Salt-N-Pepa – Brand New (October 21, 1997)

Posted on 02/03/2026 by deedub77

The last time we checked in with Salt-N-Pepa here at TimeIsIllmatic was for their mammoth 1993 release, Very Necessary. Thanks largely to a platinum single (“Whatta Man”), a gold single (“Shoop”), and a third single that would earn the duo (sometimes, trio) their only Grammy Win (“None Of Your Business”), the album went five times platinum. Success for the ladies wasn’t new, as their previous three albums also received RIAA certifications, two earning platinum (their 1986 debut Hot, Cool & Vicious, and 1990’s Blacks’ Magic) and the other gold (A Salt With A Deadly Pepa). After all their hard work and success over those seven years, it was only right that they took a four-year break. SNP would resurface in October of ‘97 with their fifth release, Brand New.

The album title carried meaning, as this would be Salt-N-Pepa’s first album not released on Next Plateau. It would also be their first project without Hurby Luv Bug, whose writing and production were vital to the success of their first four albums. For Brand New, SNP would call on a handful of helping hands to sonically sculpt the album, and the ladies themselves would be more involved in the project’s writing and production. The album wasn’t nearly as commercially successful as their previous two projects, but it peaked at 37 on the US Billboard 200 and earned SNP a gold plaque, making them five for five with RIAA-certified albums.

Ironically, Brand New marks a new chapter for the ladies, but also the ending, as this would be the last album we’d get from SNP. I’ve never heard any of the tracks on the album, so this will all be…brand new to me. Corny dad joke, but I had to go for it.

RU Ready – Thank you, Salt-N-Pepa, for not wasting your time or the listener’s with a worthless album intro. The ladies get straight to business, proclaiming their return, doing a little boasting, and trying to get the listeners to report to the dance floor. Suspiciously, Salt and Pepa add a little Foxy Brown husk to their vocal tones, which might correlate to the Rene & Angela “I’ll Be Good” feel in Dr. Ceuss’ instrumental (Trackmasters sampled “I’ll Be Good” for the Foxy Brown/Jay-Z duet “I’ll Be” off her Ill Nana album). For some reason, SNP decided to interrupt their lady liberation party with a verse from some guy named Rufus Moore (aka Rufus Blaq), who adds nothing of value to the track. It’s not a great record, but the track’s glossy feel makes it an obvious choice for the album’s lead single.

Good Life – Dr. Ceuss creates a chilled atmosphere for Salt, Pepa, and Spinderella to rap about the luxuries their labor has afforded them (Pepa might be the first and only rapper to ever use maxed-out credit cards as a flex). The rhymes were passable, but I was more impressed with the buttery guitar licks (courtesy of Bernard Grobman), the sultry horn loop, and the catchy doo-wop/soulful harmonies of Alicia Rushing and Dawne Shivers on the hook.

Do Me Right – SNP uses this extra R&B flavored track (complete with crooning from the ladies that sang the refrain on the previous track and Joe Powell) to search for their Mr. Do Me Right. Spinderella joins her girls in listing the wants and attributes a man must have in order to get a taste of their “secret sauce.” I wasn’t crazy about this record, but I’m sure I wasn’t their target demographic.

Friends – The song title is somewhat misleading, as the record is not about friends, but more about snakes posing as friends. Speaking of friends, Salt-N-Pepa are joined by a few of their own on this track. Queen Latifah and SNP deliver verses expressing their disdain for these shady individuals. Mad Lion pops in, borrowing and remixing the O-Jays’ “Back Stabbers” hook, turning it into a rugged reggae chant. Pepa and Josef Powell are credited for the solid musical bed that recycles the never-dying and undefeated “Top Billin’” drum beat. Side note: The liner notes give Anthony Criss (known to the world as Treach) a writing credit for this song. I’m positive he penned his future ex-wife’s bars (Pepa), and it sounds like he might have had a hand in writing his Flava Unit leader’s verse as well.

Say Ooh – I didn’t realize how popular Larry Young’s “Turn Off The Lights” was in hip-hop until this blog moved into 1997. Dilla sampled it for “Fat Cat Song” (Fan-Tas-Tic, Vol. 1), Trackmasters looped it up for “Firm All Stars” (The Album), and now, Dr. Ceuss and Salt borrow it for this record. I didn’t care for the loop on the first two records and even less on this musical mediocrity that finds Salt-N-Pepa lusting for some man’s loins (although Salt expressing her thirst for the “essence of” his “manhood” did sound sexy as hell).

Imagine – SNP get in their John Lennon bag as they condemn the hate, prejudice, and racism that’s so consuming at times they can hardly breathe. Sheryl Crow drops by to lend her voice and stand in support of Cheryl and Sandy’s fight. I like the sentiment of this record, but the rhymes feel hollow, the faux-folksy funk instrumentation sounds cheesy, and though it’s hard to say it, because I love her “All I Wanna Do” record, Ms. Crow sounds really bad on this track. To add insult to injury, SNP’s closing hyperventilating adlibs sound more like orgasm moans than shortness of breath.

Knock Knock – Apparently, Salt and Pepa found the Mr. Do Me Rights they were looking for a few tracks ago. But time revealed they were really Mr. Wrongs, and our hostesses kick them to the curb on this record. Day Ta Day (the quintet that sang the hook for SNP’s hit record “Shoop”) play their male antagonists, begging the ladies for a second chance on the refrain and adlibs, but to no avail (is it just me or does it sound like Salt recorded her rhymes for this song in a bathroom?). SNP plays this one pretty well, and I love the uncredited, warm melody of EW&F’s “Devotion” in the instrumentation.

Gitty Up – This was the second single released from Brand New. Dr. Ceuss and Al West loop up Rick James’ funk classic, “Give It To Me Baby,” as Salt, Pepa, and Spin splash their sex appeal all over the track, turning it into a sexy dance joint (that occasionally gets interrupted by Rufus Blaq, again). Due to all of its contrived crossover energy, I feel like I’m not supposed to like this record, but for some reason, I bought what SNP was selling me.

Boy Toy – Dr. Ceuss & Al West are at it again, this time concocting a soft synthetic musical space for SNP and Spin to promote tricking on dudes in exchange for their time and good D. Hey, if the fellas can do it, why not the ladies too?

Brand New – For the title track, DJ Flex (not to be confused with DJ Funkmaster Flex) plays SNP’s hype man as the ladies remind anyone doubting them that even under new management, they still got it. I like hearing Salt-N-Pepa rap with a slight chip on their shoulders. Day Ta Day gives the duo vocal encouragement on the hook, and I enjoyed the familiar but funky Gary Wright loop that the instrumental is built around.

Silly Of You – Salt is credited for this bouncy bop that she, Pep, and their guest, Blue Denim, use to volley vocab over. They stick with the energy of the previous track: boasting of their dominance and speaking down to their haters. SNP handles the dope backdrop fairly well, but I was more impressed by Blue Denim, who sounds like a hungry, less lyrical female version of AZ.

The Clock Is Tickin’ – A band named Modern Yesterday lays down rock-tinged instrumentation that our hostesses use to urge anyone in a toxic relationship to get out of it before it’s too late. It’s a great message that doesn’t translate into good music.

Hold On – Earlier in the same year, Salt stomped with Kirk Franklin on his mega hit gospel record. He returns the favor on this track, joining Salt, Pep, Spin, and Minneapolis’ own, Sound of Blackness, for a little gospel rapping and choir singing. It makes for a decent, encouraging tune.

RU Ready (Remix) – This song is not listed on the back CD panel or in the liner notes, which, back in the day, we’d call a hidden track. The jam-session-style instrumentation is a lot more enjoyable than the shiny musical bed of the original mix.

Recently, Salt-N-Pepa were in the news over a legal battle with Universal Music Group for ownership of their masters. A judge dismissed the case, ruling that Salt-N-Pepa never owned the copyrights to transfer, as Hurby Luv Bug was the original contracting party. In a nutshell, the judge was telling Salt-N-Pepa, if they want their masters back, go talk to Hurby. There have been rumors and rumblings for years that Hurby and Salt-N-Pepa had a business fallout. I’d be willing to bet that’s why they parted ways after Very Necessary, and Brand New serves as their Declaration of Independence. Brand New also proved that, with or without Mr. Luv Bug, Salt-N-Pepa know how to make commercially successful, mediocre albums.

If you read TimeIsIllmatic regularly, you already know how I felt about Salt-N-Pepa’s first four albums. But if you don’t, a quick recap: All four were carried by big singles and supported by loads of lackluster album cuts, resulting in medium pleasant listens at best. Brand New would earn SNP another gold plaque, but only about half of the album is worth listening to more than once. The rest is filled with generic party themes (“R U Ready”), stale relationship topics (“Do Me Right,” “Say Ooh,” and “Boy Toy”), forced social commentary (“Imagine” and “The Clock Is Tickin’”), and hollow inspirationals (“Hold On”), backed by mid production, making for yet another medium pleasant listen.

Salt-N-Pepa are often referred to as the First Ladies of Rap. They will always be respected for their pioneering work as female rappers and for showing that an all-female act can move into the mainstream. They will always be loved for their handful of hit records (with a few mega-hits included). But one attribute missing from their legacy is a certified classic album.

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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The Firm – The Album (October 21, 1997)

Posted on 01/20/2026 by deedub77

In 1994, Nasty Nas hit the earth like a comet with his classic debut album, Illmatic, which I still consider the greatest hip-hop album of all time. The self-proclaimed half-man, half-amazing Queensbridge emcee impressed with insightful streetwise poetry over vintage boom-bap beats, produced by an elite cast of producers. Illmatic was critically acclaimed, but not an immediate commercial success (it took nearly two years for it to reach gold status, and seven to earn a platinum plaque). For his second release, It Was Written, Nas (or the label, or both) was clearly focused on making a commercially successful album. He’d call on Trackmasters to bless most of the project with their glossy, radio-friendly sound, which proved to be a winning formula as the album went double platinum three months after its release. IWW also saw Nas splitting mic time with his newfound mafia boss alter-ego, Nas Escobar. On “Affirmative Action,” Escobar would introduce the world to his pretend mobster crew, known as The Firm.

The original formation of The Firm was Nas, AZ, aka Sosa, Foxy Brown, and Cormega, which is also the roster that appeared on “Affirmative Action.” The affirmative response to the track (pun intended) and its “The Symphony” beat remix would be the spark for a full-fledged Firm album. However, before they began recording the album, a roster change would take place. As legend has it, Cormega had a contractual disagreement with Nas and Nas’s manager at the time, Steve Stoute. Their squabble would lead to Cormega exiting The Firm, and Nas would recruit his fellow Queensbridge bredrin, Nature, to replace him. The Firm would call on some production big dogs, Dr. Dre (and his production partner, Glove) and Trackmasters, to craft the bulk of The Album. Side note: The cover artwork for The Album is a spoof of the promotional poster for one of my favorite mafia movies, Casino.

The Album was a blockbuster release that reached gold status, but the sales numbers were underwhelming for a project that featured Dr. Dre, Trackmasters, and Nas. Also underwhelming was its reception, as critics and the streets were torn on the quality of the project.

I haven’t listened to The Album in over a decade, but I remember it being mid at best. Hopefully, time has been kind to this vanity project.

Intro – Ominous music plays underneath a medley of news clips and a voice softly whispering, “The Firm.”

Firm Fiasco – Dr. Dre & Glove pick up where Trackmasters left off with “Affirmative Action,” painting another cinematic mafioso canvas via synthetic strings and a thumpin’ bassline. Sticking with the cinematic mafia theme, Nas, AZ, and Foxy substitute a conventional hook between the verses with allusions to a few narrated lines from Goodfellas (one of my all-time favorite movies; RIP to Ray Liotta). AZ kicks things off with a verse that displays his vast vocabulary, but he sounds like he’s chasing the beat (maybe if he came in when the beat dropped instead of letting half a bar waste away, he would have sounded more comfortable on the track). Nas shoots second, and he’s in his full Escobar mode (take that for what it’s worth). Foxy plays clean up and spits a verse proclaiming her extreme loyalty to The Firm: “Breed a son for ‘em/ long dick style/ swallow the enemy’s cum for ‘em.” Now that’s commitment. This was a solid way to start the album, but why the hell didn’t Nature get a verse on this one?

Phone Tap Intro – A quick skit that sets up the next song.

Phone Tap – This was the album’s second single. As the song title and the previous skit suggest, the feds have tapped Nas and AZ’s phones, and we, the listeners, get to listen firsthand to one of the duo’s conversations. For the most part, Nas and AZ (Nature also makes a small contribution) play it well, though they do lose focus a time or two (specifically Nas, who randomly feels the need to tell AZ that he’s getting high and vibing to an old Stephanie Mills cassette), and the ending was anticlimactic. I liked Dre’s slow rolling backdrop; the occasional sprinkling of that sinister out-of-key chord was brilliant.

