The Next Level - Da Real album review
The Next Level was the Flint version of Public Enemy similar to how Kaos & Mystro was the Detroit version of Boogie Down Productions. Mad Maggie Mag was their executive producer. This album was released in 1994 on cassette only by AMPA Records outta Flint. Bernard Terry mastered this album at Silver Sun Studios.
The sound on Da Real album is similar to that Bangtown sound that was popular in Flint at that time. Deep heavy bass with garage drum beats on a Roland SPC from the basement similar to acid rap. Think garage rap. Think Esham and Natas for example! Not sure if Bangtown produced this or not. Either way this tape is very positive, educational, and inspirational. The sounds of the Da Real album are Hip Hop/Rap meets religion and spoken word. Of course with electronic sound.
Adrian Muhammad Quest and Andre Price (Dre) are The Next Level. Ever since 1992, The Next Level had a clothing line called TNL Wear. They also owned TNL Entertainment, an independent record label. The Next Level is about sharing and promoting positive messages with descriptive accurate recordings to better society. The Next Level has a strong faith in following the religion of Islam and Faith of Islam. The Next Level was a rap duo from Flint, Michigan from 1992 to 2007. The Next Level was also known as Next Level Clique.
Da Real is Descriptive Accurate Recordings Evolving Attitudes Language. Da Real about how The Next Level is trying to change the attitudes of people and their languages to overcome their problems that they are facing. The Next Level decided that the people wanted actual news rather than the crap media being displayed on Fox News or whatever news channel outlets out there display/shoot out propaganda. They're trying to change the youth attitudes on their warped outlooks of life. They want the youth to be political activists and be community volunteers. Volunteers in the community.
The Next Level is about sharing and promoting positive messages with descriptive accurate recordings to better society.
Very often did they encourage activism in the community and people to be community volunteers along with political activism. Their plans were to increase community awareness and political activism.
The Next Level had slogans called “It’s On! So Don’t Sleep!” and “Da Real”. “It’s On! So Don’t Sleep!” slogan was about increasing community awareness and raising political activism. “It’s On! So Don’t Sleep!” is their most known slogan.
Da Real is Descriptive Accurate Recordings Evolving Attitudes Language which is about trying to change the attitudes of people and their languages to overcome their problems that they are facing. Da Real was about changing the thought patterns of people. Once you change your philosophy, you change your thought pattern. Once you change your thought pattern, you change your attitude.
Smacking 'Em Back a diss track with a freestyle flow aimed at all enemies and haters out there. The Next Level is “Smacking 'Em Back” with the Mack Attack on this track. Think of Mack Attack and Craig Mack. All haters and enemies, be aware and take heed! The Next Level is warning us. Sucker MC, posers, and fakers are subject in for lyrical beatdowns by the The Next Level Clique.
The Next Level Clique had not dissed any groups in particular as Took-N-Bone, DOA, The Dayton Family, Kode Blu, Selby, The Fharmacy, or Ruff-N-Rugged did. It was mostly A&Rs and politicians that The Next Level Clique had called out on Smacking 'Em Back.
Men of Respect is about how and why The Next Level is well respected by intellectuals. The Next Level is strong in following the Faith of Islam. It's all in the family. They think of Islam as a clan family. "Much respect to our people who submitted our bosses. We overcame all of our losses." is a well memorable inspirational moving quote by The Next Level.
The bass is super heavy as it is on Da Real and the beats sound very garage made which is very formidable to such tastes. Think garage rap and Islamic rap.
The Headknocka is basically a freestyle track. It is a freestyle track. From the looks of the title of the track that is, the sounds are similar in the form a freestyle track. The beats are so dope. Dope lyrics with dark brooding voices over acapella and spoken word.
There Are No Children Here will remind you of MC Overlord's Where are the Children? song. The Next Level tackles and combats the issues of child endangerment, child abuse, and the sexual abuse of children. It's about children being kidnapped and not knowing how to handle all that stress.
Rest in Peace is a dedication to the deceased loved ones out there in the world. To all deceased mothers, fathers, siblings, children, grandparents, and mutual friends. Just anyone.
The A cappella outro is very good. The A cappella outro is filled with dope lyrics with dark brooding voices over acapella and spoken word. A cappella is the oldest form of spoken word when it comes to music. The roots of A cappella originate in the continent of Africa.
