Rasassination

Ras Kass | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (September 22, 1998)
• Original Release Date: September 22, 1998
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Priority Records
• ASIN: B00000AGMC
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #101,726 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars 2nd album from C-arson's waterproof MC, October 25, 2005

By 

Mr. S. Lewis (UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rasassination (Audio CD)

Ras Kass is an incredible lyricist and after gaining a reputation for dope lyrics in cyphers etc he exploded with Soul On Ice. Some said the beats were whack but the lyrics were great and the album was critically acclaimed instantly becoming an underground classic - although it did not get high sales (Ras actually points out on this problem in todays hip hop climate on SOI).

Like other reviewers have already said this album has some better beats but seemed a blatant attempt at commercialism probably to gain more sales. There are some real dissapointing songs here.

That being said there are some real gems still - Interview With A Vampire is arguably his best track he has done where he uses FX on his voice to make it sound there is 3 people having a conversation (God, Satan and himself) about the meaning of life. Conceited B*stard is also very dope. Ghetto Fabulous and The End see him hooking up with legendary producers Dr Dre and RZA respectively, with good results (RZA is a dope MC too).

All in all this is a must have for ANY hip hop fan for the concept of Interview With a Vampire alone. His 1st album Soul On Ice is also a must have.

Ras Kass has had some label trouble but talent will always shine through. When he is on fire, for me he can always make up for any bad tracks on an album. He is that good as an intelligent MC. If you haven't heard him, you need to.

After some time away he has a new mixtape called Institutionalized with some fresh songs. Pick that up too and support quality innovative music.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The best lyricist alive!, September 21, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Rasassination (Audio CD)

Ras Kass is one of the best (if not the best) wordsmiths alive. His wordplaying skills are awesome. The only bad thing about Rasassination is that there are some more commercial songs, with R&B-hooks and less hardcore beats. Still, the hardcore joints on the album make it worth buying. "H2OProof", "Ghetto Fabolous", "Interview With A Vampire", "Ice Age", "Wild Pitch" and "The End" truly demonstrates Ras Kass' lyrical skills. Buy this album if you're into tight lyrics!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars strong 4/5, November 4, 2004

By 

A. Swain (Coral Gables, Florida United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Rasassination (Audio CD)

1. Endtro
2. Rassassination (****)
3. Ghetto Fabulous. Feat. Dr. Dre and Mack 10. (*****)
4. Ice Age. (*)
5. Skit #1
6. Conceited Bastard. (**)
7. Ice Age. Feat. Kurupt and El Drex. (***)
8. In A Coogi Sweatshirt.
9. H20 Proof. Feat. Saafir. (****)
10. It Is What It Is. Feat. Jazze Pha. (****)
11. Interview with A Vampire. (*****)
12. Wild Pitch. Feat. Xzibit, Jah Skills and Phil Da Agony. (***)
13. Ooh Wee. (***)
14. All or Nuthin'. Feat. Twista. (***)
15. Grindin'. Feat. Bad Azz. (**)
16. I Ain't F*cking With You. (**)
17. Get At Me. (***)
18. The End. Feat. RZA. (***)

After the decent opening "Endtro", the kick-off track happens to be the title track. "Rassassination" powers in with Stu-B-Doo's brassy horns dominating the track, and Ras spitting a fabulous opening line: "You ain't got enough calcium to have a bone to pick wit me". He then continues, bragging with remarkable confidence (most would call it arrogance), boasting a set of witty, clever braggadocios rhymes: "Write my rhymes in alien and battle n----s in sign language/ Cowards make a little cheese then enlarge/ artificially, like Pamela Anderson Lee's double D's, please/ I'm bangin from Belize to Tel Aviv on the Red Sea/ Racin' Saddam Hussein on Kawasaki jet ski's".

