The "Gangsta Bitch" rapper. It's littered with guest spots/producers and likely that the artist himself knew this was a one-shot deal, since most tracks follow the same beat/chant-and-response template. But it's retro fun to spin a few times, especially if you have a familiarity with hip hop.
I have to admit, I'm really torn on these guys. In their favor, they put together really entertaining themes and Pete Nice was one of my favorite rappers, bar none, but his counterpart MC Serch was overbearing quite often. The duo made for an uneasy alliance, but the tension made the group interesting. That's the charm and turn-off of their debut record. When these guys just stick to good raps and beats they hit their niche as naturally as the best rappers, but they get bogged down in all these dumb skits and related commentary which do nothing but lengthen the record unnecessarily. Everyone remembers "The Gas Face", the inside jokey diss track based on a very infamous piano sample, but the trio's tour de force (for me) has to be "Steppin' to the A.M.", which is about as big as a beat you can get for hip hop in 1989. There's just too much to weed through to call this a classic, but you have to admit they make an impression.
A big rambling jungle of low-budget samples, skits, cut-ups, and typical boasts from Schoolly which lands in a strange void next to more-known records of the time like Paul's Boutique and Fear of a Black Planet. It's definitely an improvement over his earlier works but they left a bitter aftertaste, effects of which can still be heard on this effort. Compared to many other acts of the era, Schoolly comes off like a rank amateur, but then again, that's a big part of the charm of this record, too.
This really slipped under the radar and no wonder, considering the crazy environment it came out in. It's also terribly long - over 74 minutes! Listening to it feels like hearing 6 albums in one! Sure, it didn't need to be that goddamn long. But there are quite a few tracks here which are catchy (especially the DJ Pooh cuts) and overall, it feels like you're listening to one endless mix of Snoop rapping over different beats in different ways. In a sense, more fun than the flimsy concept of the debut record. Give it a chance if you see it cheap somewhere.
