Get To Know H.E.R.

I think we’ve spent enough time in 1987, don’t you? So without any further procrastination, here is the much hyped, highly anticipated review of Down By Law. Ahh, let’s be serious. Most of my readers have probably never even heard a song by MC Shan, let alone a whole album. Here’s a quick background on our emcee in question. He was one of the members of Marley Marl’s Juice Crew, which meant that among his colleagues were Big Daddy Kane, Masta Ace, and Kool G Rap. All of whom, I might add, are better rappers than he is. He’s also remembered for being involved in the previously mentioned (in the Criminal Minded review) beef with KRS-one. That didn’t turn out too well for him either, because it more or less ended his career. Don’t agree with me? When’s the last time you even saw an MC Shan album?

I hope you’re not taking all of these negative comments to mean that I don’t like MC Shan or that I think he’s a bad rapper. I mean, almost anybody would look bad in a group consisting of BDK, Masta Ace, and KGR. BDK and KGR are freaking G.O.A.T.s, and Masta Ace has yet to put out a single album I had not enjoyed. And as for his beef with KRS, NOBODY could’ve gotten away with that except maybe Rakim. So I guess what I’m trying to say is… MC Shan is a great rapper who just met some bad luck. In another age, in another place, with another group, dude could’ve been a star. Or at the very least, he wouldn’t have sunk into the depths of old school oblivion.

The Good:

3. The Bridge - Ahh, the song that set off the whole Bridge Wars. Still sounds great to me in this day and age.

4. Kill That Noise - I guess I should give credit to Marley Marl here, because after all, when you think about it, this album is as much his as it is MC Shan’s (think Wu Tang first round solos). Great beats and great rhymes. You just can’t go wrong with that. For those who are interested, there are a bunch of shots taken at KRS found all throughout the track. Man had no idea what he was getting himself into…

5. Down By Law

6. Left Me Lonely - Despite the questionable hook, it’s a good song. Emo rap as it used to be until Atmosphere perfected the whole thing (on a side note, Slug hates it when he’s labeled as emo rap. Well, if your music ain’t happy and it’s depressing as fuck, I can’t really imagine why I wouldn’t say it’s emo.)

8. MC Space

9. Living In The World Of Hip Hop - If you don’t ever hear anything else by MC Shan in your lifetime, at least hear this one song. Bar none, my favorite song off the album.

The Solid:

1. Jane, Stop This Crazy Thing - If you’re a big Talib fan, you’ll understand me when I say that this song makes me think “Broken Glass ‘87: The Crack Edition.”

2. Project Ho

7. Another One To Get Jealous Of - Interesting first time through, but I’m not gonna be jumping to listen to it again any time soon.

The Bad:

Final Score: 9.0

If you’re used to listening to only the hip hop songs of today, this album may take a bit getting used to. Marley Marl’s beats are very minimal and sound outdated next to most of the beats that have been released since. MC Shan’s rhymes also have that authentic old school Run DMC feel to them as Rakim’s influence hadn’t lit the whole damn hip hop world on fire yet. But that doesn’t take away anything from the overall quality of the album at all. It just may take a few listens before it really starts to sink in. I can understand why it’s never really discussed with the same reverence held for other classic 80s albums such as Paid In Full and It Takes A Nation Of Millions To Hold Us Back. But like I said, this was a time when people actually needed skills to survive and just cause Down By Law doesn’t hold up to certified classics doesn’t mean that it isn’t a great album by any means.

After last week’s barrage of new albums, this week seems pretty tame in comparison. This might actually be the only thing I review that comes out today, depending on how I feel on Saturday. Next week though is going to be packed again with new releases from Immortal Technique, The RZA, and Three 6 Mafia. But that’s not gonna come until then, for now we have Operation Take Back Hip Hop. Truthfully, I’m not sure what to expect from this one. Craig G and Marley Marl were members of the legendary Juice Crew back in the Bridge War days. Marley Marl is one of the most influential producers in the game and I absolutely love the work he did when the Juice Crew was still around. However, his production on his latest effort with KRS One, Hip Hop Lives, was hit or miss. On the emcee side we have Craig G, who, while he definitely holds his own, would be one of my last choices for a Juice Crew reunion album. Still, with a name like Operation Take Back Hip Hop, it has to be at least decent right?? Hell, at least they got some great guest rappers.

1 . Intro - Whatever.

2. Reintroduction - I don’t know why they didn’t just combine the intro and this track into one, especially considering that the intro was only 10 seconds long. Besides that one gripe, this is a pretty dope song and both emcee and DJ show that they still have it. That lone synthesizer note could’ve been left out though.

3. Quality Work (ft Dilated Peoples) - I’m gonna be straight with you. I’m not the biggest fan of Dilated Peoples other than that dope Evidence solo LP. They exceed my expectation here and contribute to a pretty good track.

4. Made The Change - The cymbals in the beat throw me way off. And the flute or whatever it is as well. I can barely pay attention to what Craig G’s saying because of the beat. Not to mention the hook sucks. Just skip it.
5. Deep Down - Craig G comes off sounding like he’s KRS-One on this track, at least lyrics wise. It’s a traditional preaching about the state of the game track. I guess it’s to be expected on an album titled as such.

6. We Gets It In (ft Talib Kweli) - The beat sounds like a Wu Tang throwaway and makes the track nearly unlistenable. And for those excited about the Talib feature, don’t be. He barely gets 30 seconds and what he says isn’t much to write home about.

7. Just What I Need - Other than the hook, it’s really not bad. Very laid back.

8. All Seasons - The beat is excellent, but Craig G didn’t bring his A game to the studio that day. Still, it’s good enough to be an enjoyable song.

9. War Going On - The hook uses a sample from Mobb Deep’s Survival of the Fittest, which is always a plus in my book. But what the hell happened to Cormega? His verse damn near ruins the whole song.

10. Skates - It’s alright. That’s the best I can say.

11. Stay In Ya Lane (ft Sadat X) - What is it with all of the guest rappers sucking it up on this album? Just as well I guess since the whole song is pretty unmemorable.

12. Open Ya Eyes - After the last couple of mediocre tracks, this song sounds pretty good. The slow chorus intro might be a little lame, but I enjoyed it regardless.

13. Regrets - It’s certainly different from normal hip hop, and I think that whether you like this song or not will be entirely up to your personal tastes. As for me, I think the song is way too long for the choppy flow adopted on it and it bores me really quickly. No more of this.

14. Not A Word - Banging track. Did you know that Craig G wrote most of the battle raps on Eminem’s 8 Mile? Listen to his rhymes and it won’t be too much of a surprise.

15. Rock Dis (ft KRS-One) - Finally a feature that lives up to the hype. KRS spits the best verse by a guest emcee on this entire album. The song overall is pretty good, although the beat is a little meh.

16. Don’t Make Me Laugh - Another song about the state of the game, this one decides to aim for rappers who don’t have any real street cred. It’s alright but you’ve heard it all before.

17. The Day Music Died - The album ends with yet another complain about the game track but this one’s not bad at all. Who else thinks that it sounds ALOT like Skillz’ every year Rap Up tracks? I know I do.

18. How Bout The Mic - It’s the bonus track so who cares really, but it’s not bad. Falls somewhere in the middle of the album in terms of quality.

Final Score: 8.0

It’s really pretty good and I’ll say it passed my expectations. There’s definitely some strong tracks on this album that I’m gonna be listening to for a while. However, the album is a bit too long. As such, the filler material weighs it down a considerable amount. If they cut the album down to about 12,13 tracks, I think it would definitely be at least an 8.5 album but as it stands, not really.