The Hip Hop Mortuary

When I got a request to review this album I actually jumped at the opportunity (not that obvious by my delayed post... sorry). But I've been needing a good excuse to jump into my Dead Prez collection, as it has been collecting computer dust for more than a year now. Lately all my music has been collecting computer dust but that's a different story. I first found out about Dead Prez when I heard Hip-Hop, I'm sure that's probably how most people know them as. But this time unlike many others when groups are categorized and unfairly labeled by their breakout song, Hip-Hop really did symbolize the message Dead Prez was trying to present. Strong, combative, political hip-hop that could be taken seriously. Dead Prez consists of two members, Stic.Man and M-1. So without any further adieu, here's the review;

1. One Side (The Anthem)-
It's really nothing more than an intro. If this were not an hip-hop album, it may have been a good song, but for this particular genre it's still an useless album intro.

2. Early-
The first thing I noticed about this song is it's lack of aesthetics, the album itself isn't very smooth and doesn't exactly mesh well together. For each of the three verses, their is a new flow, a new subject matter, and it's very incohesive (uncohesive?). It reminds me of listening to a Tech N9ne song, where there is almost no structure at all. Can't say I hated this song, but I can't say I'm ever going to listen to it again either.

3. Land, Bread, & Housing-
A pretty safe song when compared to the whole Dead Prez catalog, but it's worth checking out. Butter provides the backdrop for M-1's eclectic mix of family values and Pan-African "Fuck the white man" ideals. Song is very R&B tinged, and it's the first one I could recommend checking out.

4. For You-
You wouldn't really be missing anything if you skipped over this song. It's an organized mess of a song.

5. Confidential-
This song is a little slower, more of an R&B influence, but I still didn't find much to like about this song. By this point in the album, I'm getting a little bit annoyed by M-1's countless political jabber that just sounds endlessly paranoid. Not to add, he switched topics mid-sentence all the way throughout this song. But it's not something you shouldn't have expected, SONGS THAT SHARE THE ALBUM'S NAME ARE NEVER GOOD! Exclude Ready To Die from the above statement.

6. Love You Can't Borrow-
With a legendary counterpart on the mic, M-1 finally steps his game up and produces a track worth hearing. I'm not the biggest fan of the chorus, but I'll gladly listen to this chill mellow track again.

7. 5 Elements-
Once the beat kicked in I knew that this was a banger. And not in the typical sense either. By far the best song so far, only blemished by the cutesy Bruce Lee quote in the beginning and hook. It's not kicking knowledge when you take an open-ended philosophical statement and manipulate it to fit the songs message. Regardless, peep this track.

8. Gunslinger-
This is one of the worst interludes I've ever heard. And it's a song! Stay far, far away from this song. It reminds me of Caribbean Connection on Capitol Punishment. Obviously out of place, and horribly detaching from the album's overall message. To be curt, delete.

9. Comrade's Call-
Sounded like a repeat of For You. The hook is wack, the beat is insanely over-produced and everyone's flow is just off. Skip!

10. Don't Put Down Your Flag-
Another generic, two second hook... but this time it is accompanied by an outstanding beat and engaging lyricism and flow. Just for that alone, this song stands out. Aside from the album, this song holds it's own too... I guess you could bang this one.

11. The Beat-
Is out of place and does not fit the song at all. I guess they tried to turn a club beat into a instrument for political tirades, but it doesn't really fit well here (correction: it doesn't really fit well anywhere). The flow is really cut-up (in order to ride the beat) and detaches from anything useful M-1 or Bang Double could have said.

12. Been Through-
You'd think M-1 could have possibly chosen a more fitting instrumental when he has a feature from fucking Ghostface, but naw... you get more of the same. I understand the optimistic overtone here, but this beat does not fit the lyrical content. And fuck if M-1's weed-carrier Raye doesn't throw in 40 seconds of the weakest shit this side of Advil. Fabrizio Sotti may just be a possible candidate for worst producer ever and that's coming solely from this album.

13. Till We Get There-
Where is the originality? This is just like Love You Can't Borrow, Land Bread & Housing, and Confidential. They are all the same song. If you haven't yet tired of the above listed songs, you might like this one. It's admittedly one of the better tracks on this album, but that's not really saying anything.