This album was a more different from the average EPs/albums that most Flint rap groups were putting out on cassettes at that time in the mid 1990s. This album has positive uplifting messages rather than the negative downbeat raps filled with negativity from gangsta rap that don't add any solutions to the problems people were facing. Da Real proves to be very positive, educational, and inspirational.
Da Real is one of those albums that got lost during Rap’s musical transition from educational positive book smart intellectual rap to ghetto negative gangsta rap. Da Real is one of those albums that got lost during Rap’s transition from Golden era hip hop to gangsta rap.
5/5*****!
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The Next Level - One Million Strong single review
One Million Strong by The Next Level was released on cassette only in 1995 on AMPA Records out of Flint.
One Million Strong was influenced by the famous 1 million man march on Washington DC when Martin Luther King made that speech in 1968. Think CORE in the Civil Rights movement. That's what this song was influenced by. The reprise is a breath taking masterpiece done very well. It's a bit longer but it's well worth it. It's another FOI style track.
The Wake Up mix of Brotha Brotha is about brothers killing each other over colors and mainly over nothing. It's a negative meets positive track even though it retains that dark brooding feeling. "Wake Up Brotha Man! With that gun in your hand. Don't give into the plan of the Ku Klux Klan. It’s time to be a man. Stand up. Take a stand.” is a well memorable quote by The Next Level. Brotha Brotha will remind you of the Self Destruction single by the Stop The Violence Movement. The messages in both songs are very similar. Many memorable quotes can be heard throughout the song. The Next Level is about sharing and promoting positive messages with descriptive accurate recordings to better society.
5/5*****!
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George Clinton - Smell My Finger album review
The Smell My Finger album by George Clinton album was released on Paisley Park by Prince in 1993. This album was not well received by hardcore George Clinton fans despite it being the most out of print George Clinton album.
Paint The White House Black is a platform for various appearances/cameos by modern day rappers such as Ice Cube, Yo-Yo, and Dr. Dre. This song is where Ice Cube popularized the bop gun, which he would later feature George Clinton on the song called Bop Gun. Paint The White House Black is about the ideology on how white the White House really is.
The album is ripe with samples that George Clinton wanted to cash in on. The 70s sounds mixes in very well with the stellar 90s production sound. Solid bass is played out. Some tracks are better than others. MC Breed and Kam both make an appearance on this album.
Some tracks are better than others. The only good songs by most hardcore George Clinton fans standards were Martial Law, Smell My Finger, Paint The White House Black, Way Up, Hollywood, and Get Satisfied. The Big Pump song didn't do him any justice. That's why the album was not that good and very overlooked despite George Clinton being at his artistic peak in funk. There are not that many P-Funk classics on here as there should have been. If you want a better funkier album than this, check out Dope Dogs instead. Buy this album if you are one of those George Clinton completionists.
3/5***
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Lil Mo - Ta Da single review
The single Ta Da by Lil Mo was released on Elektra Records in 2000 in order to promote and popularize her debut album Based On A True Story. This single is also an album sampler as well that came with minute long to minute in-a-half long snippets of songs that are going to be/were going to be on Lil Mo's debut album Based On A True Story. Some songs did not make the final cut of Based On A True Story.
Think R&B/Soul ballads meet hardcore street raps on hip-hop beats. A lot of songs that are/were supposed to be on Based On A True Story were real life events that were based on Lil Mo's life. That goes for the songs on this single.
Ta Da was chosen by Elektra Records due to the lack of success from Lil Mo's previous singles 5 Minutes and If You Wanna Dance because those songs when they were released as singles did not chart. I remember there was a time that 5 Minutes and If You Wanna Dance were to be the leading singles for the Based on a True Story album. I agree with Elektra's decision that Ta Da was a good choice for the lead single of the debut Based On A True Story album. I was in favor of that particular decision back then in 2000 as well!
Ta Da is a lovely magical song dedicated and aimed to all the ladies out there men that are unfaithful and are cheating on other women. There is a point in females lives where they want to claim their independence. However the music video wasn't promoted as well as it should have been. Critics did think of the song Ta Da as male–bashing content. Ta Da was a good lead single that had a lot of potential for some radioplay. On a plus note, Pam Olivia of Vybe, D'Andrea Foster, and Shae Jones contributed in the role of background vocals.
My Story is the title track of this single and the Based On A True Story album. It is a positive and uplifting song about what she goes through because she's just like you. It's all Based On A True Story! She started off on Long Island in New York City. She hopes everybody know about her and knows her. The electronics used are great.
