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-- Stephanie Taylor
504 BOYZ, Goodfellas, No Limit -- Finis Dailey
RAH DIGGA, Dirty Harriet, Elektra -- J Rough
COMMON, Like Water For Chocolate, MCA -- Mason Storm
THE MURDERERS, Irv Gotti Presents..., Murder Inc. -- Brentwood
ICE CUBE, War & Peace Vol. 2, Priority -- Mason Storm
SCREWBALL, Y2K, Tommy Boy -- Sam
VARIOUS ARTISTS, A Tribute to Roger Troutman, Thump -- Mason Storm
VARIOUS ARTISTS, Black and White Soundtrack, Ghet-O-Vision -- Sam
More reviews on Big Pun, the Lox and Beanie Sigel... All contents ©1994-2001 The 411 Online
LIL' KIM, Notorious K.I.M., Atlantic
Hot damn, here we go again! The Queen Bee of the industry is back. Now
go apologize to the record store clerk who you harassed after she came wetter
than a hurricane on Mobb Deep's "Quiet Storm" remix. Things only got worse
for you hip-hop fiends when she spit, "It was like a I was a n---- they be
riding my d---" with Black Rob on "Espacio." When Kim and her new
twins graced the covers of Vibe, The Source, XXL and Honey you jetted to your
local bootleg dealer for a dose, the most potent of the mix being "Suck My
D---" Ahhhh, "Suck My D---" is just what the doctor ordered. Lil' Kim
depicts every scorned woman's secret fantasy when she spits, "Imagine if I
was a dude hittin' cats from the back with no strings attached/ Yeah, n----,
picture that/ I'll treat y'all n------ like y'all treat us/ No doubt/ Hey yo,
yo, yo come here come here so I can bust in your mouth."
"No Matter What They Say," the first single off of Notorious K.I.M., is one
of several cuts, like "Who's Number One?" "Notorious K.I.M." and "Off the
Wall," that will be the summer soundtrack for club hoppers and jeep bumpers.
Critics who thought all she could do is rap about suck this, f--- that, well... bap! Take that! I know it's hard for some of y'all to believe that a woman
can write rhymes as nice and nasty as "Kill you and cut the head off your
babysitter," but the Queen Bee shows she, not Notorious B.I.G., is
responsible for her stinging lyrics and sometimes slow, sometimes quick
flow. Kim offers a soulful reflection of her emotional drama with Biggie
while Mary J. Blige lends advice on the hook of "Hold On," desperately
telling her, "If you believe it will get better." Even a little ol' time
rock and roll can be heard when the screaming guitars of Pat Benatar's "Heartbreaker" provide the background for "Don't Mess With Me." Don't fret, there's a little
something, something for hardcore hip-hop heads with "Lil' Drummer Boy,"
featuring Cee-Lo of Goodie Mob and Redman, and "Queen B---- Pt. 2 " with Puff.
Kim's repetitive references to oral, anal, every, and any kind of sex may
turn off some, but it will surely turn on many. It's the corny verses by
Lil' Cease and Junior Mafia that insult, rather than compliment the Queen Bee's
tight flow. Despite these imperfections, Notorious K.I.M. proves that she is
the baddest bitch, if not one of the baddest MCs to date. Trust me. She did all y'all favor by pushing her album back. Click here to find out how to buy this album.
