LyricisT
      LOUNGE
      2
     
     
      Rawkus
     
    
   
   
    
     
      A
      bangin'
      album
      through
      and
     
     
      through,
      Lyricist
      Lounge
      delivers
     
     
      lyrically
      endowed
      joints
      with
      phat
     
     
      beasts
      to
      boot.
      The
      Lyricist
      Lounge
     
     
      had
      originally
      been
      a
      studio
      apart-
     
     
      ment
      in
      NYC
      but
      got
      shut
      down
      by
     
     
      the
      boys
      in
      blue.
      They
      then
      went
     
     
      mobile
      and
      have
      since
      become
      a
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dont
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
         
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
       
     
     
        
     
    
   
   
    
     
      featuring
      PA
     
    
   
   
    
     
      dale
      |gcier>
      Nani
     
    
   
   
    
     
      sg
      are
      eles
     
     
      $15
      dog
     
    
   
   
    
     
      it's
      wet,
      so
      leave
      your
      kig
     
    
   
   
    
     
      of
      the
      Art.’
      The
      few
      prob-
     
     
      lems
      I
      have
      with
      this
      album
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ;
      next
      record.
      The
      produc-
     
     
      problem
      with
     
     
      Neutrinos,
      as
      I
      see
      it
      (I
     
     
      ;
      have
      never
      produced
      or
     
     
      |
      made
      a
      record)
      is
      that
      the
     
     
      ;
      band’s
      flavor
      live,
      that
      of
      a
     
    

    
     
      quasi-lounge
      act
      rock
      party
     
     
      band,
      is
      lost
      in
      the
      muddy
      layers
      of
     
     
      production.
      Principally
      Dennis
     
     
      Ellsworth’s
      fine
      voice
      sounds
      a
      lit-
     
     
      tle
      muted.
      But
      again
      these
      are
      only
     
     
      small
      ticks
      on
      what
      is,
      in
      the
      end,
      a
     
     
      good
      dog.
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -KJB
     
    
   
   
    
     
      CAPONE-N-NOREAGA
     
     
      ge
      Reunion
     
     
      my
      Boy
     
    
   
   
    
     
      gll
      a
      solid
      effort
      by
      the
      Queens
     
     
      eam
      that
      are
      back
      together.
     
     
      uted
      because
      Capone
      had
      to
     
     
      to
      jail
      to
      serve
      time
      (ironi-
     
     
      t
      was
      there
      that
      the
      duo
      met
     
     
      med
      up)
      C-N-N
      are
      both
     
     
      pn
      wax
      again.
      One
      of
      the
     
     
      _jurprises
      of
      this
      album
      was
     
     
      my
      of
      the
      beats,
      half
      of
     
     
      omes
      courtesy
      of
      the
     
     
      st,
      DJ
      Premier
      and
      Mobb
     
     
      avoc.
      Some
      of
      the
      guests
     
    

    
     
      a
      Reunion
      are
      none
      other
     
     
      ketown
      homeboys
      Mobb
     
    

    
     
      Nas
      with
      Foxy
      Brown
      on
     
     
      t.
      Capone
      and
      Nore
      do
     
    
   
   
    
     
      b
      eh
      yo
      ur
      ticke
      be
      same
      old
      bullshit
      that
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ts
      talk
      about
      nowadays
     
     
      So
      manage
      to
      talk
      about
     
     
      eartfelt
      issues
      that
      put
     
     
      above
      the
      average
      thug
     
    
   
   
    
     
      -JMAMA
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      The
      Cadre
     
    
   
   
    
     
      RAGE
      AGAINST
      THE
     
     
      ‘MACHINE
     
    
   
   
    
     
      Renegades
     
     
      EPIC
     
    
   
   
    
     
       
     
    
   
   
    
     
      I
      have
      thought
      for
      a
      long
     
    
   
   
    
     
      time
      that
      Rage
      Against
      the
     
     
      Machine
      were
      the
      best
      and
      most
     
     
      important
      band
      (if
      a
      band
      can
      be
     
     
      important)
      we
      had
      in
      our
      time.
      That
     
     
      band
      is
      no
      more,
      and
      the
      above
      is
     
     
      only
      mentioned
      because,
      well,
      I
      am
     
     
      biassed
      in
      favour
      of
      liking
      this
     
     
      record.
      However,
      that
      has
      nothing
     
     
      to
      do
      with
      the
      record
      company.
     
    

    
     
      In
      fact,
      I
      recommend,
      as
      the
     
     
      band
      does,
      you
      skip
      buying
      the
      CD
     
     
      and
      head
      to
      Napster
      or
      some
      other
     
     
      free
      music
      outlet
      and
      download
     
     
      this,their
      co
      da
      cover
      album,
      right
     
     
      away.
     
