Allah U Akbar

When Grand Puba left Brand Nubian (uh, the first time), there was a lot of question about whether the group would hold up. Sure, we knew from "Concerto In X Minor" that Puba wasn't the only praise-worthy mic holder in the group, but it was still pretty unclear what would be left when you took out the most dynamic element. Think Fugees minus Lauryn. And regardless of the creative content, I remember being pretty convinced at the time that this second album was going to be a one-off for devotees and the final Nubian album. It was a good look that Elektra didn't drop them right there.

And Elektra was surely all the more nervous when they first heard the single they'd soon be offering up to the public. "Allah U Akbar" certainly didn't have the upbeat swing of "One for All," the crossover sound of "Slow Down" or a collection of witty one-liners from Puba. A gritty self-produced beat, some tough lyrics ("So if you’re feeling lucky, then come and catch a buck. How could I kill a man? Well, I just don’t give a fuck! ...We’re bound to win, 'cause God don’t like ugly. You'll get slugged, rushed, raped, robbed and mugged, G.") and an attention-getting vocal loop for a hook added up to a pretty rugged debut. Even just the title... of course, it's a very positive saying (it means "Allah is the greatest;" it's a saying of praise); but I don't think it was an easy sell to MTV's advertisers in '92.

But lyrically, except for some standard NY tough talk in the mix, it's actually a pretty simple reintroduction of themselves. Sadat lays down the plot of their return:

"The deuce crew of the new makes the whole shit clear, yeah.
Give the question - I’m tired of brothers guessin'.
The Nubian name
Brought the X a lot of fame,
But wouldn’t it be a shame if it all up and ended?
That ain’t the plan I had, and shit like that ain’t intended."

It's really just a simple, unpretentious single to say, "hey we're back!" And the B-side is even less pretentious: another album track called "Steal Ya 'Ho." It's kind of a lighthearted extension of Jamar's line from "All for One," "every time I drop a rhyme to show Jamal is intellectual... girls wanna get sexual," with the pair kicking somewhat dirty raps about girls over another self-produced beat.

By the way - a quick aside to discuss dates. Discogs for some reason lists this single as coming out in1993, as opposed to the album and the "Punks Jump Up" single, which they list as 1992. But I could swear this one actually dropped first. And just check the scan I posted: the date is clearly labeled 1992. At any rate, this definitely came out around the earlier side of things, and their biggest hit from the album, "Love Me Or Leave Me Alone," came later.

So, okay, back to the music. Besides the two songs, and instrumentals, we also get two remixes - one of each song, both also self-produced. The "Steal Ya 'Ho" remix is interesting... it takes out the familiar funk guitar and replaces it with a simpler, grittier beat that draws you in more with the bassline. It's kinda cool, but would be non-essential except for the fact that it's also a lyrical remix. So it's essentially a whole new song, with new lyrics and instrumental. ...Not one of Brand Nubian's better songs, mind you (lyrically, it's kinda lame), but still.

And the same goes for "Allah U Akbar" - it's not just an instrumental remix (this one's more smoothed out and kinda cool), but it's a lyrical remix as well. This mix is way more in tune with what you'd probably have expected from the song in the first place: Five Percenter talk, social and political commentary, shots at the devil. This time around Jamar's on some righteous shit. And Sadat, well...

"Your raggedy ass women, they always be lustin'.
Pale, skinny creatures with subhuman features.
Have you ever noticed when it rains and their hair gets wet,
That it stinks so bad it makes you have to jet?"

So, it's not exactly a remix I'd recommend casually around the office. But if you like your Brand Nubian records O.G. and edgy, I don't see how you could resist adding it to your collection.

4 From the Nubians

This is a compelling, yet confusing, little release on a label that specializes in both compelling and confusing releases: a 4-track 12" by Brand Nubians featuring Grand Puba on Echo International in '99. Now, calling them the Brand Nubians may've been an error, or it may've been a creative attempt to circumvent legal hassles with BN's record label(s)... but in either case, there is historical precedent for use of the name. Their 1989 debut single for Elektra was actually "Brand Nubian" by Brand Nubians ...although that, too, may've been an error on the label's part. But I don't call this record confusing because of a niggling "s," but because of how random the track-listing is.

