The 37th Chamber 11.07.09: Duck For Cover!

Posted by Patrick Robinson on 11.07.2009

This week, we're looking at cover songs and their worth, 50 Cent's discography, Lil Wayne's gun charge and a review of the latest Subnoize Souljaz release!

Sorry about last week, I made an attempt to get the column done, but the flu beat me in the end. I ended up falling asleep on the computer desk and feeling even worse when I woke up and rather than do a half-assed effort, I decided to postpone it.

Anyway, let's get onto it.

"You need to get Non-Phixion's "The Future is Now". Great CD. Banging beats and dope rhymes. You definitely need to find that." - Jeremy

In the process of getting it now. I'm enjoying this journey of self-expansion in hip-hop music quite a bit.

"Here in the states we have cop cars in Mercedes and Lexus (it's pretty rare) but Taxis are still ugly as hell. (At least where I live) Anyway welcome back and glad you enjoyed your time. I thought I was the only Hip Hop fan into manga/comics (I love both). Nice to see I'm not the only one."

Yeah it's weird to see expensive cars being used as taxis mainly because I thought the on-road costs associated with running them were usually more than the cheaper brands of cars. I'm definitely anticipating heading back to Singapore and Japan one day in the next few years or so, real life permitting anyway.

I've been watching anime for a while but started getting into the manga side of things after far too many series pissed me off by basically being marketing tools for the manga i.e. leaving storylines half-finished. Of course this has proved to be a problem as there is now a storage crisis in my room with all the DVDs, CDs and manga floating around. I figure I might actually have to start using CDs as coasters as we joke about usually to compensate for room.



"Well I have my issues with 50 Cent but I think when it comes to rapping he's a pretty good or decent rapper.

Get Rich or Die Tryin: Let's be honest who didn't have this album in 03? And rightfully so it's a damn good album. It has gritty lyrics and catchy hooks. It's a gangster rapper's ideal album. My favorite tracks are "Life on the Line" and "Patiently Waiting". Overall 8.5/10"

The sore thumb here is "21 Questions". It's funny but when I read reviews of GRODT they are usually split on "21 Questions". Some of the reviews are in line with my way of thinking in that had it NOT been on the album, it would have been a solid, gritty gangsta rap trip from start to finish. Throwing "21 Questions" on here SCREAMS for radio attention like a toddler does when they don't get their chocolates. Then I've read reviews that actually criticize the entire album, but then praise "21 Questions" as being "sensitive and a breath of fresh air" amongst the gangsta rap topics. Really? Sensitive? "A FAT KID LOVES CAKE" is quite possibly one of the worst ‘seduction' lines or whatever you want to call it I have ever heard in my life and I have heard a guy on a bus say to a girl "hey is it hot in here cause the air-conditioning isn't working, or is it just you?" Yeah no joke, that actually happened.

Uh tangent aside, the beauty of GRODT was that 50 had that mixtape hunger and drive to succeed. I think that had he NOT made "21 Questions" at all, his career might be in a very different position than it is today. He might have stuck with the gritty rap instead of fluffing things up constantly to get radio play. What's wrong with making another "In Da Club"? Nothing! Dope beat, decent rhymes, catchy hook, even the video was dope with all the cameos and stuff (check Game wearing a black headband). Em's verse on "Patiently Waiting" was one of the best on the album, 50 definitely took the ‘Jay on "Renegade"' back seat on that song anyway.

"The Massacre: I once heard someone call this The Wedding, because this is when 50 started to go overboard with the singing. This is a solid album. I thought the production was slick. The first half of the album is GREAT then it like dies in the latter half. I don't know what the hell happened. "In my Hood sick", "Toy Solider" not so much. 7/10 I may be overrating a little but I liked the first half a lot and hate everything after "Ski Mask Way"."

HAHAHA THE WEDDING!!! Classic, I'm stealing that sometime in the future. I'm a bit torn on his singing. On one hand, it works for tracks like "Many Men" (which actually sounds like "Mini Men" when he sings it) in a way, but then on "Just A Lil Bit" it's pretty awkward and I feel awkward listening to the song. Listening to "Gunz Come Out"…it's pretty bad too. Production was pretty dope, Dre brought his A-game and I think Scott Storch was basically ruling the clubs at this point, between "Candy Shop", "Just A Lil Bit" and "Lean Back" from the Terror Squad album; he was getting a lot of money by that time.

