Beatnuts
founding
members Psycho Les and Al Tariq, along with Missinâ Linx
member Problemz must enjoy each otherâs company. Itâs been almost
15 years since Intoxicated Demons was released and almost a decade since
the three have worked under the same banner. Still, they comprise Big
City and theyâre embarking on something of a reunion tour.Â
Thing is â is anyone
listening?
The City Never Sleeps (Nature Sounds), is Big Cityâs first album together. If
you already like the âNuts, you may be happy with this latest offering.
Then again, it may just make you sad. If youâre not a fan, maybe you should
check out Intoxicated Demons or Street Level first. Donât
get me wrong; the Beatnutsâ old swagger is still there. Lesâ
production skills are there, in theory. But itâs clear thereâs some old
dust they need to shake off, cause it is basically a shell of their former
sound.
AD LOADING...
The album has a couple of
redeeming joints, though. âStickem
Upâ is an energetic track featuring an equally strong hook from the
always reliable Greg Nice. In âD.J. Famalam,â Problemzâ lyrics catch fire in what is one
of the nicest verses Iâve heard in a minute;Â âAct like you know the
name/Caught a flat on the road to fame/Now back hitting switches/Made a detour
to get some digits/On the road to the riches.â Â One of the albumâs
high points, this track is in stark contrast to the next song, âMilf,â which is aboutâŠwell, you
know. âYou know I canât wife ya/but I really like ya/and I want to pipe
yaâ. (âNuff said.)
Big horns and cowbells give âCheddaâ a bouncy feel, making it a
fairly decent club track. But there are a few missteps on this
album. On âBoyâ and âRunning Around,â Les uses two
flute loops that, instead of giving the songs momentum, make them sound
stagnant. âLick Ballsâ
features a Houston-influenced, screwed-up beat. (Why they bothered with
this, I have no idea.)Â
Junkyard JuJu was an integral part of the
groupâs original sound. Sorry, folks, but to leave him off The City
Never Sleeps should make you wonder what Big City wants to accomplish â other than releasing mediocre Hip Hop
albums.Â
AD LOADING...
Personally, I would have
released The City Never Sleeps EP, cutting the tracklist in half, saving
everyone half of their money â or half of their download time. Part of me
likes this album, donât get me wrong. Maybe I like the fact that the
original âNuts are still at it, nice to have Les and Fashion
rocking together again.
You may like the album after
giving it a few listens. But after a good dozen or so spins, donât be
surprised if you find yourself reaching for the âEjectâ button.