Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo! MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for thirty plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.
While I haven't had this reissue since it came out in 2019, I have been sitting on it for quite a while. I grabbed it when it was on sale, so it was a pretty inexpensive addition to the collection and it's one of those early 90s hip hop albums that is often lauded as a classic. I don't know that I can throw around that particular c word when talking about Life of a Kid in the Ghetto, but it does have elements of the classic sound of the early golden era.
I'll start with the positives. On the mic, Ed (or Edo G as he tends to be known as these days) is great. He can tell stories, he can self aggrandize, he ticks all the boxes of what you want an MC to do during this time frame. I can't call him top, top tier, but I might also have a different opinion if this was a record I'd been listening to since it was released. I only heard it for the first time in the past ten years, so it lacks a little in the nostalgia area for me. But that's a me problem, not a problem with the rapping. Ed can hold his own with most MCs that put out albums in 1991.
The reason that I can't really call this album a classic for me is because I think the production is a little uneven. Hip Hop in 1991 was going through a pretty seismic change in regard to beats and production. While other albums that year were pushing the envelope and exploring new sampling techniques and soundscapes, Life of a Kid in the Ghetto feels like it's still clinging to late 1980s sounds. That's not to say it doesn't move the production forward a little, but when you realize Low End Theory came out the same year, the beats on Ed O.G.'s debut feel somewhat dated on certain tracks.
But the sum of all parts is still quite good. I wouldn't have bought the record if I didn't like it, but it's one of those albums that has a sound that I really need to be in the right mood for. If I'm feeling a little old school, Life of a Kid in the Ghetto fits the bill nicely.
Ed O.G & Da Bulldogs - Life of a Kid in the Ghetto:
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