Customer Reviews

The Album

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

In my opinion NaS is the greatest rapper of all time but he's lucky this album didn't end his career. This album is hardly deserving of the one star that I gave it. The title of the first real track on the album, "Firm Fiasco," provides a fitting description of the quality, or lack thereof, of this album. The best tracks are "Phone Tap," "Five Minutes To Flush" and "Desperados" but even these tracks are little more than average. On an individual basis Foxy Brown turns in a typically, in my opinion, forgettable performance (see "F*** Somebody Else"). Nature is no substitute for Cormega (see the track "Affirmative Action" on NaS' It Was Written album for a good song by the original Firm i.e. with Cormega instead of Nature before his beef with NaS). AZ and NaS (Escobar) normally perform well but this is easily the worst performance in each of their careers. They trade in usually ill lyricism about hood life for fantasized stories abt being Mafiosos. Do yourself a favor and don't buy this album, unless you are a huge NaS fan. Don't believe the hype either, even the concept of The Firm cannot be seen as a "supergroup" as it was billed to be. Dr. Dre is a top tier producer but his style doesn't mesh well with NaS and AZ and no group with Foxy and Nature as members can ever be a supergroup. If you're looking for a good NaS or AZ release, this simply is not it. Luckily NaS' Escobar persona was just a phase and he, Dre and AZ went on to bigger and better things.

No matter what the critics say I think this album is a damn good one. I would have liked to see Cormega on it but differences occured and newcomer Nature (whom I also am a fan of) filled in. I think the album got hyped up WAY too much and people expected something that was better than perfect. Production is pretty good, Dr. Dre & Glove do 5 songs, Poke & Tone do 6, Dr. Dre & Mel Man do 1 and L.E.S. does 1. It has 2 classics and 2 near classics, and no songs that I skip. It starts off a little slow but once it picks up, it stays up. Despite all this I think the four rapper "group" put together a quality album that is a must have for rap fans.

#2 - 7.5 (Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown)
#4 - 8.5 (AZ, Nas, Nature, Foxy Brown, & Dr. Dre on the hook - about having your phone tapped by the feds)
#5 - 7 (Nas, Nature, AZ)
#6 - 8 (Nature & Dr. Dre)
#7 - 8 (Foxy Brown & Pretty Boy)
#9 - 8.5 (A sex song by the all so sexy - Foxy Brown)
#10 - 9 (Nas & Foxy Brown)
#11 - 9 (freestyle - by Wizard)
#13 - 9 (Nature - about being raided by the feds)
#15 - 10 (classic - Canibus, Nature, AZ w/ Nas & Foxy Brown on the hook)
#16 - 9.5 (remake of "Square Biz" - Nas, Foxy Brown, Az & Dawn Robinson on the hook)
#17 - 9.5 (Nature & Noreaga - check out "Magic & Bird" by these two as well - it's hot)
#18 - 10 (a classic w/ AZ & Half-A-Mill (R.I.P.))

Nas - b. Nasir Jones - 9/14/73 - b. Long Island, NY moved to Queensbridge, NY
AZ - b. Anthony Cruz - around 1973 - Brownsville, Brooklyn, NY
Foxy Brown - b. Ingrid Marchand - 9/6/79 - b. Bronx, NY moved to Brooklyn, NY
Nature - b. Jermaine Baxter b. 1972 - QueensBridge, NY

Check all my reviews out

This album had to be one of the most disappointing projects of 1997.
How bad is this album?
Well, after its release AZ apologized for being involved in such a bad project on his album 9 Lives. Producer Dr. Dre is quoted on one of his songs off 2001 calling it "the Firm flop."
Nas' career almost fizzled into nothing under the Escobar nickname...and it took the brilliant Stillmatic project to resurrect his career.
Foxy Brown pretends she was never involved. And Nature...the last minute replacement for Cormega...has also gone nowhere since.
Yeah, there are 5 or 6 songs worth a listen (especially Phone Tap and Desparados), but there is more garbage than quality material.

