Jay-Z - In My Lifetime, Vol. 1

Following his fairly successful and bloody excellent debut album Reasonable Doubt, Shawn Carter planned on retiring, and becoming a full-time executive of Roc-a-Fella Records, nurturing up-and-coming artists such as Memphis Bleek and Sauce Money to their full potential, yet not actually putting out any more solo records himself. This plan went right out of the window, however, when Jay's close friend The Notorious B.I.G. (R.I.P.) met his demise in March of 1997, which then left the spot of "King Of New York" (something that actually mattered back then, if you can believe it) vacant. Despite the fact that Nas probably deserved this crown, having been in the game for a bit longer than Shawn, Jay decided that, since B.I.G. was friends with him and not Nasir Jones, that he was the rightful heir to the throne, and so he set about recording a sophomore effort, that was actually to be titled, rather insensitively, Heir To the Throne, Vol. 1, a name later changed to In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 to prevent Shawn from looking like a complete arsehole. 

Of course, the fact that Reasonable Doubt got Jay into the position to sign with giant hip-hop label Def Jam probably helped in the decision to put out another album as well.

For this project, Jay went in a different direction to his debut, securing production from the likes of Puff Daddy and The Hitmen, and also The Trackmasters, two collectives that wouldn't be seen dead near the sort of crack spots that Jay was supposed to be evoking the feelings of with his music. Of course, he bought Ski and DJ Premier along for the ride with him as well, albeit for much more minimal roles this time. Despite this, the guest list looked fairly promising: yes, we had Puff Daddy, Lil' Kim and Babyface, but there were also spots reserved for Sauce Money, Too $hort and Foxy Brown, although to many people's surprise, not Shawn's protege Memphis Bleek (this notable absence is explained in Jay's book Decoded I believe, or perhaps somewhere else). However, this was clearly to be a very different album to Reasonable Doubt, and believe me, it was. 

The project is considered to be the first misstep in what is generally regarded as a fairly inconsistent discography - people don't hate it, but it is considered a radio-friendly step down from Reasonable Doubt. I want to make a disclaimer with this one: this project brings me LOADS of nostalgia: it was the second Jay-Z album I heard after The Blueprint, and since I was only listening to CDs at the time, and was also only just getting into hip-hop, meaning I also didn't have many CDs, this album, it's safe to say, was being bumped a lot. So, some of these songs probably sound better to me than they do to most fans - just putting it out there.

1. Intro/A Million And One Questions/Rhyme No More (prod. Premiere)

After a short spoken intro that ends with that "OKAY! I'M RELOADED!" that we see on a ton of Jay albums, the beat from Preemo kicks in, and by golly is it good. This beat sounds reflective and fresh, and Jay's verse is instantly memorable, as he rhymes about the oft-experienced-by-the-famous issue of being asked way too many questions, and being unbothered to answer them all, which I understand. Shooting your fans because they ask you a simple question is going a bit far, though, I must say. This track was excellent though, and- wait, there's beat switch? Who was doing those in 1997? The second half isn't quite as good as the first, but it's still pretty damned impressive, and starting and ending with the word "motherfuckers" was a nice piece of continuity as well. One of the best intro tracks of Jay's career.

2. The City Is Mine (feat. BlackStreet) (prod. Teddy Riley)

This would be the second of many songs to spark anger from a certain Nasir Jones (the first being "Dead Presidents"), as on here Jay-Z explicitly notes that the city of New York now belongs to him. The verses on here are good, although there were probably better verses on the album to be printed inside the liner notes than the first verse here, and this beat is pretty bouncy, but unfortunately BlackStreet (of "No Diggity" fame) ruin this song with a fairly terrible sung hook that sounds as cheesy as a baked Wotsit, not that that comes as a surprise at all. Bloody hell, it's awful, but I still like the song - Jay sounds nice on the beat, and some of his bars are legitimately memorable. That chorus cannot and will not be forgiven though.

3. I Know What Girls Like (feat. Puff Daddy & Lil' Kim) (prod. Sean "Puffy" Combs & Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence)

An excerpt of Shawn Carter's journal, written during the making of this album, can be seen below:

"Today, I made two songs, and they're both so unbelievably good, that Nas dude won't know what's hit him! Nas! Ha! More like Has! Has-been that is! Unfortunately, that cunt Dame Dash heard the first one, which I called, humbly, "The City Is Mine", and told me that the chorus was "a little off"! A little off?? What does he think he's talking about? I was bought up into such a rage that I had to calm myself down, so I went off for a cigar or two with my new best friend, Sean Combs. We're made for each other - we even have the same first name! Ha! Once we were back inside, I spotted that waste of a good bit of sperm Dame Dash, and the anger boiled inside me again, and I thought: "you know what, Lame Dash? I'll show you a hook that's "a little off"!" And so I did this song with Puffy, and I made the hook as bad as I possibly fucking could. I call the song "I Know What Girls Like". Haha! Dame Dash certainly doesn't! That's why I fucked his wife yesterday! I guess it will put a small dent on the record, but oh well, I'm the king of New York now, aren't I? People will buy whatever the hell I do! Ha! See y'all motherfuckers tomorrow, then."

This. Chorus. Fucking. SUCKS.

4. Imaginary Player (prod. Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool)

After that abomination of a song, Jay-Z brings things right back with a dope track that, today, is actually one of the most recognised tracks on this whole record. The track brings back that Reasonable Doubt energy that was sorely lacking from the last two songs, and it's very successful. Ending each line with the same word is usually a recipe for disaster, but on the first verse here, Jay manages to make it work to a degree, which is pretty impressive, and on the rest of this song, he sounds about as perfect as he ever has. Not the best song on the album, but still sounds pretty damn good compared to the last track.

5. Streets Is Watching (prod. Ski)

Jay apparently liked this one so much that he made a musical film with the same title the next year (I haven't watched the DVD yet, but I think it's supposed to be a film with a plot told through Jay-Z songs). And rightfully so, because this track is absolutely excellent. The beat is hard as it gets - Ski deserves to be more recognised if you ask me - and Jay sounds energised and hungry all throughout this song. It's hard to believe that this track appears on an album largely produced by Puffy's production team, but that is the case. The opening lines of "Look, if I shoot you, I'm brainless, but if you shoot me, then you're famous! What's a nigga to do?" are some of the most iconic lines Jay ever spit. This is a classic track.

6. Friend Or Foe '98 (prod. Premiere)

If I remember correctly, on my Reasonable Doubt review (linked at the bottom) I stated that this track was better than the original "Friend Or Foe", something I still stand by, even if most of my readers probably don't. The beat on this one is excellent, with the pounding bass and high-pitched sounds going on in the background. Meanwhile, Jay-Z's rhymes are excellent, especially the final line - "and please, yo, tell BIG, he's unbelievable, friend or foe biatch!", where he basically states that he'll send you to heaven. An excellent track - this album is really making a resurgence, isn't it?

7. Lucky Me (prod. Stevie J & Buckwild)

The first of two slow, slightly depressing songs on the album (the other of which admittedly leans a lot more into the "depressing" aspect, which we'll discuss later), this one talks about how, despite all of his money, fame and success, Jay still feels unfulfilled, and yet also feels he needs to be grateful for what has been given to him, hence the title. The track is actually very nice, even if the beat is a little too glossy, and Jay's bars do actually make a lot of sense, especially the "I hate all girls with ulterior motives, that's why I'm 26 years old, no sons, no daughters" line - a feeling that I'm sure the rich and famous all think about and stress over. The singing on the hook was also quite nice, and soulful. Good stuff.

8. (Always Be My) Sunshine (feat. Babyface & Foxy Brown) (prod. Daven "Prestige" Vanderpool)

Jay once again does Foxy wrong with the crediting, and it's even worse this time - the two features on this track are completely unlisted on the back cover, even though they are listed in the booklet - the hell? Someone at the Roc-a-Fella office must really have it in for Foxy Brown (you may remember her name was spelled wrong on the back of Reasonable Doubt). Anyway, this track basically has "I was made for the club" all over it, with the disco beat, incredibly poppy chorus and the fact that most of the title is put into parenthesis (why do radio tracks always do that?). Foxy's "I ain't deaf nor blind" certainly aged well, but outside of that the rapping is pretty stellar. There's no way I would ever be caught bumping this though - imagine the embarrassment. Also, "Babyface" is one of the worst names an artist could have.

9. Who You Wit II (prod. Ski)

Similar to "Dead Presidents II" from Reasonable Doubt, this track retains the same beat and hook as an older single, but with differences in the verses. However, whereas on "Dead Presidents II" the verses were all different, Jay only bothers to switch up the third verse from the original "Who You Wit", which appeared on the soundtrack to a film called Sprung. Also, this track is titled "Who You Wit II" on the back cover, but as "Who U Wit II" in the liner notes. Odd. The flirtatious one-liners here are quite embarrassing (who really thought "I'll sink this ball in your hole, I'm Tiger Woods!" sounded clever?), but otherwise, the beat is bangin', and Jay-Z sounds more energetic on here than on the last couple songs. Very good track.

