Debut album for this Los Angeles hip-hop group consisting of Romani Romanic Malco Jr. (R.O.M.), Squeaky G, Humphry and DJ Clue. Originally calling RMG, they changed their name to College Boyz upon moving to LA. The group signs an agreement with Virgin Records to publish their first effort and the production is entrusted to a dozen different beatmakers who offer more or less the same sound, a boom bap funky lo-fi rhythm.
Opens an excellent beat for the intro, light jazzy rhythm with slow skinny minimal syncopated drum machine, tight, light-hearted syncopated delivery with a sort of minimal reggae influence that I imagine you can hear or not, good delivery, functional pop chorus performed by a girl. First of ten skits/interludes, then skinny production, funky minimal boom bap, slow skin tight syncopated tight, good smooth light quiet delivery, functional hook. "Politics of a Gangster" has a lo-fi beat, minimal funky boom bap like the previous one, skinny tight syncopated drum machine and slow syncopated delivery.
"Underground Blues" is the third consecutive song not interrupted by skits/interludes, it will no longer even happen to have two consecutive tracks, which is precisely a blow to the heart for the unity of a disc that could easily be with the best of the year. This track has a simple, funky, skinny beat, skinny tight and pounding syncopated drum machine, scratched functional hook, decent syncopated delivery on a tense production. Interlude, then minimal funky production, lo-fi boom bap with skeletal slow syncopated tight drum machine and functional chorus with dark bridge, simple syncopated delivery.
Skit, interlude and second interlude, all in succession, you get to the number eleven choice, "Humpin'": simple and lively rhythm, funky boom bap lo-fi, with heavy skinny syncopated tight and pounding drum machine, cheerful delivery light-hearted positive and lively syncopated deliveries of the MCs, positive rhythm, functional hook. There's a vicious interlude over a ballad rhythm before "College Boyz in the House", minimal rhythm, meager and sparse boom bap, funky, with slow skinny tight syncopated pounding drum machine, functional hook and slow syncopated delivery.
"Real Man" has a meager funky production, simple boom bap with frantic, skinny and syncopated drum machine, slow syncopated delivery. "How Ta Act" presents the usual syncopated deliveries of the MCs, on a lively and funky beat, a simple frantic skeletal boom bap with a female choir on the functional chorus. "Funky Quartet" is one of the best songs of the tape, funky, positive and cheerful, skinny lively beat, with female soulful sample looped tight in the background, piano keys, frenetic rhythm, skinny drum machine syncopated close pounding, slow delivery syncopated and smoothness. The album is closed, after yet another skit/interlude, from a dub version of "Politics of a Gangster", the rhythm is interesting, but not unlike the previous ones.
Made by a cast of musicians that would make a low-budget film envious, released by Virgin Records, distributed by WEA, the album is promoted by three singles, "Victim of the Ghetto" (#4 on the rap chart, unique single to break the Hot 100), "Hollywood PAradox" (#10 among rap singles), and "Humpin" (#14 on the rap chart), almost totally ignored by critics, forgotten by retrospective. Despite discreet numbers in sales, peaking #25 among rap albums, #2 in the Heatseekers chart and among the top-selling rap disks of the year, the sales result is considered a flop because it was released under a major label anyway, the group somehow holds down a contract with Virgin for their next album, which comes out two years later and turns out to be an even bigger flop, forcing the boys to end their rap careers and pursue other pursuits. ROM reinvents himself as a successful actor. Overall, the album is quite solid, but it's continually interrupted by innumerable interludes that kill its fluidity, half of the album is composed exclusively of these interludes.
Rating: 6/10.
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