This week the album is Pudgee tha Phat Bastard’s Give ’em the Finger.
Ugh.
Ok, let’s start with the positives. The bulk of this album is produced by the Trackmasters (or as they were known back then, the “Trak Masterz”). Now, at first thought, this might seem like a negative. But this album was released in 1993, which means it’s like Tone and Poke when they were like Anakin and before they were seduced by the Dark Side.
I mean, if you dig that era of hip-hop, you’ll really enjoy the beats that they crafted for the album. It’s easy to see how they became such in-demand producers.
Kool G Rap come out of nowhere; apparently he owed someone a favor, to make “This Is How We…” actually worth listening to.
And that about does it for the positives. Now for the negatives.
Even if you’re a fan of that era, Pudgee’s punchline heavy flow will grate on your nerves. He’s like Grand Puba on 11 and minus the charisma and swagger. Don’t get me wrong, Pudgee’s got skills, but 13 tracks of bragging is a long time. And given that Pudgee was never heard from again (not even on the Trackmasters Wikipedia entry) it certainly seems hollow.
In fact, the only time Pudgee tries a narrative is on “Mommie Dearest” a track about incest that clocks in at under a minute and a half.
Usually I enjoy a trip down memory lane, but this album just serves as an example of period of awkwardness that hip-hop endured when transitioning from Grand Puba braggadocio to Biggie grittiness.
