks on _KRS-ONE_, this one works because
KRS-ONE is obviously enjoying his lyrical acrobatics and he definitely
believes every single world his says. Musically, the same style of
_Return of the Boom Bap_ abounds: thump, thump, thump, with a catchy
bass line or something and a few sound bites sprinkled in for effect.
KRS-ONE returns to the production room for "Ah Yeah".
"Wack MCs have one style: gun buck
but when you say, 'Let's buck for revolution'
they shut the f*ck up"
He ain't half bad on the production tip this time around. Lyrically,
he's still comin' correct (and, of course, anyone who can make sly
allusions to "Nigga's Are Scared of Revolution" gets some points).
"Remember the whip?
Remember the chant?
Remember the rope? and
You Black people still thinkin' 'bout votin'?"
This track is actually pretty ordinary compared to the rest of the
tracks except for one thing. This verse:
"This is not the first time I came to the planet
but every time I come only a few could understand it
I came as Isis, my words they tried to ban it
I came as Moses, they couldn't follow my commandments
I came as Solomon to a people that was lost
I came as Jesus but they nailed me to a cross
I came as Harriet Tubman, I put the truth to Sojouner
other times, I had to come as Nat Turner
they tried to burn me, lynch me, and starve me
so I had to come back as Marcus Garvey, Bob Marley
they tried to harm me, I used to be Malcolm X
now I'm on the planet as the one called KRS"
It goes on for a little while more, but this seems like enough to get
the point across. I used to think that LL Cool J had pretty much
cornered the market on ego, but clearly he's just a scared little boy.
KRS? Now, here's a Brother who has no problems with self-esteem
whatsoever.
You kinda gotta respect that.
That brings us to "R.E.A.L.I.T.Y". This apparently is short for
"rhymes equal actual life in the youth."
"With twenty cents in my pocket
I saw the light
if you're young, gifted and Black
you've got no rights
your only true right is a right to a fight
and not a fair fight
I wake up wonderin' who died last night
everyone and everything is at war
makin' my poetic expression hardcore
I ain't afraid to say' it
and many can't get with it
at times in my life I was a welfare recipient
I ate the free cheese
while the church said believe"
Like "Rappaz", this is a damn good track and smells like KRS-ONE all
the way. Solid soundz. Dope lyrics.
"Every single day I hear lie after lie
like Black people don't die, we multiply
so when I kick a rhyme I represent how I feel
the sacred street art of keepin' it real
why I gotta listen to somebody else
how they got wealth
let me talk about myself
but all I really got
is hip hop and a glock
the results are obvious
if I'm confined to my block"
The track ends with yet more testimonials. Hi, Violet Brown.
"Free Mumia" takes the album in a slightly different direction. As it
features Channel Live, it has a bouncier feel to it. In fact, it
sounds a lot like "Mad Izm" off _Station Identification_.
"Every where I look there's another house negro
talkin' about they people and how they should be equal
They talkin' but their conversation ain't goin' nowhere
You can't diss hip hop so don't you even go there"
I like this track a lot. Despite its title, it's mainly an excuse to
diss C. Delores Tucker.
"I met up with the girl named Delores, a prankster
I said I MC, she said 'you're a gangsta'
but she was caught up, she hit the floor like a break dance
wrapped her up like the arms in a b-boy stance
recognize moms, I'm one of your sons
I'm hip hop in the form of Channel Live and KRS-ONE
representin' MCs across America
she said 'you're the one who be causin' all that mass hysteria'
wisdom shall come out of the mouths of babes and something
but you blinded by cultural ignorance and steady judgin'
but judge not lest you may be judged"
And, sure, why not? It sounds good, anyway.
"Attackin' me will leave you with no voices"
"Hate to be so rough it could be the white owls
house negroes are full of crap like my colin powell"
"Buck, buck!
buck, buck, buck
it sounds like gunshots
but it could be the cluck
of a chicken
definition is what you're missin'
listen to your children instead of dissin' 'em"
Hmmm. That was satisfying.
Anyway, the KRS-ONE-produced "Hold" is an excursion into stylistic
territory left unexplored by the rest of _KRS-ONE_.
"In my hand a shiny 45 is what I HOLD
I make a mayonaise sandwhich out of some WHOLE
wheat I'm feeling weak, I can't HOLD
I gotta rob somebody tonight and take the WHOLE
bankroll, some cash I gotta HOLD
at the bottom of my shoe is a little bitty HOLE"
I think it works very well, but traditionalists might be better served
by "Wannabemeeceez", featuring Mad Lion.
"The microphone I grip it
grip it, lyric, lyric, I live it
hear it, my spirit is where it should be
don't push me if you're p*ssy
I spot 'em
it seems ya wanna rid the dils
I got 'em"
Lyrics come fast and hard on top the straightforward--but
catchy--soundz. There's no time to really think; the rhymes come one
after another.
"The admission of serial lyrics
calculated to weaken the spirit
will be diverted by this lyric when you hear it
Richocet any style any day any which way
and you'll cherish the day like Sade
the advanced oratorical techniques
I speak keep the heat at full peak
My grammar with stamina
grabs a rapper like the fresh catch of the day
and breaks the back of that DJ"
....and that's okay. This is the kind of stuff Kris is good at.
Without pause, phatness continues to ooze with "Represent The Real Hip
Hop" with Das EFX. Like "Free Mumia," this track is energetic. It
kinda makes you wanna bob your head.
"To corny niggas I get ape
my sh*t'll make ya faint
so much platinum on my walls
that I can hardly see the f*ckin' paint
You think it ain't
but for a year I stop recordin'
now look we're comin' back
and runnin' sh*t like f*ckin' Michael Jordan"
"For my niggas on the block
handlin' rock like Kenny Anderson
I'm brandishin'
stiggy-styles that keep MCs vanishin'"
Das EFX drops dopitivity on this one, reminding us of why their first
album was at all successful. KRS easily keeps up with the younger
MCs' fast diggety delivery. It works all the way up to the end, until
DJ Power and seventy other folks interrupt the flow to tell us how
KRS-ONE has changed their lives.