14. Too Smart-
I wasn't very smart and listened to this song in it's entirety. The subject matter is kind of obvious, how M-1 is too smart to give in to government conspiracies set to scrutinize the black man. By this point I've had enough.

I have nothing positive to say about this album, so I'll just say that I wasted a small portion of my life on this album, and I advise you not to.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 58.

If you really want to...You can find a link here

I've been meaning to drop a review on here for a while, so I thought I'd start with this beast of a two-disc album.
As much as I want to go track for track with this work as any Nas album deserves, I'll just touch on each track a little bit so this review doesn't go on too long.

DISC 1

1. Intro/2.Message to the Feds
"Peace."
That one word contrasting over the foreboding piano sets the mood for this dark, contemplative album perfectly. Crickets sound in the background and Nas talks quietly to the listener and let's us know that this is a conversation. Nas has often been looked at as someone who shoots ideas over everyone's heads, but he's always known how to speak directly to the listener, he just doesn't dumb himself down. The trick is not letting his status overwhelm you or make the overall meaning of his songs seem out of reach. The second the beat drops you can just feel the need to pump your fist in the air to this. Nas appropriately closes the first verse with "And they're aware of us though/and we don't give a flying 747 fuck though/staying on my hustle." Within the first minute of this album you know Nas is going to say some strong shit.
3. Nazareth Savage
First off this beat is a monster. The choir gives it a heavenly sound while Nasir paints gloomy pictures such as "Sons back with flows, they say mine is very scary/smell fear like a canine that finds buried babies." And let's not forget about Nas' straight lyrical ability, "I squeeze nipples like pimples to get the puss/pus, get it?"
4. American Way/5. These Are Our Heroes
Back on ground level Nas starts looking at today's issues concerning politics and black leaders/influences. These tracks are like an early look into how Nas approached his new 'Untitled' album. Again, not enough can be said about Nas' ability to present an issue in a way that makes you think, even if that means saying some things that will make people hate him.
6. Disciple
As the title suggests, Nas speaks on the people he has inspired to follow in his footsteps. Good song, around average level of quality compared to the rest of the album.
7. Sekou Story/8. Live Now
In these two tracks Nas' story telling ability shines in an epic story about living life to the fullest told through a couple different perspectives of a man name 'Sekou.' These are definitely two tracks you should sit down and listen to, though I'd recommend that for most of the tracks on this album.
9. Rest of My Life/10. Just A Moment/12. You Know My Style
I grouped all of these together as all of these tracks are straight, but they aren't really stand out tracks either.
11. Reason
This is the sleeper hit of the first disc. Though it seems low key and out of place alongside the grimy/hard hitting tracks, this is such a good track lyrically, production wise, and the hook sounds real nice.

DISC 2

1. Suicide Bounce/2. Street's Disciple
This side starts off with a bang with Busta Rhymes on the hook and Nas doesn't even give the beat a chance. "To your power structure Nas is dangerous/ya'll the antithesis, the opposite/twitch and shit, all up in your body language." Nas makes absolutely sure that we don't forget he can tear the mic to shreds. The energy slows down for the title track, but Nas doesn't let up in quality here.
3. UBR (Unauthorized Biography of Rakim)
Cool concept, but I thought this kind of dragged the album down. It's basically just Nas listing off some facts about Rakim's life.
4. Virgo
Ludacris jumps on for this track. It's decent enough, maybe lacking a little bit in content but as always these two artists turn in competent verses. Doesn't take away from the album, but I didn't think it was necessary either.
5/6. Remember the Times/7. The Makings of a Perfect Bitch/8. Getting Married/9. No One Else in the Room
I love the energy on Remember the Times and Nas comes really creative with his imagery describing his past sexual encounters. This leads into The Makings of a Perfect Bitch, a cool concept executed really well where he goes into what he wants in a woman. Finally this leads to Getting Married where the trilogy of relationships with females ends. This one's the weakest of the three in my opinion but it's good enough and completes the idea. No One Else in the Room continues this a little bit but what I liked most about this track was the feel it gives off, from the beat and the way he spits it. I haven't even listened to the lyrics of it closely yet it just sounds good.
10. Bridging the Gap/11. War
Two good songs, they aren't favorites of mine but Nas still comes correct.
12. Me & You
A song dedicated to Nas' daughter. I'm usually not a huge fan of these kinds of songs since I don't have a kid and can't really relate to it, but I can't help but feel Nas' happiness and pride in his daughter on this track.
13. Thief's Theme
I can't say enough about this track. Such a good way to end an album of this scope, Nas spits grimy over the In-a-Gadda-da-Vida sample.

