In 1993 Pete Rock manages to throw some friends into the game, including YG'z, short for Young Gunz, a duo made up of Kenny "Guest" Austin and Tommy Guest. These guys hail from Mount Vernon, Westchester, just above the Bronx, NY, and Pete Rock takes them to sign a deal with Reprise Records: in the same year, they were featured as guests in the Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth's cut "Death Becomes You", inserted in the soundtrack of the movie "Menace II Society" and, launched by the single "Street Nigga", releasing an eponymous EP later.
"Street Nigga" is the best joint of the tape, it opens and closes the short work of the duo: in the introductory choice, Pete Rock creates a splendid jazzy boom bap with Christmas bells and a skinny drum machine that's syncopated and slow, cold and shiny, suitable for smooth syncopated delivery of this forgotten duo. Several jazzy cuts follow, with a vibrant drum, simple hooks and deliveries in a similar style to the previous one, syncopated, slow and smooth.
The production of Pete Rock is good and there are some commercial vibes, while the lyricism of the group is simple, mainly braggadocio, with some socio-conscious lines, and some hardcore-gangsta shots. Vance Wright and Delroy Pusey produce "Wonders in da Bed", Willie Gunz takes care of the next rhythm: simple beat, syncopated and skeletal drum machine, female sample looped in the background, hook not interpreted with great bridge, sax sample and female soul sample, good production that the YG'z try not to waste, in vain. As previously mentioned, the last song is again "Street Nigga", remixed by Pete Rock: he also produced the original one, and in fact there aren't too many differences.
It's an enjoyable listen for East Coast fans and especially Pete Rock fans, but there's nothing that stands out particularly here, so yeah, there's a reason why this duo has been significantly forgotten. 6.5/10.
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