There was a period from the early to late 1990's when the name Jermaine
Dupri was synonymous with hits. Fresh off the youthful hip-hop
sensation of his creation named Kris Kross, the 20-something producer was flush with both the cash
and the credibility to launch So So Def Recordings, subsequently signing a distribution deal with
Sony and Columbia Records. Ironically as Dupri had launched Kris Kross
before he had his own label, they were not part of his fledgling roster
of artists, though as the producer behind all of their chart topping
hits they were still very much under his thumb. Dupri quickly put together
a list of "all stars" who would benefit from his musical genius, and soon
acts like Xscape, Da Brat and Jagged Edge all benefitted from the Dupri touch.
The inherent danger of being so young and so successful so so fast is that
it can go to your head and leave you feeling incapable of failure in any way.
With one album after another going gold or platinum, Dupri kept on expanding
and increasing the scoop of his Atlanta based empire, and that rolled right
through 1996 where he capitalized on the popularity of bass music with the
"So So Def Bass All-Stars" album. The song "My Boo" from the Ghost Town DJ's
has remained an enduring presence from the album, charting both in 1996 and
20 years later thanks to the popularity of the "Running Man Challenge" meme.
That unexpected success led me to dig back into the archives at RapReviews,
and while I can't find a copy of "Vol. I" as such in my stacks, I did
easily turn up a copy of the sequel "Vol. II" released one year later.
In an eerie coincidence, exactly one song from the album went mainstream with
Billboard success and a video in rotation on MTV, this time a cover of Ready
for the World's hit "Love You Down" remade by INOJ. I haven't seen any memes
spring up based on this song, but I wouldn't be surprised. In many ways it is
the prototypical song of the Dupri era, although J.D. didn't produce it himself.
Charles "The Mixologist" Roane gives Melvin Riley's original song a modernized
uptempo tempo, while INOJ sounds equal parts coy and seductive in a way that
with all respect to Ready for the World was never achieved by the original.
It's saccharine but inoffensive at the same time.
As for the "Bass" in the title of this compilation, I found myself wanting more
and receiving less of it than promised. I think in my head thought this album
would have the pounding sound of 1990's artists like 2 Live Crew, DJ Magic Mike
and the 69 Boyz. Lathun's "Freak It" (the flipside of INOJ's single) achieves sufficient
bass on track #3 -- not Magic Mike levels but good enough for me feel my toes twitch
and my fingers itch. Even though I'd prefer a rap with my bass Lathun's crooning
works, but from there it's one syrupy R&B song after another back
to back. Virgo's "Apple Pie" is TOO saccharine and will give you a tooth
ache. Corina's "Summertime Summertime" is a perfect song for the time of year
this review is being written, but its lack of depth and mediocre instrumental would
be obnoxious in any other season. Ghost Town DJ's remixing their own hit from the
last volume feels cheap and unnecessary. There's a whole lot of filler in the
first half of this album, though things do turn around when Zae and Sonji
bring it back to that classic Miami bass sound with "Booty Time." I expected
similar results from Miami legend Luke's "So So Def Quad" featuring Kandi of
Xscape, but this song is surprisingly flat. I wouldn't want to spin it at a party.
Thus we've come to a suitable definition for a bass song - it should either boom
loud enough to shake your car riding down the highway, or be an energetic song to
throw on so drunk people can shake their tailfeathers - and if possible both.
For an album that's billed as "All-Stars" that should have been an easy achievement.
You would assume this is the cream of the crop, but the truth of the matter is that
the majority of this album is bargain bin filler you've probably not heard from
in the last 20 years. I don't know what Edward J has been doing in the interim, but
after hearing his inaccurately titled "Bass" featuring the offensively named Poon
Daddy, I couldn't care less. Lil Jon is supposedly on this track (he's also the
album's executive producer), but there's not a single "WHAT?!!!" or "YEAHHHHH!!" to
spice up the proceedings. Bohagon would go on to be a featured guest on Lil Jon's
"We Still Crunk!!" album, but his own "Uh Uhh" has a title that sums up my thoughts
on it. It's a six minute song that would be better half as long. Don Yute? He injects
some reggae flavor on "Hard Core Wuk" but the sound devolves into a silly parody of
Toni Basil's "Hey Mickey." Gucci Crew II are arguably legends of the bass scene
(with a fairly tragic story) but even with their pedigree "Sally (That Girl)" is
more one dimensional than a sheet of paper.
It's evident that "All Stars" in this context was a marketing title as opposed to
a true assemblage of the greatest bass artists, nor do they consistently produce the
greatest songs. There are a few high moments, some really low moments, and a lot of
songs that don't have anything resembling "stars" on them other than at the exact
moment this album dropped. That's a shame given both Lil Jon and Jermaine Dupri were
ostensibly the driving forces behind this compilation. Their name value and connections
should have resulted in the best of the best giving us a non-stop album of thunderously
fun and over-the-top bass heavy party music. Instead "All-Stars Vol. II" is a solid
MEH at best with a handful of highlights and a largely forgettable cast.
Music Vibes: 4 of 10
Lyric Vibes: 4 of 10TOTAL Vibes: 4 of 10
![[So So Def Bass All-Stars Vol. II]](../coverart/sosodef-Bass2.jpg)
There was a period from the early to late 1990's when the name Jermaine
Dupri was synonymous with hits. Fresh off the youthful hip-hop
sensation of his creation named Kris Kross, the 20-something producer was flush with both the cash
and the credibility to launch So So Def Recordings, subsequently signing a distribution deal with
Sony and Columbia Records. Ironically as Dupri had launched Kris Kross
before he had his own label, they were not part of his fledgling roster
of artists, though as the producer behind all of their chart topping
hits they were still very much under his thumb. Dupri quickly put together
a list of "all stars" who would benefit from his musical genius, and soon
acts like Xscape, Da Brat and Jagged Edge all benefitted from the Dupri touch.