Through their respective work with The Pharcyde and Jurassic 5, Slimkid3 and DJ Nu-Mark have cemented themselves as two members associated with groups inextricably linked to Golden Era Hip Hop. While Nu-Mark has briefly stepped out of the J5 spotlight with freelance production work and his 2012 solo project Broken Sunlight, this marks the closest thing Slimkid3 has come to a proper, solo release. After traveling in the same geographical and artistic circles for a while, the pair now hook up for a new collaboration on their self-titled album Slimkid3 & Nu-Mark.
Nu-Mark brings it on this album, and his partner in crime has the challenge of living up to the high standards the former’s been setting since an early 2000s single that had mainstream success. Most fans who don’t know Nu-Mark deeply will still be familiar with his classic Jurassic 5 song “What’s Golden.” That beat acts as a good introduction for DJ Nu-Mark’s sound here, because he uses more instances of those sample-heavy, minimally processed musical accompaniments. The panning vocals on the outro of “Fade To Black” are about the most complex stereo-world trickery that you’ll find here. The musical ideas and live instrument samples that Nu-Mark has chosen are instead what’s supposed to draw the listener in.
That’s exactly what happens on the song “What Are Words For” and its searching piano bass line. The title’s sentiment of such a poetic idea clearly stands out as deserving a lot of thought and consideration in an art form that gravitates so much around words and their functions. Slimkid3’s hook, “Why don’t you hear me when I’m talking to you?” emotionally grabs the listener by not identifying specifically who Slimkid is trying to get to hear him.
On a cameo-heavy track, “Bouillon,” Slimkid even has the game to run with two bigger names. Raps with external, two-syllable rhymes would be right at home in the work of even Murs or Del: “Now I’m DIY shit, I know who I am son / Take it to the hole with control, get a and-one / Take what I deserve without the help of a hand gun.” His movement from one rhyme to the next, when he flips each one across the bar line to the start of the next sentence, seems more planned out here. This kind of consistency, mixed with just the amount of right variation, needs to be found more often in his work.
Slimkid3’s basic problem throughout the album is that he lets his rhymes dictate where his poetic content goes, and doesn’t have the proficiency to tell whatever story he wants while fitting it inside clever rhyme schemes. On “Let Me Hit,” his references and images veer into the nonsensical, which Slimkid3 himself seems to admit.
“Now she the type to get you hype right behind the speaker / Or she the undercover type substitute teacher, I don’t know,” he rhymes. Metaphors, similes, and images come across as flat or sometimes trite in lines from “I Know Didn’t I” like, “She used to blow me awake like a gale force,” or, “I used to live like a prince, but never the king / In the castle you in girl, I gave you the ring / Now that made you the queen above everything.”
The former Pharcyde emcee still excels at the rapping/singing hybrid style best exemplified by his work on songs like “Otha Fish.” But the inconsistency in the booth does cause the album to lag at times. In short, this means that as Nu-Mark goes, so does this album.
“Bom Bom Fiya” is unexpected in the best of ways, as the sample is three bars long instead of the omnipresent lengths of one, two or four bars that are found in 95% of other Rap music. This leads to song sections of six or 12 bars, instead of the ubiquitous 16-bar verse and eight-bar chorus. When the beats are killer, such as with “Godzilla or Gamera” and its creeping piano arpeggios, then the album is really enjoyable. But when the beats fall flat—such as with the awkwardly inserted, filtered synth sounds of “Fade To Black”—then the album stumbles. Another expansion and evolution of Nu-Mark’s style that isn’t quite pulled off well is “I Know Didn’t I,” when the hi-hat on the beat is beatboxed. The problem is that that is the only beatboxed element of the entire beat, and so it sticks out a little too much in the listener’s ear.
Although it’s a style that may have had its heyday in previous eras, the grainy soul vocals from Darondo on “I Know Didn’t I” and its ilk will always have their proper place in Rap. The problem is that this album isn’t a shining example of that kind of Hip Hop anyway, as it would have to be in order to really stand out in a style that has been done so often. In the end, its nostalgic but not particularly progressive, making for a solid but not spectacular project.
All killer no filler!! Great record
Did, this journalist just over analyze a hidden beatbox hi-hat and get away with it? Sorry, that I Know, Didn’t I is an instant classic. This album just feels right. He’s right about one thing it is “Solid”.
These joints feel right. First discovered this album with that song they did with Del & Murs….Fire!!
Get it right reviewer. Slimkid has one or 2 solo albums iirc, under the name Tre Hardson?
I appreciate the reviewers’ attempt to find linear and specific reasons why he isn’t feeling an album…. but he seems to be using a microscope where he should closing his eyes. Like this review breaks out all the tools to analyze a freestyle or a battle rap verse, but Pharcyde/Tre has always been more about a feeling and mood and impressionistic imagery. And personally, I love the hi-hat on Didn’t I, it’s one of the highlights of the beat for me. Anyhow, I loved the album throughout, and it feels right to me from top-to-bottom. I’m not sure why an album needs to be progressive, but as a guy that hopped on early to the whole spacey “electrification” of hip hop production, I find it progressive that we’re finally returning to organic beats, instruments, and a well-placed soul sample. I missed it, and took this album for me to realize that.
