Redman - Muddy Waters

Having climbed out of the big pit of sand that he was buried in for the last album cover, Redman decided to head to the forest, cover himself in mud, and enter a seemingly abandoned shack with a rather random flower pot sitting on a table next to him, along with, oddly a microphone. Having taken a few hours to sit and reflect on the heavily drugged-up state he had allowed himself to get into during the past year or so, Red decided the best thing to do was make another album. And this is exactly what he did.

Muddy Waters has been touted by Redman as the moment he went back to normal, and the moment he climbed out of the theoretical "darkside" that he was engulfed by whilst recording his last album. And it's not only Red who likes it - the project is generally regarded to be Redman's finest work, and it is frequently thrown around in such lists as "best hip-hop albums of 1996" and "best albums to have their title ripped from a popular blues artist". It's no surprise that this is the case, though - Redman had proven himself to be incredible even when he was completely out of it on acid, so the prospects of a sober (well, sober from the HARD stuff, anyway - Red still smoked a lot of marijuana during the recording of this album, you can be sure of that) Red album was something that the public were chomping at the bit for by the time the album came out in late 1996.

For the first time ever, Red had let producers other than himself, Erick Sermon and Rockwilder (and Pete Rock, I suppose) into the studio, with there also being contributions from the likes of Ty Fyffe and Pras of the Fugees behind the boards on here. He also invited a little more guests, not only allowing Erick Sermon, Keith Murray, Def Squad affiliate Jamal and his close friend K-Solo to join him, but also the decidedly more well-known Method Man, and a pretty unknown duo called Xross-Breed, who consisted of Rockwilder (as a rapper!) and some chap called Napalm - nice name, I know. This was still a Redman album through and through, though, what with the frequently misspelt titles and large amounts of inane skits, as well as the ridiculously large amount of samples used on pretty much every song. But would it match up to his previous two albums, or would it lose that ridiculously funky Redman spark that allowed his first two efforts to be so great? Let's find out.

1. Intro (prod. Redman)

Reggie decided to start things off with one of the weirdest rap album intros of all time, consisting largely of his own manic chanting, mixed with jungle noises, and, uhh... a T-Rex? It's pretty hilarious though, even if the passengers of your taxi will look at you funny.

2. Iz He 4 Real (prod. Erick Sermon & Redman)

Following that weird-ass intro, we are immediately dropped into this funky-ass beat, with a repeated sample of "is he for real, he can't be" playing in the background, along with some comical ad-libbing, of course. When Red comes in, he takes it to another level with what is easily one of my favourite verses on the record - the opening line "somebody light the fuse so I can bring bad news to all these crews who can't NBA jam with the shoes" is just wonderful. This track is perfect as it is, but for those unsatisfied, the vinyl version of this album included an extended version of this song with a second verse - now that's dope!

3. Rock Da Spot (prod. Erick Sermon & Tyrone Fyffe)

In true Redman fashion, this one features two samples for the hook alone, one from The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Unbelievable" (the "rock da spot" loop), and also one from Busta Rhymes' "Everything Remains Raw" (some of the "yo"s in the background). The hook itself is good, but the verses are better, with Red bringing his all to this bangin' Erick Sermon instrumental. Excellent track.

4. Welcome (Interlude) (prod. Erick Sermon)

Starts off as an interlude that introduces us properly to the fake radio station that we will see a lot of on this album, but then transitions into an actual song, which is a good thing, as the verse on here is EXCELLENT, even if the beat is a little slow. Red referring to "most MCs" as "terrible" and "unbearable" is absolutely hil-arious, and the little bridge is fun as well. Nice stuff.

5. Case Closed (feat. Rockwilder & Napalm (aka Xross-Breed)) (prod. Rockwilder)

The first track to have featured vocalists is this Rockwilder-blessed track, that sounds quite a bit more melancholy than what you would expect Redman to rhyme over, what with the ominous piano keys and slower drum beat. Red sounds great on here, as you would probably expect, but the featured vocalists are not really up to par. I'd stick to the producing if I were you, Rockwilder.

