Method Man - Tical 2000: Judgement Day

After the release of Wu-Tang Clan's second group effort Wu-Tang Forever, it was assumed that the remaining album-less members would continue to get their solo projects out before those that already had a solo album (so Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Raekwon, GZA and Ghostface Killah) got to release sophomore efforts. That would make sense, right? Wrong. Since Method Man was signed to a major label already (Def Jam), and since he was still the most popular member of the Clan (despite his debut album being inferior to most of the other albums already released), a sophomore effort was commissioned for late 1998, before we had even seen debuts from Inspectah Deck, The RZA (who would admittedly get his album out the week after the subject of today's post), Masta Killa or U-God. The album still had a lot of hype around it, mind you, so therefore when the tracklist was revealed, people were shocked to say the least. 

28 tracks, 11 of which were skits.

It seems, then, that Method Man had been having a short read through Redman's book of ideas while he was waiting for Reggie to finish cooking the Shepard's Pie, and when he stumbled into the page that read "make sure to include plenty of aggravating skits to make the music sound even better", he quietly tore the page out, and made his excuses to leave Reggie's apartment, only to head straight to the studio to commission his idea to The RZA, who shot him a funny look, before realising he was serious, and abandoning the project to go and make his own, very weird album. After RZA hastily left, muttering obscenities under his breath, Meth was left looking at a chap he had never seen before, who was smiling with uncontrolled glee, under the knowledge that he now had the chance to be the main man behind the new Method Man album. That man was True Master, the producer who ended up doing a large proportion of this project (RZA only handled three beats, far less than what he had provided on the previous Wu solo albums). And so Meth begun work on his second album, which ended up being released in late 1998, widely to the displeasure of Wu fans, most of whom were still waiting for that fabled Deck album that was lost in RZA's basement flood, and not a Method Man album that was jammed full of annoying-ass skits.

As well as RZA, True Master and also 4th Disciple, Meth also secured beats from upcoming Wu producer Mathematics, as well as Erick Sermon (of EPMD), Havoc (of Mobb Deep) and surprisingly Inspectah Deck, despite a lot of Wu fans hating the shit out of his production work on the Wu track "Visionz". Features, predictably, mainly consisted of Wu members and affiliates, but there were also more well-known guests that appeared on here, such as Lisa "Left Eye" Lopes, Mobb Deep, D'Angelo and Donald Trump (?), all of whom were probably a help in contributing to this album's success - it charted at no. 2 on the Billboard 200, and ended up selling well over one million copies, something that seems like a fever dream nowadays. It also seemed that Meth was having a chat with Busta Rhymes around the time he started recording, as the concept of this album is entirely themed around the impending doom (or "judgement day") that was to occur when the clock struck midnight on January 1st 2000. A pretty intriguing concept, but still, Wu-Tang fans were not impressed, and this album was seen as what would be the start of one of the biggest and saddest downfalls in hip-hop history. Pretty bad, then. But is this album itself (rather than the fall off it started) really that terrible? Let's have a see.

1. Judgement Day (Intro) (prod. Method Man)

For your information, the first 14 tracks are labelled as being in "1999", and the remainder of the songs are labelled as "2000". An interesting concept, considering this came out in 1998 (grrr). This intro is pretty creepy, though, and doesn't go on forever like Busta Rhymes' apocalyptic intro tracks, so that's good.

2. Perfect World (prod. RZA)

Beginning things with one of the few RZA productions would seem to be a good idea, but this track sounds nothing like anything The RZA had done before - this would be an early showcase of the "digital orchestra" sound that he would adopt for the next few years. No matter - this track is awesome, with the beat drop at the beginning sounding incredibly creepy, and the overall sound of this track perfectly portraying the depressing scenes that Meth wants to paint in your minds. The verses are very stellar as well. This is a great way to begin the album.

3. Cradle Rock (feat. Left Eye) (prod. LB Da Life Bringa)

Even though Method Man manages to continue to the generally creepy sound that he introduced on "Perfect World" with his verses here, the pulsating beat from someone no-one has ever heard of, teamed with Left Eye's (RIP) gratingly shouted vocals and the completely out-of-place Booster (remember that weird sung interlude on "Bring The Pain"? Yeah, that guy) bridge means this song sounds more of a mess than Ol' Dirty Bastard's brain was at the time. Still, the uneasiness of the track is enough to make me enjoy it somewhat, and the line "million dollar broke niggas still fucked up in the game" is very nice. The song overall is weird, though.

4. Dangerous Grounds (feat. Streetlife) (prod. True Master)

While Streetlife made a sparse appearance on Meth's debut, as well as one on Wu-Tang Forever, it's safe to say that his first real showcasing was Tical 2000: Judgement Day, on which he appears on a total of seven tracks, which seems a hell of a lot, but is actually only a quarter of the album. Jesus, this thing is long. But this track does nothing but make you want to continue, as the rapping and production (the first of many from True Master) both team together to make a massive banger, with some incredible Meth verses, as well as a very solid appearance from Streetlife. "Calmly expose the 9!"

5. Sweet Love (Skit)

Why exactly this six second film excerpt gets its own track is anyone's guess. Still, at least I don't have to hear about Chicken Heads on this album (see my Redman reviews).

6. Sweet Love (feat. Cappadonna & Streetlife) (prod. True Master)

While Streetlife's verse about partaking in sexual intercourse whilst driving a car (!) was uncomfortable to listen to at best, his performance sounded like heaven for the ears compared with Cappadonna's dreadful appearance (I'll admit I haven't heard his solo stuff yet, but from what I have listened to, it seems that Cappa fell off horrendously shortly after Ironman was released). "Love is love, love, love is love, love" is one of the most annoying phrases I have heard spit on a rap song, ever. Meth's callback to Raekwon's classic "Ice Cream" at the end of his verse just reminds us that there are much better rap songs about sex that we could be listening to. Still, at least the beat's good.

7. Shaolin What (Skit) (prod. 4th Disciple)

Now, this track may appear to be a skit, what with it being labelled as such, but don't fret - this is actually just a brilliant verse spit over a really chilled out and trippy instrumental from 4th Disciple that might honestly be the best one yet on the whole album. I also appreciated the quick reference to the incredible title track from Meth's debut album - just a reminder to listen to that track again. And, once you've done that, have a look at this one - it's very good.

8. Torture (prod. True Master)

Since Method Man's own song on Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) begun with Meth and Raekwon describing various ways in which they will torture you, it's only fitting that Meth makes a song all about said torture. Sadly, this song doesn't really mention actual methods of torture at all, instead talking about the torture that he is frequently provided with by his inner demons and the "Grim Reaper". Still, this song might be my favourite on the album - the production is haunting, and Meth is the perfect rapper for this instrumental. Great stuff.

9. Where's Method Man? (Skit) (feat. Ed Lover)

While I appreciated the shout-out to Redman, this skit was really unnecessary overall.

10. Suspect Chin Music (feat. Streetlife) (prod. RZA)

Over one of the weirdest (but also one of the dopest, at least from '98 onwards) RZA beats I have ever heard, Meth and Street spit some fairly generic lyrics about "suspect chin niggas", whatever the fuck that is supposed to mean. I really, really like the production, and there are some nice bars in here, but this generic-ass lyrical content sounds rather uninspired if you ask me.

11. Retro Godfather (prod. RZA)

It seems The RZA has come a long way down from the wonderful days of 36 Chambers - this beat sounds more like it came from Now That's What I Call Music! 36 (which actually came out the year before this album). Meth appears to mock the R&B rappers and fake thugs that were popular in and around 1998, and it sounds pretty good, but it really didn't need to last this long, now, did it? I will admit that the "there's not a problem that I can't fix" outro, which interpolates a classic old rap song, is fun.

12. Dooney Boy (Skit)

Even though the "(Skit)" labelling is present inside the booklet, on the actual back cover it isn't. That's annoying, but not quite as infuriating as the skit itself.

13. Spazzola (feat. Streetlife, Raekwon, Masta Killa, Killer Sin & Inspectah Deck) (prod. Inspectah Deck)

The obligatory Wu posse cut, and while Meth's previous attempt at one of these (that would be "Mr. Sandman") was better, this is still good. The beat, provided by Inspectah Deck, is banging and slightly unsettling - in other words keeping with this album's general sound - and all the MCs deliver some fine verses, with INS actually providing the best over his own production work. Whether or not they knew that "spazzola" is an Italian word for "brush" is still in question.

14. Check Writer (Skit)

Nothing to see here...