Executive Decision – Trackmasters get their first production credit of the evening and create an elegant ambience punctuated by a sexy string loop. Nas, Nature, and AZ use it to talk their expensive drug dealer shit. I could be mistaken, but it sounds like Nature may have taken a few jabs at Jay-Z during his verse: “I had to learn not to fuck with small cats, in fake Cartiers and straw hats, stick ‘em on a mixtape, they think they all that, but just speedin’ through, never sounding reasonable.” The “fake Cartiers and straw hats” is a reference to Jay’s fits on the Reasonable Doubt album cover. “Stick ‘em on a mixtape” is aimed at Jay’s freestyle on Funkmaster Flex’s Mixtape Vol. II. The “speedin’ through” and “sounding reasonable” are shots at Jay’s early-era fast flow and the title to his debut album, respectively. I could be wrong, but I doubt it (*rimshot*).

Firm Family – Nature and Dr. Dre share the mic and talk fly shit over an infectiously breezy West Coast backdrop. Guest vocalist Traci Nelson sprinkles her pretty voice over the track’s hook, making an already pleasant audio experience even more enjoyable.

Firm All Stars – Foxy and Pretty Boy (whom I first became familiar with from his freestyle with Foxy on Funk Flex’s Mixtape Vol. II) share the mic on this one. I loved what Foxy did on her Funkmaster Flex freestyle, but she and Pretty Boy’s generic player antics and designer diction on this track nearly lulled me to sleep. The Trackmasters’ mediocre instrumental and Nas’ cheesy hook didn’t help matters.

Fuck Somebody Else Intro – A silly X-rated skit that sets up the next track.

Fuck Somebody Else – Foxy gets the first dolo record on The Album, and based on the song title, I bet you can guess what she’s rapping about. Dre & Glove interpolate The Jones Girls’ “You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else” for the backdrop, Traci Nelson turns their innocent chorus into complete filth, and Foxy uses her three verses to boast about giving up ass for cash and how good her pussy is. All her box-bragging does make you wonder if the nana is as ill as she says it is.

Hardcore – Trackmasters keep the low-hanging fruit sample choices coming, this time tapping Cheryl Lynn’s “Encore.” Nas sounds better than he’s sounded for most of the album, and Foxy…well, at least she tones down the raunch for one record.

Untouchable – While Sicilian Mafia music plays in the background, Escobar calls a team meeting, which quickly gets interrupted by a verse from Grand Wiz (whom I was only familiar with for the shout-out Nas gave him at the beginning of Illmatic’s “Memory Lane”). Wiz’s bars were solid, but I was more impressed by the cinematically tragic melody in the Dre & Mel-Man-produced instrumental.

Five Minutes To Flush Intro – Another skit. Sosa is in the middle of pounding something tender when the Feds come pounding on his door looking to bust him for dope. Question: If the Feds are doing a drug raid, would they make a courtesy knock?

Five Minutes To Flush – Dre & Glove remake the beat to Whodini’s “5 Minutes Of Funk,” and Dre gives Roger Troutman and his talkbox more work as they add some electronic seasoning to the hook. Nature uses the pristine funk to spin a tale about the Feds crashing his crib at 4am, hoping to catch him with his dope stash. Nate calmly paints a vivid picture of the stressful scene and adds a little humor to the storyline. This is easily one of my favorite records on The Album.

Desparados Intro – AZ gets another chance to lick his acting chops with this skit that leads into the next song. I literally LOL every time I hear Sosa say “Hector!”

Desparados – The track begins with soft Spanish guitar strums and Nas quoting one of my favorite movie lines (“Have you ever danced with the devil under the pale moonlight?” Shoutout to Jack Nicholson). Then the drums drop, and after Nas gets done reciting a mumbo jumbo refrain, Canibus emerges and continues his complete obliteration of every cameo he’s appeared on in ‘97. AZ and Nature follow with more Mafiiso propaganda, but it doesn’t come close to matching the moxie in Canibus’ bars.

Firm Biz – L.E.S. has made a production career out of using Captain Obvious-eighties samples, and this record is no exception. He taps Teena Marie’s “Square Biz” for the musical bed of what was The Album’s lead single. AZ, Nas, and Foxy continue to spew flossy mobster bars while the beautiful Dawn Robinson (formerly of En Vogue) puts a twist on Ms. Marie’s original refrain (Foxy’s dad advising his daughter to “keep the pussy tight,” but also telling her to “blaze that dick” if she decides to give up, is the wildest father-to-daughter advice that I’ve ever heard). It’s not a great record, but its glossy pop sensibilities make it a sensible choice for the lead single.

I’m Leaving – Noreaga (aka, Nore) and Nature take the listener on a riveting thugged-out adventure over the Trackmasters’ cracking drums and tense twangy guitar plucks.

Throw Your Guns – For The Album’s grand finale, Brooklyn newcomer, Half-A-Mill (RIP), teams up with fellow Brooklynite, AZ. Sosa holds his own during the middle verse (which might be his strongest performance of the night), but Half-A-Mill sounds as explosive as a twelve-gauge, leaving the Trackmasters’ hard backdrop severely damaged after letting off two rounds of heavy artillery.

After the USA Men’s Basketball Team took home a disappointing bronze medal at the 1988 Summer Olympic Games, the powers that be decided it was time to stop sending the college kids to compete in exchange for the pros. The 1992 Olympic squad, dubbed the Dream Team, was loaded with superstars: Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson, Larry Bird, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Scottie Pippen, Patrick Ewing, and David Robinson (who was also on the disappointing 1988 team). Needless to say, the Dream Team smashed the competition and took home the gold medal, convincingly. Sending the NBA’s best to compete against the world would become the standard, and it was a successful formula, except for the 2004 team. Led by Tim Duncan, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Allen Iverson, and Carmelo Anthony, on paper, the 2004 squad looked built for success. But, like one of my favorite sports commentators, Chris Berman used to say: “This is why they play the game.” The same rules that apply to Dream Teams apply to hip-hop supergroups.

After hearing Dr. Dre’s underwhelming instrumentation on Nas’ “Nas Is Coming” from It Was Written, I was pleasantly pleased with the good doctor’s bounce back on The Album. His pristine West Coast sonics and the Trackmasters’ combination of low-hanging fruit eighties samples and clean interpolations wind up being a cohesively solid batch of goodies with only a few minor bumps in the road. With Dre and Trackmasters throwing a production alley-oop to a supergroup led by emcees with the lyrical prowess of Nas and AZ, one would think The Album would be a slam-dunk classic. But (in my Chris Berman voice), this is why we listen to the album.

Nature makes the most of his opportunity, and with his relaxed flow and lyrical clarity, he impresses with each of his appearances. I wasn’t expecting much from Foxy, and lyrically she never escapes the hamster wheel of poppin’ pussy for piety, profit, and Prada. The handful of guests who appear on The Album range from amazing to decent, with Pretty Boy being the exception. The biggest disappointment on The Album is clearly Nas and AZ.

Both Nas and AZ are lyrical wizards when they choose to be, but on The Album, the two never waive their magic wands. In fact, we never hear from Nas and AZ, only their alter-egos, Escobar and Sosa, who waste an album’s worth of quality production on unoriginal, regurgitated mafioso rhymes and redundant materialism worship. As creative a storyteller as Nas is, it would have been dope to hear The Album with a well-thought-out storyline and plot, which you can hear the potential of on records like “Phone Tap” and “Five Minutes To Flush.” But instead of getting a Mafia musical masterpiece, we’re left with a bunch of miscellaneous, mundane mob mythologies.

The 2004 USA Men’s Basketball Team would take home the bronze medal, which is commendable for some countries, but pathetic considering the high expectations and the talent that the US squad was loaded with. The Album isn’t a terrible listen, but thanks to Nas and AZ’s underwhelming performance, it’s bronze-worthy at best.

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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Gravediggaz – The Pick, The Sickle, And The Shovel (October 14, 1997)

Posted on 01/13/2026 by deedub77

Prince Paul may have got his start in the game as a DJ for hip-hop’s first unofficial band, Stetsasonic, but over time, he’s become one of hip-hop’s most underrated producers. Over the years, he has produced tracks for artists such as Stetsasonic, MC Lyte, Big Daddy Kane, Living Colour, Queen Latifah, 3rd Bass, Souls of Mischief, MF Doom, Gorillaz, and Run the Jewels. And while he has provided quality instrumentals for his extensive clientele throughout his career, his most valuable production attribute may be his conceptual genius. He was the brains behind De La Soul’s landmark hippy hip-hop debut,3 Feet High And Rising, which many credit as the pioneer album for hip-hop album skits. He also played a large role in the direction of De La’s second and third albums, De La Soul Is Dead and Buhloone Mindstate, respectively. He created cult classic concept albums like Psychoanalysis: What Is It?, A Prince Amongst Thieves, and Politics Of The Business. He’s also been the brains and part of some off-kilter vanity groups: The fictitious doo-wop group, The Dix, Handsome Boy Modeling School (with Dan The Automator), and, of course, Gravediggaz.

Gravediggaz began as a supergroup comprised of RZA (The RZArector), Poetic (The Grym Reaper), Prince Paul (The Undertaker), and his former Stetsasonic groupmate, Frukwan (The Gatekeeper). Their 1994 debut album, 6 Feet Deep, featured tongue-in-cheek death/murder themes over ominous instrumentals, giving birth to the hip-hop sub-genre, horrorcore. The liner notes for 6FD list Prince Paul as the project’s overseer, and he was responsible for most of the album’s production. 6FD wasn’t a commercial monster by any stretch, but it was a well-received conceptual piece that gave Gravediggaz a cult like following. They would return in 1997, with their sophomore effort, The Pick, The Sickle And The Shovel.

The first thing that stood out to me when reading The Pick’s liner notes was that Prince Paul is only credited for producing one track. RZA and his production cronies, True Master and 4th Disciple, are responsible for sculpting most of the album’s mood. The album produced two singles, making minor noise, but the critics gave The Pick mostly favorable reviews.

This is another first-time listen. I’m interested to hear how a Prince Paul-lite Gravediggaz album sounds.

Continue to rest in peace, Anthony “Poetic/Grym Reaper” Berkeley.

Side note: The CD version of The Pick (which is the format I own) comes with a snazzy four-flap fold-out insert that includes a pic of each member on one of the four flaps. I know most folks don’t care (I stay on my music nerd shit), but it’s another small thing you won’t get when buying the album on a DSP.

Intro – Over RZA’s lo-fi, wacky-sounding backdrop, he, Grym Reaper, and Gatekeeper welcome the listener to the album, reintroduce themselves (Gatekeeper makes it sound like Prince Paul died when he says “My man, Undertaker, in spirit with us”), and take turns talking in circles about the meaning and purpose of Gravediggaz. Now, on with the show.

Dangerous Mindz – This was the lead single. 4th Disciple loops up a somber acoustic guitar and sorrowful strings for Grym Reaper, RZA, and Gatekeeper to let their minds and rhymes run freely, firing off back-to-back-to-back verses with no interruption of a hook. The threesome sounds great, especially Reaper and RZA, spewing their randomness. This was fire.

Da Bomb – RZA sits this one out and lets Reaper and Gatekeeper spar over True Master’s solid production. Gatekeeper must have downed a Red Bull, as he sounds much more alert and energized than he did on the previous track, and Reaper continues to spit sharp bars.

Unexplained – Reaper and Gatekeeper give us another duet performance, building on their synergy from the previous track. Gatekeeper does his thing on the second verse, but Reaper is the early star on The Pick, as he continues his annihilation of the first three tracks: “Each word springs a cold current, that haunt niggas like old warrants, make an emcee life insurance.” Reaper’s dark and eerie backdrop was just as impressive as his bars (the haunted female voices placed over Gatekeeper’s verse sound incredible).

Twelve Jewelz – The RZA returns from his two-track smoke break, babbling on about resurrecting the mentally dead (he must have smoked the honey-dipped blunts that Reaper mentioned during “Dangerous Mindz”). Then, Darkim’s simple but effective instrumental drops, and RZA evokes his double time flow to get off a verse filled with Five Percenter equations and mathematics, capped off by a story about a wise but poor Sudan immigrant (he also gets a chance to list off the twelve jewels of Islam, hence the song title). I enjoy hearing RZA when he’s in his teacher/wisdom bag.

Fairytalez – Reap and Gatekeep turn a few children’s stories into socially conscious commentary while a young Kelis makes her first professional appearance singing the hook. The playful concept and the instrumental sound like a Prince Paul concoction, but the screechy string-loop-laden backdrop is credited to Goldfinghaz. This feels like something that could have gone on 6FD, but I still enjoyed it.

Never Gonna Come Back – Over Goldfinghaz’s gloomy backdrop, Reaper and Gatekeeper each share a sad story of losing their lady love to gun violence. I sure hope these aren’t true stories, and if they’re not, it amplifies how morbid their minds are to come up with this concept.

Pit Of Snakes – For only the second time on the album to this point, we get to hear all three members of Gravediggaz rhyme together. RZA kicks things off and sounds like a mad scientist threatening to “splatter your gall bladder” with “mathematical data.” Gatekeeper and Reaper follow, and while they sound good enough, this snake pit was clearly RZA’s playground. Which makes sense, considering he co-produced the possessed synth backdrop along with True Master.

