January 4, 1999

Doc's Da Name 2000

A psyche as twisted as [a]Redman[/a]'s would be hard to find in a psychiatric hospital, let alone on the streets of New Jersey....

8 / 10 A psyche as twisted as Redman's would be hard to find in a psychiatric hospital, let alone on the streets of New Jersey. But here he is again, Reggie Noble, The Funk Mr Spock, come to tell the world exactly what's going down. Who else would spend a fifth - count 'em - album celebrating the darker side of ghetto life?

Ol' Red is an artisan, a hip-hop craftsman, whose lyrical flow and complex rhymes hark back to old-skool values. He's also a consummate jester. There's something both sick and funny about his raw and incisive three-dimensional overview of people trapped in US government projects. And, thanks in part to EPMD's Erick Sermon, the tracks are literally 'bangin''.

Laugh nervously as Redman hijacks an airplane in descent to JFK. Grin nostalgically as he updates tunes by Ice Cube, Beastie Boys and the Tom Tom Club. Smirk knowingly as some neighbourhood friends steal a satellite van for their dope deals... Right from the insane simian noises of 'Monkee Out', through the vocoder grunts on 'Dog', outwards to the rhythmically lurching 'Da Goodness', the man's so crazy and bugged-out there's no choice but to salute him.