TaJuan "Big Noyd" Perry made his debut in 1993 on Mobb Deep's debut album "Juvenile Hell", on the track "Stomp 'Em Out". Two years later, the boy is again a guest of the duo that becomes legendary right after the release of their second work, "The Infamous": Big Noyd is the main guest of the project, appearing on "Give Up the Goods (Just Step)", alongside Wu-Tang Clan emcees Raekwon & Ghostface Killah on "Right Back at You" and together with Ty Nitty on the closing "Party Over". Touring with Mobb Deep, he performs his verse of "Give Up the Goods" and attracts the attention of Tommy Boy executives, who offer him a $ 300,000 contract.
In 1996, Big Noyd, who takes his moniker from the Domino's Pizza ad character, released his first solo effort, a lengthy eleven-track EP with nearly forty minutes of material. Prodigy is the main guest and appears on almost the entire record, while Havoc provides most of the beats. Se'kou guested on one track, Charlemagne provided a rhythm, and After Six Entertainment and Stretch Armstrong were each credited with one remix.
Despite being the introductory song, Charlemagne follows precisely the sound dictates of Havoc for "It's On You" — a homage to "Party Over", the last song of Mobb Deep classic disk: with this choice, the guys creates a link between the album of Havoc & Prodigy and this effort by Noyd. Also, you can hear Prodigy before Noyd himself in this record, his own CD — and immediately creates a great dark, tight and essential jazzy boom bap, realizing a obscure and tense atmosphere that spreads through the gloomy production of Havoc. The intro is a sound collage of Noyd's tracks over a beat that deserved to be extended into a real track, but for whatever reason there was no opportunity. It's followed by an interlude, there's a sample from Curtis Mayfield's "We The People Who Are Darker Than Blue", while some Italians New York detectives tryna catch Noyd.
The first real cut is on the track number three, "Recognize & Realize (Part I)". First and unique single excerpted by this extended play, released in 1995 as the debut single of Big Noyd. Charleston warming up, then ground to a perfect dusty midtempo dry drum, solid bass line that keeps coming back, tight, hypnotizing piano keys, good soul vocal sample in loop. Big Noyd opens the tune with a hardcore delivery, technically imperfect, effortless, flowing. Prodigy on the second verse with a velvety flow, smoothness, dope. A back n forth chorus from the two performers arrives, then Noyd offers a third hardcore verse. The Mobb Deep emcee closes with a final stanza, flowing, clear, the rhythm breathes for almost a minute. Great track that would fit well on the group's records, sublime work by Havoc behind the keyboards, the boys give Noyd one of the best pieces of his career.
Havoc creates a solid soundscape for "All Pro": solid bassline, rough, hard, midtempo drum, sweet strings, chopped and looped soul samples, very tight, it doesn't breathe. Slow, tough delivery by Ty Nitty of Infamous Mobb, technically questionable. Next up is Twin Scarface from the same group, with a smoother and looser delivery and a better but still not great technique. Short interlude by Havoc launching Prodigy on the third verse, the boy shows his other friends how to deliver on a Havoc beat. Big Noyd goes hardcore without asking permission and drops bars for the last verse on this intense rhythm.
The fifth choice is "Infamous Mobb", however, no member of the group is present on the track, which boasts only Big Noyd and Prodigy on the music chosen by Havoc. The producer places a fat bass line, a lean, hard, midtempo drum, the sound of vinyl crackling accompanied by some extravagant sounds and a phantasmagorical sample in the background that gives a dark atmosphere to the song. Slow, slightly subdued delivery by Don P, who settles into the beat with an effortless, carefree flow, he also takes his time, while Big Noyd enters hardcore and runs straight ahead with his extra verse in this short battle.
The following skit shows us how in fact the intentions of Noyd, or more probably of the Tommy Boy label, were to create a serious concept around the album, which should be more or less this: after some crimes, the rapper runs away for three quarters of an hour wanted by two detectives of the New York police. It could also be interesting if the Queensbridge emcee decided to stick to this concept, but he never does so during this half hour, which loses a bit of the whole sense of the album. In this skit, on the same sample used in the skit at the beginning of the EP, the detectives identify themselves, if that matters.
At choice number seven comes the first solo cut by Big Noyd during this effort. Can you believe it? Prodigy isn't actually credited but don't worry because he arrives anyway even without an official invitation. The title is a tribute to the cult movie released the year before. Superlative production by Havoc, thick bass line, vinyl crackling sound, dusty dirty drum midtempo, perfect, dirty violin sample in tight loop. Long hook by Big Noyd, then his hardcore verse, good loose flow that is wrapped up in the dystopian beat, precious work behind the keyboards by Havoc. The main emcee also convinces with the second and third stanzas, with a hardcore rapping, confident, dirty, fantastic, he shines on this kind of dark rhythms churned out by Havoc's keyboards. When the song seems destined to be a solo, Prodigy suddenly arrives and delivers bars with a monotonous and subdued flow before the track fades away. Originally intended to be the album's lead single, then replaced.
