Now Or Never: Odyssey 2000
Easy Mo Bee has carved out a strange niche in the knob-twiddling world of hip-hop, thanks in part to his musical trysts with two DGs (dead geniuses). Mo Bee was the last producer to work with jazz luminaryMiles Davison the middling 1993 hip-hop jazz-fusion album,Doo Bop. He also crafted the hottest tunes ("Machine Gun Funk," "The What") on one of the best albums in the history of rap, theNotorious B.I.G.'sReady to Die. On his 24-trackNow Or Never: Odyssey 2000compilation, one realizes that producer-centered LPs can be both a blessing and a curse. Mo Bee's weak, self-indulgent rap interludes blemish the album, but hearing rap's most talented MCs freak his multilayered gems is worth a little suffering. "Let's Make a Toast" is one of the best crew collabos around, teaming American Cream Team with theFlipmode Squad, whileGang Starr's introspective antigun tune "Soul" is sweet. The diversity of sounds in Mo Bee's repertoire is what makes this album a must-have: he perfectly tailors his beats to fit everything fromGoodie Mob's conscious vibes toRah Digga's frantic flows.--Dalton Higgins