15. You Play Too Much (Skit) (Chris Rock & Method Man) (prod. Prince Paul)

Once again, the "(Skit)" labelling is only in the booklet, not the back cover. Despite the fact that the legendary Prince Paul produced this one, I still didn't find a laugh during this long-ass skit. Chris Rock is truly infuriating here, too.

16. Party Crasher (prod. True Master)

Zzzz... Oh wait - there's a song? I thought this album had just given up on those entirely. It's a good thing it didn't, though, as this track is dope. The production is smooth and yet slightly aggressive at the same time, and Meth's storytelling is wonderful on here. The violent scene described by Meth reminds me of something I heard while listening to Mr. Nightmare one time, which I also think is pretty interesting. This is definitely one of my favourites on the album.

17. Grid Iron Rap (feat. Streetlife) (prod. True Master)

There are a lot of songs on here, but even so, I've probably listened to this thing about 50 times the way through, and still I can never remember for the life of me what this song sounds like. That may be to do with it being the third Meth and Street duo track on the album, and so I just get it blended up, but still - that's a worrying thing. Having reminded myself of the song, I realise why I forgot it - it's not very good.

18. Step By Step (prod. Erick Sermon)

The first of two E-Double beats to appear on here, and it's pretty damned good, even if it sounds entirely out of place on this otherwise dark and gritty LP. Meth sounds slightly deranged on here as well, in a "I'm pretending to be calm but I'll snap any moment" kind of way, which fits fairly well with the beat. That "Step In the Arena" sample was pretty nice as well. 

19. Play IV Keeps (feat. Inspectah Deck, Streetlife & Mobb Deep) (prod. Havoc)

The second and final posse cut of the evening, and it's not really as good as the first if we're being honest with ourselves. Yes, the rapping is impressive, but sadly the beat is very underwhelming, feeling like nothing more than a pulse so the MCs don't go out of time with each other. Also, this album is beginning to really get rather tiresome at this point.

20. Donald Trump (Skit)

Haha! Donald Trump on a rap album! That aged well! Sigh...

21. Snuffed Out (Skit) (feat. Streetlife) (prod. Mathematics)

Although labelled as a skit, this track, like "Shaolin What" from earlier, is just a one verse wonder over a nice instrumental, only this time the "verse" is from Streetlife, who makes himself out as a fairly admirable rapper on here. Good stuff.

22. Elements (feat. Star & Polite) (prod. Inspectah Deck)

I very much doubt anyone knew who "Star" and "Polite" were at the time, so allow me to explain for you. Polite was a member of Raekwon's crew American Cream Team, and although he did not feature on Rae's sophomore effort Immobilarity, he did make some appearances on The Lex Diamond Story. He also did the hook on Wu-Tang Clan's group single "Uzi (Pinky Ring)", so that's interesting. As for Star, I have no idea - he has never featured on anything since, ever. Perhaps he was just a friend of Polite's from the street who was allowed onto the track. The song? Well, the beat is shit, and that's about all I got.

23. Killin' Fields (prod. True Master)

Meth flips some of his lines from Wu-Tang Clan's "The Projects" for the hook of this decidedly creepy and also decidedly very good song. Cho-Flo pops up during the intro and outro for some fun interludes, and the production from True Master is great. Meth also delivers some very technically impressive verses here, and the song title is just dope too. This is definitely one of my favourites on the album.

24. Big Dogs (feat. Redman) (prod. Erick Sermon, co-prod. Redman)

Meth brings in frequent collaborator Redman for the collaboration track that everyone probably saw coming on this LP (and not just because it was the B-Side to the lead single), and boy oh boy is it good. The production, provided by Erick Sermon and Redman, is brilliant, and the back and forth between Red and Meth on here is just perfection - it's no wonder they went on to record a whole album of collaborations the following year. One thing: why is it that Red's producer does the beat on Red's album for the Method Man collaboration track, but also does the beat for Meth's track with Red? Shouldn't The RZA or True Master have done this one? That's quite annoying to me, but whatever. This is still brilliant. "Niggas, dyin' from paper cuts, bleedin' to death!"

25. Break Ups 2 Make Ups (feat. D'Angelo) (prod. Poke, Tone & Quran Goodman, add-prod. Koran)

This would be the clear radio-friendly track of the day, and yet it's still very nice. The production, with the acoustic guitars and stuff, is smooth, and is actually perfect for Meth - imagine someone like Busta Rhymes trying to go over that beat. It just wouldn't work. D'Angelo also provides a rather catchy hook for the track, something he certainly never managed to do on his multiple collaborations with Common. Meth is definitely one of the best at making love songs out of the Clan, and probably the only one that can do it consistently without it sounding forced (with the exception of "Camay" of course), and this track is another one to prove that point. R. Kelly & Jay-Z later released a song with pretty much the same title on one of their dreadful collaboration albums, and that was fucking horrible. Just thought I'd mention that.

26. Message From Penny (Skit)

Apparently Janet Jackson was too busy singing about wet dreams with Busta Rhymes to actually provide any proper vocals here - this is just a phone call, and an obnoxious one at that.

27. Judgement Day (prod. Method Man, co-prod. 4th Disciple)

The lead single, and easily one of the weirdest to ever come from the Wu-Tang universe. After a long introduction that is similar to the introduction of "Perfect World", only longer, the self-produced beat comes in, and it's weirdly ominous, with a drum-n-bass feel to it that we had definitely never heard coming from the Wu-Tang before. Meth was apparently a little inspired by Ol' Dirty Bastard here, as he repeats the first verse during the third verse - you may recall Ol' Dirty repeating his verse on "Shimmy Shimmy Ya". Said verse is very good and actually catchy, even if the "hmm, now what's this? Smells like fish" line is rather vulgar. Overall, though, this is a big banger, and certainly an apocalyptic way to end things off. Nice track.

28. C.E.O.Utro

While I appreciate the clever title, this is still a skit, and I've had quite enough of those for one day, thanks very much.

While Tical 2000: Judgement Day is an incredibly bloated affair with way too many skits for its own good, I still find the project to be a very enjoyable experience with lots of excellent late '90s Wu tracks, as well as one of the best Method Man & Redman tracks in existence. One of the best things about this album to me is the production, which has this incredibly haunting and ominous vibe, and fits the emotions conveyed by the album art to a tee. True Master certainly proved himself to be a worthy successor to The RZA on this album if you ask me. There are a couple of sub-par beats on here (such as the dismal "Elements"), but for the most part the production work is very stellar. Method Man proves himself once again as a brilliant rapper on here, delivering some very impressive verses that flow well and sound excellent. The only major issue that this album has is the skits, and also the fact that it is slightly too long, and some of the songs in the second half could have definitely done with the cut. It's not a perfect album, and it isn't nearly a classic album either, but overall this project is just straight up fun for the most part, with the majority of these tracks being bangers, and a couple of them standing out as some of the best material Meth ever recorded. I would recommend a listen, but unless you're a completist like me, delete all of the skits except the Intro, "Shaolin What" and "Snuffed Out", as none of them need to be heard. Get rid of those, and you're left with a very underrated and surprisingly good sophomore album.

Best Tracks: Perfect World, Dangerous Grounds, Shaolin What (Skit), Torture, Party Crasher, Big Dogs, Judgement Day

Worst Tracks: Sweet Love, Elements, the majority of the skits

For other Wu-Tang reviews, click here, and for my review of Method Man's debut, click here

All images taken from Discogs

Nas - I Am...

Having made himself a household name with his chart topping It Was Written album, and having had all of his dreams realised within the span of just a couple of years (including the dream of releasing an album executively produced by Dr. Dre - that would be The Album, his group project with The Firm, which I'm saving for later), Nasir Jones decided that it was time to take a studied look at his life leading up to this point in time, and decided the best way to do this was to make a conceptual double album that told the full story of his life, from the moment he was conceived to the moment he thought of making this double album. It was to be called I Am... The Autobiography.

And this actually seemed like a rather good idea. In the previous couple of years 2Pac, Wu-Tang Clan and The Notorious B.I.G. had all released double albums, and they were all incredibly well-received. Nas was on a similar level at the time with the two solo artists mentioned there, with two classics already under his belt (I don't know if people had warmed to It Was Written yet at that time, but let's just say they had), and the general public were probably thinking that this conceptual double album was going to be another classic, and if we're being honest, it probably would have been.

Notice how I said "would have been"?

