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August 1st, 2009Uncategorized
1. STRAIGHT OUTTA COMPTON
It takes too long for Game to start actually rapping, but his passion is contagious enough. Of course, having one of Dr. Dre's best compositions playing underneath you can help matters tremendously.
2. JACKIN' FOR BEATS (FEAT FABOLOUS)
I found myself more impressed with Fabo than with The Game, especially after Fabo references Dick Gregory in his second verse. (For the record, I actually don't hate Fabolous behind the mic. I just wish he would pick harder beats to spit to, but he aims to get all of his songs on the radio, so concessions must be made.) The beats that were jacked just sound lackluster when removed from their original context, though.
3. 1 NIGHT STAND (FEAT E-40)
I'm not familiar with the original, Game-less version of this track (if one actually exists: the creators of this tape do go out of their way to announce that this is a "remix", though), but while this isn't the type of beat I would expect to hear E-40 on, the song itself isn't bad. It's not rocket science, but it's decent enough.
4. DON'T MAKE ME KLAP
I hated hated hated Busta Rhymes when he released his garbage “Make It Clap” single, so you can imagine how I feel about Game jacking this particular beat.
5. 100 BARS AND RUNNIN'
The first of many hip hop marathons run by The Game, this one over a slightly altered instrumental from Jay-Z's “(Always Be My) Sunshine”. Truthfully, it's more impressive that Jayceon was able to string together one hundred bars without repeating entire sentences, than it is that the song exists in the first place.
6. INTERVIEW (PT 1)
Blah blah blah stupid skit blah.
7. .40 CAL
I actually really like this freestyle over Snoop Dogg, C-Murder, and Magic's “Down 4 My N----z” beat: to me, this sounds better that the original song, thanks especially to the references to The Last Dragon at the end. There's a version of this freestyle that doesn't use bullshit sound effects over crucial lyrics, though (and yes, I realize I just used the term “crucial lyrics” while referring to a Game song): you should try to find that one on the Interweb, but it goes by a few different titles, so good luck.
8. .44 MAG
The beat for Baby's/Birdman's “What Happened To That Boy” (produced by The Neptunes) has been described as “sinister” and “creepy”, and I can accept those descriptions. Game sounds decent over this, so of course he would never actually utilize an original Neptunes beat of his own for his actual albums. (My theory is that Pharrell and Chad are priced out of his league, even though those two haven't have a huge hit in, what, five years?)
9. INTERVIEW (PT 2)
Actual real-life journalists should be offended by the bullshit “reporter” that is conducting the bullshit “interview”.
10. WHO SHOT ME?
Game's wholesale theft of the Notorious B.I.G.'s “Who Shot Ya?” takes too long to get started, mostly because the gimmick involved (Game's allegedly rapping on a pay phone while locked up) needs to be introduced, lest folks get confused by the fact that Game was just sitting down for an “interview” one track prior. Because of this, his vocals are in a lower register than usual, making it really easy to ignore the lyrics and just listen to the classic beat.
11. STREET ANTHEM (FEAT CAM'RON & JUELZ SANTANA)
As a rule, I'm not a fan of Dip Set, or the Diplomats, or whatever the fuck you want to call them today. I used to think that Killa Cam was alright (I ran out to buy his Confessions of Fire the day it dropped, I'll admit), but he isn't very good on here. Juelz Santana and Jim Jones (who doesn't actually appear on the track but warrants a mention, since he is Dip Set and all) don't impress me at all, though, and Jimmy's tendency to constantly ad-lib behind his lyrics always makes him sound like he's his own hypeman, which just makes him come off as insecure. Anyway, the bastardizing of Scarface's first lines from the Geto Boys classic “My Mind's Playin' Tricks On Me” should earn all of the rappers involved a fucking beatdown in front of their respective children.
12. INTERVIEW (PT. 3)
Wow, Game was overconfident and cocky right from the start. It is interesting that he basically states on here that he doesn't care about the artists firing shots at his labelmates: shouldn't that have been Curtis Jackson's first clue that the G-Unit partnership might not work?
13. CAN'T UNDERSTAND
If I were Raekwon, and I found out that my beat for the classic “Ice Cream” was reappropriated by some no-name (at the time) rapper called The Game, who proceeded to do a really shitty job with it, I would have some words with him, with the aid of a baseball bat. But I'm not Raekwon, so it makes complete sense that Rae would eventually make a guest appearance on Game's L.A.X. I guess cooler heads prevailed. That, or the Chef has never actually heard this track.
