Customer Reviews

Somethin Serious

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

 

 

Big Mike made a splash in 1991 with his group the Convicts, but didn't really start to make waves until he joined up with the Geto Boys for their 1993 effort "Till Death Do Us Part". On that album, Big Mike definitely pulls his weight on par with Scarface and Bushwick Bill on collaborative cuts, and especially on the superb solo track "No Nuts No Glory". Just one year later, Big Mike would reach even greater heights with the release of his solo debut "Somethin' Serious".

Big Mike has one of the most appealing flows I've ever heard. He's definitely on the hardcore tip, but also provides wrenching social commentary. Most notably, the man is extremely intelligent, and that shines through in his delivery and exemplary writing style. Big Mike produces five cuts on the album himself, with N.O. Joe coming in with six cuts, and the remaining tracks are split between Mike Dean, Simon Cullins, John Bido, Troy "Pee Wee" Clark, & Michael Banks. The soundscapes match Big Mike's delivery perfectly, and really brings the record around full circle. My favorites are "World of Mind", "Creepin -- Rollin", "Havin Thangs", "Playa Playa" & "Daddy's Gone" featuring Scarface. However, there isn't a wasted moment in sight. Prepare to witness one of Houston's finest. "Somethin' Serious" delivers on all levels.

Being a replacement for a group isn't an easy thing to do, but as I can heard on the Geto Boys' Till Death Do Us Part, Big Mike has no problem handling that job. A year later, he dropped his debut solo album, "Somethin' Serious", at a time when some southern acts were making a name for themselves. In my opinion, the biggest standout on this LP, is the southern funky production. The production here is made by N.O. Joe, Pee Wee, John Bido, Mike Dean, Simon Cullins, Michael Banks, Pimp C of UGK, and Mike Barnett himself, so expect a lot of funky production here. Add those beats with Mike's wide range of rhymes from decent to great, and you have this album.

Some of the best tracks are on the beginning of the album. "Commin' From The Swamp" is an upbeat song with a nice sample in the hook that makes it dope. The next track, "World Of Mind" is great with it's slowed and funky production. Another one of the album's best track is "Ghetto Love" as Big Mike spits one long verse. "Smoke 'Em & Choke 'Em" is another standout. "Havin' Thangs" is carried by some funky production. "On Da Real" and "Playa Playa" has some head nodding production, but they don't standout like some of the other tracks do. "Southern Thang" is a good song with more funky production, but the track fails to standout as well, but the title track "Somethin' Serious" does standout. "Get Over That" is a great laid back song. "Fire" is a solid track (don't like the Ohio Players sample, it sound awkward), and features Rap-A-Lot label mate Tre-Deuce. Scarface comes in with the positive song "Daddy's Gone". And the album closes off with "On Da 1" which features Bun B, Billy Cook and A-Dog.

Overall "Something Serious" is a dope album. As I mentioned before, the biggest standout is the production. Big Mike has rhymes and they show on most of the album. At the same time, this album doesn't match to other southern albums that came out in '94 like Scarface's The Diary, and Outkast Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. But it's much better than some other albums that came later on like 5th Ward Boyz Rated G, and Tre-Deuce's Wicked Buddah Baby. If you're a fan of Rap-A-Lot or southern rap, this album is what I would recommend to you. Overall, this album is "Somethin' Serious". Peace!

Lyrics: B
Production: A-
Guest Appearances: B
Musical Vibes: B+

Top 5 Tracks:
1. Get Over That
2. Ghetto Love
3. World Of Mind
4. Daddy's Gone (featuring Scarface)
5. On Da 1 (featuring Bun B, A-Dog, and Billy Cook)

Honorable Mention:
1. Commin' From The Swamp
2. Southern Thang

Big Mike drops a solid debut album here. Being on one of the best rap labels don't hurt either. Compared to his other 2 albums it's a little less quality then "Hard to Hit" and better then "Still Serious". Packed with 14 songs, 3 are almost classic material, 4 are ok, 1 I skip, and the other 7 are good songs. Guests are only on 3 of the songs rapping so you get a nice amout of Big Mike. Production is also solid and done by some of the better producers of the south at the time. N.O. Joe does 6, Troy "pee Wee" Clark does 2, and Big Mike, Mike Dean, Mike Banks, Simon Cullins, John Bido, and Pimp C all do 1. A nice album to have for his fans.

#1 - 8.5 (upbeat song)
#2 - 7 (slower song)
#3 - 9
#4 - 8.5
#5 - 8.5
#6 - 8
#7 - 9.5 (nice beat on this one)
#8 - 6
#9 - 7
#10 - 9.5 (upbeat song -- f/ Lester Tone)
#11 - 8
#12 - 7 (f/ 3-2)
#13 - 7.5 (f/ Scarface)
#14 - 9.5 (f/ Bun B, A-Dog, Billy Cook -- nice beat)

Mike Barnett -- New Orleans, LA -- b. 1971
check all my reviews

Big Mike Somethin' Serious CD:

Good Southern Rap,Good rhymes,good beats. Get the cd it's good.

