Anyway, it may be hard to believe considering how long these guys have been assembled under the banner, but apparently this is the debut album from the whole gang as a pack: Rap Camp, Vol. 1: The Flood. Previous compilations like Fresh Out Gurp City didn't count? I don't know; their press sheet calls this their debut. And like all music these days, it seems to be primarily a digital release; but I'm happy to report that there are actual physical copies in existence. You might have to contact them directly to cop a CD, or corner one of them at a show, because I can't find any place to order it. But they exist!
And how is it? Well, I'll be honest, it's overlong and I was a little disappointed with it at first. It reminds me of the Shady Records Re-Up album, where it feels like a bunch of artists you're a fan of have gotten together with some you're less familiar with to pound out a lot of songs pretty quickly. It starts out okay, with "Guess Who's Back," including some cool scratches on the hook, an enthusiastic posse cut vibe, all three MCs sound good riding the beat, and it's exciting when Luke clicks in at the end like a king. One thing I have to say about this album right off the bat is that the biggest names are heavily featured. You know, if you buy a D12 album, you don't want to find out Eminem's only on one song and you've wasted your money. That's definitely not an issue here; Luke and Z-Man are all over this. The only artist on here more than them is Eddie K (Bullet Proof Scratch Hamsters), who's on every song but one... I wonder if this song started out as an Eddie K album?
Anyway, back to Re-Up, or Rap Camp. The problem is we've got a lot of lyrically shallow verses over some pretty bland beats mostly by producers whose names I don't recognize as opposed to the more atmospheric or exciting work we've gotten used to on Gurp City projects. Tracks like "Drop It" sound like old strip club rap songs the genre left behind years ago, and others like "Mad Scientist" just don't have the energy to lift off the ground. A couple songs in, and the album starts to feel like a slog to get through. I don't mean to overstate my criticisms - things here never actually get bad per wack (though "Drop It" probably gets the closest), they just never aim high enough to hook you when there's so much other music out there you could listen to instead.
But, but, BUT! If you have the patience to stick with it, things pick up. The best stuff is mostly in the second half of the album, and there are some real gems. "Tribe & Brew" is a crazy duet between Eddie K and Luke Sick where they meld their Gurp styles with the instrumental and vocal stylings of A Tribe Called Quest. Even diggers who would normally pass over these guy's best stuff should at least check this song out; they'd get a real kick out of it and it's genuinely real funky. "Cups Up Off the Wall" is just a fun, old school throwback with a Kool & the Gang inspired chorus, and "Young Throats" has a smoothed out addictive track you're going to want to go back and replay immediately. They have moments where they take the alcoholic theme to interesting places with lines like "high tolerance but I ain't proud of it," you can just feel these guys' talent pushing at the seams to burst out.
So, ultimately, I'd say if you're a serious fan of these guys, you'll want to get this album, too. Again, like if you're a big Emzy fan, you'll want all his side projects and be happy finding all the points where he shines to appreciate. But if you're looking for the masterpieces, this ain't The Slim Shady EP; don't start here. Check out On Tilt or Yole Boys instead. Either way, though, at least go to their bandcamp and check out that "Tribe & Brew" cut; I'll really be surprised if you guys don't like it.
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