And Tha Beats Jus Don't Stop: Tha Music Reviews




Ratings system: (whack) * ---> ***** (Hella Dope)

R&B



BoyzIIMen: Evolution ***1/2


This a solid album that's typical BoyzIIMen style but in my mind isn't up to par with their past performances. They're only a couple of memorable songs on here and the two that come to mind are "4 Seasons of Loneliness" and "A Song for Mama", a dedication thanking all the moms out there. Even these two songs aren't as deep felt or eardropping as their last album which contained the awesome "I'll Make Luv To You" or "On Bended Knee" songs. My recommendation is to only pic this album up if you're a true die hard BoyzIIMen fan, otherwise you should jus pass it up.


Brandy: Never Say Never ****


Brandy comes up on top once again with her second album. Many of her songs are tailor made for the radio. Cuts such as "Top of the World" with Mase on backup, "The Boy Is Mine" co-starring Monica, and the sweet "Have You Ever" are all pleasing to the ear and will probably be multi-platinum singles. I'd say it gives most her songs more of a pop rather than an R&B feel to it. Still all and all, this is a very solid album and it's an appropriate follow up from her debut a few years ago. Hopefully, next time she'll lose some of the guest appearances and concentrate more on the R&B aspect of it.


Dru Hill ****1/2


This self named debut album is what true R&B is all about. Each and every song on this album is real tight and has a nice bump to it groove that sets the mood. Song's like "So Special" and "April Showers" are true romantic dedications to that special someone in your life. Other cuts like "Never Make A Promise", "All Alone", and "In My Bed" sum up the loneliness and heartbreak one suffers in a relationship but does it with such a slow harmonious groove that it's bittersweet. This in my mind is one of the best R&B albums to have come out in years and it's definitely one of my favorites.


Dru Hill: Enter the Dru ****1/2


Dru Hill bangs out another hit album after their wildly successful first debut a year ago. This group reminds me alot like Jodeci and their ability to capture the ears of the audience within a few lyrics simply by the way they carry their voices. It's the tight formation of their vocals blended over the sweet, catchy backgrounds that make Dru Hill the next power contenders in the R&B world. Their songs range from the naughty "My Freak", to the tender moments of "Angel" and "These are the Times." There are alot of other great tracks on this album that'll probably never be released on the radio, so you should pick this up as soon as you can. If love songs are your thang, this would be a perfect mood setter for any kind of romantic evening.


K-Ci & JoJo: Love Always ****1/2


This album is jus full of dope R&B cuts that really make you wanna get your love jones on. Songs like "Now And Forever", "How Many Times", and the mega hit "All My Life" reinforces that true love does exist out there...you jus have to believe in it. The "All My Life" song truly is a dedication to that one and only love that you find, and really makes me feel hopeful towards the future. Many of these songs tug at the heart strings and whether or not you're single at the moment, this album definitely is a winner. Pick it up, you won't be disappointed.


Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill ****1/2


It's very rare when a debut album is both socially conscious and hip to the beat at the same time, but Lauryn Hill's album does it with ease. Lauryn's ability to both rap and sing what's on her mind gives each song an added flavor that's hard to match. Each of her songs brings a different message and makes you think about how you live your own life. Her song "Doo Wop" has one of my favorite lines, "How you gonna win if you ain't right within". That and many other lyrics in her album, make you think about what's respectful and what's honorable in one's own life. One of the best albums of the year, we can learn alot from Lauryn Hill's miseducation. (THIS IS B-1's PICK FOR R&B ALBUM OF THE YEAR FOR '98) *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*


Monica: The Boy Is Mine ****1/2



NEXT: Rated Next ****


If sexy lyrics and erotic beats are your thang, then this album is for you. Taking a page from R. Kelly's book, Next delivers an album that sets the mood for a romantic and intimate night with you and your hunnie. Songs like "Too Close" are great for bumpin' at a club and getting your freak on with your partner. Tracks like "Butterlove" and "Sexitude" are taylor made for a bump and grind kind of evening. In fact, there's a section in the album that says to play this when your making love. However, there are also a couple of cuts that are very heartfelt and create a very tender setting. All in all, this album beats out most of the other fluff that's out there. Ladies, get your birth control pills ready...


