Friday, October 16, 2009

T.R.O.Y.

T.R.O.Y.


In Retrospect: Brand Nubian - Everything Is Everything

Posted: 16 Oct 2009 07:00 AM PDT

In Retrospect is going a new theme we're doing where we present you with an album that is much better than you originally thought. An album that may have received mixed reviews or happened to shunned initially but as the years went on you slowly realize it was better than you gave it credit for.

First up, Brand Nubian's Everything Is Everything. '94 was chock full of dope releases so it's understandable how this might have either fell though the cracks or got mistreated by the competition. Fresh off one of the dopest follow-up albums without their franchise player, "In God We Trust" was an absolute masterpiece of the new two-man team. A balls to the wall album where there is no apologizing, no cheating the listener of dauntless lyrics and definitely no hiding from Lord Jamar or Sadat X ideologies.



The Nubians returned a year later with Everything Is Everything, a safer and more mature album if you will. What many people don't realize is that Lord Jamar was always responsible for the majority of the production on the Brand Nubian albums. Even though they did a few tracks here and there, many people think of Pete Rock, Stimulated Dummies, Diamond D, Lord Finesse or Buckwild as the prominent producers in the groups catalogs.

Jamar laces things on the infectious "Word Is Bond" all the way into the ridiculously underrated posse cut "Step Into Da Cipher" featuring Serge, Maestro Manny and blogosphere favorite Snagglepuss.


The group tackled germane topics and wholeheartedly ripped tracks like "Claimin I'm A Criminal," "Hold On" and "Return of The Dread." If anything, this album showcased Lord Jamars growth as a producer and an emcee. While it was difficult to outshine Puba on "One For All" and the controversial Sadat X on "In God We Trust," it's on "Everything Is Everything" that Jamar truly shines.


The album was full of head-nodding tracks like "Alladat" featuring Busta Rhymes and the remix of "Lick Dem Muthaphuckas" originally found on the Menace II Society soundtrack. While it might not be better than any previous Nuban efforts, it surely isn't an album that you could call anything less than great. This is their "Beats, Rhymes & Life." --Philaflava