I thought I’d ‘keep it real’ here and showcase this English rapper. Roots Manuva is from South London, and released this, his debut album in 1999. His website (rootsmanuva.co.uk) says of the album, “He could, after all, have taken the obvious big-money route and hired in a heap of famous guests to make safe, production-line hip hop. Instead he chose to spread the love a little”, by this meaning Manuva has no well known guests or production teams, just his own close people.
1. Movements
This is a great track to start with. Nice slow production, allowing Manuva to just flow over it with ease. Straight away with this first track Roots Manuva will strike you as a unique rapper, in terms of bothhis voice and flow.
2. Dem Phonies
I don’t like this track. Fairly garbage production andlikewise lyrics. Definately a track to skip in future.
3. Juggle Tings Proper
This is more like it. Hardcore beats which heavily rely on bass and drums. English or not, he can prove difficult to understand at times. Good track to bob your head to.
4. Inna
Make sure you got some good speakers for this one, the bass is a killer. One of the albums better tracks, this is a story about Roots’ escapades at a bar he visits on his own.
5. Soul Decay
Good production using a mix of drums and piano’s. This is a decent track in all respects.
6. Baptism
Garbage production spoils what is a decent few verses.
7. Strange Behaviour
My favourite track on the album. Heavy bass, good melody and a nice rap about Manuva bumping into a girl he used to know.
8. skit
9. Big Tings Gwidarn
Again, poor minimalistic production spoil a potential good song.
10. Sinking Sands
A good track. Whenever he is provided with a better beat, the song benefits as a whole as this proves. Great dark production and a good chorus.
11. Wisdom Fall
Another track which relies on drum beat and bass-line to carry it through. More of the same – good rapping, poor production.
12. Skit
13. Clockwork
A good track which flows along at a nice tempo, and the use of other instruments other than a drum are a welcome sound to the ear!
14. Cornmeal Dumpling
Another decent track but nothing special.
15. Fever
A very good track at last! A speedy piano loop and a keyboard are a good backdrop for this. There is no doubting Roots Manuva’s ability as a rapper.
16. Oh Yeah…
This track wouldn’t sound out of place on an old Wu-Tang album. Dark and hardcore production match the style of rapping nicely. A good track.
17. Motion 5000
Well Manuva goes instrument crazy on this one and gets in an orchestra. A great track not far from the style of Xzibit’s ‘Paparazzi’ track. Nice finish to the album.
Overall, Roots Manuva certainly comes onto the scene in a good fashion. While he impresses with his rapping, style, voice etc, it is the lacklustre production which lets the majority of this debut down. This is not to say the album is bad, just not as good as it could have been. This would have a hard time in America as it stands, but Manuva certainly has potential as a great.
New fans would be better off checking his follow-up album ‘Run Come Save Me’ before getting this.
Score = 3/5
This was Fiend’s second album on No Limit, and his third solo album overall. This album is different from the typical of No Limit records productions. The producers here Beats by the Pound delivered some tight original beats mixed with blues and rock.
The Outkast is a group containing Andre Benjamin and Big Boi. Their debut album “Southernplayalistikmuzik” was slept on and their follow up album “ATLiens” had a few VERY tight cuts, but also a few below average. Therefor I’m hoping for this album to last all the way.
Fredro Starr began his rapping career in 1991 with the group Onyx. After the breakup of the Onyx in 1998, Fredro Starr began his solo career with this album. Fredro’s also done a few movies and is pretty well known in the entertainment industry. I expect this album to be average.
This is the debut album of the group from Flint, MI. After this release they also released “F.B.I” in 1996 and “Welcome to dopehouse” in 2002. This album was released in 1995. At the time for this album, the groups members were Baccstabber, Shoestring and Bootleg. Future member Ghetto E had still not joined the group.
It’s G-Funk. It’s the essence of G-Funk; in fact it’s G-Funk in its purest form, and undoubtedly the project that is synonymous with the name itself. In December 1992 Andre “Dr. Dre” Young, just a year after leaving the notorious N.W.A. stronghold of Eazy-E’s Ruthless Records, completed and released his magnum opus – The Chronic. The album, which was the first release on Dre and Suge Knight’s newly formed Death Row Records, would not only raise the bar for quality Hip-Hop standards, but would set the pace for Hip-Hop for the next 8 years. 10 years if you count the Bad Boy/No Limit 2 year era a watered down version of what Dre and Death Row created. Never the less The Chronic set the tone for the new sound that to this day stands the test of time. It’s up for speculation as to who actually created the G-Funk sound or even who coined the name. The potential answer to the question always centers on those involved in the N.W.A. era. However it becomes an irrelevant and overshadowed argument when put against an unquestionable fact – The Chronic put G-Funk on the map, made it a house hold name, and would be the catalyst influence that would push Hip-Hop forward for the next decade.
This is the second album from the group Lost Boyz. Members are Mr Cheeks, Freakie Tah, Pretty Lou and Spigg Nice. It’s also the last album released before the passing of group member Freakie Tah (RIP). All tracks have Mr Cheeks on them, and most have Freakie Tah on them in the backround or with a verse.