Finally, "The Truth" arrives. It's pretty much the worst thing on
_KRS-ONE_ as far as I can tell. It's too slow, and the lyrics
practically bounce off the dull beat. Some of the lines are OK and
listening to Kris hold court on why the Bible is contradictory is
always fun (if for no other reason than the irony), but this track
just sort of sits there.
"Jesus Christ was all about the revolution"
"How'd the world get populated?
Now tell me if I'm wrong,
but obviously, Eve had it goin' on"
Well, there are a couple of good lines. That chorus is weak, tho'.
Let's skip this.
"Build Ya Skillz" features Busta Rhymes. As with all of his guest
appearances, he does his patented nonsense rambling. He hasn't quite
figured out that gibberish still hasn't caught on as an alternative
to dope rhymes, but he's hardly there and never manages to get in
KRS' way, so whatever.
"I control your mind with one rhyme I speak
and get you open like a prostitute's butt cheek"
Oh, look. More testimonials. Hit the forward button.
"Out For Fame" is our twelth track. It has an intro which makes no
sense to me, but maybe I'm just not listening hard enough. Someone
else can explain it to me.
"When I was growin' up
I had no butcher, baker, candlestick maker
I had rubbing alcohol and carbon paper"
In any case, the main body of the track makes perfect sense. Nice
rhymes, nice muzak, nice beat, nice topic: the place of graffiti in
hip hop. Being KRS-ONE, of course, he has to connect his
once-favorite pasttime to Ancient Egypt. He's a little more
successful talking about the parallels between it and rap.
"Today we do the same thing with how we rap and draw
we call it hardcore, they call it breakin' the law
there used to be a time when rap music was illegal
the cops would come and break up every party when they see you
but now that rap music's makin' money for the corporate
it's acceptable to flaunt it, now everybody's on it
graffiti isn't corporate, so we gets no respect
hasn't made a billion dollars for some corporation yet"
As the man says, writin' a rhyme about something is harder than just
going for glory. Insert prop here.
"Squash All Beef" is our penultimate track.
"I never ran from the Klu Klux Klan
and I shouldn't have to run from a Black man"
I like the message. I like the music. I like the lyrical style. I
just don't like any of them together. It's not *bad*, mind you, it's
just that no part of it is clever enough to make up for the
deficencies of the others, that's all. It is worth listening to,
though, just to hear Kris' thoughts on how schools should be run.
We end with "Health Wealth Self". Like "Hold," it's an excursion into
an unusal style: he's really just kind of talking. For the first
minute or so it doesn't work, but after that it all seems to just make
sense.
"Yo, you're a friend to me
so I'mma tell ya the secrets of MC longevity
secret one: if it ain't fun, you're done
and about your career, well choose another one
if you don't like what you do, you're through.
lesson two: make sure you got a dope crew
not some crew that's like an anchor on a shoe
a mad crew that's of some benefit to you"
Truer words were never spoken.
And that's that. Time for the bottom line.
KRS-ONE has an ego as big as all outdoors. I suppose if I'd been homeless
and by sheer force of will and lyrical skill turned myself into one of the
best known and respected of all the East Coast rappers, I'd feel pretty
blessed, too.
In any case, he's clearly convinced that he's the center of all of hip
hop; that he's why every other MC is here and that he's the reason the
sun comes up in the mornin'. He's wrong, of course: the sun rises for
me.
Be that as it may, though, he is a lyrical bomb and he's blowin' up
all over the tracks of _KRS-ONE_. When he's on, he is on and for most
of this one, he is turned all the way on.
Thus, messiah complex aside, I have to recommend this one. If you
liked _Return of the Boom Bap_, you'll like _KRS-ONE_. Try out
"Rappaz R. N. Dainja", "MC's Act Like They Don't Know",
"R.E.A.L.I.T.Y.", "Free Mumia", "Hold" and "Represent the Real Hip
Hop" if you must try before you buy.
Next time, though, I hope he puts all the KRS worshippers on their own
tracks.
But that's just one Black man's opinion--what's yours?
(c) Copyright 1995-1996, Charles L Isbell, Jr.
Section 3 -- THREE
***A***
Charles Isbell
--------------
NEW JACK HIP-HOP AWARDS: THE NOMINATIONS FORM
Yep, yep! It's time.
Brief history:
A while back, everyone on alt.rap and the funky-music mailing list was
bitchin' about how lame the Grammy's were in general, and especially
how weak they were when it came to rap and hip-hop.
Thus was born the New Jack Hip Hop Awards.
In *this* awards thang, *you* get to decide the best stuff over the
last year. You get to nominate. You get to vote. You can't blame
the Grammy's or the American Music Awards. If your favorite didn't
get nominated or voted a winner and you didn't take your chance to
nominate or vote, well, that's your fault, isn't it?
Here's how it works:
November: categories. We figure out the categories for this. I'll
post the list used last year and will open up the floor for adding or
removing any.
December: nominations. On the 13th of December, I'll post a
nomination form. The "official" nominations period doesn't start
until December 15, but I'm sending it out a few days early for those
of you leaving for holidays. I'll post it every week until early
January. In any and all categories, you may nominate up to three
people. Nomination forms must be emailed to *me* and you must follow
directions exactly.
January: with the finalists determined, I post the voting form.
February: I post the results.
----------------------------------------
In order to make this easier on the rest of us, I ask that you FOLLOW
THE DIRECTIONS BELOW EXACTLY.
This is the Official Nominations Form(tm). To fill it out, get a copy
of this document to your local machine in whatever way you normally
would (some common ways of doing this are listed at the very end) and
edit it.
DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING BETWEEN THE LINES THAT TELL YOU NOT TO.
It is perfectly okay to have ">" or "|" or spaces or whatever before
each line (many mailers and news programs insert such so-called
quoting characters) *but* DO NOT DELETE ANYTHING BETWEEN THE LINES
THAT TELL YOU NOT TO. Please.
After each award, type in your nominees. When you're done, mail it off
to me in whatever way you normally would. That's "isbell@ai.mit.edu".
BTW, I'd appreciate it if "nominations" appeared in the subject
heading somewhere.
Here's an example. When editing you might see:
...
>---> Rappers With Big Heads Awards
> Woman with biggest head
> Man with biggest head
...
So, then, you type:
...
>---> Rappers With Big Heads Awards
> Woman with biggest head
Da Big Head
Queen Really Big Head
MC Lyte-But-Big Head
> Man with biggest head
Wu Tang Head
The Notorious Head
Head Mack
...
You get the idea. Anyway, nominations are open from Friday, Dec 15,
1995 to Friday, January 12, 1996. That should give everyone plenty of
time. You can only nominate once. Oh, yeah, don't forget that people
are only eligible if they did what they did between Dec 15 1994 and
Dec 14 1995. See the rules for more clarification. Invalid
nominations will be ignored and may (or may not) be returned.
One more thing, a *group* must have more than one rapper.
Example: The Coup, The Roots and Public Enemy are groups, but
neither Gangstarr nor DJ Jazzy Jeff and the Fresh Prince
are.
Peace. Happy Holidays.
------ Don't delete anything from here to... -----
====----> Progressive/Jazz Rap
Groups like De La Soul, A Tribe Called Quest (and in fact the whole
Native Tongue Family), as well as Souls of Mischief, Digable Planets
and the like fall into this class.
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Group
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Male Rapper
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Female Rapper
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Single
Phattest Progressive/Jazz Rap Album
====----> Political Hip-Hop
I think this is pretty obvious. Rap with an explicit social and/or
political message.
Phattest Political Group
Phattest Political Male Rapper
Phattest Political Female Rapper
Phattest Political Rap Single
Phattest Political Rap Album
====----> Gangsta Hip-Hop
Well, this is everyone from Ice Cube to Gheto Boyz to Ice T to Snoop
and back. Use your judgment.
Phattest Gangsta Group
Phattest Gangsta Male Rapper
Phattest Gangsta Female Rapper
Phattest Gangsta Rap Single
Phattest Gangsta Rap Album
====----> Braggadocio
Rappin' for your ego rappers go here. Say hi to everyone from Souls
of Mischief to Chubb Rock to Das EFX.
Phattest Braggadocio Group
Phattest Braggadocio Male Rapper
Phattest Braggadocio Female Rapper
Phattest Braggadocio Rap Single
Phattest Braggadocio Rap Album
====----> Nasty rap
Nasty to be nasty. Overlaps a bit with some gangsta rappers.
Phattest Nasty Group
Phattest Nasty Male Rapper
Phattest Nasty Female Rapper
Phattest Nasty Rap Single
Phattest Nasty Rap Album
====----> Crossover Rap
This is not to be confused with hip-pop like Vanilla Ice Cream Cone.
This is the rap that really "crosses" to other genres, be they R&B,
reggae, hard rock or even pop while actually remaining both good *and* true
to hip hop. As time goes on, some of these may spin off into their
own subawards (see Progressive/Jazz).
Phattest Crossover Group
Phattest Crossover Male Rapper
Phattest Crossover Female Rapper
Phattest Crossover Rap Single
Phattest Crossover Rap Album
====----> The Phat Stuff
Funniest Rap
Include the artist and the single.
Phattest Lyric
Slammin' music is not required. Both individual rappers and groups
may apply. Include the artist and the single.
Most Slammin' Beat
Phat lyrics are not required. Both individual rappers and groups
may apply. Include the artist and the single.
Phattest Remix
Now, here's a staple of true hip-hop: the remix. What's the
phattest remix to come out this year? Include the artist and the
single.
Phattest DJ
It's not a lost art yet. Include the album or EP.
Phattest Producer(s)
Include the album or EP.
====----> More Phat Stuff
Leaders of the New School
Award for the most innovative rapper/group this year. Doesn't have
to be someone new, might be an old dog learning and teaching some
new tricks. In any case, should take hip hop in a new direction.
The folks starting the new subgenres. Include album or EP.
Best fusion of Hip-Hop with non-Hip-Hop
Being the experimenters that they are, Hip-Hop artists are often
trying to merge their styles with stuff from other genres, be it
heay metal, jazz or country. Who did the best thing this year?
Include single, album or EP.
Phattest Non-USA Artist
Often, we in the USA never get exposure to the phat macks outside
the border. Those of you lucky to have done so should open our
eyes by noting the artist and his or her single, album or EP.
Phattest Reggae Hip Hop artist
'Nuff respect to all dancehall massive and crew. Question: who
ruled the dancehall this year? Include single, album or EP.
Provider of Phattest Samples
Everyone from James Brown to The Gap Band to Chick Corea have been
so kind as to provide hip hop with phat samples. Who's provided the
best stuff *this year*? All we require is a name, but we'll give
you extra props if you can name actual singles.
Most Innovative Use of a Sample
Award for the artist who used a sample (be it music, voice or
whatever) in the most innovative or unexpected way to great
effect. May be as simple as managing to sample the Partridge
Family and making it funky or holding album-long conversations
with Bert & Ernie. Note the artist, the single/album/EP and a
reason for the award.
====----> Phat Videos and Other Stuff
Phattest Short Form Video
Award for the Phattest video. Include artist and single.
Phattest Long Form Video
Award for the Phattest long form video release. Include artist and
name of videotape.
