Father MC's Day

Well, it's Father's Day weekend, so what better MC to blog about on this fine day? If you guessed Mama Mystique... you're probably over-thinking the question. No, if you don't recognize the picture cover photographed above, alongside our site's exclusive model (sorry, TMZ) Emma, that's Father MC's "Lisa Baby," the third big single off his debut album, appropriately titled Father's Day.

Like his previous singles, "Lisa Baby" is produced by ex-Fat Boy Prince Markie Dee and the Soul Convention, and like "Treat Them Like They Want To Be Treated," features an up-coming Jodeci singing the chorus. It's a pure, unadulterated example of new jack swing rap, and how much you like or detest that sub-genre will dictate what you think of this song. His previous singles, "Treat Them..." and "I'll Do for You" were elevated by the lyrics and the surprisingly strong R&B elements (Mary J. Blige, of course, standing out on the latter). Here, while Jodeci still sound solid, those elements don't really shine. Lines like "well, the joke's on you, so nibble on my Almond Joy" definitely reveal that we're operating in a lower strata this time around, and this whole narrative about Father getting pissy about the eponymous Lisa's questionable behavior lacks the universal appeal of his previous hits. So while the previous tracks rose above it, this one's really standing on the swing production, which is quite good as Mark & Mark proved themselves to be surprisingly masterful at it. So, like I said, your appreciation will depend entirely on just how keen you are on hearing some vintage new jack swing.

But even heads who aren't so big on that stuff tend to have some interest in this 12", because it features a robust collection of remixes, with one in particular standing out. I'll save that one for last.

The first version you'll come across on here is the Daddy Radio mix, produced by Jodeci's own Devante Swing. It's a pretty cool, tougher mix, that gets rid of some of the smooth keyboard tones in favor of playing up the banging percussion. Unsurprisingly, it also emphasizes Jodeci's role, including some new sung vocals, making their performance a little less repetitive than it was on the album version.

Devante also produced the Swing House mix, which is a weird little twist on the Daddy Radio mix. It's not really house... well, it sort of is. But it's more about just taking out a lot of Father's vocals... it almost sounds like an instrumental version that only leaves in Jodeci's parts, but then Father's stuff comes in at the end. I think they were just padding record with this one.

So, okay, you've got those two mixes, plus the LP version and an Instrumental. Now let's get to the ones collectors like. You've got two mixes here by Pete Rock. Now, there's nothing unusual about that; they're both major players in the Uptown fam (in fact, Father's Day is tastefully dedicated to Trouble T-Roy), and Pete would return to provide a beat for Father's third LP, Sex Is Law.

Well, first up, you've got the Smoothed Out mix. This one really doesn't sound like Pete's work at all, and I wonder if the credits aren't a little off here. I mean, maybe he was there in the studio and had some input on this; but it actually doesn't sound very removed from Devante's earlier mixes. It adds some hip-hop samples makes it a little more of a hardcore hip-hop track, most notably by completely removing Jodeci, replacing them with just a vocal sample saying "here we go!" The stand out moment is the breakdown where a DJ gets busy on the turntable. It's a dope little remix; and really not smoothed out at all (why did they call it that?); but I really wouldn't be surprised if Clark Kent or somebody else came out and said he really did that.

The final mix, however - the Hip-Hop Fat Mix? Now that is pure Pete Rock. While all the other remixes felt like variations of a single instrumental; this one is completely different. It's really sample based, and has a super funky bassline, plus some sweet horns. It does have the "here we go" vocal sample instead of Jodeci, which is probably why Pete gets credit for the Smoothed Out mix. He probably made this one (well, he surely did), and then somebody else just used pieces of it to construct that one. The turntable breakdown is here, too. It's really a rich, bumping track. Indeed, the only disappointing aspect is that it deserves better than this Father MC acappella. His poppy story doesn't really have the same vibe as Pete's creation, and it just raises the bar too high for this level of MCing. If this had Guru or somebody rhyming on it instead, I guarantee this would've been a hit, especially critically, that would last through the ages.

