Jay-Z - The Dynasty: Roc La Familia

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

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

Alas, not.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Redman - Doc's Da Name 2000

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

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

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

1. Welcome 2 Da Bricks (prod. Redman)

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

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

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

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

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

4. Get It Live (prod. Erick Sermon)

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

5. Who Took Da Satellite Van? (Skit)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

9. Boodah Break (prod. Erick Sermon)

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

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

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

11. Keep On '99 (prod. Erick Sermon)

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

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

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

13. Pain In Da Ass Stewardess (Skit)

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

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

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

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

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

16. Da Da DaHHH (prod. Erick Sermon)

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

17. G.P.N. (Skit)

You can probably guess what my reaction was to this.

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

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

19. D.O.G.S. (prod. Erick Sermon)

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

20. Beet Drop (prod. Redman)

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

21. We Got Da Satellite Van! (Skit)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

DMX - Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood

After typing up a monologue on how much I absolutely love DMX's debut album It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, you may have noticed that I refrained from covering another of his efforts until now, even though I continued with the discographies of the likes of Jay-Z, Nas, Common and others. Now, you may wonder why exactly that was - surely since X made arguably my favourite album of all time, he would have a pretty solid discography after that too, no? Well, no. For me, DMX never made an outright classic again, and spent the rest of his career (R.I.P. Earl Simmons) seemingly more focused on acting and impersonating police officers than making great music, something he had already proven he could do, but oh well. Still, I thought I'd better talk about his second effort nonetheless - I mean surely the horrifying cover art alone deserves a write up.

DMX's second album, the ridiculously titled Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood, was released in late 1998, only about 6 or 7 months after It's Dark and Hell Is Hot, his absolute masterpiece of a debut. This quick release time would cause some to believe, naturally, that the album simply consisted of outtakes and unreleased cuts from his first album, and while this could have been the case, it most likely wasn't. This album, for starters, had quite a few sequels to songs that appeared on It's Dark and Hell Is Hot: "The Omen", a sequel to Damien, "Ready To Meet Him", a sequel to "The Convo", and even a hidden "Prayer" to continue the thoughts of the first. Another thing this album had was a lot of vocals from Swizz Beatz, who provided backing vocals on "Heat" and "Ain't No Way", and even a credited feature on the promotional single "No Love 4 Me" - the producer also had his hand in a lot more beats here, which could show the label wanting more "Ruff Ryder's Anthem"-esque cuts, but let's hope that's not the case, eh? (Although it can't be because Swizz Beatz is a good producer, so what else?). 

As for features, they were mainly carried over from the last album - we had appearances from the members of The LOX, as well as a Drag-On verse, and a lot of solo tracks, but we also had new contributions from Jay-Z, who worked with X on "Money, Cash, Hoes" earlier in the year, Mary J. Blige, who had famously done a lot of guest singing spots for various MCs, and Marilyn Manson, who- wait, what?? We also had minimal input from PK, Dame Grease and Irv Gotti (who together did almost all of It's Dark and Hell Is Hot), as well as new Ruff Ryders in-house DJ Shok, but make no mistake - this was mainly a product of Swizz Beatz, and was the album that would seemingly prove his worth to the mainstream. The project itself was very well-received for something seemingly recorded in half a year, too, which granted X the chance to release more music on Def Jam in the future. The album was also his second in a row to chart at no. 1, and it wouldn't be his last. 

So, would the album stand up to the blockbuster releases that came before and after it? And would it be as menacing as the cover art implied? Let's see.

1. My Niggas (Skit) (prod. Swizz Beatz)

Well, this intro track certainly doesn't scream "menacing", that's for sure. After spitting some acapella vocals taken from the end of his guest verse on Jay-Z's "Money, Cash, Hoes", X proceeds to repeat the titular phrase (with other background vocals) over one of Swizz's typical Beatz. What a strange way to begin.

2. Bring Your Whole Crew (prod. PK)

While the intro track would lead one to believe that X was going in a worryingly poppy direction for this record, this second track would remove all thoughts of that from one's mind, as quickly as it removes your sense of calm and tranquility - this shit is about as aggressive as it gets. I won't repeat X's second bar, as it's too gross for words, but let me tell you, if you're faint of heart, do not listen to this song - it's brutal. Then again, those of faint hearts would probably have already passed out from looking at the album cover, so I guess that's not a problem. The PK beat on here is intense and aggressive, and DMX flows so well over it that you would think the label had given him the prospect of a free new pet dog if he got it exactly right. This track is phenomenally good.

3. Pac Man (Skit) (no producer)

Stupid and unnecessary skit.

4. Ain't No Way (prod. Swizz Beatz)

Now, while I very much appreciate X's aggressive bars and great singing on this one, I always found this track to be one of the least entertaining on the LP. This is probably due to Swizz Beatz' monotone instrumental, which lies around in the background like a fat sunbathing old man, leaving the vocals to do all of the heavy lifting. I like DMX a lot on this one, though, so I'll give it the pass - but Swizz, you've got to up your game, man!