ROME **

This self named debut album is a below average performance from someone that could have been greater. The only good song on here is "Every Time I See Your Face (it makes me wanna sing)", but the rest of the album is all filler junk. We've all heard of these tired lyrics and beats before and it's nothing special. I recommend that you pass on this album, unless of course you like wasting money.


Uncle Sam **1/2

This self debut album, help produced by BoyzIIMen, is an average performance at best. It's a decent output but being produced by BoyzIIMen I was expecting something stronger. The one track that's really good and reminds me of tha Boyz's style is "I Don't Wanna See You No More". If the album had more cuts like this one it would have been given a much higher rating, but much of the album is forgetable. Only pick this up if you're desparate for something to listen to.


Usher: My Way ***

This debut album by the young guy is a solid entry but it jus doesn't contain the necessary tracks that stack up to the big boys. The album is highlighted by two hit songs "You Make Me Wanna" and "Nice And Slow"...both have good jumpy beats to it and a sexy rhythm. Seeing how this is his first effort, you can see his potential of being a major playa in the years to come. However, this current album is only slightly above average cuz it's hampered by some filler songs in the middle that aren't too inspiring. The title also kinda sux...to me it sounds like a Burger King ad promo.



RAP



Black Eyed Peas: Behind the Front ****1/2


Black Eyed Peas or BEP for short is one those rap groups that come only once in a long while. Hailing from the rap underground of Los Angeles, these playas blend jazz and hip-hop beats to form a very unique musical blend that makes you wanna bob your head to the funky rhythym. This album contains so many good songs there's not enough space to list them all here. The album starts off with "Behind the Front" and builds momentum with the critically acclaimed "Joints and Jam". Many of their songs also contain socially conscious lyrics that denounce materialism, and promote unity by staying true to yourself and to others around you. (THIS IS B-1'S TOP PICK FOR NEW RAP GROUP ALBUM OF THE YEAR FOR '98) *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*


Bone Thugs In Harmony: Art of War ***1/2


Bone Thugs' 2nd album, a 2 cd compilation, delivers another strong performance but it should have been reduced to one cd. This album is divided into two sections, disc 1 is called WWI and disc 2 is called WWII. WWI is typical Bone Thug style which blends R&B beats with hip-hop lyrics, a pseudo mixture of R&B and rap that's very pleasing to the ear. Disc one is full of good songs ranging from the menacing "Look into My Eyes" to the smoothed out beats of "If I Could Teach tha World". WWII (the 2nd disc), however, doesn't deliver many memorable tracks. Many of the beats are repetitive and doesn't offer much originality. All in all I think the good outweighs the bad, and I suggest picking this album up.


Daz Dillinger: Retaliation, Revenge and Get Back ***1/2

This is hard core gansta rap at it's finest. Daz being a member of the Dogg Pound and helped produce many Death Row songs, has come up with a solid above average debut album that has catapulted him into one of the premier rappers out there. Songs such as "Gang Bangin Ass Criminal", and "It's Going Down" reflect the true gansta mentality of jus going out and gettin' your shit on. Then you have other songs like "In California" which makes you wanna boogie and groove to that flava only tha Westsiiide can bring. On a more reflective note, Daz also comes up with a song "Thank God For My Life" that symbolizes the gansta life and how truly tragic it can be. Overall a great effort from Daz, but he's still a couple of steps short in becoming a true legend of tha game.