Starstruck should have been a lead single. Starstruck had a lot of potential for some radioplay but Elektra disagreed with that option. Starstruck should have had a music video done.
The song Star was based on a true story. Starstruck was dedicated to former boyfriend who was a boy in Lil Mo's class when she was in high school. Missy Elliott does a superb herb job of doing her rap ad-libs as she always does!
The song Starstruck goes went to that boy who used to laugh at Lil Mo! He pulled her hair and snapped on her gear. Lil Mo knows she shouldn't have wrote this song but doesn't regret a thing about writing the song Starstruck. Now Lil Mo gave this boy something to laugh about now! This boy used to treat her badly. He didn't care what she had to say. This boy used to laugh at Lil Mo's petite shape (body figure). Now he say Lil Mo off the chain and that she blows him away!
Look how the tables turned. Now he's got so much to say about Lil Mo's fame and stardom. Could it be the money, videos, and fly cars? The boy wants Lil Mo because he's starstruck! Now he's trying to get backstage during Lil Mo's concerts and tours. Look at how things have changed. Lil Mo is now grown up and filled out in every place. He's all up in her face because he sees that Lil Mo is getting paid as a musician artist. But too bad! He can't be down with Lil Mo. If that boy had been much more good to Lil Mo then things would be different.
Enter stage Missy Elliott. She is the bitch like she told him. Why is that boy all up in Missy's grill like he knows her? She had all these clothing styles and personalities WAY before this boy did. That boy needs to stop talking all that junk and slow down. Missy Elliott used to be a nobody until 1996 when she blew up big on Gina Thompson's song The Things You Do. Every show Missy Elliott performs at, she earns $1 million for every appearance at every show in other words. Missy Elliott did make it hot like Nicole Wray did in 1998! She knows how to break it down to the floor.
Saturday should have been a lead single also. Saturday had a lot of potential for some radioplay and a music video. It was a bright and upbeat fast paced song. Saturday is about how Lil Mo wants to meet up with someone each Saturday, but can't due to their busy schedules in life. Lil Mo makes it very clear that on Saturday that person is going to be with her.
Lil Mo fans remember buying Ta Da in 2000 when it first came out on CD and cassette. (As well as vinyl too!) However most Lil Mo fans were upset when Starstruck and a handful of other songs did not make it onto Based On A True Story.
5/5*****!!
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Homiside - Off The Streets Of Saginaw single review
This cassette was only available in Saginaw, Michigan. This was released in 1992. This single is filled super heavy pounding bass lines & notes. Homiside was That Nigga Bone aka Bone Skanless of the Skanbino Mob and Skanless Family. Bone Skanless recorded the two tracks. Of course this cassette wasn’t professionally mixed and mastered due to lack of funding with finances. So that’s why his vocals echo as if he were in a cathedral or a medium room.
Homiside - Off The Streets Of Saginaw cassette was only available in Saginaw, Michigan. This cassette was released in 1992. This single is filled super heavy pounding bass lines & notes. Homiside (Deion Smith Jr.) was That Nigga Bone aka Bone Skanless of the Skanbino Mob and Skanless Family. Bone Skanless recorded the two tracks. Of course this cassette wasn’t professionally mixed and mastered due to lack of funding with finances. So that’s why his vocals echo as if he were in a cathedral or an abandoned hallway.
Here comes the brotha from the gutta outta Saginaw on the track Off The Streets Of Saginaw! Off The Streets Of Saginaw super heavy pounding bass lines & notes over gangsta rap lyrics mixed in with distorted lo-fi production. It too is very distorted. Hank (Andre Weems) raps "Here comes the brotha from the gutta outta Saginaw!" on the hook.
Homiside takes us on a tour through the rough and rugged city of Saginaw, Michigan on Off The Streets Of Saginaw.
Watch your back while you’re in Saginaw! Homiside kicks the truth. Tales or murder mishaps and mayhem are told. A tale of a murder is told at the first minute of the track. Can’t go to parties without there being fights. Ever since the 1980s had passed, the city of Saginaw had seen a high rise in violent crime and robberies. By the 1990s the city of Saginaw has gotten worse. Saginaw is not the city it used to be. The Eastside is a war zone as Homiside describes for example. You might have thought police would have chilled after Rodney King but police murdered Malice Green in Detroit during 1992.
