Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest

Following his disastrous year of 1999, in which he not only put out music videos dancing with Puff, but also two albums, the first of which was (unfairly) considered mediocre, and the second of which was considered to be fit only for the incinerator, Nasir "Nas" Jones decided it was time that he left the limelight  for a moment to pursue other ventures, including going to the hospital to chat shit about Puff Daddy with his newly injured manager Steve Stoute, and walking around his old Queensbridge Projects to find himself some random drug dealers that he thought looked like they might be good rappers. The second of these two activities led Nas to the idea of, instead of another solo album that year, releasing a compilation record of various songs by all of his new weed carriers, as well as some of the other QB rappers that had already established themselves. And so, in late 2000, Nas & Ill Will Records Presents: QB Finest was born.

While the album art looked a bit cheap and thrown together (the photo of Nas on the back was taken from the It Was Written liner notes, therefore taken four years earlier), the feature and production list certainly didn't. As well as various unknown artists including the Bravehearts (dammit!!), Pop (?) and Millennium Thug, we did also see appearances from Cormega, Capone, Noreaga, MC Shan and, most importantly, both members of Mobb Deep, who, if you remember, were still clinging onto their primes by this point. Behind the boards, the album was mostly backed by production work from L.E.S., who isn't always consistent, but still had provided Nas with some great instrumentals throughout the '90s. We also had beats from Havoc, EZ Elpee (who was on fire at the time), Scott Storch, and most importantly The Alchemist, who had proven over the past couple of years to be one of the best producers in the game. 

This thing looked exciting, then, and even managed to spawn a hit single in the shape of "Oochie Wally (Remix)", a song that admittedly did give Jay-Z some ammo to go against Nas in the pair's eventual beef. The project was also fairly well received, at least in terms of the songs by established artists, so that's good. But is this Nas side project really worth checking out at all, or is it doomed to the same dungeon as Nastradamus for Nas album failures? Well, only one way to find out.

1. Intro (performed by Jungle & Wiz) (prod. L.E.S.)

Overly long and pretentious intro with a pretty annoying beat in the background. This shit is incredibly off-putting. Also, why is this one "performed by" Jungle and Wiz, when the rest of the songs are "featuring" the performing artists? That's just baffling.

2. Da Bridge 2001 (feat. Nas, Capone, Mobb Deep, Tradegy, Nature, MC Shan, Marley Marl, Cormega & Millenium Thug) (prod. L.E.S., co-prod. Nas)

A remake of MC Shan's 1986 Queensbridge classic "The Bridge", an enormous posse cut made all the more impressive by the fact that they actually got Shan to contribute a new verse. Nice! Shan starts things off with an old-school flow, but it's my opinion that Havoc, and more clearly Nas are the two that steal this one, the latter coming through with a Jay-Z poking contribution outweighing all those on Nastradamus with ease. No-one does too badly on here, though (besides Prodigy, who sounds weirdly sleepy) - Cormega is memorable, Nature charming as ever and both Capone and Tragedy Khadafi do what they do. This beat sounds anthemic too. Incredible opening track.

3. We Live This (feat. Havoc, Big Noyd & Shante) (prod. Havoc)

Awfully repetitive chorus aside (this will become a theme), I found this one to be a pretty entertaining track too. Havoc's intense production is damn nice on here, and him and Big Noyd both deliver some pretty stellar verses here too, despite reliance on generic subject matter. Roxanne Shante was an unusual choice for the song, but props to her for coming out of retirement for an early 2000s gangsta rap cut I suppose. As I said, the hook is rubbish, but otherwise I liked this a lot.

4. Real Niggas (feat. Nas & Ruc) (prod. L.E.S. & Nas)

I don't know who put the stage name "Ruc" into this guy's head, but whoever it was should be fired immediately for incompetence in the workplace. I mean, Ruc? That's your stage name? Asides from that, I also find Ruc's voice to be pretty bloody uninteresting if I'm honest, even if some of his lyrics are pretty fun - "license plate screaming "fuck you!!"". As for Nas, he appears to have regressed to the incredibly dull delivery that was in abundance on his Nastradamus album. Another repetitive chorus truly does send this track to the dumpster. Still, at least the instrumental is nice, and props to Nas for admitting towards the end that he has repeated the chorus so much that the gimmick is now buried deep in the inner core. Self awareness is always a face saver, ain't it?

5. Find Ya Wealth (feat. Nas) (prod. L.E.S. & Nas)

The only solo Nasir track on this compilation LP, and it's bloody excellent. This one was allegedly cut from the I Am... The Autobiography sessions, but I'm glad it was resurfaced here, as this is one of the nicest songs in Nas' whole catalogue. The L.E.S. beat on here is easily one of the best the man ever put his mind to, offering an eerie boom-bap feel that gives Nas the perfect backing to tell the tales of his own journey to stardom, delivering the overall positive message that you will be and are good at something - you just need to "find ya wealth". The hook is also catchy as hell, and Nas' short bursts of singing here and there don't ruin things either. Very nice cut.

6. Straight Outta Q.B. (feat. Jungle, Cormega & Poet) (prod. L.E.S., co-prod. Cormega)

While I appreciated the remake of "The Bridge", which bought together a slew of Queensbridge legends to make a song that sounded like something entirely new, this cover of N.W.A.'s "Straight Outta Compton" fails to do either of these things, instead sounding redundant and gimmicky, and also not making sense to cover, as that song was originally a dedication to Compton, not Queensbridge. Sorry guys, but I can't be doing with this one.

7. Oochie Wally (Remix) (feat. Nas & Bravehearts) (prod. EZ Elpee)

I have no idea where the original version of this song went, but the remix is the far more popular version anyway, released as a single and making it onto the album. This song is, to put it nicely, fucking awful. When I listened to the album for the first time, I found this to be pretty memorable and catchy, but the more I familiarise myself with the abrasive hook, horribly cheap production and frankly godawful rapping I can confidently say that Jay-Z had a right to diss Nas over this one, even though Horse doesn't really do any better than Nasir on here. And some of the lyrics on here man... "Grab her hair, slap her ass, she screaming like she dying!" - I mean, what the fuck sort of imagery is that?? I was a fan of "You Owe Me", but this?? This can get the fuck out!

8. Our Way (feat. Capone-N-Noreaga & Iman Thug) (prod. Scott Storch)

A racket. Sorry, but that's all there is to say here. Scott Storch's beat might have been nice, but the fact that there seem to be about five different people talking at any one time here is just too off-putting and annoying.

9. Fire (feat. Nature) (prod. L.E.S.)

While a lot of people would have much preferred Cormega to remain in The Firm rather than be replaced by Nature, I personally believe that the latter is actually a solid MC who doesn't get the respect he deserves, and therefore I was pretty excited to see that he had a solo cut on this compilation. While L.E.S. disappoints behind the boards with a beat as dull and cheap as a packet of Tesco's bran flakes, Nature comes through with some solid verses, that admittedly do utilise the homophobic f-word twice (!), which means this track did not age well at all. The line "my man's callin' shit fire, I just call it flames" sounds a bit stupid too, as it seems to defeat the point of the song, but otherwise I must say that I enjoyed this one quite a bit more than the previous three.

10. Power Rap (Freestyle Interlude) (feat. Prodigy of Mobb Deep) (prod. Havoc)

Personally, I found Prodigy to actually have the worst verse on the earlier track "Da Bridge 2001", but bearing in mind that this came out during the H.N.I.C. era rather than the Infamy era (when P, to put things respectfully, fell the fuck off), I was still very excited for this track, and it didn't dissapoint. This one was apparently cut from the original Murda Muzik tracklist, and it is up to par with some of the best from that album - Havoc's chilled out beat is haunting and also relaxing, and Prodigy sounds absolutely in his element over this one with some brilliant flows and bars throughout - "you're growling all over the tape, you get chewed when I touch that shit". Excellent cut.

11. Street Glory (feat. Nas & Pop) (prod. L.E.S.)

Having gone for a quick cry in a back room after recording the dismal "Oochie Wally (Remix)" (or perhaps a quick fuck), Nas has returned for this cut with another unknown chappie, "Pop", who, like Ruc, has a painfully awful stage name. While this track title might lead you to believe that this was going to be another generic "I'm known in the streets" rap, it's actually quite different, with Nas and Pop speaking on how attempts to gain "street glory" when living in the hood will potentially get you into even worse situations than what you were in before, and over some dramatic L.E.S. production that gives a very clean vibe. Nas sounds much more Stillmatic than Nastradamus on here, which is obviously a good thing, but it's surprisingly Pop who steals the show, with an incredible verse that exemplifies the negatives of trying to be successful in the hood. Nas also drops a line that leads the listener to believe that Pop is the same person as Blitz the Ambassador, who appeared on the song "Every Ghetto" on Stillmatic. I mean, they do sound similar...

12. We Break Bread (feat. Lord Black, Littles, Craig G. & Chaos) (prod. L.E.S. & Precision)

No idea who Lord Black or Chaos are, but I know that Littles was a Mobb Deep affiliate for a short while, and Craig G. was featured on classic '80s rap track, Marley Marl's "The Symphony", so there we go. Since I don't really care about any of these people, I find my interest in this song waning fairly quickly, and I'm sure yours will as well, at least for the first two verses. Littles and Craig G. (with an extra long verse) both do OK, but I'm overall underwhelmed with this one, even if the production is pretty nice.