Phattest Hip Hop Video Show
Best show, syndicated or otherwise, about Hip Hop. Include the
VeeJay(s) as well as the name of the show.
Best live performance/tour/live album
Include name of tour or performance or live album/EP.
Best Comeback
Sometimes folks we had written off as dead, come back correct.
Note that here. Include single or album or EP.
Hardest and Ugliest Dis'
Award for *the* hardest most diggum-smack dis of the year--the one
that made you screw up your face and go "damn!" Include the
artist and the single.
====----> Bootylicious
Biggest Sellout
For the suckas that go pop. Should have been at least vaguely
hip-hop in the first place. Include album, EP, single or whatever.
Weakest Rapper
The weakest, but visible, whackster of the year. Include album, EP,
single or whatever.
Biggest Disappointment
This is different than the biggest sellout. Sometimes old
favorites just plain fall off without even getting the money for
selling out. Who fell flat this year? Include album, EP or
single.
Most Overrated Rapper
Yet another bit of semantic subtlety. Now there are butt rappers
in hip-pop and we know who they are. But sometimes we get rappers
who produce a strong split in The Underground. Who do *you* think
gets all these mad props but shouldn't? Well? Include album, EP
or single.
Most Overplayed Song
Tired of hearing the same ol' same ol' every time you turn on the
radio? Sure you are.
Most Overdone Trend
What trend has GOT TO GO, y'all? Let me know. Include some
artists.
====----> What you've been waiting for
Most Unfairly Slept On Album
Ever year some artist comes off proper but is ignored by the
community. Here we may remedy that.
Phattest New Hip Hopster
The best New Jack to arrive on the scene this year. Include the
album or EP.
Phattest Hip Hop Era To Date
What's a Hip Hop Era? You tell me. Maybe it's the Gangsta Era.
Or maybe it's the Political Era. Maybe it's just 1988. Or 1992.
Hey, maybe it's 1983. The question is simple. At what time
was hiphop at it's best (so far, of course; we know that hip hop
has still got its best years ahead of it)? Tell me when, tell me
why.
Hall of Fame
Award for that person or persons who managed to make hip hop history
and have stood the test of time. Put on your history caps for this
one. We're talking about those back in the day who helped make our
current dopeness possible.
Note: Public Enemy, Run-DMC, KRS-One/Boogie Down Productions,
and Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five, our
1991-1994 winners, are *ineligible* this year.
Album Hall of Fame
Award for that album that has man
aged to make hip hop history
and has stood the test of time. This is for *the* best and most
influential hip hop albums *ever*. So, act like you know.
Note: _It Takes A Nation of Millions To Hold Us Back_ by Public Enemy
our 1994 winner, is *ineligible* this year.
Phattest Rap Single
The Phattest single to drop this year. Period.
Phattest Rap Album
The Phattest album to drop this year. Period.
====----> And that's it.
------ ...to here. Did you delete something? Well, start over. -----
Well, thanks for your time. Go back to sleep. I'm out of here like
last year.
As promised, some ways to include this document:
For USENET people using 'rn' 'gnus' and similar such programs:
To send this to me, you can probably just hit "R". This usually
includes everything that I've posted with ">"'s or " "'s before
each line. This is perfectly okay. If you want a local copy to
edit, try "s" in 'rn' or "o" in 'gnus' to make a copy of the file.
For people on mailing lists:
To send this to me, you can probably just hit "r". This usually
doesn't include everything, so you need to figure out how to do so.
If you want a local copy to edit, try saving a copy with "s" if
you're using un*x mail or "o" if you're using one of the 222
variants of RMAIL.
For those surfing on the web:
Get a copy of this file on your local machine using one of the
commands for doing so (in Mosaic it's under FILE) and edit to your
heart's content.
For HardC.O.R.E. readers:
Chop out section 3 of this issue, fill it out, and e-mail it to
Charles Isbell at isbell@ai.mit.edu. PLEASE DO NOT MAIL ANY
NOMINATION FORMS TO FLASH OR DAVID J.! Thanks.
For everyone else:
I have no idea, but hopefully you can figure it out if you don't
already know. Email me if you need help.
Section 4 -- FOUR
****************************************************************************
THE OFFICIAL HARDC.O.R.E. REVIEW SECTION
The pH scale
6/pHat -- EE-YOW!! A hip-hop classic!
5/pHunky -- Definitely worth the price of admission.
4/pHine -- Pretty good, give it a listen.
3/pHair -- Some potential here, but it's not fully realized.
2/pHlat -- Falls far short of a quality product.
1/pHlat -- Get that Vanilla Lice shit outta here!
****************************************************************************
***A***
Flash
-----
KOOL G. RAP, "4, 5, 6"
(Cold Chillin')
"Livin the fast life in fast cars.
Everywhere we go, people know, who we are..."
Kool G. Rap is one of the top five under-recognized MC's in the
game of hardcore hip-hop. Rhyme slangaz like Rakim, Cube, Scarface got
their props long ago, yet G. Rap has been bustin shit with DJ Polo for
years and still hasn't gotten his due. To any head out there, songs
like "It's a Demo", "Truly Yours", "Talk Like Sex", "Streets of New
York", "On the Run", "Go For Your Guns" are the stuff of which MC wet
dreams are made: powerfully visual, tightly constructed, highly
metaphoric megaton bombs of flavor.
G. Rap got done paying dues long ago when he was still sweating
Marley Marl for a break, so why hasn't an MC as phat as G. Rap gotten
paid with platinum hits? Perhaps we shouldn't ask why; commercial
success has clouded what should otherwise be a given when it comes to
dope MC's like Treach and Snoop -- maybe G. Rap is better off on the DL.