Love this
Dope Beats & Rhymes. Feelin’ that “I Know, Didn’t I” & “Bom Bom Fiya”. Gonna pick up those limited edition 45’s on that classic Delicious Vinyl. Props to Slimkid3 & DJ Nu-Mark.
We need more positive records like being put out in the music community today…. No need to understate an album that contains a good message for the people in the world… young and old…
From a diggers/producer perspective, the samples Nu used are hella progressive and beats are solid. Good luck finding the roots of it, lol!
Been a a looooooong minute since I’ve been able to bump a record from top to bottom. This record if anything else is refreshing! I’m supporting this one! Salute to Slimkid3 (Pharcyde) and DJ Nu-Mark (Jurassic 5). My two cents….wish online publications would stand behind the Golden Era sound instead of trying to nit pick and dismantle music that FEELS good.
beats solid, rhymes solid, Slimkid and Numark killing it and with the collabs an easy pick up.
Slammin album. Love the Darondo track!! Will definitely be hammering that one fo sho!!!
nah lol
The album is real ART in its finest form. Well done music that comes from the soul, a total warm/heartfelt production. Congratulations !!! The World needs more of this !!!
Peace.
Really diggin this album! “Let Me Hit it” & “I know Didn’t I” are held down great by Slimkid3 & the guest tracks are damn fire—bumpin the instrumentals & an all around WIN
As you begin to nod off reading the album review, instead of grabbing a cup of coffee, hit play. You’ll be uplifted immediately. “Slimkid3 and DJ Nu-Mark” is a 5 star all the way from beginning to end. Luv it!!
3 stars just the fact that its NuMark & SlimKid is worth the 3 stars then when you listen you realize it shouldn’t be 5 stars their should be diamonds rhymes are dope the beats are just ridiculous
And he does it again! Another dope album~ a must buy~ the whole album is a winning. My favorite track is “I Know, Didn’t I.” Keep making great music DJ NuMark.
Strong Throwback Album – Nu-Mark live is a dope show, def one to check out.
Loving this new album! Super creative beats that flow and evolve. Really diggin the ornate, flirtatious, yet somehow simultaneously beautifully simple beat in “Bom Bom Fiya”. Great video too.
This project shows how Hip Hop music can be made in 2014, capturing the right amount of nostalgia but sounding fresh. Sure, this may not be the type of music that we would hear on most Urban stations today, but that’s ok. It offers the elixir that most of us desire: insightful rhymes, strong beats, and an adherence to a formula that’s undeniably Hip Hop. Quite frankly, the masses need more music like this on a steady basis, and imagine how fresh radio would sound with the similar vibes found on Slimkid3 & DJ Nu-Mark’s latest.
NuMark has created awesome tracks for Slimkid3 and everyone else to do their thing on! A great album that you’ll def enjoying listening to over and over again. Thanks for rockin it as always Uncle Nu!!
3/5
Just copped this album cuz the I Know, Didn’t I video sold me. Can’t believe nobody’s talking about that “King” track wit Diamond D????? That alone is 5 stars.
In the cool vibe style of De La Soul, circa the 80’s or a cool soul hip hop classic of LL Cool J, circa the 90’s, these songs are taking me back to my childhood cruising down the boulevard in low riders with chela’s rocking sky high bangs and vato’s styling on the corner with button downs, fedora’s and knee socks……. I love the beats, the lyrics and chill vibe that is relaxing but definitely won’t put me to sleep when I get up to dance. Melodic, time transferring, a must buy! Nicely done. Big love.
That Diamond D joint for “King” is a BANGER!! Just copped this record yesterday. Also feelin that Del & Murs joint. A 5 for me.
i love how they did this alblum in 2014, i still like the boom bap hiphop
Classic Pimpin.
Bout to check these cats at Amoeba on thursday. didn’t expect the album to sound this dope truthfully…not that I doubted them…just haven’t felt like this in a while. A lot of favs fo me!! Nu-Mark’s production tho!!!
This is dope!!! Love It!
Need this real Hip Hop man thanks ya’ll
Love this!
Can’t remember hearing crisp beats like this for a long long time. Such a treat to get to hear Slimkid on something new!
Five stars!
Dope!
i don’t know what ur talking about, the inventor of half-sung raps braought a real strong artistic offering here.
Tre’ sounds motivated, inspired and focused, and i for one havn’t heard a rapper like that in years (well, maybe with the exception of Chance the Rapper).
and Nu-Mark is on point with the beats.
on the downside, i wish there were less guest spots.
Groovy song – I dig it! Great for a Sunday afternoon bbq
Really like this album , inconsistent??? definitely not , every song is nice to me, love slimkids rapping and the beats are solid from start to finish and with the album only clocking in at 27 mins long it never gets boring, def one of the best this year
Amazing Album!! Love it!!
Real shit. Damn the editors here have terrible ears.
5
Love the Album!