1997: Nino Brown and G-Money: 504 Boyz, Goodfellas -- Coming soon. 1998: Nino Brown and G-Money: 504 Boyz, Goodfellas -- Coming soon. 1999: Nino Brown, Vito and G-Money: 504 Boyz, Goodfellas -- Coming soon. 2000: Master P Presents: The 504 Boyz, Goodfellas. After 4 years of coming soon posters, the 504 Boyz album is here!! P, C,
Silkk and Mystikal on the same disc? Awesome!! Huh? Mystikal is only on three songs? I know that even No Limit has to show off its new talent, but couldn't they do that later? Aw
hell, I guess I need to be unbiased, huh? The CD starts off with a little
conversation between P and his son. His son hints that this CD features
Krazy, a rapper that sounds just like 2Pac. Trust me, the resemblance is
uncanny. The song "Roll, Roll" kicks off the CD, and in typical No Limit
fashion, the production is probably some of the tightest on the disc. But
then again, you have to have an awesome first song. This is where we get our
first taste of Krazy's rapping stylings. Trust me, he sounds just like
2Pac. Then, Mac, Krazy and D.I.G. come clean on "Big Toys." After that is
"Whodi," a song that is kind of plain as far as the music goes. Then we have
"Wobble, Wobble." I don't care what you say, I like the song. Then there's
"Check'em," where P goes head-to-head with Baby Girl, the NL's version of
Trina. She shuts P up, callin' him a stunter and a waste of time! Damn...
that's some rough stuff there. Then we have "Uptown." Skip. Then there's "I
Can Tell." What the hell? A No Limit sex 'em up song? Skip. Then, after a
commercial break with Mean Green, we got "If You Real, Keep it Real." Here,
P & Silkk talk bad about some ex-No Limit soldiers that fell off. P tells
the fake ones that "they better go join the Navy, 'cause you can't f---
with this army." Silkk said it best by saying "Them n----- fake, P. That's
why there was no f----- songs with them." That tells us what happened to
the soldiers that we never heard from. I guess we need to check Cash
Money's roster in the next few months. Then, after Mac's "Beefing" (betrayal
by a fellow soldier) and "We Bust" (Silkk, 2Pa... I mean, Krazy, and the
Ghetto Commission), we got "Thug Girl II." Skip. Then we got "Life is
Serious." Erica Fox is doing the vocals, with P, Krazy and Mac reminiscing
about somebody that done passed on and how their family is coping. It's a
decent song, but it's no "I Miss My Homies." Then, we got "Them Boyz."
Skip. And after that, "Moving Things." Skip. Then, we got a commercial
advertising P's new line of clothes. 'Nuff said. Then, there's "D-Game"
featuring Krazy, P, and Terror. This beat is weird. It's not enough to
make you skip the song, but it is enough to make you wonder what the Neptunes
were on when they made this song. Then, after X-Con comes at you with
"Enemies," we get a taste of Snoop, P, and Krazy on some colonial Italian
sh-- in "Souljas." This is a bad ass song. The flute and strings are just
awesome, and the bass line will have your head bobbing. Then, we have Magic
on "No Limit," one of the best songs I've heard all year. Here, Magic lets
us know how proud he is to be a No Limit soldier. But he also tells us that
it ain't all about the cash and cars. First, he lets us know that he's
working hard to heal those that he hurt when he was coming up. Then, in one
of the most profound verses ever put together, he spits this jewel: "Who
said that money makes you happy? It could never bring back my daddy/ So,
f--- the Navi and the Caddie/ I'm hopin' y'all can hear me, 'cause I'm
speakin' this from the heart/ Me and my fans? Never torn apart." All other
MCs take note. Magic knows that the money don't determine how far you go.
After all that, "Say Bruh" (the Radio version) sends the disc off on a good
note. Overall, this is a good CD. While those five songs I suggest that you
skip hurt this CD, the other songs, especially Magic's song (which I suggest
should be put on his next solo album), help the 504 Boyz hustle for a $20.
Click here to find out how to buy this album.
The emergence of Flipmode female Rah Digga brings to mind classic XX-chromosomed MCs like MC Lyte, who didn't rely on sex appeal to sell records (and therefore in most cases didn't). So it comes as no surprise that Digga drops Lyte's name on "What They Call Me," just four tracks into an album laced with old school beats and hooks. That classic feel can be a good and bad thing. The good is a tribute to KRS-One and BDP's "Jimmy." The bad is the tired call-and-response technique on "Do the Ladies Run This..." It might still work at live shows, but Luke played that sh-- out on his albums back in the day. It's also apparently a good thing that we were introduced to Rah Digga so far in advance on Flipmode's album and two lead singles, "Tight" and "Imperial," because she doesn't even rhyme on her own album until the second track, "Harriet Thugman," which is just over a minute long. Lyrically, Rah drops more names in her metaphors than Byron Allen. Nowhere is this more obvious than on "Curtains," on which Cam'ron, the Beatnuts, Silkk the Shocker, Inga "Foxy Brown" Marchand and Shawn Carter are among those that get name-checked.
