Justin 'Tha Shiznute' ChandlerThis review is going to be short and sweet. There isn’t really a whole lot to say. I can describe the album “Blast from the Past” with great accuracy using this simple phrase: Less talented emcees karaoking hip-hop classics.
Personally, I don’t see the point of rappers paying tribute by way of doing uninspired covers. The music is undoubtedly top-notch material, yet it’s more difficult to stray from the original than a rock track – a lot of people think it’s cool to do a stripped down interpretation of a rock song that has surprisingly engaging lyrics. The Subnoize Soujaz, who consist of Suburban Noize Records’ mainstay of emcees, do very little to alter the source material.
There are the obvious choices on the disc (“Momma Said Knock You Out”; “Fuck Tha Police”; “Children’s Story”) and some that may not necessarily be on your top 14 list of essentials (MC Breed’s “Ain’t No Future In Yo Frontin'”; Special Ed’s “I Got It Made”). The point is that there is no point to it all given that there is no creative attempt to update or enhance the material herein.
The Kottonmouth Kings recite Beastie Boys’ “Paul Revere.” The Rick Rubin produced joint sounds slightly different for very short stints since the members of the Kottonmouth Kings have distinctly different voices than the Beastie Boys. Next, Judge D has a more harsh and raspier voice than LL on his take of “Momma Said Knock Ya Out.” And Big D sounds as if he is trying to do his best Biz Markie impression on “Just A Friend.”
I could go on about each song on “Blast From Tha Past” but ultimately it would just be a tedious exercise that would not really benefit anyone. All a potential buyer needs to know is whether this has any redeeming quality to warrant a purchase. In short, the answer to that question is a resounding “no.” The only thing this compilation successfully does is remind us all how timeless the original certified hits are.
I cannot even comprehend how fans of the Kottomouth Kings or any of their label mates that show up on this album can get excited about his either. This may be music they respect; however, it is not representative of the music they normally compose.
To reiterate, this is a pointless endeavor by Suburban Noize Records in gaining the rights to some hip-hop joints from years past and simply mimicking them. This is how I imagine an aspiring emcee to practice the craft at their very earliest stages of development. It is not what I expect from widely distributed album.