Only studio album for Kimberley "Champ MC" Johnson, a rapper from the Bronx who will later be part of the hip-hop group Deadly Venoms, Wu-affiliate. Being a NYC girl this should be a natural East Coast disk, however, it's decided for a division of the record into two parts: the first named "East Side" of 9 cuts, produced by NY beatmaker Tony Dofat, the second named "West Side" of 8 tracks, produced by Oakland beatmakers E-A-Ski and CMT. 2 skits on each side, Yo-Yo and Michael Speaks in the guest role.
Moe Doe has two beats on the West Side, Spunk Bigga and Agallah one each on the East Side, but none really surprising: the sound is decent for both coasts, without impressing and never being too bad. The production of Dofat is simple and generic, he makes minimal beats with skeletal and slow drums and cheap samples, while E-A-Ski and CMT are committed to placing as many g-funk synths as possible to make it clear that the West Coast sound has arrived at some point.
The samples are there all over the record, they're good, but they're not excellent, and the questionable mix tends to forget them too easily. Champ MC spits braggadocio bars and performs battle rap lyrics with a hardcore and lively style: she doesn't have to do a lot to take these decent beats to the next step, but for some reason, she can't do it and the album falls a bit generic and flat. She's obviously better on the rhythms of the first part, but even when the beats are better than usual, the songs don't take off: Tony Dofat delivers a solid beat for the latest East Side joint, jazzy boom bap with xmas bells and drum midtempo, while Agallah probably draws the best sample of the LP in "Do U Know My Style", on a pounding but accessible drum, however, the girl's hardcore and raw delivery seems to curb the quality of the music rather than enrich it, with a rapping style all too similar to other contemporary acts.
Released by Atlantic subsidiary EastWest, the LP is a notable commercial failure, considering that it aimed to sell thousands of copies on both coasts and obtain several certifications, in what is certainly one of the best commercial periods in both markets. It's a decent hardcore album without falls or strengths.
Rating: 6/10.
No comments:
Post a Comment