Of course, the entire Flipmode Squad represents on "Just For You," and "On Wit The Swerve" features Rah's other crew, the Outsidaz. Dirty Harriet is a fresh blast from the past that hopefully represents a new direction for female MCs to follow. Click here to find out how to buy this album.
"Why is Common's fourth album so damn tight?" Common and Mos Def didn't ask this question on the track they shared on Like Water For Chocolate, but maybe they should have. "The Questions" in particular brings to mind A Tribe Called Quest's "What," but in truth the whole album is reminiscent of Tribe's finest. This should come as no surprise considering that Jay Dee of The Ummah produced most of the tracks. The continuity of the album is unbelieveable -- one sonic masterpiece flows to the next with ease. Add Common's always-solid lyrics and you've got a classic joint. The album starts off strong with "Time Travelin'," "Heat" and "Cold Blooded," but it hits full stride with "Dooinit," "The Light" and "Funky for You." After that it's over. DJ Premier steps behind the boards for "The 6th Sense," MC Lyte makes an appearance on "A Film Called Pimp," Slum Village shows up for "Thelonious," D'Angelo adds soul to "Geto Heaven Part Two" and Goodie Mob's Cee-Lo lends his trademark singing voice to "A Song for Assata." Tackling topics that are a little deeper than your average MC's, Common has taken it to the next level with this one. Put simply, the rest of the industry will be hard-pressed to top Like Water For Chocolate for album of the year honors. Click here to find out how to buy this album.
With the first release off his Murder Inc. label, Irv Gotti is out to
prove that it still is "murdah." After a number of delays (some due to the album's title) Gotti brings his burgeoning crew of murderers, anchored by Ja
Rule, to the table. While this is not the much-rumored Murder Inc. project
made up of DMX, Jigga, and Ja, it is still a solid album. Joining Ja on this
lyrical "hit" are Black Child, Tah Murder, O-1 (one of Ja's partners from the Cash Money Clique), Ronnie Bumps, and Vida -- the murder mommi you'll remember as Hottie Tottie from Hype Williams' "Belly." Throughout the album, the crew as a whole is given ample opportunity
to prove themselves, although Black Child and Tah Murder are given the most
attention. The album is 17 cuts deep, although three of them ("We Murderers
Baby" -- "Next Friday" soundtrack, "How Many Wanna Die?" -- "Light it Up" soundtrack, and
"Holla, Holla" remix featuring Jigga, Memphis Bleek and Busta Rhymes) are
previous releases. The tightest cuts on the album are collaborations between
the group members at the beginning of the disc. The early portion of the
album is highlighted by the "Rocky"-inspired lead single and video, "We
Don't Give a F---," the intro-themed "Dem N-----," and the up-tempo "Sh--
Gets Ugly," where Vida and Ja are especially tight. Another highlight is the
surprise DMX solo banger, "Tales From the Darkside." The majority of the second half gives listeners a taste of what the "newer" members of the group are about. Vida shows she's capable of carrying a track on "Vida, Vida," while Tah Murder holds his own on "Get it Right," and Black Child fares well on the laid-back "Black or White." While most of
the album is tight, especially for a "new" group, there are a few tracks
that don't quite pop off like the rest. "We Getting High Tonight" and "If You
Were My B----" seem somewhat out of place and a few of the hooks could have
been improved. However, the album as a whole is pretty solid. This is especially true
of Ja Rule, who has yet to slow down after his breakthrough Venni,
Vetti, Vecci and looks primed to hold down the summer with his sophomore
release. With his first project, Irv Gotti and crew definitely deserve a $20
spot. Click here to find out how to buy this album.
