4. My Team w/ Ikon, Dj Emmaculate and Xclusive

It does not matter if hip hop is done with samplers or live instruments. Shit just gots to be banging. But too many failed to pull it off with a guitar or drumsticks in hands, going the sampler way, the drum computer way, the "key? you wanna lock the studio or what?" way seems to be a safer route for cats to get their feet in the door. Probably cheaper to record too. And a whole bunch of folks don't fit in your bedroom anyways. However, this live instruments thing shouldn't be stressed too much. As said: as long as it's banging, we don't care if it's your grandma's teeth that are providing the dirty, nasty sounds. And so apart from a really strange name, incorporating a real drum and a real bass is not taking hip hop to a too far left side. So it's still mostly about the boom and the bap, only after the "Jazz Fiend Swingtro" opened the door to a quite unreal experience.

The groove kick starts with "Dirty Pair" featuring Mic One, who also provides the beat. Johnny Puertochinko, formerly known Agent Johnny Quest, is grabbing the voice tool and spits some bragging and boasting lyrics, while DJ Ill Ben scratches what someone left on his turning table. Yip, the emcees are all about "I leave you at a standstill like a mannequin" type lines. This is continued on "Whut About U? (Jeep Mix)" that features Cool Out Chris on the production. Again, this is on some "people say my lyrical rhyme book is biblical" tip, and while lyrics please us fiends for them punchlines, the beat lacks to fully grasp our approval. While the voice sample during the chorus saves the day, the bass is lazily slacking. But that makes us enjoy the dope jazzyness of "My Team" even more. Ikon, Emmaculate and Xclusive make sure that Johnny, Milo Freak and Enygma don't hog the mic for too long on this album, and the simple guitar lick, hooked up by Emmaculate and G-No drives this track home as a winner.

Cool Out Chris then gets another chance to shine on "Puerto Rico" and he does not hesitate to attack it with a dark and moody track. We now approvingly nod our head. Puertochinkan is kicking descriptive rhymes that provide a certain sunny contrast to the dusty groove of the beat. He then goes on to produce a funk track called "Puppet Master M.C.". This live track, with a wah wah guitar (played by Jayson Guerra), very live sounding drums (Gino Colucci) and a humbled bass (George Hardison), sounds like a college band track, much rather than something pumped in a boombox in the South Bronx. This will not please even open minded heads, but both avant gardists and backpackers will be very happy about the magical piano on "Streetwise", that Mic One put over this phat track. Lyrically things step up a notch too, with some social commentary rhymes, that give this track a lot of relevance.

But things are already back to that college music again with "Freestyle #7". Recorded live, one is almost afraid, one guy in the audience will scream "yo DJ, put some instrumental on, and kick them jazzers off the stage". And while this doesn't mean that this track is wack, the huge contrast of the enjoyed beat leading up to and this musical piece, forces the listener to take sides, and while both are enjoyed, the crowd is opting for the boom bap way.

The album then switches to some really gory ish with "Uncivilized" feat. Obnoxious and Optimus Prime. This is giving a hint to the band name for the first time, and "Juggernaught" feat. Anthony Dec La Rock is taking the album into smooth regions, with a dope track that reminds the listener of some early Heltah Skeltah stuff. The shout to '97 is somewhat confusing, since we wonder if something quite old is just sneaking into our ears as something new (and it would also explain the resemblance). But it's a dope cut, so why even front? "What I Wouldn't Do '99", another live cut, succeeds because it allows itself to be simple. Johnny is battling again and he's preparing us for another dope Mic One production, "B-Movie Fiendz". Of course the content of the rhymes is pretty obvious, but Metamo of the unfucwitable Rubberroom shows up and gives this a whole different emotion, with his remarkable voice and lyrical styling. The original version of "Whut About U?" follows suit, and sound much fresher than the remix.

But that can't prepare us for the guitar slaughter track, the double kick, the scream your lungs out track. "Stomp" feat. Scott Adwan has Johnny do his best death metal (or whatever you call that) impersonation. And only the scratching gives this some appeal. This track can be explained with the bands background and everyone is pulling out a noble effort, but in the end, it's a must fast forward cut for the big heap of the listeners, if not consumed with an ironic ear. Not the country / Dixie / folk styling of "Hickbilly Outro" though. This has you grab your potna and so some circle hopping. Funny, not to be taken too serious, but a nifty little tune to end the album. Then again, it's not quite over yet. "Free" blasts in with a dreamlike structure and Lumba of Rubberoom is also showing some love to his Chicago bredren. And this dope track makes us forget the few missteps that seem to have been inevitable on this album. Of course this is on some whole different ish, and it pulls it off quite nicely, but while the amateurism of a b-movie can be really funny, it can also be a drag if it's getting outta proportion. And while this is not a "so crap, it's cult", there are still a few strings too obviously attached to the UFO's, a little too less time spent on the details of the rubber suit, but it's still hella entertaining.