These Wild Sticks would be good if they weren’t Hot. It doesn’t hit you until after a few seconds of eating and they’re damn tasty until then, but jeez. Why anyone would want to experience pain, albeit to a relatively mild degree, at any time, let alone while eating, is beyond me.
my rating : 3 of 5
If you pry open a can of this expecting a smooth milk-based beverage à la Java Monster Loca Moca, you’ll be in for a surprise. This Bang, which goes by the ridiculous name of Whole Lotta Chocolata, is carbonated like a regular energy drink but with a chocolate flavor.
my rating : 3 of 5
“What a crazy decision,” Joe Rogan exclaims in response to Cody Garbrandt suddenly going from pro MMA fighter to sloppy street brawler near the end of Round 1, but what he probably wanted to say was “stupid”.
It was apparently an emotional (angry) reaction to an inadvertent headbutt that made Garbrandt go wild; trading punches hard and fast with little to no defense; which results in his third knockout loss in a row.
my rating : 3 of 5
2019
![Dr Pepper : Strawberries And Cream [ Zero Sugar ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/117624.jpg)
The phrase Strawberries And Cream brings to mind hearty bowls of oatmeal with a little milk poured atop. This Dr Pepper version is sweeter; it’s aspartame that takes the place of Sugar; but the aforementioned flavor is barely detectable. Not that its taste, if you’re not too bothered by the sting of carbonation, isn’t mildly pleasant.
my rating : 3 of 5
They were never really dead, not even in a metaphoric sense, so this is only a Resurrection in that the Geto Boys are back to what they once were; Scarface, Bushwick Bill and Willie D; the latter of which “left the group in 91”. There’s a verse here that insists the split was the result of real-life beef, but “we settled our differences”, so he’s back and still yelling, though not as loud as he used to. Big Mike, who replaced him for the last album, is missing in action.
With things back in place, you’d expect, or at least hope for, a fitting follow-up to We Can’t Be Stopped; their best album; but, though it’s only been five years, times have changed. The beats are more airy and vivacious; less hip-hop, more sinister mob music. It seems the Boys have also matured into grown men, so it’s mostly serious business with social and political commentary between murders; less time for funny disses, careless sex and Chuckie dolls.
That makes for a less interesting album; a dark undertaking with a conceptual fixation with death. At one point Bushwick Bill even kills himself after declaring to passenger Willie D that he Just Wanna Die. D dares him to shoot himself in the head while driving, which he does. You can hear the tires screech as the ride swerves off the road and crashes into something hard. The decision for him not to be heard again for the rest of the album was a clever one.
That bit is followed by a Willie D solo song comparing Niggas And Flies, but, while he’s Still the most entertaining (funniest) member of the group, we’ve heard better from both rappers. The best songs are actually Blind Leading The Blind, led by the Menace Clan, and Point Of No Return. The album would also do better without an on-going prison phone call from an annoyingly race-obsessed Larry Hoover to Rap-A-Lot founder and CEO J Prince.
my rating : 3 of 5
1996
![Beach Cliff Sardines [ In Water ]](https://marcellee.com/posts/117431.jpg)
These Sardines, depending on when and where you get them, are actually sprats. That’s fine with me; I prefer sprats because they’re smaller and thus easier to eat; but, while the two fish are nearly indistinguishable, it’s a blatant form of false advertising.
Still you’ll have a hard time finding a healthier food as sardines; these are “wild caught”, from places like Poland, for whatever that’s worth; are packed with Omega-3 fatty acids and other nutrients. “Savory”? Sure. Tasty? Not really. They’re best served as a side dish.
my rating : 3 of 5
Broccoli Sprouts, or baby broccoli, are a so-called Super Food, meaning they’re one of the healthiest you can eat. They’re “nature’s best source of” Sulforaphane, perhaps the safest way to fight or prevent cancer.
What I like about Sunny Creek’s, which you can find at North Carolina grocery stores, is that it’s ready to eat; no cooking or prepping. The taste is also tolerable; probably the best I can say for any plant sprout.
my rating : 3 of 5
I appreciate the Tender Style; tough jerky can be a nuisance to eat; and smoke (barbecuesque) flavor. Still these Beef Steaks, which may as well be belt steaks by the looks of them, are nothing to write home about. That’s perhaps unless you’re stranded on an island or lost at sea, in which I imagine they’d be a godsend.
my rating : 3 of 5
Sadat X apparently considers this an official album, but it comes across as a mixtape of sorts in celebration of “the world opened back up” from the (ridiculous) hoopla of Covid-19. Though I certainly disagree with his boneheaded views on race and religion; he compares Niggas To Gods; I remain a fan of his odd word-emphasizing rap style, especially over raw soul-bap beats like these.
my rating : 3 of 5
2022
The 1996 Resurrection of the Geto Boys didn’t last long. Bushwick Bill, the only member there since the beginning, is nowhere to be found. As far as this album is concerned, the group is down to just Willie D and Scarface backed with a gang of guest rappers, including, randomly enough, Caine from Menace To Society.
Dawn 2 Dusk, which also features DMG and Yukmouth, is one of Da Good songs. Others include Eye 4 An Eye, on which Willie D goes off on an angry and epic rant against racist white people, Gangsta and Thugg Niggaz. I also like Bitches And Hoes. None of the rest is particularly Bad nor Ugly, but most is middling.
my rating : 3 of 5
1998
The best song here is about a talkative girl named Elizabeth Einstein. It’s a “love” ballad that stands out for its vocal melodies and harmonies. “We could be a good idea some time,” a smitten Adam Schmitt thinks to himself as she blathers on. It’s a good song on an album that, despite its title, is mostly a dull affair.
my rating : 3 of 5
1991
Why R Kelly would put out a song entitled I Admit while being publicly accused of, and potentially investigated for, real-life sex crimes; a song at least partially about said allegations; is beyond me. He stops short of confessing to an actual crime; in fact he strongly implies his innocence; and a song, even a long-ass rambling one, is just a song, but it’s not a good look.
“I admit it,” the ill-advised hook goes, “I did it.” His detractors (“haters”) will isolate those words and use them as weapons, but his sentiments aren’t lost on me. This is, from the prolific R&B artist whose album titles include Love Letter and Write Me Back, an open diary entry in which the singer; a famous one on the verge of becoming infamous; laments his life struggles.
You can say he’s playing the victim, but, in some ways, he is one. A lot of celebrities are. They’re often taken advantage of for the sake of fame and fortune and Kells is no exception. I think that’s him in “the tape”. I saw it before deepfakes. I also think he’s being falsely accused by lying-ass groupies. Don’t get me started on Jim DeRogatis and the biased news media.
my rating : 3 of 5
2018