Marley Marl's sophomore arrives three years after his debut and is a typical sophomore jinx. The Juice Crew in 1991 practically no longer exists and here Marl relies on a battleship of different artists, including many unknown underground faces who spit random bars.
The production is a series of simple and positive funky boom baps, it's overall decent, but nothing more. Some crossover R&B ("Check the Mirror", R&B ballad sung by Portia, on simplistic rhythm and slow drum; "Reach Out", R&B ballad sung by Perfection, on simple, slow, lean and funky rhythm with regular and vibrant drum machine and functional pop hook) and reggae cuts ("Fools in Love") creeps into the disc and stains its consistency.
"The Symphony Pt 2" is one of first choices of the new effort by the veteran producer. It's fine, but it's obvious, the boys don't have the same energy of the past: overall, it's lower than the original cut which is a classic. Sample from Maceo & All the King's Men's "Maceo". Inside there's what would be the Juice Crew, now in decline: Big Daddy Kane arrives paved by critics for his disappointing crossover album, Craig G has recorded one of the worst debuts in history thanks to one of the worst productions of the entire career of Marl, Master Ace made a good debut and Little Daddy Shane is Kane's younger brother, to whom the group lets some random lines drop in a couple of bars.
Over this gaunt and simple jazzy rhythm, with a tight, skeletal and pounding drum machine, Master Ace opens syncopated and cumbersome, follows Craig G with more energy, always syncopated and sensitive, then Kane, powerful, energetic. Nobody here seems inspired, except the only one I have not yet named, Kool G Rap, whose career is going full sail sailing in that powdery sea of the East Coast gangsta near Hudson and soon arriving at the bay of the mafia rap: he attacks the rhythm with his impeccable and smoothness flow and rips the cut with an excellent verse.
"Buffalo Soldier" boasts classic vibes, simple, gaunt, jazzy rhythm, with tearing and regular skinny drum machine, MC Amazing puts out a syncopated and extravagant delivery. "At the Drop of a Dime" has an excellent production realized merging samples from UFO's "ESG" and James Brown's "Escape-ism", good dark bridge on the scratched functional hook, hard, minimal jazzy-funky rhythm, with frantic and gaunt drum machine, excellent smoothness and sharp, fast, and technically clean delivery of MC Cash.
"America Eats the Young" presents another sample from James Brown, this time from "Make It Good to Yourself", it sounds like the best cut of the whole project by far: on a minimal and simple, crackling jazzy-funky rhythm, Tragedy Khadafi, still known as the Intelligent Hoodlum, delivers three lacerating political verses, while Chuck D is stopped on hook + outro. "I Be Gettin' Busy".
On a frenetic, funky, minimal and lean rhythm, LL Cool J offers urgent delivery, smooth, dope. "Keep Control". Monster posse track with Puba, Def Jef, Chubb Rock, Tragedy Khadafi, King Tee and Rap Industry for Social Evolution; simple rhythm, tight, lean and minimal, with deep and high-pitched, penetrating g-funk synth. Functional chorus, opens "the Intelligent Hoodlum", syncopated, hardcore and smooth delivery, then King Tee in a hardcore style very similar to the one just heard from Tragedy; Puba is solid, hardcore delivery in a powerful and smooth way, with a flow dope, there's an excellent attack by Def Jef, quick and dope, before the decent closing of Chubb Rock, which I don't feel up to the precedents, perhaps at because of his less fluid style.
Promoted by a couple of singles (the sequel of "The Symphony" and "Check the Mirror"), the record is released by Cold Chillin' and distributed by Warner Bros. Records, welcomed positively by critics, but struggling in charts (#46 among rap efforts). The product is solid enough, but it will be nearly another decade before we see another official Marl LP.
Rating: 6/10.
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