Two of these songs had previously been released, so let's get those out of the way first. The first song on side A is "Play It Cool." Ok, well "Play It Cool" originally appeared on Grand Puba's second album, 2000 (which, despite its name, was released in 1995). It was noteworthy at the time, because it was the first collaboration between Puba and Brand Nubian after he and Alamo left the group in 1991 - it's a duet with Sadat X, and it's over one of the nicest beats on the album, provided by Minnesota.

Ok, now let's flip this over to the second song on side B: "Kick Styles." This one's a little tricky, because they've changed the name on us, but this song was also previously released. "Kick Styles" is actually "I Flip Styles," a nice, 12" only-cut that was featured as the exclusive B-side to DITC's "All Love" 12". It features Puba, Sadat X and Diamond D over a track that Diamond also produced. Ha - you try to trick me, Echo International, but the Werner is too smart for you! :-D

Alright, but now let's get to the reason to actually buy this 12" - the exclusive stuff. First up is "Time To Put It On," a Grand Puba solo joint. It's got a funky, slow beat with deep horns and a hook that goes, "Grand Puba time to bag the dough. Stud Doogie and Alamo; time to put it on." A large chunk of the lyrics are lifted from his single "Amazing" (although it's clearly a different recording, since a few words are different... for instance what was "trippin' MCs up like astroturf" there is "trippin' niggas up like astroturf" here). So it's a new hook and beat with those old rhymes, but then when he reaches what would've been the end of the verse in "Amazing," he keeps rhyming new lyrics we haven't heard before:

"My lingo's like a Thursday night on the church bingo.
My props to Paul McCartney, John Lennon and Ringo.
If I was in South Africa, I'd be a mandingo,
Creepin' through the bush lookin' for a joint single.
So come on, give a nigga his. I'ma earn mine,
But I'll catch ya all on the next time."

And finally is another Grand Puba joint, this time entitled "Don't Change." Interestingly, he date-checks 1994 in the lyrics to this one, so I guess Echo is digging deep in the vaults here. It's a duet with a female R&B singer - essentially another follow-up to "What's the 411?" If you asked me to take a guess, I'd hypothesize that this was meant for 2000, but then they ultimately decided they didn't want another song of this nature for that album and left it off. The lyrics to this one are pretty much all new this time, although he lifts one of his own punchlines from the song "Amazing"... Yes, that line was used in "Time To Put It On," too! "It's the New York shocker representin' like a Knickerbocker; watch me get it cookin' like Betty Crocker," becomes "representin' New York like a Knickerbocker, shuttin' down MCs like a pair of Blue Blockers." It's a nice track with a smooth soul sample. He refers to his partner as "Mariah," and it certainly sounds like Mariah Carey... but it's hard to imagine his label opting to not release a duet with an mega-celebrity like Mariah! But it sure sounds like her to me, and he calls her "Mariah" more than once. So you make the call.

So this is another one of Echo's nice, may-or-may-not-be-a-bootleg releases. It's definitely worth any Puba fan's time to pick this one up for the unreleased joints. And even the two previously released ones are at least good selections. And it goes for cheap, which is nice. But it raises some good questions for anyone ever interviewing Grand Puba...

Where the Hell Is My Wise Intelligent?!

"Blackdraft" is an okay track off of Professor Griff's third album, notable for its deep, slow bassline and catchy sax sample over the hook. Like the picture cover suggests, Society and Griff share equal time on the mic here. Society was somewhat involved with the previous album, getting a co-production credit on one or two tracks, but by Disturb N tha Peace, he was as much a part of things as Griff himself, essentially joining the Professor's production crew The Soul Society (Griff, Tone Control and Kavon Shah), appearing on most of the songs, including this and the lead single, "Sista Sista;" and even getting "mix," "illustration" and "album concept" credits in the album's liner notes (and there weren't even any illustrations!). And after this, Society went solo (though Griff and co. were still down and involved with his project). ...But back to this 12". It also includes the instrumental, "blaccapella" and two remix* versions of the title track, both by Griff and Society. For my money, the Blacksteel Pineal Gland Mix is gonna be your "Blackdraft" of choice.

