Smif N Wessun - Dah Shinin (16 tracks) +Album Reviews

"nuff man a die, nuff man a come try...

supastar | brooklyn | 11/20/2000

(5 out of 5 stars)

"...to test the warrior -I, me na know why, a new breed of conqueror is on the rise, step to my boot camp and catch black eyes from the heltah skeltah, the gun the clappas..." The line from Session at Da Doghille, which features Heltah Skeltah and the gunclappas, sums it up well. These cats can go from storytellin (Hellucination) to straight up anthems like Lets git it On over the best beats the Beatminerz have ever put together. This album is even better than Black Moon's first classic, Enta Da Stage. It has a slower tempo, more weeded out, and I think Steele is the best rapper in the whole BCC. It's not quite as direct punch you in the face type of thing. Sound Bwoy Buriel is a unique classic, slow and meditative and strong and hard, but I also like the version which is on the video with the chatter kid -"Tell them fi come if a trouble them want.." That's not here, nor is the version of Wreckognize with the "Just the Two of Us" sample. The album version of this song is better, though. Furthermore, the album does not get old. It does not sound outdated, it is truly classic. Its definitely a winter album, a cold album, a night album. "Bring ya lighters/ prepare for another alnighter." This album also happened to make a true weedhead out of many a youngster from boston to new york during the winter of 1995. It also came out when dancehall reggae was arguably at its best point in the 90's, when superstars like Buju, Beenie, Spragga, and Bounty were building popularity among people outside of just the WestIndian communities, and this album fueled that growth well, too. It is actually quite rare that reggae and hip hop can combine into something this good, though it seems like such a natural pairing. That New York Jamaican influence in all the BCC, but especially this album, adds flavor to this unique laid back sound. The whole album is great, start to finish, and so I'm saying even in the 2G, its well worth buying."

HIP HOP CLASSIC, ONE OF THE BEST ALBUMS I EVER COPPED

Tino Tek | 07/31/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Yo, Smif-N-Wessun are one of the illest duos right now in hip hop. They are now called the Cocoa Brovaz due to problems with a gun company having the same name but they will always be Smif-N-Wessun to the true hip hop fans. Tek's nasal flow mixes perfetly with Steele's gruff, Buckshot-sounding voice. "Dah Shinin'" is a true hip hop classic, every track on this joint has brilliantly produced beats. Tek and Steele's rhymes aren't as ill as Buckshot's or Heltah Skeltah's, but they surpass the average. The classic "Bucktown" is the illest track, using an ill sax with a cool bassline. But all the songs are ill, BUY IT, A MUST HAVE."

Smif N Wessun SHINES with this album!!

Wayne Maye | Petersburg,VA | 04/16/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What a year 1994 was. The release of CLASSIC material that year was relevant, and this album by Smif N Wessun is relevant too, for all the right reasons. Just like Black Moon before them, this album represents not only Smif N Wessun, but the entire Boot Camp Clik in their primes. Tek and Steele come off smoothly on every track, and the production by The Beatminerz in something amazing. Here's the review:Album Highlights: Every song here KNOCKS!! Absolutely NO filler on this one.Production: Thumbs up, some of The Beatminerz' best work.Lyrics and Subject Matter: Thumbs up.Originality: Thumbs up.The Last Word: This is one AWESOME album, from start to finish. It didn't set me on fire when I first heard it, but after a couple of listens, it grew on me just like Black Moon's first album did. This album, out of many, represents the resurgence of the East Coast sound in hip hop, after hip hop was dominated by the West Coast for a period. Overall, I strongly recommend this album to anyone who wants to purchase this."

Real Heads Wrekonize "Dah Shinin'" (4.5/5)

ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 02/14/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the mid-90s, crews ruled underground hip hop. Posses such as D.I.T.C., Hieroglyphics, Def Squad, Wu-Tang, Dungeon Family, Native Tongues, and the Boot Camp Clik each achieved huge alternative fanbases despite little mainstream airplay. The Boot Camp Clik, a Brooklyn collective including Black Moon, Smif-N-Wessun, Heltah Skeltah, Originoo Gun Clappaz, Representativz, and the Beatminerz established a following beginning with Black Moon's Enta da Stage in 1993. The second out the gate was the duo Tek and Steele, known here as Smif-N-Wessun, with their 1995 offering "Dah Shinin'," which further develops the unique BCC sound.

Like the rest of BCC, Tek and Steele are rugged underground rappers with a distinctly Brooklyn flair. Subtle Jamaican inflections can be detected in their deliveries, and they display chemistry. Their lyrical content isn't exactly revolutionary, and nearly all of their verses speak of gunplay and threats. Their ready-for-war mindstate isn't anything new, but although they aren't great lyricists, their verses tend to be well-written, and they are good performers. The album thrives on its production, handled entirely by BCC's in-house beatsmiths the Beatminerz. In sharp contrast to the rough lyrics, the beats are surprisingly smooth and subdued, using loopy basslines and dusty, distant jazz samples. The product is a blunted experience that takes the listener into the dangerous land of Bucktown, where Tims and hoodies are the standard and neighborhood hangouts have names like the Doghouse. Guest appearances are limited to BCC members, which along with the excellent production gives the album a focused consistency.

"Timz N Hood Chek" opens the album with an introduction to Bucktown, and "Wrektime" introduces Tek & Steele, the fun-loving Brooklyn criminals. Heltah Skeltah guest on the nice "Wontime," followed by the immediately appealing "Wrekonize." A ragga influence can be felt on "Sound Bwoy Bureill," which has a great beat courtesy of DJ Evil Dee and Mr. Walt, with a guest from O.G.C. The good "K.I.M." precedes the first highlight, "Bucktown," a BCC anthem with the album's finest beat. "Stand Strong" and "Shinin...Next S..." are both strong tracks with great style, and the posse cut "Cession at the Doghillee" provides more fun moments. Lyrically the highlight is "Hellucination," a memorable storyteller, and "Home Sweet Home" and "Wipe Ya Mouth" lend more somber hardcore to the tracklist. The album closes with the upbeat "Let's Git It On" and the deep, thoughtful "P.N.C."

For the casual hip hop fan, I wouldn't consider "Dah Shinin'" essential, but for the tuned underground head, "Dah Shinin'" is a delightful, blunted ride the likes of which can't be found in today's hip hop. Tek & Steele have real style, and hip hop from '95 is the best. I invite the listener to give this album multiple spins, because it took a few listens for me to really get into it. "Dah Shinin'" is for fans of the rugged mid-90s East Coast sound the likes of Onyx, Artifacts, Mobb Deep, Wu-Tang, Nine, and D.I.T.C. For those who enjoy this album, I also recommend Heltah Skeltah's Nocturnal. Facing a lawsuit from gunmakers Smith & Wesson, Tek & Steele changed their stagename to Cocoa Brovaz for their follow-up, The Rude Awakening, and continue to be an underground presence as a duo, with the Boot Camp Clik, and as solo artists."

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