Steve 'Flash' JuonIf you know one thing about the 69 Boyz it’s “Tootsee Roll.” Van “Thrill Da Playa” Bryant (Jacksonville) and Barry “Fast Cash” Wright (Orlando) formed a Florida rap group in the early 1990’s with a Miami bass sound that was sculpted for them by 95 South. Even though their own song “Whoot, There It Is” didn’t achieve the viral mainstream popularity of Tag Team’s “Whoomp! (There It Is),” the success of “Tootsee Roll” had to ease any sore feelings they had about it. In fact 95’s Jay “Ski” McGowan would go on to form the Quad City DJ’s with C.C. Lemonhead, and they would achieve even bigger success with “C’mon N’ Ride It (The Train).” It could hardly be called surprising that Quad City was called on to produce the second 69 Boyz album “The Wait Is Over.”
With the song “Woof Woof” being featured in the Eddie Murphy vehicle “Dr. Dolittle” you certainly wouldn’t think the group or their fortunes were hurting. Unfortunately by 1998 the strong Miami bass bump had become a much quieter subwoofer thump. It could still rock a party, but it didn’t rock the charts the same way. While “Tootsee Roll” had risen to No. 8 on the Billboard Hot 100, “Woof Woof” never got higher than No. 31, and “The Wait Is Over” itself peaked at No. 114 on the top 200 albums. It was the last time at 69 Boyz album would chart period. By 2001 they were releasing albums that didn’t place on either chart and they haven’t been heard from since.
Perhaps recycling ideas was part of the problem. As much as I like Surface’s “Happy” it had already been done by Kool G Rap and Nas three years earlier on “Fast Life,” so accidentally or not “Da Set, Pt. 2” feels like a carbon copy. This could be an isolated incident… but it’s not. The artists admit they are cloning themselves on “Roll Wit It” from the beginning of the track: “I tried to yell y’all once befo’/that I wasn’t gonna stop with the Tootsee Roll.” They might as well have called this song “Part 2” as well.
The obsession with food comparisons also starts getting weird on “Sticky.” Example: “Me and you make a better team/than, hot dogs and pork & beans.” What? It gets worse: “Sugar, spice, oh so nice/wetter than a bowl of red beans & rice.” The whole song is like this. If I was the girl being compared to a bag of Funyuns, I’d flee from the 69 Boyz as fast as possible. I don’t care how tasty of a snack that is, it’s not a good metaphor or simile to work into a song. The former would be vore and the latter would be unflattering.
“The Wait Is Over” is also inappropriately named because you have to wait through a skit or an interlude before almost every song. “What’s a Catch 22?” proceeds “Catch 22.” “Roll Call Intro” proceeds “Roll Call.” “Strip Club Intro” proceeds “Strip Club Luv.” At 27 tracks spanning 70+ minutes, it feels like there’s a colossal amount of time being wasted before the album is over.
Now the funny thing is I don’t hate this album. In fact in all truth I actually like it more than a little bit. Everything about it it feels corny and dated, but in a way that’s charmingly reminiscent of an entirely different era of rap, one that had already passed by the time “The Wait Is Over” came out. While the sex and party raps are recycling the past success of other Miami bass style acts including themselves, it feels unexpectedly refreshing in an era of dour kill or be killed grimy emcees. Who doesn’t like to have fun? Who doesn’t like to get freaky between the sheets? Okay that’s not fair to the broad spectrum of humanity — some people are neurotypical or asexual and there’s nothing incorrect about either one. Perhaps it’s better to say a lot of cisgendered people do enjoy dancing, drinking, and fucking. I might be an old codger but I’m no exception — I’m just not good enough at doing any of them to boast about it in a rap song.
About 2 seemed determined to prove the 69 Boyz weren’t the only ones who could have fun on “Girls Just Wanna.” At least the group were equal opportunity about getting their freak on. The biggest surprise of this album is that it actually doesn’t feel misogynistic? It’s obsessed with sex but it’s not demeaning towards women as lesser than men. They aren’t scheming hoes out to take all of a man’s money or disloyal bitches fucking their friends. It’s still reductive and objectifying to only talk about ass, pussy and tits, but somehow it still comes across as sincere from the 69 Boyz. They like women. They really, really, REALLY like women. It obviously didn’t build for career longevity but aside from annoying skits and recycled ideas “The Wait Is Over” isn’t bad at all.