"A Baltimore Love Thing" I think is one of 50's best songs and it's actually a good song in its own right. I also thought that "God Gave Me Style" was quite different from what he'd done in the past and the beat was nice too. But yeah, basically everything after "Ski Mask Way" apart from those two songs I've mentioned above are basically let downs in one way or another.

"Curtis: Didn't 50 say he wasn't gonna do songs about killing and shit? Well we didn't get that instead with got a mix between GRODT and Massacre but nothing really excelled. The problem with this album is that it felt the exact same as his last two. I wasn't even sure 50 went in the booth he just used songs that didn't make the Massacre. The biggest issue I have with the album is that one song would be violent the other would be 50 singing about having sex. With that being said My Gun Go Off, Follow My Lead and Ayo Technology are good songs. 7/10 Even though everything felt the same its still an average album. I bash it for reasons not dealing with the musical side."

Yeah I remember being incredibly skeptical when I heard he wasn't going to be making songs about violence etc. because I KNEW he wouldn't be able to do it. I mean, the first song (skip the Intro) is called "My Gun Go Off" follow by "Man Down" and "I'll Still Kill". Way to show diversity 50! Despite the fact that it was meant to be more ‘personal', hence the album cover and name, it basically played out, as you said, like a combination of his previous two albums. We got hints of the gritty or more lyrically complex 50 but there weren't enough of them. Even the production was a bit of a letdown compared to the previous two, and I blame that on the fact that he went with a few no-name producers and even the Dre beat was a bit iffy.

I've got it rated about 6/10 personally, mainly because I just kept getting annoyed by it.

"Overall 50 may go down in history because his albums sell like crazy. He knows how to get his name out there even if he does annoy 90% of the people with his "beefs". I just wish people would stop calling Get Rich a classic." - Jesuszilla son of Godzilla

Oh yeah, I can't stand people who say GRODT is a classic. It's a good album, but does it deserve the same critical acclaim as say, going for the K.O. here, Illmatic? NOPE.

Anyway, Before I Self Destruct is coming in just over a week and I'll be reviewing it so check back here to see how he's gone in the last 2 years or so.



"Lil' Wayne or Soulja Boy? Ew. I guess I'd go with Wayne, at least he has those moments of clarity when he makes sense and at worst, I could laugh at his moments of nonsensicalness."

Wayne on his "train of randomness" is usually good for a laugh or two. For anyone wondering what a "train of randomness" sounds like, imagine a Slick Rick story, then take out the plot, throw in a heavy dose of cough syrup, a blow to the head from a blunt object and you've got Wayne on Da Drought 2 which is my absolute favorite mixtape by Lil Wayne due to its total and utter lack of coherency at times.

"Sometimes, I think the only thing that keeps me going is anticipation of the day some of these rappers have their "Hammer Moment". One day, we'll wake up, go to our favorite music/hip-hop news site and see the headline "Soulja Boy files for Bankruptcy". That day will be the sweetest day ever and, for at least a moment, all will be right in Hip-Hop."

Hahaha "Hammer Moment" is an awesome way to describe it. I think if a high-profile artist like Soulja Boy (you have no idea how much it pains me to write that, but sadly it's true, dude is getting enough mainstream attention to warrant it I think) DID actually go bankrupt one day, the major labels may just wake up and realize that since he HASN'T been able to fulfill his contractual obligations in terms of delivering ‘X' many albums, it wasn't a smart investment after all and instead, turn to a rapper who can bring them more money through consistent album sales and if they strike up a deal like Live Nation (…I think) did with Jay where his concert proceeds also go to the label, they will be set. People pay good money to see artists like Raekwon for example; I'd probably pay up to $100 or so if I knew he was going to be doing a solid set. I probably wouldn't be happy paying more than $15 for Soulja Boy even if he was doing a 5 hour set, actually I'd probably want to pay less if it was that long.



