August 23, 2023

Diezzle Don & Tha Govener - 1995 (Year of The Independent)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: CRC111

© 1995 Contract Recording Company
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

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tags: diezzle and the govener, 1995 year of the independent, 1995, flac,
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Various Artists - Half-Baked - Music From The Motion Picture Soundtrack (1998)

By No comments
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Rock, Hip-Hop, Pop Rock, Trip-Hop
Label Number: MCD 11723

© 1998 MCA Records
By all accounts, a movie about pot should have a soundtrack that is ideal for, well, toking up, and the soundtrack to Half-Baked is filled with slow grooves and cavernous productions. What is surprising is that trip-hop guru Tricky has decided to return to recording after a full year of silence on the soundtrack to this grade-C flick. The man from Bristol contributes "We Know," produces Cibo Matto ("Who's Got the Light?"), UB40 ("I Get Lifted") and the Tom Tom Club & Nonchalant ("Flyin'") and remixes Black Grape's already terrific "Marbles." That accounts for nearly half of the record. Of the remaining six songs, three are hard-rock throwaways (Days of the New, Cowboy Mouth, Bloodhound Gang), one is a solid Luscious Jackson song ("Love That's Real"), and two -- Coolio's "Mary Jane" and Smash Mouth's "Sensei Half Fi Burn" -- are produced by the Dust Brothers, both of which are quite good. So, the record turns out to be pretty good, which one never would have expected judging by the movie itself.

 tags: vartious artists, half baked, music from the motion picture soundtrack, ost, 1998, flac,
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Various Artists - XL Tracks (1998)

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*Canadian compilation consisting of various 
North American/European artists. 
Contains 8 tracks total.
Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: R&B, Hip-Hop, Alternative Rock
Label Number: KSDI 7413

© 1998 BMG Music Canada Inc.
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

tags: various artists, xl tracks, 1998, flac,
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August 21, 2023

Story of The Year - Page Avenue (2003)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Post Hardcore
Label Number: 48438-2

© 2003 Maverick
From the chaotic opener "And the Hero Will Drown," until the complete frenzy of "Falling Down," St. Louis' Story of the Year shows a persistent flare for the dramatic on their debut disc from Maverick Records. Taking influence from a variety of modern rock, the quintet delivers a solid, Dashboard Confessional-like spirited first effort from beginning to end. They slow down on crunchy ballads like "Anthem of Our Dying Day," "Swallow the Knife," and "Sidewalks," showing that Story of the Year can be graceful and melodic as well as relentless. Energetic outbursts like "In the Shadows," "Razorblades," and the title track "Page Avenue" shows a band hell-bent on composing youthful anthems for the 21st century, hitting their target more often than not. Produced by John Feldman of Goldfinger, Dan Marsala's unyielding vocals certainly highlight the disc, along with the band's steady and layered instrumentation. The band's energy feeds off of agitation and frustration, and while they don't really offer anything new, their solid execution of the 12 songs on Page Avenue certainly impresses.

 tags: story of the year, page avenue, 2003, flac,
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Story of The Year - In The Wake of Determination (2005)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Post Hardcore
Label Number: 49390-2

© 2005 Maverick
Story of the Year sounded way too clean on their debut for Maverick, 2003's Page Avenue. You could tell there was a heavy sound behind the emo overtones and Goldfinger impresario John Feldmann's sugary mix and production, but good luck finding it. The St Louis quintet was lost inside a formula. But the band more than remedies that with 2005's In the Wake of Determination, a rewardingly heavy record that still keeps things accessible enough for fans of Page Avenue's overdone power ballad "Anthem of Our Dying Day." Producer Steve Evetts (Hatebreed, Dillinger Escape Plan) brings out the hardness without shutting down Story's melodic sensibilities -- in a song like opener "We Don't Care Anymore," glowering riffs meet soaring choruses and even some keyboard for just the right balance of darkness and light. The similarly strong "Take Me Back" is saved from Hoobastank territory by its modified hardcore rhythms. Hardcore actually figures into most of Determination, fueling "Our Time Is Now," "Stereo," and the triumphant chorus of "March of the Dead." There are hundreds of bands in the mid-2000s who blatantly slam hardcore into metal and other elements. Story of the Year do, too -- they counteract their yelling and anthem-making with layered harmonies that still sound too sweet, and there are parts lifted from old Maiden and Metallica records. But Story of the Year aren't rocking a formula. And even if they are, In the Wake of Determination still sounds like exactly the record they wanted to make, so it doesn't really matter. It's clear that this time around, they believe in it.