Personally, I consider this to be the best Nas album. Period. Going track by track and being a little iffy about the inclusion of a few tracks makes me take the score down a little bit but I think this is Nasir in his purest state, his potential more realized then ever. As always with his albums there is more than meets the eye (/ear) and Nas presents ideas that can't possibly be all taken in from one listening. Hell, I'm still deciphering this and every time I hear it all the way through I find something new. All of these songs are good stand alone but as a whole this is just a really complete album, which is saying a lot considering it's a double LP.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 93. There are a few tracks that weigh it down so despite my personal opinion of the overall quality technically I shouldn't give it a higher score than Illmatic.


Can Find A Link Here

I started this blog this summer, feeling bored and not having anything to do. I know that lots of the people who actually read this blog are disheartened by the lack of posts lately, and I genuinely do apologize to y'all. It hurts me to know that I was posting daily, and now I'm only posting weekly.
Still this is a young blog, very young. Only a few months old, I hope to revamp the layout soon and all sorts of other stuff.
I also plan on posting more, so stay tuned.
And once more, check out FunCrusher Plus.

Also, this site is getting like 3-400 views per day, so if there's anyone who views and would like to help out... SPEAK UP!
You can reach me at doctaprodigy@yahoo.com

One love to all.

I'm sorry, I know it's been almost a week since I last posted, thanks to everyone who stopped by anyways. I just looked through the site, and I really felt as though, there is no real 90's southern rap on here at all. And even though, I'm not the Geto Boy's biggest fan by any means, I can appreciate the music Scaface, Willie D and Bushwick Bill have made. I was looking through my collection of unheard CD's and this was at the top, usually I skip through it, but for some reason I really had a lot of motivation to give this CD a chance. Doesn't hurt that I just heard "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me" last night... one of the finest tracks to come out of the south ever. And I personally find Bushwick Bill to be a pioneer of the horrorcore genre, even more so than Scarface or Willie D. While Big L was earning props in the NYC, Bill had the south on lock. Anyway, good for nothing long ass intro...

The Good:

2. What Cha Gonna Do- One of the best intro's I've heard in a while, there's something to be said about Bushwick's cool laid-back style which perfectly compliments this chill instrumental. "What you gonna do when the world goes by? I'm a light a spliff and keep getting high".

3. Times Is Hard- Another slow relaxing instrumental, this time Bill spits about getting out of the ghetto, and it's really a heartfelt song.

4. Who's The Biggest- I was waiting for one of these songs... and it's your typical babble about "size doesn't matter, step to me and I'll kill you". You could listen to it, but you know what's coming next.

5. Ex-Girlfriend- Another slow-ass chill instrumental, and Bill is so at home over these beats it's crazy. The topic matter is pretty average, but still Bushwick puts his own different twist on it.

9. Subliminal Criminal- Huh... well... He compares himself to Chucky about 25 times too many for my liking, but it's not a bad song. The beat is very interesting, has electronic bass and all sorts of stuff mixed in, still I was kind of bored with this track.

10. Inhale, Exhale- This is "My Mind's Playing Tricks On Me" part 2. I swear, listen to the song and the theme is carried over, and the beat sounds almost identical.

And that'll do it for this album. Only 12 tracks, and over 200 references to the Devil, Hitler, and Chucky... seemed kind of lame to me, but considering the time, I guess it wasn't too played out back in the mid-90's. Some great production on this album, and when Bushwick isn't lacing the wax with Satanic prayers and what-not this album came correct.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 76... if the Geto Boys are your shit, then you'll undoubtedly enjoy this album, but if your looking for 8Ball & MJG esque southern music... this likely won't float your boat, even less so if your expecting Outkast type shit. Those are my two cents:

Download Here
P.S. I know ZShare is down, but this is the only link I could find.

