“The Lords Of The Underground came out with their second album, “Keepers of the Funk” in 1994, and as their name suggest, the New Jersey trio (consisting of members DoItAll, Mr. Funke, DJ Lord Jazz) are a underground rap group, and with this record they were really able to take their names ... Read review
A review by XICripZ on Keepers Of The Funk - Lords Of The Underground June 10th, 2009
Author's product rating:
Originality
Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics
Thought-provoking
Quality and consistency of tracks
A couple of weak links
Value for Money
Good
Advantages:
Consistent quality
Disadvantages:
Little variation
Recommend to potential buyers:
yes
Full review
“The Lords Of The Underground came out with their second album, “Keepers of the Funk” in 1994, and as their name suggest, the New Jersey trio (consisting of members DoItAll, Mr. Funke, DJ Lord Jazz) are a underground rap group, and with this record they were really able to take their names into the mainstream.
1. “Intro”
2. “Ready Or Not”
They jump straight into it on this one as they show what this album has to offer from the get-go with a tune which references what they came with on their debut, and comments on how exactly they hope to take things forward on this one. It is a fly one, and I felt that it was pretty representative of their music.
**Four Stars**
3. “Tic Toc”
From the title alone, most Hip Hoppers should associate it with MC Ricky D’s classic words on “La Di Da Di”, and this is just what you get for the hook of this track, and it pushes things forward to lift them up and get them to get things done on one of the most familiar samples in the Hip Hop world with work from The Git Fresh Crew making this one go as they do some rare classic rap work out of New Jersey.
**Four Stars**
4. “Keepers of the Funk”
With “Funk” used for the title, you could only have the innovator of the Funk movement being featured on this one and so with George Clinto (behind Funkadelic and Parliament), you get a killer tune which makes you right back. This mirrors what went on out on the West coast at the time with music which advances pat the G-Funk peak in 1992 and 1993.
**Five Stars**
5. “Steam From Da Knot”
Directly off the banger prior to it, you have them calm thing down quite a bit here as they choose to do one which has them turn to another side of their music with a tune which has them do one which has them bringing in some of the other underground rap of the time, which was Gangsta Rap (before it came over to the mainstream a couple of years later). Some of the techniques here are pretty progressive, and sound far ahead of their time.
**Four Stars**
6. “What I’m After”
Using a samples of BLACKstreet’s “Tonite’s The Nite” and Trouble Funk “Pump Me Up”, this one is a straight killer tune which has them rap about their progression with Hip Hop and how they came up and grew up with the genre and the culture as a whole. It is a banging joint from them and it really stands out for its heavy production and the engaging rhymes.
**Five Stars**
7. “Faith”
The whole sound of this one sounds like a significant shift from the track prior to it as if it has been recorded a long time from the one before it, and it really throws you off as it takes from the flow off the album, but as it was one of the singles from the album, this is likely to distort the sound (due to its familiarity). Here they rhyme about their religious faith, and it is a very different tune from them.
**Four Stars**
8. “Neva Faded”
This more heavy sampling coming out of this track, you have them go for a tune which seesm to take things to the direction which you typically expected from underground East Coast rap of this time as they do one which is a straight head bopper, and it compels you to do so to a degree where you simply can’t do anything but this. **Four Stars**
9. “No Pain”
The beats in this one seemed cushioned, and if you listen to it when juxtaposed with so many hardcore tracks close it it, is feel so mellow in comparison as if it is being protected from all the rough and rugged stuff in the record. However I find this to be a strength to the track as it makes it stand out and makes you take a lot more notice of what they do with it.
**Four Stars**
10. “Frustrated”
Starting things up with a little brass wind, this one has them a track where they really carry through the emotions of the tune to the listener as with the rhymes they explain exactly why they are in this state of frustration to the degree where all can relate to what is done on it. It takes a lot out of you, and at times they offer ways out of it.