14. SHERM STICK
Can you imagine how much shittier Curtis Jackson's Get Rich or Die Tryin' would have sounded if his collaboration with Lil' Kim, “Magic Stick”, actually made the album as promised, instead of being used for Kim's album? God, that song was embarrassing. As is this shit.
15. HOW U WANT THAT (FEAT LOON)
Kelis appears on the hook, but for some reason, didn't warrant a credit on the mixtape. Loon's original song, if I recall, didn't do that well on the radio anyway (maybe I'm just not in the right part of the country), so I found it strange that Game was willing attach himself to such a suck-ass song.
16. OUTRO
This is just the deejay sending shout-outs to all of his friends. Nothing to see here.
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July 26th, 2009Uncategorized
1. FREE
I appreciate the fact that Freeway avoided including a rap album intro, opting to start Philadelphia Freeway off with an actual song. Sadly, I was pretty bored with this option. Not that an intro would have ever been preferable, mind you.
2. WHAT WE DO (FEAT JAY-Z & BEANIE SIGEL)
Beardy completely dominates this Roc-A-Fella posse cut, outshining both his boss and his contemporary, as it should be, since it is a Freeway song, after all. Shawn's reference to Freeway's beard also made me laugh out loud. This is actually the best Roc-A-Fella posse cut to come out of the camp, and its accompanying The Wire-inspired clip (with a few of the actual actors from the show) only adds to the proceedings. I'd bet that Memphis Bleek cries himself to sleep every night, wondering why Shawn didn't let him jump on (read: ruin) this track.
3. ALL MY LIFE (FEAT NATE DOGG)
Overall, I liked this track, but some of Beardy's lines are funny for all of the wrong reasons. Otherwise, not bad.
4. FLIPSIDE (FEAT PEEDI CRAKK)
I first heard this Just Blaze banger while playing Def Jam: Fight For NY. The beat pretty much rocks, and it also proves that Justin creates better beats for everyone who isn't named Jay-Z. That said, the clean edit is the one which appears in the game, and this song is decidedly not clean. Then again, most of the songs I review are decidedly not clean, so there you go.
5. ON MY OWN (FEAT NELLY)
I'm not a fan of Nelly as a rapper. He has a couple of okay songs (both of which are produced by The Neptunes), and his videos contain some decent imagery much of the time (I can think of one scene in particular in the clip for some recent Nelly track featuring Ciara and Jermaine Dupri), but for the most part, I couldn't care less. Thankfully, he only appears on the hook, doing his sing-songy shimmy-shimmy-cocoa-puff thing, and the song itself is not ruined because of it. This actually isn't bad.
6. WE GET AROUND (FEAT SNOOP DOGG)
This isn't bad, either, although a collaboration between Free and Snoop doesn't exactly feel like the natural order of things. The hook is all sorts of awful, though: I suppose some of you may consider that a small price to pay to hear Calvin Broadus sound entirely comfortable over a Just Blaze beat, but that's on you two.
7. DON'T CROSS THE LINE (FEAT FAITH EVANS)
Meh.
8. LIFE (FEAT BEANIE SIGEL)
I just listened to this track, and I can't remember a thing about it, save for the fact that Sigel does, in fact, make an appearance.
9. FULL EFFECT (FEAT YOUNG GUNZ)
I really liked this track. Justin's beat goes a long way toward making the Roc-A-Fella seat fillers sound good, and Beardy comes across as a thoroughly engaging emcee. Which is all you can ask for, really.
10. TURN OUT THE LIGHT (FREEWEST) (FEAT KANYE WEST)
Kanye West's beat sounds similar to the stuff that he gave to every other Roc-A-Fella artist that wasn't named Jay-Z. Which is to say, it's alright, but it's not real.
11. VICTIM OF THE GHETTO (FEAT RELL)
Decent, but nothing special.
12. YOU DON'T KNOW (IN THE GHETTO) (FEAT OMILLIO SPARKS)
Two songs in a row with the word “ghetto” in the title? That's usually not a good sign, and Beardy doesn't say or do anything to persuade me otherwise.
13. ALRIGHT (FEAT ALLEN ANTHONY)
Justin Blaze creates a beat that sounds like one of those 1980s songs I tried to avoid (because I'm a New Wave guy, through and through), but, honestly, I liked this shit a lot. Its sound brings back a pleasant form of nostalgia, and both Free's lyrics and Allen Anthony's singing mesh well with the music. Good show.
