Debut album for hip-hop group Masta Ace Incorporated, which includes Masta Ace of Juice Crew school, Eyce, Uneek, Rokkdiesel, rapper Paula Perry, R&B singer Leschea and The Bluez Brothers, duo formed by rapper and producer Lord Digga and producer Witchdoc.
Released three years after the debut, the album is essentially Masta Ace's second solo album, with occasional guests. In this time frame the rap game has changed: even if his first LP cannot be labeled under the DAISY Age, the boy looks with passion and satisfaction at the scene ridden by the Native Tongues which, unfortunately, in 1993 is already almost completely disappearing: in this short period, there has been no replacement and practically no other competent hip-hop artist has re-launched that trend, seeking to give regular turnover to the effortless pedaling of the major Native Tongues acts. In these few years, the floral hippie hip hop is therefore reabsorbed and overtaken by the gangsta subgenre that from the West Coast is sweeping and dominating all of America, changing upon its arrival on the East Coast with a mafioso tear in the final sprint.
Masta Ace isn't down with the new g-trend, and decides to play, joke, humiliate, mock, criticize and condemn gangsta rap, studio gangsters and the hardcore way of making hip-hop records, with a concept album of 65 minutes and 15 cuts. Lyrically, he's almost excellent and he has a tight and concise flow, slow and monotonous, he manages to carry all the tracks to the bottom, while, musically, the album struggles to move forward.
The beats are made by Uneek, Latief, The Beatheads, The Bluez Brothas, and Masta Ace himself, no one is a pro, and the beats are essential, funky and hard, recalling, not coincidentally, the West Coast scene: there's some good choice, some good samples, and rare good production choices, however, most of the time this sound never impresses, it's not intriguing or compelling, it's just there.
Among the guests, Lord Digga has the major duties, participating, often uncredited, in half-album, while the other members of the group take part in at least one song each, all functional to the precise concept of Masta. The record is produced by Delicious Vinyl and doesn't climb the charts, stopping soon: beyond the sales, the album is rediscovered in retrospect and appreciated again to the point of being consecrated [almost] to the level of an authentic classic. Recommended for NY rap fans.
Highlights: "SlaughtaHouse / Diggadome (Intro)", "Late Model Sedan", "Jeep Ass Niguh", "Boom Bashin'", "Who U Jackin'", "Saturday Nite Live".
Rating: 8/10.
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