Ras Kass - Rasassination

http://www.mediafire.com/?n56rus57lm9t8m8


1. Endtro
2. Rasassination
3. Ghetto Fabulous (feat. Dr. Dre & Mack 10)
4. Lapdance (feat. RC)
5. (Skit #1)
6. Conceited Bastard
7. Ice Age (feat. Kurupt & El-Drex)
8. ...In a Coogi Sweatsuit (skit)
9. H2OProof (feat. Saafir)
10. It Is What It Is (feat. Jazze Pha)
11. Interview With a Vampire (feat. God & Satan)
12. Wild Pitch (feat. Xzibit & Jah Skillz)
13. OohWee!
14. All or Nuthin' (feat. Twista)
15. Grindin' (feat. Bad Azz)
16. I Ain't Fucking With You
17. Get at Me
18. The End (feat. RZA)

Like most everyone else in the hip hop world, I was massively disappointed when Ras Kass dropped this as his follow up to the indisputable classic, 'Soul on Ice'. This album was about as radical a departure as one could imagine, and as such, was universally panned by fans and critics alike. Its polished beats, poppy hooks, and more relaxed take on lyricism alienated Ras's original fan base in such a way that he still, to this day hasnt fully recovered.

You want to know a secret though? This album is actually pretty amazing in retrospect. I mean sure, its no 'SOI', but when not being held up against another body of work, and being taken in strictly for what it is, its actually a very solid record and suitable follow up. Its true the album took a more mainstream approach to the Ras Kass formula, but honestly it really isnt as radical a departure as one would think. I mean isnt it an artist job to continue to experiment and grow musically? Can anyone really blame Ras Kass for doing it big when a little more cash was thrown at him? The answer of course will vary from listener to listener, in my humble opinion though it was the natural evolution of one of the West Coast's finest mc's.

Looking back on the album I can honestly say there really isnt a weak beat amongst the bunch. The Dr Dre and Mack 10 featured 'Ghetto Fabulous' is a banging, ominous piece of production that matches Rassy perfectly. 'Conceited Bastard' sounds like it could have been a SOI outtake, and the title cut 'Rasassination' was so ahead of its time that we wouldnt see mc's and producers catching up to that sound until as late as 2006.

An album isnt solely defined by its production though, and as any Ras fan can tell you, the main draw for his debut classic was his flawless display on the mic. The Ras Kass we find here isnt as technically strong as the one on SOI, but he's still just as gifted. 'Soul On Ice' sounded like a man with the weight of the world on his shoulders, this album though sounds like someone who's happy to be living life and having a good time while doing it. Thats not to say that SOI Ras doesnt show up every now and again, just check the instantly classic cut "Interview With a Vampire ", this is the type of track that most rappers couldnt even begin to think of creating, let alone fully executing it. In fact you would be hard pressed to find a single weak verse form Ras Kass on this album, his performance as a whole stands the test of time and sounds even better today then it did on its release.

The main critisim that was thrown at SOI was that the production was lacking, some even found it outright boring, Ras Kass did everything in his power to fix that on this release and consequently had his fans turn on him for doing so, a real "damned if you do, damned if you dont" situation. But really this has been what Rassy's career has been about all along, from day one its been him against the world. Fuck it though, Ras has created and album with some of the strongest songwriting of his career, lyrically very few mc's can see him on this, and concept wise he's untouchable. I urge everyone who gave this a bad review (and even those who havnt heard it yet) to revisit this album with an open mind, I think you're going to be surprised by just how well this lp as aged.

Pro's
-Very strong production values
-Great songwriting
-Top notch lyricism
-Amazing concepts

Con's
-a potential shock for those coming straight off of 'SOI'
-If you're not a fan of a more polished, mainstream sound, then this may not do much for you

Overall 4/5