------------One of the first groups from Flint, Michigan to release a cd nation wide is the group Top Authority. Being released in 1993, this is even before the time of the other famous group from Flint, Dayton Family. It seems that the boys from Top Authority must have had a major influence on the Dayton Family (or vice-versa?) as their styles are very similar. In any case, this cd shows that gangsta rap was alive and well in Flint in the earlier 90’s and that to this day, the basic theme’s are the same for every Flint rapper to come thereafter.
___The two man rap group, consisting of Shotgun and Flex, bring heat right from the beginning on “Another Murda.” This turns out to be the star song on the cd, as you are hit with raw rhymes and beats for about 6 minutes. If you enjoyed this track then you are in luck, as for the most part this cd follows the same path all the way through with tales of drug deals and gun fights. Basically your standard Flint material.
___“Voices” has to be one of the other best tracks on the cd. With a nice beat and lyrics to fit it, both members of Top Authority rap about the paranoia that comes with the lifestyle that they lead. After “Another Murda” and “Voices”, its hard to distinguish one track being better than the other. All the other tracks, except three, are all about the same subject but don’t have the same combination of lyrics and beats as the tracks mentioned earlier.
___With all the gangsta theme’s on this cd, there are three tracks that dare to be different. “93”, “Somethin’ To Blaze To”, and “How much” all have a softer feel than the other tracks. In fact, they are reminiscent of what was coming out of the west coast at the same time, with laid back, sort of G funk beats. “93” is the most radio orientated track of the cd, but surprisingly is a smooth track that helps breath some new life into the cd. It is then followed by the other two tracks that I mentioned before. It was good placement by Top Authority as these three tracks appear right in the middle of the cd, going from gangsta rap to more mellow music, back to gangsta rap.
___Compared to other rappers from Flint, Top Authority isn’t the best out there. Keep in mind though, this cd was released far before Dayton Family or Jake the Flake released anything nationally and it shows that Top Authority was putting it down before the now more famous names that are associated with Flint. Also, this is the groups first effort, and it proves to be a strong one. Even if it starts to get stale towards the end, Top Authority still shows they are above average rappers when it comes to the gangsta rap genre. The lyrics remain strong throughout, but the beats don’t always match up as well. I wouldn’t put Top Authority at the top of my list, but they are above average rap group and shouldn’t be overlooked. If you can find this cd, it might be worth the money to take a chance on. I did and I will say it was worth the money.
Rating: 8.6/10
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Bruce Wayne