So yeah, this is a good single for Father MC fans, with some variations of one of his better, if not great, songs. And it's even a good single for non-Father MC fans, because it contains one of Pete Rock's greatest creations. Unfortunately, no, there is no instrumental for the Hip Hop Fat Mix; but the beat rides for almost two minutes after Father's final verse, with all the change-ups and everything. So that's almost the same end result. Throw in the fact that it comes in a colorful picture cover and can usually be found in record stores' cheap bins for ninety-nine cents or less; and this makes for a perfect little Father's Day gift for yourself.

The Quest For the Grail...

"The quest for the Grail is not archaeology; it's a race against evil!" - Indy's dad

The Source Magazine Is In the House

(Youtube version is here. ...Don't mind the background; just something I did to amuse myself.)

The NEW LA Dream Team

So, after The LA Dream Team broke up and Rudy Pardee brought it back as a solo act disguised as a Posse, Rudy and the Team dropped out of the scene again.  But they returned again, after some further retooling, three years later. This time they came out as DTP (not to be confused with Disturbing tha Peace), with some new members. It's a single called "100 Proof (To the Zoom)" on Excello Records, from 1993.

You might assume DTP stands for Dream Team Posse, like their last single... or maybe even Dream Team Productions or something.  But while I'm sure it's not just a coincidence that they have the same initials, apparently it stood for Diverse Thought Process, in honor of their newer, more diverse MCs... a white guy named Frenzy and a reggae rapper named Ragaman-T So unlike the Dream Team Posse record, it's not just Rudy rapping; all three cats are spitting here.

The first, opening track is "100 Proof," featuring DBS (Deep Brown Style) Mob. DBS is a group the Dream Team was going to produce and put out after their own project, but it never happened. So I'm pretty sure this is their only appearance on wax. I have to say, introducing the listeners to a new line-up of MCs with a posse cut featuring a whole other line-up of new MCs is kind of confusing. I had to listen to this a bunch of times just to sort out which verses were by who: who was a Dream Team guy, and which one? Who's one of these DBS cats? Is Rudy on here?

He is, but that's the other thing. Pardee has updated his voice and flow to fit in with the 90s, so his super-distinctive voice and flow is gone. It's a little disappointing, but he actually sounds alright like this, so it works for this record. The production style has also totally entered the 90s: harder, on the outer fringes of gangsta rap. Lyrically, they're weak; it's all substance-less just stringing words together for the sake of it, without even the clever wordplay of your average freestyle rhyme. I mean, none of it's really bad... it's just lyrical filler. But their flows are decent and distinctive; and the production - also by Pardee - is predictable (lots of samples we've heard before) but quite respectable.

Then we have the B-side, "Rockberry (Revisited)," a asequel to the Dream Team's oldest and still biggest hit, "Rockberry Jam." Old school artists making sequels to their classic hits on their comebacks pretty much never works (which doesn't seem to stop them from doing it), but this is actually not bad. It helps if you don't stress comparing it to the original and just take it on its own terms. The hook is almost exactly the same; with a girl doing her best impression of the original to the point where they might as well've just sampled the original. But apart from that, it's very different. The production isn't old school electro at all, it's another gangsta0ish track, including that famous horn riff from "Rump Shaker" and that N2Deep track. It does have a bouncey rhythm, so it's not totally dark or hardcore; but it's definitely inspired by the kind of sounds early Cypress Hill and the like were putting out back then.

There's a little reference to the Dream Team's break-up here... "What was the Dream Team now's DTP.. One minus one means you're funking with the three" [shouldn't that be "two minus one?"],  But for the most part, it's just more breezy freestyling.

So those are the only two songs listed on the cover; but there's actually a third track. It's a skit, just over 90 seconds long. that's, uh.... meant to be light-hearted and amusing, but it's more than a little bit racist against Indians. Anyway, it's really just a jokey ad for their upcoming DTP full-length, Foot Soldiers On Maneuvers. However that album never actually happened, and this is all we have of that project, or this new Dream Team line-up.