 tags: story of the year, in the wake of determination, 2005, flac,
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Outlawz - Novakane (2001)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Gangsta Rap
Label Number: KOC-CD-8324

© 2001 Outlaw/Koch Entertainment Label Alliance
Novakane doesn't really depart far from what the Outlawz accomplished a year earlier on their debut album, Ride Wit Us or Collide Wit Us. And that may please listeners, but more likely it should dishearten them. After all, despite their career-establishing affiliation with 2Pac, the Outlawz never really proved to be the protégés they should have been. 2Pac had gone out of his way to establish the group just before his untimely death, yet the Outlawz never really lived up to expectations. This became glaringly evident on Ride Wit Us, when the best they could really do was imitate 2Pac and carry on this legacy through derivative means -- and they didn't even do that well. But to their credit, the Outlawz do keep their music street and maintain a hardcore thug approach, something which should no doubt appeal to fans of underground West Coast hardcore rap. So, as mentioned, Novakane doesn't really depart from the group's debut album. They're still going to lengths to impress listeners with their gangsta-isms, still trying to confront listeners with their street-level lifestyle, and still mentioning 2Pac's name more than they probably should. Unfortunately, the beats aren't quite on par here with their debut album -- one possible saving grace gone sour. So if these things are added up -- derivative rhymes that rarely depart from clichéd clichés delivered with lackluster skills over generic-at-best beats -- one can come to the saddening conclusion that despite how many times the Outlawz tell listeners that they were down with 2Pac, little separates them from the standard subpar West Coast gangsta rappers. After two albums it's safe to say, like many other individuals in the rap industry, the Outlawz have exploited 2Pac's lucrative legacy for their own benefit. Don't believe the hype -- the 2Pac affiliation is all that separates these guys from the pack, or so it seems at this point.

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 tags: outlawz, novakane, 2001, flac,
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Outlawz - Neva Surrenda (2002)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Gangsta Rap
Label Number: 034744-2011 2 6

© 2002 Outlaw/Rap-A-Lot 2K
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 tags: outlawz, neva surrenda, never, surrender, 2002, flac,
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William Cooper - Beware of The Pale Horse (2009)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: GEM 8932

© 2009 Gemstarr Regime
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tags: william cooper beware of the pale horse, 2009, flac,
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August 20, 2023

Various Artists - Freddy Vs. Jason (The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2003)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Alternative Metal, Industrial Metal, Groove Metal, Post Grunge
Label Number: 168 618 347-2

© 2003 Roadrunner Records
Not surprisingly, Roadrunner's soundtrack to Freddy vs. Jason is an acid-eating torture fest of screaming metal insanity. What did you expect, good-timin' reggae and ska grooves? This is, after all, the final battle between two of Hollywood's greatest hell spawns. But it's telling that such a battle is necessary. Without even seeing the film, its premise smacks of cheap and easy marketing and ham-fisted bombast. Likewise, the original motion picture soundtrack is the predictable rogue's gallery of metal heavyweights, up-and-comers, and pretenders to Hades' throne. For every brutal kick to the solar plexus from Hatebreed or Killswitch Engage (both of whom contribute previously unreleased material), there's a weak spot from Powerman 5000 or Blank Theory. The former's "Bombshell" could be an early version of "Theme to a Fake Revolution" from its Transform LP, while Blank Theory's "Middle of Nowhere" is a blatant Korn reset. This mix of the solid with more inconsistent material is to be expected on a summer movie soundtrack. That almost half of the bands here record for Roadrunner is not surprising in the realm of the summer soundtrack, either, although the label might have gone a little overboard in its zeal to stock the waters. Nevertheless, the comp's producers do seem to have loud rock fans in mind -- over half the set is previously unreleased. That includes a Slipknot demo dating to 1997, which is accompanied by unreleased material from Stone Sour. As blatant a premise as it is, Freddy vs. Jason likely offers enough thrills and chills to justify the price of admission. Its clanging, churning, and mostly O.K. soundtrack finds the same blood-drenched middle ground.

