from the LP Enta Da Stage, Nervous Records, 1993A whole grip of people I’ve met in life have constructed this thick barrier which prevents them from enjoying hip-hop, breaks, house, etc…and I mourn for their loss. If, however, you like the way funky beats make you feel, well, right this way. “Original crooks, original heads,” hailing from Brooklyn, the threesome that made up Black Moon are still fairly underrated; not criminally so, as plenty has been written about the importance of this album in the pantheon of hip-hop albums. That being said, they deserve more general acclaim than they have received. At any rate, hip-hop was going through several image shifts at this time, and true to the general “hardening” theme, most of the album consists of tough beats and loud, many-thugs-deep choruses. There are a couple songs which mellow things out, and this track is flawless. Da Beatminerz and DJ Evil Dee lace one of my favorite dubs ever: strings, muted horn, simple drum break, jazz guitar licks, all bubbling together like water inside a bong. Buckshot dispenses with his rhymes in a smooth foggy monotone, with occasional jumps in pitch that keep a smile on your face. As laid-back as it all seems, you can tell these dudes aren’t soft at all; plenty of braggadocio and standard east-coast grit. Basically, they nail a balance here, between the beats, production, and rapping, which congeals into one of the hottest hip-hop tracks of old. They even toss in a little lesson in rolling: “roll your finger back up on the lighter…roll from left to right, then front to back…” What else can you ask for?!