Disastrously, before Nas was able to release this project (slated for early 1999, or perhaps even late '98), the second disc was majorly bootlegged, in what was one of the first major leaking incidents in hip-hop, and Nas was sadly forced to abandon the original concept, as he couldn't just release music everyone had already heard, and record new tracks to make a normal album with, an album he called I Am.... Thankfully, he did at least manage to get this album out, albeit it was not the project that fans were hoping for. Because of the lack of a theme and abundance of tracks that were seemingly rushed into existence, the project was rather negatively received, despite having features from his Belly co-star DMX, as well as Aaliyah and Scarface, and also production from L.E.S., DJ Premier and the now rather popular Timbaland (as well as, admittedly, The Trackmasters). And to make matters worse, Nas would release another album later that same year (notably advertised in the booklet for I Am...) which confirmed the already speculated fact that he had fallen the fuck off. 1999 was truly a disastrous year for Nasir Jones. And to think he literally almost died to make this album! (Specifically the cover - have a look on Genius for the full story)

So, is this record as bad as everyone says it is? Well, let's have a look.

1. Album Intro (no producer credited)

Even though it has exactly the same title as the intro to Nas' previous work It Was Written, this intro is actually very different, and a hell of a lot better as well. The samples taken from previous Nas tracks such as "N.Y. State Of Mind" and "The Message" is the sort of thing that hip-hop nerds like me love, and the music played just before this section is bloody creepy too. I could have done without the overly aggressive dialogue at the end from Nas' Braveheart pals, but still, this is a pretty good way to begin things if you ask me.

2. N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. II (prod. DJ Premier)

DJ Premier takes the original "N.Y. State Of Mind" beat, and turns it into something a little more macabre, in keeping with the creepy sound of the intro. This track is really nice - the piano beat is dark, and Nas' raps are as engaging as ever, with the repetition of numbers in the first verse being particularly impressive. This track definitely doesn't hold up quite as well as the original, and the grim nature of the beat makes it feel longer than it is, but still, this is a pretty damn good song if you ask me.

3. Hate Me Now (feat. Puff Daddy) (prod. Pretty Boy and D. Moet & Poke and Tone (aka The Trackmasters))

The infamous second single, where Nas is at his most aggressive and radio-friendly at the same time. This song also has one of the most controversial music videos in hip-hop history, one that led to Puff Daddy breaking a bottle over the head of Nas' manager Steve Stoute, which is quite funny really, though not as funny as Puff Daddy and Nas' attempts at dancing in said video. The song itself is excellent - Nas sounds brilliant over this beat, with his aggressive raps being a little out of character, but still exciting and engaging, and the dramatic beat working well too. I actually like the catchy hook too, although Puff Daddy probably needed to shut up with the ad-libs for the rest of the song. This song is wonderfully aggressive, and easily one of the best tracks here in my opinion. Great stuff.

4. Small World (prod. Nashiem Myrick & Carlos Broady)

Over an incredibly intense beat from Nashiem Myrick and Carlos Broady (who would go on to produce a few songs on Ghostface's Killah's Supreme Clientele album) of The Hitmen, Nas proves himself to be a very engaging storyteller once again, delivering some interesting street tales that could have easily appeared on a Ghostface or Raekwon album - I wouldn't be surprised if one of them influenced this somehow. The final verse on this one is especially powerful. Definitely a classic Nas song - remind me again: who was it that said this album was bad?

5. Favor For A Favor (feat. Scarface) (prod. L.E.S.)

From the hook of this song, it sounds like Nas and Scarface like the thought of each other having sex with each others preferred women - "I wet who you want wetted, you wet who I want wetted". Weird. All jokes aside, this is very good, although I must say that Scarface stole the show here - "with the ugliest AK, I blow his motherfuckin' mind!". This beat is pretty nice too, if a bit too clean for the subject matter. Big banger right here.

6. We Will Survive (prod. Poke and Tone (aka The Trackmasters) & Jamel Edgerten)

Nas attempts to recreate an Illmatic track for the second time (the first being "N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. II"), with this track clearly attempting to be some kind of continuation of "One Love". If you remember, I did not enjoy that song that much at all, and as such, this is kind of weak to me as well, or at least the overly innocent beat is. Nas' raps about the deaths of The Notorious B.I.G. and 2Pac are interesting, though, especially the barely subtle diss towards Jay-Z in the first verse. There's no way anyone at the time missed that.

7. Ghetto Prisoners (prod. Grease)

Didn't like this track much at all. The beat from DMX's close friend Dame Grease (credited hilariously as just "Grease") is irritating as hell, although it's nowhere near as bad as the bloody repetitive hook. Nas' verses are technically impressive, but they don't say anything new or particularly interesting. This beat also gives me a hell of a headache, and we can't be doing with that. I'd pass on this one if I were you.

8. You Won't See Me Tonight (feat. Aaliyah) (prod. Timbaland)

The lone Timbaland beat provides easily the most radio-friendly track here, and I think there was actually a promotional radio single released for this one, so the collaboration makes sense. This track also trumps the previous two in my opinion - the verses are interesting, and this beat is pretty fun as well. Aaliyah (RIP) also provides a catchy hook, which is clearly what this was going for. Timbaland's ad-libs can get outta here, but otherwise I find this song to be rather good actually.

9. I Want To Talk To You (prod. L.E.S. & Alvin West)

Unlike this crap. This song would be fine, if it wasn't for the fact that it contains THE worst chorus of Nas' entire career (yes, I'm standing by that statement). The conscious rhymes are all well and good, but they don't really say anything that stands out - the most memorable bar here is the one that alludes to his next album, Nastradamus. I'm sorry, guys, I just can't handle that fucking hook. Let's move swiftly onwards.

10. Dr. Knockboot (prod. Poke and Tone (aka The Trackmasters))

A lot of people regard this as one of the worst songs and song concepts of Nas' career, and for what it's worth, I completely disagree. This song is actually fun, with Nas discussing the "do's" and "don'ts" of sexual intercourse, which makes for a pretty funny and short track with a chilled out beat that always reminds me of something that would have gone on one of Jay-Z's earlier albums. "If you a virgin with blue balls or you tear down walls" is one of the most hilarious things Nas has ever said. The idea that the only reason to not rape someone is that you'll lose your public image is rather disgusting, but overall, I don't think this song is anywhere near as bad as a lot of people say. It's a hell of a lot better than the last one, that's for sure.

11. Life Is What You Make It (feat. DMX) (prod. L.E.S.)

A collaboration that does make quite a bit of sense, since X had appeared alongside Nas in the classic hip-hop film Belly just the previous year. If you would like to picture the production, imagine that on "Ghetto Prisoners" if it wasn't fucking shit, and you'll get this beat, which is brilliant. X's ad-libbing during the hook is pretty hilarious, and his verse is actually very entertaining. Meanwhile, Nas sounds more engaged than on a few of the previous songs, and his flow works very well. Definitely one of the best tracks here.

12. Big Things (prod. Alvin West)

Nas attempts a speedy chopper flow, with some rather strange and disjointed results. Tech N9ne, Nas is definitely not, especially since he literally fumbles a lot of the lines here, making this track obviously one of the ones recorded in a hurry after the second disc of the original album leaked, since they didn't even have time to get Nas to record his verses properly. This production is great, but probably should have gone to someone else if we're being honest.

13. Nas Is Like (prod. DJ Premier)

Nowadays, this track is one of Nas' most well-known, even though it was overshadowed by the more controversial "Hate Me Now" at the time of this album's release, and it's notoriety today is for good reason - this is a banger. The beat on here, the second from Preemo on this album, is wonderfully sentimental, and Nas' verses are some of the best on the whole project. The scratches in the hook, largely taken from Nas' classic "It Ain't Hard To Tell" track, sound excellent, and the opening lines of "freedom or jail, clips inserted, a baby's being born, same time a man is murdered, the beginning and end" are permanently burned into my brain. This is one of hip-hop's classic tracks, and easily in Nas' top 10 singles. It's the best song on here, or at least, so far... 

14. K-I-SS-I-N-G (prod. L.E.S. & Alvin West)

Well, this isn't beating "Nas Is Like", that's for sure, mainly because it's shit. "Picture us married, you and me, K-I-S-S-I-N-G, I remember the first time, girl, you and me, F-U-C-K-I-N-G". Really, Nas? That's your hook? I'm a massive Nas fan, and even I can't possibly condone that. It's still better than the hook on "I Want To Talk To You", but that's really not saying much. This song is also very boring overall, and just generally quite terrible. Moving on...

