Monday’s Mood: Johnny P – The Next (1998)

Some artists never achieve the success they really deserve. Chicago crooner Johnny P is among them. Remembered by most for his extra terrestrial hook-work on songs such as Do Or Die’s Po‘ Pimp or Scarface’s Smile, featuring the late 2Pac, he is most unknown for his solo-works, which is more than tragic, since it’s, well – awesome!

His sophomore-release (we’ll come to his debut sometime later) is his magnum opus. The Next features slow jams as the contagious Bed Time Story, sporting Jodeci-esque swag and vocal timbre somewhere in between Michael Jackson and fellow Chicagoan R. Kelly or Don’t Deserve It, a self depicting song, full of shame and realization, assisted by Do Or Die-chopper A.K..

But there’s even more than your average compilation of baby making music. There’s hella funk, too!

Munchies For Ya makes you wanna get freaky with, well – basically every girl next to you (better never bump that one next to your wife AND some unknown females). Deep bass groves, hard snare drums and sparse melody let Johnny’s voice take over and the rhythm hit’em – with force!
Talking about force – it’s all over the release, with features by Do Or Die, Scarface and Low Ride, vicious double time flows and smooth player antics are guaranteed. The Next came in a period, when Rap-A-Lot was making a big transition from their classic days with artists like Geto Boys, Seagram, Big Mello, Too Much Trouble and Ganksta NIP, to the shiny era with a more No Limit Records-approach. This is what the album probably suffered from – a lack of promotion and a somewhat unclear identity. RAL had never released an R&B-album before and the mistakes were obvious.

While being hell of a cool song, Take It Like A Playa, featuring sinister Dirty South-beats and explicit raps in corporation with a Mob Style-video, might not’ve been the best way to break a sensitive R&B-vocalist like Johnny P.
That’s where it all goes wrong: the album’s quality is unquestionable. P’s trademark adlibs and superb singing, the state of the art-production and overall-aesthetic – it’s top knotch. But you’re not gonna create a classic record without letting everybody know you DID.

That’s why The Next stays a gem among those that deeply love R&B and/or the Rap-A-Lot-catalogue. Either way – it’s a pick well worth owning and just what one of the album’s song states: Not 4 The Radio!

Throwback Thursday: Bone Thugs-N-Harmony – Creepin On Ah Come Up

When Biggie’s Ready To Die was the best debut-album in rap-history, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony’s Creepin‘ On Ah Come Up easily is the best debut EP to ever have been released by a rap crew, period! Yeah, there was Faces Of Death, but it wasn’t until this extended play, dropping on Eazy-E‘s Ruthless Records in 1994, that the world was introduced to the unique and contagious style of the four (originally five, but Flesh-N-Bone’s run-ins with the law made this a quartet most of the time) Clevelandians, which was somewhat of a mixture of gospel-singing, ragga-toasting and hardcore Midwest-Tongue-Twistin‘ Rap.

The dispute over who invented the style and a legendary beef between those Thugs and Psychodrama/Twista/Speedknot Mobstaz/Do Or Die from Chicago and Three 6 Mafia/etc from Memphis will never be forgotten. But more than that, the seminal, genre-changing sound of those 8 tracks will always be remembered!

Two interludes perceed the first song, creating a diabolic, voodoo-istic and extremely mystic vibe, that leads into the legendary quote of Baptist pastor Calvin O. Butts. And when he claims „We’re not against rap. We’re not against rappers…but we ARE against those THUGS„, all Hell breaks loose. Thuggish Ruggish Bone is that classic Mid-90’s G-Funk, with whiny synthesizers, deep bass grooves and a hook sung by Shatasha Williams, that will forever stick to one’s memory.

The song introduces Bone the best way possible: kickin‘ rhymes about inner city life, drugs, violence, ghetto youth without perspective and the typical „I have no opportunities, so I’ma use them„-attitude (a.k.a. I don’t give a fuck).

And that’s only the beginning of all this mayhem. No Surrender might be the most ruthless (ha – get the hint?!) „Fuck The Police“-songs, past N.W.A. Electro pianos, creepy synths, strings and the unforgettable „…’cause I’m killin‘ all you bitches, turn them blue suits red„-line by Wish Bone. Put it in your car-stereo and find yourself parolin‘ for the 5-0…for no reason, just feelin‘ what the Bone Thugs are choppin‘ up!

The title track is especially interesting. Somebody remember The New Power Generation’s „Hallucination Rain„? Those two make a PERFECT two piece. Bump ‚em back-to-back – it will take you into a psychotic daze. Distorted synths, creepy sounds and eery lyrics all over the place…

But there’s even more to it. Forget about the excellent „Foe Tha Love of $“ sportin‘ one of Eazy-E‘s most remarkable feature-parts, forget about all the skulls and Ouija-aesthetics, forget all the single elements and focus on the picture as a whole. Focus on what Bone Thugs-N-Harmony did to the rap-game with only 5 proper tracks. They changed the face of rap forever. Just like Dr. Dre did when he introduced the whole world to G-Funk in 1992. Rapping never was the same. Kickin‘ flows, incorporating singing into rap-technique and experimenting with all kind of different styles became normal.

If it wouldn’t have been for Wish Bone, Lazy Bone, Krayzie Bone, Flesh-N-Bone and Bizzy Bone, it might’ve never come that far. Even today’s Top MCs like A$AP Rocky, SpaceGhostPurrp and Kendrick Lamar drop raps, heavily influenced by the style, Bone Thugs-N-Harmony made famous.

Legendary. Period.

The Hell is wrong with Chief Keef?!

Alright, I’m not gonna front – I love gangster rap. Always have, always will. I’ve also been in love with the Chi-Town-Murder-Rap-scene for the past 20 years. All this Kill-Or-Be-Killed-stuff by artists like Psychodrama, Do Or Die, B-Def, Snypaz and who-not… It’s always been bout killing, shooting up, drug trafficking, pimping. But what Chief Keef just did is on a whole ’nother page.
Fellow Chi Town-MC Lil JoJo got shot and Keef took to Twitter, to go off on him, post-mortem.

I don’t get this. I mean – he might be your rival. He might be your call-it-what-U-wanna, but he WAS somebody’s son, somebody’s brother. He meant something to somebody. How the Hell can one just make fun of the passing of a peer, like that?! I was really feeling Keef, even though he was talking tons of trash. But THIS is a line not to be crossed.

I’m not gonna lie: I never felt Lupe Fiasco. Not even liked him. But he was so right, when he said, he was afraid of the culture Keef promoted. This is proof for it. And I really don’t think an „artist“ like that should be backed by ANY label. Major or indie.

Call me hypocrit, call this post pussy…call it whatever you want to. But clowning the death of somebody in this ways isn’t gangster. It’s not real. It’s plain stupid.