In The Deck

Funkdoobiest – “The Golden B-Boys” – @@1/2

What is often referred to as hip-hop’s “golden age” is roughly around ’88-’93, a five year period where the sound of classic hip-hop was perfected, left untainted by industry evils. This is not to say there wasn’t wack shit during that time period, however there was an overabundance of classic albums released, so much to the point where hungry heads could go to the store every week and purchase at least one cassette, and almost certainly guarantee satisfaction. Hugely popular during this era was Cypress Hill – the closest thing one could get to a commercial rap group, banking off of dusty, dirty beats produced by DJ Muggs. This spawned offshoot projects in the form of House of Pain and Funkdoobiest, not to mention a little heard group called The Whooliganz, featuring a teenaged, rapping Alchemist.

Aside from being one of the only rappers to show all in a XXX-rated porno, Son Doobie, along with Ralph M, Tomahawk Funk, and DJ Muggs released one arguably, often overlooked classic album with Funkdoobiest’s Which Doobie U Be? With production handled by Muggs, T-Ray, Lethal, and Ralph M, Son’s mush-mouthed style was the antithesis of B-Real’s nasal flow, making the group’s debut album the perfect companion piece to the self-titled debuts from Cypress Hill and House Of Pain. While the group’s second album attempted to tone down the first album’s kooky sense of humor, after that, things would never be the same again.

As huge fans of the first record, we have to admit we never thought we would hear from Son Doobie and the crew again. But then, mysteriously, a track popped up called “The Heavyweight Funk”, sounding like something left over from the first album, complete with dusty drums, filtered baselines, rolling pianos, and “fuck Phyllis Diller” references. As it turns out, this wasn’t a fifteen year old, newly discovered gem, but instead a track from the group’s new album, The Golden B-Boys. The very sound and style of the beat hit this critic like a ton of bricks, with his life flashing before his eyes, transporting him back to ’93, broke and with no props.

Whether or not this track may be something new, or perhaps a rediscovered beat actually recorded back then, nevertheless it captures the lost sound imprisoned in the 1990′s, and forever banished with the advent of Bad Boy and Death Row Records shortly thereafter. Taken from the Doobie’s new album, The Golden B-Boys, producer Ralph M takes full reigns on beats, while Son Doobie and returning founder Tomahawk Funk share mic duties. That being said, there are some great moments of nostalgia on this record that bring back that lost sound, such as “We Bring That”, where the duo rhyme over a track that would make Souls Of Mischief envious, or the Rakim channelling “Who Got More?”, complete with Eric B-esque cuts. Even the thundering “Bubble Butts” manages to inspire the retired b-boy in you to bust out a windmill.

Granted, while this classic approach is appreciated and revered, it doesn’t quite hold up for the entire album. In fact, much of the rest of the album reminds us why we fell off the Funkdoobiest bandwagon in the first place. Overdone, recycled lyrical approaches that we’ve heard many times before (“drop bombs like hiroshima”, “bad, bad, and I’m wicked in bed”, and perhaps the most generic hook ever: “one, two, three, four (repeat)”), coupled with many dreary beats that just kind of plod along (“All Shot Up”, “Changes”, “Lyrical Drill”), quickly snap us back to reality, reminding us that it’s not ’93 any more, and that the Brothers Doobie’s time has passed. – DJ Pizzo

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