“For me, The Beatles are proof of the existence of God.” – Rick Rubin
For this month’s pick I may be accused of playing it a little safe or picking an obvious choice. That being said, I just don’t see how we could be in a music collective that specializes in older albums that influenced other great bands. This is our 9th month and I just felt we could go no further without taking the time to listen to what is arguably the best rock album ever made as chosen by Rolling Stone magazine.
Being 45 I actually remember listening to Beatles albums as a kid and I actually had a digital watch when they first came out that had a crude alarm that played Hey Jude. Of course I have listened to lots of Beatles over the years but to be honest I never really sat and listened to many albums from start to finish. I picked up Revolver a few months back on vinyl and it blew me away how good it was. I don’t ever remember really listening to the full album of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band and a quick look at the track list had me not sure I’d heard several of the songs. I feel like a musical hypocrite by not having given this album its due. Now is the time.
“It was a peak,” Lennon told Rolling Stone in 1970, describing both the album and his collaborative relationship with McCartney. “Paul and I were definitely working together,”
I am excited to diver into this classic album and to see what the Beatles had to offer as they neared the twilight of their career. So, even though this may seem like an obvious choice I would ask all our readers to take the time and listen to the album with us. It may help to get into the psychedelic vibe before listening and to pay homage to these 4 lads from Liverpool.
The Making Of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band
Please read our selection article of Skunk Anansie: Paranoid and Sunburnt before reading our reviews below. Summary:
This month’s pick of Skunk Anansie by Greg Jorgensen is definitely the first time I(Darren) have seen the group so divided. While Greg, Alain and Scott Gregory liked this album and found lots of great things to say about the music, lyrics and the lead singer Skin’s aggressive vocals, Scott Coates and I totally thought this album, to be blunt, sucked. As I(Darren) author these summaries I’ll try not to be biased but it might be hard as I just don’t see what the other 3 thought was so great.
The sound or Paranoid and Sunburnt was very edgy for when it was recorded in 1994 and as music was going through a huge transition at this time this aggressive and hard rocking scratchy sound was welcomed. It seems like North America missed Skunk Anansie when they first entered the scene as non of us, including Greg knew anything about them until years later.
If you like the sound of Alanis Morissette I could see that you would also like this band too. I personally thought Alanis and others did it much better in the era but to each your own. It might be interesting to note that Scott Coates and myself are the oldest on this panel so that might have been the difference in our opinions(grumpy old men, lol) but I’m not sure. All the reviews are worth a read just to see what differences we had.
What was cool about Skunk Anansie: Paranoid and Sunburnt:
There was much praise of the lead signer Skin’s voice and her charged lyrics with social and feminist themes
Some of us enjoyed discovering this band that was literally unheard of by the other 4 in the Sonic Collective
What we didn’t find so cool :
Even those who liked the album agreed that not all the songs were strong
Darren and Scott Coates hated this album. It seemed too over-the-top
I felt that others in this era like Alanis and Living Color were more genuine and had much better songs.
Some of felt that musically they were not very progressive and it sounded derivative of 80s hair metal.
We have also implemented a rating scale that you will see below in the reviews. All ratings are out of 5. Our Reviews Average: Overall opinion: 3 Would we recommend?: 2.5
Influenced our tastes: 2
Worth the hype? 2.5 Read our full individual reviews below.
Don’t agree with us? Have a comment or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or contact us.
Our Full Reviews
Greg Jorgensen’s Review – This was Greg’s Pick
It was great to be able to listen to Paranoid and Sunburnt again with a few decades’ worth of musical exposure and experience to fall back on. Like i said in my selection post, this one never really grabbed me solidly enough to warrant deeper exploration and I forgot about it. But I’m really glad I was able to dive back in, as I (mostly) enjoyed it much more than I remember as a young punk kid.
The first song on the album, “Selling Jesus”, is one I remember most, as it was featured in a trailer for the really underrated movie Strange Days, which I analyzed frame-by-frame for a final project in film school (the trailer, not the movie). Clearly an anti-religion rant, the song hasn’t lost any of its potency in the ensuing years, and I was hooked as soon as it kicked off. Like the rest of the album, it’s loaded with political, religious, racial, and sexual innuendo and commentary. Lyrics like these were pretty popular with some of the more famous bands in the 90s, but are sadly lacking with popular contemporary artists.
