The 1995 release, "Coast II Coast", is the second album from the LA-based Hip Hop trio of E-Swift, J-Ro and Tash, better known as Tha Alkaholiks. I knew very little about the group prior to this, but had heard a banger of a tune on the "Friday Soundtrack", and had to find out more about them.
1. "WLIX" (Intro)
2. "Read My Lips"
To get things going, they get into the type of thing which you typically expect from the crew as they get into some hard, head-bopping Hip Hop with hardcore themes, strongly contrasting from what the mainstream acts from this area were coming with.
**Five Stars**
3. "Let It Out"
Continuing what you heard in the last track, Tha 'Liks go for a banger of a track, I which they talk about how they are unable to hold in their energy, and so have to come out with hyped up tunes like this to bring in all who may come close to it.
**Five Stars**
4. "21 And Under"
Starting things off with an Old School
sample as the hook, you are brought down slightly, before you get the group in a storytelling mood. In this you receive a great tae, constructed with a mad flow, which you simply wouldn’t expect from such underground MCs. You get a few positives messages in this, but as Tha 'Liks are known to do, they should it all in stories of alcohol consumption.
**Five Stars**
5. "All The Way Live" (feat. Q-Tip and King Tee)
You get some off-beat production on this one, and it marks a change in things, and it seems to work perfectly for how featured guests, Q-Tip and King Tee (a West Coast Hip Hop legend) get a chance to rip through the slapping beats. Tribe's Q-Tip kills it here.
**Five Stars**
6. "Hit And Run" (feat. Xzibit)
On this one, Tha 'Liks recruit the local then up-and-comer, Xzibit, as they go for a heard, headbopping tune for you to just vibe on. Their flows are crazy in it, and you can't help but move along to the heavy production from E-Swift.
**Four Stars**
7. "Daaam!" (feat. King Tee)
In a switch to what you are probably expecting from them, you have them going on some funky beats, and this can only be a positive for the group as they move away from the often-monotonous bopping tunes, but they hold it together with the kind of killer rhymes which are prevalent from start to finish.
**Five Stars**
8. "2014"
As this was all recorded in 1994, this one has them look to the future, and predict that by 2014, Hip Hop will be just as live as it is today, and obviously they didn't expect that just twelve years from this point, the 'Hip Hop Is Dead' movement would be a big thing in the game. All this is justified with raps about artists who have been in the game since the star and don't seem to be fading.
**Four Stars**
9. "Bottoms Up" (feat. King Tee)
King Tee gets on this one and gives it some Old School flavour before it is broken down into a modern (1994) rap tune as they refer to what's going on it the game (with a reference to Snoop). On this one they bring the tempo up and go for a straight party track for those times when you can't be bothered with lyrics, however if you do through it, there is an opportunity to indulge in this.
**Four Stars**
10. "Flashback" (feat. Xzibit)
This is an incredible track. It is completely unexpected too as you get them taking it way back to the late seventies/early eighties, by rapping in the style of Big Hank, Grandmaster Melle Mel and Kurtis Blow with themes such as zodiac signs, breakin' and not stopping the party any time soon. I can't believe no others have attempted anything like this before in the new school of Hip Hop.
**Five Stars**
12. "The Next Level" (feat. Diamond D)
To end it all off you have them bring things up to the trends of the time with some funky synth and a well-written approach to spitting out bars. It just shows how consistent the group are as nothing slows in their flow, even at this late stage in the album, and they continue to make the beats and rhymes work together without struggle.
**Five Stars**
This is one of the best underground Hip Hop albums I've heard, and its a shame that they never really got their name up in the game when you hear such quality from their work this early on into things. I didn't expect this to be what it was, knowing so little about the group. However upon hearing this, I would advise that all go out and listen to this release as it is amazing with the brilliant raps combined with a style which seems to be one of the best to follow closely behind the Golden Age of Hip Hop music.
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