June 1, 1999
Rawkus Presents Heavy Beats Volume One
Spinna[/B] is one half of old-skool revivalists [B]Dope Fresh Crew[/B], best known for their collaborations with underground hip-hop sensations...
3 / 10
Spinna is one half of old-skool revivalists Dope Fresh Crew, best known for their collaborations with underground hip-hop sensations MC Trax, Bugsy Da Beat and Noyz Boyz. Or is he? Oh alright, I made all that up - Spinna is actually half of the 'accomplished' Jigmasters, best known for working with 4 Hero and Rae & Christian. Now, does that make things any clearer?
Not really, because this slapdash mini-album is hardly an inspired or illuminating journey into sound. "The beats on this joint were made strictly with original breaks," sniffs the monumentally amateurish - sorry, stylishly old skool - sleeve, adding "no bootlegs, compilations or reissued shit - you hear?" Oh we hear you, dude. That's the problem.
Of the eight tracks here, half are remarkably dull trundles with no earthly reason to exist. The rest are boastful, sluggish, funk-free duets with MC Smallfry and his homie DJ Nobody. The only two mildly diverting moments are an exemplary jazz-trumpet scratch solo on 'A Grooveamungus' and Eminem's Doctor Seuss-style guest vocal on the Madness-sampling goth-rap stomp 'Watch Dees'. And when Eminem is responsible for your best track, you're in trouble.
Next week, Spinna joins feted underground posse The Plod Squad and keeps it real with MC Totally Tedious.
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