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Flipmode Squad - "The Imperial"  Elektra

 East Coast Hip Hop

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Busta Rhymes returns with another project, this time his second time as a tag team partner. The Flipmode Squad have been providing teasers on Busta's previous album, and now the long-player is here. Undoubtedly, Busta's name is gonna be the ingredient that will shift units, but the other rappers show they ain't no lightweights in comparison, melding well in the mix.

DJ Scratch produces the bulk of the tracks, and notables includes "Run For Cover" which has the Ruff Ryders' Swizz utilising a nagging violin loop. Buckshot appears for "We Got U Opin (Part 2)" over the same beat as the original. "Straight Spittin" is mixtape king Tony Touch's creation, featuring a simple beat with an incessant hi-hat throughout.

The whole Squad don't appear on everything, and that is a good thing, as a song like the frenetic "Settin It Off" demonstrate as the same feel just isn't there. The best example of the deployment of the platoon is in the form of the songs two rump-shakers: "Everybody On The Line Outside" and "Cha Cha Cha". The former features Busta, his cuz Rampage and Lord Have Mercy over a track reminiscent of "Dangerous" in that it starts of slow, then speeds up into a track using similar type of drums to "Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Could See". This is a track in the same league of Busta party tunes, worth dropping at a jam. "Cha Cha Cha" on the other hand features Baby Sham, Rah Digga and Spliff Star over a more laid back track with a Busta hook that is annoying but catchy. This track incorporates some crowd noises, but I just couldn't feel that hook: "You people wanna get down/You suckers wanna battle/What you wanna do?/Let's cha cha cha cha cha". It just sounds wack to me. Also, Rah Digga's flow just doesn't always fit in with the rest of the team, and in this song it stands out in that way. Baby Sham also has a tendency to rhyme in that style, although he seems to switch styles whenever he feels like it. A good example of his talent is shown on "Do For Self" with Spliff Star describing how Mr. Star schooling Sham on the street life when you make it big, but Baby Sham learns the hard way. It sounds like one of those tracks that has a TV influence, in the mould of a Camp Lo song. Rah Digga and Rampage join forces on "This Is What Happens", the two working well together.

"Last Night" is pretty average, the horns in the background, while Busta's switching between his usual tones and his West Indian roots is different, but not good enough to save the track. It's more likely to pass you by, and won't really grab your attention. "Money Talks" tells us how people from the hood can make money and provide for themselves, and is pretty successful in what it does. The mellow piano and the hi hat combine to form the complementary soundscape for the lyrics to be laid down.

This album contains few weak cuts, with some of the songs sounding like they were just made on the spot, and that shows, but others are polished. It doesn't really contain made-for-radio tracks apart from the two obviously frivolous songs. Don't be surprised to see the Squad going their separate ways on solo projects a la Wu Tang. - Roni


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