As some may know, Screwball ain’t new to this. Like the song say, they’ve seen it all. Hostyle, Poet, KL, and Quran have remained staples in the indie Hip-Hop market before it was even considered to be one. Following the Hydra method of constantly releasing singles, these fellas had a catalog of pressed material before a lot of their contemporaries even owned a note book. And while they’ve all been rhyming for some time now, it was Poet’s response to “The Bridge Is Over”, “Beat You Down” that’ll testify for their longevity. Screwball are the crazy Vietnam vets of this rap shit, scuffed up but not broken. Ready to down that bottle and break it across your face. So to make a long point short, Screwball embodies all that is roughness.

“Fuck everybody and everything, I’m putting my balls on the table while you swing ya ding-a-ling.” authorizes Poet on the album’s commencement “First Blood”. Ok, so the mood is set and like we should expect, it’s on that tip exactly. So its only right to bust into the beautifully disrespectful “Fuck All You Bitch Ass Niggas (F.A.Y.B.A.N.)”. And if Premiere couldn’t boost the intensity any more we have “Seen It All”. A somber banger encompassing the essence of Queensbridge. In similar fashion, touched by the Soul Survivor Pete Rock’s magic wand, “You Love To Hear The Stories” has Screwball recalling Hip-Hop’s beginning affiliations with their infinitely infamous housing project. Accompanied by a nice little appearance by fellow Q.U. vet MC Shan this track is surely set to burn through NYC radio and beyond. The ingeniously controversial “Who Shot Rudy” scores points, as does the vicious “Attention A&R Dept.” and the commercial resurfacing of “On The Real”. This time with the inclusion of Cormega and Havoc, yet unfortunately the presence of Nas (who was on the original) is sorely missed this time around.

“H.O.S.T.Y.L.E.”, while the emcee’s solo endeavor bumps with the most bangability then any other track, Y2K is solid as the lyrical brick these 4 men throw at you. Screwball are credit deserving masters of their craft.