10. Face Off (feat. Sauce Money) (prod. Poke and Tone (aka The Trackmasters))

Kind of weird how Tech N9ne also has a song called "Face Off", and it's way more popular than the one by Jay-Z (that's probably to do with a certain Dwayne Johnson, though). I used to really like this track, and upon relistening, I still think the back-and-forth verses between Jay and Sauce are entertaining. However, the beat is very weak and commercial-sounding, and the hook is all kinds of wrong.

11. Real Niggaz (feat. Too Short) (prod. Anthony Dent)

Jay-Z decides to leave the dollar sign out of Too $hort's name in the liner notes, in protest of how stupid it is (imagine how he feels nowadays, where it seems half the rappers and their songs have a "$" in place of an "S" somewhere). This track is most known for being one of the early instances of Jay "stealing" Biggie Smalls' rhymes, something he admittedly often does, but almost always with clear acknowledgement of what he is doing. The hook does take from Biggie's unreleased song of the same name, but I'm sure that Jay-Z made sure everyone was aware of this - how could he sleep otherwise? This track is overall pretty boring, and Too $hort is as unimpressive as he always is - why is he considered a legend again?

12. Rap Game/Crack Game (prod. Big Jaz)

Funny how Jay-Z effectively dissed Nas on the song "The City Is Mine", only to turn around and sample him later on the same album (he even stole this idea - Redman did something similar with Busta Rhymes on the album Muddy Waters). This track is overall pretty good - the beat is solid, and certainly brings the energy up from the last song, and the "Represent" sample, as well as the sample from OutKast's "Myintrotoletuknow", work well on the hook. The concept has been done before, but still, this was enjoyable enough.

13. Where I'm From (prod. Ron "Amen-Ra" Lawrence & Deric "D-Dot" Angelettie)

The most popular song on this album, and the grittiest beat to ever be done by any members of The Hitmen. Personally, I think that there are definitely more enjoyable tracks on here, but I can't deny this one's greatness. The beat, with its infamous metal clanging sound, is grimy, and evokes the feeling of a dangerous street corner perfectly, and Jay-Z drops some excellent bars over this production. I don't think this is one of the best on here like most do, as a song like "Streets Is Watching" or "Friend Or Foe '98" carries more energy, but still, a classic nonetheless.

14. You Must Love Me (prod. Nashiem Myrick)

Remember back on "Lucky Me", when I was talking about a song that was more depressing than that one? Well, this is that song, my friends. On this track, Jay essentially reveals his worst moments, which are genuinely quite awful - he sold crack to his own mother, shot his brother in the shoulder over a ring, and got one of his ex-girlfriends involved in his drug-smuggling ring. Pretty heavy stuff, then, and Jay genuinely sounds sorry on this track, which makes it all the more heartbreaking. One of the things that makes Jay able to be one of the greatest rappers of all time is the fact that everything he says truly happened - he truly once was a drug dealer, and generally quite a dangerous person - and that is none more evident than on this song. I find it crazy when people say that the first time he opened up was on 4:44 - has no-one heard this song??

The following tracks are bonus tracks on certain European pressings of the album.

15. Wishing On A Star (D Influence Remix) (feat. Gwen Dickey) (prod. Poke and Tone (aka The Trackmasters))

This non-album remix to a classic old-school song was put out for some unknown reason, and included on pressings of In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 throughout 1998 (although I believe the pressings with this track are no longer in print). The track is good, even though it's existence seems random - why would you put Jay-Z on a classic old soul hit? I would definitely understand people hating this song, but I think Jay-Z's performance is good, and obviously the rest of the song is very catchy. Good stuff.

16. Wishing On A Star (Track Masters Remix) (prod. Poke and Tone (aka The Trackmasters))

A remix to a remix. Interesting. This club-version of the song is OK, but makes even less sense than the original remix. Still, it's not horrible.

Overall, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 is not quite as good as I thought when I was first listening to it, but it still holds up pretty well in my opinion, and is easily one of the most underrated albums in Jay-Z's discography. The main issue with this album is that about one-third of it has Puff Daddy's poppy fingerprints all over it, and songs including "I Know What Girls Like" and "(Always Be My) Sunshine" are so obviously crafted for the radio and the club that I'm surprised this album didn't come with a sticker saying "It's like Reasonable Doubt, only with more shitty club tracks!" And that's what this is. Thanks to the involvement of Bad Boy, this project inevitably isn't quite as good as Jay's classic debut, and is a hell of a lot more inconsistent. Still, Jay could and would make far worse decisions during his now 30 year long career, and this album is definitely not bad at all when compared to a lot of the other albums that came out in '97, which was admittedly one of the weaker years of the '90s decade. This album is pretty damn good, and deserves a listen if you ask me. Just expect the occasional whack hook and club-ready beat amongst the legitimately great material on here. It's a great album.

Best Tracks: Intro/A Million And One Questions/Rhyme No More, Imaginary Player, Streets Is Watching, Friend Or Foe '98, Lucky Me, Who You Wit II, Where I'm From, You Must Love Me

Worst Tracks: I Know What Girls Like, (Always Be My) Sunshine, Real Niggaz

You may also enjoy:

Jaÿ-Z - Reasonable Doubt

Common Sense - Resurrection

Following the release of his promising yet problematic debut album, Relativity Records surprisingly commissioned a follow-up album for the man once known as Common Sense, which happened despite the complete lack of any success the first record had experienced. Com, unhappy with the way that his first record had flew over the heads of every consumer like an Airbus A380, decided that, for his next LP, he would have to, much to the pleasure of the listener, lose the misogyny and that random squeaky voice, and reinvent himself as a so-called "conscious rapper". Common probably didn't know at the time that he would later become the poster boy for this sub-genre, but then again he still didn't know much - not even the fact that he had accidentally stolen his name from a Californian Reggae Band (although, in all fairness, literally no-one knew that). He titled the album Resurrection, which, in his own words, was because he "felt like (he) was being born again to people who weren't familiar with (him). (He) felt like (he) was coming up from the dead, the dead of not being heard". Interesting fact: I do not own a normal CD of this album, but rather the Shop Get On Down box set put out in 2010 (which obviously has the CD inside). The booklet of that is where I got that quote from.

Resurrection is widely regarded to be the first of three classics that Common released over the years (the other two of which we will inevitably get to later). Unlike the last album, which was, production-wise, largely split evenly between producers No I.D. (who was, on that album, known as Immenslope), Twilite Tone and some other guy called "2pc D.R.K.", this project was almost entirely done by No I.D., with small amounts of input from Twilite Tone. Similar to the last release, however, guest spots are kept to a minimum, something that we wouldn't see again for a while in Lonnie's catalogue, so appreciate it while you can. This project is most known for spawning the classic single "I Used To Love H.E.R.", a track where Common uses a woman as a metaphor for the ever-changing state of hip-hop. This song was released much to the dismay of Ice Cube, which led to the first of two high-profile beefs that Common became involved in (the other being with, in a strange turn of events, a mister Aubrey Drake Graham). But that's a story for another day. 

This is an unquestionable hip-hop classic for most people, but in a year as stacked as 1994, does it hold up? Let's take a peek.

All songs are produced by No I.D., except where noted.

1. Resurrection

The title track, and second single, and it's a dope one. The piano beat (which, if you read my last review, you'll remember I compared to the beat on Nas' "The World Is Yours") is quite wonderful, with the scratching working into the beat very well - who says DJ Premier is the only man who can scratch and produce? This beat actually sounds quite similar to the opener on the last album, "A Penny For My Thoughts", only this one feels slightly more innocent than that one (I don't know why, it just does). Common Sense, meanwhile, drops a mix of thoughtful and braggy bars on this one, and the results are excellent. The rhyming on the first couple of bars is immediately impressive, and this trend continues throughout the track. Shame they changed the verses up for the video version and later remixes, but oh well - it just makes this original track that much more special.

2. I Used To Love H.E.R.

I feel that it was a strange decision to include the two singles as tracks 1 and 2, something that might have cause listeners to turn off immediately as this song runs out of the door. However, if they had any sense at all (see what I did there?), then they would stick around, as Common proves himself to be one of the greats of all time with this track. The beat is calming and easy-going, yet also with a slightly eerie tone about it, and the metaphor is arguably the best ever deployed in the history of rap. There are so many later tracks that have done something similar to this concept too (e.g. Pharoahe Monch's "Rape" and Tech N9ne's "Cursed"), and this just goes to show how much of an influence this song had over this genre. I'll stop singing its praises now, although the fact that Redman later sampled this on his track "Yesh Yesh Ya'll" must have been pretty gratifying for Common, given Red's clear influence on his early music. Undisputedly classic song right here.