 tags: various artists, freddy vs jason, the original motion picture soundtrack, ost, 2003, flac,
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Vanilla Sky - Waiting For Something (2005)

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Country: Italy
Language: English
Genre: Punk Rock
Style: Pop Punk
Label Number: SHM 8052

© 2005 Wynona Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: vanilla sky, waiting for something, 2005, flac,
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Elliot Minor - Solaris (2009)

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Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Punk Rock
Style: Pop Punk
Label Number: REP09

© 2009 Repossession Records
*No professional reviews are available for this release.

 tags: elliot minor, solaris, 2009, flac,
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Raekwon Presents Icewater - Polluted Water (2007)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: BBG-CD-320

© 2007 Babygrande
Polluted Water may be Icewater's debut, but the Staten Island group is definitely not a bunch of neophytes. Founder Polite is a long-time friend of the Wu-Tang's Raekwon and was a part of the Theodore Unit, while the group itself showed up on the Chef's 2003 record The Lex Diamond Story. This longevity certainly helps explain why such an impressive selection of guests -- which include, besides Rae, who appears seven times, Method Man, Rick Ross, Busta Rhymes, Three 6 Mafia, Remy Ma, Pimp C, and even Jagged Edge, the latter on the out-of-place slow jam "All Night" -- shows up on the album. And while Icewater isn't outshined by the visiting MCs (besides Polite, P.C. also delivers the most impressive and alluring rhymes), they never do much lyrically to really convince anyone that they're deserving of such high-profile stars. They don't stray much from the typical hard underground themes -- self-aggrandizement, women, guns, and weed, with the occasional reflective bit thrown in -- and they don't often approach these themes from alternate angles. The group, like most hip-hop out of Staten Island, may have Wu ties, but they aren't Wu-inspired, using few of the intricate storytelling techniques the Clan often employs. They come closest on "Click Click," about a murder, and featuring the rappers reciting some of their lines in a whisper, but there's not the same level of intrigue and wit that makes the Wu's tales so enjoyable. The biggest problem with Polluted Water, however, is how uneven it is. Tracks like "Click Click" and the excellent "Icewater (We Still Runnin')" are offset by the unfortunate "I'm a Boss," "All Night," and "Let's Get It Right," (none of which are helped by so-so beats) or the adequate but forgettable "Do It Big," "Knuckle Up" (which does feature a pretty decent verse from the late UGK rapper Pimp C), and "Hip-Hop Tribute," yet another reflection on the history and contemporary state of the genre that says absolutely nothing new except yes, everyone agrees that Big Daddy Kane and Rakim were great. The four MCs in Icewater are able enough, with strong, aggressive flows and rhymes that certainly result from years of practice, but they're also unconvincing in their attempts to prove that they're anything more than average.

