Brick City, New Jersey veteran Redman returning after a decade for his 9th full-length studio LP as a Christmas Eve miracle. A member of the Hit Squad, he later signed to Def Jam Recordings & saw success during the 90s & 2000s as a solo artist & later with Method Man as a duo after his first 3 albums Whut¿: Thee Album alongside Dare iz a Darkside & Muddy Waters cemented his icon status. The latter turned 28 a couple weeks ago & is returning after almost a decade for Muddy Waters 2 through his own label Gilla House Records.
After the “Welcome” intro, the first song “Da Fuck Goin’ On?” kicks the door down with a 77 second self-produced hardcore hip hop joint gettin’ on his grind whereas “Whut’s Hot” goes for a bit of a rap rock vibe instrumentally courtesy of Khrysis talkin’ about not being told what’s poppin’ & what isn’t. “Jersey” produced by Rockwilder goes for a soulful vibe representing his turf & after the “Fat Shirley” skit, “Lalala” by Method Man & Redman moves forward with a fun look at their back-&-forth chemistry.
“Don’t You Miss” reflects on the old days since he’s a 90s boy who never gives up & giving everyone exactly what they pay for reuniting with his mentor Erick Sermon behind the boards leading into “Ignant” talking about the fact that there ain’t nobody else around his city like him bringing his classic ignorance. After the “Uncle Quilly” skit, “Aye” takes it to the streets over a funky ass beat while “Hoodstar” brings a disco flare to the table talking about being well known in the streets.
The lead single “Don’t Wanna C Me Rich” samples “Luck of Lucien” by A Tribe Called Quest letting everyone know that he’s been doing alright for the past 9 years just before “I’m on Dat Bullshit” dabbles with trap a bit thanks to Teak Underdue of Hallway Productionz talking about those runnin’ their mouths behind his back & for them to get a life. After “Da Trunk” skit, “Pop da Trunk” hooks up some synthesizers & handclaps showing off his mob ties while “Gheddo Motivation” goes trap again to provide street gospel.
“Dynomite” featuring Sheek Louch finds the pair linking up reminding everyone that both of them be movin’ while “Wave” takes a minute & half to discuss being all about real shit & shrugging off anyone who tries to be all up in his business. After the “My Weed’s Been Taken” skit, “Kush” featuring Snoop Dogg brings the synths back in the fold for a stoner’s ballad while “Booyaka Shot” aggressively talks about fuckboys never winning & that the G’s stay up.
Ke Turner joins Funk Doc on the Mike & Keys laced “Goofy” so they can poke fun at all the weird muhfuckas out here these days & after the “Obama Stick Up” skit, “1:00” ruggedly let’s y’all know the way shit’s going down from the cannabis king’s side of things. “Lite It Up” strips the drums for a star-studded New Jersey posse cut featuring the Artifacts, Channel Live, Heather B, Lady Luck, the Lords of the Underground, Naughty by Nature, Nikki D, Queen Latifah, Rah Digga & Shaquille O’Neal sampling “Rapper’s Delight” by the Sugarhill Gang while “Wudeytauknbout” playfully talks about having a look at all his haters.
“Why U Mad?” featuring Mr. Cream & Runt Dawg sees the trio wanting to know the exact reason for everyone walking around so pissed over a Rick Rock instrumental & after the “Soopaman Luva 7” skit, we are treated to the 7th installment of Reggie’s beloved series of tracks split into 2-parts. “Looka Here” featuring KRS-One nears the conclusion of Muddy Waters 2 with both of them assuring that everything’s in order & “Smoke wit Me” ends by addressing his legend status.
Funk Doctor Spock’s been teasing this for so long to the point where people were calling it the east coast’s answer to Dr. Dre’s mythical Detox album & now that we finally got it after 15 years, it’s his most consistent body of work since Red Gone Wild: Thee Album roughly 18 years ago this spring. I find it to be more well-produced than the commercial Reggie & Mudface were in addition to the Brick City Masher making a returning to form to the humorous hardcore approach he’s known for.
Score: 9/10
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