After his 1991 Convicts collaboration album with 3-2, Big Mike first gained fame as a member of Geto Boys on the album Till Death Do Us Part in 1993. He replaced Willie D on that album, and was only a temporary member. He was not really well received because although he is a by-the-books Rap-A-Lot MC and similar to the Geto Boys, his businesslike personality wasn't a great replacement for Willie D's utter craziness. So in 1994, he released his solo debut, "Somethin' Serious," which is a very good album. 1994 was a great year for hip hop and it was also a great year for the Houston-based Rap-A-Lot label, which also released Scarface's classic The Diary and Willie D's Play Witcha Mama the same year. Mike's debut has a similar sound to the other Rap-A-Lot albums released at this time musically. The producers include the in-house beatmakers like N.O. Joe, Mike Dean, and himself. The beats are pretty slow and funky, they have a southern-fried twang to them, and if you've heard any of the mid-90s Rap-A-Lot album you're fairly familiar with this sound. Musically the album is very consistent, it's simple but likable through its Houston grittiness. Big Mike is a native of New Orleans and Houston, and he has a style fairly similar to the Geto Boys. He's not as outstanding a character as Willie D or as great a lyricist as Scarface, but he's appealing. He's not flashy or glitzy, he's a determined and talented rapper who's pretty raw yet experienced. He eases from raps about his hometown and urban tales to laidback riding songs and even an occasional sex rap like his contemporaries. While there's no real outstanding standout songs, the album is extremely consistent, focused, and cohesive. Guest appearances come from Scarface and U.G.K. Like a lot of Rap-A-Lot's lesser known albums, this is of the same high quality as some of the more well-known releases, and it's always been quite underrated. "Somethin' Serious" is a very solid album of mid-90s southern hip hop, and I recommend it.

The album begins with "Comin' From the Swamp," a fast and introductory song where he represents his hometown and himself with a few determined verses. "World of Mine" is slow and deep. Mike assesses the state of people's mentalities in a depressed manner, the production is nice and this song's a highlight. On the great "Ghetto Love," which has my favorite beat on the album, Mike tells a story of his teenage years. "Creepin-Rollin" is decent, it's a pretty regular-sounding Rap-A-Lot song for this period, the production is solid but it's not a highlight, the hook and subject matter just don't do it for me. "Smoke `Em & Choke `Em" is much better, it's got a cool beat and Big Mike's performance is nice. I also like the flossy and rolling "Havin' Thangs." He supplies a reality check on "On da Real," where he speaks of his lifestyle and gives advice to deadbeat fathers and strugglers. The production on this song is among the best. "Playa Playa" is very appealing, it's got a great, laidback beat and hook, and the conversational raps are entertaining. The short "Southern Thang" precedes the solid title track, and the next song, "Get Over That," has a very cool beat. "Fire" is hard and threatening. My favorite song is "Daddy's Gone," where he addresses fatherhood and the dilemma facing many prospective urban fathers. The beat is great, with some saxophone instrumentals and a guest by Scarface. The album closes with the Houston posse cut "On da 1."

"Somethin' Serious" is not as good as the Rap-A-Lot classics like The Diary or Phantom of the Rapra, but it's a really good collection of a talented MC over Houston's best producers. Big Mike would go on to continue making underrated solo albums, and his next album Still Serious was similar in substance and quality. I highly recommend this album, this is premier southern hip hop from the golden age of rap, and especially because unlike a lot of the Rap-A-Lot releases from this period, it remains in print today.

like everybody else from rap a lot big mike keeps it real, love it i'm a playa got that al green vibe, on da real big mike tells it real, big mike was a talent few knew about outside texas, alabama, and louisiana.

this cd put big mike on the map. after he and 3-2 hooked up on the convicts album he made a strong debut on till death do us part. then he dropped something serious. songs like playa playa daddy's home and having things make this cd a must have for any rap cd collection

Big Mike made huge impression on the albums "Convicts" (an album he did with 3-2) and as a temporary member of the Geto Boys on "Till Death Do Us Part". In 1994, it was finally Big Mike's turn to shine. Originally Mike is from New Orleans and he moved to Houston when he was 15. After The Convicts album, he even stayed in California working with Death Row Records, and even influencing Snoop Doggy Dogg (who paid him respect on the song where Snoop drops the line "Smokin' and Chokin' like the mothaf***in' Peter Man"). But that didn't work out so Mike came back and became an official Rap-A-Lot member. "Something Serious" is his debut, and it showcases Mike's talent. The title suits the album well - Big Mike is a serious dude. Although he speaks the gangsta sh** quite well, he isn't much about killin' and robbin'. He preferst telling about life in the hood, and hustlin' to survive. I think it's also a personal album as well, since Big Mike tells quite a few stories about his life. For example on "Ghetto Love" he raps about his girl, that was down for him since day one and on another song (feat. Scarface" he tells about him growing up without a dad. Big Mike IS a serious dude. On this album he stays away from sex songs and murder sh** he did on the Geto Boys album, it's more of a humble and laid-back album. Guests rappers include Scarface, UGK and a few lesser known dudes. The production is solid, although some songs dissapoint a little bit (producers iclude Mike Dean, Mike Banks, NO Joe, Pimp C and others). Overall, this album is a good one (great at more than a few songs), and it's a beginning. Better things are about to come after this one (released in 1994).

I haven't heard this CD since I was 19!! I am so glad to own Big Mike!! It has several jams on here that I love like Creepin and Rollin, Having Thangs and Somethin Serious. I recommend to anyone who is a fan of the old school!!!

This is music to ride by! Well, I did not purchase this off Amazon. I bought this cd back in the 90's when it was cool to go into Circuit City and get cd's. Anyway, this joint was hott back then and it's still hot. My favorite is "Playa-Playa!" "Now baby's playing you for your money you're playing her for her drawers, she takes your money brings it to me, now I'm playing both of y'all!" The lyrics are hot and will keep your head bobbing for miles (I always review music to ride by) not to mention the bass line which will shatter your windows and keep your trunk rattling, sounding like two midgets wrestling in the trunk! If you are considering the purchase, I say get pick it up, put on that Big Mike Playa-Playa, grip that wood, lean back and ride like a PLAYA!
YMMV! ...NEOSOUL06