|
I also forgot one of my faves: Tupac's Strictly 4 My Niggaz.
It's from the time when loads of rappers were copying Public Enemy: Ice T (on Original Gangster, which is excellent) and Ice Cube were using Bomb Squad-like producers and writing aggressively pro-Black and nihilistic lyrics.
Strictly 4 My Niggaz is Tupac's contribution to this time, with the only light relief being Keep Your Head Up (everyone of his albums has a token 'from the heart' track - this one is actually good).
It's in an awkward position because Tupac's fans, who prefer his Death Row bullshit, won't like the abrasive, murky, sometimes-bordering-on-industrial production (one of the songs is sampled by NIN on their cover of Metal); while the hiphop fans who would appreciate it (Public Enemy fans) probably won't listen to it because they've dismissed everything Tupac's done on the basis of his Death Row bullshit.
It's an angry, uncompromising, noise-hop album, and well worth a download.
|