Album Details

• Artist: Celph Titled And Buckwild
• Album: Nineteen Ninety Now
• Label: No Sleep
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: patchen on 2010-08-31

A mix featuring sweet New Orleans horns introduces "The Deal Maker," a slick recap of old school boasts, current posers and a mini-history lesson that kicks off this intense concept record. As title from this debut by Celph Titled and Buckwild suggests, "Nineteen Ninety Now" harkens back to the smooth and beats and long list of legendary hip-hop artists of the 90s, a decade that now seems like the last gasp for quality mainstream rap. While hip-hop remains as vital and daring as ever underground, mainstream is of a rap is of a sameness that ....yet many artists with that daring spirit vainly fought the growing number of gangsta clones on the charts in the nineties. This record is a tribute and a challenge to the new breed.

Buckwild actually produced all the beats on this record in the 90s, 1994-5 to be precise, with Celph adding new rhymes with the help of some hot guests like Treach, Grand Puba, Apathy and The Rugged Man. Both Celph and Buckwild have said that they see this as a way to pay tribute, but also a way to update some classic sounds, many that may unheard of by younger fans.

Highlights include "Eraserheads," which has a hardcore beat that doesn't let go, and rings with more real anger and aggression than most processed corporate gangsta rap; "F*ckmaster Sex," will be impossible to play on hit radio, but it maybe the best song on the set, a kind of Dozens of the follies of illicit boom-boom. "I Could Write A Rhyme" is a funk jam with cool horns and synths in its definitely retro vibe. "Tingin" is a cautionary tale full of wisdom and hard lessons learned about surviving the culture of death infecting hip-hop, while the hard "Wack Juice" takes swipes at lame boasts by today's pretenders, those who gloat over "beats picked up on MySpace." Nostalgia only rears its head on the appropriately titled "Miss Those Days."

"Nineteen Ninety Now" could have been all nostalgia, a tribute more to Buckwild's incredible legacy as producer than anything fresh and relevant. But he and Celph use those beats to stake a claim in the present. These beats are timeless, adaptable to new words, as well as recall a glorious time for hi-hop.

User Reviews and Comments

Review:

on 2010-10-07 DocRizk Said:

As you press play on "Nineteen Ninety Now", your eyes close and you literally feel like your back in the Golden Age of Hip Hop. When Rap and Hip Hop were synonomous with one and other instead of the "I make Hip Hop not Rap" or "I'm an MC not a Rapper" comments so often heard today. Buckwild has shown that even his "old" beats are what Hip Hop is desperately in need of today.

This album feels like a prefect fit in the Celph Titled catalog and stays true to his style. Celph Titled is actually pleasing to listen to even amongst the array of classic artists featuring on the CD. "There Will Be Blood" features Grand Puba, which whenever heard, the listener is brought right back to the days of 90's Hip Hop. Heavy drums and samples completes the journey back to the Old School. "Eraserheads" exibits Celph's ability to outshine his associate Vinny Paz, seemingly without even trying. "Swashbuckling" may be one of the best tracks on the album and the Apathy feature makes up where Esoteric takes away from. "Miss Those Days" is Celph's point of view, of what Hip Hop was and now seems to drift so far from.

Overall "Nineteen Ninety Now" is a handpicked collection of Buckwilds best production and some of Celphs Titled's best wordplay and punchlines. Although some of the featuring artists seem to take away from Buck and Celph's obvious passion for boom bap, they have no problem carrying you through the entire album. On the other hand it was nice to hear from some old school MC's and get a glimpse of their legacy through this CD. This album is where Hip Hop should be once again.
Not Rated