13. Money (feat. Mr. Challish) (prod. Alchemist)

Being an unknown rapper and calling your first song on wax "Money" is surely a bit like entering a singles bar wearing brown trousers and a wool sweater - no-one's going to notice you. The only thing that this one has going for it is the production from The Alchemist, his only contribution to this LP, but even that is pretty dull, attempting to be dramatic, but sounding inconsequential next to these generic lyrics. Still, I like the line "it's money over niggas, ESPECIALLY YOU!!", a rare sign of addressing the listener on a rap album (of course Prodigy did it in a much more creative manner on "Shook Ones Pt. II", but still).

14. Self Conscience (feat. Prodigy of Mobb Deep & Nas) (prod. Mike "Trauma" D. & Jugrnaut of the Infinite Arkatechz)

Speaking of Prodigy, here he is again! Infinite Arkatechz have apparently sampled Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" for this one, although there's no credit for this inside the booklet. Prodigy handles most of this one, having a conversation with his own conscience, which puts itself as his number one guy, over P's friends and family. Nas pops in at the end for a solid verse too, but you really listen to this one for Prodigy's incredible lyrics and concept over this haunting beat - this track is one of the best he ever did.

15. Die 4 (feat. Infamous Mobb) (prod. Plain Truth)

One of the goofiest beats on here stands as backing for the underwhelming Infamous Mobb, who are standing in for Nas' weed carriers on this one I suppose. Twin Gambino does OK here, but both G.O.D. and Ty Nitty are as generic as usual. And could these guys not have thought of a more inventive name? 

16. Kids In Da PJ's (feat. Nas, Bravehearts & Millennium Thug) (prod. Infinite Arkatechz)

By far the most sentimental record on here, "Kids In Da PJ's" is far better than the horrific title and Bravehearts feature would lead you to believe. Infinite Arkatechz are back, and produce a flute-led beat with a background choir that fits very well with this subject matter, and could bring a tear to the eye of the more weak-hearted. Nas' hook is iffy, but his verse more than makes up for it, and his seat warmers also do fairly good jobs for themselves on here - a lot better than whatever the fuck they attempted on "Quiet Niggas" (from Nastradamus). Surprisingly good.

The following song is listed as a Bonus Track.

17. Teenage Thug (feat. Nas & Millennium Thug) (prod. Al West)

Despite the apparently motivational subject matter, this song almost crosses the line into "club banger" territory, what with the electronic beat and scratching of Nas' vocals towards the end. I do enjoy Nas on here, but Millennium Thug is nothing but extra baggage - no disrespect, but that guy is incredibly uninteresting. This hook is also honestly miserable - it's yet another that simply repeats the title of the song, and while that was par for the course in the early '90s, it's unacceptable for 2000. This isn't awful, but it's also quite a bit worse than I remember. 

If this was somehow released as a studio album, then it would be one of the weakest in Nas' catalogue, but as a compilation, QB Finest is actually pretty damned good. The fact that it's a compilation means that you're supposed to take just some tracks and run away, and it isn't intended to be a cohesive or consistent experience. And with that in mind, almost half of these tracks are truly great. The beats on this thing are almost always stellar, and Nas seems to have gotten back into his bag after falling out and rolling onto the floor for Nastradamus. Meanwhile some of the other rappers present do their thing too - Prodigy delivers two of his best post- Hell On Earth performances, easily, and there are great verses on here too from Havoc, Big Noyd and even Pop. The clear issue with this is the abundance of truly dull rappers, who do appear frequently on this album, ruining some actually decent beats like those on "Money" and "Real Niggas" with inane rhymes about shit that's already been discussed a million times before. So, yeah, it isn't that consistent, and for a showcase of the unknown Queensbridge MCs this is pretty bad, given that pretty much all of the good performances come from those that were already established, but for a compilation put together by Nas shortly after Nastradamus, this thing is surprisingly competent, and fans of Nasir Jones and Mobb Deep should definitely delve into this, after consulting the paragraph below. This was pretty damned good,

Now, since this is a compilation of random songs, I've decided to do a different metric for track rankings. I'll be listing the "good tracks", the "mid tracks" and "the bad tracks", and getting every single song on here into each category. This seems to me like a better way of picking apart the thing, and finding the good within the compilation, and chucking out the filler cuts that only the performers actually thought sounded serviceable. Capiche? Good.

The Good: "Da Bridge 2001", "We Live This", "Find Ya Wealth", "Fire", "Power Rap (Freestyle Interlude)", "Street Glory", "Self Conscience", "Kids In Da PJ's"

The Mid: "Straight Outta Q.B.", "We Break Bread", "Money", "Teenage Thug"

The Bad: "Intro", "Real Niggas", "Oochie Wally (Remix)", "Our Way", "Die 4"

If you want to read about more Nas, click here. Oh, you want Mobb Deep too? Well, if you insist...

All images taken from Discogs

Mobb Deep - Juvenile Hell

In the early '90s, as the West Coast was still dominating the hip-hop scene thanks to constant classic records from the likes of Ice Cube, Snoop Dogg, Dr. Dre and others, the East Coast was beginning to come together in the depths of the underground to make an attempt to regain the hip-hop throne that they built in the first place. Artists such as Wu-Tang Clan, The Notorious B.I.G., Nas and Redman were all rising up out of New York to battle for hip-hop stardom with incredible and highly impressive records, a theoretical battle that would of course become very real as 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. decided to have a very intense and in the end very tragic public feud. The mid '90s were about to become what are unanimously considered the best years in hip-hop history, as everyone was making sure to make the absolute best music they could to help their coast to the top. And one of the defining East Coast artists from this era would be legendary Queensbridge duo Mobb Deep.

Unlike Nas and Biggie, however, it would take the Mobb, who consisted of rapper/producer Havoc and rapper Prodigy (R.I.P.), until their second album to get the props they were desperately searching for from the hip-hop world. Their first effort, the 4th & Broadway release Juvenile Hell, went as undetected as a cricket in the centre of a wheat field, and those that did hear the effort tended to see the album as a promising start from two MCs who still had a long, long way to go before they reached legendary status. The project itself was pretty generic as an early '90s East Coast release - it had a lot of simplistic bassy and/or jazzy beats, call-and-response hooks and incredibly elementary rhymes from P and Hav, MCs who would go on to be considered some of the best to ever hold a mic, especially the former of those two. The thing differentiating it was the surprisingly violent lyrical content, which could have probably been predicted by the aggressive cover art. 

The album was largely produced by Havoc, who was still making those generic beats at this time, and hadn't yet reached his status of being one of the best producers in the game. However, we did also have some more well-known names in the shape of DJ Premier and Large Professor, both of whom contributed one instrumental each, and then there were some other chaps on here too that didn't bother to think up of a producer alias. As for features, though, there was only one, "the infamous..." Big Noyd, ironic as no-one outside of Mobb Deep fans have actually heard of him. The album was fairly short though, so I guess more guests than that would have been overkill. Still, a Q-Tip or Busta Rhymes feature would have been nice, but you can't have everything.

So, is this project worth checking out, or does it deserve to be left in the pile of "irrelevant debut albums" along with Words From the Genius and Infinite? Let's have a look.

Side note: tracks credited as being produced by Mobb Deep are most likely done entirely by Havoc, as Prodigy isn't a producer, and doesn't claim to be.

1. Intro (prod. Mobb Deep)

Fans of The Infamous and Hell On Earth will already be turned off by this spoken intro, something missing from those two classic efforts, but still, at least there's a nice instrumental in the background.

2. Me & My Crew (prod. Keith Spencer & Dale Hogan)

I have to say that this is definitely one of the better songs on this album. The bassline and jazzy sound effects in this instrumental (provided by Keith Spencer and Dale Hogan - c'mon guys, you can be more creative with the names than that) are pretty nice, and both Havoc and Prodigy deliver some excellent verses on this one, with great lines including "I catch wreck with the Einstein's intellect, and get stupid like a Stimulated Dummies mix". I'm not a fan of the hook at all, and the song's a little too long, but still not a bad way to open the album.

3. Locked In Spofford (prod. Paul Shabazz & Kerwin "Sleek" Young)

This one is a lot slower-paced than the previous track, and has a much more boom-bap sound, which I definitely appreciate a lot. Also, I find it interesting how they're locked in Spofford, which is a juvenile detention centre and not a prison - they were really young when they made this. While I found "Me & My Crew" more engaging on initial listens to this LP, I now tend to find this the better track, that fits with the Mobb Deep sound to a much better extent. P's verse is also one of his best on here.

4. Peer Pressure (prod. D.J. Premier)

The aforementioned DJ Premier beat, and it's pretty damned good, if not astonishing like one might expect. These lyrics also sound completely different from the messages presented throughout the rest of this thing, and also more like they were written in '83, not '93. Still, I do think this one stands out quite a bit from the rest of this album, and the production is still great - just not Preemo great. Also, I believe P's verses on here were written by Havoc, which is funny as they're actually better than the ones Hav spits here, especially the final one, which is actually pretty damned dark. "I'm glad it's finally over and I'm finally dead!!" (emphasis on the final word there also makes it that much worse, as it sounds so fun, but the lyrics are dark as hell).

5. Skit #1 (prod. Mobb Deep)

Absolutely no idea what's going on here.

6. Hold Down The Fort (prod. Mobb Deep)

Probably the best instrumental presented on this album so far - the drums are the same as they have been on previous cuts, but that bassline is just nice. P and Hav both have some incredibly smooth flows over this one too, which sound a lot better than their flows on "Peer Pressure". Unfortunately, the lyrics themselves are pretty generic, and the hook is as annoying as being in a tent with someone snoring, and let me tell you: that's pretty fucking annoying. There are some nice bars here though - "my name is Prodigy and I'm known to cause Havoc!"