And that's actually a disappointment for me. This is no great, slept-on masterpiece I'm telling you guys about here, and it's no wonder this didn't blow up across the nation. Lyrically, it's riding on fumes and nothing here really stands out. The MCs sound like imitators of others who came before, and there's no fresh samples or catchy hook that's gonna get anybody excited. But I gotta say, this is endlessly relistenable. When I first got this, I had this in the car and just kept repeating it after it ended (except for the skit, once was enough for that). Rudy Pardee knew how to make a quality record sound good. And here he shows he could've done so with more styles than just the super old school throwback style he's always been associated with. I don't pine for the artistic loss to the hip-hop community that never got to hear this Frenzy dude or anything. But my biggest complaint about this single is that it feels short at only two songs long. If Foot Soldiers had come out, I would've gotten it, and I would've enjoyed it... which is more than I can say about most hip-hop albums being released today.

The Dream Team Gets Serious

Well, one half of The LA Dream Team gets serious, anyway. I already blogged about how Rudy Pardee kept the Team alive by releasing a record after they were dropped by MCA Records and Snake Puppy quit. But Rudy flew solo - or, at least, without his partner Snake - one other time; long before their time at MCA was up.

It was actually the year they made the jump from Macola Records to MCA. Freshly signed to a major, times were good for the Dream Team in 1986, but they were not so good for a large portion of the rest of the world. So Rudy agreed to lend his voice to a record that spoke up about it: "Apartheid (You Know It's a Crime!!)."

The record is actually credited to a pair of unknowns: C. Chris and Rich E. Rich, featuring Rudy Pardee. It's also produced by, as far as I know, a complete unknown named Pedie Cooper. In fact, it really seems to be Pedie's baby. Besides being the producer, he gets sole writing credit for the record, and the back cover writes out the lyrics where it again specifically credits that this is "by Pedie Cooper." As far as I know, neither Cooper nor the team of Chris and Rich went on to do anything else in the industry; and yet this was released on MCA Records. Did Pardee get his label to release this? Or is this record what wound up getting the Dream Team signed? I'm really not sure. But it's interesting to note that the lyrics are given a separate, earlier copyright of 1985, which means they were at least written before the Dream Team signed..

It all leaves us with a pretty unusual record. It's got a serious message, obviously; but the tone is pretty light. First of all, it's got a very 80's pop sound to it, not dissimilar from The Dream Team's MCA stuff, there's even an uncredited disco-style female singer who sounds rather cheerful as she repeatedly enunciates the title for the chorus. Rudy. Chris and Rich were doing that very popular in the 80s style of having all the MCs rhyme on all the verses, so they're constantly finishing each other's sentences or saying phrases in unison. And anyone familiar with The Dream Team knows Rudy's voice and flow are anything but somber; and he hasn't changed anything for this record.

And to top it all off, there's a silly Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood style opening, where a happy man tells us that "today's word is 'apartheid.' Can you say 'apartheid?' I knew you could..." This is all set to the whimsical notes of a music box until the big, punchy 80's production kicks in when the intro's over and it's time to rock.

I guess the idea was to combine a heaping dose of sugar with the medicine, so kids would buy this record and hear its message? If so, the dramatic, solid red picture cover doesn't seem to be in on the plan. The lyrics are effective and painting a vivid and very serious picture ("they have to carry passes just to walk down the street, and if they are caught after dark, you know they get beat"), but they're also clearly not written by an experienced songwriter, with stilted phrasing forced into the bars, and rhymes that just don't rhyme... You can hear the MCs change their pronunciation to try to make "you have heard" with "Africa" or "worse than dirt" with "to protest;" but there's no saving it. They're not even close to rhyming.

But for all those issues, there's just as much here that works. The production's actually good; and Pardee has a great voice, which is well suited for this kind of instrumental. Lyrically, it hits as often as it misses, and obviously its heart is in the right place. It's hard to know quite what to make of this 12" - there's nothing else on here but an Instrumental and Bonus Beats - except that it's the veritable dictionary definition of an 80's artifact, and another interesting little point in the Dream Team's saga.

Raw Factor 1.0

It doesn't scan that well; but the label
is actually a cool, reflective silver.

