Search - Dwellas :: Last Shall Be First

Dwellas represent

polarity | the undaground.. | 08/21/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"the dwellas return from a five year hiatus after the slept on 'realmz n realities.' phantasm and u.g. have definately stepped up on the lyrical scale since that album, coming with a fresh blend of underground culture and street slang which will probably be overlooked once again by both mainstream and backpack circles. the beats are on the whole provided by nick wiz who, apart from a couple of weak efforts like the bezerck 'leakage' and 'on the run' (which was too recently heard on the ditc/oc joint 'champagne thoughts') that are too obviously aimed for the clubs, usually comes through with the goods. phann and ug are at their best ripping over subdued backdrops like 'i'm telling you,' but still blaze on live tracks like 'you've been warned.' one of the best aspects of this record is surprisingly the use of guests. in an age where collaborative efforts mean a guest rapper laying down some lazy accapella, the dwellas really combine with the guest lyricist's. check 'verbal slaughter' featuring a rejuvinated inspektah deck and 'ill collabo' with organized konfusion (over the best rockwilder beat in years.) pharoah monch drops some ill special-effect flavoured raps. heads that used to like that new york style rap era of 94-96 should check this album, one of the best of two thou."

Dwellas....return of the underground

gavin redmond | rep of ireland | 03/26/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The general opinion seems to be that this album is stronger +better than their 1st, i would have to agree. This is a huge step up for them. Where the production let them down before sometimes, i think, they've addressed that and improved on it. Nick Wiz blesses them with some of his finest beats and their lyrics dont let him down. There's no doubt that these 2 mc's are skilled lyricists with good strong deliveries with catchy punchlines+metaphors. They also bounce off each other+compliment each other's style beautifully. But i found the album a little repetitive. Their are 6 stand out cuts ("dwellas", "frontline", "the last shall be 1st", "ready to rock", "leakage" and "ill colabo" w/ organised konfusion) but the rest are either too similar or just very average. Overall its a head nodding album with 6 bangers and 1 or 2 other suprises on it. Nice to have in your collection, particularly for the 6 bangers!!!"

Not Quite Up to Par

Michael T. Hopson | Alexandria, Virginia United States | 10/21/2000

(3 out of 5 stars)

"The Cella Dwellas second LP is a far cry from the classic Realms 'n Reality. They've changed their style somewhat, straying a bit from the spooky yet hilarious beats and lyrics they previously employed. Not that the beats are wack, they just lack definition. Only two tracks really stand out for me. "Stand Up" is just blazin', while "Verbal Slaughter" featuring Inspectah Deck just cranks. All in all this is a good effort, but it isn't spectacular."