Another standout was “Intellectualize My Blackness”, a song that I remember dismissing back in ’95 because it came off as pandering political speech, but which I really dug this time around, especially the funky, fuzzy guitar/bass that’s impossible not to tap your feet to. “I Can Dream”, “Weak”, and ‘Rise Up” were all standouts for me, but I didn’t find the same intensity or power to the others on the album. Interesting and lyrically potent, yes, and I’d happily listen to them anytime, but one can see the seeds of Skunks future “poppy” albums in some, such as “Charity” and “100 Ways to be a Good Girl”, which were the weak links.
One of the things that I think really draws me to this album is Skin’s tremendous voice, which she wields impressive control over. I read somewhere she has the same range as Mariah Carrey, although thankfully she uses it with a bit more intensity. Doing some research for this review, I also turned up a story that said Skin once duetted with Pavarotti in a concert for the Dalai Lama, which is…weird, but cool. So I’m clearly not alone in thinking she’s the distinctive, powerful heart of the band.
As I said in the intro, I’m really glad I was able to listen to some of Skin’s earlier stuff. Despite only really loving about half of the songs and finding the rest good but not awesome, I found Paranoid and Sunburnt to be an energetic, relentless tour de force that I listened to about a dozen times. Indeed, it’s a bit of shame that their more recent releases have gone in a different, more pop-centric direction. Skunk really had something here, and I would have loved it if they continued along the same lines with the same intensity. But for now, I’ll keep this one on heavy rotation, and go back to listen to Skunk’s earlier albums with a more open mind, er, ear.
Overall opinion: 4.5 Would we recommend?: 4 Influenced my tastes: 4 Worth the hype? 4.5
Alain DuPuis’s Review
My first thought as I hit play on track one was “Where the fuck was this album when I was an angsty teenager”? It’s got all the elements I was into back then. Heavy, grinding guitars, just the right amount of feedback, rhythmic bass, pseudo-aggressive lyrical content – It would have been right at home between my Nirvana, Bush, and Our Lady Peace albums. Unfortunately for me, I was unaware of this band’s existence until Greg’s pick, and I’m no longer an angsty teenager. That last fact actually doesn’t matter much, because I really like this album. Paranoid and Sunburnt definitely has that mid-90’s alternative rock sound that some music journalists might lump into the “post-grunge” category. (A term that all too often carries the negative connotation of sounding derivative and devoid of creativity.) For my money, the album is a little too weird sounding for me to really consider derivative, though there are many sonic quirks that give away the 1995 release date. Is that a bad thing? I don’t think so.
My favourite track on the album is Selling Jesus. Lyrical content aside, it’s a fun song to rock out to. Not a bad choice for their first single. I’m sure the devoutly religious among us might find the lyrics questionable, but Skunk Anansie is all about controversial protest songs. They aren’t afraid “go there” when it comes to race, religion, and a variety of other social topics. Charity is another favourite for me. The slow/fast/soft/loud dynamics that we saw in the Pixies was blatantly present on this track, which got me wondering if Skunk Anansie was yet another band on the list of those who were influenced by The Pixies. Lead singer Skin’s vocal talents were all over this track. She killed it.
My least favourite track was Little Baby Swastikkka. (It should be stated that I don’t actually dislike the song. It just happened to be my least favourite on the album.) Perhaps I found it just a bit too repetitive for me. Perhaps it was because I find the lyrical content a bit… odd? Maybe I just missed the point they were trying to make entirely.
I really enjoyed this pick. I like when bands aren’t afraid to tackle topics that are controversial. There was a great mix of aggression, depth, and finesse that would have appealed as much to my teenage self as it appeals to me, though likely for different reasons. I’m pretty confident in saying that at least a few of the tracks on Paranoid and Sunburnt are going to be on permanent rotation in my 90’s playlist, and I’m definitely keen to explore the rest of the band’s discography.
