I checked this out for the Nas features, and they’re both among the best tracks, though on 'Thugs Calm Down', Nas brings that weak singing he leaned on too much in the late '90s. As expected from the credits, the sound is straight boom bap. 'Ain't Got a Clue' flips the same Aguaviva sample (Poetas Andaluces) used on Nas/The Firm’s 'Affirmative Action' or just uses 'Affirmative Action'. At just 35 minutes, it’s an easy listen, but it won’t blow anyone away, and unfortunately doesn't sound mixed and mastered well. Beats: ★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★ Hooks: ★★★ Best Tracks: Ain't Got a Clue, Want It, Thugs Calm Down

The cover art looks like someone surprised him with a photo. This release features three songs and a shout-out track, built on familiar G-funk samples. There’s nothing particularly standout here, and the vocals sound as if they were recorded with low-quality equipment.

This was a decent way for BDK to bow out. It follows from his last couple that are mostly just boom bap This one has decent highs, but too many average songs. Everything is decent or better but some of the decent ones just needed to have something extra for the album to be an overall higher standard. Id say too that this has the least creative experiments. There's nothing like a song with Dolemite, Barry White, bluesy moments etc that his previous albums have. If you like east coast boom bap with a hint of the late 90s sound, you'll get something out of this one. Best Tracks: Uncut Pure, La-La Land, Earth, Wind & Fire 1. Intro 2. Uncut, Pure 90 3. Entaprizin' 84 4. Girl Talk 5. Change the Game Around 60 6. La-La Land 90 7. Ole Tyme Bluez 8. 2 Da Good Timz 66 9. Fish Tandoori 10. Terra N Ya Era 70 11. Hold It Down 70 12. Daddy's Theme 13. Earth, Wind & Fire 80 14. Do U Really Know? 60 15. Shame - Prelude 16. Shame! 66 17. Last Night Episode 67 18. Definitely 64 19. Unda Presha 70 20. Outro 21. Uncut, Pure - Remix 74

This has always been my favourite Big Daddy Kane album. Revisiting it after going through his other albums, I think I slightly overrated it—but only slightly. That said, I’ve also gained a new appreciation for tracks like 'Sex According to the Prince of Darkness', which might be BDK’s best slow jam rap. The instrumentation is fantastic. Dolemite opens the song with his answer to what the definition of sex is: "Baby, sex is just like puttin’ money in the bank. Once you take it out, the interest is all gone." The album is structured in two halves—'Homicide' and 'Suicide'. The first half leans slightly heavier, while the second half kicks off with the aforementioned track, shifting the tone slightly. 'Brooklyn Style...Laid Out' features an excellent beat switch at the end that had a lot of potential—it’s a shame it wasn’t expanded into something more. Scoob Lover/Big Scoob appears on a few tracks, but his high-pitched voice doesn’t quite work. At times, he almost sounds like Eminem in his early days, and I’m not sure why he decided to rap like this. He was a contributor on Kane's earlier albums and he doesn't sound like this. 'Somebody’s Been Sleeping in My Bed' is a fun, bluesy track, adding to the album’s overall playful energy. Like Kane’s previous work, this is straight-up boom bap with sharp lyricism, but this time, it feels like he’s having a bit more fun. Where this album falls short compared to other classics from the era—and arguably Kane’s discography in general—is in its content. The themes don’t go much deeper than battle rhymes and braggadocio. The highlight, though, is 'That’s How I Did ’Em', a fiery diss to bootleggers. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★★ Best Tracks: Brooklyn Style... Laid Out, Lyrical Gymnastics, That's How I Did 'Em, Sex According to the Prince of Darkness, Somebody's Been Sleeping In My Bed --------------------- Old Review: I really like this album and it's my pick from Big Daddy Kane's discography. I feel the mid '90s Golden Age production throughout the whole album (some of which BDK produced himself), and with his brilliant flow BDK rides them well as usual. Lyrically maybe it ain't near the plethora of great '94 material in the genre, but for me as I can't love the early BDK material because I'm not a huge fan of the production, this release gives me a chance to enjoy his brilliant style and skill over beats more to my liking, and that's the kind of people who I'd recommend this to.

"Many people tried to say I fell off/He went r&b, now his rap is all soft/But if you say that on stage, I'll prove you wrong/And wax that ass, rappin off a love song/Cause with the street in all battles I'm still hard" - 'Looks Like a Job For...' After the more polished, pop-leaning previous album failed to make an impact, BDK returned to 'real hip-hop' with this one. It kicks off with the title track, produced by Trackmasters, which stands among his best work. In an interview, BDK admitted that this album didn’t meet his expectations either. Listening to artists like Nas and Method Man at the time, he realised he hadn’t evolved his flow enough. But his delivery here is as sharp as ever, and that’s not a complaint I have—this is rock-solid boom bap from start to finish, with just one R&B-leaning track, 'Very Special,' in the middle, as he often liked to do. Small details elevate certain tracks: the hook on 'Here Comes Kane, Scoob and Scrap' is infectious, adding a darker contrast to the verses, while 'Give It to Me' keeps things fresh with an engaging switch-up about 80 seconds in, incorporating samples and scratching. Though 'Looks Like a Job For...' didn’t achieve the success Kane had hoped for, it stands as a testament to his consistency and skill. Up until this point in his discography, for someone who doesn't generally adore '80s beats, it’s his most cohesive album, delivering solid production and sharp lyricism throughout. As was often the case in ’93, the producers—Kane included—did their thing, crafting a sound that kept the album grounded in classic boom bap. I revisited this album to write the review and I had originally underrated it. Beats: ★★★★ Rapping/Bars: ★★★★ Hooks: ★★★☆ Best Tracks: Looks Like a Job For..., How U Get a Record Deal, Stop Shammin', Here Comes Kane, Scoob and Scrap, 'Nuff Respect (Remix) 1. Looks Like a Job For... 93 2. How U Get a Record Deal 90 3. Chocolate City 74 4. Prelude 5. The Beef Is On 73 6. Stop Shammin' 90 7. Brother Man, Brother Man 64 8. Rest in Peace 74 9. Very Special 60 10. Here Comes Kane, Scoob and Scrap 80 11. Niggaz Never Learn 72 12. Give It to Me 70 13. 'Nuff Respect (Remix) 84 14. Finale