Remember when you would buy that album from your favorite artist and you would listen to it often while everyone around you would call it wack? Then time passes and you take another listen and you realize that it isn't all that? Well, today's example is 1997's The Firm, consisting of my favorite rappers of the time, Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown, and then-newcomer Nature (replacing the imprisioned Cormega).

We all know that rappers like to put fiction in their rhymes, but to picture Nas, AZ and Foxy as some mafioso-type people pushing weight and dressed up in expensive outfits is taking it too far. Songs like "Executive Decision" and "Firm Fiasco" feature Nas as a confused drug kingpin instead of a street griot only wishing of these things like on Illmatic. The other three members, on the other hand, rap pretty damn good.

Foxy Brown nearly pushes a man to the curb on "... Somebody Else", though it's pretty corny for Dr. Dre to sample "You Gonna Make Me Love Somebody Else". Nature does his thing on "Five Minutes to Flush", and who could forget AZ and Nas's highlight, "Phone Tap", where their vocals actually sound like they were being listened to by an outsider on the phone?

However, the best performances come from the millions of guest stars that otherwise mess up the direction of this album. Almost-famous Noreaga joins Nature in another highlight, "I'm Leaving". AZ and his protege Half-A-Mil convincingly tell you to "Throw Your Guns". And Canibus once again steals the show in "Desparados": remember the line that started with "In fact, perhaps you should quit rap..."? Despite these great performances, they turn the album into a compilation instead of a group debut.

Things get worse with the boring rhymes Dre gives in "Firm Family". "Firm All Stars" is another waste of time, and by the way, the song titles are very repetitive ("Firm Fiasco", "Firm Family", "Firm Biz", "Firm All Stars"), and all of these Firm songs only feature two or three members of the Firm. In fact, there isn't one song that features all four members of the group, and those members are--I already forgot, who's in this group again? There's too many guest stars cluttered here to really tell.

Maybe this idea for The Firm looked better on paper, because although the music sounds good sometimes, there's a lack of coherency. More and more every day it seems like they just threw this album together. I'm glad they only made one album together, because at the end of the day The Firm just looked like one big gimmick.

The Firm(a conglomerate consisting of Nas, AZ, Foxy Brown and the relative unknown Nature(who took the place of original member Cormega after a heated dispute))...came up with the "brilliant idea" to collaborate on a full album...after the release of "Affirmative Action" from Nas' It Was Written album. After enlisting the assistance of Dr. Dre's Aftermath Records and production by the infamous Trackmasters, The Firm's album is subpar to say the least...it sounds like each individual artists is trying too hard to outshine the other and many of the beats consisting on this album are just a lil too sample heavy...."Hardcore" for example. However, I will admit, there are some shining moments by all four members....and some half decent production....i.e. "Phone Tap"..."F**k Somebody Else"(lyrics are forgettable since Foxy is doing what she does best on the mic...talking about sex and its many forms....I think you might be able to masterbate to this one...LOL). I will give this a decent try but I can't go no further than that. I will agree with one reviewer saying that listening to the group as solo artists is a more satisfying.

KNOW THIS: This album carries HUGE political weight in hip-hop.

The Firm - The Album was spawned shortly after the heavily publicized East vs. West feuds, which ultimately robbed the world of Pac & Biggie. The premonition and main purpose behind this LP was NOT just to make good music, but to breakdown the walls between the coasts and replace the guns with mics. This album was made to show that IT DOESN'T MATTER WHERE YOU'RE FROM, hip-hop is about music and the love for the art - not the malice and hate manifested from the coast/set pride which divided the hip-hop community into two parts, East and West.

The West's best producer Dr. Dre (now a legend of our time), took a huge step in teaming up with East heavyweight Nas and his crew AZ, Foxy Brown & Nature (who replaced Cormega) to form The Firm. The first real union of coasts during a tremultuous time...Hip-Hop NEEDED this album. As Dre states in "Firm Family" (track #6) "...anybody pumpin' beef between East and West F--- You! Make moves political, get this revenue, set examples, respect every individual."