5. We Don't Give a Fuck (feat. Jadakiss & Styles) (prod. Irv Gotti & Dat Nigga Reb)

DMX enlists LOX members Jadakiss and Styles P to help him make something out one of the most generic titles that he could have possibly come up with. Interestingly, the pair are not listed as features on the back cover, but are in the booklet - an early example of hidden features, or a botch-up typical of a '90s rap album? I'll leave it up to y'all to decided on that one. I was about to say "hey, Swizz Beatz made a good beat", when I realised that he didn't do this one either, but nonetheless, this is a great instrumental - lowkey yet threatening at the same time. Aside from the hook (which opens with the awful line "used to be my dog, you was in my left titty") and the fact that Jada doesn't get a verse, only the aforementioned hook, this stands as a really good song, and X's foray into a rage-fuelled rant at the end was surprisingly entertaining. Great stuff.

6. Keep Your Shit the Hardest (prod. Swizz Beatz)

While the title would lead one to believe that X is about to deliver some anti-fibre verses for some reason, this track is actually yet another about being a hard street dude. X, would it be so hard to switch it up a bit? Anyway, while Swizz Beatz is still fucking around with tacky drums and melodies that just end up sounding like un-calculated rackets, DMX does deliver some good verses on this one, even though the hook is unpleasant at best. As a song this does not work, but at least DMX can still rap well over even the goofiest of beats.

7. Coming From (feat. Mary J. Blige) (prod. PK)

Of course, it wouldn't be a mainstream rap album without an R&B feature, but thankfully, Mary J. lends herself to this track about X's rough upbringings, rather than a silly sex song (a title that ironically goes to the next track). PK once again provides a beat that makes Swizz Beatz' sound like they were made by an 8 year old on a £12 keyboard, and X finally appears to switch up the tone here, delivering profound bars like "What's the sense of hatin', when I can show love? What's the sense of fakin', when I can show blood?" that display both peace and aggression on our host's part. Mary J. also delivers a catchy hook, usually preluded by some weirdly creepy laughter, but whatever. This is still great.

8. It's All Good (prod. Swizz Beatz)

One day in the studio, it seems, DMX hid Swizz Beatz' prized "my first keyboard", forcing him to actually make a proper beat for once. Sadly, X decided to grace it with some inane sex bars that we really didn't need to hear from the man that once threatened to kill us "from the waist down". Still, at least his flow remains unique, and we can give props to Swizzy for actually making a dope beat. This needed some sort of storytelling over it, though, and definitely not a foray of typically misogynistic lines ending with "I tell them bitches "I'll be back", and they believe that shit".

9. The Omen (prod. Swizz Beatz)

So, remember back on "Damien", when a deep voice shouted "to be continued, motherfuckers!" at the end? Well, that deep voice was true to his word, as this stands as a sequel to that classic track. This one features a much slower instrumental than that on the last, that stood as the best Swizz Beatz ever did until we reach (spoiler alert) track 14 - it gives the track that perfect creepy, sinister atmosphere. On this song, it seems Damien bought X to the hospital after he was shot, and now he wants compensation, especially after Damien then helped to get rid of the people that caused the killing of X's cousin (whether they're blood related, I don't know). While I prefer the first one for it's sheer originality, and the Marilyn Manson (yes, Marilyn Manson!) vocals are grating, this still stands as one of the best and most invigorating tracks on here.

10. Slippin' (prod. DJ SHOK)

Easily the most famous song on this album, that was also released as the lead single, despite absolutely nothing about it even whispering "club banger". This track paints the picture of DMX's incredibly rough upbringing, providing the listener with some context as to why X delivered all those violent and aggressive verses that he had up to that point, and would throughout the rest of his career. The beat from the fairly unknown DJ Shok is very enjoyable to listen to, and calming as all hell, meanwhile the hook on here is incredibly powerful - "I'm slippin', I'm fallin', I can't get up, get me back on my feet so I can tear shit up". The one glaring issue here is the censoring - X was never one to shy away from a good swearword, and therefore the fact that even the album version of this is censored (due to the sample) really does ruin the track, rendering it unlistenable in the released form. Without that, this stands as one of X's best. Fuck.

11. No Love 4 Me (feat. Swizz Beatz & Drag-On) (prod. Swizz Beatz)

While Swizz Beatz is definitely not an incredible producer, his vocals make his beats sound like absolute heaven - why the hell X gave him any time on the mic is beyond me, even if it is just the intro, outro and ad-libs throughout. Even without the Swizz contribution, though, this would still end up being the weakest track here - the beat is pretty aggravating, the hook is terribly dull, and the verses are frankly amateurish. I'm surprised that this was even allowed on here in the first place - I suppose as a showcase for X's buddy Drag-On, who actually outshines his boss on here. Weird.

12. Dogs For Life (prod. Dame Grease)

Preceded by a skit that really needed to be separated into a different track, or perhaps simply deleted full stop. Over easily the most chilled-out beat we have seen throughout this LP, DMX gets a little more reflective, and talks about loyalty. Of course, this song would have a completely different message and tone over a more aggressive instrumental, but that's just how it is. The hook on here is pretty catchy, and DMX sounds like the legendary rapper he is here, unlike on the last song. Great stuff, and props to Dame Grease for that damned good beat.

