producers: erick sermon, rockwilder, da mascot, big soxx, diverse, dj twinz, adam f.

You might have heard about this record from one of those cats that knows about things, before they are even recorded. You heard that the skits are too long and that Redman is boring with what he does. In a way, that source is right, on the other hand, not. Yes, the skits are long, and yes, Redman doesn't newly reinvent himself. He still has them funk beats and he talks about hoes, himself, smoking and other things that make this life neat. How dare he....

Screw that. Redman is now into his fifth album. If it ain't broke, don't try to fix it. That's always true. But it's also true that any old vessel needs a little polishing here and there. And maybe that's where this album falls short. The polishing has not been done on each track and not too carefully, what makes some of the songs sounds kinda 'wait, I have heard this before'. Take for example the first track "Diggy Doc". The drum is obviously lifted, the samples have been used before, and the rhyming is straight, with the punchlines snapping like "I puff so much of that green, I bleed guacamole". Take "Lick A Shot", that easily could have been on the "Doc's The Name 2000" album, as the ape screaming in the back, and the Erick Sermon production, are very much in the same ballpark as tracks from that record. So what now? Are we already wrapping things up and get the label of 'beware: wack' out? Naw, grasshoppa, not so quick. Right on the next cut Rockwilder pulles out something more sonic for "Let's Get Dirty", and Redman rhymes "Punks: I've been in this line for hours / I even killed the time by helping my man pass out fliers / now all I wanna do is get in where I fit in / shake my ass with the baddest pigeon with her win in".

What's wrong with this here? Now, I'm not asking you what it should be or better, what you want it to be, I ask what's wrong with them? Nothing? I kinda think so as well. The head nodding factor is there, the rhymes give us humorous tales, with lines that have us smile. They don't feature the bling bling, or the over the top violence, that you always complain about. So you are not ready for some good ol' hip hop? Some straight rap with the fun factor? For a change? No?

Well, we here are, and that's why we will not complain about this album. Not because it is brilliant, check the rating out, but because it gives us some solid stuff, that at times has us even call it dope, and that is exactly what I want to be listening to in the car, when I'm in a good mood and just want to bounce and bob my head. That's why I will listen to the almost oldish "WKYA (Drop)" that proclaims "I'm so dope, I could bundle cook up by the aspirin / gasping like it's Aspen: no air". The Erick Sermon funk on "Real Niggaz" is still nasty and funky, it will make your dirty undies look posh in comparison. And check out newcomer Icarus who spits "yo, don't approach me wrong, little kids call me Smokey-mon / cause the blunts that I light set off smoke alarms". Tracks like "Uh-huh" and "Da Bullshit" should satisfy every Redman fan, with especially the second one, giving us once more good reason to move about. And when you get a little too hectic to lounge, play "Enjoy Da Ride", and listen to the featured artists Saukrates, Streetlife and Meth who spits "when it's going down, call me quicksand".

Guests are kept in throughout, like on the straight up funk worm "J.U.M.P.", that has George Clinton play tour guide throughout the track, with Reggie telling us, that he "got blood on my wifebeater undershirt / hand to hand you bout half a gram / I'm a truckload, backin' in, under dirt". With the female crooning on the chorus, this reminds us of the good old P-Funk days. "Muh-Fucka" then features one of the dopest beats on here, it being a DJ Twinz composition. Reggie then finds it in himself to step back and let his hombres and family have one track ("Bricks Two") to shine. Double O, D-Don, sister Roz and Shooga Bear (as well as an unaccredited Pacewon) keep a track to themselves, that O uses to spit the to explain genetically rhyme "I'm a nasty ass disease, and now I got ya mouth celibate / I'm a direct descendant of Hannibal's elephants". Just freed Keith Murray shows up on "Wrong 4 Dat", but he does lack that fire as well as his typical delivery.

We however then continue to maybe the coolest track on here, it being "Dat Bitch". Da Mascot has hooked up a rolling disco rhythm that just keeps going and going and drawing us further in the 'need to get up and shake a little something' cut. Missy Elliott is on here as well, giving us her club tested voice. After this, in total contrast, "Doggz II" slows things down and enables DMX to get an 'additional vocals' mentioning, due to the up front sample of his voice. "Whut I'ma Do Now" is mocking Puffy and apart from that, is going the funk route way, with not the best bass though. We then approach the ongoing tale of "Soopaman Luva", now reaching volume 5, and here being split in part one, a smooth churchy organ exploration, that has Luva realize that his mojo is missing, and part two, that is opening with surprising singing from Redman and then continuing with having the plot thicken, and leaving an open end, for a sure to come 6th installment. What finally then only leaves "Smash Sumthin'", to end this album. This is very dope, with a cool drum, and a contemporary tension, that interesting enough doesn't really fit Redman too good though, this being too epic and too little in funk for him.

Now as for the skits, the majority is very funny, like the "Roller Coaster Malpractice Intro", "Jerry Swinger Stickup" and the "Judge Juniqua" one, the latter two cleverly mocking the TV shows and all being exquisitely done and played. Others like "2-Way Madness" are rather annoying. And so the only complaint should be them breaking the rhythm of the album constantly and not about them being on the record, as some of 'em are truly worth checking out. What then leaves us with nothing more to be said, as the whole conclusion has been done at the beginning. As said: nothing.