3. Watermelon

Funny title, and it might surprise you to learn that this is not the last time that there is a song with fruit in the name on here. The simplistic beat on here is groovy, and Common appears to have just been having a bit of fun on this one, as the joy in his voice conveys. The line "if I was a Michelin I wouldn't tire" takes things a little far, but otherwise this is just a joyous and mindless song, which is all I can ask for really.

4. Book Of Life

Common seems to be going for a "fun-serious-fun-serious" pattern here, with this track being actually quite gloomy, as Common speaks from the perspective of someone who had chances at a good life, but simply couldn't be bothered to take them, instead just laying about at home. I try to be as proactive as possible, spending my time writing, drawing, cycling and generally being fairly productive, but when Common says "What makes it bad, I wasn't dealt that bad a hand, and I had a plan, but things didn't go through the way they were supposed to", that even makes an on-the-ball person like me feel guilty. Jesus, man, what the hell? This track actually cuts deep, and feels very real and not exaggerated - in other words, a brilliant track, and one of my favourite conscious songs EVER.

5. In My Own World (Check the Method) (feat. No I.D.)

After a short instrumental interlude that sounds like it should have been rapped on, but sadly wasn't, the first track with a feature kicks in, and thank God it's a lot better than whatever the hell these two were going for on their last rap collaboration, "Two Scoops Of Raisins" (STILL hate that song). This jazzy beat feels a lot more smooth than anything we've ever Common rhyme over before, and despite No I.D. not being a particularly great rapper (it's a good thing he normally sticks to producing), he still churns out a fairly serviceable verse. At this point in the album, Common will be the most relatable and most likeable person on Earth to you, so you're bound to enjoy his verse too. Great track.

6. Another Wasted Nite With...

Looks like Common has decided to succumb to putting skits on his albums. Ugh. But, hey, at least this is kinda funny, unlike most skits (looking at you, Reggie Noble).

7. Nuthin' To Do

Features a sample of Ol' Dirty Bastard's vocals on Wu-Tang Clan's "Protect Ya Neck", which shows Common was paying attention to the NY rap scene (were the Wu-Tang Clan that well known in 1994? I don't know). The beat features some horns, and is once again pretty jazzy, and the horn melody in the beat is actually really nice. The hook is a little dull though, and I'd say that if there was a bit more energy in the drums, this one would have more replay value for me. Still good though.

8. Communism

Over yet another very smooth instrumental, Common manages to spit one of his most technically impressive verses ever, which says a lot. His vocals sound very nice on this one too, and the fact that it is so short just makes it that much more impressive. Very good song.

9. WMOE

Another skit. Unlike the last one, this does not instill any joy in me whatsoever.

10. ThisIsMe

Common's 2007 greatest hits album was actually named after this song, and it wasn't even a single! Must have been pretty important to his career, and indeed-ereedo, it was. Point one: the jazzy beat is one of the best Common ever laid his vocals over - the melody and piano chords are incredible, and the drums keep a great energy going that a song like "Nuthin' To Do" was somehow missing. Point two: the KRS-One sample sounds incredible, and just places those goosebumps on your skin individually, man. It's that good. And point three: Common kills it. His verses are powerful, and explain just why he isn't going to succumb to what the norm was in rap (which is kind of what he was doing on a lot of his debut, so I guess this song almost disowns that project in a way). The lines "I ain't shoot nobody, I ain't shank nobody, I ain't kill nobody: it wasn't us, it was them!!" are hilarious and yet poignant at the same time, and this song is memorable as hell too. One of the best songs Common ever made.

11. Orange Pineapple Juice

When I first listened to this album, this song was somehow my favourite. I don't really know why, as it doesn't hold a candle to the last track or many songs before it. This track is really hilarious though, and brings back Common's sense of humour that he attempted to place a little more on the back burner for a lot of this LP. I also just really like the title - I feel I should reveal now that (Hot take!!!) pineapple juice is better than orange - just my opinion! Anyway, this was a dope song.

12. Chapter 13 (Rich Man Vs. Poor Man) (feat. The Late Show's YNot Never The Less) (prod. The Late Show's YNot Never The Less)

For those wondering, The Late Show's YNot Never The Less is just Twilite Tone's ridiculously stupid rap name, which means that the only featured rappers on here were the producers: in turn meaning only three people were needed to make this classic! (Well, yeah, you could say that about a few albums, but still). After "Orange Pineapple Juice" went out of the picture, I started to think this was my favourite on the album, and I could still argue that, although now I might lean towards "ThisIsMe" instead. The standout moment of this is Common's rather odd and slightly racist story that he tells during the third verse. Dissing white people is just something you'll have to get used to in Common's lyrics, but I don't know why he had to bring in the Chinese as well. For a "conscious rapper", Common was one hell of a racist, wasn't he? Anyway, this song is still really good, and that beat is brilliant. The weirdness of that story does take me out of the rest of the song, though.

13. Maintaining

Easily the least interesting song here, this track is merely OK, with Common apparently making up a song at a house party, with all his friends surrounding him and chipping in, which could explain why the lyrics are so unfocused. This could work as a street single, but on this album, it's very out of place, let's be honest.

14. Sum Shit I Wrote (prod. The Late Show's YNot Never The Less; why is this his name??)

Would be a pretty hilarious blog title, come to think of it, but also would be fairly unspecific about the topic. Apparently, Common wrote the first version of this song, and it was so bad that all of Common's yes-men sat him down, and told him very clearly that he wasn't supposed to write actual shit - that was just the title of the song. Common then re-wrote it into the track we get here, and it's not bad, although it does end the album on a bit of a low-energy note if I'm honest. "When I'm alone in my room sometimes I stare at the wall, and in the back of my mind I hear a wack-ass rhyme, and I catch Alz-rhymers, then forget it" is one of the stupidest things I've heard in a while, and my job is answering the phone to idiots at a Chinese takeaway (I'm only 16, get off my back!).

15. Pop's Rap

The first in a long line of outro speeches from Common's father (R.I.P.), which I'm sure most people hate, but I actually usually enjoy. They were better when he separated them into different track though, which he stopped doing once the very interesting Electric Circus dropped. This one reworks the instrumental from "ThisIsMe" into something a little more relaxed, and as such, it's one of the better Pop's Rap tracks.

Overall, Resurrection is, to put it simply, incredible. This is the fourth album I have reviewed from 1994 so far, and it definitely could stand as the best (although both Illmatic and Dare Iz a Darkside make strong cases for themselves too -I would stand this firmly above Tical though. Sorry, Wu stans!). The amount of improvement in rapping, production and general cohesion that this album makes compared to Can I Borrow a Dollar ? is quite incredible, and the amount of classic songs that appear on this LP is huge - I still don't really know what my favourite song is. The fact that this ain't even Common's best album just goes to show how incredibly consistent the man's catalogue is, and I honestly am very much looking forward to covering the next few projects in his discography. Resurrection is easily worth a listen. Despite a few weaker tracks and the odd skit, this stands as one of my favourite albums of the '90s, and is easily a classic album. This, then, is where the Lonnie Lynn discography really gets going.

Best Tracks: Resurrection, I Used To Love H.E.R., Book Of Life, Communism, ThisIsMe, Chapter 13 (Rich Man Vs. Poor Man)

Worst Tracks: Maintaining

You may also enjoy:

Common Sense - Can I Borrow A Dollar ?

Nas - Illmatic

Following the releases of an infamous appearance on Main Source's "Live at the Barbecue", and a fairly successful solo song on the Zebrahead soundtrack ("Halftime"), Queens MC Nasir Jones, who was at the time going by the name "Nasty Nas", which he thankfully later shortened to just Nas (imagine if you tried to get a hip-hop hater into the genre by showing them a song by someone with a name as stupid as "Nasty Nas" - it doesn't bear thinking about. It's almost as ridiculous as naming yourself, I don't know, "Mr. Cheeks". Oh, wait, there IS a rapper named Mr. Cheeks? The hell?), signed a deal with one of the biggest labels in the world, Columbia, and shortly after, this deal allowed him to get out a short and sweet project that the discerning rap fan now knows as Illmatic. And what a moment for the genre this was.

If you go to the popular website TheTopTens (yes, I know no-one uses it anymore, but you have to remember it was popular for quite a while), then the album at the top of the "best hip-hop albums of all time list" is Illmatic. Everyone who knows about music knows this album. It's massive. Despite having only just left the hood, having lived a life up to that point of squalor and violence, and despite handling the vocals on the project almost entirely by himself (there's only one featured rapper, AZ, who himself was even more unheard of than a rap album without skits at the time), Nas managed to put out an instant classic, one of the most important hip-hop records of all time, and a project that still garners masses of attention from hip-hop heads to this day. And it doesn't even have a Parental Advisory sticker (even though it probably should)!