The Night The Earth Cried – This was the second and final single released from The Pick. Reaper and RZA use their verses to address the past and present evil deeds of the white man inflicted on the Black man in this land called North America. Gatekeeper closes with a verse drenched in Five Percent teachings, which is what he uses to cope with the stress and racism the Black man continues to face in America. 4th Disciple and RZA blend haunting piano chords with tormented strings, resulting in a brilliant instrumental tailor-made for the song’s content. It’s an interesting choice for a single (especially during the blinged-out, jiggy era), but I dug it. And with all that’s currently going on in the United States today, it couldn’t be more relevant.

Elimination Process – This one begins with Grym Reaper receiving instruction from some devilishly distorted voiced being (played by one of the Aleem Brothers) to take control of the black hole perimeter and eliminate all the fake deaf, dumb, and blind niggas (aka meek, zombie ghetto dwellers) from the face of the earth (he also instructs Reaper to “preserve the niggettes,” which I found hi-larious). Then Reaper and Gatekeeper round out their makeshift army with Shabazz The Disciple (who sounds eerily similar to Ghostface Killah) and Omen to wage war and call out these race-killing Black devils. It’s not my favorite track on The Pick, but it’s listenable.

Repentance Day – Reaper concocts a horror movie score for himself, Killah Priest, and Hell Razah to give an unsettlingly descriptive account of the day of Armageddon. This was darkly dope.

Hidden Emotions – This one begins with a skit that shows street pharmacist, Jay Jackson, transforming from a heartless thug into a loving husband and doting father when he gets word his wife is giving birth to their son. Then, True Master’s ghostly, piano-riff-laden instrumental drops, and Reaper and Gatekeeper proceed to discuss the struggle for Black men to connect with and express their emotions. True Master also makes a rare appearance on the mic (I like what he did on “Medicine” from Guru’s Jazzmatazz Vol. II album), chiming in on the subject and summing up things best with his closing bar: “You need to let it out, ‘cause it could cause you bad health, hiding your emotions can rob you from yourself.” A hip-hop mental health record, decades before the subject became sexy.

What’s Goin’ On – RZA, Reaper, Gatekeeper, and RZA’s younger brother and Killarmy de facto leader, 9th Prince, put a spooky twist (thanks to RZA’s eerie bells and celestial choir sample) on Marvin Gaye’s soulful anti-war classic. Long-time Wu-Tang affiliate songstress, Blue Raspberry, lends her vocals to the track, adding additional flavor (pun intended).

Deadliest Biz – Reaper and Gatekeeper join forces for the last time on The Pick, issuing boasts and deadly threats to wack emcees. It was kind of uncomfortable hearing Gatekeeper jack RZA’s “Wu-Tang Clan Ain’t Nuthing To Fuck Wit” flow, and his zany backdrop made this sound like something more appropriate for 6FD.

Outro – Prince Paul gets his lone production credit of the evening on this closing track. He hooks up pounding drums and an urgent, slightly demented piano loop, placing a collage of RZA, Reaper, and Gatekeeper soundbites over the backdrop to explain the Gravediggaz’s purpose and mission.

In 1950, Tennessee blues singer Stick McGhee recorded and released a record titled “One Monkey Don’t Stop No Show.” The song title was based on a popular term in southern Black culture, meaning the absence or antics of one person/clown shouldn’t stop things from progressing or proceeding for everyone else. When Cee-Lo Green decided to leave Goodie Mob (temporarily) after their 1999 third release, World Party, the remaining three members decided to title their fourth album after Stick McGhee’s signature record as a statement that the show must go on, and as a shot at Cee-Lo (the album’s artwork even features Khujo, T-Mo, and Big Gipp sitting with a monkey in a movie theater, which I’ve always found hi-larious). The Pick, The Sickle, And The Shovel proves that one Gravedigga don’t stop no burial.

From The Pick’s first track, you immediately sense a much more serious tone than the playfully morbid atmosphere that Gravediggaz operated in under Prince Paul’s direction on 6 Feet Deep. Musically, they stick with a dark production scheme, which is suitable for horrorcore hip-hop, but with RZA at the helm, the production sounds more Wu-Tang Clanish than Gravediggaz. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, as most of the instrumentals are fire. I more so struggled adjusting to RZA, Grym Reaper, and Gatekeeper sounding nothing like the Gravediggaz we were introduced to on 6FD.

6FD found RZA, Grym Reaper, and Gatekeeper rhyming with dark twisted humor, but their witty punchlines, whimsical deliveries, and overall playful nature made it clear that their morbidness was just entertainment. The RZA-led Gravediggaz regime has little time for jokes, as they spend most of The Pick “digging up the graves of the mentally dead” with social commentary, Five Percent teachings, and discussing the world’s impending doom. The rhyming is solid (I was especially impressed by Reaper’s lyrical growth since 6FD), though at times, a lot to consume in one sitting. Ultimately, they sound less like Gravediggaz and more like another Wu-Tang Clan affiliate group, which is only compounded by guest cameos from Killah Priest, 9th Prince, Hell Razah, Shabazz The Disciple, and Blue Raspberry.

Even if Prince Paul was more involved on The Pick, I don’t think the gimmicky, dark humor approach used on 6FD would have worked a second time. Maybe Prince Paul knew this as well, which is why he stepped back and eventually away from the group. I enjoyed The Pick, but the group’s conversion from Gravediggaz to Archaeologists was unexpected.

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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LL Cool J – Phenomenon (October 14, 1997)

Posted on 12/30/2025 by deedub77

Wow, I can’t believe how fast 2025 flew by! This is my last review of the year. I hope you enjoy the read, and I’ll catch up with you all in 2026. Happy New Year!

In today’s mainstream lexicon, the term GOAT gets thrown around way too often. If an actor gives one great performance in a movie, suddenly he/she’s a GOAT. If a ballplayer puts together a few good seasons, people are putting him in the GOAT conversation. If a rapper drops two hot singles, suddenly, the temporary buzz has him a part of the GOAT debate. GOAT status isn’t achieved overnight, but comes with longevity and a consistent body of work. LL Cool J coined the acronym to describe himself, and he definitely has the stats to back up his claim.

It’s been said that the Def Jam empire was built on LL Cool J’s back. From 1985 to 2008, he released thirteen albums on the label, and all but one of them (Exit 13) earned a gold plaque or better, with six reaching platinum status (Bigger And Deffer, Mama Said Knock You Out, and Mr. Smith all went double platinum). In 1987, he invented the rap love ballad with “I Need Love.” He has a handful of gold and platinum singles, a Billboard number one album (G.O.A.T.), a certified classic album (Mama Said Knock You Out), and enough classic records in his catalog to go toe to toe with any other rapper. Speaking of toe-to-toe, he’s also battle-tested, as he’s waged war with the likes of Ice-T, Kool Moe Dee, and Canibus. Then, when everybody thought his rapping career was over, he returned in 2024 to release the impressive comeback album, The FORCE (it’s probably my third favorite LL album). That’s a hell of a resume, and I didn’t even touch on his impressive acting career. In 1997, L was in the midst of his incredible run, releasing his seventh studio album (eighth overall, as Def Jam had released his greatest hits album, All World, in 1996), Phenomenon.

LL and the Trackmasters begin their musical relationship when the production duo produced the majority of L’s multi-platinum selling album, Mr. Smith. The relationship continues on Phenomenon as they’re credited with producing four of the album’s ten tracks. The Hitmen, Erick Sermon, L.E.S., Curt Gowdy, and Deven “Prestige” Vanderpool also receive production credits on the album. Phenomenon wasn’t as commercially successful as its predecessor, but it would earn Cool James another platinum plaque.

After 1993’s disappointing 14 Shots To The Dome, LL bounced back with the solid Mr. Smith album in ‘95. This review is my first time listening to Phenomenon in its entirety. Hopefully, it builds on the momentum of its predecessor.

Phenomenon – LL kicks off the album with the title track, which also served as the lead single. AMEN-RA of Puffy’s Hitmen loops up the bass line from Creative Source’s rendition of Bill Withers’ “Who Is He And What Is He To You?” for the backdrop. LL puts on his quiet storm voice, and rest assured, whenever you hear this tone, he’s rapping about some booty. He borrows a line from Melle Mel’s “White Lines” for the song title and hook as he turns on his player persona in pursuit of the panties (his opening line that mentions Pac, barely a year after his death, left me wondering if he had beef with the fallen rapper or just thought it was a clever line). This track was clearly groomed for crossover success and radio play, but I didn’t hate it.

Candy – L reminisces on a teenage love affair from the past that has now rekindled. Speaking of teenagers, Ralph Tresvant and Ricky Bell stop by to sing the hook, which includes a revamped portion of New Edition’s “Candy Girl” that they sang as squeaky-voiced adolescents. This was bad. LL’s bars are full of corny one-liners (my favorite being “In a world so sour, I got the sweetest love”), and Ralph and Ricky’s sappy contribution will make you want to laugh and vomit at the same time. I’m not completely upset with the Trackmasters’ flip of Alexander O’Neal’s “Sunshine” for the backdrop, though.

Starsky & Hutch – Todd Smith links up with Trevor Smith (aka Busta Rhymes) as the two play hot potato with the microphone for four minutes (based on the limited knowledge I have of the seventies television show that the song title is based on, I’d say Busta is Starsky and L is Hutch). Technically, the Smith boys’ bars were decent, but the whole record (including L.E.S.’s cheap, happy-go-lucky disco instrumental) felt like a bunch of contrived crossover bullshit. Pardon my French.

Another Dollar – Curt Gowdy (not to be confused with the legendary sportscaster) and Trackmasters are credited for this slickly brolic backdrop. LL channels his inner John “Goldie” Mickens (see The Mack) and spits flossy pimp shit all over the hard instrumental while Busta plays his hype-man. We, the listeners, become his audio hoes, falling for all his convincing game and bravado. I like this one.

Nobody Can Freak You – Shamelessly, LL tries to recreate the classic, ultra-sexy “Doin’ It” from Mr. Smith. He even brings LeShaun back to engage in more verbal intercourse. L & L turn their rhyme rumping into a threesome when Keith Sweat drops by to whine, or, um, croon the hook. This record misses badly. The Trackmasters’ instrumental is feeble, L and LeShaun’s exchange feels coerced (although her delivery of the “make your manhood shine like chrome” line did sound lustfully convincing), and Keith Sweat sounds more out of place than a Somalian at a Trump rally.

Hot, Hot, Hot – L spins a tale about an exotic hottie named Keisha, played by LeShaun (I swear, every brother has a Keisha in his past or present). What starts out sounding like another Ladies Love James player record ends up being a prostitution and escort prevention PSA with a cheesy Dr. Seuss-esque hook. L sounds right at home rhyming over D-Dot and AMEN-RA’s enjoyable Tom Tom Club loop, but his “positive” message was a little confusing, considering the pimp rhetoric he sprinkled all over the title track, “Another Dollar,” and “Nobody.”

4, 3, 2, 1 – This is the controversial Erick Sermon-produced posse record that would spark the beef between LL and Canibus. Along with yours truly, LL, the track featured the red-hot (at the time), usual cameo whore suspects, Meth and Red, a young and hungry DMX (RIP), and a ferocious lyricist who was hot as fish grease in ‘97, Canibus. Canibus’ original verse began with “Yo, Method, where the gods at? Redman, where the squad at? L, is that a mic on your arm? Let me borrow that.” The mic line was a reference to the microphone tattoo that L has on his left arm. LL wasn’t fond of Canibus’ request. In fact, he took it as a diss, which I think is ridiculous. Even more ridiculous was LL’s request to have Canibus redo his verse, omitting the “mic borrowing” line, to which Canibus obliged. But LL kept his verse, sonning Canibus in the process, and their war of words began. I like L bars on this record, but I still think Canibus had the strongest verse on the song. What do you think, and who do you think won the battle? Hit me in the comments.

Wanna Get Paid – LL shares three stories about three different street characters (Tyheem, JaQuan, and Yolanda), outlining their underworld follies and demises. He also invites his Queens bredrin, Lost Boyz, to take care of the hook and ad-libs. I can describe this record in three words: boring and uninspired.

Father – Trackmasters interpolate George Michael’s “Father Figure” for the partially dark, semi-emotional backdrop that LL uses to testify about the pain and turmoil he experienced as a kid, courtesy of his father and his mom’s boyfriend. To call this one a tearjerker would be an understatement. Thankfully, the gospel choir on the hook helps bring some kind of solace to L’s tormented testimony. I haven’t worked my way through all of LL’s catalog yet, but I’m sure this is the most personal and vulnerable he’s ever been on wax.

Don’t Be Late, Don’t Come Too Soon – Phenomenon ends with a hip-hop remake of Norman Connors’s smooth love ballad, “You Are My Starship.” Once again, LL’s trying to woo another past love interest back into his arms and bed with corny cliche love lines. Tamia plays his muse and sings the hook (hearing the ultra-clean-imaged Tamia sing “don’t cum too soon” felt weird and inappropriate). This was way too sappy for my taste buds.

LL Cool J may have coined the acronym GOAT, but Muhammad Ali was the first in modern-day history to proclaim himself as the greatest of all time. And like LL, he had the stats to back it up. He was an Olympic gold medalist, boasting a hefty fifty-six wins with thirty-seven knockouts. He won the World Heavyweight Title three times, defeated some of the best boxers of his era (including Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, and George Foreman), and was a part of a handful of classic fights. He was just as much a champion outside the ring as he was inside. He was an activist who selflessly sacrificed his career (temporarily) to stand up for what he believed in and was a generous philanthropist. But in all his greatness, he still had five losses on his record. Phenomenon is another L for Uncle L.