15. Money Is My Bitch (prod. Alvin West & Poke and Tone (aka The Trackmasters))

Nas flips the concept of Common's classic "I Used To Love H.E.R.", only instead of hip-hop, he personifies his money as a woman, with actually not bad results. The verses on here are entertaining and creative, and the hook is actually catchy. The beat is crap, but we can look past that, can't we? I still like this song, but if you didn't, then I would find that perfectly understandable. 

16. Undying Love (prod. L.E.S.)

So, remember when I said that "Nas Is Like" was the best song on the album "so far..."? Well, it no longer possesses that title. Because, well... bloody hell. This song is INCREDIBLE. Nas tells one of the most harrowing tales ever recounted in the history of hip-hop, and the fact that his girlfriend at the time was known to be cheating on him makes this song even more shocking - perhaps this was some kind of dream he had one night? I won't explain the tale here, but for me it is one of the most powerful and shocking I've ever heard, and the beat from L.E.S. creates the perfect atmosphere for it. I get goosebumps from this one every single time. It's easily one of the best hip-hop songs of all time, and closes the album on one of the best notes EVER. Incredible.

In conclusion, I Am... is one of the most inconsistent albums that I have in my entire expansive collection. On the one hand, it contains two of the best hip-hop songs of all time ("Nas Is Like" and "Undying Love"), and on the other hand, it has some of the worst Nas songs to ever make it onto a shiny disc. The main problem with these bad songs is always the production and hooks, though, and I find Nas to be as brilliant an MC as ever throughout this hour long album. However, I can't look past the amount of songs on here that I dislike, even if about half of the tracks are incredible. Songs such as "I Want To Talk To You" and "K-I-SS-I-N-G" contain some of the worst hooks of Nas' discography, and the beats on here are also rather inconsistent, if less so than the choruses. Ironically, the only song where Nas' verses didn't work was "Big Things", a song that actually had a really good beat in my opinion. I'm debating on whether or not to recommend this one as a full listen, but I guess I will - the final song is well worth making it through the more painful moments of this LP, and there are a lot of songs I legitimately love that I think make this album worth listening to in full. Just don't use headphones, and find a place to play it out loud - I don't want to accidentally give my readers headaches, now, do I? (And "Ghetto Prisoners" is sure to induce a migraine in even the strongest of skulls)

Best Tracks: N.Y. State Of Mind Pt. II, Hate Me Now, Small World, Favor For A Favor, Life Is What You Make It, Nas Is Like, Undying Love

Worst Tracks: Ghetto Prisoners, I Want To Talk To You, K-I-SS-I-N-G

For other Nas reviews, make sure to click here

Image for "Hate Me Now" single taken from Discogs

Ghostface Killah - Supreme Clientele

Look, I appreciate that I am now doing the Wu-Tang albums completely out of order, but there's a reason for that. I want to treat every member as a solo artist, rather than just a part of that group. I don't have to review every album by every member of The Firm in order, so why do it with Wu-Tang? Ghostface Killah, along with many of the members of the Clan, stands as just as much of a solo artist as Nas or Jay-Z, and as such, I'll treat his catalogue with the same efficiency, if that makes any sense. Now, on with the review.

Following the release of his debut album Ironman, Ghostface Killah wasn't given as much freedom to release more material as he probably would have liked, primarily because he was in the Wu-Tang Clan, who, through the last few years of the '90s, were getting out the albums by artists who hadn't had a solo project yet, such as U-God, Inspectah Deck and The RZA, and also sophomore albums by the first few artists to release projects, such as Method Man and Ol' Dirty Bastard. This meant that it wasn't until 2000 when Ghost was finally able to get out a sophomore project, and it must be said that he had a lot riding on his shoulders by then. Wu-Tang hadn't really released an acclaimed project since 1997's group album Wu-Tang Forever, and people like Raekwon and GZA had been royally shitted on for their decidedly unsatisfactory sophomore Wu albums. In fact, Rae's second album Immobilarity is widely regarded as one of the most disappointing sophomore albums in the history of hip-hop. Ghostface was probably feeling rather worried by the time it was his turn, despite the popularity of his recent singles "Mighty Healthy" and "Apollo Kids", and given that his debut Ironman had been far less acclaimed than Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... and Liquid Swords, the general consensus was that Ghost's album was going to be the final nail in the coffin of the Wu-Tang dynasty that had once ruled the hip-hop world with such power.

Alas, not.

Supreme Clientele is widely regarded as one of the best hip-hop albums of the 2000s, with critics praising the intricate and fun lyricism, the triumphant production and the cohesiveness and consistency of the album. It is considered to be the best Wu-Tang sophomore album, and to a lot of people the best Wu-Tang album ever released. The tracklist could be considered rather worrying, though - we are presented with multiple three minute skits, as well as a large amount of no-name producers, and buyers in the USA were also subject to completely botched credits inside the booklet. The first few hundred copies pressed for Canada also featured completely different musical content, with a swapped around tracklist, and some alternate versions of songs that appeared on the actual album (that pressing now goes for quite a lot of money on Discogs, so sadly I don't own it yet). However, there were promising parts as well. This was the only sophomore Wu album to be executively produced by The RZA (besides his own of course - and GZA's Beneath the Surface, although Robert had nowhere near as much input on there), and did feature four beats from Prince Rakeem, as well as contributions from Mathematics and Juju of The Beatnuts, among others. And unlike Raekwon's sophomore album, this project featured loads of Wu-Tang members, with Ol' Dirty Bastard and Inspectah Deck being the only members to not make any kind of appearance. Also, Redman is on here, which just HAS to be a good thing.

So, was this album a classic piece of Wu material, or a skit-filled mess? I'll be the judge of that.

Even though lots of producers are credited, RZA actually reworked most of these beats, and so is involved with pretty much every track, so keep that in mind.

1. Intro

Interesting how Ghost uses classic Iron Man theme music on this album, but not on the album that was literally called Ironman. Still, this is a fun intro, and the transition into the next track is simply perfection.

2. Nutmeg (feat. The RZA) (prod. Arthur Wilson p/k/a "BLACK MOES-ART")

Pretty bloody great opener. The triumphant, jazzy beat that plays during the interludes is probably the best part, especially when Ghost tells the listener to "get in line, punk!", but the verses aren't to be sniffed at either. This is one of the songs on this album that appears to be about nothing, and is just Ghost rapping random phrases that don't fit together at all, but that's one of the things that makes this so unique and great. The rhyming during the opening few bars is excellent, and I actually enjoyed that RZA verse on the end a whole load as well. Ghost's repetition of "I know, I know" towards the end is the only part I don't enjoy, but on the other hand I do like the shout of "break it down!" that finishes the song off, so I can't complain. Excellent track.

3. One (prod. Juju of The Beatnuts)

One of the more popular tracks on this album, and it's easy to see why - this is great. The triumphant beat from Juju, with the piano keys and all, is amazing, and Ghost rides this instrumental even better than the one on the last song. The little bridge from T.M.F. (a group consisting of Trife Da God, Tommy Whispers and Kryme Life) that appears to be advocating something, uhh, unsavoury, was unnecessary, but Ghost makes up for it with his bars, especially the first few in the second verse. "Crash through, break the glass, Tony with the goalie mask, that's the past, heavy ice Rollie laying on the dash. Love the grass, cauliflower hurting when I dumped the trash, sour mash served in every glass up at the Wally Bash" are some of my favourite Ghost bars ever. It just sounds so good. The outro was also funny as hell. "How many nuts you might bust? One!".

4. Saturday Nite (prod. Carlos "Six July" Broady)

A short track, but still good at that. The intense beat is exciting and invigorating, and Ghost's sole verse about being harassed by the police is pretty interesting as well (the Wu-Tang Clan were actually investigated by the FBI during the '90s). This song should have gone on a lot longer, really, but it cuts off around the 1:40 mark, which is rather annoying, but oh well.

5. Ghost Deini (feat. Superb) (prod. The Blaquesmiths)

On this track, Ghost introduces us to his new alias, to go along with "Ironman", "Tony Starks", and all the others, whatever the hell they are (it would be a couple of years before he invented "Pretty Toney"). Dennis would later name his 2009 R&B concept album after the nickname "Ghost Deini" (albeit spelt differently), with decidedly disastrous results. Anyway, back to this song. The beat on here, another one by an unknown producer, (The Blaquesmiths, who did do a song on Inspectah Deck's debut, but not much else), is absolutely fantastic, being a lot more chilled out than most of the other instrumentals that appear on this album, and it does provide a bit of a refreshing feel. The verses on here are excellent, but unfortunately that little sung bridge in the middle was akin to slowly having your brain pulled out of your mouth. Still a great song, though.

