Smif ??€?N Wessun - ??€?Reloaded??€? / Buckshot ??€?Chemistry??€? album reviews
Friday September 30th 2005
Written by Robbie
Following the lyrically satisfying Sean Price album, the second and third installments of Boot Camp??€�s ??€?Triple Threat??€? are a mixed bag. Other than finally being able to complete the Marc Ecko picture by joining-up the three CD covers, the question remains??€¦are the Buck and Smif ??€?N Wessun albums worth you hard earned? More or less. Buckshot??€�s Chemistry is produced entirely by 9th Wonder, while Reloaded features a variety of different contributors. In theory, this gives Buck??€�s project more consistency, however I found that listening to thirteen songs with the same tinny drums only served to highlight the weaknesses in Wonder??€�s beat science, despite some nice loops on a couple of tracks.
When I caught the Beatminerz additions to the Bucktown duo??€�s third album, I realized that Evil Dee and Mr. Walt are just as essential to the BCC as ??€?Timz and Hoodz??€?. Considering that they produced all the best tracks for Black Moon, Heltah Skeltah, OGC and Smif ??€?N Wessun on their debut albums, getting them back on board seems like a no-brainer. The reasons behind the split in the ??€?90s range from ??€?wanting to vary our sound??€? to complaints that the Minerz were ??€?too sensitive??€? when people weren??€�t happy with the beats, but despite any personality clashes, the two crews certainly bring the best out of each other.
This is clearly demonstarted on ??€?Tools of the Trade??€?, the obvious stand-out on Reloaded, and ??€?Stay Real??€? from the last Black Moon album. The biggest difference is in the drums, which knock way harder than anything else on there, plus they deliver a nice variety of musical styles from Spanish to reggae. A few of the other beats from other people producers like poor imitations of the Just Blaze / Heatmakerz ??€?80s rock sound, although Krysis??€� use of the sample last heard on Akinyele??€�s ??€?No Exit??€? distracted me from his weak percussion effectively enough.
The other issue is that while Sean P??€�s music wasn??€�t always that great, he more than compensated with his new and improved rhyme style, while both Buckshot and Smif ??€?N Wessun are same as they ever was ??€� recognizable and distinctive, but not always captivating. This comes as no major suprise, since it??€�s been over ten years since these guys first made their mark, and to be fair they??€�ve lasted the distance in better shape than many from that era, but at the same time these two projects aren??€�t going to convert any Boot Camp doubters. That being said, there is some dope shit on both of these albums if you stick with ??€?em.
Buckshot adapts an elder statesmen role by dishing out advice for kids on the come-up, which makes sense considering his extended tour of duty, but he also mixes in conceptal tracks like ??€?Food For Thought??€? and an amusing dedication to getting in bar fights while on tour. LB??€�s Big Pooh and Sean P drop by on ??€?U Wonderin??€?, and Big Ruck delivers another verse full of memorable lines, letting us know that ??€?I??€�m 32 but the guage is 12??€? while he ??€?pop E pills with top ten models??€?. The problem being, after that I just wanted to throw on Monkey Barz again! ??€?Now A Dayz??€?, ??€?Sidetalk??€? and ??€?Money Makes The World Go Round??€? are all enjoyable, and feature the best production on the album.
Tek and Steele travel a lot better, though their latest release is a mix of the superb and the mundane. If the somewhat bloated tracklisting of fifteen songs was trimmed of it??€�s five weakest selections, it would have made for a tighter package, but as it stands there??€�s still plenty of quality material. As a duo, they??€�ve maintained their vocal tag-team approach and deliver all the gun talk you could possibly ask for, which will please long-time fans of their take-no-shorts attitude.
If I had to decide, I??€�d recommend picking up the Sean Price, then the Smif ??€?N Wessun, and if you??€�ve got money left over grab the Buckshot. In the meantime, I??€�ll be keeping my fingers crossed that we??€�ll hear more Beatminerz work on the next round of Boot Camp releases.
