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Real Urban Latin Vol. 1
Touted "as a much needed compilation of the nation’s top Latino Hip Hop
Artists" Real Urban Latin Volume 1 promises to expose the majority of the public to the Latin Hip-Hop Scene. The mission is to take this underground phenomenon, then package it to the masses, and reap in the profits. According to many in the industry, this album is critical to the “suits”, which are using this as a measuring stick on future possible signings. While the goal of every major label release is to make money and have a successful album, one has to question the motives of the distributor behind this compilation. With this much importance associated with the disc, then why hasn’t it been promoted, or talked about? Why hasn’t a song been played on the radio? Without even going into the politics of the radio business, a major label does have the power to get a song played on a station. What are the real goals? Is it all set up for failure? Is this all an effort to prove that there is no "Latino Market"? Why release the disc in the
first place? And, is the music any good?
The compilation starts with the track "Life Plays" by Delinquent Habits. Giving love from "L.A. to the Bay" and the world around, Delinquent Habits picks up where they last left off; making dope music. One has to wonder why their last effort "the critically acclaimed" Merry Go Round was slept on. OG Styles’ proves why he is one of the top producers in the game by manufacturing beats that are on par with the industry’s best. “Balumbalang” by Mexicano 777 has an old school East Coast vibe. Featuring the Blastmaster KRS-ONE, the problem with this track is Mexicano 777 becomes outshined by one of hip-hop’s pioneers. The Reggae-ish’s “Stick Em Up” feels out of place, because the hip-hop elements are kept to a minimum. Funkdoobiest comes tight with “4-1 Nite”. Porno King Son Doobie lays clever lyrics, with a catchy hook topped with a simple yet bouncy beat from underground producer DJ Rectangle. “4-1 Nite” deals with Son Doobie’s favorite subject, but does it in a way where it’s witty enough not to offend.
Then the CD becomes a mixed bag: the great, the okay, and the bad.
Tracks “Muddy” by Mellow Man Ace, “I Got” by Tony Montana, and “Get High” by Punto Rojo fall into the okay pile. There will be some people who will love these tracks, but the production is lacking. You have to be in the proper mood, possibly on a long cruise, not to skip over these tracks.
Now on to the great. Psycho Realm’s “Art of Execution” is worth the price the CD. Duke comes tight, and Jacken displays a new flow. The duo proves why they were ahead of their time, and with the unfortunate incident that happened to Duke, it shows why the whole music world is at a loss.
And the bad…South Park Mexican...correction…SPM’s “Wiggy Wiggy” and Queenies “Tonight’s the night”. “Wiggy Wiggy” sounds like a Latino “Who let the dogs out”. Queenies’ track produces a Yawn and a skip on the radio.
Finally, the disk does have good tracks from up and coming artist like Street Platoon “Sick of it all”, ILL-FAME “My Role Dog”, Latin Froz “Indestructible”, and Shysti “No U don’t”. A bonus feature is the all-Spanish track by Jacken of Psycho Realm “El Surtidor”. Once again, Jacken brings his sick flow in Spanish, skillfully mixing his words to tell a story so creative. You have to hear it over and over just to enjoy the mastery Jacken displays in this game.
To answer the above questions is impossible. No logic has been applied in the creation of this disc. The music styles definitely represent the regions of the artist; it seems the label made it a priority to seek music with different styles. But the album cover lacks this diversity. The album jacket displays a woman badly photoshoped behind a Cartoon drawing, reminiscent of an old, played out, stereotypical cover. The inside is just as bad. A Rosary...no disrespect intended to religion but what does the rosary have to do with the album and it’s content. Besides that, photos accompany the artists including an un-credited Sal Rojas photo of Street Platoon. Since this disc is to expose the Latin Hip-Hop scene, why isn’t there a bio on who these artists are? The jacket was thrown together sloppily and quickly, sending the message “we can care less”. No respect was given to us, the buying public. All these factors combined with lack of promotion are ingredients for failure. Once again, we have to ask “Why did the make this Album?”
Written by the Quiet Storm
- Delinquent Habits -"Life Plays"
- Mexicano 777 feat. KRS-1 - "Balumbalang"
- Shandy - "Stick Em Up" feat. Junebug
- Funkdoobiest - "4-1 Nite" produced by DJ rectangle
- Mellow Man Ace - "Muddy"
- Psycho Realm - "El Surtidor"
- South Park Mexican - "Wiggy Wiggy"
- Queenie - "Tonight's the Night"
- Psycho Realm - Art of Execution
- Street Platoon - "Sick of It" all feat. Mausberg
- ILL-FAME - "My Role Dog"
- Latin Froz - "Indestructible"
- Tony Montana - "I Got"
- Shysti - "No U Don't"
- Punto Rojo - "Get High" feat. Delinquent Habits
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