    

    
     
      Napster
      users
      who
      down-
     
     
      loaded
      copies
      were
      kicked
      off
      by
     
     
      the
      service
      only
      to
      have
      the
      band
     
     
      champion
      their
      reinstatement.
      The
     
     
      band
      does
      not
      want
      money
      going
      to
     
     
      their
      label
      if
      it
      is
      not
      necessary.
     
    

    
     
      Say
      what
      you
      will
      of
      them,
     
     
      and
      their
      appearances
      on
      network
     
     
      television
      and
      their
      videos
      made
      by
     
     
      Michael
      Moore,
      who
      is
      an
      impor-
     
     
      tant
      voice
      on
      the
      left
      (is
      there
      a
      left
     
     
      anymore
      by
      the
      way?)
      but
      also
      a
     
     
      shameless
      fame
      whore
      (The
      Cadre
     
     
      will
      be
      in
      Adbusters
      sometime
      in
     
     
      the
      future
      by
      the
      way),
      but
      they
     
     
      have
      at
      least
      the
      appearance
      of
     
    
   
   
    
     
      higher
      intentions
      than
      making
      it
     
     
      big
      as
      rock
      stars.
      ge
     
     
      Zack
      De
      La
      Rocha,
      the
      lead
     
     
      singer
      leaving
      the
      band
      after
      this
     
     
      their
      final
      album
      in
     
     
      their
      current
      incarna-
     
     
      tion,
      spends
      a
      great
     
     
      deal,
      of
      time
      in
     
     
      _Chiapas,.,
      with,,.
      the
     
     
      indigenous.
      farmer
     
     
      and
      the
      Zapatista
     
     
      army,
      and
      though
      you
     
     
      might
      question
      his
     
     
      7
      politics,
      or
      his
      com-
     
     
      rades,
      you
      cannot
     
     
      doubt
      he
      is
      the
      finest
     
     
      of
      the
      rock/rap
      front
     
     
      men,
      and
      clearly
      has
     
     
      the
      most
      to
      say.
     
    

    
     
      On
      Renegades
      the
     
     
      |_|
      band
      embraces
      12
      of
     
     
      J
      their
      favorite
      songs.
     
     
      The
      album
      kicks
      off
      with
      Eric
      B.
     
     
      and
      Rakim’s
      “
      Microphone
      Fiend,”
     
     
      which
      is
      also
      free
      on
      Napster,
      and,
     
     
      in
      its
      original
      form
      may
      be
      the
      best
     
     
      rap
      song
      of
      all
      time,
      which
      they
      do
     
     
      properly,
      although
      it
      is
      no
      where
     
     
      near
      the
      quality
      of
      the
      original.
      “E-
     
     
      F-F-E-C-T.
      Smooth
      operators
      oper-
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ating
      correctly”
      (Eric
      B.
      and
      Rakim
     
    
   
   
    
     
      may
      be
      the
      most
      underrated
      hip
     
     
      hop
      act
      of
      all
      time,
      by
      the
      way,
      just
     
     
      for
      superlative
      sake).
     
    

    
     
      It
      gets
      better
      from
      _
      there,
     
     
      Bob
      Dylan’s
      “Maggie’s
      Farm”
      gets
     
     
      new.
      life,
      as
      does’
      Bruce
     
     
      Springsteen’s
      “The
      Ghost
      of
      Tom
     
     
      Joad.”
      Cypress
      Hill’s
      “How
      I
      Could
     
     
      Just
      Kill
      a
      Man”
      and
      the
      Rolling
     
     
      Stones’s
      “Street
      Fighting
      Man”
      are
     
     
      admittedly
      just
      Rage
      versions
      of
     
     
      the
      originals,
      but
      then
      what
      else
     
     
      would
      they
      be.
      Stupid.
      —
     
    

    
     
      So,
      in
      closing
      I
      want
      to
     
     
      restate,
      clearly,
      that
      I
      would
      avoid
     
     
      buying
      this
      album,
      mostly
      because
     
     
      that
      is
      what
      the
      band
      suggests
      and
      |
     
     
      would
      download
      the
      files
      on
     
     
      Napster.
      Then,
      it
      is
      my
      further
     
     
      advice
      that
      you
      go
      buy
      their
      back
     
     
      catalogue
      used
      at
      an
      independent
     
    
   
   
    
     
      record
      store.
     
     
      -KJB
     
    
   
   
    
     
      ——