------------To start off the new year (2001), Darkroom decided to come out with one of its must biggest stars, Duke. Being a veteran of the DRF, this is his third solo. After only releasing his second solo less than a year ago, it is clear that Duke wants to keep a fresh taste in his fans mouths. This is a perfect way to not only start off the year, but to keep the fans waiting for even more hits from the DRF clique.
___Just like his previous releases, Duke keeps this one short and to the point. With only 12 tracks in all, the pickings are slim, so it is almost necessary that all the tracks are banging. “Fuck you, fuck me, fuck everybody” is a tight track as Duke gives a big fuck you to many different people from haters, ex label owners, police, all the way to Al Gore. “Traffic” has Duke telling a story about slanging drugs from California to Texas. He gets very graphic one this one, giving all the details that go into trafficking drugs across the border,such as dealing with cops, and other problems that are associated with this profession. Another interesting element of the song is the use of sound clips taken from the movie Traffic, which seems to be somewhat of an obsession with the Darkroom of late as there is also a new cd out by Duke and Dyno of the same name. We see the more aggressive side of Duke on “Animosity”, as he basically raps about what he wants to do to his enemy’s on this one. This is another really explicit one, as Duke goes into great detail of what exactly he wants to do to his enemy’s. A very hate filled song to say the least. “Tell Him I’m Coming” is probably the best song on the cd, as we see Duke on this one talk about him dealing with a rival drug dealer. Also the use of movie clips is used in this one again. I’m not sure what movie the quote is taken from, but it is eerie and really adds another element to this song.
___Duke has always been known for his sex songs and this cd is no exception, as there as two new ones. “She Looked Eighteen” and “Nutting On Her Belly” are self explanatory. If you have heard previous Duke songs about this subject you know what to expect. Trust me you will be laughing you ass off after hearing these ones.
___Not all is good on this release, as there is one song that really hurts this cd. “D F Beat” is not your typical DRF track, with a more laid back and old school sounding beat. Not only is the beat different, but Duke raps really slow on this one, as he is almost talking. This is also the longest track on the cd as it spans over 6 minutes. This track reminds me more of something you would have heard from Too Short 10 years ago, not a DRF track. But I think that is what they were trying to achieve.
___If you haven’t noticed by now, I haven’t mentioned any tracks that feature other Darkroom artist’s. The reason behind this is because there aren’t any features at all, which is another minus. Not to take away from Duke, but a feature here or there would have helped as there is only so much you can hear of one voice. Other than the lack of features and one bad song, this cd is a solid release. Duke shows he can produce a good cd without any help of his fellow label mates. Not as good as his last solo, “Kill Them Slowly”, but this is one of the better releases to come out of the the Darkroom recently, and indicates what to except from the DRF this year.
Rating: 8.7/10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bruce Wayne