14. HEAR THE SONG
There wasn't anything objectionable about this song, but the only comment that I can make without re-listening and re-forgetting the song itself is this: what is with Freeway's obsession with selecting Kanye West instrumentals that sound like leftovers from The Blueprint? Free sounds great over the harder stuff, so filling Philadelphia Freeway with mostly soulful beats has officially mystified me.
The following tracks are considered Philadelphia Freeway's bonus songs.
15. YOU GOT ME (FEAT MARIAH CAREY & JAY-Z)
Raise your hand if you feel thatMariah CareyMrs. Nick Cannon has been irrelevant since that “Heartbreaker” song she did with Hova. Okay, put them down: you're wrong, anyway. Mariah had a pretty good minor comeback with both versions of “We Belong Together”. Oh, this song? It sucks balls. Why do you ask?
16. LINE 'EM UP (FEAT YOUNG CHRIS)
Wasn't bad at all, until Young Inexperienced Chris spit his guest verse, which brought my IQ down by a couple hundred points. Now I'm not even sure I can dress myself, let alone finish a rev
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July 23rd, 2009Uncategorized
1. INTRO
I wasn't impressed with this mostly instrumental intro.
2. YA DON'T STOP
Although the “hook” (really just a few vocal samples) sounds incomplete, this song is still pretty fun. The lyrics don't really go much father than “I like to fuck, drink beer, and smoke some shit, and if you get in my way, I'll kill you, or at least throw my crumpled-up Taco Bell wrapper at you” (except a tad bit more charming than that), so consider yourself forewarned.
3. PROPS OVER HERE
The first in a two-part series stressing the importance of “getting props” for your hard work and dedication. The instrumental is simple, and it engages the listener to such a degree that you won't actually mind that Fashion is the only rapper on here that sounds like me may actually have a future in the craft.
4. HELLRAISER
Somehow the energy level manages to rise to even higher, um, heights (until the end of this track, in which a smooth instrumental abruptly appears and plays out until the next song starts). The hook is grade school horseshit, and it even gets repeated as part of a verse at one point (I guess the Beatnuts needed to fill some dead air), but the song as a whole isn't that bad.
5. ARE YOU READY (FEAT GRAND PUBA & DJ SINISTER)
I liked this track, but nothing really stood out to me. Which is odd, considering the guests involved.
6. SUPERBAD (FEAT DJ SINISTER)
Not a terrible song (far from it), but the title alone made me want to watch the Michael Cera – Jonah Hill Superbad. You know, the intentionally funny use of that title.
7. STRAIGHT JACKET
I found this to be boring as shit. Folks don't usually look to the Beatnuts for subdued production. The Ol' Dirty Bastard vocal sample was a decent touch, but it doesn't tip the scales one way or another.
8. LET OFF A COUPLE
Short and sweet, although Juju's verse ends abruptly, right when you're getting into it.
9. RIK'S JOINT (FEAT MISS JONES)
I thought the female vocals were a nice touch. However, I still didn't like this crap, so the crew's love for their many fans is rendered moot by a pointless track.
10. FRIED CHICKEN (FEAT V.I.C.)
At first, the blunted beat recalls some early DJ Muggs-type shit, and the three rappers rhyme about a bunch of nothing, albeit commendably (Fashion and Juju especially). Then you realize that the beat remains stagnant for the full length of the song, and it drives you fucking nuts. Although if I were stoned right now, I probably would crave some actual fried chicken, so that's cool.
11. YEAH YOU GET PROPS
Part 2 of a two-part series describing the historical significance of “getting props” and retaining said props. You'll probably want to skip this and, instead, watch that months-old last season finale of Entourage that you've been putting off because all of last season was entirely underwhelming. Or maybe that's just me.
12. GET FUNKY
Welcome back to the world of entertainment, fellas. The Beatnuts give up on there needless quest to “get props” and decide to create a song that is wholly satisfying, which, coincidentally, earns them props anyway. Who knew that was how that worked?
13. HIT ME WITH THAT
Of the two members of the crew that remain, I've always regarded Juju as the more talented (okay, that may be pushing it...let's just say, consistent) behind the mic, and this song may be one of the reasons why. This track would rock even without the Method Man sample in the hook: this is just pure, unadulterated hip hop especially for fans of our chosen genre.
14. 2-3 BREAK (FEAT GAB)
The idea of this song is pretty fucking awesome. The individual members of the crew all rhyme to their own beat. However, Gab jumps onto Juju's verse, and Psycho Les threatens to crash this car into an oncoming train with his terrible lyrics. Well, at least the thought was admirable. (And yes, I realize that nobody buys Beatnuts albums for the lyricism, but do you remember my comments about Ras Kass and his hot lyrics but poor production, and how that combination does not make for a good product? It works both ways.)