Don't get me wrong, "Raw Factor 2.0" was a good record, which I recommend... but it seemed a little bass ackwards to be getting 2.0 before getting the original. I'm pretty sure most of my readers know the story, but just to briefly recap: Omniscence is an ill, lyrical MC from North Carolina, who signed to East/West Records in the mid 90s. He put out a couple hot singles, got "Rhyme Of the Month" in The Source... but ultimately, the album never dropped. It was called Raw Factor and it was completed; but it never saw the light of day and fans have been holding the torch for this album over the decades. Well, finally, Dope Folks Records is putting it out... over a series of 12" singles. The first of which, titled Raw Factors, has just arrived.

So we have here the first three songs to be carried over from Omni and producer Fanatic's reels. And let me tell you, they have come out strong. even if you've downloaded the mixtape Omni released online years ago, you haven't heard these songs. There actually seem to be multiple, somewhat different mixes with mostly the same tracks but also some unique ones, floating around out there, all containing blends and snippets of songs from the ever-unreleased album. I've been going through all the ones I can find, and I'm pretty confident none of these three songs were ever included in any of those mixes - so these will be completely new to your ears.

Strictly speaking, however, only two were completely new to my ears.   You may've caught a post I made years ago about an Omniscence promo EP... a tape sent out to journalists in advance of the album that contained six songs that, at the time, everybody assumed would soon be featured on the upcoming Raw Factor album. Well, the last song on that 12", "Was It Just You," is the same as on that tape: "a smooth, cool out groove with some nice reggae verses at the beginning and end" (follow that link for a more substantial write-up with lyrics, etc). It's the same version... same beat, same rhymes, same hook. Now you can finally own it for yourself; I think you'll like it.

The other two songs are completely new to me, and what's more, I think they're two of his best cuts compared to any of the material from the mixtapes, singles, promo tape or anywhere else. "If You Got Beef" and the title track - finally we get to hear it - are two raw, freestyle tracks with Omni just going hard over some rugged beats. The punchlines he's so known for are definitely on hand.... but there's an edge here, further amplified by these two instrumentals, which are possibly the grittiest in his catalog. And he has a core of respectable authenticity that reminds me of Big L, as opposed to most "punchline rappers" who can come off as corny, bad stand-up comedians when they fill their songs with cheesy jokes, awkward similes and pop culture references. This 12" is a monster.

Now, coming with only three songs does seem a little light... how many volumes is it going to take for us to get the complete album? Eight? Yeesh. But this way, we do get the instrumental versions (all three are included on the B-side) that we never would've gotten had this album actually come out from East/West back in the day. So it's ultimately it's a superior product. And no matter how they organize them, come on, they're gonna be essential. After all, we've been waiting for this 1996.

Hip-Hop In Great Films: Frederick Wiseman

Frederick Wiseman is easily on the short list of greatest documentary filmmakers of all time... Errol Morris, The Maysles Brothers, Louis Malle, Werner Herzog (maybe the latter aren't generally considered documentary filmmakers, since they've done so many narrative films that tend to be better known, but they've both also made some fantastic docs). Wiseman stands easily right alongside them, a staple of documentary filmmaking since his controversial debut, Titticut Follies, in 1967. In some ways, his style is very "cinéma vérité"... there's no narration, graphics or formal structure  He has an amazing ability to to get candid footage, observing people and discovering surprisingly affecting moments in everyday life. His camera lingers - his films have been known to run over 6 hours long! - with long static shots of human behavior often in places you can't believe anybody would let a documentary filmmaker in to shoot. And he's been making documentaries steadily since his first, visiting all different locales and institutions, as recently as 2011's Crazy Horse.

And with all that filming in all different parts of the world and social strata over the decades, it's only natural that some hip-hop would leak its way in. It's pretty rare, though - I suspect he's really not a fan - but it does happen in the occasional film.

It happens in a very minor way in 1990's Central Park. A 176 minute film centered entirely in an exterior NYC location? It would be impossible for it not to. But it's surprisingly repressed. Weddings, rallies, late-night clean-up crews, (non-hip-hop) concerts, even private meetings of the park's council in their own homes. There's a fun, short roller-skating scene where they';re rolling to Johnny Kemp's "Just Got Paid," But for actual hip-hop, you only really hear it in snippets of radios playing in the background... super short clips of Rob Base and DJ EZ Rock's "It Takes Two" and Run DMC's "Run's House." And most substantially, around the hour and ten minutes mark, there's a cool montage of park activity set to Doug E Fresh's "Keep Rising To the Top."

