Customer Reviews

Baldhead Slick and Da Click

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Everyone in the underground know that Guru's nickname is Baldhead Slick. And that's the name that he goes by on this album because I don't think he can call himself Guru on a non-Virgin Records album. Baldhead Slick & Da Click is a compilation featuring him and his friends, and if there's anything good to say about the album, it's that there's good chemistry between them.

Though Guru on this album doesn't really kick any verses that'll make fake MC's practice more, he does have his knack for finding rap veterans who still sound good. Treach appears on the thug-fest "N's Know", Ed O.G. joins the Boston reunion on "Rollin' Dolo" with Big Shug and Krumbsnatcha, and Ice-T, on "Underground Connections", comes off more as a street griot dropping wisdom than a has-been as he tells wack rappers, "It ain't the funds you got but how long you got it."

If you feel like fast-forwarding a few times during this album, I don't blame you. Not to be funny, but you can tell that this album was made on an independent record label. Most of the beats are by unknown producers, and they don't have the crisp sounds of the production found on major label records, except for Alchemist's "In Here", DJ Premier's "Back 2 Back", and Pete Rock's "Pimp Ish". The guest rappers don't always make the mark either. The otherwise dope "Pimp Ish" feature Guru and some rappers spitting some dated playa-isms. It's ironic that Guru raps with some studio gangstas on this album, the same rappers he battles against when he's in Gang Starr.

So in short, this album fails to pack a punch like a Gang Starr or a Jazzamatazz album, but it still kicks. However, if Guru plans to do a sophomore album under this heading, then he needs to get better producers and a better click with better rhymes.

I love Guru, have his every album, and was naturally eagerly anticipating this one...only to be greatly disappointed. The album is at best insignificant. Before I continue, i must say that I truly hope that Guru returns to concious hip-hop and lyrics that actually mean something...Guru, that's what I respect you for!

On this album Guru's art and style degenerated into the type of disposable music common today. The lyrics are tired. Substance has been replaced by numerous expletives... and emptiness. The beats are monotonous and melodies are barely present. I got an impression that Guru is abandoning everything he once was (hopefully just musically) to gain mainstream following and more importantly make some money.

I took the CD out of my CD player with great bitterness. I could not believe this was Guru. Just hope that Guru that we know would one day be back.

Quite a disapointment... I love the GURU.. Jazzmatazz... Gang Star.. The Full Clip is the best! Jazzmatazz vol. 1 - 3 is a must have...

This new CD is boring and I'd pass on it...

Guru - you've really fallen off with this one. In the midst of all the depressing thug garbage what the hip-hop world needs now is a return to intelligent lyrics. Who can we look to for this? Maybe one half of the team that delivered the greatest hip-hop album of all time - "Moment of Truth". But no - what do we get - a lot of half-baked thuggisms and uninspired beats. Guru - you're diluting your output and it's not doing your rep any good. This album is naff, naff, naff. Guru - love you man and I know you're capable of much more than this. Get back with Premier and give us something of substance again.

Yet another hot underground LP from Mr. Guru. With producers like Premo (of course), Alchemist, Pete Rock, J-Love, and a handful of others, you know the beats are on point. The lyrics are definitly there with the king of monotone plus appearances by Boston collegue-Ed O.G., Ice T, Treach, Big Shug, and many others. Although it doesnt sound like classic Guru from the Gangstarr days, it still keeps your head boppin. Basically its just another niiceee guru album that makes you just wanna chill and take the vibe in....

Guru's done it all and better than most: conscious rap, jazz-rap, and now gangsta rap. Ironic that he should dabble in the genre that he has criticized so much on his other projects, but Baldhead Slick appears to be his alternate gangsta persona. In fact he is often metaphorically attacking fake studio gangstas with their own motifs. Rather cleaver, though it does get tiresome since this is almost the only theme on the whole CD. The obvious stand outs are by major label producers DJ Premier (Back 2 Back), Alchemist (In Here) and Pete Rock (Pimp Ish), but about 2/3 of this album is pretty dope. The singles, Where's Our Money and Cry are tight. No Grease, The Anthem, Rollin Dolo, Underground Connections, The Revolutionist and How You Gonna Be A Killa? are some of the other stand outs. Familiar collaborators such as Bumpy Knuckes and Big Shug are here delivering their usual energetic raps, but this album is mostly full of newer underground rappers and producers (though, veteran Ice-T raps one of the better verses on the CD.) This project had Guru largely showcasing the underground talents of Boston, NY and Philly of the time (the latter is where he would recruit many rappers from during his 7Grand days.)

Though this has many inspired moments, there just isn't enough Baldhead and too much Click. I know he was promoting various up and comings but it just isn't what I wanted to hear: a slew of amatuers rapping with a few veteran spots and Guru guesting on the tracks. Still, songs like Where's Our Money were criminally slept on.

Great album. Hussein Fatal, James Gotti & New Child kill it. Guru is sick. He finally went solo & this album is fire

Baldhead Slick is Guru from Gang Starr if you didn't know and this sure is pure fire... And the guest appearance's is well appriciated to FATAL HUSSEIN and NEW CHILD from the OUTLAWZ crew and loads of others....

best song I WANT YOU TO CRY and WAR (with Fatal Hussein)...

Go buy...

Pick this album up, dunn, for the real, real, underground stuff. Speaking of underground, "Underground Connection" features Ice-T who, for once, sounds good this late in his career ("It ain't the funds you got but how long you got it"). Guru--oops, he can't call himself that on this record, I think his name's licensed to Virgin--comes correct with all of the other mostly unknown guest rappers and producers on this album. Though we could do without the braggadoccios on "Pimp Ish" (the track has a dope Pete Rock beat otherwise), and the lyrics on the album mostly outshine the beats, this album is still a must-have.

More like 4 1/2.gurus pretty much a legend to his new unheard of type of music. His new style of hip hop which he calls jazzmatazz, was good throughout his whole trilogy, this time its a little different. He ditches the jazzmatazz style a little, and goes back to the times of gang starr, and modernizes it. Although a little disapointed, i thought this album was pretty phat my self.