1. On the Air
The beat is heavily jazz influenced, and has the soft drums and bass, along with a static sound to add to the radio theme of the song. This beat is perfectly complimented by the soft spoken style of the mcs on this track. The first rapper sounds especially good because his voice is more smooth and melodic. This track is just a tale of the guys trying to standout and make it with a different style. I am sure it is relatable for any artist trying to do just this.
2. Keep It On
This song comes with louder drums, but both mcs are flat out louder. The smooth jazz is still heavily heard in the beat, though. The flow and lyrics are very good and are much more intelligent than many of the other rappers in the west at this time were capable of. The lack of violence and crime in the lyrics probably hurt them more than helped in the long run, but it still made for a great listen.
3. Bus Stops
Apparently the fly girls take the bus where The Nonce lives, may not be the case now, but regardless this track is very fun. It's smooth and easy to listen to, and is much more relatable than most tracks about girls. It is about the group trying to get girls, while rich rappers usually just talk about honeys flocking to them, so this is really fun to listen to.
4. The West Is...
At first listen this track was my favorite on the album. After about ten listens nothing has changed. The lyrics and flow are just crazy. I can't even pick an example out of the verses that would properly illustrate how sick the lyrics are. The first rapper is the best in my opinion, but the female on the second verse is nearly just as sick. They both just kill the track, not to take away from the third mc. This is a song that I think all people should listen to, because it is just incredible.
5. Mix Tapes
The bass on this track is really dope if you have good speakers or headphones. The hook to this song is corny as hell and doesn't rhyme even at all, but this song tells a great story. Every line contributes to the story, as the mc tells how he graduated from selling tapes to becoming an mc. And then struggling as an artist. I love this track, and appreciate the story telling.
6. Testing
A short fun little instrumental. Be careful though, if you listen to this more than once you will be singing, " testing testing testing testing" for the rest of your life.
7. World Ultimate
In a rare case, the title track is actually a standout dope track on the album. The hook is just all sorts of fun, and the beat makes me flat out giddy. Much like the rest of the album, the rapper with the higher pitch voice murders the track. Not to put down the other guy, but he is just superior lyrically, and has a much better flow in my opinion. That being said both mcs still kill the shit and make this a dope track.
8. Good To Go
Still very jazzy, this beat has a darker, more eerie feel if you will. Yusef (the higher pitch mc) comes out very aggressive and sounds awesome, and the hook he puts down is incredibly catchy. This is a very good track from all aspects, but nothing too special to note here.
9. On The Road Again
The drums sound dope on this beat, and the vocalists on the hook sound nice, and that adds to the calming feeling in the song. This sounds like it could have come right off of a Tribe Called Quest album, which is a huge compliment from me.
10. Hoods Like To Play
At this point while I'm still very much enjoying the album, the songs start to kind of run together, and are a little long. This is a very good track, but there isn't really anything I can say about it that I already haven't about a previous track. If I had to note something about the track, I'd like the point out that Yusef continues to anihalate these tracks.
11. J To The I
This is a song that you put on to chill, and another song about women, and another good one. The theme is a common one, that there is no love between him and a woman he is with. Very chill song.
12. Eighty Five
This is a great way to "end" the album (there is a remix track after that I don't really count as a track). I really can't find much on this track, but my guesses are that it may have been recorded in 85, or just given that cool static effect to give it a mid 80's vibe, either way very cool.
13. Mix Tapes (Remix)
This is a really cool beat, and I like it better than the original. I guess back in 95 there were no Itunes deluxe editions, so this made the cut. The lyrics are the same, just a cool new beat, worth a listen.
Rating: 3.5\5
As I eluded to earlier, Yusef is dead. What is so sad about that is the potential this group had. This was the only lp they ever released, and I can't begin to imagine how good they couldn't been. This is just as good as a Tribe Called Quest's debut, and we saw what they did afterward. I heavily encourage at least a download of this album. You're not going to find a physical copy for the life of you. There's a couple real ones floating along, but most of the shit you see is just the promotional tape. I hate to promote illegal downloading, but this is a case where that shit may be necessary. If for no other reason just to pay respect to Yusef. You will not regret listening to this, it is really good from top to bottom, with my only complaint being that it got a little boring towards the end.