Ice Cube has a habit of starting his albums off with a bang. From his angry death row inmate that leads into "N---- You Love To Hate" on Amerikkka's Most Wanted to the shot he administers to Mr. White on Lethal Injection, Cube has always provided infamous intros. Not this time. Instead of a skit, Cube kicks off his latest with a simple "Hello." But for the guests on the opening track -- Dr. Dre and M.C. Ren -- there's no need for introductions as they reunite N.W.A for the second time in just a few months in preparation for a full-fledged reunion later this year. In the meantime, Cube has provided some of his best solo work in years. Besides "Hello," standout tracks include "Until We Rich," which features Krayzie Bone and serves as the first single; "You Ain't Gotta Lie (Ta Kick It)," which stars Chris Rock doing what he does best; and "You Can Do It" from the "Next Friday" soundtrack. And the second half of the album becomes "Jackin' For Beats" all over again. "Gotta Be Insanity" lifts the same beat as Too Short's "Pimp the Ho" and E-40's "I Like What You Do To Me," and then Cube serves up a double dose of EPMD sampling on "Record Company Pimpin'" and "Waitin' Ta Hate." The former provides an update to "Please Listen to My Demo," while the latter jacks "So Whatcha Sayin'." All in all it's an album that's easy to get hooked on. Click here to find out how to buy this album.
This is no 'let's be peaceful and dance'-type music. This is your old 'bang your head, you got beef, let the gat handle it'-type sh--. Screwball consists of four members -- KL, Hostyle, Poet and Kyron -- and not one of them give a crap what you think. "That Sh--" starts the album off on a good note. Poet starts the beat down: "Motherf-----, I came to get mine/ when it's ready, have that money on time/ Or out comes my nine, put it to your mind/ and blow that sh--, on some real Poet sh--/ My clique be G.I. Joe and sh--/ Big guns and army pants/ That where I spit my advance/ so y'all n----- ain't got a chance/ F--- who's the nicest." The CD gets grimier and grimier as "F.A.Y.B.A.N. (F--- All You B---- A-- N-----)" follows up the last track. Screwball will "Take It There" with Capone-N-Noreaga -- this is the best verse by Capone or Noreaga in a while. The title track has Screwball talking about what they will be doing after "Y2K." "Seen It All" has good production by DJ Premier but that's about it. "Somebody Gotta Do It" featuring Triple Seis is the dance song, but don't get it twisted, it's still grimy. "You Love To Hear The Stories" featuring MC Shan shows how much love Screwball has got for QB. "The Heat Is On" bounces with Mobb Deep's Prodigy and QB representative Godfather Don. "The Blocks" featuring Nature is an utter sleeper. "No Exceptions" brings in Big Noyd, who does his thing, but he's really the only one. "The Operation" -- snore. "Urban Warfare" is a dis at Rudy Giuliani, funny sh--. "Who Shot Rudy?" is probably the best song on the album. It illustrates what would be the aftermath if Rudy got killed: "Ay-yo, who shot Rudy in broad daylight for cash?/ I woke up this morning and hear the newsflash/ They said it happened down at City Hall/ He had his wife with him, shot from the crowd made him fall/ It was chaos and pandemonium/ blood covered up the podium/ Covered his face, and wouldn't show me him/ I had to see if it was true/ Secret service was mad nervous, so was the boys in blue/ Scatterin', like rats and ants, with the lights on/ Manhunt the suspect all night long/ Interrupted episodes, every channel show/ Barricaded the city and blocked every road/ Jakes in riot gear, blacks smilin' it is." "Biz Interlude" is a good track that showcases some beatboxing by Biz Markie. "H-O-S-T-Y-L-E" is some true old school. Hostyle shows why he should be considered a candidate for Artist Of The Year. "Zoning" is absolutely the stupidest song on the album. Screwball does what every artist wants to do on "Attention: A&R Department," but you've got to listen to it to get the full effect of it. "On The Real" sounds like it should have been on the Mobb Deep album. Screwball is definetly a different kind of crew, but they dwell on the same subjects too much. They should try to stray away from the hardcore subjects more on their next album and it will probably be a 50. Click here to find out how to buy this album.
