After two seasons, Doug E. Fresh returns to release a studio album. The production is credited to his group, with co-producers including Dennis Bell, Ollie Cotton, Carl Ryder, Eric Sadler and Hank Shoocklee, the latter two part of the Bomb Squad famous for producing Public Enemy.
The first cut is a good fresh skeletal beat, minimal and regular drum machine, light, good deeply flowing delivery by Doug E. Fresh, very well-made old-school delivery, with scratched functional hook. A simple hard-n-raw beat follows, a syncopated and minimal drum machine, a fresh and vibrant rhythm, good delivery of the emcee with a scratched functional hook. A very fresh beat opens the third song, "DEF", simple skeletal beat, minimal and vibrant drum machine, splendid female soulful sample looped in the background on the hook, excellent deeply flowing and peaceful delivery by Doug E. Fresh, chill vibes, relaxing vibes, top track among the finest of one of the greatest hip hop albums released in 1988, beautiful. Pearl, hidden pearl of the whole year.
"On the Strength" uses a sample of James Brown, simple hook supported by a chorus in the background, hard beat, syncopated and minimal drum machine, pretty dope smooth delivery of the rapper, who brings out a good track, deeply enjoyable. "Keep Risin' to the Top" has a simple, composed skinny rhythm, light and minimal drum machine, syncopated, simple and smooth delivery by Doug E. Fresh, scratched functional hook, with samples from the almost homonymous song of Keni Burke — unknown at the time, but which following the release of the single by Doug E. Fresh will be rediscovered and become a hit and Burke's best-known song — and from "Ain't No Half Steppin'" by Heatwave, sampled by Big Daddy Kane in the same year.
The following tune features a sample from James Brown and a crowd in raptures looped in the background, simple hard beat, syncopated and vibrant drum machine, minimal, unattended functional hook, good flowing and fresh delivery of the rapper. Don't spare a little beatboxing for the title track finale. "I'm Gettin 'Ready" opens with "as we proceed, to give you what you need!" later used by Puff Daddy in Biggie Smalls' "Who Shot Ya". Hard-n-raw production, syncopated and minimal drum machine, fresh rhythm that samples Brothers Johnson's "Ain't We Funkin' Now", velvet and crystalline delivery by Doug E. Fresh, functional hook with female and male chorus in the background, nice cut.
"Cut That Zero" immediately puts on stage the badly looped soul sample in the background, the Harlem rapper lets the simple rhythm breathe, skinny beat, minimal and light drum machine, light and funky production, smooth and clean delivery of the MC, hook simple scratched, nice cut, samples "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye and "Pump Me Up" by Melle Mel. The next track is opened by a splendid sample with dark piano keys, gloomy mood, the rapper lets the beat breathe, then Doug E. Fresh approaches the rhythm with a light, almost whispered, flowing delivery, feeds the dark sensation of the track in cleverly, if this production is original it would be one of the best beats of 1988 and one of the freshest, dope cut with electric guitar solo in the finale, great.
"Everybody Loves a Star" is a kind of ballad: rhythm simple, syncopated and minimal drum machine, skinny, essential beat, Doug E. Fresh's smooth delivery and dope, hook left to the scratched sample that reads the title line, then a beautiful post-hook bridge that samples Phil Collins's "In the Air Tonight", a fantastic choice that supports an excellent track: above this deep and somewhat gloomy musical carpet, the rapper continues to deliver smoothness and fast bars, dope cut, truly among the best on the record and the whole year.
The next choice is composed of a simple hard production, minimal and light drum machine, fantastic samples from Billy Joel, Maceo & the Macks, "Be Thankful for What You Got" by William DeVaughn for the first hook and a cut from the E.U. for the second hook, the rapper delivers regular and agile also here, splendid piece. Closes a pearl, fantastic, "Africa (Goin' Back Home)", simple, tight, skinny vibes, fresh samples of "Do The Funky Penguin" by Rufus Thomas, syncopated and minimal drum machine, dope delivery by Doug E. Fresh, simple functional hook with bridge of tribal bongos and splendid guitar solo to close the album with an epic sample from "The Mexican" by Babe Ruth who in turn samples "For A Few Dollars More" by Ennio Morricone, main theme of the soundtrack of the homonymous spaghetti western masterpiece directed by Sergio Leone and starring Clint Eastwood. Great cut.
Released by Reality Records, supported by five singles ("Keep Risin' to the Top", #4 in the rap chart, "Cut That Zero", "Everybody Got 2 Get Some", "I'm Gettin' Ready" and "D.E.F. = Doug E. Fresh"), the effort gets a positive response from the public (#7 among rap albums), but is ignored by critics. A record that comes to us from '88 incredibly fresh, energetic, positive, it has no forward-looking or exceptional lyrics, but the excellent and cheerful production of Doug E. Fresh and Eric Sadler and the fluid rapping of the MC perfectly compensate for this shortcoming, the album's deeply flowing, fantastic, very well aged, it's one of the freshest albums of the year and therefore one of the best.
Rating: 8/10.
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