7. Bitch Ass Nigga (prod. Paul Shabazz & Kerwin "Sleek" Young)

Apparently serves as inspiration for Prince William's famous catchphrase. Hopefully that joke entertained you more than this song entertains me, because if not, then maybe it's time for me to give up. This shit is dull.

8. Hit It From The Back (prod. Mobb Deep)

This surprisingly explicit song also became the most popular single from this whole album, and I would say that it definitely aged better than most of this thing, at least production-wise. The flows on this one are a lot more Wu-Tang than The Fresh Prince thankfully too, but unfortunately the explicit lyrics do kind of bring this one down, as well as the fact that the first verse is repeated in its entirety at the end of the song. Still, this one is very well produced, and the flows are nice, so I'll give it the pass.

9. Skit #2 (prod. Mobb Deep)

Not so much a skit as a musical interlude, in which Prodigy appears to hype up and introduce a verse that never actually gets spit. Random.

10. Stomp Em Out (feat. Big Noid) (prod. Mobb Deep)

I guess Big Noyd used to be spelt "Big Noid"? Anyway, this was actually my least favourite cut on the album upon first listen due to the overly positive horns that keep coming in (and the repetitive hook, but then again that's been par for the course throughout this whole album), however I now find it to be a pretty great track. It doesn't stand out that much, and the weird reggae breakdown in the middle was as unnecessary as adding a hunk of raw rotten meat to your meticulously crafted lobster dish, but then again this one has a nice bassline and a brilliant Big Noyd verse that washes into the depths of the sea those from Prodigy and Havoc on this song. What a performance.

11. Skit #3 (prod. Mobb Deep)

Instrumental interlude, and the only skit here that I found necessary.

12. Peer Pressure (The Large Professor Remix) (prod. The Large Professor)

Shouldn't this remix with the exact same lyrics as the original be a bonus track? Whatever, this is still fairly enjoyable, even though I personally prefer the original version.

13. Project Hallways (prod. Paul Shabazz & Kerwin "Sleek" Young)

Similar to "Bitch Ass Nigga" from earlier, this Havoc solo track (the only solo cut on this album) is dreadfully boring, and does absolutely nothing to stand out except for having a hook that's as corny as a corn on the cob (and no, I can't be bothered to think of a better metaphor).

14. Flavor For The Non Believes (prod. Paul Shabazz & Kerwin "Sleek" Young)

Nope, I have not misspelt that title - it truly is that nonsensical. Thankfully, this song brings the momentum back to this album, with a nice-ass bassline, some great flows and a hook that doesn't annoy the shit out of me like the rest of them on this album do (I don't know why that is, as it's just as repetitive). There are some nice lines on this one too, such as "'Cause I'm flippin' like pages in a Word Up! Magazine" and others. Honestly a very solid way to close out this record.

While this album has a lot of tracks that I do find enjoyable, it's still very clear that Mobb Deep were a work in progress at this time, as this effort barely stands out amongst a crowd of early '90s hip-hop records. Both Prodigy and Havoc sounded pretty similar on here, and their voices certainly aren't that engaging, meanwhile the lyrics themselves are always pretty boring and derivative, aside from the storytelling on "Peer Pressure". The best thing about the pair of them are their flows, which sound real nice over these instrumentals a lot of the time, but once again it's not something that makes them stand out very much at all. The hooks on this album are consistently godawful too, seemingly always consisting of the song title being shouted out repeatedly until my ears are bleeding and falling off. The production on here fairs a little better, as the bassy beats that fill most of this LP up are always pretty nice, even if the drums seem to sound exactly the same each time. There are a couple of really dull and forgettable beats on here for sure, but for the most part it seems Havoc, Kerwin Young, Paul Shabazz and the others had their act together for this one behind the boards, so that's a good thing. However, I don't know if this really requires a full listen unless you're a big Mobb fan who wants to know what they sounded like when they first started up - this definitely should not be your first Mobb Deep album, as it'll give you completely the wrong impression of what they're about. Still, I find this to be a fairly solid effort, and if you're into old-school stuff, then check out some of the best tracks for sure. While not groundbreaking or one of their best, this is still a solid debut album.

Best Tracks: Me & My Crew, Locked In Spofford, Peer Pressure, Hold Down the Fort, Stomp Em Out, Flavor For The Non Believes

Worst Tracks: Bitch Ass Nigga, Project Hallways

I haven't discussed any other Mobb Deep efforts yet, so here's some Nas, as the two seem to go well together.

All images taken from Discogs

Tech N9ne - Anghellic

After a grueling battle with various record labels throughout the '90s and into the 2000s to try and find a major label home to release his music on, Tech N9ne of Kansas City finally managed to strike up a deal with the Interscope in-house label JCOR in early 2001 in order to release what is generally considered today as his proper debut album, Anghellic (The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1 and The Worst are more like underground compilations than proper albums). The album was recorded and promoted with a small budget, and in a fairly short span of time, but when it did come out, it became something of a cult classic. Seemingly overnight, Tech N9ne went from an underground MC who spit fast but not much else, to an icon among white teenagers, who all seemed to fall head over heels for Tech's rapid flows, diverse and always intriguing lyrical content, and seemingly wonderful ear for beats. Anghellic was the moment that Tech officially became the weirdo of the hip-hop genre, and the strange antics that he begun to take part in during and after this album's release means that a lot of hip-hop fans don't even listen to the guy - in fact, he's probably more well-known among metal fans than the hip-hop crowd.

So, what exactly did Anghellic do to cause this extreme shift in the man's public image and musical direction? Well, firstly, we have the album cover. The cover depicts Tech crucified on a cross, his braids flailing out above him and angel hands reaching for him above, but not quite getting there, and the booklet art wasn't any more normal - pictures depicting him as a literal devil and images of him sat up in heaven was certainly a contrast compared to the cars and sparsely dressed women that most rappers would depict in their booklets. The artwork was stunning and highly controversial in the hip-hop world, and led Tech to lose a lot of the regular hip-hop fans that he had previously worked to get - they probably saw the album in stores and were far too embarrassed to go up to the cashier and buy something that looked so dark - perhaps they instead moved it over to the metal section, wondering if it had been misplaced. The cover even caused some to call Tech a devil worshipper, accusations addressed on the 2003 re-release of this album.

But as well as the artwork, we had the actual music. Not only were Tech's beat choices often very unconventional and unlike anything you were likely to hear on a Nelly or Jay-Z album at the time, but the lyrics and flows were completely different to anything anyone had done before. On this album, Tech discusses his drinking problems, his problems with crazy women, his relationship with his wife, his beliefs in God, and even the time he had to get 5 different children aborted (okay, I think that one's false). Yes, there were a few club bangers and boast-filled cuts, but for the most part this album was completely different from what people were used to. Even the skits were weird, serving the purpose of splitting the album into three sections: Hell, Purgatory and Heaven. Predictably, then, the album didn't sell astonishingly, even if it did chart highly for a time, but as I already mentioned, it gained Tech a lot of new fans. The piss-poor attempts at promoting the album by JCOR (up to not even providing budget for a music video) was also instrumental in fuelling Tech's anger for his album after this, Absolute Power, the project where he really went independent. 

So, was the unnamed person who was too embarrassed to pick this one up at the store right or wrong to give it a miss? Let's see.

Also, I'll be reviewing the original tracklist of the album first here, that isn't present on streaming, but I will review the tracks that appeared on the Reparation re-release at the end too, so don't worry about that.

1. Hellevator (prod. Richie)

This painfully awkward skit title refers to the theoretical elevator that Tech's taking us on here, leading us into the first section of this album, Hell. Yes, it's a skit, but at least it's a unique skit, and I applaud that.

2. Tormented (feat. Grant Rice) (prod. Don Juan)

While your average early 2000s hip-hop enjoyer is probably going to look at you sceptically for playing this track, I still find a lot of value within this metal-influenced song. Tech begins with a comical refrain where he asks God for forgiveness for having sex with a women he refers affectionately to as "this broad", before going into what can only be described as a tantrum about how he's addicted to having sex, and all this over a heavy metal-fuelled beat which ends each bar with three pulsating vocals from a deep voice effect. This strange flow keeps going during the hook, Tech's second verse (all about his drinking problems), and then the Grant Rice verse, which is easily the worst moment of the song. Tech also comes through with a fourth verse on here which switches the flow up a bit, but he needn't have - the pulsating energy of this track rocks, and the lyrical content is very intriguing and unique. A bold but effective way to open your album.

3. Stamina (prod. Tech N9ne & Don Juan)

Rather stupidly taken directly from Tech's previous album The Worst. Still, it's worth it to get to hear this absolute banger again, where Tech raps rapidly for about 15 seconds over the sound of gunfire. Classic. "I'll be in the line, hella doin' time for the (click, click), TECH, N9NEEEEE!"

4. Sinister Tech (prod. The Weird & Icy Roc Kraven)

Could be seen as Tech N9ne's signature track, if only it wasn't so damned underrated. Seriously, this is one of the dopest bangers in his entire catalogue, up there with "Slacker", "Riot Maker", "Who Do I Catch" and the million other classics the man has. Does anyone have more classic cuts than Tech? Anyway, back to this song. After a weird but intriguing bridge in which Tech repeats the N-Word with the speed and intensity of a Bugatti, the dark, horrorcore beat sets in that revolves around terrifying and rough piano chords, a spun-back drum loop and an apparent screaming sound that comes in in the background constantly, inciting a jump in the listener each time. This thing is truly weird, but it's clear both The Weirdo and Icy Roc put their all into it. Tech rocks this one with some of his most aggressive yet punchline filled verses, that has more quotables than a season 4 episode of Frasier, and his bars on here just hit you again and again. "Everyone know we phenomenal", "hungry like an Ethiopian, living off the blood in your veins", "hit it, hit it, never ever let a millimetre killer quit it", the list goes on. The hook is a bit off, but otherwise this is an incredible song.