Overall opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: –
Worth the hype? 4
Scott Coates’s Review
It was bound to happen. We’d hit a selection that absolutely didn’t click with someone in the group and I’ve arrived at that point with this selection: Skunk Anansie – Paranoid and Sunburnt. I enjoy a wide range of musical styles: rock, heavy stuff, rap, jazz, ska, and bands that can incorporate a few of these into their sound, but this band and album simply stink. I just can’t find redeeming qualities in this work. I was surprised I hadn’t heard of Skunk Anansie when they were put forth and am thankful my life prior to this wasn’t exposed to them.
Each time I thought about listening to the album I found myself not wanting to, and getting a third listen in today will mark the final time before I delete it from my iCloud to ensure it doesn’t further pollute my musical collection.
The initial licks on opening track Selling Jesus almost sound like a 311 tune, then the vocals kick in and its all downhill for the remainder of the album. Simply put, the singer’s vocals are shrill, she’s trying way too hard, and they absolutely grate on me in every way, shape and form. Then there are the lyrics: again, she’s trying way to hard to make a profound statement, change the world, and the result is contrived, dull and juvenile.
The band itself is a reasonably tight unit, their sound is tolerable, but combined with the singer, this is a musical A-Bomb. Boom – it’s off my computer!
Overall opinion: 1
Would I recommend?: 0
Influenced my tastes: 0
Worth the hype? 0
Darren Scott’s Review
Skunk Anansie, oh Skunk Anansie. Who art thou Skunk Anansie?
After listening to Skunk Anansie this past month, I don’t know if I got the answer from their Paranoid and Sunburnt album. I had never heard of this band until Greg picked them for June and I am always excited to get to know new bands. After reading about them I dove right in to the album.
First listens can be wildly deceiving for me as I have often been cool on an album at first but then after a few more listens grown to love them. After the first listen of this album I was definitely cool to their sound. It sounded very dated to me and I struggled to connect with any particular songs though some were better than others.
I then tried several more listens and even went as far to take Greg’s advice and listen to it really loud. I drove around in my car and cranked it to an 11 and really tried to get into the album. I think that if I had heard this album in 1994 I may have liked it better but it just didn’t stand the test of time for me and I still didn’t connect to any songs.
I respect that they sounded ok though I wasn’t a big fan of the drum track and thought it sounded like a metal hair band drummer from the 80s. The main problem for me was that their sound reminded my of bands like Living Color and Alanis Morrisette who I felt were much better in this niche of music and they had songs that I loved then and still do today. I appreciated Skin’s voice and the story of the lyrics was sometimes good but I just never connected and found this cheesy. More than once I found myself thinking of them like I do many pop and pop rock bands that just try to make hits with not much musical ability.
This was the first time ever I didn’t continue to listen to the album for the entire month. Each time I tried to listen I just couldn’t do it. About a week ago I was deleting songs and though I felt a bit bad Skunk Anansie ended up deleted.
Just before writing this I did go listen to some of their newer songs and I did like Charlie Big Potato and some other songs. I don’t think I would buy them and I appreciate that many people loved this kind of music but this was not for me at all. Sorry Greg.
Overall opinion: 1.5
Would I recommend?: 0
Influenced our tastes: 0
Worth the hype: 1
Scott Gregory’s Review
So I’d never heard of this group until now, despite having watched Strange Days a couple dozen times. I think back to 1995 and what I was listening to and I could see this fitting right in. I’d probably be jumping around singing, “Ya! Screw those White Anglo Saxon Protestants! Oh, wait a minute…”
Yes, my father was born in England, and I’m as white and Anglican as can be. Fortunately, my family is working class and Dr. Dre had already informed me last month how horrible a plague I am on society. Let me tell you, it was refreshing to be crucified in rhyme for my class privilege instead of racial. Diversity truly is the spice of life. On to the actual music
Overall I really enjoyed the feel to this album. They contributed to Strange Days, but I think they would have been equally comfortable appearing on The Crow soundtrack as well. Henry Rollins, RATM, The Jesus and Mary Chain, all great choices to toss on a mixed tape with Skunk. (Was I still making mixed tapes in 95? Of course, I’m Star Lord.)
