Good meld of reggae, dancehall, hip-hop
Patrick G. Varine | Georgetown, Delaware | 06/01/2001
(3 out of 5 stars)
"This has the potential to be a great record, if just a few tracks were eliminated. Rodney Price, a.k.a. Bounty Killer, has fused reggae, dancehall and hip-hop pretty well, sprinkling his tracks with guest vocals from some of hip-hop's better artists AND some of reggae's classic wailers.On "Change Like the Weather," Erick Sermon provides the backdrop for Bounty and the Rasta dragon, Busta Rhymes, to spit over. "Living Dangerously" features Barrington Levy on a dance-happy call-and-response track. The grim "War Face (Ask Fi War)," features Price and Wu-Tang's Raekwon dripping venom all over one of RZA's better tracks. Also, Jeru the Damaja guests on "Suicide or Murder," which borrows both Blahzay Blahzay's "Danger" and Raekwon's "Ice Cream" for its bars.But the tracks Bounty does alone are also good. "Mama" pleads with staccato horns and a plodding beat, and "Gun Down" shakes and bakes with a classic dancehall rhythm. "Benz & the Bimma" and the title track are also worthy dancehall excursions, pounding away as Mr. Price showcases his baritone rudebwoy vocabulary.The only problem with this record is too many tracks and not enough ideas. "Hip-Hopera," with the Fugees, stumbles over a bland orchestra beat and Bounty Killer using a falsetto that is downright frightening. "War Beyond the Stars" is a disaster, with the vocals falling out of sync with the right part of the beat, and other songs just seem to run together. Had some of the filler been eliminated the the track number been cut to something like 11 or 12 tracks, this would be a four-to-five star album. If you are into dancehall or reggae/hip-hop acts, this is still well worth your money.s"
A must for all "Ghetto Politicians".
ikativu | USA | 06/22/2000
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is a must for all ghetto politicians out there from the self proclaimed ghetto politician himself.The album also shows Bounty Killer holding his own under hip hop with the Fugees,Busta Rhymmes,Jeru Tha Damaja and Raekwon.It has got a little this and that for everyone."