Homiside tells us why the city of Saginaw is a living hell. It's still true but even worse these days.
Homiside can’t get a job because he has a criminal record. (Bone Skanless had been in the Saginaw County Jail 2 months prior to this record.) You’ll labeled as a threat if you commit a crime.
References to the murders of Elton Simmons Jr., Jackie Clemens, and Arthur Taylor are made in this track. Homies from Bone Skanless lifetime are mentioned throughout the track.
Livin' Haunted will remind you very much of Mack Tha Jack'a - Cross Thoughts. Livin' Haunted is similar of early ICP juggalo raps, early Esham, EVOL, and the early House Of Krazees horrorcore acid rap sound. Very garage sounding and lo-fi. It too is very distorted.
Mack Tha Jack'a speaks about the spiritualism of hell and heavy at the intro of Livin' Haunted. Mack Tha Jack'a tells us about the two questions in life Hell and Heaven as Mack Tha Jack'a tells us choose our own choices and make your own goals. This track was about a psychopath that took his own road. After that, menacing cackling laughs can be heard.
Homiside is a person on the run laughing at the crazy things he’s done through his actions. Smacking babies in the head. Killing is Homiside’s job. He is a psychopath who chose his own road. He lays down the law on this track. He beats up people. He hurts people. Nobody wants to be around Homiside because of his actions. People say Homiside is loosing it. He’s wanted by crooked cops. Dead or alive. Preferably dead since that what his enemies want him to.
Homiside is explaining that he is livin’ haunted based on the noises coming from his closet and from the people he’s killed. He hears voices in his sleep. He claims the boogieman’s out to get him. Homiside is looking for a black single man to defend him. Blood rushes from his head. His heart steadily throbs away with the pain inside. The wrong move could prove to be fatal.
In the middle of the track, Homiside draws cocaine up his nose. Perhaps the usage of cocaine is what made Homiside crazy. Now it’s time to let the 12 gauge go. Boom! Homiside hears rumbling coming from his closet. He tried to run but the door slammed so now he’s in a jam. The night just gets worse from there.
Homiside was overlooked and underrated back in the 1990s. Bone Skanless, Mack Tha Jacka, and Dirty Jerk should have blown up on a national scale. They just didn't have the money to push it right. If they had, that would have been a different story.
5/5*****!!
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Kandi - Hey Kandi album review
Not all guys are the way she perceives any guy to be on the song Don't Think I'm Not. Not all guys do the same things. In fact we are all different! Everyone should know this. Don't Think I'm Not is a sappy pants on fire song. Its beats are catchy with some stellar lyrics.
Easier discusses the way that Kandi perceives guys in general. She discusses how things would be easier if men weren’t such dogs. Singer/soulstress Faith Evans makes a guest appearance.
The lyrics were wack and so were the songwriting skills by Kandi. The only good songs were Don't Think I'm Not and Easier featuring Faith Evans. Most of the lyrics are sappy. The production of this album was A OK to most fans out there, of course this a bubble gum pop album marketed towards 16 year olds. It's either you like Kandi or you don't like Kandi. Music critics of the 2000s gave this album 1 star or 4 stars. Typical Pop crap music.
1/5*
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SPM - Reveille Park album review
The Beach House is that down south playalistic pimp type of rap. Juan Gotti's girlfriend (chick) make an appearance on the intro. Smooth down south rhymes over Spanish raps.
Red Beams and Rice is a rags to riches story tale. In other words, SPM went from Red Beans and Rice to Red Beams and Rice. He tells about his childhood dealing drugs and doing all sorts of crazy ass shit. He talks about his upcoming as a drug dealer. It ain't nothing but a come up!
Despite the album being well-produced and well-designed, this album was given a 3/5*** star rating with most critics. It was mainly a 3 star effort. Even though SPM is a piece of shit child molester, his music still lives on. It's too bad he's fucked up. SPM was a great Mexican rap artist.
4/5****
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Gina Thompson - Ya Di Ya single review
Ya Di Ya is the first single for her second album featuring Missy Elliott. It has that Spanish mix and feel. The music video could have been improved with a little more money. Not her fault. Elektra and WMG were on the verge of going bankrupt around 1999-2001. This one is a standout track!
