mcheadcase's Full Review: 2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus) [PA] by Canibus
Revamped on 12/25/04
If you are a fan of true lyricism, then you know Canibus needs no introduction. Hes the lyrical manslayer who ripped apart every track he got on in 97 and killed LL Cool with the diss track "Second Round K.O." in 98. When Bis dropped his debut "Can-I-Bus", a lot of people were dissing it for the extremely average production. The two years that followed ended up being Canibus' regrouping period. In that amount of time, He ditched Wyclef Jean and started working with a new group of producers like Ty Fyffe and DJ Clue. After much preparation, Canibus dropped his new album "2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus)", a throwback to the hardcore battle style he perfected early on in his career. Unfortunately, the album didn't shatter the industry and get him to popular status like he had hoped. While the production was mostly improved, the content was mostly battle raps, so it didn't have the diversity of his debut record. But even if the record was full of only battle raps, they're still some of the best battle raps you'll ever hear.
1. The C-Quel (5 Stars)
2. 2000 B.C. (Before Can-I-Bus) (5 Stars)
3. Life Liquids feat. Journalist (3 1/2 Stars)
4. Shock Therapy (Skit) (NOT RATED)
5. Watch Who U Beef Wit (4 Stars)
6. I'll Buss 'em, You Punish 'em feat. Rakim (5 Stars)
7. Mic-Nificent (5 Stars)
8. Die Slow feat. Journalist (3 Stars)
9. Doomsday News feat. Panama P.I. (4 1/2 Stars)
10. Lost @ C (5 Stars)
11. Phuk U (4 Stars)
12. Horsemen feat. Pharoah Monch (4 1/2 Stars)
13. Horsementality feat. Ras Kass, Kurupt, and Killah Priest (5 Stars)
14. 100 Bars (5 Stars)
15. Chaos (4 Stars)
The album starts out with the track that shares the title of what this album was to originally be named, "The C-Quel". The beat is pretty tight, sampling the theme of the 70s TV show "S.W.A.T." The choruses combine Bis' greatest lines overlapping one another, which is pretty clever if you ask me. Lyrically, Bis is just as on point as he was on his first album, as he basically murders the microphone, explaning his placement at the top of the ladder as one of the illest lyricists ever, and with lyrics like these, I wouldn't doubt it. There is a bit of controversy surrounding this track though, as the version on the album is NOT the completed version. The track in its entirety was on the promo version, and contained a longer second verse. On the album, the song stops after the line "suffering from a severe illness called brilliance" and goes straight into the next track. But Bis spits about 14 more bars afterward, sort of getting into some storytelling about how he was kidnapped and taken to a secret location for "knowing too much". Regardless, with or without the entire second verse, the track is straight flames, a PERFECT way to start off the album:
"...Anybody get out of line, get they face slapped
Quick fast, the Can-I-Bus'll buss yo' ass
Then I'll bust you wit' a shotgun blast
it's not fun so I don't laugh,
to me this rap shit is as serious as the death of a loved one
You know how I be feelin' sad? That's how I feel
when I grab the microphone but niggas don't understand
Canibus is unequivocably the illest killin' machine
in the industry, for the 20th century
trapped in a max security building
Sufferin' from a severe illness called brillance
They sent doctors in protective suits
Pressurized helmets, plastic gloves and boots
Army recruits in small groups, torture me for the truth
If I resist they got orders to shoot
Put one in my brain with a trey-duece,
wrap me in cellophane, and dump my body in the trunk of a coup
Instead I find myself blindfolded and stripped naked
Bein interrogated by some highly professional agents
Who spoke bad English but fluent Haitian
One of their backgrounds was Jamaican
They offered me a peice of plantain but i wouldn't take it
He shook my hand and I can tell by the way he embraced it, he was a Mason
He said "You're only here for one reason mister Can-I-Bus
You know too much..." (echos)"
If you think that was ill, we havent even started yet. Just wait for the title track "2000 B.C." The atmosphere can only be described as apocalyptic, of course that feeling instilled by the operatic beat produced by Ty Fyffe. Lyrically, Bis just destroys the microphone with a flawless delivery and complete lyrical dominance. He spits some ill battle rhymes, and blames his former producer for the fans hating on his debut: "You mad at the last album? I apologize for it / Yo, I cant call it, motherfuckin' Wyclef spoiled it" Clef is not completely at fault, although he did try to promote Canibus as a Hip-Pop star instead of a microphone terrorist, which undoubtedly backfired. Bottom line, the title track will take you back to the Old School days of battle and braggadocio and it is definitely one of the best song Bis has done lyrically.