15. LICK THE PUSSY
For a sex rap, this is about as boring as how Paris Hilton looked in her sex tape. Do people really find the idea of banging a blond chick who shows no interest whatsoever in the events transpiring in or around her mouth even remotely sexy? Clearly they do, because her praying mantis-looking ass is still making money. Sigh.
16. SANDWICHES
A really good beat punctuates this corny (but good) one-verse wonder from Psycho Les. I knew he had it in him.
17. PSYCHO DWARF
Ending your album with one of the better tracks from your debut EP is pretty cool, if you even have a debut EP to draw from. Even if it does end with a loud burp.
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July 18th, 2009Uncategorized
1. POISON RING CHAMBER (INTRO)
Of course Cilvaringz would begin his solo debut album with a sample from a kung-fu flick. All of the references to the Abbott (a nickname The Rza adopted for himself a long time ago) only add to my theory that Cilva is/was a crazed Wu stalker that snuck into the Wu Mansion and hid in a closet for days without food or water while masturbating furiously to Wu-Tang Clan liner notes, though.
2. WU-TANG MARTIAL EXPERT (FEAT PRINCE RAKEEM "THE RZA")
Don't get too excited: The Rza only shouts some ad-libs in the middle of the track, but the album credits (and yes, that's how he is credited) lead you to believe that he spits a verse, so they served their purpose. Cilva's flow comes off as a combination of Contribution X and RA The Rugged Man, and he drops more names on here than The Game, but the song does actually sound like the type of thing Wu-Tang stans like myself have been missing, so I have to say: nice work.
3. THE WEEPING TIGER (FEAT SHALLAH RAEKWON, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, & PRINCE RAKEEM "THE RZA")
Cool title, but the credits are misleading (this is a recurring theme, by the way). Ghostface and The Rza don't rhyme on here: they seem to have been inserted after the tail was pinned on this donkey. Cilva and Raekwon are the only two on here that spit verses, and Rae sounds surprisingly alert, decimating the verbal attempts of his host: maybe those clinical sleep trials he had been attending have produced decent results (at least, until he recorded his verse for Blackout! 2). Sadly, this track as a whole just doesn't sound very good. Oh well.
4. SHEHEREZAD, MY BELOVED (THE GREATEST LOVE STORY EVER TOLD – CHAPTER 1)
You see, it's easy to tell that Cilvaringz is a Wu-Tang stan (albeit one who managed to get a record deal) because he begins his first verse by repeating some older Method Man lyrics, bending them to his will. The title is too long for its own good (it's approaching Fallout Boy-levels of ridiculousness), but the song itself isn't bad: some of it is awfully sweet. Take note of the fact that it isn't listed below under “Best Tracks”, though.
5. “D---H TO AMERICA”
You're motherfucking right I'm censoring the title of this track, also known as “the main reason I wasn't really marketed in the United States”; I'm not looking for any issues with Homeland Security. Cilva oversimplifies the issue a bit, but it is very interesting to hear a completely different point of view, one which most of the anti-war protestors would have adopted, had they listened to this spoken-word track first. Listen at your own risk: America is still a free country, after all. By the way, Cilvaringz does not actually condone the title threat, which is why he put it between quotation marks. Feel better?
6. IN THE NAME OF ALLAH (FEAT PRINCE RAKEEM "THE RZA", METHOD MAN, MASTA KILLA, SCIENTIFIC SHABAZZ, & KILLAH PRIEST)
An interesting take on what used to be a Wu solo album prerequisite: the posse cut. (There are too many projects these days on which the Wu-Tang Clan seems to have forgotten that the fans they have left look forward to collaborations like this.) Method Man only drops the intro, and Masta Killa's verse treads that fine line between preachy and annoying (as most of his verses tend to do, admittedly), but as a whole, this song isn't bad. Killah Priest, especially, turns in the best performance I've heard from him in a long while. (Scientific) Shabazz the Disciple only briefly appears, but it's still pretty cool to hear Method Man say his name, essentially acknowledging the man's existence. Bobby Digital is, well, you've heard Birth of A Prince already. (Or maybe you haven't.) The song is waaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too long, though.