13. Blackout (feat. LOX & Jay-Z) (prod. Swizz Beatz)

Almost like a sequel to the previous album's "Niggaz Done Started Something", only this time it's Jay-Z instead of Ma$e. You would think that that was a guaranteed way to make this song better, but you'd be wrong - it's worse. The beat on here is more aggressive than your usual Swizz Beatz number, but still, it's a Swizz Beatz number, and therefore it sounds pretty cheap and not very well put together. Jada seems to insinuate that one of the other members of the LOX is more expensive (and therefore, one would assume, better) than him, meanwhile DMX simply recycles a verse from a freestyle he did on the set of LL Cool J's "4, 3, 2, 1" music video. Still, both Sheek Louch and Jay-Z deliver great verses on here, and no-one sounds weak (although Styles P could have come harder). This is a good posse track, but given the lineup, it should have been better.

14. Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood (prod. Swizz Beatz)

Hold on. Let me get this straight. Swizz Beatz produced this? How can you produce "No Love 4 Me" and this in the same time-frame? They're not on the same damned planet. This beat is truly incredible, and is just the right pace for mr. Simmons to go completely off on it about how he's just gonna keep dropping music, and nothing you can do will stop him. "Matter of fact, I think I'll drop another song tonight!". Well, if it's anything like this, X, then please feel free. 

15. Heat (prod. Swizz Beatz)

This Swizz beat has a more melancholy atmosphere than most of the instrumentals on this project, and while the drums on here are a bit static - you ain't gon' be nodding your head to this one - I still think it's a pretty good instrumental, light years ahead of "No Love 4 Me". DMX's lyrics are going back to the "I'm as tough as a brick wall" bars that he was using throughout the first half of this thing, and the hook is annoying as hell (God, I wish Swizz Beatz would shut up), but overall, this is a pretty underrated effort.

16. Ready To Meet Him (prod. Swizz Beatz)

Before we get to the final track on the album, DMX gifts us with a Prayer to serve as a sequel to the one on It's Dark and Hell is Hot. It's damned powerful, and once the beat from Swizz comes in at the 2 minute mark, the goosebumps increase, as this is the best instrumental he ever made. It's so unsettling, and also gives the church vibe that is sorely needed for this track in which X has a conversation with God himself, similar to on the previous album's "The Convo". These verses are some of the harshest to listen to in X's catalogue after his tragic death back in 2021, and I especially find myself truly moved by the final verse. The extended instrumental outro was also heavily appreciated. Easily one of the best DMX songs, and one of my favourite of all time. Rest In Peace, X.

Flesh Of My Flesh Blood Of My Blood is an interesting album to say the least. This record contains quite a more upbeat sound than his debut for the most part, largely thanks to the production of Swizz Beatz, who is as hit-or-miss as the UK weather this summer. Sometimes, he will provide something quite powerful, especially on "Ready To Meet Him", but then he will provide us with crap like "No Love 4 Me". I think that him having a hand in almost three quarters of this album was to the project's disadvantage, as even though DMX always shines, the beats on this album aren't always up to snuff, at least until we reach the second half. This is actually an incredibly bottom-heavy album - tracks 1 to 8 range from good to poor, whereas all but "No Love 4 Me" in tracks 9 to 16 are good to an extent. And there's quite a few tracks on here that are truly great - the insanely aggressive "Bring Your Whole Crew", haunting "The Omen", saddening "Slippin'" and powerful "Ready To Meet Him" are all examples of classic music this thing has to offer. DMX is always great on here, providing verses that are usually pretty redundant in terms of subject matter, but terribly unique when it comes to flow and delivery. I do wish this had been sequenced better, and some of the filler could have been cut, but as a whole this is a very solid effort from DMX, and for something recorded in half a year, I can't complain. I would recommend a listen here, as the best tracks are true classics, and there's quite a few dope bangers in here too - just watch out for the godawful "No Love 4 Me". A good, good album, that, with a bit more time put into it, could have been a classic.

Best Tracks: Bring Your Whole Crew, We Don't Give a Fuck, Coming From, The Omen, Slippin', Flesh Of My Flesh, Blood Of My Blood, Ready To Meet Him

Worst Tracks: Keep Your Shit the Hardest, No Love 4 Me

Read up on a little bit more DMX here

Images for "Slippin'" and "No Love 4 Me" singles taken from Discogs

Xzibit - Restless

After his single "What U See Is What U Get" hit no. 50 on the Billboard 200 charts in 1998, Alvin Joiner, more commonly known as Xzibit, became a much more popular figure in the hip-hop community, and this teamed with a mutual friendship with Defari Herut meant that in early 1999 X-to-the-Z hooked up with a certain Andre Young, better known to most as Dr. Dre. This friendship was fruitful enough to not only allow X three appearances on Dre's own 2001 record (one of which was admittedly on the intro skit), but also a guest feature on what was generally regarded to be Snoop Dogg's comeback single "Bitch Please" (a comeback as it was the first time since Doggystyle that he'd had Dre production on his song). Following this, X was invited onto the Up In Smoke Tour with Snoop, Dre and the newly signed Eminem, and despite his not signing to Aftermath, it was agreed that Andre would be credited as executive producer on X's upcoming third album, which came out in December 2000. Exciting stuff.

Restless was released to easily the biggest chart success of Xzibit's entire career - while none of his singles charted as high as "What U See Is What U Get" (yes, not even "X"), the album itself went to no. 12 and sold over 1 million copies in the US, making this Xzibit's only platinum selling record. The album was praised by many critics for bridging the gap between the underground sound found on his first two efforts, and the more mainstream style that was found on 2001 and No Limit Top Dogg to a perfect degree, and most of the fans enjoyed it as well, even though some criticised X's fairly jarring transition into the limelight. 