"Ghetto Fabulous", again sporting a menacing Stu-B-Doo beat with synthesized strings, a haunting bassline and ramming percussion, is darker in tone, with Dr. Dre surprisingly taking a stab at rapping alongside Ras about livin' it up in the `ghetto'. Mack 10 lends some powerful clout to the chorus, but Ras' lyrical skill again shines through: "Want Juice like Tupac, then Obey Your Thirst clown/ Be in the PJ's in NY, rockin DK/ Mix EJ with OJ, OK, we say. "L.A. n----z got crazy game/ like John Elway got a super-bowl ring". I>"H20 Proof" is one of the better tracks on the LP, over a raw, compressed Big Jaz beat Ras laments the lack of support for underground artists. He spits some nice lines: "I'm nice, that's probably why I don't be f--kin with Sprite/ Cause thirst is nothin, image is everything on the mic/ These days, these DJs get paid under the table/ Pay the most popular producer on the most popular label/ Pay for full page ads in the most popular magazine/ Now you got the most popular new artist/ Guaranteed the air we breathe is thin, better tell her/ Then I'ma choke the bit-h out at 11:59, reveal the real Cinderella/ (AAAAAAHHHHHHH!) When two hydrogen's reach my oxygen atom/ You can't gat 'em or get at 'em/ Anatomically designed to be solar, f--k the rap star/ When I die I want n---s doing drive-by's with my ashes in the car

What is established here is that Ras is without a doubt a stunning emcee. His numerous metaphorical-contemporary culture references reminds me a lot of the style of Outsidaz' frontman Pacewon, and his inventive use of language surpasses many of his peers. He has supreme confidence, and can pull of difficult concept tracks like "Interview with a Vampire". Standing at 6:55 long, it is the sole track on "Rassassination" that can compete for sheer class with anything found on "Soul On Ice". With this track Ras raps as part of a three-way conversation with God and Satan debating the creation of the human race, the creation of the earth/universe and various social issues. Klev's "apocalyptic" beat is deeply atmospheric with powerful, thick synthesizers ripping through a slow, stop-start bassline and some chilling chimes. Stunning. Unforunately, this is close to the point where "Rassassination" stops being a 5 star album. It then falls, somewhat drastically.

You see, with Ras' attempts to make a bit more scrilla, he's ended up by throwing in a lot of half-arsed collaborations, some HORRIBLE beats, and a whole pile of stinking jigginess. Stu-B-Doo immediately undoes all his previous good work with "Lapdance", featuring all of the aforementioned curses, as Ras raps sleazily about lapdancers and strip-clubs. This is an absolute STINKER - by far the worst Ras Kass song I've ever heard. "I Ain't F-kin With You" and "Grindin'" (featuring DPGC member Bad Azz) are tedious, uninspired trips through Gangsta rap territory, somewhere that a man of Ras' talent should stay the hell away from. Ras then invites speed-rap merchant Twista onto "All Or Nothing", a horrendously misguided track. Ras' mere style and lyrics are not suited to fast-paced beats and fast rhyme schemes; his lengthy bars are suited more to slower stuff. It's no wonder he's left completely outclassed and tounge-tied.

As an overall track "Ice Age" is decent, but Kurupt's nonsensical braggadocio ("Rearranged, restructured, recomposed and decomposed/ Disassembled, dismembered, reconstructed, polished"... WTF?) and Ras Kass' horrible `playa-hater' lyrics spoil things. A bad effort from two emcee's who are always much better. "It Is What It Is", featuring soul crooner Jazze Phe, shouldn't be good but actually is - with some nice lyrics and a sickly sweet beat. "Wild Pitch", notably featuring Xzibit, and "Oohwee", while sticking solely to tedious gangsta fare, has a pretty nice beat, but can't escape the fact both tracks are strictly tolerable.

With "Rassassination" Ras Kas has pitched his tent far too broadly - he's changed what he's about as an artist in an (vein) attempt to try and capture a larger slice of the pie. It has failed - while the LP does have its moments - for the majority it falls strictly into the sad category of average. What makes its worse is that Ras Kass is truly a highly talented artist who should Not be coming out with mediocre dross like this. Hopefully, his new LP "Goldyn Child" can redress this. That's if we're still not...