producers: grand puba

Let's say you release an album that gets the rare five mic rating by the Source. You then go on to split up with the group. You release two solo albums, with the first getting some props, but the second one remaining ridiculously ignored. So you team up with your crew again and you release an album that is excellent, however, once more gets the collective shrug from the hip hop community. That basically means that the game wasn't treating you fair, that there were rules that haven't been obeyed. So what now? Give the thing up and go and look for a job with FedEx? Naw, man. If you are a god, like Grand Puba Maxwell, you stack all the ingredients on one pile, count your blessings and give the world a third solo album, hoping that this time around, the album will be another banger, and the world is not too busy being blinded by blinging diamonds, so that it can't see what you can see.

With the help of In The Paint and Koch Records (that by the way started out in Germany as a Folklore label), we are getting treated to "Understand This". And that's what this album is about. Grand Puba is a seasoned cat, heck, you could even say an old cat in hip hop years. So he has stuff to understand for all you young bucks, that think we are talking of traffic rules, when we mention "Slow Down". What we are getting here are 20 tracks (amongst them a couple of skits) that are talking about real issues. Like the issue of gold diggers is discussed on "What U Gonna Do For Me" featuring guest and good rapper Tiffany Johnson. They also team up for "What U Want", that is one of the examples where Puba is getting his mack on. The money situation is being reflected on "Dreams", and the title of "Baby Mama Drama" is giving away what that cut is talking about. Talking about the struggle is "How Many More", as Puba is looking at his surrounding and he has to find enough ish that is troubling him.

One of the best tracks is "Issues", that's a simple cut with happiness potential. The beat is combined with a story, that's intertwined with some life reflections about the inter-sex-relationships. Another track were everything comes together pleasantly is "Up & Down", with Puba going for the straight up flowing, not missing to address some questions though too. And Sadat X is handling the chorus to round out this good track. Especially on the album "2000" Puba succeeded to do cool smooth songs, so we are glad that we are getting one of those on here too, as he hooks up something relaxed for "Keep It Movin'", that then also features fellow Nubian Lord Jamar dropping a guest verse.

But some beats are hard to swallow, like what Puba did for "Don't Lie To Me", that's just bad. The same goes for "What's Up Wit It", where the hand clapping would have been cool, but the other sound effects are very 'eeeh'. We will check out this track though because Sadat X is dropping by to flow after Puba talked about some past years of his in this game. The beat on the title track "Understand This" and on "Spazz Out 2" are straight up wack, with some corny keyboard hits completely spoiling the songs, and on the latter, the featured The Restless are struggling to shine in any good way. You can also hear some of the influences the current state of hip hop had on Puba, when he's asking for paper in "All Day", to then go on to floss about all them unnecessary things. Sure, a Puba needs to pay bills too, but this would have never been one of the main focuses in the Nubian past.

There are the obvious things that are holding back the album: first, Grand Puba gained the first exposure in the late eighties. His flow is still in that time period. And while he was one heck of a producer, that reigned freely during the 'no sample law' period, right now, his music sounds rather bare, and lacks the contemporary progressiveness, that makes hip hop music sound big, sound fat, to use that term. So the simpleness of the beats and the flow have to be neglected when you are listening to what he has to say. As what he has to say is worth to listen to him. Hence this should be a case of: it's not about the wrapping, but the content. But with all them shallow cats that judge the presents just by their outside appearance, they might miss to check this album out.