The Trackmasters built their production legacy on sampling familiar seventies and eighties pop hits and turning them into easily digestible tunes. Along with Puffy’s Hitmen, they carry on the tradition for much of Phenomenon. Except for the Steve Arrington flip on “Nobody Can Freak You,” none of the low-hanging fruit samples sound terrible, but only a couple are worth listening to more than once. There are a few times (four to be exact) that Phenomenon’s production dares to delve outside of the quick pick sample realm, and that road is just as hit and miss as the former. Speaking of hit and miss, LL’s contribution is just as spotty as the production.

LL Cool J is one of hip-hop’s most charismatic emcees with a strong lyrical arsenal (which he displays glimpses of on Phenomenon) and an uncanny ability to adapt to hip-hop’s ever-changing terrain. His chameleon qualities have made him one of the few rappers able to make trendy, intentional pop records that feel genuine, and he’s done it for multiple decades. He’s never been afraid to show his tender side (as I mentioned earlier, he created the hip-hop ballad), and he spends a lot of time doing so on Phenomenon. I’m not opposed to love raps if they’re done tastefully, and Uncle L has provided us with several memorable ones (“Around The Way Girl,” “6 Minutes Of Pleasure,” “Hey Lover,” and “Loungin’,” to name a few), but he’s also given us some terrible ones to forget: “You’re My Heart,” “One Shot At Love,” and “Two Different Worlds.” This time around, his love records fall on the forgettable side, as they’re full of regurgitated, cheesy love cliches that sound inauthentic (those same attributes apply to “Nobody Can Freak Me”).

Sporting an ultra slim ten tracks, only about half of Phenomenon has any replay value. The vulnerable “Father” is the album’s crown jewel, and after that, there are only three other records, and a wild card, worth their weight in wax: “Another Dollar,” “Hot, Hot, Hot,” “4, 3, 2, 1,” and the title track, depending on my mood. Unless we’re talking three-point shooting percentages, fifty percent ain’t good, and the album definitely doesn’t live up to its title.

After a legendary run throughout the sixties and seventies, Muhammad Ali’s boxing career ended with two embarrassing losses in the early eighties. On October 2, 1980, he fought his former sparring partner, Larry Holmes, losing the Heavyweight Title by TKO in the eleventh round. And on December 11, 1981, he lost in a unanimous decision to Trevor Berbick. Ali was well past his prime in both fights. The lacklusterness of LL’s catalog post Mama Said Knock You Out has me wondering if he’s another GOAT that stayed in the ring way too long.

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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Jurassic 5 – Jurassic 5 EP (October 13, 1997)

Posted on 12/23/2025 by deedub77

As I’ve mentioned before (maybe too many times now), shortly after Biggie’s Life After Death was released, I was completely out of the secular hip-hop loop for the next four years. During my break, I missed a lot of music. And there were also some catalogs and movements that I completely missed. Jurassic 5 was one of them.

Jurassic 5, ironically, was a six-man crew out of Los Angeles: Chali 2na, Akil, Soup, also known as Zaakir, and Marc 7 were the group’s emcees, while DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist served as the group’s DJs and producers. The group name came from the mother of one of Chali 2na’s friends after he played one of their early records for her. She jokingly told Chali, “You guys think you sound like the Fantastic Five (as in the early eighties rap group, Grandmaster Theodore & The Fantastic Five), but you sound more like the Jurassic 5.” Bad joke, but the name stuck. Between 1998 and 2006, J5 released four albums, a slew of singles, and gained a cult underground following. But before all of that, they would kick things off with the Jurassic 5 EP.

Jurassic 5 EP was originally released as a nine-track project on the group’s independent label, Rumble Records, on October 13, 1997. It created a buzz and received positive reviews from a few reputable media outlets, which would eventually lead the major labels to knock on the group’s proverbial door. They signed a deal with Interscope in 1999, under which they would release their last three albums (Quality Control, Power In Numbers, and Feedback), but their first line of business with Interscope would be a re-release of their debut EP. The re-release would maintain the same track listing as the original, minus the final track, “Blacktop Beat.”

Through the years, I’ve found and purchased used copies of all of Jurassic 5’s albums, but have never gotten around to listening to them. Now, I officially begin my journey through their musical catalog. Hopefully, the music doesn’t sound as prehistoric as the group name.

In The Flesh – All four Jurassic emcees get off a censored verse (I’m sure the curseless edit was due to a sample-clearance agreement) over rugged boom-bap drums and a slick bluesy guitar loop. The hook and the elaborate bridge, chanted in unison, conjure up the spirit of the Cold Crush Brothers, giving the track a refreshing old-school feel. I like this one. I do have one question, though: Who is the fifth fleshly emcee that they mention on the hook?

Quality Control Part II – Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark use an odd and obscure soundbite to speak on behalf of J5’s quality control process when creating albums. This was cute.

Jayou – Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark unleash the “Get Up, Stand Up” flutes on ‘em while the other Js “conjugate verbs and constipate nerds” with interactive rhymes and another intricate hook and bridge (rest in peace to the blonde baddie, Anna Nicole Smith). So far, we’re two for two.

Lesson 6: The Lecture – Cut Chemist throws everything, including the kitchen sink, into this five-minute-plus musical collage. The foundation is built around a hipster jazz piano loop and cool drums, but it takes several twists and turns along the way. It incorporates snippets of a man referencing the periodic table and chemical mixes, scratches, oddball soundbites (“Do you think that Led Zeppelin and Frank Sinatra would go together?”), exotic flutes, animated basslines, a few dope drum solos, a B-boy break, and four or five tempo changes. But no matter where it goes, it always works its way back home to the cool cat jazz piano loop it started with. I’m not usually crazy about this type of record, but this was really dope. It would have been perfect for DJ Shadow’s Endtroducing.

Concrete Schoolyard – Cut Chemist and Nu-Mark transform a gritty, southern-fried Ike Turner piano riff into a soulful groove for 2na, Akil, Soup, and Marc 7 to rock upon. The rhymes were cool (2na’s reference to Yul Brynner as Pharaoh in The Ten Commandments was pretty clever), but the instrumental was absolutely scrumptious.

Setup – Another soundbite interlude (it sounds like it came from the same source as “Quality Control Part II”), placed over soothing elevator music.

Action Satisfaction – Vocally, J5 continues to do what they’ve done on the other three songs: team rhymes and four-part harmony (by the way, I’m sure no one has ever mistaken Jurassic 5 for the Jackson 5). I like the dark grey, grimy feel of the track, and the Fonzarelli-cool bassline makes me want to get my pimp strut on.

Sausage Gut – My copy of the EP is the 1999 Interscope re-release. It ends with some guy making a phone call and spewing all kinds of randomness. It must be an inside joke, and since I’m outside, I didn’t find it funny. (The original release follows with “Blacktop Beat,” a mildly funky minute-and-a-half instrumental piece).

During the “Intermission” after “Can It Be All So Simple” on Wu-Tang’s classic debut album, 36 Chambers, Method Man tells the interviewer, in reference to his Clan, “We form like Voltron.” Voltron was an eighties cartoon about five space explorers who pilot five robotic lions (Black Lion (head and torso), Red Lion (right arm), Green Lion (left arm), Blue Lion (right leg), and Yellow Lion (left leg)) who combine and form the giant robot Voltron, who defends the universe against evil forces. I’m a Wu-Tang Clan fan (and I was a fan of Voltron back in the day), but I never liked the Wu-Tang-Voltron comparison. The Wu were nine (depending on who you ask, ten) individuals who rarely all rapped on the same track. Instead, you’d hear a few of them together on a record, spitting their own verses, glued together by a hook. They’re a legendary collective who’ve made a lot of dope records, but they’ve always felt and sounded like nine (or ten) individuals, never a whole. The Voltron comparison would be better suited for a group like Jurassic 5.

On their debut EP, J5’s “fossilized flavor” is on full display as they pay homage to the early eighties Fantastic Five/Cold Crush Brothers era with an updated version of their own interactive rhymes, detailed hooks, and unified harmony routines. From “In The Flesh” to “Action Satisfaction,” Chali 2na’s deep baritone and lyrical prowess make him the obvious standout of the crew’s four emcees. But thanks to the way J5 structures their songs, Chali’s individual skill set never sounds greater than the whole. Musically, DJ Nu-Mark and Cut Chemist provide the EP with a production bed reminiscent of nineties New York boom bap, only with less grime and a touch of nerdiness. The quirky interludes help paste the tracks together, and “The Lesson 6: The Lecture” is a highlight that serves as the EP’s incredible centerpiece.

I enjoyed the Jurassic 5 EP. It’s a nice introduction to the group via a few groovy tunes. But it did leave me curious about how their prehistoric unity would translate over a full-length project. Thankfully, I don’t have to wait 145 million years to find out (*rimshot*).

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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Common – One Day It Will All Make Sense (September 30, 1997)

Posted on 12/02/2025 by deedub77

From its inception in the seventies to the mid-nineties, the East Coast, and later, the West Coast, had a chokehold on hip-hop. Thanks to the commercial success of artists like The Geto Boys, OutKast, UGK, and (though I hate to admit it) Master P’s No Limit label and roster, the South began to loosen the grip New York and California had on the game. Along with the South’s surgence in the mid-nineties into the early 2000s came a powerful movement from the Midwest. Detroit would give us Eminem, and Chicago would provide a slew of artists: Da Brat, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, Chance The Rapper, Chief Keef, and more of the younger acts: Vic Mensa, Juice Wrld (RIP), Polo G, Lil Durk, and G Herbo. But before all of these Chicagoan rappers had success, Twista and Common would put the city on the map in the early nineties.

Common already had two albums under his belt by the beginning of 1997. 1992’s Can I Borrow A Dollar? and his highly touted 1994 sophomore effort, Resurrection (which The Source would include on their 1998 list of Best Rap Albums of all time). He would return in the fall of ‘97, releasing One Day It’ll All Make Sense.

Most of you are probably aware that Common originally went by the alias Common Sense, but dropped the Sense due to legal reasons (a reggae band out of Orange County, California, sued him over the name and won). It’ll All Make Sense would be his first release with the Senseless alias. It would also be his last project released on Relativity, ending his five-year stint with the label.

For the album’s production, Common calls on a few usual suspects: No I.D. and The Twilight Tone. He would also begin to work with a couple of members of his soon-to-be-formed Soulquarians crew (Questlove and James Poyser) and received musical contributions from a few other musicians and beatmakers. Common’s first two albums had very few cameo appearances, but It’ll All Make Sense would be filled with them. The album produced three singles, and though it didn’t have great commercial success, it received critical acclaim from the major media outlets, and most importantly, love and support from the people.

Common is one of my favorite rappers. It’s been a minute since I listened to It’ll All Make Sense, so I’m looking forward to living with it again for the next few weeks.

Introspective – Over a dreamy, slow-rolling loop, Common welcomes the listener to the album, shares what he hopes to accomplish with the project, and does enough introspection that you start to feel like you’re his therapist.

Invocation – No I.D. loops up a couple of chilled and sultry guitar samples, which is the perfect setting for Common to wax poetic. He drops off a few jewels via clever metaphors and adds a little emcee shit talk to the mix as well.

Real Nigga Quotes – Our host switches to battle mood for this one (“rippin’ any muthafucka that steps towards” him). He gets off some solid lines but sounds a little bitter towards R&B singers, even though he’s used them himself on tracks (i.e., “Puppy Chow” from Can I Borrow A Dollar, and a few more pop up on this album). Dug Infinite’s lax horn-and-guitar loop, while decent, was an interesting choice to back a battle record. By the way, the shot he took at Immature (later known as IMX) and their bobs was hi-larious. The track ends with a snippet of a Farrakhan speech about the importance of Black families, setting up the next song.

Retrospect For Life – This was the album’s lead single. Common tackles the controversial subject of abortion from the perspective of a man who impregnated his lady. He ingeniously crafts the first verse as a written letter to the aborted baby (“You would have been much more than a mouth to feed/but someone, I would have fed this information I read/the someone, my life for you I would of had to lead/instead I led you to death/I’m sorry for taking your first breath, first step, and first cry/but I wasn’t prepared mentally or financially”) and the second verse is a conversation with his lady, who he apparently has gotten pregnant again after the abortion (“Happy deep down but not joyed enough to have it, but even that’s a lie, in less than two weeks we was back at it, is this unprotected love or safe to say its lust?”). Lauryn Hill adds adlibs and a soul-stirring rendition of a portion of Stevie Wonder’s “Never Dreamed You’d Leave In Summer” for the hook that may cause your eyes to well up. This record may not get the same praise as “I Used To Love H.E.R.,” but it’s a timeless masterpiece that belongs next to it. Common’s dad (Poppa Lynn) brings some levity at the end of the track with a hilarious voicemail about wanting to beat Jesse Jackson’s ass (shoutout to the legend).