A classic then, but is it as good as people say? Well, I'm sure that even if I say it's horrible, the millions of other praise-filled reviews on the web will convince you to listen to this, but whatever. I'm going to give ya my thoughts anyway.

1. The Genesis ("conceived" by Nas & Faith N. - pretentious, I know)

The album is already short, so why feel the need to put a glorified skit in there as well? Still, this ain't bad by any means. The sound of the train going past puts us in the mood Nas wanted, and the acknowledgement of his "Live at the Barbecue" verse was appreciated too. This does go on for a little too long though if you ask me.

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

Easily Nas' most notorious song, which makes sense, as this track is absolutely incredible. The gritty synths teamed with the haunting piano loop easily makes for one of the best DJ Premier beats I've ever heard, and remember, this is the guy who produced the Gang Starr albums, and is generally a top 5 hip-hop producer of all time, so that's saying a lot. Meanwhile, Nas kicks some meaningful and slightly harrowing verses that describe life where he grew up (and where he was probably still living during the making of this album), and they easily go down as some of the best of all time. Nas shows himself to be an incredible poet and lyricist here, and technically this is one of the more impressive verses he ever wrote. It's probably a surprise to most people that this was never released as a single, despite there being five on this project in total. Absolutely classy way to start off the album.

3. Life's A Bitch (feat. AZ) (prod. L.E.S., co-prod. Nas)

Featuring the only rap verse by someone not named Nasir Jones, this is the second iconic hip-hop track in a row. I remember when I was first listening to this project, I found this to be one of the more dull songs presented, most likely due to the subdued beat, which I still think needs a lot more energy. However, the hook is truly incredible, and the AZ verse is a great way to open up the track - the lyricism is insane. I might have to give this one to Nas himself though, who starts things off on his part with some of his best bars: "I woke up early on my born day; I'm 20, it's a blessin', the essence of adolescence leaves my body, now I'm fresh and my physical frame is celebrated 'cause I made it, one quarter through life, some godly-like thing created". What a way to begin a verse. The trumpet outro from Nas' father Olu Dara was nice too. As I said, the beat isn't perfect, but pretty much everything else on here is.

4. The World Is Yours (prod. Pete Rock)

A classic. The piano beat on this one is wonderful, and the hook is just perfect, with the sampling and singing all working brilliantly. Nas' opening bars have lived in my head rent-free since I first heard them: "I sip the Dom P, watchin' Gandhi 'til I'm charged, then writin' in my book of rhymes, all the words past the margin". The rest of the verses are pretty much up to this standard as well. The amount of songs this has been sampled in is countless, but I'll name the two that stand out most to me: Jay-Z's "Dead Presidents", which obviously samples the "I'm out for dead presidents to represent me" line (well, that line from the unreleased, more explicit version of this song), and Busta Rhymes' "E.L.E. 2 Intro", a phenomenal song which sampled the "Whose world is this? It's mine, it's mine, it's mine" from the hook towards the end of the track. A classic that inspired two other classics? This deserves every bit of its legendary status.

5. Halftime (prod. The Large Professor)

The aforementioned song from the Zebrahead soundtrack, that a lot of people probably don't know was originally released back in 1992, two years before this album came out. This was the only solo song Nas put out while using the title "Nasty Nas", and it definitely stands out as less lyrically impressive compared to the first three songs. This is still good, though, despite the rather homophobic lines that appear towards the end of the second verse, and the sampling in the hook sounds good. Also, I think it was a rather genius move to include the song "Halftime" directly halfway through the album. That's that shit I really like.

6. Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park) (prod. DJ Premier)

Definitely the most underrated song here, this track is GREAT. The beat is quite powerful, almost reminding me of something Common might rhyme over (which, come to think of it, was something I also thought with "The World Is Yours", which sounds like "Resurrection" - this track sounds a bit like "ThisIsMe" in my opinion), and Nas' reminiscent rhymes are pretty interesting (if not deviating too much from the previous tracks). Also, this is, in my opinion, one of the finest examples of record scratching on a song ever. DJ Premier really is a God.

7. One Love (prod. Q-Tip)

Now, I know I might rile a few people up with this one, but I personally am not the greatest fan of this song. The Q-Tip hook is dull, and this beat just... doesn't work, and was utilised better on Redman's "Sooperman Luva 3" two years later, which makes this track seem even worse. I will concede that the verses on here are some of the most impressive and interesting on the whole project, but I can't get past the weak (in my opinion, at least) beat and hook. This song was later sampled for the much better "Real Nigga Quotes" by Common, though, so there's that at least. Still not feelin' this too much though (I'm sorry, OK?).

8. One Time 4 Your Mind (prod. The Large Professor)

Generally considered the weakest song on here, and I can see why, but I still really enjoy this one. This track is pretty slow, and can even get frustrating at points, but Large Professor's beat is hard, and Grand Wizard's hook is dope as well, and infectious. This is probably the least impressive song here lyrically, but it's still pretty underrated anyway.

9. Represent (prod. DJ Premier)

Definitely one of my favourites here. The beat is hard as hell, and Nas' verses are the braggiest and most aggressive on this whole project - imagine if this track went on for 10 minutes like some kind of cypher: that would have been dope. A refreshing moment, as the one thing this album was missing so far was that bit of aggression and ego from Nas - I'm not kidding: boasts 'n' bullshit is one of my favourite topics in rap if done correctly. This track is also notable for being sampled in Jay-Z's "Rap Game/Crack Game" (the line "somehow the rap game reminds me of the crack game", as you could probably work out), which was the second time Jay did that, and that in turn was a bit of fuel to the inferno in the Jay-Z/Nas beef (which will be covered on here at some point, don't you worry). This song is incredible.

10. It Ain't Hard To Tell (prod. The Large Professor)

Included in the book 1001 Songs You Must Hear Before You Die, and although there are cuts on here that deserve that accolade more, this track is still really good (although not as good as the later track "Nas Is Like", which used multiple samples from this track for the hook). The Michael Jackson sample is fun, and this is definitely one of the more quotable tracks on the project: "Nas is like the afrocentric Asian: half-man, half-amazing", "so analyse me, surprise me, but can't magmatize me" and "Nas' raps should be locked in a cell - it ain't hard to tell" are some of my favourites. Pretty damned impressive way to close things off.

This album was re-released with bonus tracks in 2004, and then again in 2014, but I think I'll wait for another post to cover those.

To give the answer everyone wanted and expected, uhh, yeah, Illmatic is a classic. It's not perfect, as there are a couple of tracks in the second half that I wasn't feeling so much (such as "One Love"), but overall, this album is one of the best lyrical displays of all time. The beats (besides the ones on "Life's a Bitch" and "One Love") are all absolutely INCREDIBLE, and the subject matter is cohesive, yet not repetitive - in other words, the perfect balance. Nas keeps me easily entertained throughout this project, and (spoiler alert) sounds better than he ever would again on this album. We'll have to wait and see for whether or not this is his best work, but for now, it's safe to say that this is a classic project. For those who are still reading, that didn't throw their phone out of the bus window in disgust at my take on "One Love" - thanks for tuning in! And to those that haven't heard this, make sure you do quickly. This is an excellent album, believe me.

Best Tracks: N.Y. State Of Mind, The World Is Yours, Memory Lane (Sittin' In Da Park), Represent, It Ain't Hard To Tell

Worst Tracks: One Love

Genius/GZA - Liquid Swords

 

Before you ask, no, I'm not going to be reviewing every Wu-Tang clan solo album in order. Firstly, I reviewed Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) before GZA's Words From the Genius, which already defeats the point of attempting to do every Wu release chronologically, and secondly, there's quite a lot of albums I haven't yet heard, and I don't want to wait to get U-God's Golden Arms Redemption before I allow myself to review Supreme Clientele (just to use an example). I'm therefore making it known with this review that covering every Wu release in order is not what I intend to do. Also, I know that technically, I should review Words From the Genius before this, but I don't have that album yet, and anyway, it's not a proper album really... Oh, to hell with it. I'm chomping at the bit to do this review, so let's get to it.

On Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), we saw quite a mix of different characters. We had Method Man, who was charismatic and funny. We had Ol' Dirty Bastard, who was zany and ridiculous. We had Ghostface Killah, who was aggressive and exciting. This was a group absolutely full of incredible and unique rappers. Therefore, the fact that mr. Gary "GZA" Grice stood out to almost everyone as the best lyricist in the Clan definitely has to mean something, doesn't it? Right. However, despite his clear level of talent, Method Man, Ol' Dirty Bastard and Raekwon did get chances to put their RZA-fied albums out before him - fair enough, I suppose, as he had an (admittedly unknown) album out already, released before the Wu-Tang were even created. However, by the time it was the Genius' turn to get a piece of work out, he was clearly  a far more unique and creative MC than the one who told women to "come do me", and the one who made a song about "what silly girls are made of" (yes, GZA actually did make a song with that title). However, no-one expected the sheer volume of substance that they were in for on GZA's first proper release after the formation of the Wu.

