Customer Reviews

Contemporary Jeep Music

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

the first time I heard this amazing album.
For years I had heard bits and pieces about Da King & I (MC Izzy and DJ Majesty) in old-school circles and for years I had searched for this gem. Finally, last year, I tracked this album down and it has since become one of my most rotated CDs (when you have over 600 old-school Hip-Hop albums - that's really saying alot!).

FUNKY, FUNKY, FUNKY...is the best word(s) to describe this '93 east-coast release. Of course, 90% of the albums that came out in that brilliant era were dope, but Da King & I is a really unique duo with a sound that seemingly never gets old. You could say it's Maj's incredible, layered beats that make this album stand out, but more appropriately it's the chemistry between Izzy and Majesty that make "Contemporary Jeep Music" a really dope listen.

The first time I played it, I had no idea what to expect...I hadn't heard either of their singles ("Flip da Scrip" & "Tears"), and I really had no idea who these guys were. Right from the Intro, I knew I had stumbled on something great...and by the time "Let's Take a Trip" began, I was sold. After listening to the entire album (remember when you could listen to a whole hip-hop album straight through, without skipping any tracks?) I was blown away at how amazing this CD is. Whether fast or slow, funny or serious, Izzy flows beautifully over each amazing beat with serious mic skills. I kid you not, every track could be a single (each one is unique and really dope) and even the interludes are entertaining and relevant to the next/previous track. Here's the track list:

1) Intro (Contemporary Jeep Music)
2) Let's Take a Trip
3) Flip da Scrip
4) Interlude 1 (MC A$$h*le)
5) Krak da Weazel
6) Interlude 2 (Amusement Park)
7) Brain 2 U
8) Tears
9) Soul Shack Interlude
10) Ghetto Instinct
11) Mr. All That
12) Interlude 3 (Jazz Skit)
13) This is How We Do
14) Interlude 4 (Izzy Sings da Blues) *One of the best skits I've ever heard*
15) Lost My Mind
16) Represent
17) Crack da Weasel (Dat Other S***)
18) What's Up Doc

The best comparison I can think of for Da King & I is Black Sheep. Like Dres, Izzy is a dope MC with great mic skills and most importantly personality. And like Mista Lawnge, Majesty makes hot, hot beats and the two go together like cheese and burger. Like BS's "A Wolf..." the resulting album is PURE, FUN, HIP-HOP.

Bottom Line: This is a ridiculous album and I'm stunned at how slept-on it is. ANY fan of real Hip-Hop, regardless of your coast, will not only appreciate but love "Contemporary Jeep Music." 5 Stars, Peace.

Okay, first of all wifey made me through out all my cassettes right before we moved. Ah ha! I had one left in the tapedeck of my Explorer...Da King & I. I've come to enjoy this album more and more each day. I don't know how in the world these cats were never able to put out another record! Definitley the most slept on album in hip hop without a doubt. "Tears" has got to be in my top 5 joints ever!!! Please come back!!! Oh by the way, Primo remixed a joint on this album...I would actually give about 50.00 for this album...It's that good..for real!

When people think of classic albums why doesn't this come up? I catch myself not bringing this up when I'm asked. Shame on everyone including myself for not doing so. This is such a great record capturing all that was good about the golden age...Top-notch lyricism and Memorable production. The next time you buy a hip hop album purchase this, so when your talking about Showbiz & AG, Souls of Mischief, etc. you have another great LP to build w/each other on. Peace!

This album is a hiphop gem. If you don't have this and love early 90's fun / hard styled hiphop then get this immediately. I'm with the other reviewer who said he would pay up to $50 for this album. It's dope and during listening to it you will get that little smile like "aww damn this is real hip hop" as you nod your head off. The song "Crack the Weasel" is a classic!!

Da King & I's one and only album is 1993's "Contemporary Jeep Music," released by Rowdy. I recently came across this album and am so glad I did. This album is one of the most enjoyable, entertaining albums from what may have been hip hop's greatest year. The duo of MC Izzy and producer Majesty were masters of the New York early-90s jazzy, conscious hip hop style. The title and cover of the album are slightly misleading. Based on them one might expect some hardcore boom bap, but really their style is light and upbeat. Izzy is a talented MC with a crazy style and funny voice, and a lot of times he keeps your head spinning. He also has the ability to tone it down for a slower, conscious track. Majesty is a master on the mixing boards. He uses lots of horn and keyboard instrumentation, hard drum beats, and fast bass for a unique and happy sound. He uses both obscure and well known samples, but makes them totally his own. I love the sound of jazz and horn inflicted hip hop especially from this period, and "Contemporary Jeep Music" is some of the best. The songs are so consistent and there's really not one worth skipping. Da King & I don't really expand on the sound of 1993 underground hip hop, but what they do is perfect and master the style, and "Contemporary Jeep Music" is an excellent, embarrassingly underrated album.