The album featured a far more star-studded line-up than his previous two works, that's for sure. On the boards we predictably had Dr. Dre, and a couple of previous collaborators such as Sir Jinx and Soopafly, but we also had a plethora of highly popular West and East coast producers including Rockwilder, Rick Rock, Battlecat, Nottz, Erick Sermon, Scott Storch and more - this was an absolutely crazy lineup at the time. The guest list was similarly gripping - Nate Dogg, Eminem, Erick Sermon, DJ Quik, Snoop Dogg, KRS-One and Goldie Loc, as well as King T, Defari and Tha Alkaholiks to help keep the At the Speed Of Life and 40 Dayz & 40 Nightz fans (including me there) happy. This was a huge moment in hip-hop, then, and Xzibit clearly had to prove something here if he wanted to keep the spotlight upon himself. The diverse and photo-filled album art itself indicates this album as a sort of victory lap for X to celebrate his finally breaking into the mainstream, and there was even a documentary made to go alongside the project: Restless Xposed - heavy stuff.

So, did this apparent massive crossover album work? Well, let's see.

1. Intro/Restless (prod. Sir Jinx & Thayod)

Xzibit chooses to introduce himself via the sounds of various pedestrians talking about him and what he's doing for the West Coast, which is pretty intriguing, if a bit self-important. Is that "Thayod" the same one who produced "Paparazzi"?

2. Front 2 Back (prod. Rocwilder)

Xzibit raps over a beat made out of the sound of a low-rida's hydraulics bouncin' up and down, and the results are surprisingly spectacular. The Rockwilder (or "Rocwilder", as the wrongly spelled liner notes indicate) production is easily one of his best ever, although considering most of his beats are just straight up noise that isn't really saying all that much, and the singing from Xzibit is actually quite enjoyable, especially on the intro and outro bridges. The verses themselves are easily some of the lyrically weakest he had dropped up to this point though - starting with the line "will the real X-to-tha-Z please stand up?" was a terrible idea, and most of his other rhymes are misogynistic and stupid in equal measure (see "pop pills and ride the dick" - now that's such a clever line). Still, if you look at this as just a fun club banger then you'll be better off, because that's what it is: a BANGER.

3. Been A Long Time (feat. Nate Dogg) (prod. Battle Cat)

One of the first times X featured a G-funk flavoured cut on one of his own albums, and it's very good, and a calm comedown after the energetic opener. Nate Dogg's hook is pretty damn catchy, meanwhile Xzibit actually sounds far more comfortable on here than on the club-ready "Front 2 Back". It's worth noting that X references the title track from At the Speed Of Life on here, which shows that he hadn't entirely forgotten those days yet, so that's appreciated.

4. U Know (feat. Dr. Dre) (prod. Dr. Dre & Dominick "Nottz" Lamb)

Produced by not only Andre himself, but also by one of my favourite beatmakers Nottz, who if you remember crafted the legendary first three songs on Busta Rhymes' E.L.E. (Extinction Level Event): The Final World Front. I was excited for this upon first listen (which was, come to think of it, almost exactly two years ago), and it didn't disappoint, with Xzibit sounding excellent over the intense and layered production, and Dre delivering a solid verse too (a verse that was almost certainly ghostwritten, but there you go). The hook is catchy too. Great stuff.

5. X (prod. Dr. Dre, Mel-Man & Scott Storch)

Probably the most notorious Xzibit song of all time, one that most would probably assume to be his first single if they hadn't familiarised themselves with his catalogue already. This is also easily one of the best songs in his stacked discography. The rapping on here is brilliant, with Xzibit appearing to be the funniest guy in the world with lines such as "goin' up and down my dick like the stock exchange" and "'cause tonight I might meet my next ex-wife" - I mean, sure, this song is lyrically kind of stupid, and it doesn't really stand up to tracks such as "Paparazzi"or "Recycled Assassins" in any way, shape or form, but the production is banging, the hook is great, Snoop's outro is funny, and Xzibit proves himself a worthwhile addition to the mainstream scene here. I like this a lot.

6. Alkaholik (feat. Erick Sermon & J-Ro and Tash (of Tha Liks)) (prod. Erick Sermon)

Even though he was making his big break into the eyes of the music world with this album, Xzibit of course still didn't leave his friends behind, opting to put them on this album, of course in exchange for all of the marijuana that Tash had stashed up in his apartment. Unfortunately, Tash refused a similar offer two years later, which led to X's infamous falling-out with the people he had once created "Let It Rain" with. Sad stuff. Anyway, this track is brilliant. Erick Sermon (of EPMD, although you should know that already) provides one of his funkiest beats ever (and he did Redman's production through the '90s, so that's saying a lot), and all of the rappers here kill the shit. Yes, the hook is rather silly, but that doesn't lessen my enjoyment. Great track. 