Philly rapper Journalist joins Canibus on two songs, "Life Liquid" and "Die Slow". They're both battle raps, with similar themes. The first one is basically Bis and Journ getting on some gangsta shit, exploring various ways to tourture and kill their opponents. The beat, produced by Juju of the Beatnuts, is ok, it sounds REALLY grimey to me, which provides the perfect atmosphere for this track. Journ is pretty much on point lyrically, but sometimes his flow can be REALLY choppy, and the same can be said for Bis in this track. Its good, but no real classic material: "[C] Ayyo Journalist what you workin with? [J] Old school burners with / barrels big enough for you head to fit in the circle shit / What you holdin Canibus? [C] 30 bulllet banana clips / Just to handle the kick I gotta glue it to my hands and shit" As for "Die Slow", its definitely the weakest track on the album to me. Its barely above average. The beat isn't that good at all, Ty Fyffe did NOT do a good a job as he did with the title track. Lyrically, Bis is ok, as he gives us a little bit of storytelling in his verse, and taking some shots at his old rival LL. while Journ just doesn't compare to him at ALL. He drops a lackluster verse that just brings the track down a lot more. I dont really want to label it as filler, but that's all I can label "Die Slow" as .... filler. The album's first single "Mic-Nificent" gives us something more appreciated on the production tip. The beat bounces intensely with a furious guitar loop and an orchestra sample, which compliments Bis' flow. Bis made a damn good choice choosing this as his first single, as he once again rips the microphone with lyrical mastery and a breakneck delivery, I cant even explain it, its a classic. Heres some of my fave lyrics from the track, as he uses some humor to break down backwards ass idots: "My rhymes confuse niggas like somebody try to gang-bang / wearin a blue shirt and red pants, throwin up signs with their left hand / Standin out on the corner of wetlands / with a confederate flag for a headband" Its raw, thats all I can say.
Two of the tracks from the album are not new, but have been reused from past soundtracks, and those tracks are "Watch Who U Beef Wit" and "I'll Buss 'em, You Punish 'em". The differences between these tracks and their originals are that the beats are different, that's it. The first was originally on the White Boyz movie soundtrack and it takes on the theme of 'if you mess with me, me and my crew will fuck you up' as the title might describe. Bis' lyricism is outstanding, as expected, but the beat is weak, containing a lackluster drum loop and relatively weak piano loop. If they had used the original beat from the White Boyz soundtrack, it would have been a classic (to me at least) but the beat just brings it down a few notches. "I'll Buss 'em..." was originally from the MTV Celebrity Deathmatch Soundtrack and the theme is basically a rhyme deathmatch, making references to the show's title and someone on the show, former WWE superstar and a regular on CDM, Stone Cold Steve Austin. Production wise, the track is VERY MUCH improved (I thought the beat from the original just flat out sucked). Big props to DJ Clue on that one. This track just basically sees Canibus teaming up with the greatest emcee of all time Rakim as they take turns ripping the microphone to shreds. I can't stress how much of a classic this one is, their clever use of wordplay is outstanding.
[Canibus]
"...Fuck a pad and a pen, write rhymes on a IBM
Ebonics is dead, the binary language is in
Canibus practices in a room wit a thousand candles lit
Meditatin on this rap shit
Because my freestyle reigns sovereign
wit a deeper conscience than the prophet Muhammad was born wit
My brain cavity is enormous
My left hemisphere alone harnesses all of the seven chakras..."
[Rakim]
"Be ready and at your best, the 'Celebrity Match of Death'
Heart snatched through your chest, cardiac arrest
Crack your neck while I break your arms, catch your breath
Then I ask the ref, "How many cats is left?"
One on one, who challengin? Come get did
All I have is a pen and punish you kids
Abdomen punctured and look what I done to his wig
Wanna live, then I stab 'em in the lung with his rib
Every word I say detach a vertebrae from your spine
Rematch wherever we meet at, any place anytime
Get your snot-box smashed with a nine, smacked with a rhyme
Push your forehead to the back of your mind..."
"Doomsday News" and "Lost @ C" follow suit, as Canibus spits more RAW battle rhymes over some banging beats. The production on the latter is handled by Irv Gotti (yes, the head of Murder Inc.) and has a real gospel feeling to it. The stand out part of this track is the part where he begins to comment how all the bullcrap the commercial industry produces is the same: "I hop in front of the cameras and tell 'em how I'm feelin / I tell 'em how I feel that hip-hop, should deal wit it / Tell 'em how I'm tired of the state rap is in / Ninety percent of the shit that rappers kick is subject matter-less / Not original, but blasphemous, just a bunch of the same characters / shootin the same videos, it's embarassin / Usin the same formulas to have a hit / Usin the same actors and actresses, same shit, different laxative". Very tight, but the next track is one that has really gotten people thinking: "Phuk You". The beat is ok and he rips the track up, even though the sample of someone saying "fuck you" can get annoying, but thats not it. In the past few years its been revealed, that Eminem was originally supposed to be on this track. Em said the beat was wack and declined, and when the track came out, Em said he heard some parts dissing him. Is it true or is he being paranoid? Well, in the first verse, these lines could be aimed at Em: "Aiyyo, nobody can flow wit Bis, rock a show wit bis / or go toe to toe wit Bis, none of yall can co-exist" but more than likely the last line of the first verse "fuck who's on next" could have been aimed at Em, considering he would be "on next" after Canibus spit his two verses. But out of the whole track, he said the third verse dissed him outright, but also said it sounded like it could have been aimed at LL Cool J too. Who is the verse aimed at, Eminem or LL Cool J? You be the judge:
"Aiyyo, your superstar status don't mean shit to me
Lyrically, sucker emcees still get fricassee'd
Try to diss me now, how you sound?