Still, I can't help feeling like busting your nuts out of your scrotum
if you don't buy this album; G. Rap deserves better, and on this outing
he has never *sounded* better. Musically, he is not always matched, but
like the previous duos with Polo, the pHat shit more than outweighs the
misses.
You can't fuck with cuts like "4, 5, 6" and that ill piano loop --
it's the hardest of hardcore New York. You can't fuck with cuts like
"Fast Life," a duet with Nas that recalls the glory days when Erick
Sermon and Parrish Smith swapped verses and lines with verbal finesse.
You can't fuck with cuts like "It's a Shame," where G. Rap lays it down
on the good life of the bad side -- he regrets it but he still sports a
"diamond infested rolex," and if you've never heard G. Rap spit a phrase
like that then you just don't know; nobody does it like he does.
Can you afford to sleep on this album? Not if you love true hip-
hop at it's finest; this is raw poetry written on a ghetto slate of
granite, and the result is pure concrete straight at your head. Am I on
G. Rap's dick? Hell, yeah! Give it up for the lyrical don, and long
live the reign of the true G -- the man who could teach all fake ass
studio gangstaz a few lessons.
pH Level -- 6/pHat
***B***
Professa R.A.P.
---------------
ORNETTE COLEMAN & PRIME TIME, "Tone Dialing"
(Harmolodic/Verve)
Those who are already familiar with the work of jazz iconoclast
Ornette Coleman maybe surprised that he, of all people, has finally
taken a few licks out of the hip-hop book. It wasn't too shocking to
see Donald Byrd or N'Dea Davenport show up on Guru's "Jazzmatazz," and
the story of Miles Davis's belated -- *too* belated, as it turned out --
collaboration with Easy Mo B makes for a good cautionary tale of Jazz-
Hip Hop do's and dont's (number one rule: don't assume that a giant,
however tall, from either form of music will necessarily be able to
place his or her feet on both sides of the spectrum). Herbie Hancock's
"Dis is Da Drum" was no huge surprise either, coming from the father of
jazz-funk fusion.
But to imagine Ornette Coleman tooting his horn over a drum
machine and rap vocals was for me -- before I actually listened to this
disc -- something akin to imagining Glenn Gould jamming with Bootsy
Collins. Somehow, though, it all works.
A few words about his music: Coleman, over the years never one
to follow anyone else's lead, has developed his own type of jazz, which
turns on a thing he calls "harmolodics." Harmolodics, to the
uninitiated, sounds like a fancy word for a bunch of musicians, none of
whom seem to be in the same key, all playing at once. But like a
Picasso noseline, which can make a face both profile and head-on,
Coleman's Harmolodics can convince you that, after all, playing in a
given key is but another convention of Western music, akin to
perspective in pre-cubist paintings. Ultimately, as Coleman puts it,
the goal is to have 'every note be the tonic' -- that is, for each
interval played to re-set the harmonic values. The idea is given
playful force on the cover of this latest effort by a photograph of a
telephone with multicolored buttons labeled with words like "Quality,"
"Smell," and "Territories."
Inside the jewel box, another set of keys is punched, and while
only two or three cuts have a distinctive hip-hop flavor, they're enough
by themselves to make every previous collaboration between jazz
musicians and hip-hop headz sound limited in comparison. The opening
track, "Street Blues," opens with a vague, Calypso-like feel (island
riddims are all over this disc) punctuated by hip-hop scratches. A
bluesy guitar ties together the Caribbean spaghetti of sounds,
alternating between familiar seventh- and ninth-chords and diced-up
fragments of blues turnarounds. This turns out to be a lead-in to the
wildly convoluted and multi-layered "Search for Life." Everything in
this track is doubled, including the vocals, which consist of two
simultaneous strands of speech. The first, a laid-back rap in a style
that sounds sorta like Nikki Giovanni, throws out its accents in
measured, cadenced lines:
These are the stories about your face
When no-one knows your race
You and I as a baby
A male or a female, maybe
You surrender to your gender
To join the world
To be a boy or a girl . . .
The other vocal, a bouncin' west-coast style rap with a much
more hardcore delivery, provides a looping rhythm for the rest of the
band:
No direction, ain't got no name
Not just tryin' ta be anutha pawn in the game . . .
When the light flashes before your eyes
There's no compromise, it's time to die
Each vocal fades in before the other fades out; most of the time
both are rolling at once, with a vaguely P-funky beat and bass -- along
with Ornette's soaring horn -- providing the backbone for it all. The
result is a mesmerizing trip, a voyage much more fantastic than anything
previous genre-crossing tracks have ever achieved.
The remaining 14 tracks return to more familiar territory, with
salsa and calypso beats, some finger-numbingly fast, providing the
structures within which Ornette and his players weave their alternative
sonances in and out of what others would call "keys." A characteristic
bit of fun occurs on track 4, which starts as a straight-up performance
of Bach's Prelude #1 in C Major (an ode to old-school harmonics if there
ever was one), which Coleman & Company proceed to unravel like mad
electricians pulling wires out of a telephone junction box. The only
other track that will stick out for hip-hop headz is the enigmatic
"Sound is Everywhere," which balances a sampled drum-loop with ambient
noises such as a people screaming and a string of firecrackers going off --
if the Orb were a jazz group, they might have cut a track like this.
The rest of the album returns to a frenetic island bop that,
while no less harmonically challenging, threatens to become formulaic;
it's hard to tell one track from another after a while. But it's in
those first few tracks that Coleman does something that, until now, had
never I think been done by a jazz musician -- which is to take hip-hop
totally into a jazz medium and take it for the kind of test drive that
can burn out an engine and wear the treads off the tires. The hip-hop
survives, but not without some fairly astonishing changes.
For those who really want to takes risks with their ears, "Tone
Dialing" has the 411, the 911, and every other number you might want.
pH Level -- 5/pHunky
***C***
David J.