7. Kenny Parker Show 2001 (feat. KRS-One) (prod. Xzibit & Thayod)

Xzibit gives up the more mainstream type tracks for what is easily the best rapping performance on the album so far, spat over an almost cypher type beat that Xzibit rocks with precision - he did produce the thing, after all. The beat itself is fairly simple, but it serves its purpose, and Xzibit makes the song into something energetic and replayable. The only real disappointment here is that KRS didn't spit a verse - he simply delivers a bit of spoken word. Still, great stuff.

8. D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol) (feat. Snoop Dogg) (prod. Rick Roc)

Over an absolutely hateful Rick Rock (or "Rick Roc"? - what is it with the misspelled liner notes?) instrumental, and tied together by one of the worst hooks I have ever heard, Xzibit and Snoop Dogg spit some basic-ass rhymes about... well, you saw the bloody title. I honestly can't stress enough how awful this shit is. You're better off piercing some kind of sharp implement through your eardrums - at least then you'll never run the risk of ever hearing this garbage.

9. Double Time (prod. Erick Sermon)

Kind of weird, but I still like it. Erick Sermon's beat is pulsating and has a quick tempo, which makes for a very much anti-Xzibit sound, but nonetheless he sounds good on here, and the hook is fun. Pretty solid stuff.

10. Don't Approach Me (feat. Eminem) (prod. Eminem)

One of Eminem's many classic guest appearances of the early 2000s - that man was really killing it back then, wasn't he? Of course, this isn't to discredit the work Xzibit puts in here, as he delivers two of his most memorable and serious verses since the days of "Paparazzi" and "Carry the Weight". It's Eminem who owns this though - not only does he come through with an engaging and menacing beat, and a catchy as all hell hook, but he also delivers two of his best ever verses on here. "It's not that I don't like you - it's just that when I'm not behind the mic, I'm a person who's just like you" - if that's not a classic line, I don't know what is.

11. Rimz & Tirez (feat. Defari, Goldie Loc & Kokane) (prod. SoopaFly)

I would criticise the title on this thing, if it wasn't for the fact that these guys have some of the worst rap names I have ever seen, thereby boiling my blood even more. Kokane? Goldie Loc? GOLDIE LOC?? That is the cringiest, most disgusting name you could think of. It's worse than "Shorty Shit Stain". It's so bloody bad. Jesus. Anyway, on with the song. While the bassy beat on here is rather simplistic, I do like the utilisation of tom-toms, and the bassline is actually quite nice. The rapping is pretty good too, even if Kokane's squeaky hook will make you want to plunge a large piece of metal through your CD player.

12. Fuckin' You Right (prod. SoopaFly)

While the Soopafly beat on here would be more suited to a circus than a sex song, at least X senses the tone, and chooses to make the obligatory "I like having sex with lots of different women" song a bit more unique. This track is based on one of the worst excuses for cheating I have ever heard - "I was only having sex with other people so that I could make the sex with my actual girlfriend just perfect". Canadian pie-sniffer Drake later flipped this idea on it's head for his song "Practice", which was even more difficult to hear. Anyway, while the message of this song is ignorant, at least we see more of Xzibit's funny side on here, which is always appreciated.

13. Best Of Things (prod. Dr. Dre)

Has recently become one of the more notorious tracks on this LP, probably thanks to the pulsating Dr. Dre production, that always reminds me of Tech N9ne's "Slacker" for some reason. You could argue that it's popularity is due to Xzibit's reflective lyrics, but then surely people would head to "Carry the Weight" instead? Still, despite this track being inferior to that masterpiece, it's still pretty damn good - the dark instrumental is the perfect fit for Alvin, and once again the singing on the hook is actually good. Nice stuff.

14. Get Your Walk On (prod. Mel-Man & Battle Cat)

Xzibit encourages listeners to do the Crip Walk, a dance that I wish I could master, but simply cannot be bothered to try. Sorry, X. I remember the video for this one attempted to unite the Bloods and Crips, the US' two major rival gangs (although you already knew that), through red and blue graphics, but all this led to was Xzibit getting his face cut wide open (although this could also have been to do with label politics, but... surely not?). The synthy beat is a bit too poppy, but this track would still do well in the club, that's for sure.

15. Sorry I'm Away So Much (feat. Suga Free & DJ Quik) (prod. DJ Quik)

As lazy as the title suggests. X and his two guests get on their serious heads for this one, rapping to their families about how they feel bad about leaving them whenever they go on tour and such, and while the sentiment here is nice, this just feels so forced to me. The beat is also one of the dreariest I've ever had the misfortune of hearing, and really, if you want this type of song from Xzibit, just listen to the much more genuine "The Foundation". A miss.

16. Loud & Clear (feat. Butch Cassidy, Defari & King T) (prod. Battle Cat)

Oh, if only this thing ended at "Get Your Walk On". While I didn't hate this track as much as the previous one, I still don't find it to be anywhere near engaging enough of a closer to such an album. Butch Cassidy (who the hell told him that was a good stage name?) is an incredibly weak singer, and Defari is predictably forgettable on here. King T (no, it's not King Tee anymore, why do you ask?) appearing was a no-brainer, as he not only had clear previous ties with X, but had also signed to Dre's label in the late '90s (which, come to think of it, could have been a key factor in X and Dre's hooking up), but unfortunately he sounds out of place over this slow instrumental. Xzibit does walk away from this one with his head held high, though, so at least he proved himself on the last song, I suppose.