Liquid Swords was released late in 1995, and, as fans sat down outside the store to rip the packaging off that CD case, jumping into the liner notes with glee, immediately a problem was spotted - the tracks weren't listed in order. Not on the back cover (which very creatively told a story using all of the song titles), not inside the liner notes. To make things worse, while the total tracks listed on the album art was 15, there were only 13 songs on the disc itself. Pretty confusing. In fact, some of the song titles are still disputed to this day, and we'll talk more about that later. The lack of order in song titles notwithstanding, however, this album art was ABSOLUTELY PHENOMENAL, with the cover standing out as possibly the best album art of all time, no lie. The sketch of people fighting on a chessboard seen on the disc and in the booklet wasn't too shabby either. This definitely amped the hype up a notch, as did the tracklist that included features from all of the Wu-Tang members, and production entirely by The RZA (except for one track). In 1995, that was a sure-fire recipe for success, and as such, this album is today widely considered as one of the greatest albums of all time, full stop. But does it hold up in the eyes of someone who is literally living in the world today (an easy one, I know...)? Let's see.

All tracks are produced by The RZA, except where noted.

1. Liquid Swords

There's quite an argument about whether GZA does or doesn't name producer Pete Rock in the hook (if you don't believe me, go to the Genius Lyrics page), and that makes sense, as there's no argument as to whether this song is good or not - it just IS. Gotta be something to dispute, hasn't there? This song is incredible - the kung-fu sample perfectly sets up the atmosphere, the beat is haunting and banging at the same time, the hook is memorable, and GZA sounds even better here than he did on Enter the Wu-Tang. Absolutely brilliant way to start things off.

2. Duel Of the Iron Mic (feat. Ol' Dirty Bastard, Inspectah Deck & Masta Killa)

Even though this song is definitely the "Duel Of the Iron Mic" listed in the liner notes, as the titular phrase is repeated multiple times in the chorus, the booklet states that this song is supposed to feature Dreddy Kruger, and Dreddy Kruger alone. Maybe there's another version of this song, who knows? Anyway, this is almost as impressive as the first song - GZA delivers one of the best verses of all time, period, on this one, and the verses from INS and Masta Killa are both excellent too. The beat is beautiful as well, I might add. Brilliant stuff.

3. Living In the World Today

Slyly alluded to in my introduction paragraphs (go on, see if you can spot it), this is my favourite song on the whole album, for sure. The beat is absolutely incredible, with the bass just hitting you, and forcing you to nod your head, and the trumpets that come in during the hook sound perfect. Meanwhile, the hook is menacing and genuinely aggressive (I was a big fan of the Method Man cameo too), and GZA's verses show the art form of rap at its most potent. Absolutely UNBELIEVABLY good song.

4. Gold

GZA decides that what this album was missing so far was a song about drugs, so he decides to drop one here to please the streets. The results are very good, as well, with the loud beat injecting more power than the last one, and GZA's rhymes being captivating as ever. Jesus, this album is good so far.

5. Cold World (feat. Inspector Deck & Life)

Inspectah Deck is titled "Inspector Deck" in the booklet here - I don't know if that was intentional or not, if I'm honest. Anyway, this track is yet another perfect song. I will say that I was not a fan at all of the sung hook on this track (performed by Life) when I first went through the album, but now I think it's safe to say that it's grown on me quite a bit. GZA's ripping of "Twas The Night Before Christmas" for his first few bars was unexpected, but funny, and the rest of his verse was powerful. Surprisingly, Inspectah Deck actually comes through with an even more impressive verse, especially when you look at his final bars - "I’m not an actor but the author of a modern-day opera, where the main character is presidential papers, the dominant, factor". The delivery of that line really makes it for me. Anyway, this is yet another classic song.

6. Labels

Standing out from the crowd by being a lot more hardcore than some of the more chilled out previous songs, this one, contrary to popular belief, is one of the best on the whole album. GZA delivers one of his most impressive verses of all time, mentioning pretty much every active (at the time) label in the music industry, putting each name into a cleverly thought out bar, over some hardcore RZA production that sounds excellent. Xzibit and DJ Premier also sampled the line "And Ruff up the motherfuckin' house" later on on their 2002 collaboration "What a Mess", which I shockingly heard before this song (a sin, I know). Brilliant track.

7. 4th Chamber (feat. Ghost Face Killer, Killah Priest & RZA)

Probably the most popular track on this album, and for good reason. The production is incredibly ahead of its time on this one, and the verses from each MC are all excellent, especially that of mister Dennis Coles, who provides an incredible verse that is surely one of his best pre- Ironman. Surely at least THAT deserves correct spelling of his name in the liner notes in return? Alas not, apparently. The film sample towards the start is also powerful. Great posse cut track.

8. Shadowboxin' (feat. Method Man)

More a Method Man song than anything else, as he handles about 75% of this one, "Shadowboxin'" is the second in a row that seems to be universally loved, and once again, it ain't too difficult to see why. The verses from Method Man mesh perfectly with the production on this one, and GZA's short verse that pops up in the middle is one of the best on this entire LP. It also, of course, inspired the little line above the Copyright notice on my home page - "we reign all year round, from June to June, while niggas bite immediately if not soon". A classic line, made even better by the "if not soon" on the end, almost making the line seem like part of a conversation. Incredible song.

9. Hell's Wind Staff / Killah Hills 10304

Now, this is an interesting one. According to streaming, this track covers two of the songs listed on the tracklist, with the "Hell's Wind Staff" part presumably being the skit that occurs here before the song starts up. I don't know if that's true, though, and the fact that just two years later the Wu put a song with the same title on their Wu-Tang Forever group album (well, it was spelt slightly differently, but you get the picture) further dismantles this case - why would they use the same title twice in two years? Anyway, once we get past the skit, we do get a phenomenal beat and a dope verse about drug dealing (and the illegal importation of immigrants) from The Genius, which makes this track absolutely worthwhile, despite the skit lessening replay value for me.

10. Investigative Reports (feat. Raekwon the Chef, Ghost Face Killer & U-God)

And, with this one, we have now seen features from every single official member of the Clan (not counting Cappadonna). This track is EXCELLENT, with all the MCs going in on their verses, and the beat  sounding quite harrowing (in a good way, of course) in actual fact. The restriction of U-God to just the hook was a little harsh, as a verse from him on here would have been appreciated, but otherwise this is yet another great posse cut track.

11. Swordsman

Very controversial. In the booklet, "Swordsman" is listed as featuring Killah Priest, whereas the listed but not-actually-on-the-album track "Unexplained" is presented as a solo track. Neither of the titular phrases are mentioned in this song, so surely this song is "Unexplained"? However, for some reason, people decided it was "Swordsman", and the Killah Priest listing was a mistake, and it's been left at that. Huh. Once we get past the confusion, this song is excellent. The repeated use of the word "motherfucker" in the hook will probably turn off the more weak-hearted and weak-minded listener (yes, I'm dissing those that don't like swearing in songs), but past that, this is a really chill and vibey song. One of the best on the track listing. 

12. I Gotcha Back

The lead single, which is odd, as this is easily the least radio-friendly song here, and trust me, this album AIN'T meant for the radio. The odd choice is explainable, though - the song was originally made for the Fresh soundtrack, but managed to end up on this album as well, something seen frequently on these early Wu releases (see Raekwon's "Heaven and Hell", Ghostface's "Winter Warz" and Ghostface's "Motherless Child"). The track is good, with a great film sample to end things off, and GZA's interpretation of the word "crime" (he sees it as an acronym for "criminals robbing innocent motherfuckers everytime") is something that I think should be more acknowledged. That bloody hook does drag on though.

The following is listed as a bonus track.

13. B.I.B.L.E. (Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth) (feat. Killah Priest) (prod. 4th Disciple)

A Killah Priest solo showcase, and one that honestly does seem to last for quite a long time for some reason, despite only being four-and-a-half minutes in length. This track is also notable for containing the only non-RZA beat on this whole LP, which makes a lot of sense, as this beat sounds nothing whatsoever like the rest of this album. It actually sounds quite modern, as if the song were made in the 2000s, and transported back, a la Andy's Time Machine (English viewers will understand). Still, a good track, but seems out of place on this project.

