Monday, November 2, 1998
Soundbites
M.O.T., "19.99" (Sire/ Warner Bros.)
Feel the funk blasting out the speaker of your Lincoln Town Car.
Here they are, the slammin’-est killa hard core Jewish MC’s to
explode onto the hip-hop scene since, well, anyone. Exploring the
musical road not taken, Ice Berg and Dr. Dreidle show the world the
mean Judaic streets, filled with debris, big cars and coffee
dealers.
M.O.T. bring authentic credentials, showing how they cut their
teeth in the concrete jungle. "My uncle is a partner at Silverman
& Clooney," they rap on the warlike urban rumble of "So Sue
Me." With homies like that backing their play, it’s obvious that no
sucka MC will ever try and talk smack about them.
The boyz don’t limit themselves to just gangsta boasting. They
tackle other important topics, like the joys of kosher dining.
"Throw your hams in the air like you just don’t care/ then wash
your hands and join us in prayer." You ain’t gonna find rhymes like
that nowhere else, shlomie.
All joking aside (which is awfully hard to do when talking about
M.O. T.), "19.99" is a catchy album. They’re not going to be
mistaken for the next big thing in hip-hop, but Berg and Dreidle
write some awfully funny lyrics, which are layered over
electronic-y disco. Ice Cube they ain’t, but their wry wit sets
them apart from your average rapper. So for all the meshugge mensch
and nafke on the streets, look to the M.O.T. for the hook ups,
’cause they won’t sell out to the goyim.
Brent Hopkins
Pras, "Ghetto Supastar" (Ruffhouse/Columbia)
Not since the members of N.W.A. went solo to pursue individual
careers has a rap group been able to duplicate their
accomplishments, until now. One year ago, Wycelf Jean brought us to
his "carnival" and earlier this year, Lauryn Hill informed us about
her "misdemeanors." And the final component, Prakazrel "Pras"
Michel, prepares to take center stage with the other Fugees by
showcasing his debut, "Ghetto Supastar."
Distancing himself from the silky, precise croons of Hill or the
light-hearted, mellifluous beats of Wyclef, Pras enchants through
the use of his strong, speaker-rumbling voice. While lyrical
prowess is not his most noteworthy trait, he understands how to
utilize his deep, booming vocals to the best advantage by shifting
bass-lines that hit from all sides.
What might make this album so appealing, though, besides the
inclusion of the title track, is the addition of a five-song
sampler disc with re-made tunes from Tina Turner to Queen. It is
comforting to know that sometimes the music industry is willing to
give the average consumer a little bit more bang for their
buck.
But the oddest and most entertaining song on the album is far
and away "Blue Angels." It happens to include elements from the
abundantly perky "Grease" soundtrack. Overlaying traditional
hip-hop elements with a poppish, bubblegum texture, the song is
almost embarrassingly infectious and promises a huge following.
Pras shows great potential as an artist, but compared to his
"refugee" counterparts, he is not quite as polished. His strength
lies in his ability to fuse together various samples of music and
back them up with steady guitar chords. But while he may seem raw
at times, the man is definitely able to hold his own with other
artists and capture the attention of any audience.
Teron Hide
Various Artists, "Sabrina the Teenage Witch: The Album"
(Viacom)
At first glance, "Sabrina," featuring songs by the Spice Girls,
Backstreet Boys, and Aqua, looks like it ought to appeal to preteen
girls who love "Titanic" and collect friendship bracelets.
But while the songs are obviously geared toward young girls,
they’re not overly saccharine. The artists draw from a wide range
of genres, ensuring that "Sabrina" is always interesting. Sugar
Ray’s "Abracadabra" has a distinctly psychedelic ’60s Gordon
Lightfoot sound to it. Five’s "Slam Dunk Da Funk" hearkens back to
late ’80s camp rap and Matthew Sweet’s "Magnet & Steel" sounds
just like ’50s doo-wop. Chumbawamba also performs a new song.
Sabrina herself (Melissa Joan Hart) even makes an appearance,
singing the classic ’80s song, "One Way or Another," showing she
can actually sing. Her voice blends with the music perfectly, and
you’d almost swear that she was the song’s original performer
rather than a TV star singing karaoke.