It's funny - I used to think this album was the shit. I would play this thing constantly, and I can still remember a lot of these tracks today. And, up to track 7, Restless truly is a great album, offering hit beats, hit hooks and often great bars (aside the lyrically weak "Front 2 Back") - I can definitely see why I thought this was a classic project, as listening to those tracks run through back to back would certainly give that impression. Once we reach the dismal "D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol)", however, the album becomes a bit of an inconsistent mess, and one with one of the weakest endings compared to the rest of the thing I've ever heard. Seriously, if you chopped off the last two songs, then I would probably feel a hell of a lot more inclined to play this thing through to the end. For what it is now, though, this is still a great album. As I said, the first 7 tracks are all brilliant (besides the intro skit), and then there are other absolute classics thrown in after that too, such as the intense "Don't Approach Me" and the fun "Get Your Walk On". There are so many bangers on this album, but unfortunately they are often sandwiched between songs with weak beats ("Fuckin' You Right"), weak verses ("Rimz & Tirez") or simply weak everything ("D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol)"). Still, I'd recommend a listen - the awful moments here are worth sitting through to get to all the good stuff, which is in abundance. This is a step down from his first two, though, and X's attempts to enter the mainstream were moves he would never recover from, resulting in this being his last truly great effort. And yes, I said great. Get rid of four or five tracks, and this would be a bloody classic, for sure. Very good stuff.

Best Tracks: Front 2 Back, U Know, X, Alkaholik, Kenny Parker Show 2001, Don't Approach Me, Best Of Things, Get Your Walk On

Worst Tracks: D.N.A. (Drugs-N-Alkahol), Sorry I'm Away So Much, Loud & Clear

There's a few more Xzibit albums that I've covered - go on, you know you want to.

Image for "Front 2 Back" single taken from Discogs

Common - Like Water For Chocolate

After releasing his third LP One Day It'll All Make Sense in late 1997, Common experienced more recognition and success than ever before, success that permitted him to leave Relativity Records and move to the more established MCA Records in order to record a fourth effort. Com, apparently sick and tired of bigging up Chicago by now, decided that he would spend his new wads of cash on a home in the far more upmarket Los Angeles, where he moved to in order to work on his next pieces of music. Unfortunately, after forking out the extravagant down payment, he only had enough dough left for one plate ticket, meaning that he was forced to leave his longtime producer and friend No I.D. in the lurch back in Chi-Town, where he would go on to nurture the reasonably successful Kanye West (who also made connection with mr. Sense later on - funny, that). No matter, though, as Common was able to hook up with the established production group The Soulquarians for this new project, a collective made up of J Dilla, James Poyser, D'Angelo and ?uestlove, all of whom had quite the hand in making this album work. Like with One Day It'll All Make Sense, it took Common three years to write and record this album, and also like that project, this one was bloody long, clocking in at almost 80 minutes despite only featuring 16 tracks.

So, was it worth the time? Well, the fans and critics would answer that question with an almost unanimous "yes". This project was met with praise for its experimentation, its diverse soundscape and its powerful political messages, one of which was seen right on the excellent album cover. The project was promoted by one major single, "The Light", a song that was incredibly successful, and saw a lot of people saying that Com was going to see platinum sales with this record - he didn't, but surely gold was good enough for him considering the reception his disc had received. The album was filled with long, experimental and interesting cuts that came together to make one of the most unique rap albums ever released at the time. Even the features were strange - yes, we had Mos Def, Slum Village and MC Lyte for the rap fans, and Bilal and Cee-Lo to add the necessary craved R&B type of artists, but we also had a load of artists no hip-hop head would have ever heard of before - Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove, Jill Scott, Rahzel - the list goes on. 

This looked from the scratch like it was going to be an exciting and powerful listen then. And did it deliver? Well, I don't like to give my endings away, but-

YES, IT DID.

1. Time Travelin' (A Tribute To Fela) (feat. Vinia Mojica, Roy Hargrove & Femi Kuti) (prod. D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser & Jay Dee)

Immediately, that song title and guest list lets you know that you're not in for a normal hip-hop track, as would the 6+ minute runtime for those on streaming (track times are not listed anywhere on the CD). After a crazily long but terribly intriguing build-up, which features some interesting African-sounding background vocals and the introduction of a banger of a drum beat, Common finally steps to the mic, and spits two verses (interrupted by a short break) with a distorted, echoey filter right over his vocals, which kind of annoyed the shit out of me the first time I heard it, but now it just sounds perfect within the beat to me. Com's opening bars of "Yo, I was a piano player in my last lifetime, now I write rhymes, sip white wine and let my light shine" just represent his philosophical outlook on things so well, and the rest of his bars are equally well written. This experimental masterpiece is an excellent way to begin such an album. 

2. Heat (prod. Jay Dee)

Having a chorus that refers to your own work as a steaming pile of poo probably isn't the best show of self-confidence, but it is what it is. Overall, this fairly typical boast-n-bullshit track is probably not what listeners expected after the opener, but as a braggadocios banger, this track does work well, and Common rides this beat as professionally as his horse that he takes out on the country lanes of a weekend. I do wish he wouldn't rap ridiculous things such as "deep as a skinny girl's cunt", though - I mean, that's the sort of thing a rapper who very much wasn't deep would say, surely. Anyway, this is still a big time banger.