6. Pick It Up (prod. Erick Sermon)

Probably the most popular song on this album, and it's terribly easy to see why. This is the shit, folks. Red's classic hook of "if you see a bag of weed on the floor, motherfucker, what the fuck you gon' do? Pick it up, pick it up" is phenomenal, and the verses are the best on this whole album - there, I said it. "Niggas be like "aw, he changed his style up" - shut the fuck up, you're still a dick rider!", and "ah-ha, where was I? Ah, yes, sippin' on Crystal with fingers up your bitch dress" are two of my favourite lines on here. This song is the epitome of shit talking, culminating on a rather obvious diss towards a certain Busta Rhymes - "I originated all that wild shit, that rah-rah shit" (a diss that sadly fails miserably, since Bus said that "rah-rah" line before anyone even knew who Red was, and before he even had a single out. Still sounds good though). Classic stuff.

7. Skit (prod. Redman)

Pretty fun skit that introduces the trials and tribulations of an unfortunate radio reporter who keeps running into trouble in the hoods he frequently reports from. The music at the start is also the same music sampled in Red's track "Noorotic", so that's interesting.

8. Smoke Buddah (prod. Redman)

From the David Attenborough documentary of the same name. Red's rather unhinged ode to his favourite pass-time is slightly tainted by the fact that this song is bloody CENSORED, which is annoying as hell. Also, that weird high-pitched voice from the "Rockafella" hook is back. Great. This song is still brilliant, though, what with the bouncy self-produced beat, and some great rhymes from Red. I used to have this as my favourite on the album, and I don't know what I was thinking back then, but this still does sound good.

9. Whateva Man (feat. Erick Sermon) (prod. Erick Sermon)

Even though he is credited as a feature, and it's his only vocal appearance on the album, Erick Sermon doesn't make much of an appearance here - his part is restricted to just a few bars during the middle of Red's first verse. However, by the time the wonderful second verse begins, we have all but forgotten about E's contribution. The second verse here is one of my favourites on the album - it's just so memorable, which is one of the best qualities a verse can have in my opinion (although lyrical proficiency has to be a factor in this too). I especially love the delivery on lines such as "I light your college dorm with my entourage from NEWARK!". Red is such a god, man. This beat is nice, as is the catchy hook. No wonder this, along with "Pick It Up", is one of the most popular songs on the album.

10. Chicken Head Convention (Skit) (prod. Redman)

Fucking horrible.

11. On Fire (prod. Erick Sermon)

The second Busta Rhymes sample on an album that also disses the shit out of him? Strange, that. The sample here, taken from Busta's song "It's A Party", is pretty nice, though, but the song as a whole is one of the least memorable here, and the beat gives me a bit of a headache if I'm honest. The hook does reuse lines from Red's "Tonight's Da Night", which is fun, I suppose.

12. Do What Ya Feel (feat. Method Man) (prod. Pras & Te-Bass Productions)

Putting your two most high-profile guests on the same track is an interesting choice, but okay. Xzibit did that on 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz as well, which I just recently reviewed. Pras' production on here is incredibly menacing and groovy, and is the perfect beat for Red and Meth to tear it up. This track is honestly on a par with their infamous first meet up, "How High", with the pair's chemistry being quite astonishing. Red's incredibly threatening line "That red dot on your forehead is not 'cause you're Arabian - watch what you say to him!" is the best on here, but there are loads of other great moments, too. Incredible song.

13. The Stick Up (Skit) (prod. Redman)

Seems that Red is going for the "2 songs--1 skit" formula here, which is a terrible idea, but OK. This skit is pretty fun, but Red would beat the joke into the ground over the course of his next three albums as if it was a fence post.

14. Creepin' (prod. Redman)

Very menacing track, and easily the most threatening on the album so far. I have no idea where the samples on the hook came from, but they sound good, and Red makes for a rather scary opponent on this track, especially during the loud delivery of the lines "and God forbid if you do a show in the BRICKS!". Very nice track, even with the extended instrumental outro.

15. It's Like That (My Big Brother) (feat. K-Solo) (prod. Redman)

The lead single, which may surprise a lot of people, as this track is pretty much forgotten today. No idea why, though, as this song is bloody INCREDIBLE. The energetic beat sounds like nothing we've heard on this album so far, and is quite refreshing, and both MCs go in. Red does the best, with his line "servin' over two billion motherfuckers a day like Mickey D's circular" being my favourite. I also love that part in the music video, where Red does a circular motion with each arm, which just looks hilarious. There's also a solo Redman version of the song called "That's How It Is (It's Like That)", which is worth checking too. Great track.