But I almost throw Central Park in there just to be completist. Of the three, only the Doug E Fresh clip really even lasts long enough to make much of an impression. But hip-hop plays a bigger role in these next two films.

 

1986's Blind takes place entirely within The Alabama School for Blind and Deaf in Talladega, Alabama. It's a really deep and moving look at the aspects of blind children (including a couple of the cutest little kids pretty much any movie ever!). But 1985, Alabama - and a school for the blind at that - isn't exactly a place you'd expect to stumble upon any hip-hop. But yet it occurs quite naturally. It's Halloween time towards the end of the film, and the kids (who don't just attend the school in the daytime, by the way, but live there), are given a big costume party. It's a long, substantial scene, and during the entire time, they're dancing to Newcleus's "Jam On It." In a cleared cafeteria, little kids are attempting break-dancing and there's a DJ calling out over the record for everyone to get on the floor, etc. It goes on for several minutes, and then you think they're starting to transition out when they start showing close-ups of decorations and things; but then it comes right back to the party for Chilly B's verse. We get almost the entire song... taken out of context, it could practically be a music video for it.
There are even subtle narratives to be found on repeat watches if you pay careful attention... Early in the scene, we see a girl sitting at a table crying and a boy attempting to comfort her. Then, right near the end, we see the girl out dancing on the floor with that same boy.

And the Wiseman film that hip-hop plays the biggest part in is easily Public Housing. Focusing entirely on the Ida B. Wells Housing Development in Chicago in 1996. It's one of his most compelling films, exploring the aspects of life that film almost never looks at. And like Central Park, hip-hop is always surrounding the film, always ready to seep into the background soundtrack of its inhabitants daily life. There's a moment where they're having a small block party, with their boombox facing out the window, and somebody off-camera comments, "that's real music, not that electronic shit." But for all its little cameos, hip-hop stands out particularly in two scenes.

Spot the Rap-A-Lot t-shirt!

The first is a very incongruous moment. He's filming inside the hair salon, everybody's cheerful. If you're expecting a one-note "look at the terrible poverty" film; you'll be surprised at Wiseman's richer and more truthful work.  But to add another layer to it all, everybody's activity is all set to the music playing in their store, an extremely violent Spice 1 song (specifically "Born II Die," perhaps appropriately from the Tales From the Hood soundtrack), declaring, "I can't be fucked in this game; I'ma psychopath. My AK told me to shove him up some nigga's ass!" Most of you can probably imagine how your mothers, grandmothers or whoever would react if that popped on in their hair salon. And no, this wasn't a business full of teens. But this was Spice 1's audience, and heads were nodding, the mood was unbroken.

And the next moment is hip-hop's largest moment in a Wiseman film, and yet we don't actually hear any. Towards the end of Public Housing, there's a huge gathering outside. All the kids and half the adults are packed together, caught up in the excitement of a music video shoot that's come to be filmed in their projects. We basically never see the artist, and we never hear a note of the song. Just the crew in Berry Juice Records t-shirts trying to focus the excitement of the large crowd, a young man up above the fray on his camera mount, a young woman giving orders over a walkie-talkie. I've tracked down the song, and it turns out it's "A Better Day" by an obscure Chicago artist named Da Criminal, though you'd think he was a big time major label artist based on the scene in the film. But the film isn't interested in the rapper or the song; it's about the community and how this hip-hop event has changed their lives, at least for this one day.

These and almost all of Wiseman's other films (The Garden has been censored and nobody seems to care enough about Seraphita's Diary to release it) can be purchased direct from Wiseman's film company's website: zipporah.com.  I recommend them all, especially his early and mid-90's work, and not just the films with rap scenes.  :)

Update: Cee-Lo is singing, not rapping; so I'll leave it to you, the reader, to decide if this qualifies as Hip-Hop, but Gnarls Barkley comes up in the aforementioned Crazy Horse.  Towards the end of the film, which documents the inner workings of the Crazy Horse cabaret theater in Paris, there's a sequence where new dancers come in and audition.  And they're mostly dancing to, yes the most obvious choice, "Crazy."  It's actually a rather prominent feature.