I'm sorry it's take me so long to post, that latest post has take a lot out of me. For those who haven't heard yet, I've been working on a new project... Iron Flag definitely check it out if you have some time, we're going full throttle ahead. Now, as for this album, I picked it up a few months ago and wasn't able to give it a listen for a while. I guess I can thank my readers for motivating me. Last I heard, this album had tracks from the "Stillmatic" sessions, and a few from "I Am". Looking back on Nas' career is crazy, considering Nas only started fucking with Main Source in like '92 or something. Back then he was just a sleepy-eyed teenager with a knack for mic skills and cadence, and Large Pro or MC Serch never could have imagined that he would become the phenomenon he was today. They were probably even more surprised in '94 when he released "Illmatic". Not that any of that really pertains to this album...

The Good:

1. Doo Rags- This seems like a song that may have gotten cut from "Stillmatic". The beat is real calm, piano keys and bass. But the lyricism makes this track, when Nas comes with his smooth flow over a real calm instrumental, the result is a very listenable track.

2. My Way- I was feeling this track, although the beat wasn't as soft and the song didn't flow as well. I felt that the whole "I Did It My Way" was pretty cliche, but that's probably the only bad thing I can say about this track, it's not great, but by no means is it bad.

3. U Gotta Love It- This is more of the Nas I was expecting, this sounds like a L.E.S. job that could have fit on "It Was Written" perfectly. The flow is slower, and Nas settles in to lace some storytelling lyrics. It was really easy to listen to and a revisit to classic Nas lyrics.

5. No Idea's Original- I was always, always amazed how this track got left off "Stillmatic", it would have been perfect right after "One Mic". The instrumental is amazing, probably one of The Alchemist's best collabs with Nas. And Nas' lyricism is amazing, don't sleep on this track!

8. Purple- The Invisible Man (one of our contributors) gave this song some very high praise. And after listening to it three or four times, I was also very impressed. The production on this track is pretty obscure, Hill Inc. produced it? Still, the beat is simple yet very effective, and Nas goes for more of a storytelling aspect here, and kills it.

9. Drunk By Myself- This was a very strange song, the beat itself could have carried a track, when Nas adds his multisyllabic rhyme scheme to the mix it sounds good. But at times this song sounds awkward and forced, especially during the hook. Overall, a great beat and great lyrics but they don't really flow to well together.

10. Black Zombie- This was back in the day when Nas rarely made political tracks. But when he did, the whole world listened, as you should if you haven't heard this song before. One of the best off this album. Another great production job by Hill Inc.... gonna have to check them out.

12. Fetus- This track is a hidden...bonus track... on a compilation album. You don't get closer to unreleased than that. And I really do wonder why this track was almost unreleased, it is a great concept, Nas imagines himself in his mom's fetus. An ill track overall.

I was really, really surprised by this album, it is very playable and I only had to skip a few tracks on this album. Out of 12, I'd say there are 8 songs that are dope and you need to hear.


0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 87. It's actually really good for an compilation album... some classic Nas material on here.

Download Here

Password: Keizertijd

Top 100 hip-hop songs list coming soon... review of Black Rob and Nas coming soon. And a review of Blu & Exile's classic by Were Read 2 Def is coming soon!

I was reading comments people posted, and it seemed like a large number of people actually were interested in an review of this album. I am a huge fan of Ill Bill and Non Phixion Records in general, so I thought why not? I can't front and pretend I know all about Ill Bill so this summary will be fairly short. Started off rhyming with his brother, Necro, someone you should definitely check out if you haven't already. He released a few tracks where he featured with his brother under their record label Psycho + Logical Records (I think it was bought out by Tech N9ne, but I'm not sure). After that it was a CD full of rarities, demo's and all-over rare tracks (this CD was released in 03, yet all the material is from 91-94). Very interesting cover for that CD, anyway after that he released a second CD of rarities and mixtape tracks titled Howie Made Me Do It, this one with a more familiar cover, Ill Bill flipping the bird. Finally, in 2004, William Braunstein released his very first album, (which is still causing waves in the underground community) named What's Wrong With Bill. I honestly believe his debut album to be on par with AZ and Dr. Dre's, it is an amazing piece of work. If you ever look through the production values you probably won't run into even one familiar name... but needless to say the production is fucking amazing for that album. Seriously, check it out! After his debut, he released a semi-mandatory instrumental album (because the production is amazing). Then for the past few years he has been dropping mixtapes here and there, getting some hype for his new album The Hour Of Reprisal...