Havoc continues to deliver pearls in production for this project, the title track is no exception. Vinyl crackle sound, dry dirty drum, perfect, midtempo; fresh bass line, magic clean synth line. The rhythm gives contrasting sensations, in theory it's dark inside, on the outside it appears cheerful and with carefree vibes, while Havoc keeps it constantly tense, as if he wanted to worry it, the beat itself is in the middle of darkness. In all this, Noyd and Prodigy tease it in the dark and play with it. Noyd intelligently lets the soundscape breathe, it's beautiful. Then the rapper drops bars with a hardcore flow, energetic, flowing, loose, not exactly breathless, but the boy is working on a dark and bright soundscape. Prodigy's endlessly repeated chorus, Big Noyd's second and third verses, energetic, loose, sounds right at home over Havoc's dark rhythms, this is amazing. Impressive choice, practically classic.
Havoc's only rapping appearance on the entire album is on the sequel to "Recognize & Realize". His flow is fantastic, worthy of "Hell on Earth": phat bassline gorgeous vibrant, drum dry, dusty, hard, midtempo drum, awesome, synth keyboard brilliant, Havoc's loose effortless energetic delivery leading the way on his beat. The fact that Big Noyd delivers the exact same verse as the first part might disappoint you, but his energy is high enough that you don't pay too much attention to the details. Prodigy also has the same verse as the first track. Havoc's hook, then Don P and Rapper Noyd drop two more original verses to bring the cut to a close.
Exquisite rhythm for "I Don't Wanna Love Again": bright bass line, dry hard filthy midtempo drum, sweet piano loop. Se'kou sings hook and two verses, dominating the first two minutes, then Noyd suddenly comes in and drops bars with good style on this production remixed by After Six Entertainment. Interesting attempt to create a commercial track for the radio by Noyd, even if the tune isn'tt chosen as a single. The EP is closed by a second remix credited to Stretch Armstrong for "The Usual Suspect", what can I say, it's delicious. Stunning soundscape created by Stretch, beautiful, ethereal. Poor drum midtempo, minimal, dirty, dusty, magical piano keys, sublime bass line, soft, sample from Isaac Hayes. The beat gives freshness to the piece. Intro and hook by Big Noyd, his first hardcore verse, the lyrics are the same as the original. No need to say, Noyd kills the track, Prodigy's verse in this version isn't cut in half and continues until the end, it's a classic, one of the best pieces in the rapper's catalog.
Final Thoughts
Big Noyd's first effort was released in 1996 by Tommy Boy Records, in the wake of the success of the recent album published by Mobb Deep shortly before, in a period in which the author was incarcerated, reason for which the label executives decided not to wait for the boy's release from prison and published all the material he recorded with them, inflating the tape with three useless skits and placing a couple of remixes: in this way, Tommy Boy freed himself from the contract with the rapper. The promotion of the album was terrible. The cover was poor, the boy was on the right, skinny with a normal t-shirt, his name large in yellow next to the center, title in white vertically difficult to perceive, unlikely background.
Noyd relies heavily on Havoc in production and Prodigy in rapping, the former confirms himself as one of the best beatmakers of this period in his genre, bringing out very dark, fresh and superb rhythms, the latter proves to still be at the top of the game by dropping sharp, thug and dark bars together with the author, finding himself perfectly at ease on this gloomy set and giving greater value to the album. Thanks above all to the contribution offered by the friends with whom he's affiliated, Big Noyd, a typical street rapper just above average, manages to hold up the effort, creating a quality hardcore product, short, tight and not very varied in content, but intense, cohesive and coherent, with a lyricism that often distances itself from the common themes of gangsta rap and remains rigid on pure bragging and street stories, recited with a monotonous, dirty, regular and effortless flow that, as much as it may be pleasant to listen to, doesn't allow him to stand out from the rest of the scene.
The fact that Mobb Deep aren't even credited on the back cover didn't help sales, when Prodigy is present in the whole album and Havoc produces it entirely. Big Noyd, who can sometimes appear as a guest on his own record, in these eleven tracks has no solo, don't believe the credits. Mainly because of these factors, the album is ignored by the public and critics, gets disappointing feedback in sales and according to Prodigy himself it stops at around thirty thousand physical copies. Given the consistent contribution of the duo, it's rightly considered a sort of appendix of "The Infamous". Hidden pearl in hardcore hip hop / thug rap. Recommended for Mobb Deep fans.
Rating: 8/10.
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