Hip-hop lost one of its greatest influences when Roger Troutman was
shot and killed outside his recording studio last year. Troutman's works had
been sampled in more than 500 songs at the time of his death, and his
trademark talk-box sound provided the inspiration for several more. In all,
Troutman contributed to 58 gold albums, 28 platinum albums and 21
multi-platinum albums. Now, Thump Records has compiled a collection of 11
hits plus three new songs on A Tribute to Roger Troutman. Not a greatest
hits or a trendy cover album, this album truly is a "tribute," because each
song took a different piece of Troutman's work and turned it into something
new and different -- and in many cases turned it into a hit. Hip-hop classics
like EPMD's "You Gots To Chill," 2Pac and Dr. Dre's "California Love" and
M.C. Breed's "Ain't No Future In Yo' Frontin'" play alongside R&B jams like
Jodeci's "What About Us," H-Town's "Knockin' Da Boots" and Blackstreet's
"Booti Call." The album also digs up gems like Ronnie Hudson's "West Coast
Poplock" and one-hit wonder Paperboy's "Ditty." The three new songs don't
stack up to the rest of the album, but it's fitting that "Cali4yey" gets
funk-influenced Ant Banks and Too Short a spot on the album. But with so
many tracks to pick from, the album would have been better served by using
three more classic cuts instead of trying to create new ones. Click here to find out how to buy this album.
Contrary to the title, this soundtrack is mostly black, with only one hip-hop track by a white
boy. The CD starts out well with a violin-produced track by The American Cream
Team featuring Raekwon and RZA called "It's Not A Game." Classic verses are
traded over this kick back and relax track, especially from the RZA. Peep the
classic Wu flow: "I burst like a sea crackin' through the earth/flower
blossomin'/for your rhyme sickness spittin' anti-toxin/best merc/get your
neck jerked/dynamic mic teck squirt/lyrics splurt blast the expert/to his
head 'till his legs hurt/knees become wobbly/King got love-love/born equal
equality/bring bodily harm/probably bust a brain artery/kidnap the track."
Following up that Wu banger, you're hit with Xzibit's explosive trunk
rattler "Year 2000," definitely some of the tightest X to the Z lyrics
you'll hear since the "At The Speed Of Life" LP. Up next is another banger
provided by Prodigy of the legendary Mobb Deep, called "Don't Be A Follower."
After these three guaranteed hits, I thought for sure the hype would start
dying down. But believe me it doesn't, you then get an earful of "Dramacide"
performed by the late Latino rapper Big Pun collaborating with Kool G Rap,
the beat is provided by the X-ecutioners. Never have I heard such master
turntablism since DJ Premier's "Deep Concentration." Everlast doesn't bring much with "Life's A B----;" neither
does Raekwon on his solo track, "Wake Up." Dead Prez shows their militant
stance on "Dem Crazy," named after Bob Marley's song "Them Crazy Bald Heads."
The song also features Stephen Marley and The Ghetto Youth Crew and the beat
goes well with Dead Prez's laid-back flow. "Stand For Something" has Chip
Banks from American Cream Team and 2Pac's protégés, The Outlawz, rhyming over
a bouncy, almost Latino-inspired track. The Outlawz shine better than they
ever have -- you can actually hear the 2Pac in each one of them. "Middle
Finger Attitude" by the American Cream Team is one of the biggest sleepers
on the album, with the young crew spitting uninspired verses. At this point
the album goes into a downhill slump of heavy metal, "You'll Never Be Better
Than Me" by Queen Bee and Joe Hooker, and R&B, "You" by Samuel Christian
featuring Mos Def, "You're A Big Girl Now" by LV and "Free" by Michael
Fredo. Although the album falls into the "just another movie soundtrack" category, I
would still recommend buying it just for the beginning half of it. Click here to find out how to buy this album.