Gettin’ Down At The Amphitheater – Common jumped on De La’s “The Bizness” (from Stakes Is High), so it’s only right that Posdnuos and Trugoy return the favor on this one. I’ll admit, this is one I’d fast-forward past back in the day. But today, the trippy drums and Scooby Doo mystery vibes in No I.D.’s bass line sound doper than I remember. I also slept on Trugoy’s opening verse. Pos may have been the dominant De La emcee, but Dave out-raps both his contemporaries on this one (rest in peace). This one ends with a funky Sly Johnson snippet. The clip felt random but was still pleasant.

Food For Funk – This is another track I didn’t pay much attention to when I first listened to It’ll All Make Sense. Common doesn’t rhyme with a metronomic pattern, which at times hinders his effectiveness on some beats. This is one of those moments. No I.D.’s instrumental is decent, and Common’s bars are solid, but his rhyme cadence doesn’t sync with the beat (the same thought applies to the previous song).

G.O.D. (Gaining One’s Definition) – Common and CeeLo Green join forces to discuss God, belief, and religion. As expected, the duo delivers meaty bars full of food for thought. I don’t necessarily agree with all their ideologies, but their theories are still intriguing to listen to. I usually love hearing the southern soulful vocal tone of Mr. Green on a track, but for some reason, his singing and the hook on this record were aggravating to listen to. Even more aggravating was the instrumentation, which sounds like some contrived inspirational music for a Disney movie.

My City– Common takes a bathroom break and lets his pal, Malik Yusef, get off a spoken word poem about a bunch of everything (you may recognize his name or his voice from his later work with Kanye, including the song ending poem on “Crack Music” from the Late Registration album). With Alvin Rogers on sax and Demetrions Kelly on bass, the two create a slow-rolling bluesy backdrop that gives Malik the space he needs to let his poetry flow. I’m not the biggest fan of spoken word poems, but this was pretty damn good. This track ends with a jazzy mash-up that I would have loved to hear for another thirty seconds or so.

Hungry – No I.D. pairs Common with an instrumental that sounds like Premo’s boom-bap meets RZA’s signature Kung-Fu movie production. Common’s performance lives up to the song title as the “verbal vegetarian” who “squashed beef with Ice Cube” eats No I.D.’s backdrop like it’s Thanksgiving dinner. This is definitely one of my favorite moments on the album.

All Night Long – The Roots turn a live jam session into a neo-soul groove for our host to let his train of thought flow freely down the tracks for four verses (FYI, Time To Kill is the first movie I can remember that moved me to tears). Erykah Badu stops by and helps her future boo out by singing the hook. It’s not a spectacular record, but it makes for a solid album cut. It ends with a skit of Common getting picked up by his homeboy at the airport after being out of town for a show. They head back to Common’s apartment, and the next track begins.

Stolen Moments Pt. I – Common discovers that his house was broken into while he was gone. Cue the pensively suspenseful music as he starts to gather clues (a drilled hole by the door lock, a roach left in the ashtray, and whoever it was had the audacity to bypass the beef left in the fridge to cook the chicken breast) to solve this hood Hardy Boys mystery.

Stolen Moments Pt. II – Part two of this melodrama is backed by elegant strings as Common’s anger rises when he accounts for all the stuff they got him for (a 31-inch TV (before you laugh, remember this was 1997), an Alpha Bailey jacket (which had a Donny Hathaway tape in the pocket that he wanted to listen to), a pair of new Iverson, and his furniture). He also makes a list of potential suspects: A) the homies he got high with before he left out of town, who also brought over some dudes he didn’t know. B) A neighborhood hype, aka crack head. C) A stripper he met at his homeboy Pink’s house (“thick, but his furniture wasn’t worth her body”). D) A friend who had a key to the crib that he’d let crash as his spot when he’s out of town. Black Thought joins in to hype up the situation at the beginning and ends it with a menacing threat to the “sucka nigga” that robbed his Soulquarian bredrin.

1’2 Many… – Common takes a break from tracking down the sucka nigga who broke in his crib to complaining about there being too many niggas in general. His rhymes were cool, Dug Infinite’s instrumental was pleasant, and Mista Sinista’s zigga ziggas were dope.

Stolen Moments Pt. III – At the beginning of part three of Common’s robbery suite, he adds a few more items to his jacked list: a VCR (remember those?), a PlayStation, and his Rockport boots. Through deductive reasoning, Common’s able to eliminate most of the suspects on his list (I wonder if the Durk he references (and had a key to his place) is Lil Durk’s dad; they’re both from Chicago, and he and Common have to be around the same age…hmm) and finally puts his finger on the offender, followed by a question, confession, and an ass whoopin’, courtesty of soundbites from King Of New York and Scarface. I love the lively violin loop the backdrop is sculpted around, and Q-Tip stops by to scold (at the beginning) and shame (at the end) the thievin’ sucka nigga, making way for yet another Tribe Degrees of Separation. Common is an underrated storyteller, and this three-piece miniseries is a testament to that skill set. The track ends with the most random clip of two winos discussing their signs, and they’re not talking about zodiac.

Making A Name For Ourselves – Canibus was a hot commodity in 1997. He delivered, arguably, the best verse of the year on Lost Boyz “Beast From The East;” and he would get major attention after appearing on LL Cool J’s cipher joint, “4, 3, 2, 1,” which would later lead to a fully cooked beef between him and Uncle L (that’s a story I’m sure we’ll discuss in the very near future). In between those two events, he stopped by to join Common on this rap duet. Common is a talented emcee, and he gives a valiant effort on this track. But he’s outmatched next to the lyrical prowess and tenacity of 1997 Canibus (“I’ll hit you in your chest so hard, your shoulders will touch” is crazy; and I have to remove Mr. Ill from the list of rare word usage as Canibus uses “mandible” during his second verse). Unfortunately, I hate No I.D.’s minuscule instrumental (that trips Common up badly during his second verse), and the two Cs prove that they’re not as “mathematically aware” as they think when they claim that squared is the same as doubled on the hook.

Reminding Me (Of Sef) – This was the album’s second single. Common takes a trip down memory lane, recalling some of his youthful folly and paying respect to his dead homie over a soulfully sweet backdrop. Chantay Savage stops by to sing the hook, which only makes things sound sweeter. I always have and always will love this record. If “T.R.O.Y.” had a light-hearted little brother, this song would be it.

Pop’s Rap Part 2/Fatherhood – Those familiar with Common’s catalog know that his dad closes out the majority of his albums with an improvised spoken-word poem/speech. Over smooth live instrumentation that yells “reflection” (courtesy of Alan Jay Palmer on piano, Billy Johnson on bass, and Karriem Riggins on drums), Lonnie “Pops” Lynn imparts some wisdom on his son about parenting by sharing the lessons he learned from Common when he was a child (Common was expecting his daughter at the time of this recording). It’s a heartfelt piece that hits the emotions a little harder now than it did back when I first heard it, for two reasons: I’m now a dad of an eleven-year-old son, and the fact that Poppa Lynn passed away over a decade ago. Continue to rest easy, Mr. Lynn.

Since the days of my youth, I’ve loved hip-hop with all my heart, mind, body, and soul. But that doesn’t mean I don’t grow frustrated with some of its characteristics. One of my biggest pet peeves with the genre is some rappers’ inability to mature on wax. Don’t get me wrong, I like my fair share of ratchet rhymes, but if you started your career in 1995 as a thug/drug-dealer rapper, by 2025 you should have moved on to bigger and brighter things and more constructive subject matter. Thankfully, musical maturation has never been an issue for Common, as he has shown growth with every album in his underappreciated catalog.

On “Invocation,” Common rhymes “growing into my britches, outgrowing these streets.” It’ll All Make Sense Common is far from the juvenile class clown with the cartoonish flow that we met on Can I Borrow A Dollar? On Resurrection, he rhymed with more substance and a little less childish banter. On It’ll All Make Sense, the talented lyricist walks confidently in his big boy pants, balancing food for thought, social commentary, storytelling, a little comic relief, and an adequate amount of boasting and bustin’ wack emcees’ ass. He also receives help from a host of guests (ten of the seventeen tracks feature a cameo) who add value to the listen, but you never lose sight of the fact that you’re listening to a Common album.

Common stays true to his Chicago production connects (No I.D., Dug Infinite, and The Twilite Tone) as they lay the album’s musical foundation on tasteful soul and jazz loops, supported by boom-bap drums. On his previous albums, Common flirted with live instrumentation (i.e., “Take It EZ” and “Pop’s Rap”), but this time around, he dives deeper into the live music realm. The blend of the live vibes with conventional hip-hop instrumentals sounds cohesive and pleasing to the ear.

While I wouldn’t call any of the tracks on It’ll All Make Sense bad, there are a few that wouldn’t be missed if they weren’t included on the album (three that immediately come to mind are “Food For Funk,” “G.O.D.,” and “All Night Long”). And at points during the album, Common’s somewhat dry voice and off-beat flow get swallowed up and lost in the music’s rhythm (i.e., “Amphitheater,” “Food For Funk,” and “Making A Name For Ourselves”). Even with those minor mishaps, It’ll All Make Sense is a dope album with plenty to enjoy and has held up well through the years.

Muhammad Ali once said, “A man who views the world at fifty the same as he did at twenty has wasted thirty years of his life.” Based on his musical output, it’s safe to say Common has used his time on earth diligently.

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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The X-Ecutioners – X-pressions (September 23, 1997)

Posted on 11/25/2025 by deedub77

Throughout history, several inventions were created by accident or a minor mishap. The pacemaker’s inception came when an engineer used the wrong resistor, creating a device that mimicked a heartbeat. While working with radar technology, Percy Spencer noticed a candy bar had melted in his pocket, giving him the blueprint for the microwave oven. An eleven-year-old accidentally left soda powder and water with a stirring stick out in the cold, giving birth to the popsicle. In 1975, Theodore Livingston (aka Grand Wizzard Theodore) was playing records in his room at maximum volume. His mother came in and told him to turn it down or she would turn it off. While his mom stood in the doorway, giving him a piece of her mind, Theodore held the record down with his hand, rubbing it back and forth while it spun, and scratching was born.

Grand Wizzard Theodore invented the scratching technique, but it was Grandmaster Flash who perfected it and popularized it. The craft would continue to grow and evolve (thanks to legendary deejays like Grand Mixer D.ST, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and DJ Scratch), eventually turning into its own art form, known as turntablism. The X-Ecutioners are one of the groups that carried the turntablist traditions into the nineties.

Originally known as X-Men (I’m sure the all-powerful Marvel empire put an end to that), the X-Ecutioners were a group of hip-hop DJs/Turntablists from New York City, formed in 1989. They gained local notoriety for their elaborate turntable routines and for battling rival DJ crews (one of their opponents was DJ Clark Kent (RIP) and his Supermen; legend has it that the X-Men chose their name based on Clark Kent’s crew’s name). Before the name change, the X-Men were a group of eleven. With the name change came a change in the roster. Only three of the original eleven members would remain: Mista Sinista, Rob Swift, and Roc Raida. Total Eclipse would join the three later on, rounding out the new look X-Ecutioners.

The X-Ecutioners would continue to evolve. For years, their primary focus was turntablism, but they also had ambitions in producing. The world would get a glimpse of their production endeavors with the release of their debut project, X-Pressions.

I found a used copy of X-Pressions at a record store’s going-out-of-business sale back in 2018 (RIP to Discland). Everything was marked way down, so I bought anything that looked remotely interesting; this album met the criteria. This is my first time listening to the project. So, without further ado, let’s get into it.

RIP Roc Raida.

X-Outtakes 1 – All five of the “Outtakes” on X-Pressions are clips of the X-Ecutioners taken from The Battle Sounds Project, a documentary about hip-hop DJs and turntablists. This clip features Mista Sinista talking about the X-Ecutioners finally having complete creative control.

Get Started – To kick things off, the X-Ecutioners scratch up a Roxanne Shante vocal snippet (that includes an R-word that is now politically incorrect to say) over a simple drum beat that transitions into a basic drum clap, then back to another mediocre drum beat. Things get a little more interesting towards the end of the record when the drab drums transform into a chopped-up beatbox, giving dancehall vibes with a sample of someone yelling “freak!” over it. Even with the strong finish, this track was pretty underwhelming.

Word Play – Our hosts keep things traditional East Coast boom-bap with this one. Rob Swift chefs up a hard backdrop and leaves Mista Sinista to chop it up with well-placed vocal snippets (the Big Daddy Kane clip being the most dominant and cleverest). This was tough.

X-Outtakes 2 – Total Eclipse speaks on Roc Raida’s greatness, setting up the next song.

Raida’s Theme – From what I could gather on Google, the E Bros were a rap duo from Harlem, composed of Pimp D, aka Wayne-O (the emcee), and DJ JayBee. Pimp D uses a ruggedly relaxed Sean Cane-produced instrumental to rap praises to Roc Raida and the rest of The X-Ecutioners, while Raida provides the zigga, ziggas. This was solid.

Pianos From Hell – Rob Swift places a soothing, jazzy piano loop and a warmly muffled bass line over super discreet drums. I don’t know what’s up with the song title, but these pianos sound more like heaven to me.

