Omar "O.C." Credle is a rapper born and raised in Brooklyn, who made his debut in 1991 in Organized Konfusion's "Fudge Pudge", then met MC Serch who brought him to his debut album, on the track "Back to the Grill" (feat. Nas, among others), and later signs a contract with his Wild Pitch Records. While touring with other artists, he meets Lord Finesse and Buckwild and joins the DITC crew. Buckwild is the main producer of the record, flanked by Organized Konfusion, Lord Finesse, Prestige (of the Hitmen) and DJ Ogee. Prince Po and Pharoahe Monch are the guests of the CD.
The album opens with a beautiful, relaxed jazzy intro provided by Organized Konfusion in which O.C. claims that nothing can arrest his "Creative Control" on his music. Then, the title track: Buckwild make a good jazzy beat, OC spits with a good flow, simple hook. "O-Zone" has a great jazzy production provided by Buck, the LP continues to goes on a high level, level maintained by Credle's hardcore delivery and the chorus scratched and sampled by Mobb Deep's "Shook Ones II".
This cut opens a trio of excellence, alongside "Born 2 Live" & "Time's Up", aka the album's bangers. "Born 2 Live" it's OC at his best, ever, on a soulful jazzy beat with the gloomy rough NY style, realized by Buckwild on a sample takes by Keni Burke "Keep Rising to the Top", Credle drops a intense philosophy story among the most relevant in the pre-thug era. The second verse's ill, while the bridge that comes around the end is simply amazing, absolute gem.
Buckwild pulls out a skeletal, essential, excellent beat for the OC's legendary debut single, his opera omnia, with a great hook scratched and sampled by Slick Rick's "Hey Young World", "Time's Up": in the following years, Omar Credle will give up to that «I’d rather be broke and have a whole lot of respect» with his infamous failed commercial attempt ("Bon Appetit", 2001), but this at the time is a mantra, a state of mind, a heavy statement.
It represents the whole album and the whole state of mind of the underground hip-hop scene, giving a voice to a whole generation of talented rapper that never get a chance to get there, in the mainstream game. The Brooklyn emcee looks like awakened and he delivers pretty well, creating one of the best tracks in the golden age, a landmark in the nineties hip-hop. It's a ferocious, heavy, really harsh accusation made by someone who came from nowhere against the fake rappers gangstas wannabe who flood the game with fake-thug personas and he's slapping everyone; unfortunately for OC, the game'll give even more space to the fake-thug rap[pers] with the arrival of the mafioso subgenre in the next years.
Buckwild & Lord Finesse deliver another wonderful jazzy soundscape ("Point O Viewz"), then the rapper reserves a song aimed to the police on a gloomy hardcore beat provided by Organized Konfusion joined with a chorus stolen by "Hip Hop vs. Rap", courtesy of KRS. OC turns to be bitter in "Ga Head" (lovely jazzy finesse), after that, Organized Konfusion arrives as the only LP's guest: Prince Po closes "No Main Topic" — unique verse on a production difficult to digest by Dj Ogee — and Pharoahe Monch is in the hook of "Let It Slide", Omar Credle's anti-beef anthem, nice job by Buckwild, once again.
The beatmaker of Diggin' in the Crates Crew provides a flawless production in "Ma Dukes", where Credle brings his mom to sing in the background, then Ogee comeback with a bleak work in "Story": this cut is mad. Buck takes over the production scene and tries to develop another masterpiece, before the closing of an amazing disk in a big way. Last track but non least, the remix of "Born 2 Live": Organized Konfusion behind the keyboards, it starts a skeletal boom bap that pierces New York sky, the rhythm's ethereal, anthological, aided by a flute, OC enters without asking permission and delivers fit as it rarely has been in his career.
There's the legendary halo above this track, assisted shortly before the minute by a super ill piano, Credle doesn't stop, smoother than ever; splendid bridge on the hook, which not only works here, almost seems to give value to the entire remix; other alternative bridges while OC delivers the second and third verse, a hint of the previously-heard piano, here the Organized Konfusion find a great beat of a truly superior level: fortunately, the emcee is in shape and doesn't waste it. Even if OC's flow is better suited to the first one, this remix is superior to the original.
The album is bathed in the «classic mold», pure East Coast, pure NY, existential, tight and cold themes. It's mature, emotional, clear, heavy, personal album, rooted in the streets, it never goes away from that. Easy to listen. Legends flutter on this record, from the Organized Konfusion to the D.I.T.C. producers, MC Serch who brings an "Illmatic" spectrum to watch over this product. Which, like the other classics, isn't a commercial success, here because the Wild Pitch collapses shortly after this release. The record is released also by Serchlite Music and EMI. OC's a young lyricist, raw, tough, talented, powerful, dominant, his storytelling's great and has a smooth flow over an excellent, dark, jazzy and cohesive productions. Hidden gem.
Rating: 9/10.
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