5. Psycho Messages (prod. Don Juan)

A fairly funny yet also scary as hell skit that leads nicely into the next cut, which is...

6. Psycho Bitch (prod. Don Juan & John Carpenter)

Psycho Bitch! The classic horror tale that Tech decided was so good it was worth making into a trilogy (Parts 2 and 3 appeared on the albums Killer and Special Effects, respectively). And remember, that was back when Tech was actually good at making decisions (rather than releasing album after 80 minute album, and signing bloody Darrein Safron), so yes, it was a great call. "Psycho Bitch" is an unforgettable classic. Set to the classic movie score to Halloween, and some pulsating drums that will be stuck in your head for days, Tech tells of his experiences with a women he apparently slept with once, who turned out to be as a loopy as a bag of hula-hoops (not that the bags actually contain many hula-hoops anymore, but I digress). The storytelling on this one is vivid, and yet Tech still manages to inject his signature humour into this one, with references to "Miss N9ne" (aka his wife) and "Biancs". Still, the paranoia present on here keeps the horror flowing, and the drums coming right back in the end also made me jump out of my skin the first time I heard this, so that's embarrassing. 

7. Real Killer (prod. King Tech)

Tech tells a (presumably fictional) story about how he got his child aborted by a doctor that he refers to as a "hitman" throughout the song, to give things a more menacing tone, I suppose. Oh, and then after getting one child killed, he got rid of four more afterwards as well. The tone of this song is quite aggressive for such a sad and weird topic, and the beat, provided by King Tech, is easily the most conventional from this album so far, a strange choice for these lyrics but oh well. The chorus also decides to hype up what he has done as if he was a "real killer" for getting five of his children aborted, which is slightly awkward to hear. Still, this is the sort of weird and horrorcore area that Tech thrives in, and he does a very good job at painting a picture on this track. It's another very good one.

8. Cursed (prod. Don Juan)

Tech N9ne's own attempt at making a song personifying hip-hop as a woman, taking more than a little bit of inspiration from Common's classic "I Used To Love H.E.R.", as he details his life growing up with a woman who would only let him get a bit if he made her some money - clearly, Tech was growing frustrated by his constant lack of recognition for being such a great rapper by this time, and this song shows that well - it's yet another incredibly aggressive cut. The production from Don Juan on here is very airy and haunting, and Tech N9ne does it justice with his vivid rhymes, catchy chorus and incredibly intense final verse, where he finally lets go of all the pent up frustration that the woman (hip-hop) has caused him. "I wanna fuck you!!! Not with Jimmy Jam, not with Terry Lewis, not with Quincy Jones, not with QD3, just me and you!" is easily one of my favourite lines on this whole album just for the passionate delivery. This track as a whole is easily one of the best Tech has ever made, and shows how you can take someone else's idea and make it your own (listening, Trackmasters?). The metaphors used throughout this song are well and truly astonishing.

9. Suicide Letters (feat. Nichia Cayson) (prod. Don Juan)

Tech leaves behind the enraged rants for a short while on this cut, where he relays some alleged "suicide letters" he had written at the lowest points of his life. Whether these are real or not is anyone's guess, but even if they aren't, this song is still incredibly powerful. Tech's flows over this instrumental are as smooth as butter, and the beat itself (again from Don Juan - he really switched things up on this LP) is catchy and poignant at the same time. Him revealing in the third verse that the reason his suicidal thoughts left him in the end was his children is arguably one of the most tear jerking moments on the whole album too. And while a lot of hip-hop songs can lose momentum because of an awkward female chorus, this hook actually fits really well into the song. What a track.

10. Purgatory (prod. Grant Rice)

Short skit letting us know that now we're out of hell, and are entering the "purgatory" section of the album, one that starts fun, but gets progressively darker...

11. It's Alive (prod. Icy Roc Kraven)

"It's Alive" was the lead and only single to this album, and although JCOR pressed it up with proper cover art and everything on vinyl and CD, they ended up supplying absolutely no money for the music video, meaning that one never got filmed, a huge shame for Tech, as that probably would have gotten him a lot more fans. It certainly would have if the video got played on a popular station, as this song is dope as fuck. In fact, it's my personal favourite Tech song of all time. After starting the first verse with some interpolating of The D.O.C.'s track "It's Funky Enough", Tech goes right off on this one with lyrics and flow that are as impressive as it gets. And as for the Icy Roc Kraven beat, it's in my opinion one of the most iconic of all time, or rather should be - this song is unfortunately not that well known. The pulsating loop, teamed with the weird drum-n-bass section makes for such an incredible soundscape that this one is just on repeat for me constantly. This track is unbelievably good. "Anybody with a bigger mouth up in here better hush"!

12. Einstein (prod. Don Juan)

Interestingly, while this track was just titled "Einstein" on the original pressing of the album, it was re-titled to "Einstein Tech N9ne" on the 2003 Reparation version of the album. Just thought I'd mention it. Anyway, this is possibly the most notorious song on this whole album, thanks to the heavy instrumental, a plethora of classic Tech bars and the catchy refrain of "KC, MO, roooooollllll". While I used to enjoy this less than a lot of this album, as it was too nu-metal for my liking, it has grown on me quite a bit, and while I still don't enjoy the instrumental as much as a lot of others on here, Tech rocks this beat to absolute precision. "We be the party people night and day! Living crazy is the only way! (Einstein) get it where I got you when I'm on it! (Einstein) Rock it like you motherfuckers want it!"

13. P.R. 2K1 (prod. Don Juan, co-prod. Tech N9ne)

I've already written about this one, of course, as this is simply the track "Planet Rock 2K (Down South Mix)" (that opened The Calm Before the Storm: Part 1), only with a different title and with that stupidly long outro cut out. That latter point just makes the song even better, so I'm all for it, but still, he shouldn't be putting the same song on two albums, let alone repeating two songs (the other being "Stamina").

14. Here I Come (prod. Don Juan)

Don't necessarily hate this one, but it does come across as overwhelmingly cheap and nasty when compared with the rest of this album. The synths on this beat are quite frankly unpleasant, and none of Tech N9ne's bars really stick out in any way - heck, the most memorable moment (besides the admittedly great hook) is the weird Beethoven sampling intro, which sounds as out of place as a frankfurter placed on top of a fancy chocolate gateau. This song is okay, but I will say that I'm glad it was taken off the Reparation version of this album.

15. Who You Came To See (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

The initiation of Big Krizz Kaliko (shortened in 2008 to just Krizz Kaliko) into the Tech N9ne world comes on this song, the fifth and final partying track of the Purgatory section of the album (before we make the jarring transition into the religious portion). He doesn't do much on here though, merely chanting his host's name in the background during the hook. Still, it was clearly enough to guarantee him a position on half the songs of Tech's next 20-odd albums, so that's something. Anyway, this track is actually really good. Yes, you could argue that Tech's club ready, shit talking raps are getting redundant by this point, but still, I would probably say this is of a much higher quality than the previous track, and the funky beat actually stands out a lot on this dark, futuristic album - this track would probably sound the least out of place on a mainstream record of the time out of all these songs. This is one of Tech's best club tracks, and another damned near perfect song.

16. Wake Up Call (prod. Richie)

Pretty dull skit, but does its job separating the partying tracks from the religious and haunting cuts in the Purgatory section of this album.

17. This Ring (prod. Icy Roc Kraven)

If "Einstein" is the most popular banger on this album, then this is the fan favourite deep album cut. "This Ring" is a song about Tech's struggle with marriage and being a popular and hard-working rapper constantly on tour at the same time. On this one, Tech discusses his infidelity and his sorrowfulness towards his wife and children for being away constantly. This one, along with (surprisingly) "Einstein", was one I didn't feel as much on first listen, mainly because of the weird melodies in the hook and outro, which I'm still not 100% keen on ("this ringgggg, Tech N9nnnneeee!!" - it just sounds weird). However, Tech's lyrics and flow along with the excellent beat make up for this entirely. I mean, just listen to that first verse - how impressive is that?

18. God Complex (prod. Don Juan)

Truth be told, I'm not exactly sure what this song is supposed to say, but you can be sure it's a good sounding one anyway. The beat on here starts off sounding a bit bleak and cheap, but as it builds up a bit more you end up growing to love it. The lyrics are also pretty great on here, and I especially enjoy the "if anybody say "fuck me", everybody say "fuck you"" refrain, as that just exemplifies how everyone feels at some points. Even Tech's singing on here is melodic and performed well, which is more than can be said for the singing on "This Ring". This is honestly one of my favourite tracks here.

19. This Life (Anghellic) (feat. Bakarii & Short Nitty) (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

While I was always fine with "P.R. 2K1" and "Here I Come" getting taken off the Reparation re-release, this was the one song that I really wish had remained on it, as it's one of my favourite songs on this whole LP. It keeps the airy, melodic atmosphere that the last two tracks have done so well, and remains in that spiritual lane too. This is surprisingly the only song on the album to feature more than one rapper, and while Short Nitty can fuck off and die in a fucking pit (read up on it), I don't mind Bakarii's verse too much at all, even though this would have worked best as a solo track. I will say, however, that the uncredited female singing vocals in the background are absolutely beautiful, and whoever it was definitely deserved a credit for it. Tech N9ne also delivers one of my favourite verses on the album over this excellent instrumental. This song is brilliant - just needed to lose that Short Nitty verse.