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tags: icewater, raekwon presents icewater, polluted water, 2007, flac,
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Mathematics - Wu-Tang Clan & Friends: Unreleased (2007)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: NSD 127

© 2007 Nature Sounds
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tags: mathematics, wu tang clan and friends unreleased, 2007, flac,
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Cilvaringz - I (2007)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: RPEG001

© 2007 Ringz & Partners Entertainment Group 
It took six years for Wu-Tang Killa Bee Cilvaringz to put together his first album, titled, appropriately, I, and as it stands, it was worth the wait. The record is an intense, political, reflective 21-track set that touches upon Jewish-Arabic relations, the United States' political agenda, war, love, terrorism, and hip-hop itself. With verses from the RZA, Ghostface, GZA, Raekwon, Method Man, and Masta Killa, among others, Cilvaringz puts enough talent and credibility behind him that even if his rhymes can't hold, his guests' can. Fortunately, this is hardly the case. Ringz is a confident, skilled rapper with a strong, old-school-flavored flow that rests somewhere between Ghostface's and Brother Ali's. He's aggressive, pulling his lines along instead of letting them chase him. "King Kong bullets and ping pong, with buffering/Shook ones that t-t-t-t-t-took to stuttering," he spits in "Dart Tournament," while in "'Death to America'" (note the extra set of quotation marks) he takes things slower, more like spoken word than anything else, angrily spitting out the crimes, both historical and contemporary, of the U.S. and Britain. It's provocative, and Cilvaringz knows it, and because of it, he's careful to state that the "death to America" message is only what he "hear[s] everyday" in the Moroccan streets as well as to put a disclaimer in the liner notes regarding the album's participants' lack of awareness of his anti-Western message. Musically, though, this is definitely a Wu-Tang-affiliated and -inspired record, with the RZA's stamp all over it, even in the songs he wasn't directly connected to (he has clearly influenced Cilvaringz's approach to production, for instance), with the typical skits and violins and film samples. The rapper makes it his own, however, by using Arabic prayer and poetry, also getting dark, melodic beats from Mathematics, Fourth Disciple, Bronze Nazareth, and True Master, as well as from the RZA himself, of course. All together, it's effective, and powerful, and gives I a weight and importance that not a lot of other rap albums can truly claim. [The deluxe edition of I also comes with a bonus DVD, which contains interviews with both Cilvaringz and the RZA, concert footage, behind-the-scenes footage, and a photo gallery, among other things.]

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tags: cilvaringz, i, 1, 2007, flac,
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August 19, 2023

Spearmint - A Week Away (24 Track Remastered Special Edition)

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*Reissued and remastered in  2009 by hitBACK. 
This pressing contains 24 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: hitBACK46cd

© 1999-2009 hitBACK
*No professional reviews are available for this release. 

 tags: spearmint, a week away, 24 track remastered special edition, 1999, 2009, flac,
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The Hillside Scramblers - UGodz-Illa Presents The Hillside Scramblers (2004)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: SDCD-79906-2

© 2004 Synergy Distribution/INDIEgo/Lucky Hands Inc.
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tags: the hillside, ugodz zilla presents the hillside scramblers, u godzilla, 2004, flac,
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The Holocaust - Blue Sky Black Death Presents: The Holocaust (2006)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: BBG-CD-1000

© 2006 Babygrande
As a part of the Black Knights, the first west coast act signed to the RZA's label, Holocaust (the MC sometimes known as Warcloud) made a little name for himself among Wu-Tang fans after memorable appearances in the late 1990s on the compilation album THE SWARM VOLUME 1 and the RZA's first BOBBY DIGITAL album. Now teaming up with San Francisco-based production duo Blue Sky Black Death (made up of Kingston and Young God), Holocaust gets a 15-track platform on which to display his lyrical abilities. With his flow, an unrelenting juggernaut of grim, medieval imagery, Holocaust follows the lead of other Wu affiliates like Killah Priest and Shabazz the Disciple. His strange verses on tracks like "Smoking Room," "Wing To Wingfeather," and "Crash" paint sinister cinematic scenes of a Dark Age fantasy world that surely exists only in the minds of Dungeons & Dragons fans and Holocaust himself. In many ways, this album gives us nothing new but it does do well to recall the sound of Wu-Tang's golden age as Blue Sky Black Death's production mirrors the RZA's early 1990s formula of moody, seething synthesizers and well-placed, sped-up vocal snippets to chilling effect.