--------
THE PHARCYDE, "LabCabinCalifornia"
(Delicious Vinyl)
The Pharcyde came out of nowhere in 1993 and charmed the hip-hop
world with their unique combination of microphone skills and comedic
hijinks. You'd be hard pressed not to laugh at tracks from their debut
LP such as "Officer," "Ya Mama," and "I'm That Type of Nigga," but at
the same time, you'd be noddin' your head to beats that were sometimes
jazzy, sometimes jumpy, always phat.
Imani, Romye (a.k.a. Bootie Brown), Fat Lip and Slim Kid 3 have
matured a bit since their first album, though, and that shows through
the most on their sophomore effort, "LabCabinCalifornia." Oh, sure,
they'll still be trippin' here and there, but for the most part, this is
a more serious hip-hop effort, and one that simply drips phatness.
The main thrust of the lyrics centers around their experiences
in the industry, a lot of which haven't sounded very positive. Every
other track seems to hand out disses to anyone who's in hip-hop just for
the money, or whoever is biting their style. "Bullshit," "Pharcyde,"
"Drop," and "Hey You" all have someone in the industry on which to go
off.
"Now they're washed up, hung out to dry
Standing there looking stupid wondering why.
It was the fame that they tried to get.
Now they're walking around talkin' about represent
and keep it real. But I got to appeal,
'cause they existed in a fantasy when holdin' the steel."
I guess those folks know who they are.
Then there's "Runnin'," the ultra-phat first single chronicling
the member's learning to take responsibility for themselves and try to
maintain in the entertainment business. Responsibility is a pretty big
thing for the Pharcyde on this album. They insist they "do this shit
for the people of my nation" on "Somethin' That Means Somethin'," a true
lesson in the meaning of the word "represent." Then they break it down
completely in "Devil Music," where the chorus pretty much explains it
all:
"Every time I step to the microphone,
I put my soul on two-inch reels that I don't even own."
Very deep, yet very catchy at the same time.
Women also get plenty of air time on this album. Fat Lip throws
a verse on "Bullshit," a title that really doesn't match the smooth
music of the track, about how he handles "club-hoppin' hoes" looking
only for the cash. "Groupie Therapy," produced by Diamond D. (the only
track not produced by Jay Dee or members of the Pharcyde themselves),
goes into more detail about all those women hanging out backstage,
looking for fame, and about the toll it takes on real relationships.
Not all the women on this album are hoes, though; take a listen to the
slow groove of "She Said," a Slim Kid-produced cut about showing respect
for all the real women out there.
Of course, there's the ode-to-blunts track thrown in for good
measure ("Splattitorium"), but even this has a sweet piano playing in
the background -- a far cry from the scattered sounds of "Pack the
Pipe." In fact, it's the overall sound of this tape that will draw the
listener to this album. Musically, "LabCabinCalifornia" doesn't miss at
all. Thick with jazzy keyboard riffs, a boomin' bass, and a few live
instruments thrown in for good measure. Add to that the improving
lyrics of the MC's (and they were mighty phat to begin with), and you've
got an album that's worthy of being called one of the best of 1995.
The Pharcyde is a true original in hip-hop, something that hip-
hop has been sorely lacking as of late. Maybe this tape will remind
people what the music is all about. Tall order, but if anyone can do
it...
pH Level -- 6/pHat
***D***
El Surround
-----------
RBX, "The RBX files"
(Premeditated)
Everybody heard that psychotic soundin' MC from Dr. Dre's
classic "Chronic" LP. This then-unknown artist has created by himself
some of the best known West Coast cliches. ("Haven't you ever heard of a
killa," "I drops bombs like Hiroshima," "I have no remorse," etc.)
CREAM, however, caused RBX to fuss with Death Row, and look for his own
record deal.
But the most interesting thing about RBX's LP is the crystal
clear way it shows the changes in attitude that affect every region in
the USA which had success in the hip-hop world. You probably know that
the early Compton artists were "happy rappers," like the Wreckin' Crew,
Egyptian Lover, and Disco Productions. They rhymed mostly about
parties.
Then came the "funny gangsta" era -- the early NWA tracks, like
the 1986 "Fat Bitch." Funny gangstas were artists that showed a rather
comic view of thug livin'. The next era in Compton Rap was "hard
gangsta", the CMW's and NWA's from 1989 and on. Then, Ice Cube left
NWA, and he like other MCs started to rap about political issues in the
next era.
I'm not saying that the other era's artists are not still
representin' (the best example is DJ Quik, who still rocks the "funny
gangsta" attitude), but it's safe to say now, that the same thing
happenned to Long Beach. Until now, people have though about the LBC as
a sun-filled city were life was RELATIVELY okay, some gangbangin' but
mostly chillin'. And why shouldn't people think about it like that?
That's exactly the portrait that artists like Warren G, Twinz, Daz, and
Snoop paint, although the latter may dipped into a little more hard
shit.
"Escape from Death Row, RBX is awol!!"
Now, in '95, RBX's escape from G-Funk and lite-hearted
gangsterism may mark the whole emergance of LBC artists to the darker
side -- the harsh, scary, real, Eastside Long Beach. RBX says "fuck
you" to the melodic, easy-listenin' LBC LP's. RBX's flow? You might
say you get RBX's flow if you cross E-40's versatility, Ice Cube's
attackin' of the mic, and Paris' revolutionary views.
In "AWOL," the first single of the LP, RBX drops the scenario
about what went down with Dre. He compares Death Row to Ruthless at it's
NWA years. RBX parallels himself with the first awoler of NWA -- Ice
Cube, who got out because of his views and his underpayment. He
compares Dre to Eazy, Suge to Jerry Heller, and he even claims that
Snoop is the next one to leave. (Yeah, right.)
