I gotta say I was thoroughly unimpressed with the original version of “Open”, a track which seemed to lack any sense of movement or much emotion. This “Open Remix” changes all of that. Using a slight re-working of the “Eric B. is President” beat as a foundation, The Beatminerz take you back to ’88 and deliver a much more inspiring backdrop for Caron Wheeler’s vocal stylings and Pete Rock’s classic monotone slow flow, complete with the “yeah” and “unh” adlibs that make any Pete Rock touched joint stand out. While the vocals remain the same as the original version, I’m really feeling the throwback beat and the presence of a stronger melody, plus some Rakim vocal stabs and other flavor skratches add to the mix. As several other tracks from the Brace 4 Impak CD, the “Open Remix” stands to make some noise on the radio and in clubs, and is definitely another example of the diverse style of the Beatminerz. - Mike Czech

“Open” was never really one of the best cuts on Da Beatminerz LP to begin with – Caron Wheeler just doesn’t have the vocal ability to make the same kind of impression as, say, Vinia Mojica or even Jonell. And Pete Rock’s cameo comes and goes without most even turning their head to notice. The remix tries to shore up the weak buttresses in the song with a revisit to “Eric B. Is President” but the problem was never the track – you need to juice up Wheeler’s paper-thin voice before you worry about the beat. Likewise, “Anti-Love Movement” could have been a winner if Total didn’t totally f*ck up the hook, taken from Betty Davis’ original “Anti-Love Song”. They’re just so out of their league, it’s a shame, especially since Talib Kweli does his part just fine. As for “Live & Direct”, I was bored of its thuggish rubbish the first time I heard it and I’m not inclined to change my mind the second time around. – O-Dub