Search - Da Youngsta's :: Somethin 4 Da Youngsta's

Hardcore East Coast Flavour

The Grimy East | Brooklyn, NY USA | 04/26/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The precocious Philadelphia trio consisting of Tajj, Tarik, and Qu'ran may have been the most talented teen rappers ever to grace a hip-hop stage.



If you like Lords Of The Underground, Marley Marl beats, Nas, Intelligent Hoodlum A.K.A. Tragedy, Illegal then you must check this out. Rough, rugged, raw, grimy, hardcore, funky hip hop flavour from the East Coast.



The Aftermath (1993) and No Mercy (1994) are underrated classics too."

Likable kiddie rap

ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 04/09/2007

(3 out of 5 stars)

"When they were still very young teens, the Philadelphia trio of Tajj, Quran, and Tarik released their debut album in 1992, "Somethin 4 Da Youngsta's." While they would go on to be some of hip hop's greatest teen rappers ever, on this album they take a much simpler, happier approach, not too unsimilar to Kriss Kross. On their best albums, like The Aftermath and No Mercy, they had evolved into hardened, lyrical rappers, drawing comparisons to Onyx and Lords of the Underground, and their final album I'll Make U Famous was very similar to Mobb Deep's The Infamous. "Somethin 4 da Youngsta's" doesn't really resemble their other three albums, except for the fact that like on all of them, the production is often spectacular. Each beat is very catchy, meeting the bar of 1992 production with funky basslines, hard beats and jazzy sampling. A lot of the sampling on this album I've heard before on other hip hop songs from the same time period, but the production overall is very good. As MCs, the boys didn't yet really have their own identity, because they really were just kids. They have pre-pubescent voices, and sometimes they do fall into the clichéd kiddie-rap subjects, like cartoons, school, and bullying, but on the party tracks and the less mainstream-aimed, grittier ones, they display a nice charisma and talent. I wouldn't consider this a must-have like their later albums, and even fans of their other work might not be able to get into this as easily. But I certainly recommend this to fans of the early-90s east coast sound.



The album begins with the excellent title track, which is a fine work of hip hop. Over an incredibly catchy beat, there are three good rap verses, my favorite being the second about the high prices of sneakers. The hook is great and this is just a fun rap song. "Street Smarts" is a nice cut, the flows and horn-heavy beat are nice. The upbeat and frenetic "Rated PG" follows, with a loose freestyle feel, as does "Cartoons," which is just short of ridiculous. Using an oversampled loop, the boys rap about their fondness of animated television...not their finest track. "Tough Cookie" is sort of a rehash of "Street Smart," but once again has a nice beat, and "Y-Ya-Tryin' to Play Me" is a likable tale of squandered teenage love, with nice production and polish. "I Didn't Mean to Break Your Heart" turned out to be one of my favorite songs here, although it's completely unlike everything else; it's actually a very good imitation of a New Edition-style song. Using melodic flows (think Bobby Brown rapping or LL Cool J circa "I Need Love,") Tajj, Tarik, and Quran make a soulful and emotional love song that works really well, I like it a lot. The very catchy "Reminiss" is next, where they look back at their young happy childhoods over an excellent musical backing. "Neighborhood Bully" is a little silly, all about a mean kid in the schoolyard, probably skip material for most. "Pass Da Mic" is excellent, however, lyrically the most impressive song. My absolute favorite track, however, is the last, the remix to the title track. This beat is absolutely spectacular, I could seriously listen to it all day, it's so incredibly funky and catchy, with an awesome bassline and funky instrumentals.



Like all of the group's albums, this is now out of print and increasingly hard to find, and I am disappointed that this group is relegated to fade into history forgotten. While far from their best work, you can see the potential of the young teenage rappers as they make fun, light, and very catchy hip hop songs on "Somethin 4 Da Youngsta's." If you come across it, I recommend early-90s hip hop fans pick it up, it's a nice one for the collection."