Black Moon is a group from the Boot Camp Clik consisting of three members: lead member and rapper Buckshot, DJ/producer DJ Evil Dee, and 5 ft., who was the obvious secondary rapper considering he only appeared three times. They signed with Nervous Records in 1993 and released "Enta da Stage". If you're a fan of east coast rap then I'm just going to tell you now to buy the album. This album epitomizes early '90s east coast rap. It's bursting at the seems with grimy beats, hardcore rhymes, and complex boasts.
One of the things that really separated this from any other low key rap album is its tremendous production. The grimy is sounds top notch and you can tell the grimyness is intentional. DJ Evil Dee prodives some of the best drum lines I've ever heard on a hip-hop track. The album only last for 13 tracks so there's not much filler which really helps "Enta da Stage" (my autocorrect is just assaulting me right now)
Many so called "classics" don't hold up to there insane hype, so how will Black Moon sound 20 years after its original release?
1. Powaful Impak!
As my battle against spell check continues, the opening track begins. Sweet Jesus this sounds great. The combination of the deafening drums, buckshot's violent rhymes and the Busta Rhymes sample from "Senario" make this incredible. Some of these lyrics are just hilarious while being intimidating at the same time. I can't stress enough on how awesome the drums sound on this. Terrific way to start the album.
2. N***z Talk Shit
Nothing groundbreaking here but still nice. DJ Evil Dee continues to shine will another grimy instrumental, while buckshot rips the shit in half. Honestly though, this is more of a transitional track that flows into the next track.
3. Who Got the Props?
This was the first single from the album that gained then some kind of recognition. Everyone here sounds great while still appealing to a slightly mainstream audience. Seriously, how awesome would it be having this type of rap on the radio. On another note, I swear buckshot sounds like a completely different person.
4. Ack Like U Want It
I'm mean seriously could we just spell out the names of the song. On the song, buckshot brings his A game and 5 ft. makes his first his first appearence which is ultimately a forgettable verse. Same comment about 5 ft.'s verse applies to the song; its pretty damn boring. DJ Evil Dee makes his first mistake with this song. It's a very simple and forgettable beat.
5. Buck Em Down
The group couldn't have responded better. This song sounds absolutely GREAT. My personal favorite instrumental of the album; buckshot makes the beat his bitch and makes it go get him a sandwich while he's at it. Go to youtube and listen to this right now. Seriously, the review won't go anywhere.
6. Black Smif-N-Wessun (Feat. Tek & Steel)
Black Moon introduces the eventual group "Smif-N-Wessun". (We will eventually get to them because I've heard their debut is excellent) The song itself isn't bad but its not great. Most of the focus is on the features, which kind of takes away some of the flow of the album. As I said earlier, the drums absolutely rock.
7. Son Get Wrec
Here we get the only solo effort from 5ft. Not a great song but certainly not bad and ultimately gets lost in the cluster of the album. Hell, the only thing I even remember about this track is the fact that is a 5ft. solo effort. He sounds good enough, but its not hard to tell why Buckshot is the lead man.
8. Make Munne
Generic gansta east coast rap title aside, this was a pretty good track. Everyone clicks nicely here and results in a quality, but not stand out song. I know I'm not the only one that hates this annoying sample though.
9. Slave
Black Moon was really caught slipping on this one, just look at the title. For the first time on the entire album, the song is spelled correctly. Now that's out of the way, this is a relatively short song that Buckshot makes the most out of. I've heard that this song was actually left off some of the earlier copies of the cd. If you fall under this category, don't run out and get a whole new cd, but do download this one. It's worthy of your time.
10. I Got Cha Opin
They released this one as the second single and it sounds great. I actually prefer it to its more popular first single. This is so early '90s hip-hop its incredible. It almost embodies the way east coast rap sounded and what current artists should attempt to replicate. Instead we're stuck with Trinidad James, but that's another complaint for another review
11. Shit Iz Real
I'm just going to say now: this is the peak of the albums greatness. Nothing on here doesn't sound great. It starts with a subtle horn before Buckshot unleashes his most intense and deep lyrics of the album. If you only listen to one song off here, this is the one.
12. Enta Da Stage
I'm normally not a fan of most title tracks of an album. The last statement partially applies to this song. Buckshot's lyrics are a bit of a drop off from the previous track, but that's to be expected. DJ Evil Dee on the other hand, really shines here, producing one of the best instrumentals of the album. This is just one of those songs that sounds good while you're listening to but you won't remember when it's over.
13. How Many MCS...
Not particularly great, but still a fun listen. Black Moon shows their ability boast and battle rap over a beat. That's all I got for this one, go give it a listen.
14. U Da Man (Feat. Tek, Steel, Dru Ha, & Havoc of Mobb Deep)
The album comes to a close with this posse it. Smif-n-Wessun make another appearance along with Mobb Deep's Hovoc. The song sounds very good and leaves little to be desired. Great way to end the album.
Rating: 4.5/5
You can make a very solid agreement for this being either an 4 or 5 star album, so I'll just meet in the middle and give it 4.5. Either way its a great albums that deserves to be recognized as a big part of early '90s rap. If you're out and see this one at your local cd store go ahead and throw a few bucks to Black Moon. I'm sure they'd appreciate it.