Davy D. - Davy's Ride (LP, 1987)

I picked this up a few months ago, a random find at a record store I don't usually frequent.

I don't know a lot about Davy D., though I think he was involved with Run-DMC in some way. Russell Simmons' name is all over this thing, with a blurb on the back and an executive production credit. It also mentions that Davy was a DJ for Kurtis Blow, did some beats for Spoonie Gee, and wrote some songs for the Fat Boys. In '87, these were some pretty tight creds.

As you can see from the cover, this record features Hurricane, who was the DJ for the Beastie Boys at the time. Though it seems like he does some cuts on this one, he also does some rapping, which doesn't suck, but it's not great, either. The music is a weird mix of breakbeats, love songs, and straight up battle raps, courtesy of Hurricane. For all the talk about Davy being a master beat crafter, the beats on this record are pretty repetitive and not all that great.

"Bustin' Loose" sounds like a Run-DMC track that didn't quite make the cut, and "Feel for You" is lame R&B drivel. But, when the beats start hitting and the Hurra starts rapping, it can be fun in parts. "Live on Hollis Day" isn't much more than a drum beat with Hurricane doing angry-raps over it, and it's sort of sweet. But then it's followed by "Ohh Girl," which is an embarrassing love song with some bunk singing.

It's hard to tell what they were going for on this one. It sounds like a poorly thought out mixtape. Scratch-heavy instrumentals and hard raps sound fine next to each other, but the love songs continuously threaten to kill the flow.

"Ohh Girl"

Das EFX - Generation EFX (CD, 1998)

I think I've maybe listened to this CD twice. Nothing grabbed me; I gave it a rest.

This is late-90's era hip hop, when a lot of groups like this were trying to maintain some relevance in the "game." That means more guest spots, different producers, and apparently an album cover with a bunch of rats on it.

Redman's here (shocker), and so are MOP and EPMD. It's really not that bad, some pretty standard tracks with some decent raps, and then the title track kicks in. When you hear the opening riff from "Eye of the Tiger" by Survivor, you know it won't end well. It doesn't. (I think I heard "never rocky like Balboa" in there. Yikes.)

So maybe this one's the beginning of the end. I still let it ride when it comes through the shuffle on the iPod.

"Rap Scholar"

Das EFX - Straight Up Sewaside (CD, 1993)

I have to be in the right mood for Das EFX.

While I like their quick back-and-forth style, it can get tiring if I'm not alert enough to take it all in. When I'm feeling awake and ready to face the world, this album is a good one to rock.

I don't know this record super well; I haven't had it for too long, and I'm admittedly a bit late to the game with this group. While a lot of these songs sound the same upon first listen, once you dig in a little they separate themselves. While they're known for their wiggidy-wiggidy style (or whatever you want to call it), they keep that tongue flexing to a minimum on this one, just rapping hard, strong, and what sounds like angry.

The fact that this is their semi-awkward sophomore album, coming only a year after their very successful debut, makes me enjoy this even more. You can hear a little frustration in their voices, and they're quick to let everybody know they're not here to be pigeonholed. Pretty wise for a couple of young dudes.

And no guest spots, either. Remember when that used to happen?

"Baknaffek"

The Darkness - Permission to Land (CD, 2003)

Wow, I forgot I had this.

Yes, I briefly got caught up in the Darkness hype machine. They were fucking everywhere in the summer of 2003, and I gave it a shot. I liked it, though I could never give myself over to it like a few other people I knew. I still like this album, actually, though I found watching live footage of them on the web to be much more enjoyable.

While songs like "I Believe In A Thing Called Love" and "Get Your Hands Off My Woman" are the most well-known for good reason, there are more than a few other choice numbers on here. If I were into this style of music (unbridled retrofied ass-rock), I would love this. But there's only so much I can take. Still, as I listen to it now, I do remember why I liked it. Tracks like "Growing On Me" and "Holding My Own" are legitimately good rock songs, without falling back on stupid (relatively speaking) lyrics to get the thing going.

At the same time, this has been sitting on my shelf, unplayed, for at least two and a half years. And I never bought their sophomore effort. But, I've heard bad things about it, so I'm intrigued.

Was anyone surprised when this band crashed and burned?

"Growing On Me"

Dana Dane - Rollin' Wit Dana Dane (CD, 1995)

I was introduced to Dana Dane through a K-Tel rap compilation in the late 80's. "Nightmares" spent some serious time in my Walkman, and stood out for a few reasons: the skits within the song were fairly uncommon at the time, and dude was rocking a clearly fake English accent. It was all weird enough to work, and though I was into it, I didn't end up getting a hold of his debut, Dana Dane With Fame until just a few years ago. (I've got it on cassette, so it's not listed here.) It's classic old school shit, a young kid who could hold his own in an era when rap was still coming of age.