6. Apollo Kids (feat. Raekwon) (prod. Hassan)

Although I believe the lead single was technically "Mighty Healthy", I think this was the first one to get proper promotion, with a proper vinyl single and all. The triumphant production by Hassan is exciting, easily one of the best on the album, and Ghost absolutely destroys his two verses here, as well as the hook. Raekwon also sounds good on here, although he was going steadily into his "I can't be bothered because I'm too busy having a nap" rapping phase at this time, which would just get worse throughout the 2000s. This is still incredible though, and that final delivery of "fresh cellies, 50 deep up in the city, we banned for life, Apollo Kids live to spit the real" is just perfect. Very good choice for a lead single.

7. The Grain (feat. The RZA) (prod. The RZA)

This rather weird breakbeat style song is good, but definitely doesn't stand out amongst the previous or upcoming songs if I'm honest. Ghostface sounds great over this simplistic RZA beat, but The RZA himself doesn't sound quite right. Also, what is up with the off-key singing on this album? This track features the third attempt at singing (after other attempts on "Nutmeg" and "Ghost Deini"), and it's the third to fail miserably. I did find the "ayo, kid, don't fuck wit her" outro pretty hilarious though (that whole end section is of course a riff on part of Ol' Dirty's track "Don't U Know".

8. Buck 50 (feat. Cappadonna, Method Man, Masta Killah & Redman) (prod. The RZA)

Apparently Masta Killa was so enraged at his lack of credit on the previous album's "Assassination Day", that he demanded compensation. Therefore, he is credited here, even though he doesn't even appear on the song at all! Weird. Aside from that, this track is wonderful, possibly my favourite on the album. Method Man starts things off with an incredible guest verse that it seems is sure to steal the show, only for Redman to come in later on and take that distinction for himself. This is easily one of the best Red verses ever, with his delivery of the line "the words you talk, better be the words you walk" being a personal favourite moment. Ghost also sounds great on here, and the intense beat is fantastic. A shame that Cappadonna sounds like shit, but oh well. This is still an excellent song.

9. Mighty Healthy (prod. Allah Mathematics)

According to Wikipedia, this was the lead single, released to radio sometime around 1998, but I don't know how much I should trust that source. I do know that a video was released for it though, and I also know that this is easily one of Ghost's most popular songs - although that could have something to do with Kanye West sampling it twice (on "New God Flow" and "No More Parties In L.A."). However, I choose to believe that this song was popular because it was and is absolutely incredible. The production from Mathematics is haunting and eerie, and Ghost absolutely kills his verses on here. The delivery of "understand what I'm saying, saying, saying?" at the end of the short hook is so menacing that you'll be nodding your head "yes" to your CD player. This is also the first song here to feature martial arts film samples, so that's appreciated. Absolutely phenomenal song.

10. Woodrow the Base Head

You didn't need skits for your last album to be great, Ghost, so why do you need them now? And why is it three minutes long? This skit is a massive issue for replayability, and it's only going to get worse from here.

11. Stay True (feat. 60 Second Assassin) (prod. Inspectah Deck)

Jacks the beat right from Inspectah Deck's "Elevation", which was an interesting choice (also, the USA booklet mistakenly lists this song as "Deck's Beat", I believe, which is quite hilarious). This track is really chill, though, and this beat is a lot better than some of INS' other production works (see Method Man's "Elements"). 60 Second Assassin, known for his appearance on Raekwon's "Glaciers Of Ice", also provides the first piece of good singing on the album, so that's appreciated largely. 

12. We Made It (feat. Superb) (prod. Carlos "Six July" Broady)

Superb is back again, although weirdly he's not the only rapper on here, despite being listed as such. Both Chip Banks and Hell Razah pop up on here, and I have no idea why they're not credited, and it's a shame, as they both provide good verses, especially Hell Razah, who fits in perfectly over this triumphant instrumental. Ghost still appears to be talking about absolutely nothing, but as I said before, that's fine by me. Very good track.

13. Stroke Of Death (even though no producer is listed, I think this was done by The RZA)

Although this is clearly a song, it's listed in the booklet like a skit, with no credits around it whatsoever, not even the RZA and Solomon Childs features. This song is pretty good, but I just can't get past that annoying looped backwards beat. However, the fact that they had the decency to end it before the two minute mark shows some good quality control I suppose, so that's something. This was also the first appearance of Solomon Childs on a Ghostface album, which is a pretty interesting milestone in my opinion. 

14. Iron's Theme - Intermission

Features easily the best singing on this entire album, from what appears to be some kind of male choir. This was pleasant, like the sound of soft rain pattering on the window when in bed, but unfortunately RZA's shouting in the background is slightly off-putting. Emphasis on "slightly", though.

15. Malcolm (prod. Choo "The Specializt")

Ghost finally decides it's time to rap a cohesive story, rather than just randomly placed uses of slang, and gives us this excellent track where he appears to picture himself as Malcolm X, which you could probably discern from the title. The beat on here is actually rather dark and creepy, which may or may not have been the mood Ghost was aiming for, but whatever. The reference to the altercation with Ma$e was pretty interesting as well, although the event has surprisingly been apparently lost in the history books, as I had never heard of such a thing happening until I heard this track. Excellent song.

16. Who Would You Fuck

Another three minute skit, Ghost? The fuck?

17. Child's Play (prod. The RZA)

Not only does the song title immediately raise suspicion from the title of the previous track alone, but when we get into this, it gets worse. The piano beat is lovely, especially the switch up during the second verse, where it becomes one of the best beats on the whole album. However, Ghost's lyrics, however unintentionally, sound unpleasantly paedophilic, and therefore I cannot really listen to this song without cringing. Production is still good, though, and at least the questionable lyrics are unintentional (see the next album's "Strawberry").

18. Cherchez LaGhost (prod. Carlos Bess)

Another instance of features going without credit, this track has highly relevant features from Madam Majestic and U-God, and yet they still go without being listed in the booklet. This track is, put simply, weird as hell. The beat doesn't really have much energy at all, and the Madam Majestic vocals are more creepy than anything else. Despite this, the track charted very well, and was a minor hit, but I don't see why - this sounds nothing like the sort of song that would be played on the radio. I have a soft spot for it, though - it starts off kind of boring, but as soon as the incredibly cool delivery of "truly yours, peace boo" is uttered, the song becomes excellent, with the layers of production building up after that into a beautifully wavy experience. This song isn't one of the best, but I think it still deserves some respect.

19. Wu Banga 101 (feat. GZA, Cappadonna, Masta Killah & Raekwon) (prod. Allah Mathematics)

Surprisingly, Raekwon only gets two features on this whole album, the same amount as Cappadonna and Superb, and less than The RZA. Interesting. Closing your album with a posse cut is always a pet peeve of mine, as I always like it when the last song is a solo track, but I don't mind here, as this song is utterly incredible. Not only does it feature the best Masta Killa verse I've ever heard, but also one of the best GZA verses ever, post Liquid Swords at least. This beat is also phenomenal, being intense and creepy, but relaxing all the same. Ghost actually delivers two verses here, and the second of them is the better one in my opinion. Easily one of the, if not the, best Wu posse cuts ever released.

20. Clyde Smith

The infamous skit where a deep-voice filtered Raekwon disses 50 Cent. I bet whoever let you know about this forgot to tell you that it was boring as fuck. Can't you just make a diss track? Why does it have to be this? The hell?

21. Iron's Theme - Conclusion

Basically takes "Iron's Theme - Intermission" and "Intro", and mashes them together like potatoes and butter. Similar to that combination, this outro is rather pleasant.

Overall, Supreme Clientele is easily a classic album, and probably the best in Ghostface's entire catalogue. This is one of those albums that just feels like a greatest hits, what with the shiny cover, and also the fact that each of the tracks (bar the goofy skits of course) could be considered a classic Ghostface track. Production on this album is phenomenal every single time (besides the rather annoying "Stroke Of Death"), and the rapping from Ghost is so fun and entertaining that you will just want to leap with joy whenever you put this album on - well, at least when the skits aren't playing. And that is the only real problem with this - the skits. They're way too long, and therefore make the replay factor of the second half fall quite far down into the trenches. If this album lost "Woodrow the Base Head", "Who Would You Fuck" and "Clyde Smith", then this would probably be a lot easier to listen to, and would probably be "easily" the best Ghost album, rather than "only just" or "potentially". As it stands, though, this is still a classic, and I would easily recommend you listen to it. Also, I've just noticed, the first album I've reviewed from the 2000s. Isn't that cool?