3. Cold Blooded (feat. Rahzel, "The Godfather of Noyze", Roy Hargrove & Black Thought) (prod. D'Angelo, ?uestlove, Kelo & The Roots)

Don't jump out of your seats in excitement quite yet, hip-hop fans - Black Thought does shit all on here, perhaps providing one word in the background throughout the track's 5 minute runtime. No idea why he's credited as a feature, then, but nonetheless, this song is great as hell. This brings a more jazzy vibe than the afrobeat opener and the straight up hip-hop "Heat", and while the backing is different, Common brings equally potent skills to the table on this, despite apparently having significant back pains as he states during the first verse. It's crazy how this album can be so diverse yet so consistent at the same time. It defies belief. This is great.

4. Dooinit (prod. Jay Dee)

The title looks a bit stupid, yes, but that doesn't stop this from being arguably the biggest banger of Common's entire excellent career. After starting things off with the aggressive words "motherfucker, move back", a word Common usually strays away from, the track continues to heat up from there, with the scratched up chorus (that takes vocals from the non-album single "Car Horn") blending in perfectly with the beautiful instrumental. Com says a plethora of interesting things throughout this track, including his reasonings as to why he doesn't want to follow the "bling" era rap stereotypes of the time, and also some shouts to Dug Infinite and No I.D. - bet they were happy to hear him bring their name up (just kidding - I'm sure Common parted with Dion on good terms). The beat from J Dilla on this song is also crazy, with the piano keys being just beautiful - and the transition from this into "The Light" is probably the best I have ever heard. Literally.

5. The Light (prod. Jay Dee)

This love song was selected as the lead single to this album. Notice how I said "love song"? Because that's right, this is an actual love song, something that was pretty much unheard of in rap in the year 2000. Sure, there were plenty of tracks referring to "bitches" and "hoes", but on here, Common specifically states that he would never refer to his girl as his "bitch", or even his "boo", as there is so much more to her than just being HIS girlfriend. That's perhaps one of the most self-aware and humble things a rapper has ever said on wax, although admittedly there's not much competition (even from himself). The production on this track is stupendously good (bet you've never seen THAT term used in a rap review before), showcasing another example of Dilla's incredible skill behind the boards, and the verses from Lonnie are spectacular and heartwarming too. Great single. 

6. Funky For You (feat. Bilal & Jill Scott) (prod. Jay Dee & James Poyser)

I'm unsure as to why Common keeps referring to himself and/or his songs as "funky" (remember the decidedly not-funky "Food For Funk" off the last album?), as this song doesn't come across as anything of the sort, as this is more smooth and soulful than funky - "Heat" and "Cold Blooded" would be more deserving of this title. Despite this small amount of misleading information, this track is still absolutely beautiful, and one of the best on the whole album. Dilla and James Poyser both contribute to this wonderfully atmospheric beat that stands as the second best (sorry, it'll take a bloody lot to beat "Dooinit") instrumental so far, and Scott and Bilal both provide interesting vocals to the track. Common is lyrically excellent as always, and the sampling work on here is nice as hell too. What a track.

7. The Questions (feat. Mos Def) (prod. Jay Dee & James Poyser)

Despite the fact that the rapping on here is creative, and the concept is very unique, I was always more underwhelmed by this track than the rest of the music on here. The song is clearly a lot simpler than the rest of the tracks here in terms of production, so I guess that's it. Still, it's another great piece, with a positive vibe and some actually great rapping from Common and the man formerly known as Mos Def, aside from the latter's not-very-self-aware final line. Despite this not being an entirely "John-blazin'" track, I still find it a solid banger

8. Time Travelin' Reprise (prod. D'Angelo, ?uestlove, James Poyser & Jay Dee)

A short interlude to revisit the opening track, only this actually has quite a different vibe to it. A nice, short musical interlude - rappers should do these more often, instead of stupid skits.

9. The 6th Sense (feat. Bilal) (prod. DJ Premier)

Probably the second most popular track here after "The Light", and the listener would already be rather excited about this one due to that producer credit - DJ Premier working with Common? That could only be a recipe for greatness. And indeed it of course was, with Common taking one of the best beats Preemo ever created, and rapping his ass off over it about various injustices in society. Bilal also ties things together with an absolutely beautiful chorus that sounds like it fell straight from heaven, intertwined with some scratches taken from Mobb Deep's track "Allustrious" (yes, that is how they spelled it). Com does drop the overly self-confident bar "if revolution had a movie, I'd be theme music", but other than that his rhymes are poetic and typically well thought-out. This is easily one of Common's best songs, ever.

10. A Film Called (Pimp) (feat. Bilal & MC Lyte) (prod. Jay Dee)

Introduced by a fairly amusing skit that does render the album unplayable as a whole around family members, which is a shame. This track contains one of the least energetic Dilla beats I've ever heard, but thankfully Common and MC Lyte make up for the musical defects by creating an argument between a socially conscious rapper (who is the "pimp") and the rap game who he is trying to improve (the "ho"). Remember, Kendrick wasn't the first rapper to create an argument on wax (and neither was Common, in fact)! The argument here is pretty funny, but sadly the beat and dull Bilal hook make this into arguably the weakest track here.