20. Going Bad (feat. Charmelle Cofield & Lecoya LeJeune) (prod. Icy Roc Kraven)

For those who are unaware, Lecoya LeJeune was actually Tech's wife at the time (they divorced around 2008), and she delivers the spoken vocals on here after each hook, which is sung by Charmelle Cofield. I personally dislike the "everything was supposed to be all Jesus! But it seems like everything is all Satan!!" part of the intro, as that shit sounds cringe as hell, but other than that this track does a great job at keeping a similar vibe to the previous three tracks. This four track run we've just been through is in my opinion one of the greatest sequencing jobs in hip-hop history.

21. Heaven (prod. Richie)

Tech introduces us to the final portion of the album, Heaven, in which there is only one song. Cynical people would tell you that this was preachy, but I think Tech deserves the benefit of the doubt given the incredible experience he just created.

22. Twisted (feat. Roger Troutman & Nichia Cayson) (prod. Don Juan)

That's right, the same Roger Troutman (R.I.P.) from "California Love". What the hell is that guy doing on a Tech N9ne album? Well, making godawful hooks by the looks of it. Aside from the incredibly out of place talkbox that goes on for way too long at the end, Tech manages to save this one (along with the excellent Don Juan production) with some great rapping that is pretty reflective, and still surprisingly negative for what is supposed to be the album's happy song. This track is pretty great, but is the one song on here where the hook lets it down - still, that's pretty good going for a rap album, and incredible for a Tech N9ne album.

So, following Tech's release from the prison that was JCOR Records, and the subsequent release of his debut independent record Absolute Power (to be covered later), he decided that he wasn't happy with JCOR owning the masters for his masterpiece, and decided to buy them, and let the public know that fact too, by re-releasing the album and chucking a few new songs in there too. The new tracklist went as follows:

1. Devil Boy (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko)

2. Hellevator

3. Tormented (feat. Grant Rice)

4. Stamina

5. Sinister Tech

6. Psycho Messages

7. Psycho Bitch

8. Real Killer

9. Cursed

10. Suicide Letters (feat. Nichia Cayson)

11. Purgatory

12. It's Alive

13. Einstein Tech N9ne

14. Breathe

15. Who You Came To See (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko)

16. Wake Up Call

17. This Ring

18. God Complex

19. F.T.I. (feat. Greed, Kutt Calhoun, Big Krizz Kaliko, Snug Brim & Skatterman)

20. Going Bad (feat. Charmelle Cofield & Lecoya LeJeune)

21. Heaven

22. Twisted (feat. Roger Troutman & Nichia Cayson)

So, pretty much the same as before then, but you'll notice that "P.R. 2K1", "Here I Come" and "This Life (Anghellic)" are all removed, and replaced with three all new cuts, which I shall cover below.

- Devil Boy (feat. Big Krizz Kaliko) (prod. 5150 Mental Productions)

As I explained in the opening paragraphs, this album's artwork teamed with its overall theme and title led a lot of people to write Tech N9ne off as a "devil worshipper", which caused a lot of hip-hop heads to steer clear of him as if he were the black plague. This song responds to those accusations, and does a bloody good job of it as well, with a lot of Tech's bars sticking in the mind, and the Krizz hook being catchy and funny. I'm not massive on the weird heavy metal switch up bit in the second verse, but other than that this beat is excellent. The fact that he sequenced this as the very first track on Reparation was also a great move in my opinion. Classic banger right here.

- Breathe (prod. RonnZfromBerlin)

One of the earliest Tech songs where he experiments with doing fast flows throughout the entire thing, and it's absolutely brilliant. Tech's verses on here are pretty inaudible due to the vocal filter he's making use of,  but from what I can make out this is one of his songs about being a gangster, which I suppose he chucked in to the Reparation to prove to the "real" hip-hop heads that he could do the type of thing they were used to as well. While it's not his most clever or meaningful song, this is still pretty bloody addictive, and being one of the first Tech songs I ever heard, this one does hold a lot to me.

- F.T.I. (feat. Greed, Kutt, Big Krizz Kaliko, Snug Brimm & Skatterman) (prod. RUBONYX)

I don't know if Snug Brim used to have two "m"s on the end of his name, or if that's just a spelling mistake, but I'll just be optimistic about that and presume it's the former (although, being a rap album, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for a prominent mistake to slip in, see pretty much all of my reviews). This posse cut's title stands for "Fuck The Industry", a campaign Tech was pushing during the Absolute Power days, when he had just been fucked over by JCOR, and while this is a solid group anthem, it has to be said that there are better in Tech N9ne's enormous discography - a lot of the MCs on here sound fairly boring, and even Tech himself isn't particularly impressive - in fact, the hook is easily the best element here. Also, "This Life (Anghellic)" wipes the floor with this. 

While you'd probably have to be either my or Tech N9ne's biggest superfan to have made it this far into the review, I'll still state this for those remaining: Anghellic is arguably the most underrated hip-hop album of all time. The diverse soundscape on here presented by Don Juan, Icy Roc Kravyn, Will the Weirdo and others is one of the most unique present in early 2000s hip-hop, and pretty much every instrumental here (excluding the slightly painful "Here I Come") is absolutely excellent, from the haunting "Psycho Bitch" to the banging "It's Alive" to the dramatic "Going Bad". And then, we have Tech N9ne himself. This would end up being the only album in his catalogue with anywhere near this amount of solo tracks, and Nina uses them to his full advantage, spitting about different subject matters on most of these songs, whether that be his alcohol addiction, his marriage problems, his religious views or "that butt and those breasts". And he accounts his experiences with all of this and more while using the most insane rhyme schemes and wordplay that you've ever seen. This album truly proved Tech to simultaneously be incredibly personal and in-depth, and also an absolute monster on the mic. Personally, I would take the Reparation version over the original ever so slightly, if only because "Devil Boy" and "Breathe" both destroy "Here I Come" and "P.R. 2K1", but even so, this album is still a bloody masterpiece, and if you didn't already work this out, I'm definitely recommending a full listen here, of both versions. This is one of my favourite albums of all time, and (spoiler alert) the best in Tech's discography. This album is all caps INCREDIBLE.

Best Tracks: All of them, both on the original and re-release... except "Here I Come"

Worst Tracks: Here I Come

Want to read some slightly less in-depth Tech reviews? Then all you need to do is click here!

All images taken from Discogs

Jay-Z - The Dynasty: Roc La Familia

Having spent the past few days working in a radio station, I haven't had any time at all to write anything on this review blog that I'm trying to maintain. Fear not, though, as my time in the station is finished now, which means back to the regular reviews. Let's go!

After proving to everyone his massive influence on the mainstream by releasing a single ridiculously entitled "Big Pimpin'" that ended up becoming one of the biggest tracks of 2000, and simultaneously finishing off the "Volume" series that he had been working on, Jay-Z (who now more frequently than ever before was referring to himself by a million different self-inflicted nicknames, including "Hova" and "Jigga", among others) decided that it was time to really get to promoting the rappers that he had signed to his label, Roc-a-Fella Records. Beanie Sigel, Memphis Bleek and Amil weren't exactly what you could call lyrical masterminds or dynamic performers, but Jay clearly saw something in them, as by the middle of 2000 they had all managed to get out solo records via his own imprint, and sold fairly decently with them as well, which quite probably shows that hip-hop heads at the time were so into Jay that they would even pick up the projects by his sub-par sidekicks, perhaps just for a Hov guest feature or two. The guy really had got the hip-hop world on lock. Of course, people may also have picked up these albums because they thought Jay, one of the greatest rappers of the time, would know how to sign other good MCs too. 

Alas, not.

So, yes: I don't really like any of the artists who were signed to Roc-a-Fella very much - in fact, I think outside of Beanie (who is an OK lyricist I suppose) they are rather weak and uninspired MCs who had no business getting major label support, especially when you had guys like Tech N9ne and MF DOOM making incredible music in the underground, with almost no recognition on them (at the time, at least). However, being a massive Jay-Z fan, I did of course have to pick up the Roc-a-Fella compilation album The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, a project released at the tail end of the solid year 2000 (which saw multiple classics, and multiple disappointing efforts, *cough* Anarchy *cough*). Well, I say "compilation album", but while it was initially promoted as such, it ended up being released as an official solo studio album from Hov, making it his fifth, and continuing his one album per year streak. The album had a couple of big name features on it, with Scarface, Snoop Dogg and R. Kelly (yuck) all making appearances, but this was at heart an average rapper record label compilation that features the host on damned near every song, even though it's supposed to be showcasing the other artists. We already KNOW you, Jay - we're supposed to be being introduced to new people! Still, the point is that the guest spots from Beanie and Bleek (not Amil, though - she only showed up once) littered this project, which already was leaving a bad taste in my mouth before I even threw the disc in.

As would be expected of a Jay project at this stage, the album was a commercial hit, and sold platinum, as well as spawned the successful single "I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me)". The album was also instrumental in starting up the career of producer Just Blaze, who did about a quarter of this thing, I believe. It also had the first official production credit from a certain Kanye West, a producer who quickly faded into irrelevancy after... oh - wait a minute. We also had beats from Rick Rock, Rockwilder, Bink! and Pharrell, among others, so at least it was stacked on that front. However, it is difficult to ignore the multitude of inevitably awful Memphis Bleek verses.

So, would this album be as bad as I thought, or would it be surprisingly enjoyable? Let's have a see.

