For me this was an eagerly anticipated LP and i found myself getting excited at the prospect of a great selection of remixes. The fact that i had heard Configa's sublime work before and the promo for this album, made me hype the record up in my mind. I wasn't disappointed, The introduction of this LP is a slice of Hip hop reminiscent of Artifacts 'Thats them' Intro, a nice heavy dose of scratches with a dope instrumental to get Hip hop fans salivating. And then it hits, a bossa xylophone, energy filled 2Pac interview snippits, KRS-ONE 'Sound of da Police' woooo woooo sample and the great break beat, overall a dope as hell start to a record with a lot of promise. Vocal samples, horns and a ride in the Hip hop carnival ensue and I'm glad i bought the ticket. The acappela's pan being split in places has this effect of 2Pac talking in your head and even at you as an individual which is the effect most Pac fans have regardless as people from all walks of life seem to relate. We then get Taina La Poet, With her smooth voice and insightful poetry, its on one had amazing and on the other hand a tad fanatic but none the less cool. This LP has a nice bunch of Soul, Prog, Breaks and hints of blaxplotation type samples which as a producer i love and although some may have been utilized in the past they are used in a creative and new way. Near the end of the LP we get an spellbinding use of a Pac freestyle remix, and to be honest i have nether heard of anyone remixing a raw, rugged and poorly recorded slice of cipher magic so well and its just a rejuvenation of the past. We get a more dark vibe as we enter the last quarter of this album and for me the weaker point. From this portion of the LP 'Nothing to Lose' stands head and shoulders above every track, its a joint with so much feeling that i was beside myself with that 'Hip hop feeling' and this for me is the best track on the LP. And then we finish with a homage to 2Pac and snippits from news of 2Pac's death, which is at times depressing but refreshing at the same time. My thoughts after listening to this LP pretty much solid for a week or so is that if this was a 2Pac original release (meaning when Pac was alive and the vocals were laced on Configa's beats originally) it would have become some what of a classic, it's just a shame that alot of producers have made fans bored of hearing disappointing remix's and sacrilegious mash-ups. As you know this is a review of Configa's skills as a beat smith and not 2Pac's lyrics and flow, but i have to admit as a person that's not particular fond of Pac's LPs, Configa turned a light on that has made me appreciate Pac's genius and that's testament to the production. Overall this is one of the few highlights of this years Hip hop offerings and is a must have for anyone that loves Hip hop.
High Points: 'Crooked Nigga Too', 'Thug Style', 'I'm Getting Money', 'Pac Freestyle', 'One Day at a Time' and 'Nothing to Lose'
Low Points: 'Who do you Believe in' and 'Only Fear of Death' (These are tracks that are not my style but i realise a lot of people will disagree)
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