1. Babylon
Featuring Howard Jones; Produced by T-Ray
At first it's your usual self-righteous album intro, then the choir begins to sing and the drums/heavy metal instrumentals sets in. As a warning, a large part of this album contains heavy metal either in the chorus, hook or in the instrumental or maybe in all three. He actually features a metalcore singer on this track too. The instrumental on this song is really abrasive and annoying, I did not feel it added anything to this track. The lyricism itself heavily outshines anything T-Ray (nice name by the way jackass) could have ever hoped to accomplish. The chorus is sampled from a song which is in a completely different tempo so it doesn't really mesh all that well. But despite all of those negatives, when Ill Bill flows he turns everything upside down with his insane lyricism. And the track appropriately ends with the theme of "Anatomy of A School Shooting" carrying over.

2. Doomsday Was Written In An Alien Bible
Produced by Ill Bill
The first time I heard this song I was quick to label it as weak because of the simplistic beat and awkward flow. But after a second listen, I found the genius of the second verse which is among the best I've ever heard. All the other aspects of the song are pretty average. The hook is in typical Ill Bill style, long and wordy, which makes it difficult to identify.

3. Trust Nobody
Produced by Ill Bill
Way too heavy of an metal influence for my liking. The flow was off, the beat is very quick and choppy which makes the lyrics very difficult to decipher. And when you do get to the lyrics you'll discover that they are pretty weak compared to the above material. This was a delete/skip for me.

4. A Bullet Never Lies
Featuring Vinnie Paz; Produced by DJ Lethal
Ill Bill and the Jedi Mind Tricks collective have done some incredible work together, specifically Vinnie Paz (the anchor of Jedi Mind Tricks) and Ill Bill have done some great work. The production on this trick is pretty good, although the hook seems really forced and repetitive. Ill Bill once again turns in an average verse, and I believe he gets outshined by Vinnie Paz on this track.

5. White Nigger
Produced by Ill Bill
I heard this track for the first time back in late 06, I'm sure it had been floating around the internet for even longer than that. But I instantly fell in love with this track for the raw emotion and pure logic throughout. I could do without the first 30 seconds but the rest of the song is VERY good. Ill Bill narrates this story about how he grew up in Brooklyn as a white Jew who was attracted to hip-hop. Even though the title doesn't suggest it, this is actually a track denouncing racism, and I believe it is very effective. Probably the best song so far. It's comparable to "Peace Sells" from his first album.

6. My Uncle
Produced by Ill Bill & Sicknature
Another raw emotional song, this one is about how William grew up around drug abusers. I do like this song, but if it were executed differently (maybe minus Ill Bill yelling) it would be on a different plane of greatness. Still a song you should definitely check out though.

7. Riva
Featuring HR and Darryl Jennifer; Produced by Ill Bill
If you can possibly ignore the first 45 seconds of singing, moaning, and singing through nasal cords... you will reach a tribute song for Ill Bill's daughter (I think). But it is more of an insult than a tribute, I'm still grimacing after listening to this song.

8. War Is My Destiny
Featuring Max Cavalera & Immortal Technique; Produced by Ill Bill
Minus the demonic singing on the hook this would have been a decent song... Ill Bill sounds very comfortable and at home over this instrumental, although I can't say the same about Immortal Technique who sounds out of place over this beat. I found this to be one of Immortal Technique's weaker verses and probably his worst collab with Ill Bill. Maybe a delete, definitely a skip.

9. Society Is Brainwashed
Produced by DJ Premier
No that's not a misprint, Primo produced this track and Ill Bill definitely knows it. He comes out blazing and flows lyrical FUCKING murder all over this dark instrumental. The only downside of this track was the out-of-place vocal sample on the hook... otherwise an impeccable song.

10. This Is Who I Am
Produced by DJ Muggs
Two big names in a row... two amazing lyrical performances in a row. On this track Ill Bill explains his career in the rap game and all the shit he's had to go through to just achieve a little bit of underground hype. He rides the beat for a solid two minutes and then Muggs lets it ride out at the end. A really good hook for a change too.

11. Too Young
Featuring Hero and Slaine; Produced by Darp Malone
A very innovative beat, with elements of violin (I think) and soft piano. The first verse starts off slow, Ill Bill's verse is fire, then the last verse is pretty hot too. I wasn't really feeling the hook on this track either.