1. Intro (Jay-Z) (prod. Just Blaze)

Fear not - Jay hasn't given in to the industry pressures of putting in a pretentious intro skit quite yet. No, this "Intro" is actually a song, and a pretty damn good one at that, even though it's not one of his absolute best tracks like some people claim. Over a very anthemic Just Blaze instrumental that reminds me of something (what that something is, I'm unsure of), Jay spends about a minute and a half introducing the album, a monologue that goes on for too long, but then he proceeds to spit arguably the best verse he will over this entire damned LP. "This is food for thought - you do the dishes". Starting the album on what is decidedly a rather negative tone was an odd idea, but I applaud it, as this song is great.

2. Change The Game (Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek) (prod. Rick Rock)

Certified banger. Rick Rock's instrumental is intense and also club-ready, and the screeching Memphis Bleek is only present for four bars! Great! Jay-Z, meanwhile, maintains himself as one of the greatest of all time on here with classic boasts and bragging, and Beanie Sigel follows suit with one of his better performances on the mic too. Even the sung hook from an uncredited Static Major is catchy, and there are loads of quotable bars on here. The best part, however, is when Jay proclaims acapella at the end: "I will not lose", right before we drop into the next track, which just so happens to be one of the biggest rap hits of that year. Now if that's not the perfect way to validate your claims, then I don't know what is.

3. I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me) (Jay-Z) (prod. Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo)

Despite them not being credited, both Pharrell Williams (who also produced this song as part of The Neptunes) and Sparks (who was later signed to Roc-a-Fella, but no-one cared at that point) both play quite large roles in this track, that is one of Jay's most well-known to date. You can see why, as the Pharrell chorus is catchy, the guitar-based instrumental has been studied to perfection for radio usage, and Jay-Z's bars are... well, they're about fucking. Still, I find this to be pretty bloody memorable, and as radio singles go, this one works, although Jay is notoriously good at this type of song (with exceptions here and there, of course).

4. Streets Is Talking (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel) (prod. Just Blaze)

This stupidly titled song serves as a sort of sequel to the excellent "Streets Is Watching" song off of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, a song so good Jay named a film after it only a couple months after its release. I was therefore a bit disappointed when I first heard this one, as I found the instrumental too loud and headache inducing, and I wasn't a fan of the structure of the song either for some reason. Upon listening back, however, this is actually pretty good. Jay-Z throws threats around on here as if they were dollar bills to the peasants, but he sounds genuine at least, and Beanie is solid as well, even though I still don't really like his voice personally. I still think the beat would be better suited to a mixtape, but nonetheless I will admit that I was sleeping on this.

5. This Can't Be Life (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel feat. Scarface) (prod. Kanye West)

This one right here is best remembered for containing the first Kanye West beat ever heard on wax, undoubtedly a pivotal moment for all the dickriders the man seems to have (look, I like Kanye's music as much as the next guy, but can we stop acting like he's a top 5 rapper, please? He's not!). The track is quite incredible, with the somber beat providing backing for the three to drop tales about the hard times they faced growing up. Jay and Beanie do this well, but my God Scarface's verse on this is powerful. I won't say what the verse is about, but I will say that it's deeply saddening to hear. "I could've rapped about my hard times on this song. But heaven knows I woulda been wrong". I think a fadeout at the end would have worked better than just cutting it off, but that's just a nitpick. This is a fantastic song.

6. Get Your Mind Right Mami (Jay-Z & Memphis Bleek feat. Snoop Dogg) (prod. Rick Rock)

And then he follows that up with this audible bin juice. Jay, Bleek and Snoop take Rick Rock's decent backdrop and proceed to shit all over it with terribly inane sex bars and stupid logic that's bound to make every girl within a mile of the song run screaming into the distance. I did kind of enjoy Rell's singing on the hook, but everything else here was unapologetic filler. And who the hell let that godawful Snoop verse on here?

7. Stick 2 the Script (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel) (prod. Just Blaze)

What exactly the fuck DJ Clue does here except scream in the background pointlessly is lost on me. Seriously, this ain't a mixtape, Jay - that stuff doesn't sound good. Anyway, at least they put him on a weaker track - while Just Blaze's beat is pretty intriguing, Jay and Beanie do it no favours, both delivering verses about the streets that don't intrigue me whatsoever, with a hook in the middle that does feature a nice bit of scratching (provided by Just Blaze too), so there's that. Still, this was the first song here that's worse than I remember it being.

8. You, Me, Him and Her (Dynasty) (prod. Bink)

"Dynasty" refers to the foursome of Jay-Z, Memphis Bleek, Beanie Sigel and Amil, the latter of which is conspicuous by her absence throughout this project. Of course, the same could be said about this song, as she only pops up at the end for like 6 bars, way less than the other three. I would assume she was sick during the recording of the album if she wasn't right there in the booklet, staring provocatively at me. Still, it's a good thing she was left off - her voice is one of the most annoying things I've ever heard. Anyway, the song. Well, Jay and Beanie both deliver, and Bleek delivers one of his best verses yet, and even the instrumental is triumphant and fun. Still, I don't really see reason to return to this - I'm beginning to remember why I was never a fan of this album.

9. Guilty Until Proven Innocent (Jay-Z feat. R. Kelly) (prod. Rockwilder)

A classic instance of "well, that aged well". Apart from the fact that Jay and R. Kelly both turned out to be very guilty for the crimes they were being accused of at the time of writing this song, I still enjoy this one to an extent, at least up until the overly long and repetitive outro starts up. Hearing R. Kelly repeatedly emphasise how he's "not guilty" is at best uncomfortable, but on the other hand Rockwilder's instrumental is one of his best and most catchy, and Jay-Z has his a-game on here, as his verses flow well, and are engaging and dismissive, exactly the attitude needed for this song. And I'll admit that R. Kelly's vocals on here are nice, even if the lyrics are fucking painful to hear.

Of course, my enjoyment of the song can only go so far when I remember that this was a key catalyst leading into the two dreadful Jay-Z & R. Kelly collaborative albums. Shit.

10. Parking Lot Pimpin' (Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek) (prod. Rick Rock)

Contains possibly the worst song title in the history of rap music, up there with "Stapleton Sex" and "Jellysickle", and said title pretty much sets the tone for this dismal track that glorifies, of all things, pimping. Rick Rock's instrumental starts off promising, but quickly becomes a dull and annoying backdrop for the terribly uninteresting verses and hook (provided by Lil' Mo), all of which blend together to form one of the most uninteresting songs of the evening. The best bit was the intro, where Jay recycles bars from the older posse cut "Reservoir Dogs" - I guess that served as a short reminder that, yes he can make good music: here he's just choosing not to.

11. Holla (Memphis Bleek) (prod. B-High & Memphis Bleek)

The only song on this entire thing that features absolutely no vocal contributions from Hova - this isn't a main reason as to why this is the worst track here, but it's probably a factor. Memphis Bleek is as horrible as you'd expect and then some on this dull as hell song, and he sneaks multiple bars in here that should never have made it onto a shiny disc - "That's why I eat, sleep, shit with my gat, bag up, take a piss, fuck a bitch with my gat" - is it me, or is this line completely lacking in originality? This instrumental is absolute cack as well. Let's quickly move on from this one.

12. 1-900-Hustler (Jay-Z, Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek feat. Freeway) (prod. Bink)

Although he's credited in the booklet as a feature (rather than a lead as Jay, Bleek, Beanie and Amil always are), Freeway does not get a credit on the back cover as Snoop, Scarface and R. Kelly do. I guess Jay-Z didn't think that would help him sell any more records, and he would be right, as no-one knew who Free was back in 2000 - he didn't even sign with the Roc until after this album's release, hence why he's a feature here rather than a lead. Interestingly, Freeway is frequently remembered as the best of the early 2000s Roc-a-Fella camp, and I could agree there - he's definitely far more unique than the others, even if his flow at the start of his verse here borders on annoying. This track itself unique as hell, as the four (well, three: Beans only speaks in between the verses) MCs give advise on hustling to various callers over a great Bink! beat that is triumphant and catchy. This was a refreshingly great track.

13. The R.O.C. (Beanie Sigel & Memphis Bleek) (prod. Just Blaze)

Looking at the liner notes, this and "Holla" are the only tracks without Jay-Z contributions, but on this track Hov does actually appear for background vocals, meaning it's still worth my time - it also has another Just Blaze beat, so that's good. This instrumental in particular sounds rather similar to the track "Hola Hovito" of the next album The Blueprint - is that just me? Anyway, Beanie starts things off with a solid verse, and the hook's catchy too, but both Bleek's and then Beanie's final verse sound like they were freestyled after a night of smoking crack and drinking whisky - in other words, they're awful. A shame, as this beat was promising, but unfortunately the MCs decided to just piss all over it, kind of paralleling what Eminem did on his album Encore. Damn!

14. Soon You'll Understand (Jay-Z) (prod. Just Blaze)

After that hot mess, Jay finally decided it was time to get back to the solo cuts, the first of which is this somber apology to an ex-girlfriend of Jay's who just so happened to be his best friend's sister. This track is one of the most moving of Jay's catalogue - he sounds incredibly remorseful and ashamed of his actions, and Just Blaze's haunting instrumental is definitely the perfect backdrop for the saddened tale. The third verse likens his relationship with his mother to his lack of ability to remain in a romantic relationship, which was also pretty sad to hear. This is definitely one of my favourite cuts on the album - who was it that said Jay only went insightful on 4:44?

