Category: reviews with a 3 of 5 rating

audio review : Straight Up Sewaside ( album ) … Das Efx

audio review : Straight Up Sewaside ( album ) ... Das Efx

If you’re wondering why they altered their style, listen to the Interview. They were tired of rappers imitating, which is almost never a good reason to abandon the one trait that made you so influential in the first place. While the new style isn’t as innovative or amusing, you’ll still have a hard time finding two better MCs on ground level.

These beats are hard and grimy, sometimes to the point of dullness, but the obvious highlights on a Das Efx album are the verses, which they deliver with more funny pop culture references and clever wordplay. Dre, whose Krazy flow suddenly emerges as the more impressive of the two, goes especially bonkers on track 4, so Check It Out.

my rating : 3 of 5

1993

audio review : Dead Serious ( album ) … Das Efx

audio review : Dead Serious ( album ) ... Das Efx

The one Serious flaw on this album is that the original (inferior) version of its first single; They Want Efx; is included instead of the Remix, which should’ve officially replaced it. The only real difference is the beat, but the latter sounds a lot better.

As is, Dead Serious, which represents the debut of a Brooklyn rap duo skilled with what may be the most clever and unique wordplay ever, starts off with a bang. Mic Checka is fun. The rest of the set is only interesting during the verses.

my rating : 3 of 5

1992

audio review : Enough ( song ) … Q-Tip ( featuring Jarobi White )

This song would be better if the music didn’t change during the chorus, which makes for a frustrating listen when you’re trying to vibe to the main beat. It’s like going limp during sex with the girl you rhetorically asked to make “nut”.

Q-Tip’s charismatic verse is the best part, though I would’ve put it before an extended sixteen-bar version of Jarobi White’s to balance things out. I also like the Michael Jackson ad-lib someone (Q-Tip?) does forty-five seconds in.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

audio review : We Got It From Here [ Thank You 4 Your Service ] ( album ) ... A Tribe Called Quest

video review : Rust Creek

video review : Rust Creek

Rust Creek may not be as scary as Wolf Creek for a girl stranded away from home, thanks in part to a friendly meth cook she meets along the way, but it’s still bad. College senior Sawyer has two; make that three; killers after her; one of which is sworn to protect.

The movie is good at the beginning, but once the suspense lets up; I was hoping she’d be alone in the woods for most of it; it loses its way. It returns near the end; muddy footprints are the cue; but by then, the believability of the plot has been compromised.

my rating : 3 of 5

2019

audio review : The Element Of Surprise ( album ) … E-40

audio review : The Element Of Surprise ( album ) ... E-40

E-40 is one of the most entertaining rappers in the game. 2Pac was kind of boring in comparison, but The Element Of Surprise doesn’t match the quality of his double-length magnum opus. 40’s flamboyant wit is better than ever, but the set eventually falters.

Lieutenant Roast-A-Botch; a funny duet with Sylk-E Fyne; Jump My Bone and One More Gen are definite highlights, but most of the other songs on the second half should’ve been cut. That would’ve made this a standard album and probably E-40’s best one yet.

my rating : 3 of 5

1998

audio review : My Ghetto Report Card ( album ) … E-40

audio review : My Ghetto Report Card ( album ) ... E-40

The worst songs here suggest even the most charming rappers need matching beats to keep things interesting. Too much of this album is E-40, now under the wing of Lil Jon, over bare-bones 808-driven breakbeats, which’ll have supporters of San Francisco’s Hyphy movement bobbing their heads in approval while the rest of us long for the days when a new E-40 album basically assured some of the dopest beats the streets have to offer. Those days aren’t long gone. Grit And Grind from just a few years ago gave us Gravity, probably the best beat I’ve ever heard him rap to.

