Fun DMC

by People Under the Stairs

This album is basically a musical manifesto, calling for the return of fun to hip-hop. Thes One and Double K feel that hip-hop takes itself too seriously - from the business men, the popular, marketable rappers who rhyme about the same old crap, to the underground heads who search for purity and are quick to trash artists that try something different. They're basically calling for light-hearted rap, and most of this album is made up of just that.

"You bring the beef, and I'll bring the brew - that's right another barbecue" is the typical kind of hook found on two-thirds of this disc, and there's nothing wrong with that - PUTS are masters of laid-back, sun-drenched and weed-tinged California hip-hop. The beats are nice, the lyrics don't require a lot of thought, and everyone sounds like they're having a good time. At twenty tracks deep though, it's a hard vibe to maintain, and towards the middle of the cd, the songs started to blur for me.

There are, however, some more serious tracks as well. 'Critical Condition' and 'D' are my two favourite songs on here, and both of them step away from the 'fun' atmosphere to talk about things that are more serious. It's a welcome change of pace.

The liner notes take the form of a comic story by PUTS and Jaclyn Poole, which is a cute story of the boys picking up an odd assemblage of characters when on tour. George Clinton, a pimp, a young boy, a cowboy, and a giant Australian foot are among the entourage, in a story that culminates in a shooting at a concert (Roadkill style).

Personally, I've been enjoying this album since it was released, but it's not all that memorable to me. I would actually prefer to see Thes One put out another album like his 'Lifestyle Marketing', which was brilliant.