------------This collection of older material released by Low Down is the cream of the crop of their first two cds: "The Next Episode" and "Up In Smoke". Since these two titles are long out of print, it is fortunate that Low Down decidely to release these songs. There are 16 tracks in all, with one being a remix of "Its All Good" and a bonus track for 2001, "Hoez 'N' Haterz". Running for 74 minutes, all the songs are pretty long, around 4 or 5 minutes. Even though some of the tracks are 6 and 7 years old, this cd is surprisingly refreshing.
___The first song is called "The Definition". Its a pretty tight cut produced by Dub. This is one of the only tracks that is not produced, or co-produced, by Never. He ran that aspect of the projects, as is apparent in almost all the cuts off of this cd. Anyway, 4 guys are featured on this song, a common trait throughout, since all the tracks have a lot of guys rapping. A few songs later, "Playa's Never Hate", Never along with Mickey D, Poyo Loko, Mr. Kee, Kracc, and Hurrikaine J all hit up verses. This turns out to be one of the better songs on the cd because the raps are consistently tight thanks to beat flowing well with the lyrics.
___Almost all of the song tightly connect. The flows match the beats at a rate that is damn near perfection. "Anotha Solution" offers a good example of this, since the song makes a complicated beat weave around and wrap the flows. This makes the whole package come through as one smooth delivery. More good beats are produced by Never on "Somthin' Outta The West" and by Dub on "My Homies". They really know what they are doing behind the console. The chemistry they have with the flows exhibited here and the way they make the music match it is astoundingly refreshing.
___Interestingly enough, Sir Dyno is on a song ("Marijuana Stories") and co-produces on another ("Its All Good"). At the beginning of the latter, there is a political/conspiracy theory message, which adds a degree of authenticity to the ensuing rhymes. Arguably, the best song on the cd is "Low Down Anthem". A deep and stirring bass line mixed with the reliably tight flows of Lil Wyno, Hurrikaine J, Never and Mickey D interact in a way that is hard to do. Cap this all off with the tight-ass church bells used in the background and this truly is, or should be, their anthem as it embodies everything that Low Down is. Even the hook, with a whispering voice saying "Fuck all of you", makes the song as a whole just that much better.
___Among all of these great tracks, there are some that are only good. Some of these lagards are "Strap Game", which follows "Low Down Anthem", but does not keep up the fast paced beat or the same delivery of incredible flows. Another only-alright-song is "Low Lyfe". This track shows its age, that is, early 1990's. The scratching on it is placed in quesitonable places, but the flows are pretty good.
___For the great majority, this cd is filled with undeniably great songs. Low Down really knew what they were doing back then. The original beats are refreshing in light of some of the more recent Low Down releases, but that trend will soon return to their upcoming cds. Besides this, however, the raps are some of the best to have come from Low Down. Spread this fact over the multitude of artists on this cd and they all come through tight, which they do. The beats are tight almost through the entire cd. If you have just gotten into the Low Down scene, this is the cd for you, as it shows you what they are capable of. This cd was released on Dogday and Low Town and should be available on the West Coast with ease.