Best Tracks: Nutmeg, One, Ghost Deini, Apollo Kids, Buck 50, Mighty Healthy, We Made It, Malcolm, Wu Banga 101

Worst Tracks: Stroke Of Death, Child's Play (I just can't do that one, I'm sorry)

For other Wu-Tang posts, click here, and for my Ironman review specifically, click here

Image for "One" single taken from Discogs

Rampage - Scouts Honor... By Way Of Blood

Now, those that read my review of Busta Rhymes' When Disaster Strikes... may have noticed that I mentioned an album by a certain Rampage the Last Boy Scout with a rather ridiculous title, and yet I hadn't actually covered the album on this site. Well, since the next step in the the Busta discography is the Flipmode Squad album The Imperial, I figured I'd better cover this Flipmode solo album first, and so here we go.

For those who are unaware, Rampage is Busta Rhymes' cousin, a man who had made promising appearances throughout the '90s on songs such as Leaders Of the New School's "Spontaneous (13 MC's Deep)", Craig Mack's "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)", and even his own single, "Beware Of the Rampsack", released on Rowdy Records for an album he was supposed to release called Red Oktoba. However, after Busta Rhymes was signed to Elektra with a solo deal, he took Ramp along with him, and any other recordings for the mysterious Red Oktoba album were left to collect dust in the Rowdy Records basement. It's a shame he didn't get to release that album, as Red Oktoba was certainly a better album title than Scouts Honor... By Way Of Blood, and would almost certainly have better artwork than the monstrosity that we ended up with. Perhaps the main reason that this album only managed to chart at no. 65 on the Billboard 200, and failed to even sell Gold, despite the backup from the incredibly popular Busta Rhymes, was because of that horrific imagery of a man apparently moaning with pain into a giant condom. The Rampage logo is nice, but that's all I can say. This is arguably the worst hip-hop album cover of all time.

However, a quick look at the liner notes would dismiss worries quickly. As well as the expected guest appearances from Busta Rhymes and Flipmode Squad (including Serious, who was kicked out after Busta released When Disaster Strikes... a couple of months later), we had production from DJ Scratch, Rashad Smith and Backspin the Vibe Chemist, three of the chaps that had made Busta Rhymes' debut (released over a year before this album) so good sonically. The lead single released to radio ("Take It To the Streets") had admittedly sounded a bit like dog shit, but that track was clearly meant as a radio-friendly pop track, and the rest of this album wasn't taking that direction at all. However, the album wasn't too well received by the smattering of people that actually heard it, with a lot of people criticising Rampage's lyrics and delivery, which is something I've never had a problem with. But can his loud, RZA-esque delivery  entertain us for a whole album, or is this going to be as terrible as the cover art suggests it will be? Let's take a look.

1. Intro (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Rampage is clearly taking inspiration from his more successful relative Trevor Smith, what with this pretentious three part intro and all. This intro is even more self-absorbed than the usual Busta intro - at least Busta usually appears to be saying something about the end of the world. The beat from DJ Scratch in the Part 2 here is bloody excellent though.

2. Flipmode Iz Da Squad (feat. Da Flipmode Squad starring: Spliff Star, Serious, Busta Rhymes & Lord Have Mercy) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Aside from the beat being surprisingly underwhelming, this is actually a really good crew track. Rampage brings it with his verse, spitting some fairly clever bars, and then the ear-splitting Serious verse comes in, which is just hilarious. I never much cared for Spliff Star, but I will admit that he delivers one of his better verses on here. Busta Rhymes sounds very much like his When Disaster Strikes... self, which is to say very bloody good, and Lord Have Mercy also sounds very interesting. As I said, the beat could do with a bit more menace, but otherwise this was a good posse cut. The inclusion of it as the first song is questionable, though - shouldn't Rampage do the first track alone? 

3. Da Night B4 My Shit Drop (feat. Alan Scott Plotkin) (prod. Rashad Smith)

For those wondering, Alan Scott Plotkin is actually just playing a journalist on here, rather than being a musical contributor. The beat from Rashad Smith is funky as hell, and the interview skit at the start is funny as well. Rampage does his best to emulate Busta Rhymes on here, with a more animated and manic delivery than usual, and he pulls it off well - his lyricism sounds similar to Redman on Dare Iz a Darkside. This track is excellent - my only complaint is that it should be longer. Great stuff. The skit on the end, which plays the later track "We Getz Down (Remix)" in the background, is entertaining enough as well - better than most Busta skits, that's for sure.

4. Talk Of the Town (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Rampage takes some bars from his verse on Busta's "Flipmode Squad Meets Def Squad" for a hook, and raps over a rather dark and melancholy piano beat. This track almost reminds me of something Wu-Tang Clan would rhyme over on Wu-Tang Forever - it just has that same dark and dull sound. This track is good, but I feel like Rampage needs a bit more interesting lyrical content at this point - his voice would be perfect for more serious topics, but on this song, he seems hell-bent on painting himself as some kind of merciless murderer, which is a shame.

5. Get The Money And Dip (feat. Busta Rhymes) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

What with Busta being my favourite rapper of all time, and this been from my favourite era of his, I was disappointed to learn that he only handles the hook on here, and a rather dreadful hook at that. Busta's high-pitched, babyish voice sounds terrible, which is annoying, as otherwise this is very good - the wavy beat is chill, and Rampage sounds very good over said beat. Those that say he is always trying to emulate Busta on this album don't know what they're talking about.

6. The Set Up (prod. Rashad Smith)

This beat is relaxing as hell, and reminds me of the "Ill Vibe" beat from Busta's debut, only even more low-key if that's possible. The hook actually rips some lines from Redman's "Tonight's Da Night" - "no matter who you are, you'll still catch a bullet scar" - which I find very interesting. Another interesting point is that Busta Rhymes is echoing Ramp in the background with a deep voice filter on, or at least I think it's Busta Rhymes. This track is great, and actually better than a Nas song with the same title, quite a feat from a rapper who is admittedly not nearly as good as Nas. The skit at the end was quite funny as well. "That smells like a bucket of ass, dude".

7. Wild For Da Night (feat. Busta Rhymes) (prod. Backspin the Vibe Chemist)

Again, Busta only pops up for the hook, but in this instance I actually don't care. This beat, the final one done by Backspin the Vibe Chemist on a mainstream album, is incredible, with the poignant and powerful piano loop being perfect backing for Busta to scream over. Rampage sounds calmer on this one than how he does on the rest of the album, a good decision, as it contrasts from the incredibly animated Busta chorus. This song is a classic, and easily one of the best on this whole album. I can't look past the line "shittin' Ex-Lax", but the rest of the song makes it worth it. Excellent stuff.

8. Flipmode Enemy #1 (feat. Serious) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Looks like the maniacal Serious is back, and for a rather unexpected cover to Public Enemy's classic track "Public Enemy No. 1", with the same beat and all. Rampage rocks this beat well, and Serious has a good voice for the interludes throughout this track, even though he sadly doesn't contribute a verse. That skit with Spliff Star on the end is bloody horrific, though.

9. Take It To The Streets (feat. Billy Lawrence) (prod. Rashad Smith, co-prod. Armando Colon)

Sadly, Rampage's attempt to make a song for the chicks is completely and utterly terrible. The beat sounds cheap and nasty, sort of like the cover art for this album come to think of it, and the Billy Lawrence vocals on the hook are truly painful. The music video is utter crap as well - anyone think Jay-Z may have taken inspiration from this for his similarly unpleasant "(Always Be My) Sunshine" video?

10. Conquer Da World (feat. Meka) (prod. D.J. Scratch)

I believe Meka is a Flipmode affiliate who never was actually invited to join the crew - she did appear a couple of times on Busta Rhymes' later effort It Ain't Safe No More..., the second album in his catalogue to use ellipsis in the title, but was nowhere to be found anywhere else outside of this track, where she merely repeats the words "so what ya sayin' son" on the hook (which also has a repeated sample of Eric B. & Rakim's "Put Your Hands Together"). This is pretty solid, with a good beat, but the repetitive hook is rather annoying if I'm perfectly honest. 