RBX's lyrics are on-point, but he tends to loose all his energy
and strength (he is a very aggressive rapper) in long verses. I guess
this is why he never had long verses before. However, RBX created
something OG. Tracks like "The Tundra" are so wicked with their Gangsta
Dancehall flava, and conscious tracks like "It's Our Time" and "Mom's
Are Cryin'" are a graphic display of ghetto life, though he doesn't
emphasize on "Smokin' Indo" and all. RBX can scare the fuck out of you
with tracks like "Burn", "Slip Into Long Beach" and "AWOL", where the
chant "I Drop Bombs like Hiroshima" is followed with ear-destroyin'
explosions.
"The Edge" is a great Gangsta fairytale, where RBX does
somethin' that sounds both east coast, because of the Gangstarr-like
sax, and west coast, because of the typical keyboards. RBX escaped from
Death Row, but he seems that he didn't got away totally from the Death
Row flava. His lyrics more often than not sound like Death Row's. He
claims that he is the originator of this style, but who knows?
pH Level -- 4/pHine
***E***
Flash
-----
SOUTH CIRCLE, "Anotha Day Anotha Ball"
(Suave/Relativity)
You can try to write it off as another phase of AmeriKKKan white-
boy obsession with gangsta lyrics and funk beats, but something larger
than that is happening with Suave Records. Building from the ground up
and establishing their rep in the streets by the amount of Pathfinders
pumpin' their beats, artists like EightBall and MJG dug in on the
underground and turned up a gold mine of success. Nothing else in the
game has been comparable since E-40 put Vallejo, CA and The Click on the
map. In the same way, you could say that these Suave Records artists
all seem to be family; one artist puts on another, and each represents
on the other's albums.
"That Suave click is so thick and we just picked up Tela
So now you know that nigga Mike ain't no joke
Now you know, that song by Rakim, yeah I co-wrote"
Let's bring in the South Circle, representin' like playaz every
day, all day, but bringing something more than that tired G-shit. These
beats are not stranded on Death Row, but bubblin' up from the depths of
funk hell. Listen to the the rolling jar of glass beats of "Geto
Madness," the synth-whine slow-ride of "It's Going Down," the smooth-as-
butter guitar licks and bass grooves of "Pimp Thing," and see if you
don't 'slide SLIDE slide SLIDE and get hiiiigh' to these grooves. These
guys know how to put in on thick, and they warm it up with above average
lyrics plus a good amount of flow finesse. Call it what you want to,
but they do get ill on a whole other level:
"Now if a pimp had no hoes would he be a pimp?
And if a hoe sucked no dick would she be a trick?
It's all about my grip let's take a trip
down the yellow brick road...
with some hustlers and hoes" -- 'Pimp Thang'
Why does it work? It just sounds right. South Circle doesn't
slouch in their voices, their music, their style -- it's convincing in a
way that nine out of ten other playa hustla albums just can't fade.
It's like asking, why does Too $hort make hits? He just puts all the
right elements together. If you're looking for something more complex
than Busta Rhymes, that's not what it's about -- they have tight lyrics
but it's not on a scientific plane, it's their own thing. They can drop
a line to bust ya head and they do, but they get most of their props
just for being smooth.
To all y'all at Suave, keep doin what you're doing and don't let
the corporate fuck with it -- it sounds hella nice.
pH Level - 4/pHine
***F***
Flash
-----
THA DOGG POUND, "Dogg Food"
(Death Row/Interscope/Priority)
"Like we always do about this time..."
"In the dead of winter is when I kick my coldest phrases.
Mental as telepathy, lyrically it amazes.
Construction of thoughts that's lethal as turpentine,
and that's brewin' up fresh rhymes feared like X signs
in my zone -- you can't even find like Atlantis..."
- Dat Nigga Daz
Well! Lyrically I can't complain, this album is no joke on that
level. Musically, it's not as phat as I would have hoped --- since Dr.
Dre is only an "Executive Producer" and that Dat Nigga Daz actually
produced the album. Still, on the whole this album works together
nicely, and is actually a fresh contrast compared to Snoop's LP -- not
better or worse but a different scoop of Death Row flavor.
If you liked any of what Daz and Kurupt kicked on "The Chronic,"
"Doggystyle," or the "Murder Was the Case" soundtrack, then you won't be
dissapointed. They drop that G shit that's, as always, on another
level, representing with more lyrics than bullets. C. Delores Tucker
and Calvin Butts are going to be dissapointed; this album does not cut a
new edge in hardness or graphicness -- to me it in fact seems tame
compared to rawness groundbreakers like "Efil4Zaggin". That's a good
thing, because Daz and Kurupt seem more worried about dropping dope
rhymes than in shocking the world, and the end result is a good product.
Musically, the best tracks are "Respect," "New York New York,"
"Smooth," "Big Pimpin 2," "A Doggz Day Afternoon," and "Reality."
Lyrically, the nods go to "Dogg Pound Gangstaz," "Repsect," "Do What I
Feel" featuring the ever-fresh Rage, "Smooth" with Snoop, and "Dogg
Pound Gangstaz." As you can see by that list, you get a little
something of each as the album progresses, but it doesn't really slip
below at least a pHunky level at any point. The only thing I can really
be mad at is the useless and annoying "187.4 WBALLS DJ E-Zee Dick"
skits, which is getting really tired, and I hope Rage doesn't put any on
"Eargasms."
So what would you do, if you could fuck with the Dogg Pound
crew? Well you couldn't so don't even think about it. They leave no
doubts that Death Row will continue to represent with hits for the 9-6
and beyond.
pH Level - 4/pHine
***G***
El Surround
-----------
TWINZ, "Conversation"
(G Funk Music/Def Jam)
What? Another tacky G-Funk album?
No, all you nothin'-but-hardcore-no-R&B-strictly-East-Coast-G-
funk-hatin' headz won't like this one, but the Twinz are not tacky. In
fact, this album presents the BEST lyrics ever rhymed over G-Funk beats.
