DEF SQUAD
EL NINO
Def Jam

A Solid Album..But The Group Lacks Chemistry
They Have Name Recognition..
But No Tracks Destined To Go Down In History

At long last the infamous Def Squad which features Redman, Eric Sermon and Keith Murray drop their Def Squad album.. How is it you ask?.. It's not bad.. It's solid-something that you expect from these veterans.. Nothing groundbreaking on this lp.. There are no real standout songs that'll go down in the rap annals as an alltime classic.. But the trio refrain from remaking old 80s songs..Although they did use Kurtis Blow's 'The Breaks' bassline on a track called 'The Game'.. Also featured is the trio first single.. 'Def Squad Delight' which is a remake of the Sugar Hill Gang classic..

The album has a couple of cool cuts including, 'Rhyming Wit Biz' which features Biz Markie over an energetic James Brown dance track.. 'Say Word' also hits as the Squad rhymes over a cool track that is spiced up with Rakim sayin' 'Make 'Em Clap To This'.. 'Check N Mic Out' and 'Countdown' are two other grooves that will keep your head noddin'.. Beyond that there are some filler songs including one totally wack song called 'Y'all Niggas Ain't Ready'.

Overall the album is solid.. It may leave you a bit disappointed because one might expect more from these guys.. What's missing is the chemistry that has long been present when Erick links up with Parrish for an EPMD track. The wild and Crazy zaniness that has come to be associated with Redman is also missing on this album.. Keith Murray seems to be Keith Murray..But overall, I just don't get a real feel for the Def Squad. The other thing which I expected to hear were the hard hittin' funk style grooves that have long been associated with Erick and Redman.. Only one track captures that flava and that's the song 'No Guest List'.. Again its a solid album with nothing special except name recognition to draw attention to these guys.. I'll give it a B-

Reviewed By Davey D
6-26-98

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