The Queens Duo consisting of Psycho Les and JuJu (Lester Fernandez and Jerry Tineo) have been around for longer than most people think. It’s been 10 years! (for those who have never heard of them before…. bear with me). 10 years! Four albums prior to this one: “Intoxicated Demons” (’93), “Street Level” (’94), “Stone Crazy” (’97) and “A Musical Massacre” (’99). None even reached gold status. This doesn’t mean shit though, these people gave Big Pun his debut on the classic “Off the Books” (then known as “The Punisher”). Heard of him? The Beatnuts are also responsible for the great “Watch out Now” : you must have heard it, there’s no escaping it.
Ever since I head “Watch out Now” and the last album (of which it is a single from) “A Musical Massacre” I could hardly wait the estimated 2 years for this album to drop. I was so excited because the Beatnuts are so creative with their jointsl using strange samples for theire beats. Could they recreate such a medley of mad flavours and styles and put it all on another LP?
1993 – It all started here, “Intoxicated Demons” was The Beatnuts first album.
To put the answer to you shot, YES! From track one, this intro, I could tell that they had done that old Beatnut shit. Funky, nice, melodic tunes you ain’t never heard before over sweet beats. Too nice perhaps? Fuck Naw!!! Now after Big Psych and Ju bust their “Nuts Shit” all over the tracks, east to chill to yet strangely hardcore….
As if they needed help, Tony Toca features on the 3rd joint to help with beats and to bust a rhyme over them. This is a freaky tune and it works a treat; espcially if you are about to relax and blaze it up! The next joint features the one and only…. Marly Metal!! No, not Marl, “M.E.T.A.L.”. Oh well, I still listened to it and it was a nice track. It had a weird singing loop of some sort for the main tune and with a beat and some mild bass, this was NICE. Ain’t nuthin but it.
1999 – “A Musical Massacre” may not have hit it big, but it sure was a tight album.
Being the Beatnuts, not all tunes are relaxed. As “Yo, Yo, Yo” the descriptively titled party tune featuring nostalgic Greg Nice and a loop sounding like a happy child on his piano, will prove. Along with the confusingly money orientated “Let’s Git Doe” featuring the noisiest bastard in the hip hop game “Fatman Scoop” appealing to the masses (most likely to be their 2nd release of the album). The imperial party tune “No escaping this” is the only single from the album to be released so far and this is and will be RIPPING IT DOWN for a very long time to come (if you don’t buy the album, buy this single – forget the B-side – you will be transformed). Damn hot.
In conclusion, the whole album is WOW, including the intro but excluding the terrible “It’s Da Nuts” (terrible for the Beatnuts – a fair effort from a lot of other artists). The production is sound throughout, secons only to DJ Premier in my opinion, giving the listener beats that could sell millions as an instrumental alone. The lyrical content is hardly thought provoking at the best of times (as with so much Hip Hop now) but it is still tightl Psych and Ju will bring a smile to your amazed faces with their occasional funny verse! So in total, it is a phat album that is unlikely to be fully recognised for what it is; go out and buy “It’s a Musical Massacre” and then if you have any left over scrilla, why not buy this? Crazy shit!!
2001 – The Beatnuts hit back with an album full of tight tracks and funky beats.
Track Listing:
1. Intro
2. It’s Da Nuts
3. Prendelo (Light It Up)
4. Contact
5. Yo Yo Yo
6. If It Ain’t Gangsta
7. No Escapin’ This
8. Who’s comin Wit Da S*** Na
9. Let’s Git Doe
10. Hood Thang
11. Hammer Time
12. U Don’t Want It
13. Mayonnaise
14. Se Acabo Remix
Reviewed By Hip Hop Network for HipHopHotSpot.Com