The Cipher – Creature, Gudtyme, Kukoo Da Baga Bonez (worst alias candidate), Pliz, and World turn this into an X-Ecutioners celebration cipher. Overall, the rapping was cool, but I enjoyed Rob Swift’s muddy backdrop and its moody bass line more. Oh yeah, Mista Sinista adds some dope scratches to the record as well.

The Turntablist Anthem – Rob Swift must have been in a jazzy mood during the recording sessions for X-Pressions, as this is the second time in the last three tracks that he samples a jazz piano loop. I’m not complaining, though. He invites a vocalist credited as Anikke to repeat the same line over and over and over. She sounds okay, but the repetition starts to wear on the ears. The song ends with female emcee, Taboo, spittin’ a few erotic bars about how good Rob’s music makes her feel. It made me wonder how much ass deejays and turntablists get after rockin’ a set.

X-Outtakes 3 – Quick snippet of The X-Ecutioners working on one of their routines.

One Man Band – Roc Raida goes dolo on this one. He starts things off talkin’ shit through a series of soundbites before dropping raw drums, accompanied by tough scratches and a stank-face inducing bass line. This lasts for a minute before things transition into pounding hi-hats that Raida scratches the shit out of. From there, things become forgettable, but at least two-thirds of it was dope.

The Countdown – The whole crew jumps in for this concoction. Over crackin’ drums and a bass line that’s guaranteed to get your head nodding (or make you do the wop), The X-Ecutioners count down (technically, they count up) to three via scratches. It would have been nice to hear them count up to ten, but it’s still mildly interesting as is. I thought the record was going to end at the two-minute mark (since they scratch in a soundbite saying “end”). Instead, it continues, led by decent scratches, a grumpy-sounding bassline, and a stripped-down drum beat that did nothing for me.

Solve For X – Rob Swift starts this one off with a swirly loop that sounds like it’s going to take off, which piqued my interest. But things quickly stall, and the record falls victim to repetitive dullness. I also found it interesting that the track doesn’t have any scratches on it.

X-Outtakes 4 – Mista Sinista speaks on Total Eclipse’s evolution on the turntables.

Turntable Exhibition – Great segue. Total Eclipse showcases his turntablist skills dolo on this one. I like what he did to the James Brown record towards the end, but the rest was just mid for me.

Beat Treats – Roc Raida and Mista Sinista give this track four different lives: the first part is built around tinker bell drums and a chunky funk loop that reminded me of some early Too Short shit. It switches to a bland drum beat and a sparse guitar loop. Life three sounds like a low-budget Born To Roll” beat, and the duo saves the best for last, attacking with killer hi-hats. Unfortunately, the good part only lasted twenty seconds.

Musical Intuition – Rob Swift and Sinista hook up a soulfully mystic instrumental (scratches courtesy of Rob Swift) for Gudtyme to rap about his experience at a few DJ competitions, and express his overall love and admiration for the art of turntablism. I respect Gudtyme’s sentiment, but I was underwhelmed by his performance (Anikke, who sang on “The Turntablist Anthem,” sounds a little off on this track too). At least the production was dope.

Mad Flava – Such a nineties hip-hop song title. All hands are on deck for this X-Ecutioners routine, which moves through four different phases. Things start with scratches over a minimal backdrop, before morphing into a cheesy Casio keyboard loop that sounds like something Swizz Beatz would make. The third phase is uneventful. But it gets us to the fourth, which turns into a mildly funky groove, ending things on an upward note.

X-Outtakes 5 – Total Eclipse breaks down hip-hop’s evolution and the dying art of deejaying.

Poetry In Motion – Halex the Armageddon continues the dialogue from the previous interlude with a spoken word poem about hip-hop’s crumbling foundation. But have no fear, the X-Ecutioners are here, and they won’t allow hip-hop to “fall victim to the corrupt system.” The poem was cool, but I was more entertained by Roc Raida’s dreamy instrumental. It feels like an audio massage.

Scratch To This – Roc Raida lays down a basic drum beat with a simple guitar loop and no scratches. I guess he left it clean for aspiring turntablists to add their own zigga, ziggas to.

Musica Negra (Black Music) – Gudtyme gets his third crack at the mic on X-Pressions. This time, he discusses the Black struggle, Black unity, and celebrates Black music, while Rob Swift adds his input via scratches. The song has a great message, but the more I hear Gudtyme rhyme, the less I like his rapping. Rob Swift’s sleepy accordion-driven backdrop didn’t do it for me either.

Table Talk – The 5th Platoon is a group of Filipino American turntablists and DJs from New York City, who came up in the nineties, known for battling and creating intricate turntable routines. They show love and appreciation for their O.G’s (The X-Ecutioners) as they reminisce on some of their favorite X-Men moments. Mista Sinista loops up a feel-good xylophone sample for the music bed that makes you feel optimistic about the future of hip-hop, if you were listening to this in 1997. If that makes any sense.

I’ll admit, I’m not the biggest fan of turntablism. But I do respect it as an art form. Grown from the tree of deejaying and fathered by scratching, the turntablist is a magician on the ones and twos with the ability to electrify a crowd with their showmanship and wage war with their opponents for sport, if necessary. As a casual fan of the craft, I’m not super knowledgeable of the intricacies and terminology that come with it. But I do know some of the turntablist competitions are entertaining to watch on YouTube. The keyword in the previous sentence was watch.

On X-Pressions, The X-Ecutioners blend their turntablism with hip-hop beats and an occasional rhyme from a few of their friends. Rob Swift leads the production side of things, having a hand in ten of the album’s seventeen tracks (excluding the “X-Outtakes”). Overall, the instrumentals on X-Pressions are pretty solid and entertaining, but the emceeing and the turntablism were a mixed bag.

While a handful of emcees make appearances on the album, The X-Ecutioners (or more so, Rob Swift) choose to highlight Gudtyme’s rhyming as he appears three times on X-Pressions, including two of his own solo joints. Something about Gudtyme’s choppy flow and the slur of his words just doesn’t do it for me, as his contributions to the album are mediocre at best. Most of the other guest emcees sound decent, but none of them wow or amaze.

I mentioned a few paragraphs ago that I enjoyed watching turntablist competitions online. The visual component of turntablism is just as important as the audio, and sometimes more important. The heart and soul of X-Pressions is centered around turntablism. Almost every track features scratching from one of The X-Ecutioners, and the midway point of X-Pressions goes through a slew of full-blown turntable routines performed by the quartet. Each of these cuts has enjoyable parts, but none of them blew me away. Not being able to see these talented turntablists execute their precise scratches and impossible tricks with natural swag and coolness takes away from the experience. Without the visual, a lot of it falls flat.

X-Pressions is a decent album, but it would probably sound much better as a live show.

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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Organized Konfusion – The Equinox (September 23, 1997)

Posted on 11/18/2025 by deedub77

The last time we heard from Organized Konfusion here at TimeIsIllmatic was during their cameo appearance on O.C.’s “War Games” earlier in 1997. Organized only contributed a refrain to the song, leaving me wanting to hear more from the Queens duo. It had been three years since they released their sophomore effort, Stress: The Extinction Agenda —an album I enjoyed and some deemed a classic. The underappreciated Queens duo would return in September of ‘97 with their third release, The Equinox.

With each of their three albums, Organized Konfusion would relinquish more of the production duties. They handled all of the production on their self-titled debut, bringing in Buckwild and Rockwilder to help with Stress. For The Equinox, OK is credited with producing only five tracks, leaving Buckwild, Rockwilder, and a handful of other producers to shape the sound of the album.

An equinox occurs when the Earth’s axis is tilted neither toward nor away from the sun, resulting in nearly equal amounts of daylight and darkness (equinox comes from the Latin words meaning “equal night”). An equinox occurs twice a year: around March 20, marking the start of spring, and around September 20, marking the beginning of fall. I wonder if the September 23rd release date was a part of Organized Konfusion’s calculated plan.

I didn’t listen to The Equinox for at least a decade after its release, and the few times I did, they were quick skims through. Jay-Z warned us of the dangers of forming an opinion on music when you skim through it. This review marks my thorough listening to The Equinox.

Interior Assasin’s Car 3:35 A.M. (Skit) – Ahh, the coveted hip-hop album intro. The first thing you hear is rain, followed by a conversation between some guys preparing to do a drive-by on some unassuming chumps. The skit ends with the fellas throwing something into the tape deck (remember those?) to set the murderous mood and cue the next record (FYI, I’m fully aware that “Assassin” is misspelled in the song title; blame Organized Konfusion, not me).

They Don’t Want It! – Prince Po shouts out his supporters before addressing OK’s haters (the “individuals that be fakin’ moves and fakin’ jacks (or jax?)”). Then he and Pharoahe dedicate a short refrain to inferior emcees, daring them to step up for a war of words. I find it hard to believe that this bland, low-energy background music would be the soundtrack to anyone’s drive-by shooting. But I’m not a killer, so what do I know?

March 21 3:45 A.M. (Skit) – Apparently, the drab music from the previous track did the trick, because ten minutes later, the fellas from the opening skit complete their murderous mission (note that March 21st is one of the Equinox dates). One of the drive-by kids becomes the story’s narrator. He speaks retrospectively about regretting how out of control his crew had gotten. He also introduces us to the co-star of this hood tale, who also happens to be the most menacing member of his crew, Malice (described by the narrator as “the most ferocious, game-type, pussy getting, mom loving, ego maniac”). This skit bleeds into the next track. No pun.

9xs Out Of 10 – Four tracks into the album and we finally get our first dose of Po and Pharoahe bars; thankfully, they don’t disappoint. The duo sounds sharp as they take turns boasting of their greatness and proudly raising the Organized Konfusion banner over a cloudy yet vibrant backdrop. This was dope.

Questions – Diamond D provides an energetic instrumental backed by a blaring horn break and a warm, groovy bassline for the two P’s, who continue to display their underappreciated rhyming skills. They sound a little haterish on the hook (“Just ‘cause them niggas got dough, don’t mean they got that flow”), but I still enjoyed the track. This one ends with the narrator speaking on his and Malice’s contrasting personalities (he claims to be “logical, dealing with absolutes” while he describes Malice as “emotional, unpredictable fire”) and reminisces back to the night they gained their “nigga stardom” (I’ll assume that’s the night they did the drive-by). You then hear the sound of a crowd lined up to get inside a nightclub.

Soundman – This one begins with Pharoahe Monch doing a mic check, before the soulfully thumpin’ backdrop (credited to someone simply going as Rasheed) comes in for him and Po to effortlessly check the mic and wack emcees, simultaneously. The track ends with a skit that finally reveals the narrator’s name: Life. Life and Malice flirt with a female bartender (who greets them by name) before the next track begins.

Move – During the hook, Organized calls for the listener to get on the floor and move something. But their dull and dingy instrumental says otherwise. Thankfully, Pharoahe and Po’s bars are decent, making this track only a minor mishap.

Confrontations – The DITC continues to get love on The Equinox. Diamond D produced a track earlier in the sequencing (“Questions”), and Showbiz provides the music for this one. P&P get confronted by some OK haters, and in the name of self-preservation, they detail the brawl over a murky bassline and composed drums. I enjoyed this one.

Life & Malice Exterior Club Nite (Skit) – The Life and Malice storyline continues to develop as the duo gets thrown out of the club they were drinking at in the previous skit. This skit closes with the two agreeing that they’re too old to be fighting in the streets and that they need to come up with a plan to make money.

Numbers – Life and Malice’s need to make money bleeds into a track called “Numbers“ (Ah…I see what they did there). Pharoahe and Prince cleverly reference numbers in each bar to get their points across over a hard backdrop that sounds a little Premo-esque (by the way, I hate when rappers ask me if I “get it?” when they think they’ve come up with a super witty bar that’s over my head, like Po does during his first verse; but on the flip side, his “227” line makes me lol every time I listen to this track). OK’s execution of the concept was dope, yet not nearly done as masterfully as Mos Def’s “Mathematics” from Black On Both Sides, which wouldn’t come out for a few more years. The record ends with another skit: Life and Malice come up with a plan to open a check-cashing spot, where Life manages the legal side of the business, and Malice runs the illegal activities (i.e., drugs, prostitution, etc.).

Shugah Shorty – The Pharoahe and the Prince are looking to get their royal penises wet as they both shoot their shots at the objects of their erections. Pharoahe’s shot is ultimately blocked (and in true rejected, salty nigga fashion, he talks shit about her after she denies him; excuse me, sir, but her ass was also fiberglass backboard flat before she dissed you), but Po is successful. Hurricane G stops by to play a baddie named Star, and she’s eating up the game Prince Po is laying down, even referring to him as a “big black piece of chocolate.” Buckwild becomes the third DITC member to produce a track on The Equinox, and it’s discreetly dope. I absolutely loved the East Coast/Puerto Rican accent and tone of Hurricane Gloria’s rapping voice. May she continue to rest in peace.

Interior Car Nite (Skit) – The last track ended with Life speaking on the success of their check-cashing spot. He acknowledges that its success came from them embracing the dark side, and he promises to elaborate on that later in the album. Meanwhile, the listener becomes a fly on the wall inside a car where Life, Malice, and their crew’s bickering is interrupted by a phone call from either Life or Malice’s girl (her sexy accent makes me believe it’s Star, the bizarre body baddie from the previous song), letting him know she’s pregnant.