Overall, Liquid Swords is every bit the masterpiece that every reviewer on this Earth has made it out to be during its 28 years of existence. The beats are all excellent, and GZA does not disappoint on any of these songs. Even his guests don't ever let him down, all providing some of the best verses they had in them, especially Inspectah Deck, who honestly steals "Cold World" for himself if you ask me. And it's just remarkable how damned consistent this thing is. Every song is on a very similar level, with the prospect of "skipping" seeming almost as ridiculous as taking out the CD tray and eating it, and there isn't really any flaws to speak of here. I suppose that "B.I.B.L.E." sounds a little out of place, and the skit before "Killah Hills 10304" should have at least been separated to another track for when you want to play the song in a public setting. However, the concept of a "bloody awful song" is certainly not to be located anywhere near this project, and every moment is vital. I wouldn't change a thing about this if I'm honest. If you haven't listened to this yet, make it your first priority (after all, GZA seconds me on this), and if you have, go listen to it again - it'll make your day better, I promise.

Best Tracks: Literally all of them

Worst Tracks: are you joking me???

You may also enjoy reading:

Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Method Man - Tical

All images taken from Discogs

Xzibit - At the Speed Of Life

Any of my readers in the US who aren't that familiar with hip-hop (read: absolutely no-one) would probably look at the title of this post and the album cover above and go "wait... why is a hip-hop page reviewing an album by that guy that hosted Pimp My Ride? That guy has a hip-hop album?". This is the sad reality we face: nowadays, Xzibit is looked at as some kind of reverse Shaquille O'Neal, a person attempting to make a rap career who is famous for something completely different (reverse because, while I believe Shaq was a basketballer first, X begun his illustrious career with rapping, before moving on to shouting about cars and moonlighting on episodes of The X-Files). Xzibit, to most people, is the host of Pimp My Ride, and nothing else. Surely the guy that put a swimming pool in the back of someone's car wasn't at one point a serious rapper?

Well, you're all wrong.

Xzibit released his debut album, At the Speed Of Life, in late 1996, having had a rough upbringing that involved being sent to prison, and then shortly after leaving home, relocating from Albuquerque to Los Angeles (something that would later come back to haunt him, as The Game has recounted). This move led to him meeting up with already established West Coast group Tha Alkaholiks, whom X would work with on their 1995 group release Coast II Coast, as well as on a 1995 King Tee track "Free Style Ghetto", from his album IV Life. Xzibit's impressive performances on these projects led to his signing with Loud Records (who also had acts such as the aforementioned Alkaholiks, Wu-Tang Clan, Sadat X and Mobb Deep signed - not bad company for someone who had just a few years before been directionless and incarcerated), and this inevitably led to a solo album being released, one that goes by the slightly nonsensical title of At the Speed Of Life.

The album was headed up by the single "Paparazzi", a track that was absolutely removed from anything you might expect to hear on the radio - in fact, the song lashed out at those who had sold their soul for the fame and glory, and some people (such as 2Pac) inferred the song to be about them, directing disses towards poor Alvin, who was only trying to make the rap game good again (ironic as the song came out during arguably the best period for hip-hop music ever). The track was well-received, as was the album when it came out, even though not that many people actually heard it, despite the guest list that included King Tee, Tha Alkaholiks and Ras Kass, among others. After this, X released one more album before being snatched up by Dr. Dre, catapulted into the stratosphere, and the rest is, of course, history.

Xzibit's debut album is actually often considered a classic, but only by the few people that have heard it - this album is not that well known at all. Therefore, if it's good, we can safely refer to it as "underrated", despite its consistent praise. Xzibit is one of my favourite West Coast MCs of all time, though, so that should tell you something about what the conclusion of this post will read like.

1. Grand Opening (Interlude) (prod. Craig Sherrad)

This probably should have been listed as an "intro" rather than an "interlude", as it is of course technically impossible to begin with an interlude. A strange way to begin, as Xzibit has nothing whatsoever to do with this instrumental track, this is still a really smooth way to introduce us to the world of Xzibit, and the instrumental is well produced and chill. And plus, anything's better than an insufferable skit.

2. At the Speed Of Life (prod. Thayod Ausar)

Xzibit starts things off with a song that would certainly stir up similar feelings to the lead single "Paparazzi", thanks to the dark and menacing instrumental, and lyrics that basically say "the rap game is dead", a sentiment that seems terrifically ungrateful today, what with hip-hop being a lot worse now than it was then (it's still a lot better now than in the late 2000s, though). Anyway, this track is basically incredible. Xzibit's aggressive and passionate delivery makes you really feel the anger in what he is saying, and the Taxi Driver sample on the intro is a good way to summarize the contents of the track (I always love it when rappers sample movie scenes that actually relate to the lyrical content). That beat is eerie and atmospheric as well. Fans of Pimp My Ride or Gumball 3000 Rallies will probably fall out of their seats with shock at this, as would the casual West Coast hip-hop listener at the time. X truly was revolutionary.

3. Just Maintain (feat. Hurricane Gee) (prod. E-Swift)

Although J-Ro is inexplicably not credited within the liner notes, he also features here alongside mrs. Gee, with a couple of short appearances. Hurricane Gee, also known as Erick Sermon's ex-girlfriend, pops up here somehow, despite having no apparent ties to mr. X-to-the-Z. It's also strange how each of my posts seems to inadvertently connect - in the last one, I wrote about Redman's Dare Iz a Darkside, which featured a slightly younger Hurricane Gee, and before that I wrote about Method Man's Tical, promoted alongside Dare Iz a Darkside by Def Jam. Weird. It's all unintentional, I promise. Anyway, this track is lyrically pretty good, although it does come across as a little basic compared to the previous song.

4. Eyes May Shine (prod. E-Swift)

Now, this is more like it. The beat on here evokes anger and struggle, and sounds like it came right out of the drain in my back garden (in a good way, if that makes any sense). Meanwhile, Xzibit displays some highly impressive lyrical abilities on here that he would seem to lose right around the time his first Pimp My Ride cheque came through the letterbox. Also, this track contains a sample from Mobb Deep's "The Start Of Your Ending (41st Side)", which is made even more interesting due to the fact that this track was later remixed to include brand new verses from Havoc and Prodigy (R.I.P.). That's some pretty genius marketing if you ask me.

5. Positively Negative (feat. King Tee) (prod. Craig Sherrad)

Xzibit teams up with The Alkaholiks affiliate King Tee for a collaboration that makes a lot of sense. The two work well together, with Tee's loud and wise voice being in contrast to Xzibit's more gritty vocals. The beat on here leaves a bit to be desired, but overall I thought this was still a successful collaboration. It's interesting how X and Tee work together here (and, of course, they collaborated on Tee's 1995 album too, as I mentioned before if you were paying attention), when later they would both be snapped up by a certain Andre Young, each with mixed results (X coming off of the affiliation a little better, it must be said).

6. Don't Hate Me (Interlude) (prod. Thayod Ausar)

Not a skit, thank you very much. No, this is an INTERLUDE. I still don't mind this though, as that beat is very nice, although a short verse would have been preferable to hearing X shout a bunch of people out, before then ridiculously contradicting himself by saying "I would send shout-outs, but I ain't got no-one to send them too". Someone had definitely tampered with the studio's weed dispenser that day, that's for sure.

7. Paparazzi (prod. Thayod Ausar)

The aforementioned lead single, and it is absolutely phenomenal. The violin beat (later utilised in an episode of The Sopranos) is beautiful and haunting, and Xzibit's verses are delivered perfectly. It's absolutely unbelievable that this was Xzibit's first single - he sounds like he's been studying his flow for years on here, and this is the sort of song a previously established legend would make - for a brand new artist to come out saying this stuff does show amounts of cockiness, but isn't that essential to the successful rapper package? This song is incredible, arguably top 10 of all time, and if you can't be bothered to seek this full album out, at least listen to this song - although it'll probably convince you to listen to absolutely everything X has done like me, so if you haven't got much free time, then you may want to steer clear.

8. The Foundation (prod. DJ Muggs)

The second and final single, and it has once again clearly been aimed in the complete opposite direction to "radio", being a slow and powerful letter to his newborn son, rapped over what I believe is the first ever cleared sample from Billy Joel. This track is beautiful - the verses are all incredibly relevant and meaningful, and the piano matches the vibe of the track very well. The female harmonising that comes in for the hook also works as brilliantly as herbal tea and a piece of cake. Two perfect songs in a row? That's quite a feat, I must say.

9. Mrs. Crabtree (Interlude) (prod. E-Swift & Saafir)

There's really no reason for this to be here, but if they left out the obnoxious classroom sounds, then this instrumental could have potential. I wonder what Saafir added to the production - I've never seen his name on a producer list anywhere else.

