Black Bastards [Explicit Lyrics] [EXPLICIT LYRICS] [ORIGINAL RECORDING REMASTERED]

KMD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 15, 2001)
• Original Release Date: May 15, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics, Original recording remastered
• Label: Sub Verse
• ASIN: B00005IA7O
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #162,681 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com
Black Bastards was voted in Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists as the most notable rap album of all time that was never released commercially, and with good reason. The fact that this excellent album, slated for a 1994 release, has not seen the light of day until 2001 testifies to a time when shortsighted industry backlashes against records that inflamed Middle America were in vogue. Elektra Records higher-ups canned the project due to its controversial cover art, which shows a Sambo figure being lynched. Finally available, this must-purchase concept album is worth the wait. From the jazzy, hypnotic samples on the title cut to "Sweet Premium Wine," a farcical ode to swigging 40-ounce bottles of brew (remember when drinking St. Ides and Old English was trendy?), you know you've found rap heaven. Classic headbanger "What a Niggy Know?" (and the remix featuring partner-in-rhyme MF Grimm) is equally off the chain. "Constipated Monkey" and weed anthem "Suspended Animation" are testaments to a time in rap music when experimental beats and obscure sampling ruled the roost. Black Bastards is where Brand Nubian meets De La Soul at the local bodega, heads wear Muslim kufis for kicks, and "word to the mutha'" actually refers to themes of pan-Africanism, repatriation, and reparations. It's a place where Sambo-ism doesn't sell. --Dalton Higgins

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fresh, tight and vital album finally released, December 6, 2001

By	moche (BROOKLYN, NEW YORK United States) - See all my reviews

I was very happy to get an official copy of this album after listening to so many bad bootlegs of it for years. This album is a true gem and it is filled with so much funk and soul it's amazing. KMD definitely got a style of their own. The record manages to be challenging, inventive and deep without ever sounding too arty, weird or inaccessible. What you hear on most of the tracks is fresh jazz sampled production with bouncing beats that are guaranteed to snap your head. The lyrics are complex and conscious but manage to be funny enough to entertain. Of course, the fact that KMD have a distinctive and original vibe might not appeal to every Hip Hop fan. But it is hard however to deny the overall quality and inspiration of the album and it is definitely something worth checking for.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars What MF Doom Could Have Been Back In 1994 [4 stars], May 29, 2006

By	Chandler "Infamous" (Atlanta (College Park), Georgia) - See all my reviews

I'm pretty sure most of you know the story behind the album. If not, let me fill you in. KMD consisting of Zev Love X (now known as MF Doom) and his brother Subroc. Somewhere in 1993, Subroc was hit by a car and died on impact, leaving Zev Love X to finish the album by himself. When the album was done in 1994, Electra Records shelved the album because of its lyrics and the cover art showing a sambo character being hung. Electra would soon cut KMD from their roster, leaving Zev in obscurity. But the album officially sees the light of day in 2000, when MF Doom released it independently.

One thing I have to commend is the great movie samples that are on this CD. Starting with the intro "Garbage Day #3" which is made up of them. "Sweet Prenium Wine" is a song about knocking back a few drinks while the samples play as the hook. Most of the songs here on this CD are about smoking, as heard on the song "Smoking That S**t" which features vocals from Earthquake, Lord Sear, and Kurious. "Contact Blitt" (could be titled "Contact Blitz" or "Contact Blunt") is a song about Zev ride a bus to Los Angles with an arrogant bus driver, while smoking. "F Wit Ya Head" featuring vocals from H20 and CMOB and the song "Suspended Animation" are more songs dedicated to weed, all more to offend the higher-ups of Electra Records. One great track is "What A Niggy Know" (could be titled "What A Nigga Know") is Zev and Subroc comming correct with a serious attitude that will make your head nod. The 12 inch single was the only item released by Electra Records, but since the album was shelved, the single was pulled also. MF Grimm would drop in to help Zev do the remix. Subroc would get in a few solos also. He shows he had the lyrics on the song "Gimmie" (could be titled "Give It Here") as he says "Give me a choo choo train for my badass tracks..." He would also do his thing on the song "It Sounded Like A Roc."

One thing I have to knock is what many people have been saying in other reviews, the sound quality. Some songs sound like they have been worn out over the years so it sounds like a bootleg of a bootleg, making the vocals sound like they're held back by a sound barrier. A great example is the Zev Love X anger expressed song "Get-U-Now" and "Smoking That Sh**". Also I'm sure some of this album was recorded off a record. How did I come to this conclusion? The song "Plumskinzz" is exactly what I'm saying. The song has a nice piano sound and is going good as Zev spits his verse. As soon as it gets halfway through the hook, it sounds like the vocals were taken away and the beat freezes up. Then all of a sudden you hear MF Dooms [recent] voice come in and say "Loose Hoe God&Cupid" or as many listeners have interpeted "You're so GODDAMN stupid!" I don't EVER want to hear that again! Obviously he used a 12" single and someone hit the needle causing it to skip loudly to the instramental. The song would resume later on in the CD when a woman would come in and say "Oh Now I Don't Believe It!" as Subroc would continue his verse. Whats ironic about this whole song is that this song was recorded in 1991, and a former KMD member named Onyx the Birthstone Kid (many people who are familiar with late MF Doom albums know him as Rodan) had a verse on that song between Zev's and Subroc's (and believe it or not, Onyx had the best verse out of the three). So there is no actual musical vibe because those interludes causes a big chunk of the song to be missing. (How about recording the song correctly Mr. Dumille?) If you want to hear the uncut clear version of it, just find a "Nitty Gritty" 12 inch single because its the flipside of that, or you can locate a 1994 bootleg of the album.

Overall I'm happy that this album was finally released, since it was one of the biggest albums in 1994 that was shelved. But the way that this album was put together soundwise, that title could have been easily taken away. I recommed this album to those who want to hear more examples of Doom's early 90's production, the way MF Doom sounded in 1993/1994, or just curious of the lost album. Otherwise, you're better off buying "The Best Of KMD Album" which is a combination of this and the Mr. Hood album, or wait until Mr. Dumille decides to remaster the album and reissue it.

Rest In Peace Subroc

Lyrics: A-
Produciton: A
Musical Vibes: C+
Overall: B+

Standout tracks: What A Niggy Know, Sweet Prenium Wine, Contact Blitt, What A Niggy Know (remix), Smoking That Sh** (Plumskinzz would have been a standout if it were a full song)

If it makes anyone feel better, the excessive dropping of artists and lack of record sales would have cause Electra to go out of business and be bought out by Atlantic Records.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Can I possibly explain why this is so good?, August 9, 2001

By	Dan Kravetz (Washington, DC USA) - See all my reviews

.... If I separated each individual track, rated them separately, and took the average score, maybe it would get four stars. Probably five. But the genius of this album not in the individual tracks so much. The genius is that the artists create a sentiment, a feeling of playful lightheartedness with a very very subtle, somewhat disturbing undercurrent commentary on society, and they carry it throughout the work. Noone can do that like MF Doom (p.k.a. Zev Love X) and his brother, the late Subroc. Not enough artists respect the power of subtlety. It's a powerful tool, and it separates this work from something like a classic Gang Starr album that has fifteen (or twenty) great tracks but no overall feeling. As for the individual tracks, I like them all, for different reasons. I don't think it's important to talk about each track, but I don't really feel that any one of them is slacking, and I appreciate them all. Listeners should find this album (and these artists) incredibly entertaining, and if they listen with the correct ear, they should also have a deep feeling of satisfaction from this album that they are not used to feeling from a hiphop work.