Invetro – Monch and Po both rap from the perspective of troubled fetuses. Pharoahe plays the future child of a bad diet, cigarette-smoking, crack-addicted mother, whose foul lifestyle has him hoping not to be born, but to no avail. And despite the obstacles Baby Po sees in his future, he’s full of optimism and can’t wait to be born, but his unprepared mom has other plans. Po and Pharoahe’s rhymes can get very intricate, making it easy to miss some of their content. I’d advise reading the rhymes on Genius or Apple Music while listening to this song to catch all the details. The concept was genius, the bars and execution were brilliant, and Buckwild’s bluesy jazz instrumental will stir your emotions while listening to the two unborn babies’ sad stories.

Chuck Chesse – Life is back. He starts this track off with a short monologue about the “other side” and shady friends, which leads right into the song about a young shady thug known as Chuck Chesse (not to be confused with Chuck E. Cheese, though I’m sure he influenced the alias of the YN in this story). Pharoahe sits this one out and lets Prince Po and a few of his cronies (Rude One and Tha Ill Rahlos) share the exploits of young CC. I love the gritty, raw boom-bap feel of the instrumental, but Po and friends’ storyline is way too elaborate for me to follow.

Interior Marisol’s Apartment (Skit) – The woman who called Life or Malice to let him know she was pregnant during the “Interior Car, Nite (Skit)” resurfaces. Marisol had the baby, and now she and the baby’s daddy are arguing, while the baby cries in the background. The skit ends with the BM kicking the BD out of her apartment.

Sin – Not sure how the previous skit ties in with this song, but whatever. Casper (not to be confused with the friendly ghost) serves up audio slop for Pharoahe to vomit his vivacious vocabulary all over, battling wack emcees, supposedly in the name of God. This didn’t do it for me. The beat was horrible, which in turn made Pharoahe’s word salad and animated delivery nearly impossible to tolerate. The track ends with Life expressing his growing disgust for Malice: “Alongside all my family love I had for him, grew a hatred of myself.”

Hate – The track begins with an ill rock guitar riff that makes you believe the instrumental is going to be bananas, but it quickly loses its zest like an ED penis. Sticking with the hate theme, The P’s rap from the perspective of white supremacists. They do a poor job of selling it as their characters’ posh content (especially Pharoahe’s) sounds more like they’re giving a dissertation on white supremacy than expressing their authentic disdain for everything not Caucasian.

March 21 – 3:47 A.M. (Skit) – As Life and Malice are locking up and leaving the spot, someone rolls up on them, letting off a round of gunshots. The timestamp on this drive-by is two minutes after the one at the beginning of the album, and the shooters use the same dialogue as the previous shooters, only in a devilish, distorted tone. I’m confused as shit. What am I missing?

Somehow, Someway – As the tires from the drive-by shooters’ car from the previous skit screech off into the night, a luscious string loop and a mysteriously cool bass line creep into your ear, later joined by lively drum claps. Rockwilder (who’s had an impressive 1997 to this point) receives credit for the irresistibly slick instrumental that OK uses to boast about their extraordinary rap skills, right in the middle of a drive-by shooting. It’s a dope record (one of my favorites of the album), but a weird transition from the previous skit. Speaking of the previous skit, the track ends going back to the scene of the shooting, and it appears Life got hit, as he speaks of feeling the weight of his sweater getting soaked with blood and clinging to his body, but ultimately, he decides he is going to pull through. Suddenly, things fast-forward (or rewind) to somebody knocking on Life’s door (Malice?). Life opens the door for his guest, they exchange words, then leave, get into the car, and you hear the sound of rain. It sounds like the rain from the opening scene. Is this the prequel to the opening skit? If so, why is it placed here? Am I in the Twilight Zone?

Epilogue – The previous two skits left me confused, but Life’s closing monologue left me baffled, befuddled, and bewildered. I was under the impression that Life got shot during the “March 21 3:47 A.M. (Skit).” But during this epilogue, Life talks about going to visit Malice at the hospital as he recovers from thirteen gunshot wounds. Wtf is going on? Did I miss something? Did Malice get hit the same night Life got shot? Or was he shot in a separate incident that didn’t make the album? Are Life and Malice split personalities trapped in the same person, representing a balance of light and darkness, hence the album title, The Equinox? Or was this just a poorly written script that has me overthinking it?

United As One – The Equinox ends with this hidden track that brings Tha Ill Rahlos back, as they unite with Pharoahe and Po to form…the Medicine Men? They take turns spewing extravagant boasts with their studious vernacular. At this point in the album, I’m in no mood to dissect and decode rhymes, but I thoroughly enjoyed the clouded melody in the instrumental.

I was recently listening to a hip-hop Morning Show on SiriusXM, and they played Organized Konfusion’s “Releasing Hypnotical Gases” from their self-titled debut album. When the song ended, the lead host (who played it because he liked it) went around the room, asking his co-hosts what they thought about the song. The first three said they enjoyed the record, but the fourth was a bit indifferent. He thought the music was “cool,” but felt the rhymes were “too wordy,” causing him to mentally check out. I’ve heard the song, and I completely understand where he’s coming from. His sentiment can also apply to some of The Equinox.

During “Soundman,” both Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch proclaim themselves as “God’s gift to vocabulary.” That gift shines bright on songs like “9X Out Of 10,” “Questions,” “Soundman,” “Confrontation,” “Shugah Shorty,” and two of my favorite records on the album: the creatively clever, “Numbers,” and the emotionally powerful, “Invetro.” But at times on The Equinox, their gift can be a curse. Po and Monch are undoubtedly both talented lyricists (no disrespect to Po, but Monch is obviously the more skilled of the two; maybe that’s why he’s a Pharoahe and Po’s a Prince), and I do enjoy meaty bars and a witty, slightly coded riddle in a rhyme. But at times, Organized Konfusion’s content (especially the second half of the album) becomes verbose, often getting tangled up in intricacies, making some of their rhymes a mental strain to follow.

Speaking of hard to follow, the Life and Malice storyline that plays out between songs on the album is a hot mess. The opening skit and the drive-by scene that follows, “They Don’t Want It,” had my attention. From that point on, the skits and dialogue are hit and miss, sometimes making sense to precede or follow a track, and other times, feeling completely random in the album’s sequencing (I still can’t get over them bragging and boasting about making funky shit every single day on “Somehow, Someway” while Life lays on the ground bleeding to death). The story ends anticlimactically, leaving the listener with questions (whose baby mama is Marisol?) and confusion (Did Life and Malice both get shot while leaving the check-cashing spot?). Pharoahe Monch and Prince Po are very cerebral, so I’m sure there is a hidden message or encrypted metaphor in the saga. Regardless, the storyline is too involved to be effective without a visual.

The core of the production on The Equinox maintains a foggy, soulful feel, occasionally venturing off into grimy waters or jazzy vibes. There are a few underwhelming instrumentals, but the bulk of the production is fire. So, while the rhymes on the album can get a bit complex, and the parallel storyline can be overly convoluted, the production stays consistent and enjoyable.

On “United As One,” Prince Po raps that OK be “Droppin mega jewels on third eyes like smart bombs.” The Equinox is an intelligent hip-hop album (sometimes maybe too intelligent), filled with smart bombs. There are a few duds, but most of the bombs detonate in your mind, causing you to think or giving you too much to think about. It’s a frustratingly solid album. Based on the group name, that was probably by design.

-Deedub
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EPMD – Back In Business (September 16, 1997)

Posted on 11/11/2025 by deedub77

I recently read a social media post that listed the best rap duos of all time. I typically scroll past this type of post because they’re subjective and usually put together by people who didn’t start listening to hip-hop until the late nineties, disregarding everything and everyone who came before 1998. But for some reason, I took the time to comb through this one. Some of the names on the list were egregious (so egregious I won’t mention names), but there were quite a few deserving a spot on the list: OutKast, Mobb Deep, Clipse, 8Ball & MJG, and Black Star. All great choices. There were also some glaring absentees. Two that stood out to me immediately were Q-Tip and Phife (of A Tribe Called Quest), and the subject of this post, EPMD.

Between 1988 and 1992, Erick Sermon and Parrish Smith, better known as EPMD (an acronym for Erick and Parrish Making Dollars), put together one of the most impressive four-album runs in hip-hop history. Strictly Business, Unfinished Business, Business As Usual, and Business Never Personal were all critical darlings, and each earned the duo a gold plaque. Ironically, during the recording of Business Never Personal, E and P began to dispute over money, Parrish’s home was broken into (which Parrish felt Erick orchestrated), and the two went their separate ways, bringing the legendary EPMD run to an end. At least temporarily. Erick and Parrish would put their differences aside (home invasion and all) and reunite after a five-year break to release their appropriately titled return album, Back In Business.

Back In Business would be the duo’s fifth group effort and their third release on the legendary Def Jam label. A five-year hiatus wouldn’t affect EPMD’s Midas touch, as BIB would be their fifth consecutive album to earn gold certification. Their Midas touch may still have been intact with BIB, but it received mixed reviews from the critics.

EPMD is one of my favorite hip-hop groups of all time, but I stopped following them after the Business Never Personal album (I guess you can say EPMD and I both went on hiatus). When I saw this one in my review queue, I got excited. I’m hopeful that it lives up to the EPMD standard.

Fun Fact: EPMD were originally going to call the group EEPMD (Easy Erick and Parrish the Microphone Doctors). Dropping one of the E’s was a wise decision, fellas.

Intro – The album opens with E and P informing the listener that they’re back, just in case you weren’t aware that you were listening to an EPMD album. Then somebody gets shot and splashes into a body of water. Not sure what the purpose of this was, but like ninety-eight percent of hip-hop album intros, it was useless.

Richter Scale – E-Double builds the backdrop around a flip of a mildly funky Average White Band loop (that you’ve heard used before on songs like Big Daddy Kane’s “Mr. Pitiful” and Puff Daddy’s “Friend”). Erick shows and proves that he still has the gift of gab (and allegedly, packs “a hell of a jab” to go with it). Meanwhile, Parrish keeps pace, sounding cool and calm with his signature slow flow. It’s a cool record, but I prefer more energy from the opening track on an EPMD album.

Da Joint – Now this is the energy I needed on the previous track. For the album’s second single, The Green-eyed Bandit pairs up with Rockwilder, as the two turn a virtually non-descript Gladys Knight & The Pips clip into a mammoth banger. E and P lace it with standard EPMD bars and a cool homage to the hip-hop pioneers, Funky 4 + 1, on the hook. This was complete fire.

Never Seen Before – This was the lead single, originally released on the How To Be A Player Soundtrack, which explains the track’s musical vibes. Erick and Parrish get their pimp strut on over a Meters loop that sounds like it could be Iceberg Slim’s theme music.

Skit – Completely useless skit alert.

Intrigued – EPMD tag teams the mic with Das EFX (who stay true to the often-jacked stuttering style they fathered, making a few alterations to it and how it’s delivered so it doesn’t sound gimmicky or dated) as all four emcees get loose and entertain over a soulfully explosive Erick Sermon-produced instrumental.

Last Man Standing – Mr. Sermon loops up a Love Unlimited Orchestra sample, turning it into a rugged yet smooth funk groove (it reminds me of the slick backdrop from “Manslaughter” off the Business As Usual album, which ironically, sampled a different Love Unlimited Orchestra record). Erick and Parrish’s hardcore rhymes, along with the Prodigy vocal snippet on the hook, give the track a dark and edgy feel, capturing the essence of late-nineties New York hip-hop.

Get Wit This – This record marks the midway point of Back In Business, which has already given us some great production, but this one is a weapon of mass destruction. E-Double combines a confidently bellowing bass line with an uber-cool piano loop, and the two elements sound phenomenal together with little effort. Erick and Parrish sound dope rhyming over it, but they could have rhymed the alphabet over this beat and still sounded great.

Do It Again – Looping up Tom Browne’s “Funkin’ For Jamaica” in 1997 wasn’t a super original hip-hop idea. But at least Erick gives it a unique flip, completely abandoning its irresistible melody to build around its stripped-down, nasty bass line. Well played.

Apollo Interlude – As great as the songs on Back In Business have been to this point, the interludes have been pointless and pure ass, including this one.

You Gots 2 Chill ’97 – Yep, the song plays just as it reads. E and P bring back the funky “More Bounce To The Ounce” sampled instrumental from their 1988 hit record and make a few updates to the O.G. rhymes. I’m torn on this one. Part of me feels like it’s blasphemous to touch a classic record of this magnitude, but I also semi-dig the nostalgic vibes it brings. My feelings about this remake change with each listen.

Put On – E and P swap street tales about a bunch of “shiesty muthafuckas” and dress it up as a cautionary tale for the listener, even though anybody involved in the streets already knows that shady characters come with the territory. DJ Scratch’s husky instrumental was solid, but Erick and Parrish’s storylines were too involved and not interesting enough to care.

K.I.M. – EPMD are joined by Redman and Keith Murray for what ends up being a Parrish Smith and Def Squad cipher session. I love the warm symphonic feel of E-Double’s instrumental, and all four parties involved do their thing over it, making for a solid posse joint. The record left me with two questions. 1: Where is K-Solo? 2: Since Keith Murray promises during his verse to give “a g a week for life” to the emcee that can defeat him, does that mean he’s sending Fredro Starr a weekly check?