Dana Dane stepping full-on into the mid-90's is a mixed bag. He's still sticking with the accent, but he's working it over thick beats that often hint at ill-advised G-funk, an approach that makes it clear he's following trends, and ultimately just doesn't suit his style very well. On his early stuff, the beats were minimal, and when his voice was the focus, it was fun, and that's all it needed to be. He still hits the party songs hard on this one, but with a lot of the tracks featuring an overpowering R&B female singer accompanying him, he gets lost in the mix, and that's no good.

Some of the hooks are rehashed melodies that have been used way too many times before, which not only seems lazy, but also adds to how dated parts of this record sound. But, it's not all bad: "Record Jock" is a cool narrative track that shows Dane doing what he does best: telling a story. "Nina" does the same thing, which is frustrating, because you wonder why he didn't just stick with it. Right in the middle is "Chester," a song about a child molester (get it?) that, while positive with the message, is a bit uncomfortable to listen to.

In the end, there's only a few real stinkers on this one ("Show Me Love" is mostly intolerable sap-heavy R&B), but there's also only a few real strong tracks. About what you would expect from a guy trying to reinvent his style during an awkward time in hip hop.

"Record Jock"

D12 - D12 World (2xLP, 2004)

Aside from having a lazy title and an equally weak cover, this record surpasses D12's debut pretty easily. They got the radio single completely out of the way with the dumb-but-somehow-likable "My Band," and they spend the remaining 70-some minutes just going nutso. Sometimes it works, and even when it doesn't, it doesn't really matter. It's chaos, and there's always something coming next.

Eminems opening on "Git Up," the album's first track, is so strange, and comes so close to not working at all, that it's impossible to turn away from. And while "U R the One" represents the same sort of "love song with the D12 twist" that they struck out with on the first record a few times, they pull it off here, though not without a terrible verse from Bizarre that almost kills it (he wears a WonderBra!).

The 1-2-3 of "How Come," "Leave Dat Boy Alone," and "Get My Gun" is smack-dab in the middle of this one, and it's probably the strongest section of any of their recorded output so far. It gets a little spotty after that, but if you skip the skits it's tolerable.

Again, Bizarre turns what could be an almost great record into a good one with his lack of skills, terrible lyrics, and dead personality. He's a half-ton hindrance, and only when they kick him out of the group will they realize their real potential.

Oh, and I think "Loyalty" feat. Obie Trice is a pretty cool song.

"Git Up"

D12 - Devil's Night (2xLP, 2001)

I had low expectations for this disc. So, when it ended up not completely sucking, I felt like I got my seven dollars worth, which is what I paid for it because I waited to find it used.

Here's the deal: Eminem is great. I could explain why I like him, but I'll get to that when we get to the E's. For these purposes, just know this (or at least that I think this): dude's as good a rapper and lyricist as there is out there, especially for the kind of music he makes. It has wide appeal - it's dumb enough for the dummies, while being smart and multifaceted enough for the smarties. Tough to do. Anyway, he's good. Here's the rub: when you put him on the same song with dudes who are good, actually not bad at all, but not great, they sound worse than they really are. When you put him on the same track with somebody who's terrible, they sound like a contest winner who's lucky to be anywhere near the studio.

So, these are the obstacles that D12 face. Eminem owns every track he's on, if not just because he's the best rapper, but because his voice stands out and his delivery always packs in more syllables and backups. But, he works his way onto a lot of songs without completely overshadowing the other guys. Proof, when he's not assuming some growly voice, is a great rapper. And Swifty, Kon Artis, and Kuniva can hold their own pretty easy.

Then there's Bizarre. I can say, without hyperbole, that Bizarre is the worst rapper I have ever heard on a major label rap release. I don't even want to get started, because I could go on forever. He literally can't rap. It's that bad. The idea was that he was the "crazy" one in the group, but all the other dudes are just as "crazy," so all he really is is the one with the tits. Wow, I can't stand him.

So, there are some songs on this one that I avoid at all costs because he's on 'em. And there are some that just maybe shouldn't have made the cut. The record's too long, and once it pushes towards the hour mark, it drags. "Purple Pills" is pretty lame, "Pimp Like Me" is as lame as it sounds, and so is "Nasty Mind." But, "Shit Can Happen" and "Pistol Pistol" are a good kind of juvenile fun, and there's a few more that share the same appeal.

There's also "Girls," Eminem's five-and-a-half minute lyrical dismantling of Fred Durst and Limp Bizkit. That's probably my favorite.

"Fight Music"