DMX: It's Dark and Hell Is Hot ****1/2


DMX has been around for awhile but this is his first solo debut album and it's gonna be a multi-platinum winner. Everything on this album is hot! From gansta land tales of the ghetto, backstabbing friendships, and just pure party down funk, this album's got it all. This is the 2nd coming of Tupac Shakur, his rapping magnetism is undeniable. Check out the track "Ruff Ryder's Anthem". It has enough bass to shake and shatter all the car windows in a one block radius. Other dope tracks include "Damien", "Get At Me Dog", and my personal favorite "The Convo". DMX throws in a few bible references in "Convo" and it sounds hella dope. The advent of the thug rapper is here...and he's here to stay. (THIS IS B-1's HARDCORE RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR FOR '98) *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*


DMX: Flesh of My Flesh, Blood of my Blood ***1/2


DMX, aka the 2nd coming of 2Pac, brings it down hard and fast with another dark and gritty album. DMX laces his background beats with apocalyptic resonance fortelling what's in store for the oncoming millenium. Compared to his first album however, some of the tracks fall short and sound similar to previous renditions. Thus, the 3 and 1/2 star rating. Unless you're a diehard DMX fan, you probably won't enjoy parts of this album. But if you like hardcore rap, you can't go wrong with this pulse pounding album.


GANG STARR: Moment of Truth ****1/2


This being their 5th album, Gang Starr has been around for awhile but this album is jus too damn good, it's DA BOMB. This album is chaulk full of good cuts and is real tight. Gang Starr is one of those rap groups that alwayz has reflective lyrics and has a message to get across in every song. The song "Work" tells you to get off your lazy ass and go make something of yourself. "Royalty" which has the awesome backup vocals of K-Ci and JoJo, is a song about treating women with respect and honoring them like they are royalty. Then you have the song "Moment of Truth" that is typical Gang Starr style, that reflects an episode when one is depressed about life and wants something better. Many of the songs on here are reflective of everyday life and sends a positive message to try to make this world a better place. I can't recommend this album highly enuff, it's jus that good. In my mind it's the best rap album to come out in 1998 so far. Go pick this up at your local record store immediately. (THIS IS B-1's TOP PICK FOR RAP ALBUM OF THE YEAR FOR '98) *HIGHLY RECOMMENDED*


Goodie Mob: Still Standing ****


Goodie Mob has always been associated with putting out meaningful and society conscience raps, and this album is no exception. After their wildly successful first album Soul Food, this second album delivers a healthy seconds of wonderful beats and soul searching lyrics. On these fifteen songs, the Goodie Mob rap about what's real through talks of survival and virtue, underscoring their songs with a distinct Southern flava. Songs like "Black Ice" and "See You When I See You", are jus a sample of Goodie Mob's compelling lyrical style that jus commands your attention. Although, Goodie wrote and composed all from their own material, the album was helped produced by LA Reid and Babyface. Hey, if it's got Babyface's seal of approval you know it's gotta be worth checkin' out.


ICE CUBE: WAR AND PEACE (The War Disc vol. 1) ***1/2



Jay-Z: Hard Knock Life (Vol: 2) ***1/2


Jay-Z's second effort comes up hard and strong with his first song "Hard Knock Life". Taking a track from the play "Annie", Jigga puts it on the real with a smooth flowing, bass pounding cut making us all bob our heads to our own hard knock lives. With that intro you expect the album to be hella dope the rest of the way, but it falls short of that. There are only a couple of other solid cuts on the album like "Can I Get A..", but other than that there's nothing memorable about it. It's an above average effort by Jay-Z but he still needs to work on his consistency, and put together slammin' album all the way through.


Public Enemy: He Got Game **


Back in the 80s Public Enemy was one of the illest rap groups around. Together with ringleader Chuck D, the Enemy crew slammed hardcore beats and bad ass lyrics. Now with their new album for the "He Got Game" movie, Public Enemy tries to make everyone sit up and take notice that the Enemy is back with avegeance. I'm sad to say, that they shoulda stayed back in the 80s. None of the jingles on here are the least memorable...maybe if they went back to hardcore beats they put out in the 80s some of their material would stand out more. But right now, there isn't anything that remotely makes them stand out from the crowd of other rappers crowding the market.