Elsewhere potential bangers are ruined by weak hooks, though E-40 also uses this album to step his lyrical game up. Breakin News had him holding his wit at bay, but for this one, he utilizes metaphors and similes to drop a shitload of quotables. “Old-school vans; doors open; me and my crew,” he says at one point, “We some stoners; we get high like Shaggy from Scooby Doo”. The best songs standout because the quality of the beats and hooks match the quality of those verses. When all’s said and done, sticking to the school Report Card concept, a former B student earns himself another C.

my rating : 3 of 5

2006

video review : Dan Hooker versus Michael Chandler at UFC 257

video review : Dan Hooker versus Michael Chandler at UFC 257

I’d say Bellator fighter Michael Chandler couldn’t have hoped for a better UFC debut, but perhaps it wasn’t a matter of hope. He seemed confident in not only getting an impressive victory here but going on to become UFC Champ and he’s already accomplished the first goal.

All it takes is a fake right followed by a sneaky left (punch) to the face to drop The Hangman just halfway into the very first round. The only solid strike a backfooted Dan Hooker, who hints at retirement by throwing his gloves down after the bout, manages is a low calf kick.

my rating : 3 of 5

2021

audio review : Hypnotic Bass ( album ) … Eurobass Express

audio review : Hypnotic Bass ( album ) ... Eurobass Express

The album title comes into play during A Trip To The Moon; the melodic chorus section of which is indeed Hypnotic. No other song matches its wonderment, though the set, which also travels Earthly places like Florida and Germany, is sufficient for what it is; techno music for Bassheads.

my rating : 3 of 5

1994

audio review : Bass Overload ( album ) … Bass Alliance

audio review : Bass Overload ( album ) ... Bass Alliance

Play this in your European sports car while imagining you’re on a journey thru the universe. Space is a strong theme here, along with ears and sound, specifically the aesthetics of bass music. The subgenre is techno, which also makes the album appropriate for terrestrial dance clubs.

The best songs include The Sound Of Ohm; the only song without the word Bass in the title; This Is Bass, The Future Of Bass, Space Bass Traveler and Damaging Bass. It’s the latter that reminds listeners that playing this album too loud may not only damage speakers but also “your ears”.

my rating : 3 of 5

1994

video review : Amanda Nunes versus Ronda Rousey at UFC 207

video review : Amanda Nunes versus Ronda Rousey at UFC 207

I really wanted Ronda Rousey to win this fight. It could’ve made for a spectacular comeback story. In hindsight, I don’t know what she could’ve done to make that happen. Armbars are out when you lock-up to take your opponent down and she pushes you off like you’re nothing amid a flurry of face punches, which, for Rousey, probably evokes a dreadful sense of déjà vu from the Holly Holm loss.

This one is worse though as she’s beaten wobbly and nearly senseless in less than a minute. Why is an interesting question. Boxing was never Rousey’s strong suit; I remember Miesha Tate piecing her up in their bout; but it looks like she no longer belongs in The Octagon. Then again, Amanda Nunes is a beast, as was Holm. The competition is on another level and the torch, as they say, has been passed.

my rating : 3 of 5

2016

audio review : Prince Of Darkness ( album ) … Big Daddy Kane

audio review : Prince Of Darkness ( album ) ... Big Daddy Kane

Big Daddy Kane is the Prince Of Darkness. “It’s a sin to be bad,” he says, “but somebody’s gotta do it.” The ominous moniker is actually a metaphor to represent his romantic allure. The Dark bit refers to his skin tone, which turn the ladies on when the moonlight is “shining on his back.”

When not in seduction mode, he’s mostly bragging to the fellows about his rap skills, which are laced with funny, sometimes corny, puns, but the best song is the least hip-hop of them all. I’m Not Ashamed, he proclaims to that one special girl over a soulful soundscape fit for Barry White.

my rating : 3 of 5

1991

audio review : a Chesky Records compilation : The Vocal Collection

audio review : a Chesky Records compilation : The Vocal Collection

This is a Chesky Records compilation. Each of its eleven songs, one of which should’ve been excluded because it barely includes Vocals, is from an album by an artist on the label. That makes this a sampler of sorts. About half of the songs are good, which is more than I can say for most albums, but the best has a patient LaVerne Butler Covering an old jazz standard. “I’m watching the sea,” she sings, “for the one I love must soon come back to me.”

my rating : 3 of 5

1994