15. Squeeze 1st (Jay-Z) (prod. Rick Rock)

This one is notorious for swiping some Biggie lines from his track "Hypnotise" for the hook, making it the 12 billionth time Jay had done this on record. Seriously, did no-one tell him to cut that shit out? Anyway, I still very much enjoy the bouncy instrumental on this one, and the reference to DMX's It's Dark and Hell Is Hot was appreciated, but Jay repeating the same three different lines over and over in the middle for some reason does stunt this one more than a little bit.

16. Where Have You Been (Jay-Z & Beanie Sigel) (prod. T.T.)

"But I ain't mad at you dad, holla at your lad!" - Jay-Z, "Streets Is Talking", from The Dynasty: Roc La Familia, 2000

To quote Ant from NFR Podcast: "that is absolutely fucking false".

So, this track is Jay-Z and Beanie Sigel's infamous letter of disapproval sent towards their deadbeat dads, and it's quite something. The instrumental, produced surprisingly by an unknown, is the most haunting on any Jay track, ever, and let me just say the lyrics are worthy of it too. Beanie Sigel actually does a slightly better job than Jay of bringing out the feels in the listener on here, as he appears to repeatedly descend into tears on his verse, before checking himself again, but then eventually falling apart at the very end. Jay-Z sounds slightly less miserable, but that's like saying Star Wars: Revenge Of the Sith is slightly less miserable than Anne Frank - they're still both pretty fucking miserable. This track is incredibly powerful, and would be a contender for a top 10 Jay-Z song if it didn't have that godawful children's voice in the hook - that shit is hateful. Nonetheless, a strong, strong way to end things off.

The Dynasty: Roc La Familia is actually a lot more entertaining than I remember it being, but even so I still find myself ranking it in the bottom half of Jay's catalogue. While the first five and last five tracks are all very good (that's not including "The R.O.C."), the middle section of the album is straight up whack, with only one salvageable song appearing in there, and I'm willing to bet I won't be bumping that R. Kelly joint anyway, given what came up in recent years about the man. Still, I will say that Jay-Z really does shine throughout this album, as on most of his verses he sounds very excited to be in the booth, and speaks with a confident swagger that is just perfect for these bouncy instrumentals. Unfortunately, Memphis Bleek and Beanie Sigel almost consistently prove themselves to be nothing more than average rappers on here, with the former also letting us know that he would never be able to carry solo work on his own with the awful "Holla" - I'm willing to bet that those who picked up this before Bleek's solo work immediately put the idea of checking his catalogue out right to the back of their minds. Beanie fairs better, and on "Where Have You Been" he's truly excellent, but most of the time he sounds like a bland MC without many interesting vocal characteristics or lyrical content, an opinion I'm sure most people will disagree with me on. Production-wise, this thing is mostly good, though, and there aren't any straight up garbage instrumentals here (besides "Holla"), so there's that. If this had been a bit shorter, then, I would probably have recommended a full listen, but as it stands the thing is too long and inconsistent to justify that to any casual Jay listener - this is the least essential project by the man anyway, and a lot of songs on here can be thrown straight away like so many plastic cups. Definitely check the best tracks listed below, though, as there's a lot of great gems to be found on here - it's unfortunate that Jay let his sluggish counterparts get in the way of making a truly great album. 

Best Tracks: Intro, Change the Game, I Just Wanna Love U (Give It 2 Me), Streets Is Talking, This Can't Be Life, 1-900-Hustler, Soon You'll Understand, Where Have You Been

Worst Tracks: Get Your Mind Right Mami, Parking Lot Pimpin', Holla

If you're a Jay-Z fan, there's a lot more to read about here, but unfortunately I haven't yet written up about the other chaps present on here yet. In time, my good readers, in time.

Redman - Doc's Da Name 2000

Redman was in an interesting position in 1998. He had done what most artists can only dream of, something even established legends like Jay-Z and Nas never really managed. He had released a hat-trick of classics. Whut? Thee Album, Dare Iz a Darkside and Muddy Waters were albums that were all held in incredibly high regard by the hip-hop community upon release, and despite none of them quite managing to sell a million copies, every hip-hop head in town certainly owned all three in some form, and were proud of the fact. Redman could have retired having done something as incredible as this, especially after he also released a pretty damned good group project with Def Squad as well, but instead of this, he decided that he must appease the fans rather than himself, and he made sure that another album was out by the end of '98, to go alongside the release of Method Man's Tical 2000: Judgement Day, an album with a similarly forward thinking title and skit-filled tracklist. 

Redman's fourth solo outing, which went by the absolutely silly title of Doc's Da Name 2000, a name that ages the thing like an early episode of Sex and the City, was released to the masses by Def Jam in December of 1998, and despite the absolutely ridiculous cover art (I mean, just look at that album cover), the album was inexplicably popular and managed to sell over 1 million copies, quite the feat for a project where every single song title (give or take a few) was deliberately misspelled in some way. The only reason I can possibly give as to why this one sold more than his previous work is that Def Jam must have promoted it well, as the recipe was pretty much the same as it was for the gold-selling Muddy Waters. The production work was almost entirely done by Erick Sermon and Redman, with a bit of Rockwilder in there too, and there was a ridiculous number of skits on the thing, resulting in a back cover that listed well over 20 tracks, the majority of which were without guest appearances. Those that did show up were previous collaborators Method Man, Keith Murray, Biz Markie (who prior to this showed up on Def Squad's El Niño) and the aforementioned Erick Sermon, with an addition of Busta Rhymes (yes!!) this time, as well as singer Dave Hollister and a posse cut full of Reggie's friends from the Bricks.

Speaking of The Bricks, it seemed that this album was conceived as a homage to Red's hometown of Newark, New Jersey (frequently referred to as "Brick City", or simply "The Bricks"), not unlike what Tech N9ne later did with The Gates Mixed Plate. Not only does the front cover feature a brick wall (among other things, of course), but the back cover shows a large sign that states "Welcome to Newark, New Jersey", suggesting that this project was supposed to evoke similar feelings to what Red felt whenever he spent time in his old neighbourhood. Devoting the entire album to this theme would then lead listeners to believe that perhaps Red would get a little bit more personal, which he did do, albeit in his own Redman-ish way. The album became the highest selling ever to come out of the Def Squad camp, but the question is: is it worthy of this accolade? Well, if you want to find that out, you'll just have to read on...

1. Welcome 2 Da Bricks (prod. Redman)

Reggie starts things with a spoken word introduction that is certainly a lot easier to interpret than the Jurassic sounds he used on the last album's intro. The script here could be considered corny, but the fact that it's Redman delivering it helps it to go down easier. Still, this wasn't entirely necessary.

2. Let Da Monkey Out (prod. Erick Sermon)

Over a more futuristic sounding E-Double beat than what we've become used to on previous Def Squad projects, Redman rips things up like a flock of baboons in a pomegranate tree field (that is if such a thing exists). This track certainly sounds a lot more suited to radio than anything on Muddy Waters, what with the catchy hook and bouncy instrumental, but Redman still makes it part of his own universe with the inclusion of monkey sounds, Dr. Trevis and an absolutely killer flow that will be sure to keep you engaged through the whole runtime of the track. This song is nice.

3. I'll Bee Dat! (prod. Rockwilder)

The lead single, and, unless I'm very much mistaken, the highest charting of Reggie's solo career, something that does make sense, as this Rockwilder beat is catchy as hell. Redman himself also displays a surprising amount of radio-friendly aptness on here, and while I prefer him over the more boom-bap style we heard on Muddy Waters, I can definitely live with what we have here. The chorus is nice as hell too. "Fddlllluckkkk youuuuu!!!".

4. Get It Live (prod. Erick Sermon)

After a weird little record scratch that for some reason got stuck in my head for what seemed like months after hearing the song, the simplistic beat on this track starts up, and we see a Redman that sounds a lot more like he did on El Niño than on anything that came before that. In fact, Redman sounds like basically a completely different person on this entire LP to anything he had done previously on his solo stuff. While this track isn't too memorable lyrically outside of the reference to The Firm's "Phone Tap" and the goofy chorus, Reggie's flow and delivery teamed with the funky beat make it well worth checking out. Good stuff.

5. Who Took Da Satellite Van? (Skit)

One of seemingly a billion skits littering this album. Still, at least this one's short and reasonably entertaining.

6. Jersey Yo! (prod. Redman, co-prod. Gov-Mattic)

This track is actually a cover/homage to Ice Cube's classic track "Once Upon a Time In the Projects" from 1991, in that it's chorus heavily interpolates that track's opening lines, the outro is similar, and the beat is a reworking of the original from AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. While this track is inevitably not as good as Ice Cube's storytelling masterpiece, I still find this to be pretty goddamned hilarious, even if the chorus gets quite annoying after a short while. This beat is obviously great, and Redman rhymes over it very well with the most hilarious lines on the album as of yet - "Click over - wassup bitch? Oh, hi mama!" is a personal favourite. Yes, this isn't an entirely original track, but I still do enjoy it. 

7. Close Ya Doorz (feat. Double O, Tame, Diezzel Don, Roz, Gov-Mattic & Young Z) (prod. Erick Sermon)

Seeing as this album is all about paying homage to Brick City, it's only right that Red would include a posse cut track of his buddies from Newark, and that is what he does here. The fact that the guests aren't credited on the back cover but are in the booklet is just spiteful, though. While I don't think these guys (side note: while Tame One is credited, he doesn't actually show up on here) are anything special, I did enjoy all of their verses somewhat - ironically the worst verse belongs to Young Zee, the only guy on here to ever really do anything else on record (outside of this song's sequel, "Bricks Two"). The best verse was in my opinion that of Double-O, who has a nice flow and delivery. I also found it funny how, while not having a verse, Redman does contribute ad-libs throughout, as if he couldn't bear to be left out on his own LP. This beat is also chill as hell. Nice cut. 