10. Bird's Eye View (feat. Catastrophe & J-Ro (Tha Alkaholiks)) (prod. Diamond D)

No idea why Tash is credited as "Catastrophe" on here. Maybe the spellchecker went mad, or perhaps someone just really, REALLY didn't like Tash, enough to refer to his appearance simply as a "catastrophe". Whatever. This song is good, but only when played through speakers - listen to this on headphones, and you will quickly get a headache, especially during that outro. Also, Hurricane Gee is back, to recite a line she spit on Redman's "We Run N.Y.", which, again, for reasons I mentioned earlier, is weird.

11. Hit & Run (Part II) (prod. Craig Sherrad)

Bloody horrific. After an annoying skit featuring someone who I think I'm suppose to have heard of, but haven't, called Ron Hightower, the dull beat comes in, and X hears it, before wandering into the studio apparently drunk and spitting some completely unreasonably misogynistic lyrics, especially during the hook, which I'm not going to type out here, as I'll just be sick. It's worth noting that this is a sequel to the song X appeared on on Tha Alkaholiks' Coast II Coast album, predictably called "Hit and Run", which was also misogynistic, but not quite to such a degree. This song is horrific, that's all you really need to know.

12. Carry the Weight (prod. Thayod Ausar)

After the dismal piece of music that was "Hit & Run (Part II)", X brings things right back with a heartfelt and passionate track that details why exactly he is so angry all the time (it could also explain his unpleasant attitude on the last track), and it's brilliant. The beat on here is intense, once again proving Thayod Ausar as an incredibly underrated and underused producer, and Xzibit brings the necessary energy on here for the subject matter. The fact that this is so incredible further begs the question: what the hell was he thinking with that last song?!

13. Plastic Surgery (feat. Ras Kass & Saafir) (prod. E-Swift)

And so, the first grouping of the fabled Golden State Warriors (later renamed Golden State Project after they were forced to change the original title due to legal reasons), and it's nothing too special, even if I still do quite enjoy it. The beat is nice, and all the MCs do their thing without question, but there's a lack of replayability here, I feel. Maybe it's the goofy hook, I don't know. Still, not bad, and while we're here, does anyone else think that Saafir sounds very similar to Lord Have Mercy of Flipmode Squad? Maybe it's just me, but their drawled, horrorcore deliveries are definitely giving off similar vibes.

14. Enemies & Friends (prod. DJ Pen One)

Xzibit utilises his deep voiced alter ego on this track to talk about the oft-discussed topic of enemies and friends, and the results are pretty solid, if perhaps an underwhelming way to end the project. Couldn't "Carry the Weight" or "The Foundation" have carried us out instead? Anyway, this is still good, with a pretty sinister beat for X to rhyme on, so that's nice.

15. Last Words (Interlude) (prod. Craig Sherrad)

I do wish these weren't listed as "interludes". It's an outro, for God's sake!! This is the exact same instrumental as the one seen on the intro, which is something very unusual for a rap album, which I suppose reflects some of X's unique topics of discussion on here. Still a dope beat.

And so, At the Speed Of Life is definitely one to be titled as "underrated". It's not a perfect album by any means, with one terrible track and a few that only qualify as "solid", alongside some of the best tracks in the entire history of hip-hop, meaning that this is far from a consistent listen, and that factor of consistency is definitely something Xzibit would find difficult with almost every subsequent release. However, there's still no denying really that this is a classic album - how are you gonna have "Paparazzi", "At the Speed Of Life", "The Foundation" and "Carry the Weight" all on one album, and not have a classic? It's not possible, and as such, I've got to recommend this one, and I will do so gladly. The project has a really clean overall vibe to it, and Xzibit delivers consistently catchy, impressive and memorable verses throughout (well, except for on "Hit & Run (Part II)", which is offensively bad). This isn't the debut of a promising rapper, it's the release of what seems to be an established legend, one who happened to be established right as this album dropped. This is an excellent piece of work, and definitely worth a listen. Watch out for "Hit & Run (Part II)" though, especially if you dislike mention of "hard penetration". Don't say I didn't warn you!!

Best Tracks: At the Speed Of Life, Eyes May Shine, Positively Negative, Paparazzi, The Foundation, Carry the Weight

Worst Tracks: Hit & Run (Part II)

Image for "The Foundation" single cover taken from: Genius

Redman - Dare Iz A Darkside

If I'm ever going to get any discographies finished, then it's imperative that I at least start to work my way through them, rather than continue reviewing the debut albums from every hip-hop artist on the face of the Earth until I'm nothing but a pile of dust and bones. Don't worry, I'll definitely cover a lot more different artists in the future, but in order to make these marathons official, today I'm going to be reviewing my first sophomore album. 

Following the success of the incredible Whut? Thee Album, Redman decided the only sensible thing for him to do was to take a lot of drugs (fun fact: Redman doesn't even recall making his second effort due to the amount of different substances he was intaking during the project's creation). This led him to a dark place, apparently one so unpleasant that Erick Sermon didn't want to be around Reggie any more, which meant he was forced to make a lot of the beats for his inevitable sophomore effort himself. However, despite the haze that he was in during the album's creation, Redman was at least able to remember what the last album sounded like, and therefore was able to make something completely different, rather than accidentally copying something that had already been released, not unlike what Busta Rhymes did with Blockbusta, which was a clear remaking of the shit he had taken that morning.

Redman, despite his near-incapacitated state, did eventually get the album out, and was even properly promoted by the label with a scheme called "Month Of the Man" where both Redman and Method Man (in the process of releasing his album Tical, which I covered in my last review) would promote their upcoming albums at the same time with vinyl releases and hilarious promotional videos. This support was something Redman didn't get to enjoy quite so much on later albums released on Def Jam (see Red Gone Wild: Thee Album and Reggie) - he probably regrets being too out of his mind at the time to realise that he was actually experiencing great promotion. The album, intriguingly titled Dare Iz a Darkside (Redman is now 2 for 2 in the "misspelling words in album titles" competition), was a reflection of Redman's manic and out-of-it state of mind, and this is evidenced through the random and often ridiculous lyrics, as well as the dark, self-produced bassy beats. Since this was supposed to reflect Red's personal thoughts and brain processes, the album, like the last, had very few features, and the album art shows pictures of Red goin' crazy by himself in a dark and bleak-looking room.

Personally, I remember that this album didn't hit me too much when I first heard it, and the time that it truly connected me was on a coach back to the UK from Paris, after having not slept properly for between 24 and 48 hours, which induced a similar feeling to being high. As I put this album on while we were travelling back, it just made sense, if you see what I mean, and that was truly the time that this album was able to connect, for me at least.

The project is widely heralded as Redman's second classic to this day, and a lot of his fans would consider it to be his best album. With the 2010s and 2020s seeing hip-hop turn far more experimental than ever before, this album has aged pretty impeccably, and gets more and more recognition from modern hip-hop fans by the day for being such a weird and zany experience. But that's not really important, is it? The real question is: do I like it? Let's have a look.

1. Dr. Trevis (prod. Redman)

Reintroducing the character from the previous project's intro, this introduction surely goes down as one of the best skits in hip-hop history. The creepy violins and sound effects give this the perfect atmosphere, and Red's moans of pain in the background increase the disturbing and dark vibes this carries. Really great way to begin.

2. Bobyahed2dis (prod. Redman & Rockwilder)

That title is hilarious as hell, and the song... well, it's brilliant. The horns that come in in the background teamed with that incredibly infectious bassline make for surely one of the best beats of all time - this is just so damn funky. This song is weirdly structured - after an instrumental intro we get some speaking from Redman, before some other bloke called Jeff Stewart comes in and starts talking for ages as well. We then get a bit of a hook/bridge type of thing, before Redman finally comes with the bars, and man they are good. "And I don't need to be a special ed to get dumb". I mean, WHAT? That is a CRAZY bar, and the fact that it ends the verse makes it stand out that much more. The sampled line from the Whut? Thee Album track "Blow Your Mind" (there are other samples, but this one stands out the most) towards the end sounds nice as hell too. The random nature of this song just makes it even better. Incredible track.

3. Journey Throo Da Darkside (prod. Redman, co-prod. Erick Sermon)

Redman takes us on another lyrical journey over a hard self-produced beat, and it very nearly sounds as good as the previous track. Quite a lot of these bars are brilliant, so I'll list some of the best. "The way I kick, you swore that Jim Kelly was in this motherfucker", "Due to difficulties I won't be done by ten", "It's a true lie that I bring drama like Schwarzenegger", "Ridiculously I will rip an MC", and many more that I don't have time or energy to list. Lyrically, this is one of Red's best performances EVER, no lie.

4. Da Journee (prod. Redman)

Damnitt, Redman! I thought you knew how to spell "journey"! Maybe that last hit of acid has been playing with his memory a bit. Anyway, this song is pretty good, but I didn't think Redman's performance here was as impressive as on the previous two songs to be honest. The beat bought some interesting vibes, though. When I was coming home from Paris (which I talked about in the introduction paragraphs), those gunshot sounds at the end sent me even further into a trance - they are WEIRD.