7. JEWELS (FEAT GZA/GENIUS)
Hearing this a little more than four months removed from the Bush administration, I'm shocked, appalled, and embarrassed that a man that inarticulate was once the leader of the free world. However, I'm supposed to talk about the song, so let me do that. Cilva's verse is decent (I never said the dude was without skill behind the mic), and the Gza (who should have been credited as only "The Genius", in order to fit in with the rest of Cilva's theme) sounds as good as always, but they both perform over different beats: I'm still not fully convinced that the men ever shared studio time, or that Gza/Genius is even aware of his inadvertent contribution to I. Otherwise, the track is alright, I suppose.
8. BROTHERS AIN'T BROTHERS
Cilva acknowledges the fact that he seems to say The Rza's name in all of his songs, all while explaining to the Wu stans exactly how he (either officially or unofficially, it's hard to tell with the Clan, as they don't hold press conferences or anything) became the tenth member of the Wu-Tang Clan. The Bronze Nazareth beat is pretty engaging, except for the beatbox break near the middle, and having The Rza speak at the very end smacks of narcissism, but otherwise, this isn't bad.
9. BLAZING SADDLES (FEAT KILLARMY)
This song is only two and a half minutes long, so there is no possible way it can include every single member of Killarmy, but that's how the song is credited, so whatever. Cilva's beat is pulsating in a “you would expect it to be used for a throwaway Ghostface Killah song” kind of way, and Killa Sin, Shogun Assassin, and Beretta 9 compensate for the environmental switchup by ripping the shit out of it. Not bad at all.
10. CARAVANSERAI – CHAPTER 1 (FEAT SHALLAH RAEKWON)
This is just a skit, and it's unnecessary, as most hip hop skits tend to be.
11. DAMASCUS
Sounds decent enough, but I found my mind wandering at an alarming pace during Cilva's quasi-religious babble over some True Master production that should have hit harder.
12. CARAVANSERAI – CHAPTER II (FEAT SHALLAH RAEKWON & SALAH EDIN)
Refer to the comments from the other similarly-titled skit.
13. TWO MISSED CALLS (SKIT)
A skit right after a skit? What the fuck? I'm not sure what Cilva was trying to prove by including alleged voicemails from the likes of Pharrell and Ne-Yo, but whatever it was, it ddn't take.
14. DART TOURNAMENT (FEAT KILLA SIN & BLUE RASPBERRY)
Cilva's version of “Meth Vs. Chef” fails in its attempt to bring listeners a compelling Wu-sounding treat, mainly because his beat is too busy to follow coherently. Lyrically, though, Cilva and Killa Sin (who's always been the best rapper out of Killarmy and really deserves to be upgraded to a better group) put in work (Cilvaringz even manages to take a shot at Remedy, the resident Jewish member of the Wu-Tang Clan's extended family, which is weird, considering that the two connected for a song previously; I'm sure there's more to that beef, but I don't care enough to look it up). The inclusion of Blue Raspberry's vocals seem to be more about evoking nostalgia than anything else, though, since she sounds awful on here.
15. THE SAGA...
Lyrically, Cilva is all over the map, hitting upon topics such as the importance of bling, how rap music sucks (save for a handful of artists that he names), and how he discovered the Wu to begin with, all while making damn sure he mentions The Rza's name yet again. His beat is rather interesting, though, so the package works as a whole.
16. FOREVER MICHAEL (WACKO TABLO)
I love early Michael Jackson as much as the next guy (Thriller is the shit, and I still love “Smooth Criminal” from Bad, even though it constantly reminds me of Michael Jackson's Moonwalker, the movie with the giant statue/robot thing of himself at the end), but this is still a questionable subject to write a rap song about (essentially defending an “alleged” child molester: what's next, an homage to “alleged” child rapist R. Kelly?), especially if you're part of the Wu-Tang extended family – and you definitely should not have wasted a Rza beat on this. I'll never listen to this shit again (although the man makes some fair points about MTV, a station he will never see any play on), and you'll probably skip this one too, so we'll move on.
17. ELEPHANT JUICE
Features another potshot aimed at Remedy, alongside insults thrown at Britney Spears, George W. Bush, Madonna, Whitney Houston, and, curiously, Robert DeNiro. This is exactly the type of song that takes Cilvaringz from the Wu forefront and places him into the bargain bin alongside all of Dom Pachino's solo efforts, a few of the Hell Razah projects, and Bronze Nazareth's album.
18. DEAF, DUMB, & BLIND
Meh. (Yeah, I said meh. It's just music, Cilva: if you're trying to get your message across, it would help if the undelrying 4th Disciple-produced music was actually good.)
