New York in the 1980's: Crack cocaine, Reaganomics, The Cold War, The Iran-Contra scandal, U.S. Recession, Wall Street greed and collapse, the explosion of graffiti and break-dancing, the advancement of Hip Hop into the ... more »consciousness of America. The decade was a nefarious era, the city landscaped in political turmoil and economic crisis. But out of this wreckage came the development of what had been dismissed as a fad into a thriving industry called Hip Hop, a creative juggernaut which went on to change the world. Prodigy, Big Twins and Un Pacino were raised in this era. Born in the late 70's, they grew up in a culture steeped in controversy and contradiction. Each walked a path through the rotted streets, by any means necessary. Violence, poverty, drugs and indulgence were part and parcel. This project harkens back to this epoch through the frontline survivors themselves. Likewise, the contributing producers draw exclusively from the records that were garnered in that fundamentally diametric period. Welcome to "Product of the 80's." Prior to his current incarceration, Prodigy made a home at Dirt Class Studios in Brooklyn. Often he arrived alone and left alone. No entourage, no groupies, no crew. This left the emphasis on Prodigy, the man and his words. It became his sanctuary where he could productively write and record without distraction. The duo of Joey and Bravo (better known as Sid Roams) hosted these sessions and provided the bulk of the soundtrack. The chemistry was evident and the result was a copious amount of new material from Prodigy. The result of this effort is uncut and undiluted "Product of the 80's."« less
New York in the 1980's: Crack cocaine, Reaganomics, The Cold War, The Iran-Contra scandal, U.S. Recession, Wall Street greed and collapse, the explosion of graffiti and break-dancing, the advancement of Hip Hop into the consciousness of America. The decade was a nefarious era, the city landscaped in political turmoil and economic crisis. But out of this wreckage came the development of what had been dismissed as a fad into a thriving industry called Hip Hop, a creative juggernaut which went on to change the world. Prodigy, Big Twins and Un Pacino were raised in this era. Born in the late 70's, they grew up in a culture steeped in controversy and contradiction. Each walked a path through the rotted streets, by any means necessary. Violence, poverty, drugs and indulgence were part and parcel. This project harkens back to this epoch through the frontline survivors themselves. Likewise, the contributing producers draw exclusively from the records that were garnered in that fundamentally diametric period. Welcome to "Product of the 80's." Prior to his current incarceration, Prodigy made a home at Dirt Class Studios in Brooklyn. Often he arrived alone and left alone. No entourage, no groupies, no crew. This left the emphasis on Prodigy, the man and his words. It became his sanctuary where he could productively write and record without distraction. The duo of Joey and Bravo (better known as Sid Roams) hosted these sessions and provided the bulk of the soundtrack. The chemistry was evident and the result was a copious amount of new material from Prodigy. The result of this effort is uncut and undiluted "Product of the 80's."
"Prodigy comes back with another album, more of a solo album with a few guests but 2 other s are credited on the album as well. He gets the help of the always impressive, Twin Gambino from the Infamous Mobb (on 5 of the 15 songs), and Un Pacino (on 4 of the 15 songs). Like all Prodigy or Mobb Deep albums, it's dark, gritty, and street oriented. With 15 songs on here, you get 1 classic, 3 ok songs, and 11 good songs, some being real good songs. Guests are on a little over half of the songs, and are mostly the same 2 people. Production is nice as well. Sid Roams handles the majority (12 of the 15 songs), while Jake One does 2 and Sebb does 1 song. A nice album to have for fans of real street hip-hop.
#2 - 8.5
#3 - 8 (f/ Un PacinO)
#4 - 8.5 (f/ Twin Gambino)
#5 - 9 (nice beat)
#6 - 9 (nice beat)
#7 - 8
#8 - 7.5
#9 - 8.5 (f/ un Pacino)
#10 - 10 (CLASSIC -- great beat)
#11 - 8.5 (f/ Un Pacino & Twin Gambino -- good beat)
#12 - 7 (f/ Un Pacino & Twin Gambino)
#13 - 7.5 (f/ Twin Gambino)
#14 - 8.5 (f/ Twin Gambino & Chinky)
#15 - 8
BONUS TRACK after #15 - 8.5 (Hard White f/ Prodigy)
PRODIGY -- Albert Johnson -- b. 11/74 -- b. Hemstead, Long Island, NY moved to QueensBridge, NY
TWIN GAMBINO -- J. Raheem -- b. 1977 -- QueensBridge, NY
UN PACINO -- J. Brayboy"
THE BEST GANGSTA MUSIC BY FAR
Jordan Kumi | Philly | 10/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This is the best gangsta music ever. The best beats ever, and it has the best eastcoast rappers in the game. This is real nigga music. Mobb Deep and Infamous Mobb are the hardest rappers. This CD is so grimy, dark and hardcore it kills everything out right now."
For the fiends...
dunnzoola | BK/NY | 10/24/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Thru and thru a really dope record. P narrates with impeccable style and partners in crime, Twin & Un fill in the blanks with heavy metal support. The rugged beats are the highlight of the project though, delivering that goosebump music on every song. All of the em are bangers in their own right but my favorites
1) "Catch Body Music"- P spits over videogame and 808s in trademark swagger
2) "In The Smash" - already classic, one of the best beats of the last couple years
3) "waddup Gz" - anthemic, some of P's illest verses of all time
4) "Testtube Babies" - insane flow and content over an insane Sid Roams beat
Thank QB that records like this can still be made and are around every once in awhile to remind us what the tradition is about. It aint for everybody, but if you a fiend for that deep NY sound, this is it..."
Infamous Shines...
P@W!ER! | GA | 10/23/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"B+. Hot album. Beats are hit or miss but lyrical skills are ill. P-dolo upped his rhyme game. Big Twins is grimier as usual and Un's lyrical flow is dope. !STAMP IT!"