Dungeon Master – Agallah (whom I first became familiar with as 8-Off for his production work on PMD’s Bu$ine$$ Is Bu$ine$$ album) receives co-credit with PMD for this emotionally gully backdrop that sounds like it could be the blueprint for Alchemist’s early work. Erick and Parrish share the first verse and quickly get out of the way for Nocturnal (not to be confused with Knoc-turn’al from the West Coast), whose gritty flow and rhymes blend perfectly with the music. 

Jane 5 – There are two things you can be sure of with every EPMD album: “Business” in the album title and a “Jane” record. Jane is the fictional EPMD groupie/stalker (with an Anita Baker haircut) who, throughout the series, has tasted the microphones of both MDs. The first three Jane records were playful, then things got a little dark on part 4 (“Who Killed Jane?”) when Jane comes up dead and PMD is charged with her murder. “Jane 5” picks up where “Who Killed Jane?” left off, and the storyline comes with quite the plot twist. “Jane 5” is the first time in the series that both E and P didn’t participate, as E-Double sits this one out and lets PMD deal with Jane solo. I’ve never been a big fan of the “Jane” series (although Part 3 was mildly entertaining), and this record didn’t change my opinion. I do respect EPMD for upholding tradition and seeing this Jane thing through til the end.

Never Seen Before (Remix) – This remix recycles the lyrics from the original, but dumps its pimp funk vibes in exchange for a melodic, danceable music bed. It goes against the hardcore EPMD sound they’ve faithfully stood by throughout their run, but I thoroughly enjoyed it much more than the original mix.

During their break-up, Parrish and Erick begin their own separate business ventures (pun intended). Parrish released a few solo projects and served as an EP on a few of Das EFX’s projects, while E-Double would also release solo albums and produce a slew of tracks for his Def Squad crew members and others. Both experienced moderate levels of success as solo artists (E-Double more so than PMD). But thankfully, the two would put the funny business behind them, becoming business partners again, allowing EPMD to get back to business.

With Back In Business, PMD and the Green-Eyed Bandit pick up where they left off in ‘92 without missing a beat. The duo stays true to their M.O.: “hardcore braggadocious” rhymes placed over “mackadocious funk material.” They make a couple of tweaks to keep their sound current (by 1997 standards) but still maintain that vintage EPMD sound. Erick and Parrish have never wow’d with lyrical miracle. Instead, they keep hitting you with steady jabs and an occasional witty uppercut, and their chemistry makes the rhymes sound even stronger. The Microphone Doctors keep the cameos to a minimum on BIB, and none of them are wasted, as every guest (Das EFX, Redman, Keith Murray, and Nocturnal) makes sure their presence is felt. I would love to have gotten a verse from K-Solo, though.

Erick Sermon leads the charge on the production side of BIB, with PMD, Rockwilder, DJ Scratch, and Agallah lending a helping hand, here and there. I’ve often criticized E-Double for his inconsistent production on his solo work, but there must be something about working with PMD that brings out the best in his hands and ears, as the music on this album is pretty tough from beginning to end. There are a few moments that are less than spectacular (like “Richter Scale,” the O.G. mix of “Never Seen Before,” and the rehashed instrumentals for “You Gots 2 Chill ’97” and “Jane 5”). But the majority of the album is filled with exhilarating bangers, with “Da Joint” and “Get With This” serving as the album’s Crown Jewels (the “Get With This” instrumental might be a contender for top five hip-hop beat of 1997).

At the beginning of this review, I mentioned EPMD’s impressive four-album run. Correction. Make that impressive five-album run. BIB is the ideal progression I’d want EPMD to make after returning from a five-year break. Without question, EPMD is one of the greatest hip-hop duos of all time, and when it comes to making dope albums, they did it like it’s nobody’s business.

-Deedub
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No I.D. – Accept Your Own & Be Yourself (The Black Album)

Posted on 11/04/2025 by deedub77

I’m certain the casual hip-hop fan didn’t become familiar with the name No I.D. until Kanye shouted him out as part of the hook on his ode to Jay-Z, “Big Brother” from his mammoth 2007 album, Graduation. But those in the know (no pun) know that quietly, No I.D. had been putting in work, becoming a highly sought-after producer way before then. I became familiar with No I.D.’s production back in 1992, when he went by the alias Immenslope, producing tracks for his fellow Chicagoan bredrin, Common’s debut album, Can I Borrow A Dollar? By the time Common’s second effort, Resurrection, came out, he was listed as No I.D. in the liner notes (he and Twilite Tone produced the entire album, including “I Used To Love H.E.R., one of the greatest hip-hop songs of all-time). He would contribute to Common’s ‘97 release, One Day It’ll All Make Sense (an album we’ll be discussing in the very near future), and then began to expand his clientele. He’d go on to produce records for Beanie Sigel, Jay-Z, Kanye West, Toni Braxton, Jaheim, DMX, G-Unit, Ghostface Killah, Method Man, Bow Wow, Drake, and Janet Jackson; I could go on forever, but you get the gist. The man has worked with everybody. What I didn’t know, well into the new millennium, was that back in 1997, No I.D. had released a solo album.

The album was titled Accept Your Own And Be Yourself (The Black Album), and was released on Relativity Records, which was also the label home to Common at the time. The album went relatively unnoticed, as it produced only one single, which peaked at 94 on the Billboard Top R&B/Hip-Hop Charts. Accept Your Own would find its way into The Source Record Report, earning a 3.5 Mic rating.

I bought a used CD copy of Accept Your Own almost twenty years ago and have never gotten around to listening to it, until now. Based on No I.D.’s production track record, I’m optimistic. I’m more concerned about the quality of the bars.

Heat – The first thing you hear is a sound that could be mistaken for flatulence, followed by eerie noises and an echoing male voice saying “The Heat” three times. Maybe it was hot in the studio when they were recording, or it’s No I.D.’s way of preparing us for what’s to come. Either way, it was completely unnecessary.

We Rock Like So – The first record of the night features a menacing bass line and mysterious undertones placed over cautious drums. No I.D.’s, Windy City partner, Dug Infinite, kicks things off, giving us our first taste of his “intelligent attack.” No I.D. follows up with his own brainy verse and sounds much more impressive than his sidekick, at least on this track.

Fate Or Destiny – The No I.D./Dug Infinite connection continues. For round two, the duo uses a scorching organ loop to spread their articulate rhymes over. The hook is way too deep to be effective (and has nothing to do with either rapper’s bars), but overall, it’s a solid record.

State To State – Common joins his Chicagoan bredrin (No I.D. and Dug) as each takes a crack at the hard backdrop that only sounds more callous with the DMC (of Run DMC) vocal sample on the hook. To no one’s surprise, Common sons his contemporaries without hardly trying (I love his license bar). This record is fire, and its head-nod factor is off the charts.

I’m Thinkin’ – This interlude begins with a dreamy piano loop, followed by a clip of the 1995 De Niro/Al Pacino flick, Heat (it’s taken from the scene where Justine Hanna waxes poetic in response to her husband, Lt. Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino’s character), being emotionally unavailable). I’m not sure what purpose it serves in the grand scheme of things, but whatever.

Mega Live (That’s The Joint) – No I.D. hooks up a grey-tinted, ruggedly cinematic background for himself, Dug, and their female constituent, Syndicate, to spray with scientific bars and quality rhymes. No I.D. uses a Q-Tip vocal snippet for the hook, allowing for another addition of Tribe Degrees of Separation. This was dope.

Sky’s The Limit (Inf Mix) – The Chicago duo uses this one to encourage the kiddos to rise above their current situation and environment to achieve their dreams and goals. Dug gets his first production credit of the night, hence the song’s subtitle, and he impresses, building his soundscape around a somber but beautiful high-pitched string loop. I love the message, and they deliver it without making it sound like a corny ABC Afterschool Special (only those over forty will understand that last reference; for you young whippersnappers, reference the short Dhar Mann flicks on YouTube). This is easily one of my favorite tracks on the album.

Dreams – Over a creamy backdrop, a woman and a man converse about dreams. There’s a message in this short interlude, but I’ll let you decipher that for yourself.

The Real Weight – The single key piano loop in No I.D.’s instrumental sounds like somebody repeatedly getting their head smashed into the same piano key. I’d like to personally thank that individual for enduring such pain, because the shit hits hard (no pun). Our hosts sound like hip-hop professors as they make the track live up to its name with their heavy rhymes (No I.D. and Dug cover everything from shape shifting to metamorphosis, to mathematics and meteorology). The hook was a little ambiguous, but the inquisitive feel of the instrumental was dope and fit perfectly with the rhymes.

Jump On It – No I.D. and Dug continue to teach the class over a mildly dope backdrop that uses an Extra P vocal snippet for the hook (taken from another A Tribe Called Quest’s joint, “Keep It Rollin’”). This was solid, but if I were forced to take one song off the album, this would be the one.

Gem – No I.D. yields, giving Syndicate the floor for this one. Our host slides her the sweetest Chicago (the rock/pop band) loop, and she fumbles it with a less than a minute, half-baked PSA about the dangers of eating bacon. This was audio blue balls for me.

Original Man – The “awesome twosome” continues to rock ya over a peppy xylophone loop, and No I.D. cleverly cuts up a Greg Nice vocal snippet, which makes for a dope hook.

Pray For The Sinners – This one begins with a piece of a sermon from an uncredited source (I don’t think it’s Farrakhan, but the speaker’s cadence sounds like that of minister from the Nation of Islam) before a delectable guitar loop from a Minnie Riperton sample drops (No I.D. brilliantly weaves in some of Mrs. Riperton’s vocals during the hook, putting her five-octave range on display). No I.D. and Dug use the pretty canvas to talk about their personal pains and struggles, but it’s No I.D. who shines the brightest when he shares his vulnerable conversation with God. This is definitely one of the standout moments on the album.

Sky’s The Limit – This mix uses the same rhymes as the “Inf Mix,” though they are censored (I’m sure the censoring had something to do with the sample clearance, or this is a radio edit, which would make sense as this is the version used for the single/video). No I.D.’s instrumental has a completely different energy than Dug’s, but it’s equally as scrumptious.

Two Steps Behind – No I.D. closes the album with a subtly funky, low bpm, stripped-down beat (laced with yet another dope vocal sample for the hook; this time it comes from a KRS-One clip). No I.D. must have told Dug and Syndicate that the goal for this record was to make it sound edgy as the three leave their studious vernacular behind in exchange for dumbed-down rhymes, filled with more N-words and F-bombs than a Dave Chappelle stand-up special.

Through the years, hip-hop has seen many producers make solo albums. Usually, they come in the form of compilation projects, where the producer handles the music and brings in a bunch of guest emcees to rhyme over his beats (we’ve seen a handful of these already in ‘97: The Lawhouse Experience, Big Thangs, Politics & Bullshit, and The Soul Assassins). And sometimes, the producer lets his beats speak for themselves in the form of an instrumental project (i.e., DJ Shadow’s incredible Endtroducing). Then there are those where the producer dares to stand on his own completely, handling the production and holding down microphone duties (a great example of this was Diamond D’s Hatred, Passions And Infidelity). With Accept Your Own, No I.D. takes from all three models, concocting his own unique hybrid.

First off, calling Accept Your Own a No I.D. solo album is a bit misleading. Yes, No I.D. is responsible for ninety-nine percent of the album’s production, and he raps on every song (notwithstanding the short Syndicate solo joint), but Dug Infinite pulls just as much weight on the mic, along with receiving a couple of production credits. At minimum, the album cover should read “Guest Starring Dug Infinite” in fine print, a la Only Built 4 Cuban Linx. But I digress.

The first time I heard No I.D. rhyme was when he and Common took turns making playful boasts through an infinite number of punchlines (and calling out different cereals) on Common’s “Two Scoops Of Raisins” from Can I Borrow A Dollar? He sounded okay, yet far from impressive, but that was 1992. In 1997, No I.D. sounded sharper on the mic and way more serious. On Accept Your Own, he and Dug Infinite present as cerebral emcees, spewing intellect with a touch of consciousness. The duo’s bars are competent throughout the project, though at times their monotone vocal tones and low-energy deliveries get lost in the music.

Speaking of music, to no one’s surprise, most of the production on Accept Your Own is brilliant (No had already been consistently lacing Common with fire by this point). No I.D. creates irresistible grooves via well-chopped up and arranged soul, gospel, jazz, and rock samples, along with tough drumbeats and a few clever vocal snippets for hooks. The production is strong enough to stand alone, and at times it gives No and Dug something to lean on when they start to sound weary (or too dry).

One of the things that keeps me motivated to do this blog when I feel like calling it quits (which happens at least once every couple of months, and you best believe I thought about it several times over my last blog break) is the never-ending potential to unearth a hidden gem. Accept Your Own is one of those gems. No I.D. sums it up best on “Fate Or Destiny”: “Drop the buried treasure, dig in every measure, it’s for the people’s pleasure.”

-Deedub
Follow me on Instagram @damontimeisillmatic

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