11. Hall Of Fame (prod. D.J. Scratch)

These song concepts really aged well, didn't they. I mean, you can't turn on a News channel nowadays without hearing something about the adventures of Rampage the Last Boy Scout. The beat on here is nice as hell, though, with the intense bells giving a dope vibe, and the bassline bringing that menacing energy. I don't think Rampage quite deserves to be "awarded to be in the Hall Of Fame", but a little more recognition would be nice - this is just some dope-ass hip-hop. The shout to The Notorious B.I.G. (RIP) is interesting as well - Rampage and Biggie probably did know each other, since they were in the "Flava In Ya Ear (Remix)" video together.

12. Niggaz Iz Bad (feat. Serious) (prod. Rashad Smith)

The third Serious appearance, and it's OK. The beat sounds very mainstream, almost like a Bad Boy production, but the rapping is as far from mainstream as you can get. Rampage brings back the manic delivery that he used on "Da Night B4 My Shit Drop", and it sounds great, and it's even better that he only uses it in moderation. Busta pops up in the middle here, too, which was fun. I enjoyed the Serious verse too - I'm still annoyed he never got a solo album. This beat is a bit meh, but this track is still good anyway.

13. We Getz Down (Remix) (prod. Teddy Riley, co-prod. Sprague "Doggie" Williams)

Sounds weirdly radio-friendly, what with the talk box that sounds similar to that stuff that Roger Troutman did on 2Pac's "California Love", and the chilled out beat. This track appears to be a remix to another song that was released prior to this album as a single, but I'm not entirely sure if I'm honest. This is still good, though, if a bit weird. I wonder who did the talk box.

14. Rampage Outro (prod. D.J. Scratch)

Rampage goes a slightly different route to the usual Busta album here, talking over a completely new beat, rather than reusing the one from the intro. This beat is not great, but the allusion to Busta Rhymes' upcoming album When Disaster Strikes... was appreciated, so that's something.

Overall, Scouts Honor... By Way Of Blood is not quite as enjoyable as I remember it being, but it's still pretty damn good for the most part. The album remains entertaining throughout, with the exception of a couple of tracks, and Rampage is consistently stellar on the mic, with all of his verses hitting, and his versatility remaining interesting, especially on "Da Night B4 My Shit Drop" and "Niggaz Iz Bad". The main issue with this album is beats and hooks. Don't get me wrong, some of the choruses are great and epic, such as the ones on "Wild For Da Night" and "Flipmode Iz Da Squad", but a lot of them sound like shit, and even some of the better songs here are bought down by annoying and overly self-confident choruses ("Conquer Da World", "Hall Of Fame"). Some of the beats are crap as well, and there is one song on here that could be described as outright terrible. Despite my criticisms, though, I would still recommend a listen, especially if you're a fan of Busta Rhymes. The good songs here are phenomenal, and the project will keep you entertained throughout the runtime, which is more than can be said for some of Busta Rhymes' later albums. Also, mad respect to Busta for getting his man's debut out before he even put out his own sophomore effort. That's a true friend right there. This is a great album, and once you've listened to Busta's first three albums, I would definitely dive into this one. It's not perfect, but it's damned underrated, that's for sure. Just try and turn a blind eye to the cover art.

Best Tracks: Flipmode Iz Da Squad, Da Night B4 My Shit Drop, Talk Of The Town, The Set Up, Wild For Da Night, Hall Of Fame

Worst Tracks: Take It To The Streets, Conquer Da World

You may also enjoy:

Busta Rhymes - The Coming

Busta Rhymes - When Disaster Strikes...

Image for "Get the Money and Dip" taken from Discogs

DMX - It's Dark And Hell Is Hot

Since I just bought this album on vinyl for the first time yesterday, I figured now was the best possible time to give it a review, what with me going back through it and such. And so, here I present my first review on a certain Earl Simmons, more often known as Dark Man X (RIP).

Having grown up in the streets of New York, being incredibly poor and also abused, frequently finding himself sleeping out in the cold air of a night, Earl Simmons was in a fairly dark place as he entered the 1990s as an adult who still depended on robbing and sometimes killing in order to gain food and other such necessities. The only good thing about this, if a situation so heinous could ever be considered "good", was that Earl was filled with tonnes of pent up rage and aggression, which made him the perfect voice for an aspiring rapper. Having perfected his craft for a short while, X signed a deal with Ruffhouse Records, label home of the Fugees, and released a single, titled "Born Loser". Inevitably, no-one heard it, but no matter - at least he had now made his mark on the game, if a very small mark at that. Having left that label, DMX came into contact with a certain Mic Geronimo, featuring on tracks with him in 1995 and then 1997, before then hooking up with Ma$e of all people to contribute verses to his no. 1 album Harlem World. These guest appearances were considered to be very promising, and since he had now appeared alongside Jay-Z a couple of times, X was quickly bought into the Def Jam offices, where he was finally able to begin working on a proper debut album. And, against all odds, the album debuted at no. 1 on the Billboard 200, selling, ridiculously, 4x platinum, catapulting X into the spotlight and beginning what would be one of the most impressive runs in hip-hop and music history: thanks to his prolific output, X became the first artist ever to have his first five solo studio albums debut at no. 1. What an accomplishment. And that album is the subject of today's post: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot.

For his first album, X clearly had a hell of a lot to say, with there being 19 tracks and about 70 minutes of music, and yet only three of these songs had guest appearances, and one of those appearances (Sheek on "Get At Me Dog") was relegated to a small appearance on the hook. Given his upbringing, it was no surprise that Earl would be able to carry the album on his own, but one would think that Def Jam would have stuck a couple of their own artists on the project. But no. As for producers, they were almost all unknown as well. Swizz Beatz gained his first major production credit here, with the infamous "Ruff Ryder's Anthem", but contrary to what most people seem to believe, that was his only contribution. Most of this album was handled by X's in-house producer friends Dame Grease and PK (also known as P Killer Trackz), with a couple of beats provided by more well-known duo Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob. So, this album wasn't exactly brimming with Jay-Zs and The Notorious B.I.G.s and Puff Daddys, and yet it still went no. 1 and became one of the top 10 fastest selling hip-hop albums of 1998. And how did it do this?

Well, by being absolutely phenomenal.

(That's probably not the actual reason by the way, but I'd like to think of it that way nonetheless)

1. Intro (prod. Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob)

After a short intro skit that one may feel inclined to believe is all this track is made of, given the title, a dramatic, entrance type-beat comes in and you can hear X softly whispering in the background. The build-up here is nothing short of enticing, but when the actual song starts, that's when you know that things are about to go down. DMX absolutely destroys this haunting and horrorcore beat with a venom never before seen in the hip-hop world. And apparently K-Solo thought X stole his style! Well, if K-Solo can make a song anything close to this, then maybe we'll reconsider his statements. The final line of "that nigga DMX is a motherfuckin' problem, aight?!" is easily one of my favourite moments on the whole LP. This opening track is phenomenal, and it's just an intro! What??

2. Ruff Ryders' Anthem (prod. Swizz)

The aforementioned track that stands as the only Swizz beat on the album, and it's also easily the most notorious song here, which is a shame, as it is, in my opinion at least, one of the weakest. Throughout this album, one of the things that makes X so good is his random but calculated flow, that goes randomly from fast to slow with no warning whatsoever of when things might be about to switch up. However, here his flow is quite formulaic, and even though his bars are memorable, and the hook is iconic, that beat is rather annoying, and doesn't give off the energy it most certainly should. This ain't bad by a long shot, but it shouldn't be anyone's first introduction to X.

3. Fuckin' Wit' D (prod. PK, add-prod. Dame Grease)

Feels more of an interlude than an actual song, but it's still good. The chaotic instrumental teamed with X's incredible flow and voice make this easily one of the most fun and mindless songs on the album, even if that really isn't saying much. The line "When niggas hear that dog bark, they'd better run. When police hear that dog bark, they'd better come" is hilarious in how non-threatening it is. This is good, but would have been more effective if it hadn't abruptly cut off at the end.

4. The Storm (Skit) (prod. Dame Grease & PK, add-prod. Waah & Mad Man)

Of course, there couldn't be a '90s rap album without a skit! What sort of wonderful skit-less world do you live in? This skit is actually rather unnecessary as well, but I suppose that should come as no surprise. And why so many producers for a conversation with no musical backing?