5. A Million and 1 Buddah Spots (prod. Erick Sermon, co-prod. Redman)

The B-Side to the single "Can't Wait" (which we'll get to later) is an impressive affair, tainted by the fact that this track glitched ridiculously on my first copy of this CD, which I replaced later on. There's nothing that annoys me more than a skipping disc. Lyrically, this song is great, and the beat, the first here done mainly by mr. Sermon, brings some damned energy. This is a great one.

6. Noorotic (prod. Rockwilder, co-prod. Redman)

Rockwilder takes the theme music from one of Red's fictional radio programmes, "N.I.N." (later used in a skit on Muddy Waters), and puts into a bass heavy beat that is possibly the best of that type on here (not counting the beats with more instrumentation, like "Bobyahed2dis" and "Can't Wait"). Meanwhile, Red delivers some of my favourite verses from him ever. "Fuck that, let's get to the point, my shit's the joint, I roast" - the way he delivers that deserves an Oscar on its own.

7. Boodah Session (prod. Redman)

It wouldn't be a Redman album without at least one insufferable skit, now, would it?

8. Cosmic Slop (feat. Erick Sermon & Keith Murray) (prod. Redman, co-prod. Erick Sermon)

One of the first Def Squad group tracks, this is also definitely one of the best. The beat on here is powerful, with its intense pianos providing the most haunting soundscape yet on this album, and all of the rappers give some of their best performances I've heard from them. The best verse in my opinion belongs to Keith Murray, who delivers some great rhymes towards the end of the track - I especially love the way he says "amazing manifestations" - isn't it just great when rappers use big words? Those high-pitched voices in the middle were bloody horrific, though, so this ain't completely perfect, that's for sure.

9. Rockafella (R.I.P.) (prod. Redman)

Since the lead single was dedicated to Reggie's friend who sadly passed away, Red decided to show listeners what the guy was made of, and he actually shows some real potential. I could talk all day about the problems with all the gang-related violence in America, but instead I'll decide to give shout out to the transition into this song, with Erick's "Pop in the disc and who the hell is this?" from "Cosmic Slop" being one of the best ways to start up a following track I've ever heard.

10. Rockafella (prod. Redman)

The lead single, although God knows why, as this is one of the least marketable songs on here. The beat is grimy and sounds like they pulled it straight out of the sewer, and the hook isn't particularly catchy at all. This track is still excellent though, with Red's verses being some of his best overall performances yet, if not necessarily as filled with memorable one-liners as some of the earlier tracks. I wish they got rid of that bloody high-pitched voice that pops up throughout this though - what's the point of that? I own this single on vinyl too - absolutely love the cover art. One more thing: check out the remix to this song as well, which has a much more chill beat, and sounds equally as good as the original if you ask me.

11. Green Island (prod. Redman)

This remained Reggie's longest song up to the track "WutchooGonnaDo" off Red Gone Wild (well, solo track at least - the "Def Squad Delite" track by Def Squad was almost 7 minutes, remember), and even that one had a long skit on the end. This track is manic, with Red doing some weird obnoxious singing over this Hawaiian, palm beach sounding instrumental, and it sounds pretty odd if I'm honest. The verses are all phenomenal though, even the hilarious Uncle Quilly verse. The concept for this is pretty funny as well, and the nod to "Redman Meets Reggie Noble" at the end was very much appreciated. Absolutely hilarious track.

12. Basically (prod. Redman)

Redman spits some mind-boggling bars over some hard production, on what he himself considers an "interlude", but what really should be considered a full song. This is a dope lyrical display, and definitely one of the best songs on here. The diss to Run-DMC was pretty damn interesting as well.

13. Can't Wait (prod. Erick Sermon, co-prod. Redman)

One of the most wonderful songs ever created. After the little intro radio skit at the beginning, the beautiful instrumental comes in, leaving Redman to do some absolutely brilliant rhyming over the first truly light-hearted instrumental on here. The samples in the hook mesh brilliantly with the instrumental, and Red's little outro about "Riding a Fuji in a movie" was hilarious too. This is also notable as it sounds like no other Redman song ever. One of my favourite songs of all time, easily.

14. Winicumuhround (prod. Erick Sermon, co-prod. Redman)

Notable for sampling part of Hurricane G's part on Red's track "Tonight's Da Night", also notable for having the word "cum" in the title. The beat on here is energetic as hell, and I like the way that Red acknowledged that the phrase in the aforementioned title was also used in a sample on the hook of the track "Watch Yo Nuggets" from the previous album. That's something that a nerd like me just lives for. This one is very good, even if it doesn't do too much to stand out from the pack.

15. Wuditlooklike (prod. Redman)

Apparently, Red liked the idea of cramming all the different words in the title into one word so much that he immediately did it again. I have no idea why these two songs were sequenced next to each other, but it is what it is, I guess. The interpolation of Jim Carrey's famous "Eeeeeelike a glove!" from the film Ace Ventura is a hilarious way to open this up, and this song actually stands out by having one of the trippiest instrumentals here. Big fan of this one.

16. Slide and Rock On (prod. Redman)

Didn't like this song one bit. The intro is corny, the beat is dull, the samples on the hook sound like SHIT, and the verses do nothing to stand out. Utterly miserable listen. How the fuck did this end up on the album?

17. Sooperman Luva II (prod. Redman)

After that abomination, Red decides he has to save the listeners from his own music by reintroducing us to the one and only Sooperman Luva, who's name is inexplicably spelt differently to how it was last time we saw him (the "luva" was actually spelled correctly last time). This track is thankfully excellent, though, with the storytelling being even more captivating than before, and the beat giving a fairly radio-friendly vibe, yet still sounding pretty gutter. The sound effects that end this track are really intriguing too.

18. We Run N.Y. (feat. Hurricane Gee) (prod. Redman)

Samples KRS-One's "Sound Of Da Police", as does the infamous Jay-Z song "Takeover", so there's your first reason to listen to this if you haven't already. Dr. Trevis pops up for the first time on an actual song (rather than just a skit), and the results sound excellent. Hurricane G (or "Gee", as she was going by at the time) sounds annoying as usual on here, but at least her lyrics are good, and Redman delivers some excellent verses over this layered and menacing production. The best thing about this is that Red isn't even from New York (he's from Newark, New Jersey, as fans of Doc's Da Name 2000 will surely know), which I think is just hilarious to be honest. One of the best songs here.

19. Dr. Trevis (Signs Off) (prod. Redman)

This outro appears to take you up a lift, out of the hell that Redman attempted to present on this album, ironic since most of this album is genuinely heavenly. The beat from the aforementioned "Rockafella (Remix)" plays for a bit here too, which is worth noting.

The following is a bonus track only on the CD, since those paying less money deserve to get an extra song, of course. Why didn't they do vinyl-only bonus tracks? That would have made a hell of a lot more sense.

20. Tonight's Da Nite (Remix) (prod. Redman)

The title is spelled differently to on the original, which is hilARIOUS, and also has a bit of foreshadowing - this song is completely different to the original. This one is more upbeat and funky, and actually wouldn't sound out of place on Whut? Thee Album, and that is without doubt a good thing. The beat is excellent, and Redman's verses (at least until he starts droning on about random shit at the end) are very energetic. This is a great track, and surprisingly pretty much on a par with the original, which is very unusual for a remix (see Red's own "Blow Your Mind (Remix)").

Overall, Dare Iz A Darkside is very nearly as good as Redman's classic debut album. On the one hand, this album has only one skit (not counting the intro and outro), which is always going to be a positive (sadly, Redman would never leave an album so free of skits again, at least not until he was far beyond his musical prime), as Redman's skits are never particularly great (something that becomes more and more abundantly clear as we work our way through his catalogue). However, this album does get a bit samey as we make our way into the second half, and there's one absolutely DREADFUL track on there too (see if you can guess which one). Therefore, this album is slightly below Red's debut for me. Still, this album probably does display the greatest lyricism we ever got from Redman, and also the best beats that he ever produced himself. It's a difficult one to rank the albums of mr. R. Noble, and it will become even more difficult when we get to his next album, but the one thing that is clear is that this is a classic album, and a must hear for anyone who enjoys Busta Rhymes, Ol' Dirty Bastard, or any kind of slightly left-field hip-hop. A phenomenal piece of work.

Best Tracks: Bobyahed2dis, Journey Throo Da Darkside, Noorotic, Green Island, Basically, Can't Wait, Sooperman Luva II, We Run N.Y.

Worst Tracks: Slide and Rock On

You may also enjoy reading: 

Redman - Whut? Thee Album

Method Man - Tical