With very few exceptions, these attempts to recreate magic were met with terrible results. The rhymes came off as overused and indistinguishable. Someone took on the hefty task of discovering a group with actual talent and Eazy-E got the credit. I doubt he was the one who found these guys, but regardless, Cold 187um, KMG, Total Kaos, and Go-Mack were all signed to Ruthless Records. All four hailed from Pomona, California and they formed the group Above The Law. Their first album was titled Livin' Like Hustlers, now known as the final decent release from this era of gangsta rap. At only ten track, the albums went with the quality over quantity method, with Dre producing it entirely. I don't know if Andre was actually the mastermind behind the boards, but it was a good selling point and I'm sure your interest immediately increased after reading that. I've learned not to worry too much about it and just take it for what it is.
The fact that I chose to write about this before Straight Outta Compton may indicate that it sold a ton of units, but that's not the case. The ten track length certainly helps (if you've got any short albums you'd like me to review, let me hear it in the comment section. This stunt month is exhausting) but I've chosen it for a couple reason: The Source named Livin' Like Hustlers one of the top 100 albums of all time, the instrumentals are fan-fucking-tastic, and I like the cover. If that's not good enough for you I don't know what is. The west coast deserves to shine and I'm tired of writing about Big Sean and white underground rappers that no ones even heard of.
Three paragraphs seems like enough today...
1. Murder Rap
Before you immediately dismiss the opener, there's a chance you've actually heard it before. Quinton Tarantino fans will instantly remember this from the Kill Bill soundtrack, but the real draw was from it's appearance on GTA; San Andreas. Give it up for the people at Rockstar, those games always have the best music to blare out of your stolen car. There's just something about listening to old school hip hop while being chased by the police for ruthlessly destroying the hospital you just left. Good times. The context of hearing "Murder Rap" may have helped my decision but I made the decision a long time ago that this song is awesome. Judging by the demographic this blog is aimed at, I think we'll share opinions here.
2. Untouchable
Although I doubt it was the feel they were going for, I hear a lot of Gang Starr in the instrumental. Scratch that, Guru and Premier didn't acquire that sound for another half decade, so there would have to be some weird time traveling paradox going on. God knows what these guys are doing nowadays, but I might try to get in touch with one of them. A time traveling machine could definitely do me some good. If we could go far enough, joining the Sugar Hill Gang would be ideal scenario. I'm taking by IPod with me as well. Can you imagine the havoc that would insure if I dropped something like Kendrick Lamar's "Control" verse on "Rapper's Delight". The song was pretty good as well.
3. Livin' Like Hustlers
I really need to get back to talking about the actual music, but my creative genes are going nuts right now. A fun anecdote entertains me, but then again, I don't want to lose all my credibility as a music critic. Anyways, the third track is much calmer than one would expect after hearing the ramblings of eating chicken like a motherfucker. It's smooth as hell, but never loses it's hard cold gangsta appeal. If I lived close to Mississippi or Texas, I could definitely imagine Big K.R.I.T. (I swear he stylized his name just to make my life a little tougher) and Scarface rolling around the block bumping this at ignorant levels. Huh, now that I think about it, that would be one of the best days of my life. The only comparison would be seeing El-P and Killer Mike having a friendly conversation while talking through my neighborhood.
4. Another Execution
While the last track may bump in the whip of Face and K.R.I.T., this beat seems more fit for fans of trap music. In no way am I comparing Above The Law to Waka Flocka Flame or Gucci Mane; I just got that feeling with this song. The hook kind of blows, but this is the first time my focus has been on the lyrics. Turns out these guys had an idea as to what the hell they were doing. The more I think about it, I've just got to find a way to check on the crew. The blogs status could certainly be raised with a guest collaboration with Above The Law.
5. Menace To Society
This album has been pretty damn solid so far, but this might be my favorite track. If catchy rhymes can be captured on this type of album, I don't understand why hip hop regurgitates so much bullshit nowadays. The song kicks off with some of the most intense and hard hitting drums I've ever heard from this era. It's probably better for hip hop that drums don't fully direct the instrumental, but times like these make me second guess myself. Hell, bring in some damn Death Metal drummers behind the kit. These machines sound like they're being played on Teddy Bears.
6. Just Kickin' Lyrics
Cold 187um takes on the task of distinguishing himself from the rest of the crew. Not really a banger, but it's a fun listen for what it is. I just wish the instrumental could have been more complex. Not a huge problem, but I've come to the conclusion that there's no way Dre produced these tracks. He may be flexible, but he's never made beats like these in his life. Sorry, I said I would let all this go. Decent song.
7. Ballin'
An entire song that brags about the group being aligned with Dre, D.O.C. and the rest of N.W.A. Maybe an actual guest appearance would have spiced the song up, but this was edging on catastrophic. It sounds all the more worse after hearing such a stellar effort thus far. Most great albums have that once song that I'm not feeling, but this seems a little over the top. I'll try my hardest to forget this happened.
8. Freedom Of Speech
One of the most impressive feats of a socially aware rapper is when you don't even realize you're being preached to. Maybe a minute or two later you'll think back and be like, "Damn, I have an entirely new perspective on the world". They just sounds so dop eat the time that you could care less as to what they're talking about. No one does this better than Brother Ali, but Cold 187um does a damn good job here. A terrific way to rebound after that last travesty of a song.
9.Flow On (Move Me No Mountain)
Oh man, these beats are just consistently being awesome. It's even smoother than the title track, but it might be even better. I'm not in love with any of the rapping, which because a problem to a certain degree, but this is such an enjoyable listen that I could really care less. I'm not sure how it correlates with the actual song, but that title in the parenthesis is cool as shit. This album would have sold more copies if they used it as the main name.
10. The Last Song (Feat. Dr. Dre, MC Ren, & Eazy-E)
I wasn't around to experience the release of the album, but I can only imagine how anticipated this massive posse cut was. As I just mentioned, a change of voice helps the vibe: it's just an added bonus that these guest are so damn awesome. I don't think the Ice Cube beef had started a this point, but he's nowhere to be found. This could have been the early stages of one of hip hops most high profile battles. Ready for the biggest shock? Our host triumphantly prevail over the cameo appearances, annihilating the men considered their superiors. The song as a whole is alright, but that last sentence justifies it ending the album.
Rating: 3.5/5 (Think of this as more of a 3.9, but as we all know, that's not a thing. Above The Law will have to settle with 3.5)
Livin' Like Hustlers won't change your life, and I doubt it will inspire you to be the next great rapper. For The Source: I'm sorry but this is not in the to 100 albums ever. The song "Ballin'" is awful and single handedly brings the album down at least a half a star. That's all the bad aspects; I just wanted to get that out early. On the positive side, I'm honestly shocked as to how great this has held up. Who produced the album is a mystery to me, but to whoever it was: good fucking job. Instead of a generic early nineties feel, this sounds like it came straight out of an action movie soundtrack. For our purposes, that's a good thing. Most of the rapping is excellent as well, so this album really clicks. I recommend you buy a copy of Livin' Like Hustlers. It's short as hell and I promise you'll gain some points with the neighborhood OG.