Keef Murray

This record doesn't just scratch another high-priced banger off my Want List; it blows said banger away!  The original Keefy Keef 12" is the rare and impressive debut release of Keith Murray, before he was discovered my Erick Sermon and co*. It was a hot, little two-song single released on Great Music Vibrations in 1992, produced by - and featuring - Curt Cazal of the JVC Force. It's one of those records that's so limited and sought after that it was booted in the 2000s, and now even that bootleg goes for crazy money.

The title track is a cool, raw Keith Murray prototype that's as good as anything he's released since. His voice and flow is just like the Keith we all came to know and love when he blew our minds on No Pressure and "The Most Beautifullest..." In fact, you can even hear some lines here that would later go on to become famous later on ("so what you saying, black, with all that yakkity yak/").  And it's fun to think of Keith... sorry, Keef in the role of another ill-sounding JVC affiliate, like the great Sirocalot. He fills it so well. And there's even a little bit of "Strong Island" reprised in this instrumental.

Better loved than the A-side, though, is probably the B-side, a mini down-the-line posse cut with featuring Curt and a guy named Sham..And here's where this new version, on Chopped Herring Records, starts blowing the past versions out of the water. See, they didn't just repress the first 12", they went back to Curt's reels, mastered them, and have come up with an original demo version of "Three's Company." It's the same instrumental, but on this version, Curt's verse is completely different (like 100%, all new punchlines, etc). And at the end, there's now a fourth freestyle verse by Kelly Kel (a.k.a. Kel Vicious, who's been down with Keith since the very beginning, and is probably best known for his later Def Squad appearances). It kinda makes you wonder why they called it "Three's Company" if it originally featured four MCs, but anyway. Neither of these verses have ever been heard before.

And that's not the half! After this unheard Original Demo version of "Three's Company," we also get three also never before released tracks Keith recorded with Curt during that pre-Def Squad era. Suddenly this dope single is a whole EP, and the other tracks are definitely on par. All these tracks are produced by Cazal, too., and have an authentically pure, early 90's aesthetic to them. "Thoughts My Brain Consumes" is an unusually laid back track for Keith, with a narrative song-style; but it has a funky sample merged with a kicking drum set that's right out of the JVC playbook. "Flow Swiftly," on the other hand, is Keith flowing viciously and playing to his strengths. And finally, "Lethal Dosage" has him spitting over some traditional, old school samples. Playing it safe maybe, but it sounds good, and it's cool how they extend the horn sample from "My Philosophy" so we can hear how the rest of that original riff played out.

Chopped Herring continues their standard of excellence with a top notch release all the way. All five songs - plus the Acapela version of :Flow Swiftly," which is also included - sound great, taken and restored, as I mentioned, from Curt's original reels. It comes in a cool sticker cover (showing said reels), and as per usual, is limited to 300 copies... 75 pressed on clear(clear)  & black vinyl, 75 on silver (silver) & purple and the remaining 150 on your traditional black. This is another stellar release from Chopped Herring, one of the best probably even among their own catalog... But, if I could point out one little complaint: it would've been really nice if they'd also included the previously released version of "Three's Company." As it is, that version also as an exclusive Curt Cazal verse... and putting both versions on here would've made this completely definitive. I, and I think a lot of other fans and collectors, would've really appreciated that. But, putting aside what could've been and just taking this release as it is  - this is one exciting and terrific release. You should get it.


*His debut release, but not his debut appearance on wax... He actually had a cameo verse two years earlier on the LP of a guy named Mark Dee on MCA Records.

Trick Daddy (and Verb) Vs. Luke

(Youtube version is here.)