With Dre as the main producer, the beats are pure Cali and the rhymes have NY written all over them, giving this album a very unique sound. In my opinion, this LP was fashioned in the likeness of a gangster movie soundtrack. The clues are suttle, but all over: the album cover, the flow of the tracks & the underlying themes behind each track.
All the best tracks are produced by Dre:
"Firm Fiasco" (#2; AZ, Nas & Foxy Brown), "Phone Tap" (#4; AZ, Nas, Nature & Dr. Dre), "Firm Family" (#6; Dr. Dre & Nature) & "Five Minutes to Flush" (#13; Nature. This is hands down the best track). I'm not too fond of Foxy Brown's slutty style, but track #9 "F--- Somebody Else" (Foxy solo, produced by Dre) has one of the album's best beats.

With all that being said, anyone who thought that this was just another album DOESN'T KNOW S**T ABOUT HIP-HOP. Straight Up.

Bottom Line: A pretty good album. 3 stars for musical content, plus 1 star for it's importance and influence in hip-hop. 4 stars. Peace.

Nas leading a group of four quality rappers (Nas, Az, Nature, Foxy Brown) raises anticipation for a great album. Add in Dr. Dre as one of the leading producers and this project could be monumental. This album was decent, but a disappointment due to its high expectations. The first sign of this album not living up to its potential is seeing that Cormega was replaced by Nature. Although Nature does a reasonable job, he is still not Mega.
The album starts out with "Firm Fiasco" and this is a great way to start out the album. This is what fans want out of these rappers. "Phone Tap" keeps that momentum going and is one of the albums highights. Unfortunately it does not continue throughout the whole album. "Executive Decision" has a nice string beat and verses from the rappers, but the hook is horrible. "Firm Family" is too pop sounding and again suffers from a weak hook. The beat on "Firm All-Stars" is horrible and this song is hard to listen to. "Hardcore" again samples a pop song and is too bouncy for this album. "Untouchable" is a breath of fresh air as Wizard makes use of his guest appearance. "Five Minutes To Flush" is the highlight of the album as Dr. Dre provides a superior beat and Nature gives us the best song of the album. This song is followed by another solid song in "Desperados" with a outstanding performance from Canibus. "Firm Biz" sample "Square Biz" and is another pop dance song that is out of place.
The album fails in its two most necessary departments, subject matter and production. One would expect from the ghetto mafioso image they are trying to portray they would have dark street stories like Raekwon did on his album. However they take the opposite path and talk about money and sex instead. Also none of the production has a rough or dark feel to it. It often comes across as too commercial and the production really suffers when it gets outside of Dr. Dre. The good songs are too far in between the mediocre and bad songs, and skits bog down the album. Anyone getting this album should check the artists solo albums first than come around to this one. Most should listen to sound clips first so you are not disappointed if you do not like it.

this cd is a hip hop masterpiece, weither people want to here it or not. nas, whos been a living legend, since he released his debut album illmatic teams up with, the number one selling female rap artist in history, foxy brown, az sosa, the man behind the scenes who had just released a hot album pieces of a man before this release, and who could forget nature, the new comer, with a promising carrer. not convinced yet? well add on the other artists that are members of the firm, dr. dre, noreaga, half-a-mil, & pretty boy, all who have sold millions of copies in just the united states were can you go wrong?

well you can't go wrong with the singles anyway the first single, "firm biz" which uses the sample of teena marie's "square biz" is off the chain. nas, foxy, and az lay down all the rap vocals, and former en vouge member dawn robinson lays down the infectious hook, that u just can't get enough of! the next single "phone tap" is just as hot, with the most amazing beat, nas, az, dr. dre & nature all play big roles in what seems to be a robbery/skeem that they are setting up.

the other members of the group can taste the platinum here to like show stopping verses from canibus ["desparadoes"], wizard ["untouchable"], pretty "nino brown" boy ["firm all-stars"], noreaga ["i'm leaving"] & new comer half-a-mil ["throw ur guns"] that will leave you breathless.

not only did this album debut at number one on top the billboard charts, but it helped build the firm legacy that still is here today. there motto sticks and always will stick, only one family stays on top forever, and this family has the potential to do just that.