The Twinz are the first act released on Warren G's "G Funk Music" label,
and as expected, the production is tight from beginning to end, and the
instrumentals are FUNKY, though they tend to repeat themselves, in
typical LBC fashion.
After a tiny intro, we get into track number 1, "Round & Round."
This is the first single, and it's a hit. Tripp-loc kicks it first in
this one with some OG lyrics, and the funky bass line is there, complete
with females chanting, "Twinz got tha summer goin' Round & Round." The
Twinz sound very disarming, and of course the sport the laid-back Long
Beach look, created by Snoop. I must admit, before getting this one, I
thought that it would be full of gangsta rhymes, but I was surprised to
see that the Twinz minimized this effect, and they don't curse that much
either.
The second track is "Good Times", which sports the regular G-
Funk keyboards and bass, and it's basically about rememberin' where
you're from. Needless to say, the name "Long Beach" appears about 60
times in this one. Then comes the first of the only two Gangsta tracks
on this album. It's called "4 Eyes 2 Heads," and it is wicked!! It
features horrorcore elements, complemented by some Reggae.
"Jump Ta This" is what most G-Funk fans will jock from this
album. It has this ghetto-party vibe, and Warren's exclusive (but
overused) "Clappin' Hands" beat. The keyboards are fly, lyrics are on
point -- what else do you want? "Eastside LB" follows with some TIGHT
chorus and lyrics just payin' props to the Eastside of Long Beach.
"Sorry I Kept You" samples a Richard Pryor line at the beginning and
goes into these formulatic keyboards and Dr. Dre style bass lines.
Then there's "Journey Wit Me," which is the best track on the
album. It starts off with Tripp-loc rhyming over some low-volume
instruments but then -- BOOM!! The bass kicks in, the beat is flowin'
and the chorus is mad phat! "Hollywood," featuring Neb and Jahskillz
from the 5 Footer Crew, is about homies goin' Hollywood. I think Neb
and Jah are the PHATTEST female duo I've ever heard.
"First Round Draft Pick," originally featured on "Jason's Lyric"
soundtrack, and is another gangsta rhyme. This one, though, was a bit
too ruthless for me. The last track is "Pass It On," which is just
plain filler and just plain wack. Overall, though, for G-Funk fans,
this is one tight album.
pH Level - 4/pHine
***H***
Flash
-----
"THE SHOW" Soundtrack
(Island/Def Jam)
Was this a movie to sell a soundtrack, or a soundtrack to sell a
movie? Neither one seems to have anything to do with the other but a
name, except for one thing: both have some severe weaknesses despite
some phat moments of hip-hop.
Let me stick to this soundtrack though -- I'll let some movie
critic talk about the movie. I'm diggin into what's right on this album
for a start. The Redman-Method Man combo was a definite winner that,
like an EPMD reunion, was/is long overdue, and "How High" could hardly
get any higher.
"Fuck the Billboard, I'm a bullet on my block
How dope, when you pay, for your Billboard spot?"
-- Red
"Dig it, eff a rap critic, he talk about it while I live it"
-- Meth
The smaller but still grimee heads of Onyx represented pretty
well on this soundtrack as well with "Live." Musically it's dirty, and
lyrically it's shining like a flashlight on the ghettoes of AmeriKKKa:
"Even my man got killed, now his family's mourning,
but from all the dirt he did I know that, hell is callin'.
Went to his wake, and shit got held up
by niggaz with masks on they face. I couldn't escape; I was
stuck."
The elements here are discordant though -- does the raw vitality
of an Onyx cut like this belong on the same album with a pearl of Q-Tip
genius like the Tribe cut "Glamour and Glitz?"
"You can ask Bo, but yo, that nigga don't know
about the dominant factor, the accurate rapper.
Here's the next chapter, page ninety-five:
Niggaz so hard, it's a wonder they alive.
But yo, we still survive through the danger that lurks.
My eyes remain wide, while you ask like Urk,
and yo my Family Matters, so all you mad hatters
put your thinking caps on and motherfuckin' brainstorm."
These cuts and a few others from 2Pac, Suga T, and Kali Ranks
set it off nicely, but it really doesn't all hold together when you got
weak tracks like Jayo Felony and G-Funk shit like Dove Shack and The
Twinz. This really isn't a soundtrack of jack shit, it's more like Def
Jam's "95 Artist Highlights" sampler. If you want a Def Jam sampler or
are willing to pay for otherwise unavailable cuts by artists like Bone
Thugz-N-Harmony, then go for it. Otherwise, take a pass.
pH Level - 3/pHair
------------------------------------------------------------------------
We know.
1995 turned out to be a rough year for HardC.O.R.E. Most of our major
players found themselves on the move in the last twelve months -- Flash
to Iowa State University, Sleepy to Europe, David J. to his own crib in
Bull City, Professa R.A.P. to another school, not to mention a whole
slew of our writers came and went. Plus, problems with VNet Internet
Access in Charlotte, NC, led to the untimely demise of our listserver,
leaving a lot of our loyal readers in the dark as to where we were.
We've struggled to give hip-hop headz the quality publication they've
come to expect in 1995. That all changes now.
1996 is here, and HardC.O.R.E. shall once again be the first place hip-
hop heads look when they want to know what's up. We'll be out there
recruiting writers, building up our Web site, and covering any new
albums emerging in '96. Plus, with the help of Charles Isbell, we'll be
putting together a brand new mailing list, so that HardC.O.R.E. will be
delivered via e-mail, as it was in the beginning and shall continue to
be in the future. Keep an eye out on our web site and rec.music.hip-hop
for the complete 411, coming soon.
In the meantime, may the best of your 1995 be the worst of your 1996.
PEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAACE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
L8A...
David J.