My top three picks for singles: Selling Jesus is a great lead-off track. I mean really, can you ever have enough Jesus? I have to tell you, in case you’re an atheist listening to this song, I don’t think we Anglicans have smelly fingers post-coitus. Well, no more smelly than anyone else’s that is. Anyway, the production on this track is pretty raw, which I actually like on tracks from these kinds of bands. I want rawness oozing out of the amps. Skin’s vocals really carry the energy through, and I can only imagine jumping into the pit with this one. Little Baby Swastika had some really great bass lines. I’ve always been a sucker for a good bridge loaded with thrumming bass, and this song delivers. I’m really a little lost on the lyrics. I feel a little too removed from 95 and the UK to really get a sense of what the racial situation would have been there. I know race is still an issue everywhere, but this feels like a response to something specific and I’m really curious to go dig around a bit. And Here I stand is big, beautiful and loud. This is a great live track with thumping percussion and big riffs coming off the guitars. This song would mix in right between Maggie’s Farm by RATM and Liar by Rollins (hey, you gotta come down sometime.) Aaand, that’s when I’d have to break for water. Man, I don’t know if I’m in good enough shape to own this tape I’m building! By the numbers
Overall opinion: 3.5
Would I recommend?: 20yr old me: 4. Me now: 3
Influenced our tastes: 4 (back then, this would have slide into my collection smoothly)
Worth the hype: 3 Final thought Go have a look at James Marsters (Spike from Buffy the Vampire Slayer), now go look at Mark on the band’s page and tell me he doesn’t look like James’ older, buffer brother that used to beat him up when he tried to hang out with the band. Who’s laughing now James? Good luck trying to meet Sarah Michelle Geller now. Should have been nicer to your little bro, bro.
Please read our selection article of Dr. Dre The Chronic before reading our reviews below. Summary:
This month’s pick by Alain DuPuis definitely got us fired up one way or another. Our reviews varied but we all had strong opinions about the album so that always make for great reviews. Instead of summarizing like I(Darren) usually do, I think you should just take 10 minutes and read our 5 reviews and watch the embedded videos.
I do want to warn you that this month’s pick definitely contains lyrics that will offend people.
What was cool about Dr. Dre: The Chronic:
The album as a whole is an entertaining listen and defined the G-Funk style that influenced so many rappers to come.
The introduction of Snoop Dogg and the use of other great rappers like Nate Dogg, Warren G, The Lady of Rage and RBX.
The social commentary, though hard to take at times, told a story of poverty, racism and injustice that needed to be told at this point in history.
What we didn’t find so cool(Please take note that even though some of us are rap fans this is 5 white late 20s to mid-40s Canadian guys writing this so we were not exactly the target audience) :
Though the lyrics were telling a social story at times they were also outrageous, silly, misogynistic, homophobic and way too full fat dicks, balls, n-words, etc.
The skits had a few giggles but it was felt they were mostly distracting and stupid and broke the flow of the album.
We have also implemented a rating scale that you will see below in the reviews. All ratings are out of 5. Our Reviews Average: Overall opinion: 4 Would we recommend?: 4
Influenced our tastes: 3.5
Worth the hype? 4.5
Read our full individual reviews below.
Don’t agree with us? Have a comment or suggestions? We’d love to hear from you. Leave a comment or contact us.
Our Full Reviews
Alain DuPuis’s Review – This was Alain’s Pick
I really didn’t care much for rap until I watched the movie 8-Mile. It gave me a whole new perspective on the art of rapping, and I became an instant convert. That was back in 2002. Since then, I’ve had to play a whole lot of catch-up, becoming acquainted with the bodies of work from rap artists that I so ignorantly chose to disregard. Some albums are good. Some are terrible. And some, such as The Chronic, are incredible.