But let's face it, unless you're a hardcore Griff fan (and why not; his albums were all pretty underrated after all), the real reason you're buying this 12" is because the sticker promises, "The Pre-Released Remix of Verbal Intercourse Featuring Brand Nu-Bians [their hyphenation and pluralization, not mine] & Poor Righteous Teachers." Now, the original "Verbal Intercourse" isn't actually on Disturb N tha Peace, but his previous album, Kao's II Wiz *7* Dome; and except for a brief vocal sample of the phrase "Verbal Intercourse" that turns up at the very end of the tune, the two versions are completely unrelated to each other. The original was a subtle and expertly produced track (again by The Soul Society), that followed a fun, back & forth, question and answer flow like, "why does the devil keep callin' our people Africans? To keep the people divided and not knowin' who's your brother man."

On the other hand, this "pre-release remix" (whatever that means... it certainly wasn't released before the original version, like the name would imply) dumps the original lyrics, dumps the instrumental, and dumps the whole concept. Suddenly, it's a posse cut that uses a very familiar, hardcore piano loop [damn, I wish I could remember where it was originally from; I can hear it in my head... it's become a staple for freestyles now, like the "Tried By 12" beat] for the hook, and swaps that out with a toned down, catchy bass and occassional blaring horn sample underneath the verses. Griff takes the mic first, followed by an MC I can't name (the 12"'s credits aren't too helpful here; they just say, "featuring Brand Nubians, Wise Intelligent of Poor Righteous Teachers"), then after the hook, Lord Jamar and Sadat X each take a verse. After the third hook, Society gets on the mic, and then Griff comes back to round out the show. It's tight, but... wait a minute. Where was Wise Intelligent?

Now, admittedly, I couldn't identify that first MC after Griff, but there's no way that was Wise Intelligent. Actually, I'm guessing that Wise Intelligent was the voice we sort of hear at the beginning of the song... there's an intro where someone is talking (it sounds like an answering machine message in low, static quality), but we can't hear what's being said because vocal samples of "understand, man" "check this out" and "verbal intercourse" are being repeated over and over at a much higher volume. I have had my ear to the speaker and the volume turned way up and it is IMPOSSIBLE to tell what he's saying, or even if that's Wise Intelligent. I don't particularly recognize his usually distinctive voice; I'm just assuming it must be him because he sure isn't anywhere else on the record. What a frikkin' rip-off.

And there's one more piece to this puzzle that actually just confuses matters more. The liner notes for Disturb N tha Peace, specifically the track "Respect tha Art-Kill-Tech," say, "additional voice by Lord Jamar of 'Verbal Intercourse.'" Now there's absolutely no one saying anything on that track except Professor Griff, but there are two vocal samples being cut up during the hook. One is clearly taken from the opening of Naughty By Nature's "OPP" ("drop a load on 'em"), but the other one COULD be Lord Jamar's voice, saying something like "educate the youth." It's hard to make out just what he's saying or if that's Jamar, but comparing the two back to back I can tell you it's definitely NOT a line from his verse on "Verbal Intercourse." ...Griff's albums are frustrating in that they have extensive, detailed liner notes, but it's still impossible to tell who's contributing what to each song. >:[

Anyway, this 12" also features one more number - the album track, "107. Point Live (At the Slave Theater)," a surprisingly grimy, east coast sounding track, featuring members of his posse Nappy Ness, Buda, Tech "G" and Studdah, again produced by The Soul Society and with constant scratching by DJ Toomp (a DJ who worked with MC Shy D, Poison Clan, and went on to form 2 Nazty with Brother Marquis). It's kinda like a Rumpletilskinz track, but rougher than anything they managed to release. Griff gets on at the end, and doesn't come as ill/ hardcore as his crew before him, but still manages to hold his own.