19. WARRIORS & POETS (SKIT)
…
20. VALENTINE DAY MASSACRE (FEAT 60 SECOND ASSASSIN, 9TH PRINCE, SCIENTIFIC SHABAZZ, & BLUE RASPBERRY)
The hook (Blue Raspberry again) is completely useless, but otherwise, this long-promised track (which has come up off and on ever since Cilvaringz was first introduced on Wu-Tang Clan fan sites) lives up to its high expectations. This is actually a better Wu posse cut than “In The Name Of Allah” in terms of sheer energy level alone, even with all of the Wu benchwarmers on here. Even Killarmy's 9th Prince sounds pretty damn good, and that never happens.
21. POISON RING CHAMBER (OUTRO) (FEAT METHOD MAN)
Couldn't convince Method Man to spit a verse on I, huh? Having him appear on the outro is a cool consolation prize, I suppose. (I'll admit it would be cool to have Meth on my album outro, if I were an actual rapper) He's worked alongside waaaay too many commercial artists to say no to Cilvaringz, though: maybe the money wasn't right?
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July 17th, 2009Uncategorized
1. CONVERSATION #1
I appreciate how they tried to make it sound like “Oh, I just finished recording the last vocal for Conversation, so let's see how the final product sounds”, although if you've never even heard of this album before today, I just gave away the ending, so whoops! Anyway, regardless of that theme, this is still a rap album intro, and everyone at this point knows how Max feels about them.
2. ROUND & ROUND
I didn't care for this song when it was released as the first single from Conversation, but hearing it today, it's pleasant as hell. The two rappers are in no way ever going to be considered as twin Rakims or anything, but they are both better rappers than producer Warren G. So of course it makes sense that Warren is the only one of the three that still has what can be considered a rap career.
3. GOOD TIMES
Shit, this sounds so good that I'm going to go hit up a barbecue right fucking now. I'll be back in a few hours or days, give or take.
4. 4 EYES 2 HEADS (FEAT GORGEOUS JUDAH RANKS)
The vocals at the very beginning are unnerving, and the hook is just weird, but looking past that, this song is really good. I believe this was also a single at some point: I recall a video being shot, even though I don't remember ever actually watching it.
5. JUMP TA THIS
Well, they can't all be winners.
6. EASTSIDE LB (FEAT WARREN G.)
The hook is a little corny, but otherwise, this song will bring your soul to a level of inner peace that isn't possible when listening to, say, Lil' Wayne. This may have been a single, too: Conversation was released back in a time when Def Jam really tried to sell the shit out of their albums prior to giving up, unlike today, when they drop their promotion after an album fails to move more than one million units in its opening week. (A somewhat related side note: is anybody else worried about how the label will treat Method Man and Redman's Blackout 2 when it's released tomorrow?)
7. SORRY I KEPT YOU (FEAT WARREN G.)
This was my favorite song on Conversation back when I first bought it. The Rakim vocal sample is a nice bonus, but the real draw here is Warren G's production work. The track still sounds just as good as I remember, by the way.
8. CONVERSATION #2
Skit...
9. JOURNEY WITH ME
Actually sounds a bit too much like “Good Times” for my liking. Because they already made that song, you see.
10. HOLLYWOOD (FEAT JAH SKILLZ & NEB LOVE)
I would have appreciated some more hardcore tracks on Conversation, it's okay, since ultraviolence isn't in the nature of theTwinz. At the time I picked this up, I was a West Coast freak and was more familiar with the laid-back Cali sound: the only East Coast act I followed religiously in 1995 was the Wu-Tang Clan, and I picked up everybody else's albums whenever I got around to them. (Oh, how the tides have turned, huh?) Anyway, this posse cut is pretty bland.
11. 1st ROUND DRAFT PICK (FEAT WARREN G.)
Sounds like an outtake from Regulate...G Funk Era, which it might actually be, since this is the most violent track on here, and that still isn't saying much. This is too melodic to ever be confused with “actual” gangsta rap, but it still sounds alright.
12. CONVERSATION #3
Skit...
13. DON'T GET IT TWISTED (FEAT NEW BIRTH)
I always skipped this song when I was younger, and today I find it to be okay, but nothing to write home about. You may want to call home, though, because your parents have missed you, and want to make sure you're doing okay, and besides, I'm pretty sure they could give a fuck if you liked “Don't Get It Twisted” or not.
14. PASS IT ON (FEAT FOESUM & WARREN G.)
I've heard more engaging weed songs in my lifetime. Which is weird to say, since weed is supposed to relax you, not make you more energetic and amped. Oh, well.
