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Artist: Special Ed Album: Still Got It Made Label: Semi Rating: 2/5 |
This misguided follow-up to the legendary
I Got it Made begs the quiestion: What, exactly, has Special Ed
made? And with such an obvious title, should we expcect a sequel any
more worthwile than Cheaper by the Dozens 2 or Friday After Next? The
new-school affected beats are neither infectious nor convincing, and
no golden-age analog aesthetic lies embedded in the digital coding.
To my ears, this is a schizophrenic offering that feels a tension tugging
it toward both adult-contemporary and gangsta rap; the result is a legless
effort that falls flat in the middle.
The
clever jab: “Why you trippin, you better tie your shoes ” is followed
by the embarrassing couplet: “stop skippin, no runnin/ my flow is
stunning. ” The Knight-Rider-esque bass vamp and shredded guitar on
“N.Y.C ” is as destined for obsolescence as the lyrical content,
namely a discussion of hard, unforgiving streets. The desire to be hard
yields awkward juxtapositions, like the contrasting of misogynistic
comments about slutty barflies and ruminations on fatherhood and monogamy.
The
only evidence of his golden-age participation is Special Ed’s growth-stunted
flow. His voice is deeper, but his words are wading-pool deep. I would
prefer to listen to him convince followers that he is “The Maginficent ”
than endure his fallacious threat “You don’t wanna get the holes
on your clothes/ We got the cash money and a semi to your nose. “
His
take on gangsta partyism on All Night All Day with the Dogg Pound Posse
is a pleasant enough ride, probably the most downloadable song on the
record, and Special Ed still rocks clever similes (Q: What is Special
Ed ¬Ç√Ñ√≤off the wall like’? A: “A flat-screen when your house gets
robbed. “), but there is not enough content or pleasure to be derived
from this ¬Ç√Ñ√≤fool’s gold’ conception.
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