Heavy Rhyme Experience 1
On this record, the Brand New Heavies play their funky, jazzy British soul behind some of the finest MCs of the early '90s. Sadly, only Gang Starr survived the next few years as a viable allstar, but these tracks document a golden age of hip-hop writing. Gang Starr's Guru declaims; Brand Nubian's Grand Puba is laid-back and playful; Masta Ace is agile and crisp. A shimmery, techno-edged guitar riff brightens Kool G. Rap's street-real "Death Threat," while Black Sheep play verbal Three Stooges on "State of Yo" and Pharcyde get all Little Rascals on the comic "Soul Flower." As Puba says: "The bass player's real, and the drummer's real/It ain't just a simple loop so don't get souped."--Suzanne McElfresh