"I wasn't aware that the BET Hip-Hop Awards had happened. I may hate the network, the award show, and everything they stand for, but I have to check out the cyphers." - AlaskanHero

I haven't had a chance to check them out yet either but I heard that Budden and Eminem had some dope verses.

"Wayne, don't drop the soap! Who am I kidding, everyone knows Wayne is gayer than 9 guys blowing 10, He'll probably drop that shit on purpose! Apparently Jimmy has caught on to Ramirez theory about T.I. being a snitch, hey if it walks like a duck and talks like a duck it must be T.I. with a wire."

I think Ross' statement that doing an 8 month stint (or whatever) in prison will be ‘easy' for him to accomplish certainly pays credibility to what you're saying hahaha.



"R.E.D. outsells Before I Self Destruct, I'm calling it! 50 Cent is nowhere near the top anymore and it's his own damn fault, he sold out quicker than Vanilla Ice and still thinks he's tough shit. Then there is Game, bipolar syndrome be damned he just gets better and better, just look at the catalogue, the same can't be said for 50! Maybe kicking him outta G-Unit wasn't such a good idea was it? I still count that day as the beginning of the end for 50's reign."

I'm very interested to see how the album is going to sell. I haven't seen ANY of the singles on the TV here apart from "Get Up" which is technically not part of the album anyway. I know in Aus we tend not to get new tracks that fast, but when Curtis came out, I still saw "Straight To The Bank" and "I Get Money" before the album dropped on TV. 50 does have a couple of things going for him. Since he's releasing an album that DOESN'T have almost half the tracks previously available before the album release, the casual fan is more likely to buy BISD I think.

I haven't caught any of Game's singles either, but given he's taking more time and conscious effort promoting tracks that are GOING TO BE ON THE ALBUM, I think it's going to be damn close. 50's still got the big-name draw and people are going to want to check out the album either way, and he's got the Interscope marketing machine behind him. If Game still had that major label power, I would certainly bet that Game was going to outsell 50, but since he's on an Indy label, I think he will still outsell him, but not by as much as he should be.

I definitely agree that kicking Game out of G-Unit was the beginning of the end of 50's reign on top of hip-hop. I actually recall being pretty shocked that someone could just do something like that on-air over the radio and I'm not surprised that Game damn near killed him in the days that followed.

Actually speaking of abbreviations, I realized today that the new Transformers movie, Revenge Of The Fallen has ROTF (or ‘rolling on the floor') as an abbreviation so perhaps the movie was MEANT to be a big joke? Note: I haven't actually seen the movie, but from what I've read, I'm not so sure I want to.

"Tech-9ine, how his music has stayed out of the mainstream for the past 3 years is beyond me, as long as he keeps dropping quality music and putting out GREAT artists like Krizz Kaliko I don't care. Fuck Cash Money, Strange Music has been putting out pure quality hip hop for some time now!

G. Malone Nov 20, save your pennies!" - Kurruption

I've got to check out K.O.D. soon. The problem is that I don't realize these are official albums until AFTER they've dropped. I keep thinking their compilation albums or mixtapes until I check the sales figures each week. He's certainly put in the most (quality) work this year of any other rapper I think in terms of workload.


More than 20 years rapping and still possess the fire he did when he started

"Can't wait for the Chuck D interview! That should be an awesome read."

Check it out here

And:

Part 1, Skratch Bastid

Part 2, Apathy

Part 3, Lyrics Born

Chuck D's interview certainly won't disappoint and Lyrics Born has a great outlook on how the Internet can HELP hip-hop thrive.

"Lil Wayne in jail is actually quite disappointing, IMHO. You'd think that after all the shit rappers get for walking with guns on them; people would try to NOT do it. Guess not."

It's crazy but given how many rappers are constantly rapping about carrying guns/drugs, it's no wonder the ‘hip-hop police' exist. I mean, rappers are presenting themselves as pretty damn easy targets.



"Ice Cube's speech at the BET hip-hop awards has to be the most spot on thing said in the longest time. He's right about the old guys still being able to rap and rap well. Look at Chuck D, pushing 50 and still has the vocal power he did in '89.

