"Hip Hop Junkies"

So, last night I was on my way to my weekly late night Wal-Mart visit. I like to go at night in order to attempt avoiding the crowds. You would think with 24 lanes to use, I would have more options than 3 lanes with about 5-6 people in front of me doing some serious shopping. All of that information is probably jibberish to you but ,I was sidetracked momentarily with the thought of destination, not the journey. The journey to my destination was the enjoyable part of the evening.

I couldn't take another fraction of a second listening to the radio playing the same songs that I'd heard earlier in the day as I ran errands. I'd decided before I left the house that I'd spare my self the anguish of being subjected to completely unnecessary repetition and go to the vault and pull out something that hasn't gotten any action in a while. My high school days of drinking 40oz Colt 45's and making underground tapes in my homeboys basement with the my 12 man, sometimes rowdy neighborhood crew must have guided my hand to Nice and Smooth's "Ain't a Damn Thing Changed".

There were crews and MC's from Harlem before these cats, but these dudes had swagger for weeks. People talk about the lyrics back then as if Socrates had grabbed the mic and put it down. Not exactly true. Through the years styles and lyrical content always evolved. As I see it, Greg Nice and Smooth B were a part of a transitional period as far as lyrical content. With some hints of the previous generations knick knack rhymes, they brought some wordplay and style the Harlem always brings to the table. When you think of Harlem you got Doug E. Fresh, Big L, Ill an Al Scratch, Diddy, Mase, Jim Jones; basically cats known for a certain amount of swagger. Nice and Smooth were right in line with the tradition. Smooth B was like the laid back dude with the slick flow as if he may have partaked in too many herbal sessions to raise his voice or care about any nonsense in the area. In "Hip Hop Junkies" he lets us know that he dresses warm so that he won't catch pneu-mo-nia; he's and diamond not a cubic zir-co-nia. Maybe not much on paper, but the easy going, pimp like voice and the pronunciation of every syllable to make the rhyme scheme tight made him a master craftsman of the flow. Greg Nice, also extrmely detailed with the pronunciation placed emphasis on expression. Greg Nice had the CRAZIEST echo since DMC. Not to be compared to one of the kings, because it was on a different plane. Greg Nice had energy to be passed around the room twice without being a cornball. "I knew a fat girl who broke the sca-le, you won't ta-le, I won't ta-le, clientele I must exce-l" is what he emphasizes on the on the track. They even broke out a Partridge Family sample to ride over the drums. I knew there was something familiar about the song when I first heard it on Rap City. I remember a night when I was watching Nick at Night or something when I should have been asleep for school the next morning and The Partridge Family came on. I bugged out like "these cats are nuts. Who does that?"

Of the two, alot of the time Greg Nice my favorite on the track except for on "Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" and "Dwyck" with Gangstarr. Smoth B laid down a story of a lady friend with a "skiing" issue. You know the story, she spends the money wrecklessly, he gets her help and the problem continues. A story that may go on until the end of time. I've had the CD case for a while and just realized last year the Greg Nice produced most of the album. DJ Premier and Guru make appearances as well. You can propbably check them out on You Tube or just get it on I Tunes. Get it, sit back and enjoy. Once again, feel free to comment and spread the word.

Marcus Obrien