Compton's Most Wanted - Music to Driveby
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Music CD Cover
Artist: Compton's Most WantedEdition: Music CD
Audio: English (Unknown)
CD Release Date: 2008-02-01
Music Label: SBME SPECIAL MKTS.
Soundtracks:
- Hit the Floor
- Hood Took Me Under
- Jack Mode
- Compton 4 Life
- 8 Is Enough
- Duck Sick II
- Dead Men Tell No Lies
- N 2 Deep
- Who's ****ing Who?
- This Is a Gang
- Hood Rat
- Niggaz Strugglin
- I Gots ta Get Over
- U's a Bitch
- Another Victim
- Def Wish II
- Music to Driveby
Free Music Notes for Music to Driveby
Free Music Review: A quintessential, albeit overlooked, album of gangsta rap
Hit: 5 Stars
1992 was a landmark year in hip hop, especially on the West Coast, where the gangsta rappers from Los Angeles neighborhoods such as Compton and Long Beach were becoming household names. This was the year that Dr. Dre's The Chronic predetermined the direction that West Coast gangsta rap would take for the next decade. And yet, with the g-funk phenomenon moving into full gear, veteran outfit Compton's Most Wanted, some of NWA's earliest disciples, still managed to drop their seminal album that year.
"Music to Driveby," CMW's third outing, featured a lineup consisting of the legendary MC Eiht, DJ Slip, and DJ Mike T. While legions of rappers were starting to jump on the g-funk bandwagon, CMW continued to develop their pioneering gangsta rap sound from 1990's It's a Compton Thang and 1991's Straight Checkn 'Em. I've always felt that CMW and Eiht were an act that was never marketed correctly--for instance, Eiht's best known and arguably best song, 1993's "Streiht Up Menace," never appeared on an album of his own, but rather Menace II Society: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack, and while early `90s albums were credited to CMW, the two subsequent efforts were labeled MC Eiht featuring CMW, until he finally became a solo artist. Not only is Eiht a true pioneer, but he's also a survivor of the rap game, with a career now spanning two decades during which he was one of rap's most prolific artists. Be it his early ground-breaking records or latter-day work, his music is always a good indicator of the state of hip hop and life in the West Coast's cities. In any event, Eiht is a vastly underrated rapper in terms of influence, talent, and quality, and a legend who rarely receives due respect.
In '92, West Coast rap was rarely experimental or artistic, but was more often a rugged depiction of ghetto circumstances. "Music to Driveby" finds Eiht doing exactly what made him infamous: providing accurate, unemotional profiles of hood life and people. Eiht was among the first and best to do it, and although he spawned countless imitators, his strictly hardcore style was both shocking and original. But he also established himself as one of L.A.'s premier MCs with his endlessly smooth delivery, signature adlibs and voice, deep and effective storytelling, and brutal battle raps. Perhaps most of all, Eiht portrays the realities of Compton life without glorifying them, lending a particular poignancy to the music.
Still, "Music to Driveby" is hardly a one-man show. DJ Slip and the Unknown DJ engineer the album to musical perfection, employing extensive soul samples to ensure smooth, funky backing for Eiht's rap. The beats are heavy, deep, and rich yet simultaneously gritty, and the music maintains a very cinematic quality due to the frequent use of sound bytes from movies. DJ Mike T contributes his signature scratch and DJ skills as well. It's a heavy, consistent sound that really works and makes the album a lot of fun to listen to.
After a great intro and the short, furious "Hit the Floor" CMW stays serious with one of their most infamous tracks, "Hood Took Me Under," a smooth, slow, and sinister track where Eiht chronicles the development of a gangster and the manner in which dangerous neighborhoods mold young men. Musically this track is also excellent, with great sampling, scratches, and layering. Sound bytes also lend cinematic mood to "Compton 4 Life," a profile of their home. Classic "Duck Sick II" finds a menacing Eiht getting busy over a strong track sampling Audio Two and Billy Cobham. "Dead Men Tell No Lies" is another old school standard, and Scarface guests on the running narrative"N 2 Deep." Slip and Mike T cleverly rip Tim Dog's own voice in the response to his "F Compton," "Who's F'ing Who?"
The album enters its best stretch with "Hoodrat," a tale of the downfall of a woman, which has a rich, orchestrated beat with a phenomenal sax sample that may comprise the best production on the LP. "Nz Strugglin" is structurally similar and equally great, a smooth, soulful winner. A great horn cadence anchors the highlight "I Gots ta Get Over," and Slip's beat on the ruthless diss "U's a B" is phenomenal, a tasteful and silky gem. The nice "Another Victim" precedes one of Eiht's greatest tracks, "Def Wish II," which contains truly terrifying shots toward DJ Quik. The mob movie samples and beat that sounds reminiscent of a horror score make his verses even more terrifying.
"Music to Driveby" is a really enjoyable listen and a hugely influential piece of music. For those who grew up to Eiht's by-the-books solo material, this should really provide a glimpse into the group that was a pioneering force in the foundation of West Coast rap. CMW regrouped periodically in the years that followed, but this is their opus as a group, an extremely overlooked classic, and I highly recommend "Music to Driveby."
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