Great column as always." - nastrodamus

Cube's one of my favorite rappers for just that reason: He's always THINKING and speaking after THINKING as opposed to speaking and then realizing you've said something stupid, then saying something more stupid and digging the grave ever deeper. Not to mention what he says is 100% spot-on most of the time. Chuck D sounds just as good today as he did more than TWENTY YEARS AGO. I think most rappers these days are lucky to last 20 months let alone possess the longevity of 20 YEARS. Add to that GZA as well as he's just as sharp as ever.

"I'd take Wayne over Soulja Boy, although I dig "Turn My Swag On"... even though I'm sick of the word 'swag' and SB didn't really say anything except "yeeaahhh"..."

He's the new Lil Jon ever since Lil Jon stopped doing that. Anyone else notice that about 2 or 3 years after the Dave Chappelle skit made him famous, he kind of stopped doing the "YEAH", "OK" and "WHAT" bits? Listening to Pitbull's "Krazy" he's actually SAYING THINGS. Usually the same words over and over again, but at least he's showing some variety.

"... and I have no idea why people find Gucci Mane so entertaining, there must be something I'm missing... the only redeeming thing I've found in him is that he sometimes calls himself Gucci Mane LaFleur... and I can't even figure out what makes that any kind of cool... seriously, his adlibs sound like he would fit right in with Timmy and Jimmy... "burr!"" - Joe

Hahaha is he trying to make himself sound more sophisticated perhaps? I'm not sure if it works like that though…

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe Soulja Boy is copying off his "mentor" Gucci Mane. From my understanding Gucci "How the hell is the guy popular again?" Mane released 3 mixtapes back-to-back coincidentally said to have given him "growth"."

HA! Maybe they read the reviews on the net and think, "artistic growth, everyone is always complaining about a lack of artistic growth…I KNOW! I'll release three tapes worth of material and say the experience has changed me!"

WRONG ANSWER.

GAHHHHH

"Can't wait to see this year's cypher. That IS the reason to watch BET Hip-hop awards."

I like seeing who they nominate the "I Am Hip-Hop" award each year too. I reckon members of the Clan or the entire Clan itself can't be far off for an award.

"You know what while reading the 50 Cent track list I thought about how funny it would be if your quotes was what the songs were about. I think I would actually buy the album if that were the case."

Hahaha as I've been writing this, I've been listening to the album and let me say, if it WAS about what I'd written, I'd be much happier. It's not bad, but there are a couple of really bad hooks that kind of put you off.



"Now how the hell did Drake's EP sell if its free download? Are people actually paying money for it?" - Dab

Supposedly one of the major chains was selling it for $6.95 or something, but I'm surprised people are actually buying it because there were only like, 1 or 2 new tracks on it. I suppose some people will pay given it's cheap…but it's something that has been available for ages already. I'll never work out the mindset of the CD buying public at large I don't think.

"p rob I haven't chimed into ur site for awhile, I'll keep it as short n sweet as possible. ok Timbaland- really any1 looking forward to it, he can't rap unless maybe he has magoo and missy with him, respect beats but let's keep it to beats"

Timbaland really needs to outsource for the actual vocals on his albums all the time I think. He's good for background warbling or hooting but really, he shouldn't rap for more than a couple of lines at a time.

"hmm... Rakim and Rhymefest = awesomeness"

That will be a pretty dope tour, I'm certain of it. The two are definitely going to make the paying concertgoers feel appreciated for laying down money for the show.

"2 many people hating on Wayne lately, everyone was rocking to him like a yr ago, yes he's annoying but dude can rap and entertain like a mother ya know, same with Soulja Boy"

The only problem is that Wayne makes it really easy for us to laugh at him. His tendency to speak without thinking almost has as much unintentional hilarity value as Kanye's random outburst do.

"50s new CD looks nice I think, last CD I wasn't amped to get, but this one I'm stoked for, Em and 50 do track called "Psycho", simple beat with them spitting, to me that's rap"

"Psycho" is one of the highlights on the CD for sure. Em's back to doing what he does best, and that's just rapping as if his very career and life depend on it (and after the, ‘more than expected', negative feedback from Relapse, I'm pretty sure he's going to try and keep it Eminem as opposed to experimenting a bit).