To tell you the truth I am surprised that this album is bad(DONT ASK!). But it is bad as these reviewers say it is. Songs that I endorse:FIRM FIASCO, PHONE TAP, FIVE MINUTES TO FLUSH, DESPARADOS(Canibus was the deciding factor), and THROW YOUR GUNS. Filler: Firm Family(crickets chirping), Firm All-Stars(YAAWWWN!) Firm Biz(they literally destroyed their buzz with this song), Hardcore,F*** Somebody Else(Foxy sounds like a real dumb b***h on this song)and the rest of this album. Bottom Line:This album is the reason why most people say nay to Collaboration albums. The production was bland, the lyrics were below average and the fact that this album stained Dr Dre's credibilty says a lot. Question: If Cormega was a part of this group, would it have been a big deal? Answer:No, because even if Cormega is nice that doesnt mean this album is going to be hot. Anybody who says this album is bad is not hating, they are telling the truth.

While this maybe some classic material compared to the likes of 50 Cent and D4L today, when this album was released, it was really .. boring. And honestly, just because most mainstream hip-hop today is garbage, that doesn't change my opinion of this album.

I'm a huge mafioso hip-hop fan. In fact, it's probably my favorite sub-genre of hip-hop, containing albums I wouldn't dare live without(Only Built 4 Cuban Linx..., It Was Written, Doe Or Die, Life After Death, etc). I loved the cinematic approach the artists were taking with their storytelling, and the theatrical production only added to the atmosphere. Truth be told, I prefer listening to an album like OB4CL, as opposed to watching a film like Casino. I just feel that it's much easier to me to relate to music than it is to film, as the artists do everything within their power to make you part of the story.

The Firm seemed like a dream come true. Two of my favorite emcees(Nas & AZ), along with Cormega and, well, Foxy Brown. I love Mega, but Foxy, and most other female rappers, I could definitely do without. The "Affirmative Action" cut on Nas' It Was Written had me anticipating this album like no other. Poke & Tone were handling production along with Dr. Dre, and it appeared to be a classic before it was even released.

Well, that didn't happen. Cormega was kicked out of the group, and replaced by the much-less talented Nature. That was the first fault with this album. The second fault was the production. On some of the cuts, such as Firm Fiasco, Phone Tap, and Desperados, the production is everything we'd come to expect at the time from mafioso rap; on the other cuts, it was bland as hell. Guest spots were a problem, as with the exception of Canibus, everyone they recruited was some wack kid who needed exposure, and judging by the failure that this album was, it didn't help. Also, speaking of Canibus, it probably doesn't help that he delivered the ONLY memorable verse on this album, when he was no more than a guest. AZ and Nas both phoned on their performances, with lackluster rhymes that sound like they'd fit in with today's pop scene. That's not a good thing. Nature was Nature; generic. Foxy was Foxy, and God, I do not want to explain Foxy.

I thought it was the expectations that I had that left me down at first. I was prepared for a classic album, and got one that didn't even slightly live up to the standards I had for Nas and AZ. So I went back to it recently, seeing if the time off had breathed new life into it. It felt good hearing Phone Tap again, just for the epic production; however, the rest of this album is still mediocre, and the only thing I find getting me through the album is AZ's voice, which is, despite being on these so-so tracks, still as infectious as it's ever been, and will have you dropping Queensbridge slang for the next few weeks.

So, I've rated this three stars, for the three stand-out cuts, and for being the closest thing we've ever gotten to a Nas & AZ duet album. However, looking as this as a sum of all-parts, it's nothing more than mafia-lite.