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Artist: Boogiemonsters

Album: God Sound

Genre: Politically conscious, relgious-toned, message-based, underground-flavor Hip-Hop.

Producers: Boogiemonsters, Domingo, Caspa, Jon Doe.

Tracks: 16 tracks at 55:10.

Label: EMI Records.

Year of Release: 1997

Date of Review: August 10, 1998

LYRICS: 8

FLOW: 7

MESSAGE: 10

BEATS: 5

ORIGINALITY: 6

HYPE: 4

CONSISTENCY: 6

SCORE: 65%

Information on my ratings system.

Boogiemonsters are a Hip-Hop group consisting of two members, Mondo and Vex. God Sound is their second album. I didn't peep their first one (I've never even seen it or heard anything off of it), but I heard enough about this one to pick it up. Apparently, Boogiemonsters originally weren't a duo, but instead a group of four members. . . I'm really not sure what caused the other two members to depart from the group, but Mondo and Vex are still standing, putting out underground-sounding Hip-Hop, with a cool religious vibe to it. While I usually save these sorts of conclusions until the ends of my reviews, I'll say one thing here: I'm pretty happy with this purchase. Pretty happy. Not ecstatic, but pretty happy nonetheless.

God Sound begins with the creatively titled "Intro." Why does every other album I review start out with a track called intro. . . it's freakin' annoying. I mean. . . Wyclef, Insane Clown Posse, Rakim, Will Smith, Wu-Tang Clan, Dr. Octagon, Capone-N-Noreaga, Killah Priest, and now Boogiemonsters all have tracks titled "Intro" on their albums. . . I'm getting all intro-ed out. If this doesn't change soon, I might have to start talking points off for this. . .

Anyway, after this fonke instrumental intro, Mondo and Vex lead the listener through a world of dope rhymes, mellow flows, and positive messages. Those are all things that I really enjoy about Hip-Hop, and therefore, I really enjoyed God Sound by Boogiemonsters.

The highlight of this album would have to be the lyrics. They get DEEP here. When you think about how boring it could be being constantly preached to, these guys deserve some applause for speaking knowledge and wisdom, all the while keeping your head nodding and your ears open. Vex especially comes with some ill, ill rhymes. He's laid back, sort of like a cross between a less high-pitched Q-Tip and a less bugged-out Killah Priest, with a dash of Ras Kass and his history lessons thrown in. Like Cee-Lo, I see another emcee who is definitely the shining star of his group, and has the potential to mature into one of the greats. He and his partner Mondo rap about believing in God, the problems with fake rappers, watching out for the Antichrist, television as a mind-controlling device, the whole Illuminati/Freemason/New World Order conspiracy that's so popular to discuss among underground Hip-Hop these days, and above all, a warning to Hip-Hoppers and fans alike to stay aware of their surroundings.

It's been a while since I've heard a rap group that's this positive. That doesn't even TRY to be commercial. Hell, even Public Enemy or Goodie Mob will throw in some party jam type tracks every once in a while. Not Boogiemonsters, though. They're on a mission. And it ain't about getting the Benjamins. I doubt making money is even in the back of their minds. They're here to save our souls.

But it ain't all good. You ALL know how much I love music with a positive message. In fact, some of you send me mocking e-mails, talking about how all I look at is the message, and only judge albums by the moral content they contain.

If that was so, Boogiemonsters would get a perfect 10. I really like these guys. They're nice young lads, I've gotta say. Unfortunately for the Boogiemonsters, a positive message doesn't always equal a classic album. God Sound has some ill tracks, and even a few moments of sheer genius, but is nowhere close to a classic album.

Perhaps one problem is the album's tone. It could be a bit TOO mellow. Nothing against laid-back sounding jams. But true classics, by everyone from A Tribe Called Quest to Common Sense, contain both smooth-sounding songs as well as hype upbeat tracks, flowing together well and creating a complete album. Boogiemonsters just don't do this on God Sound, as they remain mellow throughout.

The beats are nice, but lack something. They seem too simple. . . too generic. Domingo produces many of these tracks, and while he produced my favorite track on KRS-One's latest, "The MC" off of I Got Next, there isn't much on here that's all that interesting. The beats are fairly forgettable, being that by-the-numbers, underground East Coast sound that The Bomb Squad was able to transform into sheer dopeness for He Got Game. No transforming took place here. The beats aren't bad, they're just the same ol', same ol'. At least there aren't any blatant rip-off sampling jobs.

It's hard to criticize a positive message of any kind, so I won't, but I should note that some heads might not dig this album because of its strong religious overtones. I somehow doubt atheist cats would want to bump tracks like "God Sound" in their ride. Or the Bahamadia featuring "Say Word," where Mondo asks: "Why is it so cool to disbelieve in God?" As for myself, I'm fairly agnostic, and I appreciate all religions for their uniqueness, so I have to give these guys huge props for keepin it real to themselves by speaking on what they believe to be right. I'm just warning you. . . Boogiemonsters' message might not be for everyone.

What seperates Boogiemonsters, at least for the time being, from such similar groups as Poor Righteous Teachers, Souls of Mischief, Organized Konfusion, A Tribe Called Quest, and The Roots, is, well, that they're so similar to them. They don't quite have their own feel yet, and thus remind me too much of other Hip-Hop acts. I'm tempted to say the only truly original thing on God Sound is the Christian message, as that sort of spirituality in Hip-Hop is very uncommon.

So, what else do I need to tell you? I'll say it this way. If you liked The New World Order by Poor Righteous Teachers, I highly recommend this, as well. The lyrics are similarly minded, and while I don't think it's quite in the same class as PRT's album (which was easily one of the best releases of 1996), this is still worth hearing.

Boogiemonsters, like such crews as Boogie Down Productions and the aforementioned Poor Righteous Teachers, come with truly intellectual rap music and preach a positive message, all the while staying true to real Hip-Hop. If that's not your thing, well, you just won't get into these guys. If all you care about is whether a song has a phat beat, and check for the lyrics later, this won't do much for you.

Lyrics come first for me, though. This isn't a classic, but it's still a bangin album. The skit "...And Then What," where Mondo calls out wack emcees, giving his views, which are very similar to mine, in a way so beautiful and articulate that sounds like poetry even though he's just doing a spoken word interlude, made, for me at least, this whole album worth the $10.99 that Mondo refuses to pay for emcees that don't speak to him. If you feel the same way, God Sound should be worth your money, too.

---Steve Clark