"And last but least the cypher- Eminem n Joe Budden tore it up then KRS shocked me with fire and Black Thought was nice. Mos Def def not a freestyle, ok 2 long I'm ghost like Casper ya dig, I'm white what lol" - bobert

I'll see if I can't find a copy of the cyphers floating around on a torrent somewhere tonight.

"It really is an unfortunate situation for Wayne. I mean, yes the guy raps about certain things that may instigate some while listening to his songs, but the guy kinda has to carry a gun around. He is the hottest musician in rap right now and that's a big target to have, especially to police." - Trouser Snake

"I'm sorry but I have a problem believing with any logic that a multi-millionaire NEEDS to carry a gun around with him." - The Rapper's Rapper

Yeah it seems a bit strange to want to do that. If I ever become famous and get enough money, I'm hiring gigantic scary looking dudes like Suge Knight, Ezekiel Jackson or Kimbo Slice who just looks like he'd fuck you up for blinking without permission. Actually Kimbo Slice, now that I'm looking at Google images a bit more closely, kind of looks like what would happen if Mark II and 50 Cent somehow managed to reproduce. Am I crazy? I'll you guys decide.

The Rant

We've talked about sampling and the pros and cons many times before, but something that doesn't always get mentioned is the art of the cover song. It's then hard to determine, what is the line between a cover song and sampling the song to a heavy degree?

Let's take everyone's favorite punching bag of the moment, Jay-Z. Jay has been criticized many times in his career for biting lines. He claims to be paying tribute to the artist, but his naysayers will simply call it biting, particularly when that track emerged from Cam'Ron where he played Jay's version then the original version next to each other. Given, these were never entire songs, but usually a handful of bars or a hook were borrowed from artists such as Biggie, Snoop and even Slick Rick.

So is Jay sampling the voice like he did with Nas on "Dead Presidents II" or is he ‘covering' the track (which often happens in pop-rock when you think about it) or is he biting? What's the difference between the three?

I see sampling as utilizing a small part, whether it be from the beat or the lyrics for your own new creation. In terms of beat sampling, look no further than Kanye West or 9th Wonder. In terms of specific songs, one song that comes to mind instantly is Run-D.M.C.'s "Peter Piper". The number of times I've heard that same bell loop being used in hip-hop is uncanny. Speaking of Run-D.M.C. their take on Aerosmith's "Walk This Way" is often credited for helping usher hip-hop into the mainstream during a time when it was struggling for acceptance.

Biting I see differently as it suggests an artist is just far too lazy to write their own material. Regardless of what you think of Jay, the fact of the matter is, he HAS written a fair amount of his own material compared to how much he has taken from other artists.

This week's rant is mainly about cover songs and I'd like to get your opinions on them as a whole. I will mention a few key ones but obviously I'd have to be a computer to know them all. What I think hurts cover songs is that you're constantly comparing them to the original (unless you haven't heard it that is) and sometimes artists try and take on songs that are deemed CLASSICS by the fans at large. We could debate the Classic status of GRODT all day, but nobody is going to deny an album like Slick Rick's The Great Adventures Of… IS.

Kicking off the rant therefore, is "Children's Story" from Black Star's self-titled album. Whilst Slick Rick's original tale involves a tale of crime and robbery ending in tragedy, Mos Def's take on it involves a tale of a rapper on the come up. The beat is quite different from the original, as is the content, but there should be no doubt in anyone's mind as to where Mos Def is drawing inspiration from. Personally, I enjoy the faster pacing on Slick Rick's and seriously, when it comes to storytelling, is there anyone who does it better?

But since Mos Def's tale is quite different in terms of content, is the song a cover or a heavy dose of sampling? I figure that it's a cover song in that many times when a song is covered, the new artist will take various liberties with it in order to make it more comfortable for them.

