Solo debut studio album for Jamal Phillips aka Jamal, rapper from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. From 1993 to 1995, Jamal is one of the two components of Illegal together with Mr. Malik, with whom he releases an LP and three singles, one of which in first place in the rap chart. Illegal becomes one of the most famous kid rap acts of the period, together with Kris Kross and Da Youngstaz, until its dissolution in 1995, after which the two boys continue their careers in the music industry as soloists. Jamal, an affiliate of Erick Sermon, joins the Def Squad, releasing his first LP also in 1995. The production is handled by Erick Sermon, Redman, Easy Mo Bee, Erotic D., Rockwilder, PME and Mike Dean, while guests are Redman, Erick Sermon, Keith Murray, L.O.D., Passion and George Clinton.
This young MC could be framed under the loud "generic rapper" caption: his style is slow, monotonous, regular, lyrically, there are no particular traces to follow, he expresses himself on simple and limited concepts, crime, street, violence, braggadocio, battle rap. He's an average performer and in his favor, they play the fact that he has a good voice, a competent flow and that he never makes glaring mistakes, delivering bars on good music. The production drags the album up, among the best records of the season: boom bap beats, downtempo drums, dirty and dusty, good bass lines, excellent melodic samples. The Def Squad guys give their own funky inflection to the project, retain some of that sad, gloomy and melancholy atmosphere that's surrounding the New York hip-hop scene in the mid-nineties and offer even relaxed music at times, with excerpts close to ballad and a couple of laid-back songs that greet g-funk in the second part of the CD, enjoying excellent synths, melodic, attenuated and accessible ("Da Come Up", "Don't Trust No"; both brilliant, from my point of view).
The album starts off very well, with a tribute to Mobb Deep and a good confident rap provided by Jamal, then the record drops slightly. If it's true that Redman and the other guests, all affiliated with Def Squad somehow, show themselves superior to the main interpreter on the few occasions they have the opportunity to rap — this can be easily observed, more than in the posse track "Genetic for Terror", in the choice "Insane Creation": here, Redman devastates the track with an inspired, smoothness, hardcore delivery — Jamal proves to be able to create a strong track on his own, sending "Fades Em All" into the top ten rap singles (although, it needs to be pointed out, with the help of the Biggie sample; there's a ill remix by Pete Rock you should listen to), and realizing what I believe can now be called an iconic song, "Keep It Real".
"Keep It Real" is a document that testifies how Erick Sermon was one of the best producers of his period, this soundscape is perfect. Boom bap, bombastic bass, beautiful melodic synths, midtempo drum, dirty, dusty, wonderful elegant piano from Stevie Wonder. Jamal lets the beat breathe and delivers bars with a velvet, slow, slick flow. The chorus is iconic, simple, sublime, the second verse consecrates him as one of the best rap performers ever to come out of Philadelphia. He makes one of the most beautiful tracks of '95 and one of the freshest pieces of the decade. Dope cut.
Released by Rowdy Records, with whom he had previously worked with the Illegal duo, backed by a BMG distribution, the album is unfortunately ignored by the insiders and is welcomed by a lying ranking for the quality expressed, which doesn't allow it to get more attention and due to which at the release is a commercial flop. I think it's one of the best rap debuts by a kid his age. The album is good, accessible, with some excellent tracks and none weak, retaining a remarkable replay value thanks to just over three quarters of an hour of execution and eleven tracks without skits: today, it's an overlooked pearl, perhaps not the brightest or the best hidden on the shelves of nineties East Coast rap, but certainly deserving to be appreciated again. 7.5/10.
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