The album begins with an intro with a just dope beat, I like listening to it. If you like the next song, "Let's Take a Trip," (and I can't imagine you wouldn't!) then you'll love the rest of the album. Like most of the songs, it is upbeat with good horn instrumentation and has a good chorus and wild, punchline-filled lyrics from Izzy. "Flip da Scrip" has great keyboards and a good beat, it is Izzy at his crazy best on the mic too. There is great bass on the beat to "Krak da Weazel," and it's another highlight. "Brain 2 U" has an organ-laced beat and some wild lyrical stylings. "Tears" is the best on the album, an absolute classic and one of the finest hip hop songs I've heard. The gorgeous production matches the lyrics and subject matter perfectly. Izzy tells stories of lost and failed love in a very heartfelt manner, and I love the chorus. Majesty uses the same sample that GZA would later use for his song "B.I.B.L.E." but I actually like it better on this song. The slow, sad beat has some great instrumental and vocal samples, if I haven't said it already I love this song. "Ghetto Instinct" tells a story of urban New York, and the chorus has a cool trumpet line. There is a good laidback piano-laced beat on "Mr. All That," which is an engine for Izzy to let loose with braggadagio. "Lost My Mind" is just awesome, great chorus, great lyrics, great beat. Majesty uses a good, popular sample and makes a cool vibesy beat for "Crack da Weasel (Dat Other...)." And I could listen to the sax and piano on "What's Up Doc?" all day, it has a nice hook and it's a great end to an awesome album. I should also note that the skits are all good, they all have good beats and are humorous.

It's really a shame that "Contemporary Jeep Music" is so slept on, but I guess for me that's part of its charm. If you should come across it, nothing should stop you from buying it. In a few words, the album is musical, entertaining, consistent, and just fun. Fans of acts like Pete Rock & C.L. Smooth, Main Source, Lords of the Underground, and the Pharcyde will love this album. This is really one of the best albums released in a great time of hip hop music and almost no one knows it.

Undoubtedly one of the top 10 albums to come out in one of the best years for hiphop (1993), Contemporary Jeep music is a criminally slept on release, that just screams FRESH! Producer; Majesty (one of the best producers back in the mid-90's) and MC ; Izzy come 100% correct for this debut, with the flawless production and charismatic flows. Despite the front cover, you will find that Da King & I are far from the ruff & rugged sound that was so prominent for Brooklyn in the mid 90's. Izzy has one of the most unique flows/voice, that just suits majesty's production perfectly, givin' off a very "bouncy" and fresh vibe, essentially illustrating their personalities. Filled with some of the best jazz samples, melodies & breaks over some hard-hitting drums and neck brakin' bass, you will find that contemporary jeep music is an album that you keep going back to again and again. It is so diverse, with each track having a differing concept to the last, with not one weak track on the whole album, fans of the early-mid 90's hiphop will find this to be one of their faves! no doubt.
Standout tracks include "Mr All That" which has one of the most addictive beats ever, check the melody! and "Tears" which uses the same sample as "BIBLE" on GZA's Liqiuid Swords (and Killah Priest's "Heavy Mental") resulting in nothing less than perfect.
Similarly, "Lost my mind", "Flip Da Scrip" and "Crack Da Weasel" have that classic boom-bap vibe, which you will find you keep resorting back to when you are forced to listen to the brain-washing, money-making gimmicks that have depressingly been dubbed "Hiphop" in the modern day, pfft. Cop Contemporary Jeep Music and get caught back to a time when Hiphop was consistently fresh, intelligent, thought-provoking and original! ESSENTIAL CLASSIC!

Also Check out YALL SO STUPID - VAN FULL OF PAKISTANS (Da King & I affiliates, classic debut) and my other reviews/lists to find some hiphop that has been sadly slept on and ignored for too long now! PEACE!

Lyrics - 9/10
Beats - 10/10
Originality - 10/10
Replay Value - 10/10

damn i heard this when i was 13 and still listen to it.What a shame we never heard from them again.The best thing about this was the production, even today is still a standout effort.

Last time i heard from these guys was when i saw them on the ricky lake show.....