:: Beat Department
The story of how this album got released is surely one that would appeal to the senses of most Americans. Forced out of New Orleans by Hurrican Katrina, Antonio Montana and Nitro thought all was lost as they had to leave behind all their equipment and recordings. A stroke of luck or fate led them to finding a master copy of it in one of their cars and that's how this album was able to see the light of day. But sadly, all sympathy from this reviewer ended once the album started blaring out of my speakers. Though Antonio Montana and Nitro are obviously very well versed in all the technical aspects of both rapping and producing music, they suffer from repetitive and mimicking beats and banal and repetitive subject matter.
The beats on the album are all sound technically, as none are horrible, but they are mostly bad versions of songs already out there. "Let's Get It Popping" uses the same sample as The Jacka's "Barney," a song that may have only been a Cali hit, but got plenty of exposure on both coasts due to Cormega's endorsement. Montana and Nitro's version lacks all the distorted emotion that Rob Lo's version had and transforms it to a generic track about violence. "Getcha Head Bouncin" is a blend of late 90's Mannie Fresh pianos, current day ATL crunk synths, and conventional New Orlean's bounce drums. It's not horrible, but it's far from original and sounds familiar. "Get U Right" takes a more laid back approach to the production, replacing the crunk energy present in the other tracks with a smooth R&B vibe. It's not bad, but once again it also fails to shine. "Gimme Some" ends the album and is a mix of modern day crunk synths and mid-90's Memphis buck music. Montana and Nitro aren't bad producers, but they also fail to be any good because none of their music is original in the sense it sounds like mimicry of other styles.
Lyrically, Montana and Nitro once again show that technically they can rap and they both have decent flows, but lyrically and conceptually they sound like a Top-40 cover band. "Get U Right" and "Gimme Some" are all stereotypical and unoriginal tracks about the ladies or sex. "Get Cha Head Bouncin" is a weak attempt at a crunk club song. "Let's Get It Popping," "Represent Throw It Up," and "Whatz Up Witcha" are all weak attempts at club/rowdy tracks. Overall, the album is just a weak mix of recycled topics. Montana and Nitro fail to make a dent or give the listener any reason to bump their music over the music they mimic.
There's nothing on "Threatening Behavior" that you haven't heard before on the radio. The production is unoriginal and unimpressive. The topic matter doesn't stray from what you hear almost every "popular" song released today. On top of that, they don't offer much in terms of quantity. Once two completely pointless skits (which will leave any listener dumbfounded as to what the point was) and two radio edits are removed from the album it clocks in at under 35 minutes and at only eight tracks. With so little to offer both quantitatively and qualitatively, "Threatening Behavior" is best left on the shelf. If you really want to support the N.O. through music go cop Juve's "Reality Check."
Music Vibes: 3 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 3 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 3 of 10
Originally posted: May 2, 2006
source: www.RapReviews.com