Z Dreams

Z-Man's a dude with a large catalog, so you're probably not really thirsting for new material from him like you might be for other artists who maybe even aren't quite as good. Even if you remove the disappointing side projects, like One Block Radius, Z has underground albums and cameos, and mp3-only joints for days. But, on the other hand, there's always more room for more Z. And in that spirit, I present to you: Concrete Dreams.

Concrete Dreams is a compilation album assembled by somebody named Bigg Tae, who I've never heard of, and featuring a long list of artists I've mostly never heard of, though they all seem to be from the Bay. It's a CD-only release from 2010, and I just randomly came across it and took notice because Z-Man's name appeared on the roster. I did also recognize one or two other artists who appear: Eddie K, Bored Stiff and Akil - assuming it's the same Akil. But it's mostly a big, long list of MCs (most of these songs feature at least 3-4 MCs per track, so there's a ton of guys) I've never heard of.

Z-Man appears on here four times, including one solo song, though. So if you're just picking this up for him, you're at least getting some decent Z for your buck. And if you're a big Bored Stiff fan, they're on here even more often.

(And just as an aside, the track-listing on the back cover and the one on the inside sleeve are different. The one on the back seems to be the accurate one.)

Now, to be clear, this Bigg Tae guy gets "arrangement" credit throughout; but he's not the producer here. Most of that's done by DJ 360, with one song apiece by JR Rotem, Big Shawn and D Whiz sprinkled in. I don't really know who 360 or D Whiz are, but Big Shawn's a member of Bored Stiff and JR Rotem's actually a big, commercial producer who does stuff for artists like Xzibit and Nicki Minaj. Most of the production, however, could be described simply as generic... passable, but too simplistic to really capture your attention. A few moments stand out: "Tonight" is a remake of DJ Quik's "Tonite," so that grabs you right away. But then you realize it just isn't as good as Quik's, so you'd be better off listening to the original. "Pay Back (Frisco Style)" is another one that stands out, as it liberally uses James Brown's "The Payback," just like EPMD, King T, and so many others before them. It may not get points for originality, but it's a classic for a reason and so still sounds dope regardless.

But, no, there are also some 360 beats that do sound superior to the majority. Entries like "Progression" and the Marvin Gaye sampling "Stay Alive" have a lusher, more involving feel. A lot of the songs seem to boil down to a steady, unexciting drum beat and two constant loops over the top. You know, the kind of song that goes "boop boop ba boop" endlessly and starts to make you go a little stir crazy. But basically when the samples get larger, or another couple elements are thrown into the mix (there are a bunch of R&B types singing hooks, for instance), it makes for a richer, more rewarding experience.

And fortunately, Z's solo cut is one of those moments. I mean, if you're a hardcore J5er here for Akil, you're going to be disappointed. He totally gets drowned out in posse cuts. After many listens, I'm still not sure I can pick out which verses (he has two) are his. In fact, I'm not even certain it's the same dude. Fortunately, none of that's the case with Z. It's  along parade of MCs with similar voices and flows, but Z's voice is so distinctive it immediately breaks through and says, "now listen here!" Even if you didn't get this disc as a Z fan and have no idea who he is, you'll know after listening to this album. He's the guy who stood the fuck out.

That said, does Z bring his A game here? Well, yes and no. Lyrically, he doesn't come with much on "I'm a Hustler." He sounds good, but as far as what he's saying, he just seems to be complaining about MCs being under-appreciated on the internet. On "Drink With Me," he's just on the hook, and the production's annoying, so forget that one. "Life Is What You Make It" is a little more interesting, more thoughtful, but still nothing to really get excited over.

So it's all about "Campaign or Complain," Z's solo cut, which is everything you'd hope for when picking this up. The production is hot, on the blaxploitation tip, and Z's personality is in full effect. He's sounding sick and his lyrics are tight:

"I'm still rappin' in this climate tryin' to be somebody
Rellies yellin': (you the nigga!) I can't believe nobody.
I'm jealous of nerds, jealous of Murs,
Jealous of Wale even though his shit gets on my nerves.
...Was that accurate?
Did I have to smack a bitch,
Sell my soul, turn your cipher to a sandwich?
I don't know; I'm from the 99 D,
With no overseer A&R to oversee me.
You know, ('Frisco!)
Home of the grindaholics,
In a zone, trying to roam through your rich pockets.
Your chick stopped us at the door."