WC: The Shadiest One ****

The Westside connection is alive and slammin' with this bumpin' album. Contrary to belief, WC has been around for awhile. However, his notoriety quickly became well known when he appeared on the bass booming album Westside Connection with the mega talented ICE CUBE and MACK 10. This album is what West Coast rap is all about...hard hitting gansta beats and menacing quick hitting lyrics. Songs like "Just Clownin" and "Get Your Scrilla", bring a jumpin' style that makes you want to start breaking and show off your hip-hop dance skillz. There's also a great beat remake of an old school track Jiggaboo Pie with guest rapper ICE CUBE that boom booms and shakes the room...hella tight! WC has certainly established himself as one of the most talented rappers on the Westside... do yourself a favor and sample this album sometime. (THIS IS A DARKHORSE ALBUM OF '98) *RECOMMENDED*


Wu-tang Clan: Wu-tang Forever ****1/2


Tha Wu-tang have done it again with another amazing symphony of sounds. They first exploded on the scene with their first album "Enter the Wu-tang (36 Chambers), but their latest achievement even surpasses the first. This slammin' 2 CD set is filled with not only hard bass booming beats but also provoking lyrics that back it up. Of the current 9 members of the Clan, the RZA is the one who puts it all together with an amazing assortment of beats arranging from deep bass instruments to strings (violins). When you put him and the other 8 members together, however, you get 9 different lyrical styles that all come together in a wondrous harmony. This is best heard in their awesome song "Triumph", where all 9 members take turns rapping one after another without any pauses or breaks. What you get is a hard fast lyrical earfest that makes you wanna say "DAMN, that's tight". Other songs like "Reunited", "Visionz", A Better Tomorrow", and "The City", all have their own messages and stories to impart. Almost every song on here is really tight and mad flowing so it's well worth the extra money that you have to pay for it.



Xzibit: 40 Dayz & 40 Nights ***1/2


One of my favorite rappers, Mr. X to tha Z puts it down hard and fast on a couple of dope ass singles. "3 Card Molly" is one of the best examples of hard core hip-hop at its finest, letting all the suckas know that the Golden State is #1 with a bullet. Another rapid fire cut is "What You See Is What You Get", a hard hitting lyrical display of Xzibit's talent and untapped potential in becoming one of hip-hop's most undiscovered rapper. If Mr. X to tha Z could consistently put together dope tracks like this over the whole album, it'd get a much higher rating. So unless you're a hard core hip-hop head like I am, you might not appreciate what this album has to offer.


POP/Dance



Aqua ****


You might think I'm weird but I thought this album was pretty good. Yah, it's filled with generic lyrics but I liked the jumpy beats to their songs. Their songs all have this bubbly feeling to them and put you in a good mood. Most peeps have heard of "Barbie Girl" and "Candyman", but other songs like "Dr. Jones" and "My Oh My" also put you into that groove mode. If you like bubblegum dance songs that pick you up then I recommend giving this album a try.


Celine Dion: Let's Talk About Love ***1/2

Yah, yah, I know what you're saying "You have this album??!" Since I liked the Titanic movie and it's theme song, I decided to pick this album up and give it a try. To my surprise I found that the other songs on here are also pretty good. Most of the songs are all dedicated to love, romance, and trying to find that special someone. What can I say, I'm a true romantic remember. With typical Celine style, her strong voice always carries the level of the song to the point where you start believing in love, and you start reminicing about that crush you had in highschool. If you liked the "My Heart Will Go On" song from the Titanic movie, then you might want to give her album a try.


Madonna: Ray of Light ***1/2

Unlike typical Madonna albums which had a more pop feel to them, she totally changes her style to a more techno/dance variety on this one. I actually think this works pretty well for her, and could be one of her best albums. Songs like "Ray of Light" and "Frozen" will put you into dance mode, but other songs like "Little Star" and "Mer" are surprisingly mellow but are pleasant to listen to. Even her lyrics have changed to a more reflective nature instead of her typical style of jus sex, sex, sex. Motherhood does that to you I guess....


Yo, so far this section is currently in the construction process... I'll have more reviews up soon... thanks for being patient.