One of my favorite tracks in recent times is Pharoahe Monch's "Welcome To The Terrordome", a take on Public Enemy's track of the same name. Monch's first verse is an almost line for line copy of Public Enemy's original version which I suppose a testament to Public Enemy's longevity in that lyrics written sometime in 1989 were being reused and not sounding outdated in 2007. The remainder of the song though, largely utilizes Monch's own lyrics, closing out again with a few bars from the original. The original comes off an undisputed Classic album (Fear Of A Black Planet) and Pharoahe Monch is certainly a rapper capable of handling such material in a respectful manner, as he did. It's certainly much harder to choose which song is the ‘better' one in this case, but as much as I love Public Enemy, Pharoahe Monch is one of my Top 10 favorites of all time so I suppose I give it an edge in bias.

The "Welcome To The Terrordome" example though is a much easier one to say ‘cover or sampling' in that since lyrically, a large part of the song is copied, it is a cover song.

The final example before we move on is "Me And My Girlfriend" by 2Pac and "03 Bonnie And Clyde" by Jay-Z. This is one that often causes a fair deal of frustration. The original? Inspired by Nas' "I Gave You Power" and features arguably 2Pac at his lyrical finest in terms of managing the metaphor over the entire song and making it more obvious as the song gets closer to the end. Jay's version? The beat changed a little, the guitar loop made it a bit softer and lyrically, Jay completely changed the entire mood of the song. Given how Pac felt about Jay before he died, I know a lot of people who question the worth of this song.

Regardless though, he we have another artist taking on an arguably classic song and instead of drawing inspiration from it and using the various themes etc. to make an updated version of the track, we have an artist taking the most basic concept of the original song (a relationship) and using it to just make a radio hit. Now I actually kind of like Jay and Beyonce's take on it as it strangely fits Jay's image but it really doesn't compare at all to the original. It's hard to compare them at all given how different they end up being as finished products. In the end though, when it comes down to it, I'll always take Pac's song over Jay's.

In this sense, I suppose this is more of a sampling rather than a cover song as the concept of the original (well, intended concept) has not been carried over.

So this week marks Part 2 of my adventure into new territory, the Suburban Noize label and their artists. In line with what we have been talking about, I'm going to be looking at an album put out by the Subnoize Souljaz collective, Blast From The Past.

I'm going to write this out as I would a normal review, but the name in brackets is the original artist according to the liner notes in the album. I should mention now that these are definitely cover tracks as the intent and at times lyrics and even beats (albeit with touch ups here and there) are largely intact from the originals.



Tracks:

1. Paul Revere Ft. Kottonmouth Kings (Beastie Boys)
2. Momma Said Knock You Out Ft. Judge D (LL Cool J)
3. Bitch Better Have My Money Ft. Big B (AMG)
4. 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted Ft. Chucky Chuck & Saint Dog (2Pac / Snoop Dogg)
5. Microphone Fiend Ft. The Dirtball (Eric B. & Rakim)
6. Fuck Tha Police Ft. Saint Dog, Judge D & Daddy X (N.W.A.)
7. Ain't No Future In Yo Frontin' Ft. Johnny Richter (MC Breed)
8. Murder Was The Case Ft. Chucky Chuck (Snoop Dogg)
9. Children's Story Ft. Daddy X (Slick Rick)
10. I Got It Made Ft. D-Loc (Special Ed)
11. I Got 5 On It Ft. Potluck (The Luniz)
12. Bring Tha Noize Ft. Sen Dog & Daddy X (Public Enemy)
13. Just A Friend Ft. Big B (Biz Markie)
14. Strictly Business Ft. Dogboy (EPMD)

Looking at the tracklist, you can already see just how many renowned songs have been covered here. The problem I had whilst listening to this album, is that I am a BIG fan of a number of the tracks here, particularly those by West Coast artists which I cut my teeth on when I was getting into hip-hop 10 years ago now.

Longtime readers will know the significance "Fuck Tha Police" had for me, for those that may not know, it was the very first hip-hop song I remember truly listening to but that's a reminiscing for another day. Anyway, now that I'm older and (hopefully) smarter, I know exactly what the significance "Fuck Tha Police" had for hip-hop as a whole. When you examine the situation that young black males were facing, and still are facing, every day and how law enforcement plays a part in that, the original track had enormous political and social significance. Saint Dog, Judge D and Daddy X's take on it isn't necessarily bad, and all three are certainly capable rappers, but the problem is that it just doesn't carry that political and social impact that the original does.