As I’m sure I’ve made obvious, I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The Chronic is like a time machine that takes you back to California in the early 90s. By listening to it, you get a pretty good sense of what the hip-hop scene looked like as it became more and more of a mainstream force. Perhaps even more importantly, you get a sense of what the political landscape looked like. The Chronic is full of social commentary that highlights the struggle urban youths faced in dealing with racism, police brutality, and gang culture.
My favourite track is by far The Day the Niggaz Took Over. It’s an emotive snapshot into the lives and perspectives of people in Los Angeles during the infamous L.A. Riots. Quick history lesson here: On April 29th, 1992, Four LAPD members were acquitted of using excess force on a black man named Rodney King, despite graphic video evidence detailing their savage beating of the unarmed man. The verdict sparked an intense, racially charged six day riot in which 53 people lost their lives, thousands were injured, and over a billion dollars worth of property was destroyed. The Day the Niggaz Took Over is an intense song. The lyrics are political, violent, and full of legitimate emotion. The song even uses real audio samples from people inside the civil unrest, chronicling their feelings and perspectives of the events as they were unfolding around them. It’s perhaps a sobering thing to consider that despite being over 23 years old, this song is still just as applicable today. Police brutality and corruption against minorities is still a major problem, and one that has become increasingly scrutinized by the mainstream media once again.
There were a lot of other good tracks on The Chronic as well. I really enjoyed Lyrical Gangbang, largely because of The Lady of Rage’s delivery. (I wish she enjoyed more success in her career, because she’s majorly talented.) Snoop Dogg never sounded any smoother than when he drops his verse in Bitches ain’t Shit. Stranded on Death Row is just a sick track. Everything from the production to the delivery was masterful.
For all its strengths, The Chronic isn’t a perfect album. Some tracks just don’t really do it for me. Let Me Ride is incredibly repetitive. It got to the point where I wanted to skip the song about halfway through every time it came on. And then there are the filler tracks. I don’t know why rap artists insist on putting skits in their albums. Some of them are funny. Some of them are witty. But most of them are annoying and unnecessary. $20 Sack Pyramid? Why? The Doctor’s Office? Shut up.
If you haven’t heard this album in full, I suggest you give it a shot. (Despite being difficult to purchase online because of numerous copyright issues, I got your streaming hookup here:
My personal opinion: 5
Would I recommend?: 5
Influenced my tastes: 5
Worth the hype? 5
Scott Coates’s Review
I thought there were only so many ways to tell niggas and bitches “waass up”, but it turns out there are many, many more. I was aware of NWA, some of their hits are on my playlists, I’d listened to The Chronic 2001, Dr. Dre’s second album, but had never gone full gangsta and put such a work on regular, heavy rotation, until diving in to The Chronic this month. I thought I knew what Dre’s debut was all about, but many listens drew me in to a world very different from my own.
There’s no doubt the sounds and beats contained on The Chronic were ground-breaking and laid the foundation for many rappers that followed. The lazy deep-funk beat on Fuck Wit Dre Day is so familiar, even to a suburban cracker from Canada, I had to remind myself this was the first time this sound emanated, only to be copied and re-worked for decades to come. It literally put Snoop Dogg on the map (boy can he spell his name well). There are a host of catchy tracks on the album, notably Let Me Ride, Lyrical Gangbang (must be Led Zeppelin’s When the Levee Breaks drum beat in there), and Stranded on Death Row, which got me swaggering and dreaming of puffing on blunts with my homies.
Then there’s The Day the Niggaz Took Over, which must be about the 1992 Rodney King riots, and I instantly remembered seeing the TV footage of this epic event when it went down and having no idea what kind of world it was coming from. The Chronic tells the tale of those people, the world they live in, and captures the place and time succinctly. It’s not mine, and tough to relate to at times, but seems accurate and telling.
While I won’t likely regularly listen to The Chronic or go to it for moral inspiration, I appreciate that much of the cleaner rap I listened to growing up, and any of it I enjoy once in a while today, owes a debt to Dre’s debut. But I can only handle hearing about so many ‘nuts on tonsils’, ‘fat dicks’, ‘muthafuckas’, and ‘fuckin’ hoes’, without feeling a few IQ points short and slightly misogynistic.