Yo, whoever signed you must be runnin' the circus cuz you a clown
You a rapper wit a drug habit, hidin' the truth
Camoflaugin' ya needle tracks wit some colorful tattoos
You was never equipped for this, never equipped to spit wit Bis
I'm swift as shit, let me point out the main differences
You magnificent, I'm "Mic-Nificent"
Yo, i'd even go out on a limb wit it, say you write a little bit
That don't make you a tight lyricist cause you don't practice or stick with it
Look at the 60 hour shifts I spend wit this
I never quit, I got a gift for the art
A low-matinence cost, no physical moving parts
In 98, niggas thought I was God, how the FUCK did that change?
I'm STILL one of the illest niggas in the game
So look inside yourself, and tell me what you see
If you see a hungry nigga then you looking at me
And its alright if you dont trust me cause I dont trust you
as a matter of fact, I'd probably bust you, motherfucker, FUCK YOU!"
Following this near-classic is "Horsemen" which features underground talent, Pharoahe Monch. Bis isnt featured on this track except a LITTLE BIT at the end, so the track loses a point. But still Monch kicks an SICK verse acapella and serves as the perfect set up to the next classic, "Horsementality". This track features an emcee super-group which would be known as The Horsemen (later abbriviated as HRSMN): Canibus, Ras Kass, Killah Priest, and Kurupt. The beat has sort of an apocolyptic feel, which is pretty cool. Kurupt goes first, kicking a pretty nice verse, followed by Priest who does the same. Ras Kass comes next and kicks IMO the best verse of the whole track, using some sick ass wordplay: "Catch me hoppin off the A train in a New York state of mind / But I rep Westside, so I keep L.A. time / That's a three-hour difference, so when my bitch is a six, she's really a nine / In seven days, she'd still be a dime". Bis rounds out the track with a devilish verse, with his frequent use of the number 666, which represents the Devil. Anyway, this shit is classic, nuff said. The last two tracks are battle raps, of course, but these are kinda interesting. "Chaos" is a 2 and a half minute track, where Bis raps the whole first verse acapella. Its a sick track, but perhaps the greatest acheivement on this album is "100 Bars". The beat on this track is pretty tight, containing a haunting violin loop. On this track, Bis raps for five minutes straight, spitting straight fire battle lyrics the entire time. The thing about Bis is he must count his bars differently ... see a lot of people consider a beat to be one line, and if thats the automatic truth, then this track should be called "115 Bars" cause thats how many lines are in this song. Regardless, the track is straight fire, and a prelude to what we'd hear on his fourth album "Mic Club: The Curriculum". I can't stress how outstanding this shit is, just check the lyrical sample:
"...Wack niggas wanna be down but its not allowed
Interrupt the cypher unannounced and you'll get punched in the mouth
With the southpaw southern fist
I'll bust your shit, swell your lip and get the Bubba shrimp
For actin' tough as shit, what a wimp
You giant Goliath niggas get shot with a rubber sling
I'm an experiment gone bad
My brainwaves on an encephalograph show I'm stark ravin mad
Your whole scientific staff will get killed in a nuclear blast
When I throw the Florence flask in my hand
flammable liquids in the lab explode
and you get stabbed with all the flyin' glass, trained to blow up
a commercial aircraft, trained in chemical weapons class
Just to see how long a nigga's breath'll last
I put him in a leather mask, spray his ass
with a can of pepper gas, then watch him grab his neck and gag
Watch the nigga choke to death as I laugh
"You wanna battle?" is the type of question you should never ask
Nigga, pick a tougher task, see who the fuck'll last
Whoever lose get a solderin' iron up the ass
You need to recognize, my hand is quicker than the eye
Quicker than the 5 speed Jamiroquai drives
A lifespan longer than nine lives
Infinite rhymes that can't die, a nigga with a divine mind
I dedicate this to the wise, dedicate it to dimes
Dividin' myself into a hundred ten times
You can't deny the offerings I offer
Flows that glow, with auroras that sparkle like water
Fly like a saucer with the torque of a Porsche
Murder a million emcees then autograph all of they coffins..."
The production may not be the greatest in the world, but it's better than "Can-I-Bus" and the outstanding lyricism and great guest appearances make up for it. The bottom line is if you like diversity in an album with various different topics and concepts, you probably won't like this but if you appreciate true lyricism when it comes to battle lyrics, you'll love this. Either way, I'd recommend this to ANYONE who considerers themselves a fan of pure, unadulterated lyricism. Canibus proves he is one of the greatest lyricists of all time here.. don't believe me? Then Pick it up and listen to it yourself.
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