11. Nag Champa (Afrodisiac For the World) (prod. Jay Dee)

Probably most famous for Common's strangely homophobic bars during the third verse (Com finally lost his homophobic views around 2009, so better late than never I suppose). I was personally more disgusted by the line "eyes on the thighs of Mary J. Blige, imagining how good the cat must be" - apparently she forgot about this track when she made "Come Close" with Lonnie a couple of years later. Aside from this short portion (yes, both questionable moments occur at the same point), this track is actually a really smooth listen. Dilla provides some chilled out production and surprisingly beautiful vocals on the hook, meanwhile Common does actually deliver on the rest of the track. Ignore the weird lines, then, and you've got yourself another classic track.

12. Thelonius (feat. Slum Village) (prod. Jay Dee)

Of course we couldn't let a rap album run it's course without the obligated posse cut track, which here comes in the form of a song with J Dilla's crew Slum Village, who consist of T3, Baatin and of course Dilla himself. While T3 appears to be completely obsessed with sex and the word "dick", and Dilla spits an absolutely awful verse to start things off, the track builds up from there over the heavenly beat, with Common and Baatin doing great jobs with their verses, and Dilla redeeming himself at the end. I will say that this probably should have found a home outside this album, but nonetheless it's still a great banger.

13. Payback Is a Grandmother (prod. Jay Dee)

Apparently feeling (rightly) that the "Stolen Moments" series from his last album was a complete success, Com decides to spit another showcase of his detective antics, this time attempting to track down the men that robbed his grandmother while she was at a poker match. Com starts off by actually relating this to his previous track of a similar nature ("it was a hardy boy mystery I had to solve again, dude that broke in my crib, it wasn't involving him!"), and then tells the story with such fluency and attention to detail that the man should probably get to writing a crime novel already - the intense beat from Dilla that sounds decidedly more playful than the majority of the rest of this thing is appreciated too. The ending is quite unexpected as well, which further shows Com's adeptness for this type of track. He should do more of them! 

14. Geto Heaven Part Two (feat. D'Angelo) (prod. God, co-prod. D'Angelo, ?uestlove & James Poyser)

Credited as being produced by "God" - I'm sure the Soulquarians were happy about having their credit taken away from them (at least the producer isn't a young Kanye West - now that would have been a weird bit of foreshadowing to a certain pretentious era). This track was later replaced by a remix to the song featuring Macy Gray, and while I can see why - this is one of the weaker tracks here - I still enjoy this, even if I find D'Angelo's vocals to be a bit unpleasant. Com actually makes a callback to his older track "G.O.D. (Gaining One's Definition)" at the end, what with the repetition of the final line, and that makes sense, as there are many parallels I can draw between the two tracks. This is pretty smooth stuff.

15. A Song For Assata (feat. Cee-Lo) (prod. James Poyser)

Throughout this project there are many songs that could be considered some of the best in the entire hip-hop genre. So it's interesting that this one manages to better them all - this is the greatest Common song ever. EVER. From James Poyser's violin-laced production, to the vivid storytelling in Common's verses, to the wonderful singing from Cee-Lo on the hook that stands as the best vocal appearance he has ever done, everything on here is perfect. In case you didn't know, this track tells the story of the arrest, unfair incarceration and finally escape and gaining of freedom of Black Panther activist Assata Shakur (who is actually 2Pac's step-aunt, apparently). The track is unbelievably powerful, with the outro speech and music being such an incredibly heavenly listen. This song is unbelievably good, and there really isn't much out there to match it. Then again, you could say the same about this whole album.

16. Pop's Rap III...All My Children (feat. Lonnie "Pops" Lynn) (prod. The Karriem Riggins)

Common's father is back to provide the usual long-winded outro. This does kind of feel like we're sitting at the campfire at the end of a long-winded and wonderful journey, though, chatting about good times, and for that I give it an easy pass.

Wow... words can't really express how incredible this album is. The project manages to be 78 minutes long, and yet at the same time, it remains absolutely perfect for the entire runtime - even the songs I was more critical of still managed to be largely excellent, perhaps just not as good as the rest of the stuff on here. This album has the best transitions, the best cohesiveness, the best production... the list goes on and on. Let's start with the production, because my God are the beats good on here. You get funky hip-hop tracks from Dilla such as "Dooinit" and "Payback Is a Grandmother", you get experimental masterpieces such as "Time Travelin' (A Tribute to Fela)" and "Cold Blooded", and you get incredibly heartwarming instrumentals, such as "The Light" and "A Song For Assata". And that's just naming some examples. The moods throughout this album are very diverse, but they always work for me. Secondly, we have the guest appearances. While the rap guest features all deliver well, especially MC Lyte, we also get incredible singing from Bilal, Jill Scott, Cee-Lo and more, all of which allow this album to have a huge amount of replay value, which is just great. And then we have the man of the moment himself, Common, who just bloody kills this album - he proves himself to be easily one of the greatest MCs of all time throughout this project, whether he's storytelling, bragging, being uplifting or simply being a funny chap. This album is easily worth your time, all 78 minutes of it, and it's placement in the book 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die is unquestioned - heck, I would probably put this in my top 10. What an incredible experience.

Best Tracks: Every song contributes to this equally.

Worst Tracks: no.

Read up on more Lonnie by clicking here.

Images for "Dooinit" and "Funky For You" singles taken from Discogs.