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Heltah Skeltah - "Magnum Force"  Duck Down

 East Coast Hip Hop

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After a severely slept-on debut album, the Duck Down battle tag team return. Duck Down ain’t been too busy of late, with Buckshot holding it down guesting on the Kurupt and Flipmode albums, and the news of the re-unification of the BDI Emcee with DJ Evil Dee and 5 Foot Accelerator (not known as Black Moon due to legal reasons after their split from Nervous) whets the appetite for fans of the Boot Camp Click with anticipation. Ruck and Rock’s first album contained a classic Boot Camp soundscape - the dirty bass and grimy sounds that worked so well on Black Moon's "Enta Da Stage" and Smif and Wessun's "Da Shinin". Heltah Skeltah's forte had been their "bring-it" attitude and their undoubted charisma on the mic. Like classic pairs such as EPMD, they possessed a familiarity with each other that shone through in their music.

Ruck and Rock prove they still got it with their single, "I Ain't Havin That", which although jacking Tribe's "Hot Sex" beat, is a quality track that displays the angst that they are good at portraying. Yet sadly, this is the stand-out on the album. A very close second is another BCC-Wu link up with the Method Man entering the fray on "Gunz 'N Onez". Smoke comes up with a track that allows the threesomes unique voices take centre stage and blaze it.

The BCC's association with Tupac and his Death Row cohorts are still evident, collabos with Tha Dogg Pound on "Brownsville II Longbeach" and the Outlawz on "MFC Lawz". These embody a more West Coast sound and feels like Heltah Skeltah featured instead of the other way around! Tha Dogg Pound track actually sounds like it didn't make the cut for Daz's album.

"Sean Wigginz" is a short-but-sweet affair containing a neo-film style violin score. "Forget Me Knots" is a blatantly New York track with the hard hitting drum beat complementing the pair, but the problem with this is that the track is just a simple loop all the way through, and loses steam the longer you listen to it. The same problem is found on the single "Worldwide (Rock the World)". Initially, the violin and drums are enticing, but again, it gets boring as time goes by. The violin is again utilized on "Call of the Wild" with a slew of guests including Starang Wondah, while "Perfect Jab" comes nice with Supreme joining the frenzy over a typical NY track.

The R&B singing on "Hold Your Head Up" exacerbate the flaws on this album, namely the sometimes lacklustre production. "Chicka Woo" would be all well and good for any commercial group, but Heltah Skeltah are different. The fans ain't really looking out for this kinda thing, and those that are are hardly likely to buy an album for a only a couple of tracks they gonna be feeling, when the new Bad Boy or whatever is out.

Of course, other members of the BCC flip lyrics on various tracks, but even their charisma can't hide the disparity of the beats, although "Gang's All Here" is a nice effort with the BCC but the track sounds familiar for some reason.

At the beginning of the album it was proclaimed that "it's gonna be just like the album, only better". Guess the joke was on us. Sadly, this doesn't live up to the quality of their previous album, but they are due to team up with the Originoo Gun Clappaz as the Fab 5 album that was hinted with "Leflah..." This is still a solid album though. - Roni


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