Illegal - The Untold Truth
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CD Details
Artist: IllegalEdition: Music CD
CD Release Date: 1993-08-24
Music Label: Rowdy Records
Soundtracks:
- Back In The Day
- Illegal Will Rock
- Head Or Gut
- Crumb Snatcher
- We Getz Buzy
- Stick 'em Up
- Understand The Flow
- On Da M.I.C.
- Ban Da Iggidy
- Lights, Camera, Action
- Interlude
- If U Want It
Music reviews of The Untold Truth
Music Review: Little fish in a big sea (2.5/5)
Rating: 2 Stars
Illegal was the creation of hip hop superproducer Dallas Austin, attempting to cash in on the kiddie rap fad in 1993. He took two already established teenage rappers, Jamal "Mally G," a Philadelphia native and affiliate of Erick Sermon and his Def Squad collective, and Lil' Malik, a Long Beach MC and cousin of Snoop Dogg, who appeared on such g-funk classics as Doggystyle and Regulate...G Funk Era to form a duo. This idea sounds great on paper, and could have been executed to perfection. The boys are both very good rappers in their own rights, possessing nice, angry flows and speaking angrily of a world beyond their years. However, most of the time it seems that all Jamal and Malik have in common is their age, which often results in cliched raps. Basically the whole album is spent with threats and posturing in their verses, none too convincing. They do not hesitate to curse and do not allow their vocabulary to be limited by their ages, and they try to position themselves as more hardcore than their teenage peers. They throw shots at other teen acts like Kriss Kross and Da Youngsta's during the album. I find the production to be another problem. With young rappers, often times production makes or breaks the product. Groups like Da Youngsta's were provided with such great production that it overshadowed their young rhyming skills. Given Malik's pedigree, you might expect a little g-funk in the music, but there is absolutely none. Malik is not at home over these beats. There's an impressive producers list, including Dallas Austin, Erick Sermon, Diamond D, Lord Finesse, and Biz Markie, creating a decidedly east coast sound. Most of the time, though, you'll get the feeling these teenagers got these producers' throwaway beats. The beats are all very simple, repetitive, sparse, and often quite boring. Although they're good rappers, Malik and Jamal can't overcompensate for the too simplistic music, especially because they lack any real chemistry. "The Untold Truth" certainly has its moments, and the first few tracks are fine hip hop songs. They show great potential, but I'd much rather hear either MC on their own with production better suited to them. This album could have been a great product but wasn't pulled off too well.
The album begins with the best songs. On "Back in the Day" they reminisce about growing up over probably the nicest beat of the record. The pretty good "Illegal Will Rock" also has decent production with a nice hook, and the funkier single "Head or Gut" is probably the most memorable song. "Crumbsnatcher" is okay but fairly generic, improved slightly by a Diamond D beat and guest verse, and Erick Sermon laces "We Getz Buzy" with one of his standard upbeat, bass-heavy beat. "Stick 'Em Up" is absolutely forgettable, as is "Understand the Flow." "On da M.I.C." brings Lord Finesse to take control of a decent song, but "Ban de Iggity" and "Lights, Camera, Action" are nothing memorable. The album ends with the terrible "If U Want It," which is almost unbearable with a terrible chorus.
If you're expecting a g-funk album, look elsewhere, or if you're expecting something along the lines of Da Youngsta's, again look elsewhere. This is a sub-par album of fairly generic kiddie rap, with boring production and nothing to make it stand out. Most of it isn't terrible, but there's not a single memorable track on the disc. This isn't one I recommend for the collection.
Description of The Untold Truth
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