Overall opinion: 3
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 4
Worth the hype? 4
Darren Scott’s Review
How did I miss getting in to this album? I’m a weirdo that likes all kinds of music but I have always been a huge fan of rap and I am proud to say that I was a huge fan of pioneers like Grand Master Flash and went on to listen to all kinds of rap in the 80s and 90s and beyond. I saw 2 Live Crew in Edmonton in 1990 and I loved NWA but yet I somehow didn’t listen to Dr. Dre’s The Chronic when it came out. I know some of the songs and liked them but I think I was so preoccupied with the new grunge sound during those years that I obviously missed out on some great rap. This is my favourite album I have rediscovered in this group yet.
I will say that as I am now a 45 year old that is a little more mature (in some ways), I was worried that I’d find the lyrics too misogynistic, too homophobic, too much n-word and just silly. Though it is hard-core you have to realise that songs are usually a historical journal of a period of time or they are about hope of a change in a situation. This album is definitely a recording of a crazy period in time where Los Angeles was trying to heal from the Rodney King riots and poverty and racism were high. These guys were also still young and trying to make a statement. Though the lyrics can be hard to take for some, they ultimately reflect what it was like in LA in the early 90s so even though I can’t relate and find them a little too over the top and misogynistic I just let myself enjoy the album.
The other crazy part of this album was how it was used to verbally attack former NWA manager Jerry Heller and Easy E who had an ongoing feud with Dr. Dre after a very troubled break up of NWA. From beginning to end Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg tear apart and ridicule their rivals and enemy. Can you imagine somebody hating you so much that you record an album that will be sold internationally that dedicates a good amount of time to this bashing? Wow. Just wow.
As the album is named The Chronic and the cover is a tribute to Zig Zag rolling papers, it would make sense that this is best listened to under the influence of the chronic. I can only hypothesize that would be awesome.
I find that the album plays great from beginning to end though I did find The Doctor’s Office skit stupid and it broke up the album a bit weird for me. I also really liked how the album used Dr. Dre’s friends in a really smart way and he didn’t seem to mind sharing the spotlight with soon-to-be-famous rappers like Nate Dogg, Warren G and Snoop Dogg. Do you think Kanye West would ever let other rappers be featured so strongly on his album? I don’t think so. Very smart of Dre.
This is truly worthy of it’s position as one of the best and most influential rap albums ever and I will definitely keep it as part of a regular rotation, though I will be sure to have my headphones on as this album could offend many others. If you are a fan of rap and hip hop and have not listened to this album watch this:
Overall opinion: 4
Would I recommend?: 4
Influenced my tastes: 4
Worth the hype? 4.5
Greg Jorgensen’s Review
Right off the bat, let me say that I’m far too white and nerdy to know much about hip hop. I understand what it is, where it came from, and why it resonates, but it never really appealed to me, and I never felt any urge to listen to it. In that respect, it’s kind of like Shakespeare – I understand that without it, we wouldn’t be where we are today…but you’d never find me sitting by the fire reading Othello.
The Chronic hit me the same way. It’s undoubtedly a classic, and I know I’m in the minority, but I feel indifferent. After my first listen, I couldn’t help but think that the whole was greater than the parts…the people involved and the velocity it had upon release was as much a part of its success than the actual songs.
Speaking of the songs, the energy and emotion that went into making them is clear, but they were all undone by some really ridiculous lyrics. I realize I”m looking at it from the back of a much different hip hop landscape – which, again, wouldn’t exist without The Chronic – but there was only so many times I could hear dudes boasting about bitches sucking fat dicks, how many gats they have, and how many other niggaz they’ve killed before it all just became a parody of itself. Especially knowing now that Snoop and Dre are multimillionaires living in Bel Air.
That being said, it’s not like disliked anything in particular. A few stray thoughts:
This is an album I’d love to have on in the background at a party or working out at the gym. If I worked out at a gym.
I was hoping The Chronic would be more like Straight Outta Compton, which I only recently re-listened to all the way through. I found the NWA release to be more creative, experimental, and lyrically diverse. Yeah…they talked about bitches and fat dicks too, but it somehow came off as more political and weighty.
