Chapter 1 - Testing the waters White Label Music Type: Hip Hop Artist Origin: Southern California Well, it's been quite a while since we heard from these Labcabincalifornians. Their last album dropped in 1995, and was highly underappreciated. But then again, Bizarre Ride II The Pharcyde was so damn good, a sophomore effort was bound to be just that, underappreciated and over-estimated. Don't get me wrong, it was hella good, but the freshman debut was nearly classic. Besides an import EP/maxi-single and a couple of appearances on compilations and whatnot, they've been virtually absent from the scene it seems. After the loss of Fat Lip to his venture for other opportunities, they've come back with this 6-track EP; I actually grabbed it at their show last week, and as far as I know you can't get it anywhere else. Let's rock and roll... I'm guessing the first track is called "Pain", although I could be wrong, seeing as how there's no tracknames on this at all. Production is tight as usual, and I like their flows, always on point. It's a good track, seems like Imani pretty much takes this one over, although I like Tré's verse the best. The next track we'll call "Represent It", I still have no clue. I don't really like this joint, it's too monotonous and feels like it really doesn't have a whole lot of life. It's mostly the production that is lacking i think. By track 3, I'm feeling lazy. This is because I'm not hearing the hyped up isht that I like coming from these guys. I'll call it "Same Sh*t, Differnent Day", a drop about women trippin'. It's not as if it sucks, just a little slow, and I tend to like the more up-tempo kind of gear, especially from The Pharcyde. Track 4 rolls around, sounds good so far, it's a bit more upbeat, and the production contains a finished quality that the last two songs didn't possess. "Uphill" is what I figure I'll name it. For some reason it seems to be missing something, but I'm not sure exactly what it is. The fifth track is just an intro with Tré's cousin or some isht. On the last track, I'm taking in the sonic feel of another more laid-back song. Not that there's anything wrong with slower raps, but I simply like them better when they're off-the-wall. "Least Expect It" is the title I'll fasten to it. I love the production on here, it's good to go with that guitar gettin' off. To be honest, this disc is actually pretty damn good. I'm just not feelin' the slower tempo of these five songs though, I like the type of isht from Bizarre Ride... I feel that something's lacking, I don't know whether it's Fat Lip or not. I liked when they performed these at the show, but they were a lot more hyper then. It's worth checking out, and worth buying even if you're not a collector. If you only get off when they go nutsy though, wait on their next business to come out, 'cause you'll be loungin' with a joint to this; it's a good CD to listen to if your girl dissed you (unless you're thinkin' about offing her) - more of the mellow, laid- back music you want to hear when you're depressed. But check it out nonetheless, it's good to hear these guys again, and we'll see how they come out after the loss of 25% of the original group.
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