So, yeah. It's definitely a 12" worth having, even if you're not otherwise a Griff fan. Just don't go into it like I did, expecting to hear Wise Intelligent, and you won't be disappointed. Besides, the awkwardly homoerotic overtones of the picture cover (not just that they both have their shirts off, but the way that Society is positioned just behind Griff like that...) demand a place in any hip-hop lover's collection.

As to where they are now, well... I already posted Griff's myspace in my last entry. Society, meanwhile, signed to Slip-N-Slide records in the late 90's, even appearing on Trick Daddy's album, www.thug.com. Society's album never came out, and he pretty much disappeared from the scene. He did drop one or two verses on Griff's fourth album, but no longer seemed to be involved in the production and as far as I know he hasn't had anything to do with Griff's new stuff.

*Fun fact: according to the notes on this 12", the word "remix" is actually an acronym for "Rule Equality Master Islam X." If you missed it, kids, ridiculous acronyms were all the rage in hip-hop from the late 80's straight into the early 2000's, when Killah Priest finally took it too far and killed the whole thing.

Tags: Professor Griff, Society, Wise Intelligent, Brand Nubian, Lord Jamar, Sadat X, Poor Righteous Teachers

Snagglepuss Week, Day 2

^Video blog!!
(Again... this is original content created for this blog; not just linking something by somebody else.)

Tags: Snagglepuss, Brand Nubian

Unreleased Slick Rick, Chapter One

Note: if you haven't already, please read my intro post first. :)

Ok. The first unreleased Slick Rick song we're going to look at really isn't so "unreleased." Don't get me wrong, most of the tracks marked unreleased are some real hard-to-find or genuinely never-before-released tracks that'll give any digger a struggle scratching off their want lists. But not this one.

"Why You Doing That" is straight off of Mix Master G-Flexx's We Shine album. It's a compilation album of all new collaborations with him producing tracks for various hip-hop artists (the single was a track with Mad Lion), that received a very wide commercial release. Out here in Jersey, it was in every store at both my local malls (Sam Goody's, The Wiz, etc). You can buy it off Amazon for a penny.

This song was released again, in 2003, on Mix Master G-Flexx's Platinum Sounds album, on the admittedly pretty obscure label, LoveCat Music. That album's more of a career retrospective for G-Flexx, I guess, and features many of the same songs as We Shine. Eight, in fact. You might feel a bit jerked buying one if you already have the other, but anyway, you can get Platinum Sounds directly from the label's site, lovecatmusic.com or from CDBaby.com.

I'm guessing what happened here is that J-Love stumbled onto this white label 12" single (pictured), and not knowing about the G-Flexx album(s), thought this was otherwise unreleased. The label is certainly bereft of useful information, not even telling you the name of the artists featured. In any case, it's a really great song. It's got a pretty mellow, understated track with a nice horn sample on the chorus, and Slick Rick, in full earnest-examination-of-his-relationships-slash-storytelling mode, is at the top of his game, lyrically:

"Up against the wall, minding my biz at the Roxies',
Then I hear a reggae joint - nice jingle,
Slow grindin' on me like a motherfucker's single...
A model! That's all she wrote.
I was this close to shoving my tongue down the bitch' throat:
'Luh luh luh luh!'
Anyway, actin' like we screwin',
And her sis come, askin' how my girl doin'.
(You know) we broke up, sorta, and ignored her."

I mean, how many rappers will drop lines like, "My girl stayed home; what a bummer! Now when the phone bill come, I gotta hide that shit from her." That right there is why Slick Rick needs to come out with a new album! And not overload it with high profile guest stars and irritating skits this time. ...But I digress.

The B-side to this 12" is Brand Nubian - "Comming [sic.] Thru (Main Mix)." Don't get too, "oh wow; I never heard of that one before!" though (like I did when I first picked this up), because it's actually just a mis-titling of "Straight Outta Now Rule" from their Foundation album (that's the one where Grand Puba reunited with the group).

If you want the 12" (the sound quality is good, but there's only "Main Mix"es included for each), it can still be found pretty easily... I guess a lot of copies were pressed up. As of this writing, there's at least one copy for sale at gemm.com.

Ok, that's it for today. Next time, will be a more fun and obscure one. :)