12. Pain Gang
Featuring B-Real and Everlast; Produced by Cynic
This is probably as close to hip-hop heavyweights that Ill Bill can put together, both B-Real of Cypress Hill and Everlast of House of Pain have been out of the spotlights for a good 10 years. B-Real had the huge hit "Insane In The Brain", and Everlast had "Jump Around", it's kind of a shame that most people will only recognize them because of these songs (it's a shame that some people still won't recognize them). Once again the hook is terrible on this track, and it really upset the great lyricism by both Ill Bill and Everlast... Everlast was on some Immortal Technique shit here. B-Real has always been a pretty weak lyricist and he definitely gets shown up here, and I would have to say it's pretty even between Everlast and Ill Bill, both turn in great verses.

13. U.B.S. (Unauthorized Biography Of Slayer)
Produced by Necro
When I saw this song on the track listing I instantly thought it was a lame idea... I didn't really like Nas' biography of Rakim... but Slayer? Well, I was wrong, this beat is simply put amazing, and it helps me drone out Ill Bill's boring lyrics. I wonder who he thought would enjoy this song?

14. Coka Moschiach
Featuring Raekwon The Chef; Produced by Ill Bill
Raekwon murders Ill Bill on this track. This is probably William's weakest verse off the whole album and it does not come at a good time. Rae has been putting in work lately, I'm beginning to think Cuban Linx 2 (when it comes out) may not be the disappointment it will inevitably be.

15. The Most Dangerous Weapon Alive
Produced by Necro
Once again, this song starts off slow with a lackluster first verse, it is helped out with an above-average (yet not spectacular) hook... and then the last verse is ill as fuck. I'm beginning to wonder why Ill Bill didn't have Necro produced the whole album for him.

16. Soap
Interlude... can't say it's worth your time, but it does set up the next track pretty well.

17. I'm A Goon
Produced by Ill Bill & Sicknature
This is more of what I was hoping for from this album, less metal and more turntabling... Sicknature's influence on this track in turn makes it more DJ Premier rather than Killswitch Engage. I really enjoyed this track, I can't pinpoint what it was specifically, but it was really well produced and the lyrics were on point.

18. Only Time Will Tell
Featuring Tech N9ne, Necro and Everlast; Produced by DJ Muggs
Necro starts this track off in an incredible manner spitting an fiery verse, then Tech N9ne ruins the second verse,(but I'm biased) and Ill Bill sounds incredibly awkward on the last verse. Not a good way to end this album.

Bottom Line:
Huh... this album was a very mixed experience. I did not enjoy most of the heavy metal sampling/chorus work on this album. I did however enjoy the Unauthorized Biography of Slayer. Even though this album is only 60 minutes, you will have to listen to it again to uncover much of the symbolism behind Ill Bill's rhymes... or to analyze most of his political and revolutionary tirades. The wide range of guest features on this album adds to it's greatness but also subtracts from it's playability. When Ill Bill does songs with like-minded artists it sounds real good, but when he features unorthodox metal singers on his choruses it just sounds out of place. The production is also pretty shaky, there are a good portion of the songs which are well-produced. But for some reason, the songs I disliked, for the most part were all produced by Bill. At the same time, the Primo and Muggs tracks were great, Necro did a great job and Sicknature helped out too. Not a bad album, but it's filled with holes and mistakes. But that's just my opinion.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 84.

Download Album Here

Download: Society Is Brainwashed

Yeah, I know the album cover is just fucking ridiculous. But name one hip hop head who hasn't been waiting for this album to drop. Forscore and 12 years ago, Heltah Skeltah released an equally goofy album cover, both rappers hanging from the sky... in Twista "Kamikaze" fashion. As goofy as that album cover was, the music inside was gritty as hell.. if you haven't yet heard "Nocturnal", it should definitely be on your to-do list of Golden Age hip-hop. For those who have heard "Nocturnal" and "Magnum Force", this is obviously an album you had your sights on for quite some time. It's been ten years since Heltah Skeltah has released an album. Don't get it twisted though, both Ruck and Rock have been grindin out street singles on a consistent basis for those 10 years. In fact, they joined a hip-hop supergroup known as "Boot Camp Clik", which is them, Buckshot, Smif-N-Wessun and O.G.C. It is kind of like the East Coast's version of the Four Horsemen. Combined with the critically acclaimed first two albums and the huge underground of the Boot Camp Clik, this album has got crazy hype attached to it. I only wonder if it deserves the hype...