**Four Stars**
11. “Yes Y’all”
The beats in this one are as funky as what we started the album with, and so it appears to give the album some sort of cyclical roundness to it, and with beats from the legendary Marley marl, you have them forcing you to bounce to the dunking flow of the MCs out of Jerz. It has a retro feel to it, and I expect the fact that Marley Marl produces it, is a heavy influence upon it.
**Four Stars**
12. “What U See”
As the final proper tune on this album you have more funky stuff to remind you what the real aim of the release was, and I couldn’t say that I was going to discourage this sort of stuff. On it you have them promote themselves as the most real thing you get in the Hip Hop world, and give examples to back it all up.
13. “Outro”
This is consistent album from the Lords of the Underground, but I can see why it was held back a little as it seemed to be a little samey throughout with very little variation being offered with it, and it seemed that the early George Clinton appearance and the singles were the only times were the thing lifts, but on the whole it is strong.
Album Notes: Lords Of The Underground: Mr. Funke (vocals, keyboards); DoItAll (vocals); DJ Lord Jazz (scratches). Additional personnel: Deniece Williams (vocals); Andre Booth, Frank Heller (bass); K-Def (scratches); George Clinton, Brian "Bre" Williamson, Sah-B, P-Funk Singers (background vocals). Producers: Marley Marl, Kevin "K-Def" Hansford, Lords Of The Underground. Engineers: Marley Marl/Kevin "K-Def" Hansford Recorded at House Of Hitz, Chesnut Ridge, New York. On "Tic Toc"--the first-rate jam from KEEPERS OF THE FUNK that strings together stories, declarations, and commandments of hip-hop--rapper Funkyman drops this little piece of advice to his microphone-wielding breathren. "Do it for yourself/Do it for the hood/But do it from the heart/`Cos that's when it's good." And what at first seems like a throwaway couplet from the album's first single, flowers into a motto for Lords Of The Underground. The heart and hood are all over KEEPERS OF THE FUNK, and along with Marley Marl's flavorful production, keep the record bouncing steadily along. On KEEPERS OF THE FUNK, Lords Of The Underground--MCs Funkyman and DoItAll, and DJ Lord Jazz--string together a song-cycle that may have less per-capita grooves than most west coast G-Funk, but whose flow and overall production value stand up and get noticed. Under the cover of sparse jazzy samples and dance-floor-ready beats the Lords uplift the masses, constantly shout out to their hood (Newark, NJ), and, on the title track, even stake their claim to the funk, while George "Uncle Jam" Clinton helps the band state their "case." In fact, KEEPERS OF THE FUNK has such a relaxed air of confidence about its skills, that it raises the question as to who doubted the Lords' "case " in the first place.
Album Reviews: Vibe (11/94, p.129) - "...Unlike rappers who follow the trend of the moment...They talk about their lyrical dexterity and about staying genuine to the music and culture of hip hop..." The Source (12/94, p.84) - 3.5 Mics - Dope - "...they delete some of their non-accessible attributes and concentrate on streamlining their image...The album's surprise, `Faith,' is as gospel as any hardcore group maintaining street credibility can be..." Option (3-4/95, p.114) - "...With vocals that are neither too menacing nor too slick, Lords deftly combine the intense and casual on their aptly-titled second album....KEEPERS OF THE FUNK shows that Lords Of The Underground have the talent to outlast most of their peers..." Melody Maker (6/3/95, p.37) - "...exudes an enticing, reverberating spaciousness, the sound of a piano tumbling down a six-storey tenement stairwell....And...these guys are funny....After an impromptu human beatbox sesh, they complain about getting showered in saliva..." Rap Pages (12/94, p.32) - 6 - "...KEEPERS OF THE FUNK is full of the same flavor that made the Lords' first album such a success..."
Titles on disc 1
1.: Intro
2.: Ready Or Not
3.: Tic Toc
4.: Keepers Of The Funk
5.: Steam From Da Knot
6.: What I'm After
7.: Faith
8.: Neva Faded
9.: No Pain
10.: Frustrated
11.: Yes Y'all
12.: What U See
13.: Outro
Ciao
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