I found myself looking forward to the next appearance of Snoop as I listened. To my ears, Dre isn’t immediately recognizable, but Snoop is. After I was done I was inspired to go and listen to some of his older stuff.
In the end, I can only compare it to old-school Connery Bond movies. When I watch them now I recognize why they are important and appreciate their impact, but can’t help but laugh at how goofy they are.
Overall opinion: 3 Would we recommend?: 3,5 Influenced our tastes: 1 Worth the hype? 4
Scott Gregory’s Review
Bow wow wow yippy yo yippy yay Death Row’s in the motherfuckin house
Awww yeah! Welcome to the birth of West Coast G-funk mah nizzles! Fresh off his break with Ruthless records, Dr. Dre changed the game. This album also has a really great cover of Ben Fold’s single Bitches Ain’t Shit, which sounds completely different when you take it off the piano…
Aaah I’m just messin’ with ya! Ben won’t be on the scene for a long time, Death Row and Def Jam fill up this album with cameos: Snoop, RBX, Tha Dogg Pound, The Lady of Rage, and of course, Warren G and Nate Dogg. How could this thing not be awesome???
By the time you’re done the intro and Fuck Wit Dre Day you know everything you know about how Snoop and Dre think of Eazy-E:
·He’s a penguin lookin’ mutherfucker
·They heard his mama’s a ‘Frisco dyke
·He can eat a big fat dick.
So yeah, Dre had a little chip on his shoulder, and if Eazy-E screwing him and the rest of Ruthless over for years was the catalyst for this album, we should all be pouring a 40 over his grave. Some think Eazy-E was the least talented rapper in the NWA, but his response, Real Compton City G, is by far my favourite track by him.
I’m going to skip the three singles: Nuthin’ but a “G” Thang, Fuck With Dre Day and Let Me Ride, other than to say that if you’ve only listened to the radio edits you have to pull up this album and listen to the uncensored versions. They’re all golden. Actually, they’re platinum. Multi-platinum. But here’s a couple tracks those monsters overshadowed:
Bitches Ain’t Shit
Like I mentioned above, this song has been covered a couple times over the years, with Ben Fold’s version getting a lot of play. The flow on the amazing track is amazing. I remember hearing Snoop on the chorus and thinking, “I really hope this guy makes a reggae album someday!” Ya no. Honestly I had no idea who this guy was, but he laid down a mean chorus and rap. Top that off with strong performances by the Dogg Pound and Dre, and this track belongs on your “cruising the hood” mixed tape.
A Nigga Witta Gun
Confession: I was really into Public Enemy when this album came out, and this track gave me an outlet for my suburbia rage. The only thing that brought me back to rock music were consecutive crazy albums by Stone Temple Pilots, I Mother Earth and Our Lady Peace. Otherwise I’d probably be living in a trailer with Kid Rock as we speak.
Anyway, It’s still funky flow, but I get PE and Boogie Down Productions vibes whenever I listen to it. Let me know who it reminds you of.
The $20 Sack Pyramid
Ok, not a song (unless you get the theme song to the game show stuck in your head), but a hilarious skit. Nothing like trying to win a $35 gift certificate to the Compton Swap Meet. I didn’t recognize the hose, but apparently, her name is “Big Tittie Nickie”. I’ve never heard of her, and I feel like I still haven’t.
I anticipated your first question, and no I can’t find a picture of her. All that comes up are pictures of Nicki Minaj, which ruins the “quality hip hop” theme we had going.
But, just so we go out on a high note, here are some ladies that prove you can dare to be beautiful and talented at the same time:
So yeah, if you’re into listening to one of those albums that completely destroyed the scene and rebuilt the next decade in its own image, this might be for you. If you like historical accountings of who needed to eat a big fat dick in the early 90s, this also has you covered. This is some Snoop’s earliest work, so if you’re out to chart his evolution you have to start here as well.
By the numbers: My personal opinion: 4.5
Would I recommend?: 4 Influenced my tastes? 3
Worth the hype? 4
Alain DuPuis’s Review
Scott Gregory’s Review