1. Intro
Featuring DonRocko, BummyFlyJab and Alkatraz; Produced by D Dot
Imagine what's happening on the album cover in song. It's just a messy mix of death threats, bullet shot sounds, and random yells of "Heltah Skeltah" or "Boot Camp Clik"... and then Ruck (I think) decides to spit a few bars at the end. I guess it's alright for an intro, but I would skip it.

2. Insane
Produced by Marco Polo
I wasn't really ready for this track, but after about one minute I got really into this track. Marco Polo does a great job on the instrumental, especially with the dark, eerie mood he provides, and also with the "insane" sample. Heltah Skeltah rips this track a new asshole with their lyricism, I was really impressed.

3. Chipmunk 3000
Produced by Fatim
I don't have much to say about this track. I wasn't really feeling it at all.

4. Everything Is Heltah Skeltah
Produced by Ill Mind
Definitely feeling this track. "Fuck with Charlie Manson, tell you everything is Heltah Skletah". This beat is very simple yet it fits almost perfectly to the rhymes. The lyrics are great, and it's just a great song overall... I repeated this song 3 or 4 times.

5. D.I.R.T. (Another Boot Camp Clik Yeah Song)
Produced by Khryis
"You so subpar/ you subleasing/ Subway sandwich eating, sucka type/ Sucking your teeth in/Substitute the subliminal shots with some shit that sounds like the subwoofer when it go Rah Rah" Need I say more? This track fucking bangs! Also look for the same sample that Kanye West used on "Wouldn't Get Far".

6. So Damn Tough
Featuring Buckshot and Ruste Juxx; Produced by Ill Mind
Another raw-ass instrumental and some more grimy, gutter rhyming. The lyricism is amazing on this track... and watch Buckshot outshine everyone on this track.

7. WMD
Featuring Smif-N-Wessun; Produced by M-Phazes
Easily the best song so far. The Smif-N-Wessun verses are AIDS sick! Ain't no fucking with this track.

8. That's Incredible
Produced by Double Up
The beat is really boring, I was hoping for more from Double Up. And when Heltah Skeltah gets on the mic their verses are real weak. This is a skip for me.

9. Ape Muzik
Featuring The Representativz; Produced by M-Phazes
If this song was acapella it would sound like some 90's lines. I liked The Representativz verse's, but Ruck's verse was ill as hell. The beat sounds like a Dipset freestyle instrumental (in the best way possible of course).

10. The Art Of Disrespekinazation
Produced by Khrysis
"Fuck rap riddles, get shells yo/I'm a beast, you a bitch like tickle me Elmo".... You gotta check this song out, cuz it's propane fire.

11. Hellz Kitchen
Produced by Evidence
This beat is straight fucking horrible. If it wasn't for the track-saving lyricism I would have skipped instantly skipped it. The lines on here are crazy, but the instrumental is what ties it all together, and it's nearly non-existent.

12. Shmack Muzik
Produced by Sic Beats
This song is the opposite of the above one, you've got an appropriately sick beat... only the rhyming is boring and monotonous. The hook is terrible too (one of the very few times I can say that about a Heltah Skeltah track).

13. Twinz
Produced by Ken Ring
I'm not really a fan of slow beats and quick flow... but I guess if that's your thing, you will like this track. Once again Ruck saves this track from obscurity with his great verse at the end. But it's too little too late.

14. Ruck N Roll
Produced by Stu Bangas
Who hasn't freestyled over this beat yet? Seems like it was only Heltah Skeltah, and now that they've done their freestyle on this track maybe we can get rid of this instrumental already. Not exactly the ideal way to conclude your return to form album... but it's different strokes for different folks.

Bottom Line:
This album was everywhere, from great songs like "WMD" and "D.I.R.T." to what were they thinking like the intro and "Chipmunk 3000". I found much more successes than failures, but at the same time I had no clue what the hell I was listening to way too often. I respect that Heltah Skeltah is trying to be "different", but they sound like jackasses just like the album cover at times. I say this has about six or seven tracks that you should hear, about five or six that are average, and then two that nobody should waste their time on.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 78... like I said it's on and off.

Download Album Here