16. Da Bump (prod. Erick Sermon)

Known for sampling multiple lines from Reggie's earlier song "Tonight's Da Night", this track is also very good, if one of the first on here that doesn't have many lines that truly stand out to me. The beat does more than enough to make this a highlight, though - that is some smoo-ooth production.

17. Skit (prod. Redman)

And, we're back to the skits. See my comments on "Chicken Head Convention (Skit)".

18. Yesh Yesh Ya'll (prod. Erick Sermon)

Samples Common's "I Used To Love H.E.R." and Jayo Felony's "Niggas and Bitches", one of which is one of the most creative and impressive hip-hop songs of all time. See if you can guess which one. This track is notable for including a reference to 50 Cent before he had even started on Power Of the Dollar, and also is notable for being incredible. The verses from Red are phenomenal, and the beat is haunting and smooth as hell, like the one on the last song. That breakdown after the third verse is simply a wonderful piece of music. Classic track.

19. What U Lookin' 4 (prod. Rockwilder, co-prod. Redman)

It always confuses me when rappers used text speak in their song titles before texts even existed. This song is pretty solid, but definitely doesn't stand out much outside of the LL Cool J-interpolating chorus, with that "didi-dadi-da" in the background, which is just goofy as hell. Not bad, but my guess is you won't be rushing to return to this one.

20. Soopaman Luva 3 Interview (Skit) (prod. Redman)

Bloody hell, another skit? This is getting ridiculous. And I'd rather not have the image in my head of a girl crunching on a dick, thanks.

21. Soopaman Luva 3 (prod. Erick Sermon & Redman)

The Soopaman Luva is back, and his name has been inexplicably misspelled once again. Methinks Red's humour has gotten the better of him here. I know music is supposed to be fun, but jeez. Anyway, the first beat on here samples the same xylophone shit as Nas' "One Love", and like I said when I reviewed that song, Red rocks it better, and I am willing to be tortured to death on that hill. The first verse is nice, and the interlude that samples lines from "How High" sounded smooth as hell too. The second half tells an incredibly funny story that appears to diss Erick Sermon's ex-husband PMD at the end, which is hilarious, if a bit mean. No need to beat a dead horse, Redman. I kind of wish the beat didn't change in the middle, but still, this stands as the third great Soopaman Luva in a row.

22. Rollin' (prod. Erick Sermon)

Seems Limp Bizkit took some inspiration from early Redman, then! Does that list of artists ever end, though? Red has fun all over this rather intense Erick Sermon beat, bridging the perfect gap between his silly and scary sides, and this track appears to sum up the content of the album in a great way. The radio station outro where the host states "the dick is long but my time is short" makes me feel rather sentimental, actually.

23. Da Ill Out (feat. Keith Murray & Jamal) (prod. Erick Sermon)

Probably not the best way to end the album, what with this being arguably the worst Def Squad track ever (at least up until 2000, that is). This beat sounds kind of poignant, but lacks energy, and neither of the featured rappers make much of an impression, even the usually impressive Keith Murray, despite his ill-advised attempts at speed-rapping. Disappointing ending - this should have finished with "It's Like That" in my opinion. Now that would have been impactful.

Overall, Muddy Waters is the album that completes what is easily one of the best three album runs I have ever heard. Get rid of the skits, and this automatically becomes one of the waviest, smoothest, and funniest rap albums of all time. This album just IS Redman, and even though there are a small amount of weaker tracks here and there, the album remains pretty consistent all the way through. I wouldn't put it above Whut? Thee Album, because of those slightly weaker tracks, and also the fact that Whut? just has higher highs, but it's pretty damned close in my opinion, and a slight step above Dare Iz A Darkside as well. This album is the definition of a Red album, and easily stands as a massive classic in the '90s, as well as one of my favourite albums of 1996. This album is easily worth a listen, and if you haven't heard it yet, then please check it out ASAP. Legendary stuff.

Best Tracks: Iz He 4 Real, Rock Da Spot, Pick It Up, Smoke Buddah, Whateva Man, Do What Ya Feel, It's Like That (My Big Brother), Yesh Yesh Ya'll, Soopaman Luva 3

Worst Tracks: On Fire, Da Ill Out

For other Redman write-ups, go ahead and click here

Image for "It's Like That (My Big Brother)" taken from Discogs