This is what Ya Di Ya is all about:
Gina just came from a late night, but once she got in she didn't feel right. The guy is uptight from the first time they met because Gina did not return his page. If he pages her once or twice, that's nice. It's crazy for ten times that he pages her. The mess that the guy is talking about Gina wants to say bye to him. The guy she is trying to get with is talking about irrelevant nonsense and it makes her want to leave him. Gina does not want to hear it. She does not want to be bothered by him. He is just really getting on her nerves.
Gina is not in the mood for the drama this evening. So Gina think the guy should be leaving because she doesn't need this or him because is it doesn't pay the bills. There are more guys with more skills that will definitely satisfy Gina. His talking is weighing out his good looks.
Take My Number Down is the same thing.
Coolin' Out was my favorite song of the whole album! Why wasn't this a single?! It was choice material. Gina lays down her smooth vocals on this track which she showcases very well. I love the religious, smooth church organ sound with the Hip Hop sample along with the 19th century/20th century ragtime vocals at the very beginning of this song. Think of this track as a 19th century meets 21st century type of track. I think Elektra and Goldmind Inc. messed up big time by not choosing this song to be a single.
4/5****
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Brandy - Two Eleven album review
The Two Eleven album by Brandy Norwood that dropped on RCA in late 2012 is more pop influenced. The reason for that being is because Brandy poured her heart and soul into the making of this particular album.
On Put It Down, Brandy shows us how she puts it down with keeping up the current trends of today's audience by featuring Chris Brown as a guest artist. This single holds and weighs down the album the most. Put It Down was the most promoted song off the whole album. Put It Down is upbeat trap beats over a pop filled love song; which is not bad.
Wish Your Love Away and Can You Hear Me Now? had potential to be singles. So did What You Need. Wildest Dreams was ok. My favorites songs were Put It Down, Wildest Dreams, Can You Hear Me Now? and Wish Your Love Away. Put It Down and Wildest Dreams were the highlights of this album as they were the most promoted.
Due to the automobile accident and return of her acting career with the television show Family Business with Ray J, Brandy did not get the time to promote the Two Eleven album as she planned. Due to creative differences with Brandy and Atlantic Records, her album was not released in 2011 as planned. That would have been brehsive!
With all personal issues and legal drama aside, this album was a flop. It seems that every Brandy album after Full Moon album sales went downhill with strategic marketing and promotion. I hope Brandy does better on her next album if she does another album. The only good song was Put It Down. Buy this album if you are a Brandy completionist.
Despite all the promotional efforts put into Two Eleven, this album was a flop. The marketing efforts were the best since RCA does extravagant. This album should have gotten more of a chance to flourish and shine as Afrodisiac, Full Moon, and Never Say Never did.
2/5**
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Eminem - Recovery album review
A lot of hardcore underground Eminem fans thought that Eminem sold out after the MMLP album came out in 2000. That's the case with Recovery. Eminem did a splendid job on his return to rap on Recovery in 2010. He's back to his original self. So what if he's changed? People change. So does their humor. Eminem is "back to his 4/5**** star" self!
Eminem showed his pop rap roots rather than his underground rap roots on Infinite on Web Entertainment. He went mainstream on this album rather than adding rock samples to Recovery as did on his earlier 00s albums.
4/5****!!
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Orko - Forbidden Psychics album review
Forbidden Psychics by Orko on 777 was released in 2010 yet it's sounds so 2014.
On this album Orko experiments with the sounds of Electronica, Classical, Reggae, Jazz, Hip Hop, and Rap. Orko stays true to his underground roots as he does on all of his other albums. He's a beast with it. Well Orko never has made a bad album in his 20 year long recording career.
On tracks such as Psycho Gunpowder, Average American, And Worlds or Ressurection, Orko shows us his more politically conscience side with the mix-mash mash-up Electronic sounds which Orko is known for doing on all his other albums. His electronic mash-ups are off the hook! Even on a lo-fi or hi-fi production fidelity level. The treble is set up in a superb way! Cyber Games and Space Travel are prime examples of electronics used in his Electronic musical sampling.
On Orko Runs This City is about how Orko runs the underground music scene in San Diego, California. Also Orko is internationally known and well known in LA. Yes Orko has made noise in LA with the crowd. He does it very well. Yeah Orko ran the 619 at one time before Wrongkind, Bomb Leary, La Familia Records, Thump Records, or Jayo Felony ever did. Orko been putting it down since the 80s when it was about rapping on cassettes in your garage.
5/5*****!!
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