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tags: the holocaust, blue sky black death presents the holocaust, 2006 flac,
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Foxy Brown - Brooklyn's Don Diva (2008)

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Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Style: Pop Rap, Gangsta Rap
Label Number: KOC-CD-5031

© 2008 Black Roses/Koch Records
You'd think seven years -- turbulent years that involved a bout with near-total deafness and in-public temper issues that led to some time behind bars -- would allow Foxy Brown more than enough time and experiences to make Brooklyn's Don Diva anything but a reheated version of 2001's Broken Silence, but that is what it most resembles, as opposed to a bold step forward or a reclamation of her power. A couple tracks and a few stray lines aside, these verses could have been dashed off by the MC at just about any earlier point in her career -- a shame since the hypnotizing likes of "Too Real," featuring snaking and skanking production from Statik Selektah (and a verse from AZ), and "Star Cry" hint at how potent the album could've been, given the soul-searching tension between anger, sadness, and swaggering combativeness. During the latter, she temporarily rejects her possessions and fame, fights back tears through "I'm just like y'all, but I probably hurt more/After 13 years I feel I deserve more." But these moments are few and far between, moderately satisfying only for those who have been eager to get their hands on a new Foxy Brown album since the 2005 single "Come Fly with Me" (unfortunately not included here). Retraced steps, backed by an assembly line of knockoff production work, are the rule.

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tags: foxy brown, brooklyns don diva, 2008, flac,
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August 18, 2023

The Microphone Prince - Trunk of Funk (1993)

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*A photo of the disc is included in the RAR file.
Country: U.S.A.
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: 162 351 029-2

© 1993 Next Plateau/FFRR
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tags: the microphone prince, trunk of funk, 1993, flac,
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Kenickie - At The Club (1997)

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*U.K. pressing. 
Contains 14 tracks total.
Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Alternative Rock
Style: Britpop
Label Number: 7243 856147 2 9

© 1997 EMIDISC/EMI United Kingdom
Like Ash before them, Kenickie have an adolescent exuberence that makes At the Club a joyous, infectious debut. Kenickie are self-styled adolescents, making a big deal of their age, not only in their surprisingly funny lyrics, but in the way their guitars and drums bounce off each other, creating a wonderful cacophony. And just as wonderful are the songs themselves, filled with hooks and melodies that ring in the head, especially since they're delivered with ragged, invigorating enthusiasm. "Punka," "Come out 2 Nite," "P.V.C.," and "In Your Car" all date from early singles, yet they've lost none of their power. More importantly, Kenickie have come up with another batch of originals that are just as strong, making At the Club a terrific punk-pop debut.

 tags: kenickie, at the club, 1997, flac,
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August 17, 2023

Ragga Muffin Rascals - Really Livin' (1992)

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Country: Canada
Language: English
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: CRPAC1

© 1992 Calabash Records
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 tags: ragga muffin rascals, really livin, 1992, flac,
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Brothers Like Outlaw - The Oneness of II Minds In Unison (1992)

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Country: United Kingdom
Genre: Hip-Hop
Label Number: 314-512 729-2

© 1992 Gee Street
It's partly the sleekness of their groove and partly the jazzy underpinnings and samples (Jeff Lorber Fusion, fuzak-era Freddie Hubbard) that gives even the hardest sections a certain, if not always welcome, suppleness. As a hybrid of hardcore, hip-hop and modern techno-soul, BLO works on some levels, but the subgenre jumping (can be) cold. They got the beat, though; the drums are for the most part live, and the warmth of an honest-to-God trap set gives BLO a big rhythmic thrust that sounds wonderfully natural, if a tad anachronistic. As a rapper, MC Bello B runs the gamut from positive-mental-attitude humanism to badass, B-boy babe-hound. But for all his skill, there is an inescapable feeling of business as usual here, as if Bello and DJ K-Gee simply appropriate a number of influences from other rap and hip-hop artists. They do it rather effortlessly, but there is an unnerving sense of deja vu that could be BLO's undoing.

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tags: brothers like outlaw, the oneness of ii minds in unison, to, 2, 1992, flac,
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