The opening track, "Paul Revere" is quite a different tone compared to the Beastie Boys' version in terms of the vocals. The Beastie Boys were known for having higher pitched voices that were often comical at times whereas the Kottonmouth Kings have significantly heavier voices and as such it kind of loses the bounce that the original had.

The only other track I really had a problem with was "Microphone Fiend". I applaud The Dirtball for having the balls to cover a RAKIM song as I'm certain even Nas, who was heralded as the next Rakim would have hesitations of attempting a cover track. The Dirtball certainly tries his best and if this was a standalone song, it would be quite good in that sense, but comparing the vocals and flow to Rakim hurts it.

Other than those three songs though, I was very impressed with the album. "Momma Said Knock You Out" may not carry the same significance that it did for LL when it first came out, but Judge D does an excellent job of capturing the hunger and aggression that LL had on the original. "2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted", another one of my favorite tracks growing up, I'll admit, I was apprehensive at first, and although nothing will match the original's smooth gangsta rap flow from Pac and Snoop, the duo of Chucky Chuck and Saint Dog certainly come close. I suppose another factor that made the original so impressive was the fact that at one time or another, Pac and Snoop were wanted for really serious criminal charges. I'm not familiar enough with Chucky Chuck and Saint Dog to know if they have ever faced murder charges, but that aside, the duo certainly have respect for the original.

That respect is what really impressed me as every artist, even those on the tracks that didn't work as well, are obviously fans of the original songs. Verses have been crafted in line with the originals, keeping the lyrical content and even flow intact and it's quite a pleasant trip down memory lane at times. And everyone involved with the production side of things have basically taken the original, re-mastered it and tweaked things ever so slightly to make it sound a bit more 2009 as opposed to 1989 in some cases.

"Children's Story" for me, was one of the highlights of the album as Daddy X brings Slick Rick's classic to life once more. Everything from the flow, the lyrics and even the accent screams Slick Rick. The reason I went on that rant before introducing the album here was to stress the importance between basically…to quote Cam'Ron (ugh) ‘swagger jacking' an entire song, and paying homage to the original. "Children's Story" is certainly paying homage to the original and if you're a fan Slick Rick's version, you should give this one a listen, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Another excellent example was Potluck's take on "I Got 5 On It". The Luniz' original is easily one of the classic weed anthems of the ages and is certainly another of my favorite tracks, also given how many remixes popped up, you'd think there would be hesitation covering it here too. I was wrong as the group (Potluck is comprised of 1 Ton and Underrated) approach the song head on with confidence and even try and emulate the slightly weird tone The Luniz had on the track. Again, paying homage by getting a group who are cannabis activists to take on the track as opposed to just picking two guys with funny voices.

Big B does a tremendous job of Biz Markie's "Just A Friend" right down to the hilarious off-key singing on the hook. I think the beauty of a song like that though it that it's essentially timeless and the song has gotten a second chance of entertaining fans as Big B nails Biz' various lyrical mannerisms perfectly.

Overall, this was an extremely fun album to listen to as it was a real trip down memory lane for me and will probably be for anyone who grew up listening to the originals of these tracks. It's mainly the songs that carried some extra weight, such as the political and social implications of "Fuck Tha Police" and the vocal styling of the Beastie Boys would be damn hard to emulate, regardless of if it was one of their most famous songs or not. In the end though, I'd definitely recommend this album to anyone who's looking for a bit of a blast from the past or anyone who might be trying to educate a newer hip-hop fan on some of the older classics that may be facing difficulties or resistance from a younger fan who writes off the original artists as being ‘too old' etc. I'm going to give this one an 8.5/10 and another success in my look at the Suburban Noize label and artists.

The Signoff

That's all for yet another week! It's just gone midnight here so I should probably get into bed given I've got work in less than 9 hours now…

Ugh, I really should ask for a later start on Saturdays.