Gravity 1996 Album

Da Bush Babees

From the mostly hardcore, Onyx-like debut, the group takes a different direction here, leaning more into jazz rap with a stronger focus on conscious lyrics. The first half is solid. The first two songs are easily the strongest in my opinion. There’s a Rasta-style verse from Y-Tee in 'Wax' that basically sounds like gibberish, which drags the song down a bit, and that same issue pops up a few more times throughout the album. 'The Beat Down' featuring the beat-boxing Rahzel, could've added to the run of the first two tracks, but at only 59 seconds, it just feels pointless. 'S.O.S.' does most things right, but again, Y-Tee's contribution isn’t really my cup of tea. And I’m not a fan of Mos Def’s features here, particularly on 'The Love Song', where his vocals feel self-important, turning it into his track rather than a collaboration. 'In Meh Dreams' is more reggae gibberish and the worst song here, and unfortunately 'Melting Plastic' again features Y-Tee, which is a shame since it could’ve been a good, vibey track otherwise. This album may be more consistent and lyrically developed than their debut, showing some creative growth, variety of songs, and a few more likeable hooks. Still, after 'S.O.S.' (which others might rate higher than I did), not much really stands out. Without Y-Tee, I’d give it another half a star or two though. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★☆ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Gravity, Wax, Maybe