Digging deep into the Rap-A-Lot catalog you may eventually find some very well-hidden gems like this: debut for Odd Squad, a Houston group consisting of Devin "The Dude" Copeland, Robert "Rob Quest" McQueen aka Blind Rob, and Dexter "Jugg Mugg" Johnson.
Devin meets Quest — a blind rapper and producer — during a school rap contest in the late nineties and later, they're joined by Jugg Mugg, who had previously collaborated with Devin in several groups. In the early nineties, the group gets a contract with Rap-A-Lot and records the album: Rob Quest and DJ Styles produce it entirely, aided by the beatmakers of the label, N.O. Joe and Mike Deen, who also takes care of the live instrumentation (the sax is offered by Lloyd Hughes).
All guests are introduced in the posse track "Came Na Gedown", which boasts the presence of Scarface, Mr. 3-2 and Kilo, among others. The product stands out from all the others released under Rap-A-Lot Records thanks to a pleasantly jazzy production, of East Coast inspiration, boom bap rhythms with slow and thumping drums combined with jazzy, funky and soul samples. At rapping, Devin the Dude stands out above other performers, realizing lyrics related to women and weed with an effortless style, dynamic flow and ecclesiastical training that allows him to deliver sung hooks without ruining the tape. Well received by insiders, the effort doesn't achieve the commercial success it deserves, despite the distribution of Priority: relaxed and carefree party album, with an important sexual component, is one of the funniest albums of the year. 7/10.
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