Debut album by Bernard Freeman and Chad Butler, released by Jive in 1993. No, they are not your generic rappers that don't know how they managed to get a major label deal, disappearing right after the day of release, on the contrary they're considered among the best performers to have touched the mic. Nothing here is generic, in fact.
Opens and closes "Something Good", in between ten other cuts, including some solo tracks by both MCs, for a total of about an hour of listening. This hip-hop duo from Port Arthur, Texas, comes launched with two solid EPs and features gangsta lyricism partly deprived of its hardcore nature and consistent light funky production. The rhythms made by UGK, Bernie Bismark and Shetoro Henderson, have a simple and cheap nature, sluggish slow and vibrant syncopated drums, jazzy and funky music samples and soul vocal samples. Every single tune is compact and good, even those already present in previous EPs, the duo's lyrics are refined and well-made, interpreted with a slow flowing delivery style: while Bun B still has a raw and dirty flow, and does his part in spitting these violent bars on topics such as pimping, drugs and streets, Pimp C is flawless from the first cut, he's on the verge of perfection, often dope. It's especially his performance (even behind the keyboards) that allows this solid debut to soon become a fundamental record for the whole Southern, to the point that it's rightly considered one of the turning points of the genre.
"Something Good" is among the finest tracks of this seminal hip-hop debut album: simple boom bap, skinny and vibrant drum, beautiful soulful female chorus in the background, dope rhythm, Pimp C's slow flowing, almost spoken delivery; simple pop hook with female soul chorus, Bun B is slow and smoothness, delivers almost spoken, but Pimp C is perfect here. "Cramping My Style" boasts a masterpiece sample, "Between the Sheets" by the Isley Brothers, later used by Biggie for "Big Poppa". Slow rhythm, boom bap jazzy-funky, slow vibrating and skinny drum machine, slow syncopated smoothness delivery by Infinity, guest female rapper not accredited, she eats the beat with a dope flow; Bun B delivers crisp and smooth, dope bridge on hook, second verse of Infinity, punctual, crisp, flow perfect for this rhythm, then closes Bun B.
Other highlights: "Feel Like I'm the One Who's Doin 'Dope", "Pocket Full of Stones", "Cocaine in the Back of the Ride".
Rating: 8/10.
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