madtheory's Full Review: Malpractice [PA] by Redman
I’m going to be honest here. I, madtheory, was not down from day one. I used to hate Redman.
The first time I heard of this rapper was way back in 1994. I was listening to “Hardcore” off EPMD’s latest album Business As Usual. In the middle of the song, Redman comes in with an offbeat, unrestrained style of rhyming that was very different from what Erick Sermon and Parish Smith were coming with. At the time, I felt that his ‘rah rah’ style of rapping ruined one of those classic, laid-back EPMD songs I had become used to, and wondered why E-double would sign such a talentless rapper.
Fast-forward to 1995. For a long while I had been hearing Redman’s songs, guest appearances and freestyles, so I had become acclimated to the New Jersey rapper’s distinctive style. What finally sold me on him was the infamous collaboration he did with the Wu Tang Clan’s Method Man for the rap documentary, The Show called “How High”.
I was already a huge fan of the Wu, but seeing Reggie Noble match skills with Meth made me realize that I had overlooked a truly talented artist. Several months later, I picked up his third LP, Muddy Waters, and haven’t looked back since. Now, thanks to the runaway success of his last album, Doc’s The Name 2000, Redman is officially recognized as on of Rap music’s elite artists.
Now, it’s time for Redman to continue onward and upward. His latest release, Malpractice is the next level for Reggie Noble, because it’s slightly different from all of his other albums. With this LP Red chooses to live up to his nickname, Funk Doctor Spot, by replacing standard hip-hop tracks with funk-inspired syncopated beats, covered with big, nasty, hairy, smelly, funk basslines provided by producers, Erick Sermon, Rockwilder, DJ Twinz, and Red himself.
With a new musical direction supplementing his unique rapping style and humorous skits, Redman has created one of the best rap albums of 2001 with Malpractice.
Track Listing
1. Roller Coaster Malpractice Intro
2. Diggy Doc
3. Lick A Shot
4. Let’s Get Dirty (I Can’t Get In Da Club) feat. DJ Kool
5. WKYA (drop)
6. 2-Way Madness (skit)
7. Real Ni**az feat. Scarface, Treach, Mally G, and Icarus
8. Uh-huh
9. Da Bullsh**t feat. Icarus
10. Who Wants to F*** a Millionaire (skit)
11. Enjoy Da Ride feat.Method Man, Streetlife, and Saukrates
12. Jerry Swinger Stickup (skit)
13. J.U.M.P feat. George Clinton
14. Muh-F***a
15. Bricks Two feat.Double O, O-Don, Roz, and Shooga Bear
16. Wrong 4 Dat feat. Keith Murray
17. Judge Juniqua (skit)
18. Dat B***h feat. Missy Elliot
19. Doggz II
20. Whut I’ma Do Now
21. Soopaman Luva (Part I)
22. Soopaman Luva (Part II)
23. Smash Sumthin’
The album starts out with an amusement park skit for the introduction, then immediately goes into “Diggy Doc” . The tune of this piece is set to D.O.C.’s “D.O.C. and the Doctor” by N.W.A.’s D.O.C. Erick Sermon uses keyboards to take a little bit of the edge off the hard beat, while Redman freestyles some lyrics. This track is more of a warm up for the rest of the CD than anything else.
Few deejays can hype up a song a song more than Washington D.C.’s DJ Kool . Redman recruits this Hip-Hop veteran to help create the club smash, “Let’s Get Dirty (I Can’t Get In Da Club)” . Red wisely gets Rockwilder to produce the track, and he builds a fiery beat with simple synthesizer chords and a speedy drum beat. For the hook, DJ Kool comes with his famous call and response style of deejaying that made his 1996 hit, “Let Me Clear My Throat” such a success. Redman raps about not being able to enter a packed club for the lyrics:
“I'm outside of the line and I'm actin a fool /
like a three o'clock bully, waitin’ after school /
(Punks!) I've been in this line for hours /
I even killed the time by helpin’ my man pass out fliers /
Now all I want to do is get in where I fit in /
Shake my a** with the baddest pigeon with her wig in /”
Perpetual partner Method Man appears with his protégé Streetlife on “Enjoy the Ride” , teaming up with Redman and Saukrates. The high-speed piano and keyboard-based track, created by Diverse, is perfect for the rappers to flow over, as their individual styles tend to lean toward rapid deliveries anyway. To his credit Meth is the only one who attempts to stick to the beat for most of his rap, showing that he can keep pace with even the fastest of tempos. He’s no Bone Thug, but it’s still impressive.
Funk originator George Clinton blesses “J.U.M.P.” with the type of funk only he can provide. Redman spits his wild and crazy lines over some Parliament Funkadelic-inspired beats and melodies. Erick Sermon produced this as well, shows the world that he knows his way around the funk. If you’re a fan of this type of music, you’ll be looping this track several times before proceeding.
Redman’s ongoing chronicles of the “Soopaman Luva” continues on tracks 21 and 22, “Soopaman Luva (Part I)” and “Soopaman Luva (Part II)” , respectively. On these songs, the Soopaman Luva character discovers that someone stole his mojo (a la Austin Powers) and goes on a mission to retrieve it. He even involves the notorious Jane from the EPMD albums. For the first in the series, E-Double provides an archetypal soft R&B track with guitars and keyboards, then when the song changes to Part II, Reggie Noble gives a hardcore beat with banging drums
Malpractice ends with an outro from Adam F, then kicks the bonus track “Smash Something” . This track has a lot of energy, fueled by a familiar loop from a track off Redman’s last album, a quick tempo, and Red dropping wild-out type lyrics. This is an excellent way to end such a stellar album.
I said it before and I’ll say it again. Malpractice is one of the best albums that has been released so far in 2001. Unless a whole bunch of rappers release some truly jaw-dropping work soon, expect to see Redman nominated for a few awards. The beats are well produced and extremely funky, Redman’s lyrics are sharp and on point, and the guest stars crush the mic. If this is Funk Doctor’s idea of malpractice, I need to make an appointment.
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