745 Boyz - In Da Streets

(2000, Skinny Boy Productions)
I've never really been a big fan of rap/hip hop/etc., so it seems weird that I'd even own this, much less have it be the first review for my crappy little blog thing. But I'm going down the shelf in alphabetical order, and 7 comes before A, so there you go. I got this back in 2000 back when I worked at Kroger, when this one dude who worked in the meat department, who apparently is/was a 754 Boy, was selling copies for ten bucks, and I've always been a sucker for buying CDs directly from people that appear on them. (Still can't believe I bought that fucking Deerhoof CD, but I'll get to that later) And as of right now, I'm really mad at myself, because I totally can't remember the dude's name. I can picture his face in my mind, but I just can't recall what his name was. Christ, I worked with that guy for like two years. I'm a terrible person, and I'm going to hell. Anyway, back to the CD.
I'll start by saying my opinion on a rap CD is about as valid an opinion as Donald Rumsfeld's on the latest Napalm Death CD, so feel free to disregard this as soon as I'm done. The obvious problem is that with the apparently low budget that went into this, a lot of the beats sound like demos from the same Casio keyboard, and the lack of variety makes things kind of run together after a while. Also, there's an almost disturbing lack of bass in the recording, which is usually what this kind music is based on. It's like there is a bassline going, but it's way, way down in the mix, compared to the constant simulated hi-hat stuff going on in every track. As far as the lyrical delivery, it's kind of uneven, which I suppose could be expected, as there seems to be like fifty-eight people making appearances on this thing. Sometimes, a guy will throw in a verse that could stand next to, or even surpass, the kind of stuff that sells three million copies and shows up on MTV Jams, and other times, you can't help but be reminded of OG Loc from Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas embarrassing himself in public. One second, it'll be a guy who sounds like he taught Bone Thugs 'N Harmony everything they ever knew, and the next, it's one of those bullshit Mase-style "mumble in rhyme" non-rappers. Also, one guy on "Keep on Rollin'" sounds like the old pedophile guy on Family Guy who's always trying to bone Chris Griffin, but it's actually kind of cool-sounding, in a laid-back way. Aside from that, the only other complaint I can think of is that almost everything here is in the five-minute range, which is a bit excessive. Overall, though, this is really, really well-done for something recorded in fucking Shaw.
On the other hand, it is just weird to hear people talk about Cleveland and Shaw, Mississippi as though they're South Central L.A. or something.

Track Listing:
1. Into
2. Shaw Town
3. Life of Sin
4. Weed-N-Gs
5. Time 2 Shine
6. My Word
7. Keep on Rollin'
8. Hatin' On
9. Out in Da' Streetz
10. Ride Wit Da 754
11. Shake Dat Azz
12. Interlude - 754 Radio Station
13. Letz Get High
14. Don't Stop II
15. R-U-A Baller
16. Chevy Thang

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This is the first installment in the A-to-Z CD Shelf Review Series, which is my way of forcing myself to finally listen to all the crap I have collecting dust over there. I'll normally do one of these every Wednesday, but the days between Monday, Wednesday, or Friday are mine to do (or not do) with as I please. Anyway, if you want some idea of what's coming next, check my CD list that's totally under construction right now.