The rest of this CD is okay. There are other nice little moments here and there. Bored Stiff has a couple solid songs like "The Right Way" and "Better Life." But as far as what you're really going to revisit and treasure? I'd say you'd be adding this CD to your collection for just one song. And it's worth it. It's that good.

By the way, if somebody assembled an exhaustively comprehensive, but really selective, Z-Man's Greatest Hits, I bet that album would blow a lot of unsuspecting minds.

Who Are The Ill Beingz? Learn Along With Werner, part 6

So I was at the final HPRS record sale last (don't be too sad, I expect they'll find another location again sooner or later), and I came across this record in a dollar crate.  The Ill Beingz, never heard of 'em, but their name sounded... well, right on the line between promising and corny. Don't recognize the label, and the producer, Tyffe, doesn't ring any bells. 2002 isn't a good year (early 90s would've given me higher hopes); but look, that bonus track is featuring Razah. I bet that's Hell Razah from Sunz of Man. Alright, I'm curious enough for a buck.

It comes with a press sheet folded inside - I love when that happens. We'll get some answers now. Well, it's not so much a proper press sheet as it is a printed letter from AJ Woodson (why yes, that is AJ Rok of JVC Force) writing on behalf of Big Mouth Ntertainment[sic.] to the DJs receiving this record on their mailing list. He says, "NOW I KNOW THIS IS DIFFERENT FROM THE UNDERGROUND JOINTZ YOU ARE USED TO RECEIVING FROM YA FAVORITE BIG MOUTH PROMOTER, BUT EVEN WITH THAT SAID I STILL WILL BE LOOKING FOR LOTS OF LUV, LOTS OF CHART ACTION, LOTS OF AIRPLAY, YA HEARD." Well, crap, that doesn't exactly fill me with hope. Googling the group, I see they have an album for this single, Wild Amerika. It has one of the most heinous album covers I've ever seen; but I didn't find any real substantive info apart from that.

So okay, let's listen to this. Taking it out of the sleeve and I see the A-side, the label side that was blocked by the press sheet, is called "Milkshake." If I'd seen that, I probably would've left it in the store; but too late now. It's in my house, so let's play it.

Ugh. It's just as bad as you would think a 2002 song called "Milkshake" would be. The production is muddy and lifeless, the hook is boring and the lyrics are junk. The only upside is the MCs are all kicking a Twista-like flow, I guess inspired by Crucial Conflict and that kinda stuff, just five or six years too late. This beat is so slow that it doesn't really work, but at least it suggests the MCs might have worthwhile talent if they weren't squandering it on such a shitty attempt at an unappealing crossover. let's see if I can muster the strength to lift this record and flip to the B-side.

Alright, this is better. It's called "Carolina," and this time the instrumental is actually something you might choose to listen to without being forced. It also emphasizes the vocals so the MCs actually sound good. Interestingly, though, they're rhyming much slower; they sound more like generic NY MCs. Think of Terror Squad with no Pun. Lyrically, they're just repping their hood, but they sound invested in it; like they have something to say this time around, even if it's nothing profound; and so you actually wind up caring what they're spitting. They even have a couple nice rhymes.

Well, that's got me more hopeful for this last Bonus Track, "Play Around." And it is even better. Again, they're much more in NY gangsta-mode, and the beat has a catchy fake horn sample and a head-nodding beat. Even the sung hook is cool. I don't think it's actually Hell Razah on the track, but that's okay. These guys actually hold their own pretty well now.

In a world where there's eighty bajillion hip-hop records out, and hundreds more being recorded every day, I doubt I'll end up revisiting this one much. I can't say I really recommend the purchase; but you could definitely put this in a set or on a mixtape and ride to it. Except the A-side, fuck that shit. I'm not surprised their album never took off; but if these guys had come up under the right producer at the right time, they definitely could've had some moderate hit records and a brief but respectable career. In the end, I'm about as happy with my purchase as I expected to be. And hey, at least we learned a little something.