Although not exactly a sappy compilation of bubblegum hits,
"Sabrina" still holds true to the spirit of the show. The songs are
bouncy and peppy. Regular watchers of the show will be interested
to know that Sabrina reveals the eighth clue to her family secret
somewhere on the album, and that seems to be a big deal. So if
you’re a devoted fan, you’ll definitely want this CD. For everyone
else, "Sabrina" is just a cute, catchy little nostalgia trip. As
Britney Spears says, "Watch the Soda Pop fizz and pop. Bop she bop
she bop." Profound.
Michael Rosen
Various Artists, "Blade," (TVT)
If there’s anything that’s ever been missing from rap and
techno, it’s vampires. Luckily, TVT’s "Blade" arrives to remedy
this oversight. "Blade" is an interesting blend of conventional rap
and techno music with supernatural terror. If only more artists
would follow this lead and branch out of the "cap in yo ass / Jimmy
Ray" schools, we could witness the creation of a completely new
style.
Wolfpak’s "Gangsta Bounce" is an appropriately creepy song about
gangs and werewolves and gets extra points for being the only song
with a random guy chanting, "Bounce, bounce, bounce, bounce,
bounce!" in the background. Mystikal’s use of triangles is
original, but Mantronik’s "Strictly Business," a sort of techno
version of "I Shot the Sheriff," is the only real standout.
However, Roger S.’s "Wrek Tha Discotek" and New Order’s "Confusion"
are both kind of catchy.
A lot of the songs include the word "Blade" so they get credit
for sticking to the theme. Besides the original subject matter,
"Blade" is a mixed bag. It contains some of the best rap songs ever
heard about vampires, but it doesn’t exactly redefine the genre.
All in all, the best thing about "Blade" is that it has a really
cool picture of Wesley Snipes on the cover.
Michael Rosen
All City, "Metropolis Gold," (MCA)
After raising a few eyebrows with their single, "The Actual,"
All City takes their shot at a full-length debut. While it is
apparent that All City will not break boundaries with their lyrical
content, they do possess above average skills on the mic (at
times). Consisting of emcees Mega and Valentine, the group’s
moniker suggests universal acceptance With the simplistic concepts
and beats found on the album, they may achieve that.
The strongest track on the album remains the DJ Premier produced
"The Actual." All City easily blends with the beat provided by
hip-hop’s perennial beat maker. The song will have heads nodding
from city to city as Premier laced the duo with an exceptional
track. Those who bought the single might be disappointed upon
hearing the rest of "Metropolis Gold."
The rest of the album must be judged on different terms. Most of
"Metropolis Gold" contains obviously club oriented dance songs. The
single served to start a buzz on All City but it may have been with
the wrong crowd, as most of the people who liked "The Actual" won’t
like the rest of the album.
As club songs go, some of the ones found on this album are
actually decent. Serving as an example, "Ded Right," produced by EZ
Elpee, is a nice up-tempo song featuring a relaxed All City
discussing an evening of partying. Other tracks worth checking out
are "Favorite Things," "Move On You (Remix)" and "Xtreme,"
featuring Onyx. One of the best tracks on the album is "Priceless,"
produced by Pete Rock. Like "The Actual," this song hardly
represents the overall feel of "Metropolis Gold."
Though All City manages to pull off the smoothed-out club vibe,
sometimes they come up very short. "Daydreaming," is a horrible
song that makes listeners wonder if they are listening to All City
or a Will Smith song. On "Live It Up," a corny chorus kills the
entire song, which has very little going for it as it is. Other
songs are simply boring, such as "Just Live" or "Metrotheme."
The main problem with "Metropolis Gold" is All City’s failure to
separate itself from the sea of cookie-cutter emcees. This album
might work for people in search of something to dance to or play in
the car. Other than that, good luck to Mega and Valentine. The
mediocre moments outnumber the high points on "Metropolis Gold," as
at times the album seems uninspired and bland. Though not a
terrible effort, there is nothing spectacular here either.
Tenoch Flores
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