RBL Posse is a San Francisco duo formed by Hubert Kyle Church III aka Mr. Cee and Christian Mathews aka Black C. Mathews are also producing their debut album, released in 1992 by the local label In-A-Minute Records: these guys choose a sound too relaxed to their simplistic rapping style.
The rhythms are decent at best, often outlandish or ridiculous, in a very curious attempt to emulate the mobb music sound that came out of the Oakland and Bay Area scenes. On this lo-fi music, they bring out generic gangsta bars and the usual hackneyed arguments that are in the drawer of your generic mc, girls and weed seem to prevail on this record.
Herm Lewis's spoken intro, on a very slow skinny drum machine, is saved by a beautiful female soulful sample in the finale; precedes "I Ain't No Joke", first real song of the record on skeletal beat, boom bap lo-fi with slow syncopated and raw delivery, performed with an elementary style and accompanied by a chorus with ridiculous bridge. The next track also has an extravagant rhythm, with simulated clapping on ridiculous boom bap.
"Don't Give Me No Bammer" presents itself as the best track and best beat of the whole project: sax sample on the intro, annoying on the beat and tight looped, simple boom bap that soon gets somewhere between dope and annoying, in a kind of homage to g-funk, probably; the vibrant skinny drum machine and delivery style don't help. A generic party song precedes the title track: samples "Rapper's Delight" at the beginning of the song, scratched, then lo-fi boom bap with tight vibrating drum and quick delivery attempt, but performers struggle; when the beat switches, the tune starts to get boring.
Totally Insane are the guests of the seventh song, but the production isn't the best and the rapping of the performers is lazy. There are good jazzy vibes and a slapping drum in "Remind Me", a track that drags the listener towards the final part of the tape: a splendid soulful female sample introduces "A Part of Survival", a choice afflicted by a ridiculous rhythm and a lazy delivery, before the thanks, even these performed without particular desire on a light-hearted music.
Not all hip-hop albums must to be hardcore, but these guys put no effort anywhere: beats copied from Oakland, lyrics copied from LA, there's nothing here that can be saved from mediocrity. Black C tries to put in some effort in production, but when he has to spit on the mic, he arrives exhausted, drained of energy.
Rating: 6/10.
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