It isn’t just another meaningless album title. Young MC really is thinking here. Some of these song concepts are quite impressive. Inside My Head is a literal lesson on how the human brain works, physically and psychologically, while Life In The Fast Lane puts him in the shoes of a kid who’s decided to walk the path of drugs. At over seven minutes long, both aim for epicness. Even the songs that aren’t really about anything are conceptualized around the fact that they aren’t really about anything. There’s an album filler entitled Album Filler, for example, though the real filler is The Um Dee Dum Song, which is just silly.
The set starts with a Love song, but it should’ve started with the next song because, while he admits to thinking about sex “more than anyone else”, girls aren’t the main theme. Young MC, hot off the Grammy-winning success of his first album, is more focused on being a positive role model and giving advice to young listeners. Keep It In Your Pants, a celibacy song, is followed by Use Your Head. His humor and good guy personality make him likeable and I am a fan of his enunciated rap delivery, but next time he should set his mind on composing catchy hooks and perhaps not finalizing an album until the brainstorm is over.
my rating : 3 of 5
1991