8. I Don't Kare (prod. Erick Sermon, co-prod. Redman)

The obvious misspelling in the title is one of the few on here that I don't find stupid and unnecessary - it adds a sort of bite to the name, which would seem whiny otherwise. I find this song to be pretty solid, but at the same time it doesn't stand out from the crowd at all, especially since the beat is forgettable as an oatcake. This is merely alright.

9. Boodah Break (prod. Erick Sermon)

While the similarly titled "Boodah Session" from Dare Iz a Darkside is simply a skit, this track is actually a proper song, albeit one that takes a while to get started. After some speaking from both Red and the still fully active Dr. Trevis over the chilled out Erick Sermon instrumental, teamed with sound bites of Run-DMC and Public Enemy songs, Red decides it's time to actually spit some rhymes, which he does to the same degree as on most of the previous tracks. Anyone notice this album starting to get a little samey?

10. Million Chicken March (2 Hot 4 TV) (Skit)

Remember the absolutely awful "Chicken Head Convention" from the last album? Well, imagine that but make it corny as well as misogynistically unfunny, and you've got this skit right here. This needs to get the hell out.

11. Keep On '99 (prod. Erick Sermon)

This track has gone slowly down in my estimation ever since I first heard it - I used to not mind this one, but now I find the slow beat, obnoxious hook and seemingly effortless lyrics - imagine you put "write a Redman song from 1998" into ChatGPT - dull and quite unlikeable. The lyrics on here show no divergence from what we've already heard on this album. Don't like this track much at all.

12. Well All Rite Cha (feat. Method Man) (prod. Erick Sermon)

Since I rather stupidly listened to Method Man & Redman's Blackout! before this album, and that CD includes this as a bonus cut, I had heard this track before I introduced myself to anything else on here. As Meth & Red collabs go, this is one of the weakest in my opinion, but that's only because Erick Sermon's beat doesn't really go anywhere. On the other hand, Reggie and Clifford compliment each other as well as they always do on here, and it's nice to hear a voice that isn't Reggie's for once if I'm honest - his lyrical content was starting to get a little tiring. This is a really dope track. "Air it outttttt..."

13. Pain In Da Ass Stewardess (Skit)

Surprisingly doesn't feature vocals from that guy Pain In Da Ass that introduced Jay-Z's first four albums. Unsurprisingly, this skit was pretty useless, although I could understand listeners being a little shocked by it on first listen.

14. Da Goodness (feat. Busta Rhymes) (prod. Redman)

Insanely good track, and one of the few times in history when Busta Rhymes hasn't outshined his host on a guest verse. I guess Reggie knew what he was dealing with, and so provided what are easily the best verses across this entire album, with both stanzas being long, lyrically complex and full of catchy and memorable bars. And if that wasn't enough, Red also produces the best instrumental on here too, with intense synths and an insanely head noddin' drum pattern. And, despite Red being better, Busta comes through with a predictably great verse, showing off his manic persona as he always did in the late '90s. I wish the overly sweary pre-chorus had been cut, but otherwise this stands as one of my favourite Redman songs of all time.

15. My Zone! (feat. Markie) (prod. Redman)

And, after building the momentum up with that classic, Red hits us with one of the most forgettable tracks in his entire catalogue, and I've listened to Red Gone Wild. I literally barely remember anything about this, and what I do remember isn't good. Redman delivers a pretty aggressive verse, and Biz Markie also performs on a short part of the song, but it all just blends in together over the dull production. No wonder this starts with the sound of a toilet flushing (but seriously, what was up with that?).

16. Da Da DaHHH (prod. Erick Sermon)

While this does have one of the most insufferable titles on an album called Doc's Da Name 2000, I still find this to be one of the best tracks here, and one of the most standout in Red's whole catalogue. Instead of dropping funny one-liners and verses about smoking weed, Redman actually bothers to say something of importance on here, detailing his life story from birth to the time of writing, when he had hair on his chest as he proclaims with glee at the end. The song is still goofy in execution ("I'm just a young boy doing grown man shit - like touching your titties" - uhh, what?), but the more solemn instrumental teamed with Red's actually different lyrical content makes this one of my favourite tracks here. 

17. G.P.N. (Skit)

You can probably guess what my reaction was to this.

18. Down South Funk (feat. Erick Sermon & Keith Murray) (prod. Erick Sermon)

The inevitable Def Squad posse cut uses a sample in the chorus from the better cut "Cosmic Slop" from Redman's sophomore effort, a fact that could come across as interesting or terribly dull, depending on what you're interested in. Erick Sermon drops a typically funky beat for this one that is actually more entertaining than a lot of the tracks in the first half of this thing, so that's great, and he also provides a stellar verse, despite referring to "balls of steel" at some point. Reggie knocks him out the park with an excellent verse, though, and Keith does a solid job himself. It's no "How's That" or "Cosmic Slop", but still, this is a pretty damn good track in my opinion.

19. D.O.G.S. (prod. Erick Sermon)

Red, ashamed that he forgot to sample "Atomic Dog" somewhere into Muddy Waters, decides to include a track heavily sampling the piece late into this album, to call back to Dare Iz a Darkside, which sampled the famous track multiple times. This track contains one of the smoother beats on this LP, which is actually quite excellent, and Redman doesn't make a fool of himself on here either, at least until he ends with the line "I keep the stinkin' ass hoes doin' laundry". It's not entirely original, but I still find this to be a pleasant listen.

20. Beet Drop (prod. Redman)

Reggie attempts a quick cover of The Beastie Boys' "The New Style", but things cut short when he realised that this was actually a terrible idea. Still, nice to hear him switch to a more aggressive style.

21. We Got Da Satellite Van! (Skit)

Continuation of the skit all the way back at track 5. Still, unnecessary.

22. Brick City Mashin'! (prod. Erick Sermon)

You would think that someone meant to be repping their hometown would stray away from "mashing" it, but there you go. I already knew I would like this from the hilarious song title, but damn is this song a good one. Reggie experiments a little more with the flow here, with some interesting experimentation with echoing and other shenanigans that make this one of the best rapped songs on the entire LP. The instrumental is absolutely great as well. I read somewhere that Method Man was supposed to feature on here, and his addition would have been nice too, but this is fine as it is in my opinion, and Keith Murray pops up on a bridge here, so that's alright. "Look around your seats, do you see anybody weirder than me?" is a classic opening line too. 

23. Soopaman Lova IV (feat. Dave Hollister) (prod. Redman)

Something that pisses me off to a grand level is the fact that Redman could have got this to a perfect 25 tracks if he had separated the skit at the end of the previous track, but he decided not to. The hell? I mean it's not like the guy is averse to skits. Still, an even better outcome would have been if he had just cut this song altogether - as a fan of the Soopaman Luva (or "Lova", as he is apparently now known) series, I was incredibly disappointed by this weak storyline and awful R&B feature. Do better, Redman. Do better.

24. I Got A Seecret (prod. Roni Size)

I mean, I understand spelling "the" as "da" and whatever, but did you really have to misspell "secret" in that fashion? Nonetheless, this is another great track. Roni Size, for those who don't know, was a British producer who specialised in a more drum-n-bass style of production, and that is exactly what he gives Redman here to rip shit up over, which Red does amicably of course. The flows on here are nothing short of insane, and this is possibly the most invigorating way he could have possibly ended things. The secret being "somebody told me yo' ass stinks" is a bit random and stupid, but other than that I found this to be an excellent closer.

Interestingly, I used to hold this album near and dear, and a couple of years ago you could actually catch me playing this thing all the way through at least once a week. Therefore it comes as a surprise that I actually don't enjoy this album anymore as much as I expected, and I find there to be quite a few weaker tracks sprinkled throughout. As a whole, this thing is, simply put, bloated as a beached whale. There's an abundance of pointless skits that it shares in common with Muddy Waters, but unlike with that album, I actually find a lot of the rapping performances from Redman to be a little subpar on here. I just feel like he went too far with the comedic side, and therefore strayed away from what made him great in the first place - his ability to be lyrically engaging, funny and technically impressive all at once. On here, you could say he checks the first two, but I'll be honest - the verses rarely impress here (outside of the incredible "Da Goodness" and a couple others). I will say that things get a lot more interesting once you hit "Da Goodness" actually, as the second half has a lot of genuinely great tracks intermixed with some utter trash, meanwhile the first half tends to stay in the same lane for the most part, making it a bit of a slog to get through, especially with boring-ass cuts like "Keep On '99". I will say that the production on here remains great, with E-Double providing an excellent soundscape with a little bit of help from others, but unfortunately Redman didn't entirely bring his all to this LP. Still, there's a lot of great bangers on here, and I would say that I'd recommend a listen, as Redman is still an entertaining MC, and while there are consistency issues, the great tracks are truly great. This album could have trimmed off a whole load of fat, but at the same time, I still find good times with it, and I think it's a project that fans of Redman should definitely head into. Just beware if you hate skits and/or weak attempts at comedy - there's quite a bit of that.

Best Tracks: Let Da Monkey Out, I'll Bee Dat!, Get It Live, Da Goodness, Da Da DaHHH, Down South Funk, Brick City Mashin', I Got a Secret

Worst Tracks: Keep On '99, My Zone!, Soopaman Lova IV, the bloody skits

Want to read some more about Red? Well, I for one won't stop you!

Images for "Da Goodness" and "I Got a Seecret" singles taken from Discogs