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by
22 August, 2004@12:00 am
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     The UN could learn you a lil’ somethin’ about paying dues in the rap game. Roc Marcy, the crew’s de facto leader cut his teeth rolling briefly with Busta’s Flipmode crew, went on to be the featured vocalist on Pete Rock’s 2001 release, Petestrumentals, all in the name of getting some shine for him and his crew. But after toiling hard in ‘subterranea,’ the UN crew (Roc Marcy, Dino Brave, Mic Raw, Laku) have finally made it out, and dropped their first joint on Carson Daly’s (yes, the dude from TRL) new NYC based imprint, 456 Entertainment.

    After the first listen of the album, it becomes immediately clear that the Uniondale crew is trying to tap in to that ill mid-nineties era of East Coast hip-hop that produced novocain joints like “Shook Ones,” “Glaciers of Ice,” “Protect Ya Neck” and “NY State of Mind.” That era when MPC60′s and jacked-up Casio’s were masterfully used  to create murky, street-corner heaters that had you feeling like Tony Montana when you bumped them in your headphones. UN or U Out features production by heavyweights from the aforementioned era like Pete Rock and Large Prof, and these vets don’t disappoint. The former shows that his skills haven’t slacked any by delivering two lethal tracks, “Avenue” and the chord-heavy “Ain’t No Thang,”- two bangin’ tracks that prove that all hip-hop beats don’t need sped-up vocal soul samples or Wurlitzer synth loops to be dope. Crew members, Roc Marciano and Mic Raw get busy on the production tip as well, with Marcy actually crafting one the album’s tightest cuts, “Mind Blowing. ”

     Lyrics and flow-wise, all four members get a passing grade, with Roc Marcy and Dino Brave coming off the nicest. The problem is that the subject matter of all four rappers never ventures out of the same rote street-rap topics (guns, drugs, chicks, money). The only track they do something different and mildly interesting is “Shakedown” on which they kick some story-type flows. Another minus for the crew is that at least three of the four members sound like their whole style was grafted from Rae in his Cuban Linx era. This might be a form of flattery to the portly Chef, but they’re going to have to find their own voices to really establish themselves in the game.

     All things said, the UN has crafted a solid album, especially on account of all the dope stripped-down, basement-style beats that are abundant on the disc. Their wordplay might need some work to really make them stand out, but that doesn’t stop this album from being an above par jump-off.

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