WC and the Maad Circle - Ain't a Damn Thing Changed LP

Priority (1991)

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.

WC and the Maad Circle are yet another golden era act that I didn't hear back in the 90s.  If I had actually heard them in 1991, I can't imagine not have being just about as into them as I was Ice Cube.  There's a pretty good reason for that and that's because half of this album was produced by Sir Jinx, one of the masterminds behind Death Certificate.  Which unsurprisingly results in Ain't a Damn Thing Changed having an extremely similar feel, production wise, as that west coast classic.

The beats on this are great.  That heavy low end, kind of smooth sound that was poised to take over before Dre came and ruined the west with The Chronic.  Lyrically WC handles the bulk of the rhyming and he has a strong voice and descriptive, story telling flow.  He had cut his teeth in a group called Low Profile (still looking for that LP at a good price) before forming the Maad Circle.  You know who else is in the Maad Circle?  Coolio.  Yeah, that Coolio.  I have never been a fan of Coolio, but that's probably mostly due to not liking his production.  On this album, with Sir Jinx beats, he's totally fine and a nice compliment to WC.

This is an album that I'm really surprised hasn't been reissued in some form.  The only LP out there is the original from 1991, which has 18 tracks crammed onto a single LP.  It doesn't sound bad or anything, it's totally fine.  But I nice double LP reissue is absolutely something I'd add to my collection if given the chance.

WC and the Maad Circle - Ain't a Damn Thing Changed:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k5QYp2eKxOlkQQGSH7uUscLReKma4KsKw

Nice & Smooth - Ain't A Damn Thing Changed LP

Rush (1991)

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 twenty-five 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.

When I think about Golden Era hip hop albums that are certifiable classics, I don't usually think about the second Nice & Smooth record as I'm going through my rolodex of the greats.  But, when I am thinking about my own personal discovery of hip hop, it is part of a very pivotal moment that I still remember with bizarre clarity.  By 1991, I was watching Yo! MTV Raps a lot, I would venture every single day.  I was being bombarded with new music videos and so many were connecting with me.

I went to a record store one day.  I think it might have been a Coconuts, but I know it was a non-mall store and it was on a weekend where I was visiting my dad.  During this trip I bought three albums.  Low End Theory by Tribe Called Quest, Def Before Dishonor by Hard Corps and Ain't A Damn Thing Changed.  Despite my desire to hear more songs like the Public Enemy/Anthrax version of "Bring Tha Noize," Hard Corps was a total whiff and I bet I only listened to the whole album once or twice at most.  Low End Theory became one of the most important records I ever listened.  Somewhere in the middle was Nice & Smooth.

As a whole, it is a very good record.  The production is really solid with good beats throughout.  Greg Nice, in particular, is a tremendous rapper and I have always loved the way he extends his rhyme schemes way beyond the traditional couplet.  It's not uncommon for Greg to blast through six, eight or ten lines that all follow the same rhyming pattern.  It's a ton of fun and I'm always impressed.  Smooth B isn't at Greg's level, but he adds a nice contrast in style and that makes the songs more dynamic.  That said, I don't think I would have much interest in a Smooth B solo record, but I'd have no issue with one from Greg Nice.

For me, where this record gets bogged down is in the choruses.  They're almost universally cheesy, with a repeated line that is kind of goofy or an R&B tinged croon that seems super out of place.  It sounds like they were grasping for some type of mainstream notoriety, but these hooks just don't mesh as well with the lyrics and styles of the verses.  That said, it is still a fun listen all of these years later.  It holds up better than a lot of thirty year old records, but my opinion of it now is pretty similar to my opinion back then.  It's good, but I wish it was a bit more consistent.  It's a great change of pace listen, but not anything I would ever have on constant repeat.

Nice & Smooth - Ain't  A Damn Thing Changed:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_mCcXgUtGA5d7ZzyMRVAyV70amNdvKDauc