5. Look Thru My Eyes (prod. PK, co-prod. Dame Grease)

Besides the infuriatingly misspelled title, this song easily stands as the best track since the intro. The beat is dark and melancholy, with the piano melody being so depressing you'll just want to fall slowly off a cliff while listening to this song, yet not in a bad way, if that's possible. DMX brings his all on here, with his erratic changes between thoughtful and angry being as manic as ever, and his singing voice being surprisingly wonderful. The final lines on here of "feel the pain, feel the joy, of a man who was never a boy, for real" are truly painful to listen to. This is one of my favourite DMX songs, and one of the most powerful of all time.

6. Get At Me Dog (feat. Sheek from The Lox) (prod. Dame Grease, add-prod. PK)

The lead single, and one that was inexplicably popular for how grimy and radio un-friendly it is. This beat simply feels like a plethora of noise, and the verses are simply consisting of various threats that, unlike when, say, Common or Busta Rhymes attempt to scare the listener, are surprisingly believable, especially when you consider X's multiple run-ins with the law. The hook on here is also pretty iconic, although I have no idea why Sheek Louch had to make an appearance, especially considering he pops up for an actual verse later on in the album. Well, at least he got the promo, I suppose, if it was the last time someone chose him over the other two Lox members.

7. Let Me Fly (prod. Dame Grease, add-prod. Young Lord)

It seems that X's choice of song order is similar to his flow, going from aggressive and violent on one song to reflective and often depressed on the next. Given the content of the last track, X really is trying his luck with God here - I don't know if he sends those that leave people "dead from the waist down" a pass to heaven, but maybe I'm wrong. This song is still incredibly powerful, with it being basically a slightly more spiritual version of "Look Thru My Eyes", at least in terms of the music and the fact that X is doing some rather melodic singing on the hook. Knowing that X is now sadly gone makes this that much more powerful and heartbreaking, and the production, wavy bass and all, is some of the best of the late '90s. Incredible track.

8. X-Is Coming (prod. PK)

On what is easily the most violent track of the hour, X takes us on a tour through his demented mind, rattling off various tales of gruesome violence over this beat that sounds like it was taken directly from a 1970s horror movie, and then just had some hip-hop drums chucked on top of it. The threats on here range from killing us and our whole family, to fucking raping our daughter, in a line that was surely slipped past the Def Jam censoring office in an impenetrable suitcase of some kind. How the hell did they let that part slide?? The threats on here are legitimate and appalling, which is exactly what Earl was aiming for, and the prospect of playing this in front of anyone is about as ridiculous as attempting to fit the entire CD case inside your own mouth. Shame about the horrifically bad hook, though.

9. Damien (prod. Dame Grease)

Put simply, the best back-and-forth track a rapper has done with himself ever. On here, X tells the tale of meeting this lad Damien, who is also played by X, a man who gave him fame, glory, and everything else he wanted, but in exchange for doing some terrible things. Damien of course represents the devil, and really doesn't exist, but I get the feeling that the events that take place in this song really represent what was going on in X's mind during the years leading up to this album. The beat is also bloody incredible - it's a shame X gravitated more towards the often mediocre Swizz Beatz for subsequent releases, as the beatmakers on here are doing a bloody fine job, it must be said.

10. How's It Goin' Down (prod. PK)

In exchange for letting his rather unnecessary rape reference slide, X was apparently forced by the Def Jam offices to record this R&B-style, radio friendly cut for the album, and it's not half bad, even if it sounds completely out of place with the rest of the project. X still manages to make himself out to be the bad guy, though - on this song, X plays the guy the woman is cheating with, not the man she's cheating on, something the Def Jam offices surely missed when they released this as the second single. Also, that's apparently Faith Evans playing the woman in the intro skit - who knew?

11. Mickey (Skit) (prod. PK, Waah & Rajah Winn)

Unusual for a skit in that this is actually pretty bloody hilarious. Still a skit, though.

12. Crime Story (prod. Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob)

Over a weirdly subdued instrumental that sounds nothing like the other Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob beat on here (that would be "Intro"), DMX kicks his third storytelling track in a row, telling his tale of hiding out from the cops after becoming a wanted man, only to (spoiler alert) turn himself in at the end of the song by walking into the police station with a bomb vest on. Now that's gangsta! This beat may be questionable to some people, but I think it just makes the story easier to follow. Great track.

13. Stop Being Greedy (prod. PK, add-prod. Dame Grease)

Released as the B-Side to the lead single "Get At Me Dog", I actually find this to be better than that track. The beat, which samples part of Diana Ross' "My Hero Is A Gun", is intense and exciting, and the lyrical content on here is very intriguing. Remember how I mentioned that X liked to randomly switch between loud and quiet? Well, that's the whole premise behind this song. Every four bars, X switches from the calm and collected Earl Simmons who just wants to have his fun in the game, to the manic DMX, with his "two glowing red eyes" and apparently nasty temper. The line "you've been lucky all day, this where your luck STOPS!!" is one of my personal favourites on here. Classic track.

14. ATF (prod. Dame Grease)

X kicks a fairly similar tale to that told on "Crime Story", only he gets through it much quicker, and does it over a better beat that is very intense, with the violins in the background adding the perfect atmosphere. Great little song.

15. For My Dogs (feat. Big Stan, Loose, Kasino & Drag-On) (prod. Dame Grease)

Apparently Def Jam were so confident in DMX that they gave him four so-called "dogs" to hang out with whenever he was in the studio. This track has a great beat, what with the church bells and everything, but my main problem with this is that I want to hear DMX on this album, and not a bunch of rappers that no-one has ever heard of before, and I'm being serious there. Outside of Drag-On, who would do a few more Ruff Ryders features in the future, these guys have never really been heard from again. This track is still good, though, and I love DMX's verse. The hook is a bit too repetitive, though.

16. I Can Feel It (prod. Dame Grease)

The hook, that samples Phil Collins' "In The Air Tonight" for some godforsaken reason, is off-putting, but that said I still like this song, if only for the DMX verses. His lines on here are powerful, and give me goosebumps every time, and the beat helps, being spacey and melancholy. That bloody hook needs to get outta here, though - did anyone really think that was a good idea??

17. Prayer (Skit) (prod. Dame Grease)

If any skit deserved to be labelled as an "interlude", it's this one, but alas not. This theme of X delivering a prayer with no musical backing would continue throughout each subsequent album, but I'm alright with that for now, as this is actually very powerful. The scream of "give me pain 'til I die!" at the end is also worthy of a tear or two, especially knowing the frequent trials X would deal with leading up to his death. One of the best "skits" I've heard in a while.

18. The Convo (prod. Dame Grease)

Starting the third running theme for X's albums (the others being "Prayer" and "Damien"), this track features X talking to God, only God is played by himself. This beat is haunting and harrowing, and the first couple of verses are certainly powerful, but it's that final verse that really makes this one of the best songs on the album. The repetition of "it was you" getting louder and more uncontrollable is an incredible thing, and the short break after this verse before the beat comes back in sounds beautiful as well. Absolutely fantastic song.

19. Niggaz Done Started Something (feat. The Lox & Mase) (prod. Dame Grease)

If you ask me, it was a terrible idea to end the evening with this posse cut track, but I guess it does give us an amount of time to let our minds process what the fuck just went down on this album. This is still good, mind you, and X's show stealing final verse is definitely impressive, if not one of his best like a lot of people seem to think it is. I loved the little "Ruff Ryders... Grrrrr....." at the end as well - what a way to finish the evening. This track still feels a bit out of place, though, and I still don't like Ma$e. The beat was nice, though.

Overall, It's Dark and Hell Is Hot is not a perfect album, but that's perhaps what makes it, to me at least, the best hip-hop album of all time (yep, you read that right). It's just so human. DMX's show of personality and his ability to simultaneously craft himself as a maniacal killer and a spiritual man who just wants to do right is nothing short of marvellous, and the vibes that the beats on this album give off is just astonishing, with the creepy violins, church bells and synths crafting this unique feel. The beats don't feel like boom-bap for the most part, and instead just feel like nothing else ever done in the history of hip-hop. DMX's flow on here sounds like nothing else as well, with his manic delivery being intense and powerful. This album, to me, is the epitome of rap, with X opening up to us for half of it, and giving us hard street bangers for the rest of the time. This project is simply incredible, and easily worth a listen. If you don't like this album, then I wouldn't be entirely surprised, as some of the lyrics are a little hard to stomach, but for me this is one of the most touching experiences ever put onto wax. Rest In Peace, Dark Man X - you are truly missed.

Best Tracks: This album needs to be listened to the way through, so with that in mind I'd say all of them.

Worst Tracks: Well, I didn't like the Phil Collins sample, but otherwise refer to above.

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