As the old saying goes, you can’t judge an album by its cover. The cartoon image of a white MC on the cover of Remedy’s Code:Red in a sweatshirt that says “HIP HOP” isn’t shocking or even interesting anymore. Yes, Remedy is white, Jewish, and Wu-Affiliated, but is he more than that? Does his artwork have more depth than the two-dimensional sketch on the cover?  Actually, Code:Red can be summed up in two tracks, the best and the worst.
 
Code:Red’s biggest failure is a shameful remake of Redman’s “Tonight’s Da Night”. Aside from the beat, a faulty forgery of the original that sounds like the speakers did pop, the lyrics are just embarrassing. Instead of basing “Tonight’s Da Night” on the original or doing a straight cover, Remedy tweaks all Redman’s lines so he’s talking about himself. This goes way beyond avoiding a white rapper saying the unspeakable n-word, which would be understandable (well maybe not, but it is that bad). He takes what might have been a tribute and descends into nonsensical vanity. To break it down XXL style, Redman’s original “b-b-b-black by popular demand” becomes Remedy’s “w-w-w-white by supply and demand,” and another classic is bitten. Fingers will go from head-scratching to the eject button before the track is over.
 
Bullshit like this is completely offset by the genuine “Never Again”, a poetic chronicle of the Holocaust. The title’s sentiment echoes literally in the chorus and emotionally in the verses as Remedy documents millions of Jews headed off for slaughter. The images are vivid, horrifying, and ultimately personal. However, Remedy puts the overwhelming hate into perspective so it is relevant to all people. He also humbly acknowledges that he can’t fully express the pain. You can almost taste the blood, sweat, and tears.
 
If the rest of the album was anything like this song, Code:Red would be a meaningful album, but there simply isn’t much to say about the other 15 tracks. There’s a whole ot of apocalyptic chicken(little) shit that people got tired of hearing from Method Man and Busta Rhymes years ago, unconvincing life-is-hard whining, and tracks with names like “Remedy Who?” and “R.E.M.E.D.Y.”  As for the beats, they make a laughable attempt at ominousness, coming off as the sonic equivalent of a scout leader holding a flashlight under his chin. Spooooky!
 
On one hand, Remedy is expressing the feelings and history of himself and his people through music, something anyone can and should respect. On the other, Remedy sounds like the awkward white boy wannabe image that comedians like Steve Martin and Jamie Kennedy are making millions off of in Hollywood, except they’re not taking themselves so damn seriously.  Unfortunately, the majority of Code:Red is the latter. The emotional weight of “Never Again” is outmatched by the sheer volume of manure, and it makes for a frustrating listen from start to finish.