Customer Reviews

Swoll Package

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

 

 

I unequivocally assent with all the reviews on this solid effort from Capital Tax. They originally hail from Oakland, California, which is a shock to a lot of people, due to the nature of this album-----east coast vibe. I loved all the tracks on this album no exceptions, moreover, the Masha's Remix produced by my man Smooth G is arguably the best song that came out in the blessed year of '93. Hip Hop is dead, I'm not kidding, its spirits has ascended to the heavens and comfortably resting in peace. ONE!

Capital Tax's "The Swoll Package" is a complete essential to fans of 1993 eastcoast hiphop. Soo jazzy! this album has been slept on for too long now, I mean hardly anybody has heard of them. One listen and you know what you're in for ; fantastic production (with some neck brakin' bass), great lyrics which displays that strong charisma all MC's came with in the 90's, and an undeniable chemistry that just begs you to stick it back in the cd player for another spin. The swoll package is a strict must-have to hiphop fans searching for some more good ol' ish from the golden era. DO NOT SLEEP!!!

Best Tracks - The Masha, Styles I Manifest, Poet Treeman & Treetop Connection

Lyrics - 9/10

Beats - 10/10

Originality - 8/10

Replay Value - 9/10

BY THE WAY, THIS IS NOT A SOUNDTRACK, LIKE AMAZON SUGGESTS

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Much respect to Amazon for having this album on hand. I bugged out when this turned up after a random search on the site. I thought this joint was all but extinct. Since it's selling for a penny, you know I had to snatch it up. I bought this on tape back in High school and my friends and I would bump this joint after school during long video game sessions (mostly Joe Montana Football and Bulls vs. Blazers lol). The debut LP from Capital Tax is made up of DJ Cool Al, TMD (Total Mind Devastator), Bozie, and Scruff. It's hard to describe what they sound like. Try to imagine the Fu-Schnickens (minus Chip Fu) rhyming over some B level Marley Marl beats (which would still be better than a lot of beats that came out of '93) and you'll have some idea. Lyrically, the album is tight, the production is nice. What more could you want?

The only problem I have with the album is that a lot of the production sounds the same. The entire album is produced by DJ Smooth G, so I guess that should've been expected. Also, there are a lot of skip worthy tracks on the album like "Can You Dig It", "Mista Wonka", and "We Pals". The rest of the album is pretty good.

The Swoll Package is a dope album from a crew of cats that were all but ignored by the mainstream. It could've been because a lot of other acts were bringing a lot of the same flavor at the time, so they probably got lost in the shuffle. Either way, this album is worth a listen. I recommend checking it out. Now I think I'll go dust off my Sega Genesis and play Sonic The Hedgehog while I bump this.

Standout Tracks: Poet Treeman, Givin' It Back, Nottie Natural, Make Some Cash, I Can't Believe It, In Memory Of, Make A Move Y'all (My Favorite), The Masha, and Styles I Manifest

Man, MCA records signed some dope acts back in '93-'94. Acts like this and The Justice System (an album that I just previously reviewed) are the reasons why I made that comment. Both are dope acts, both didn't get the recognition that they deserved. Capital Tax's "The Swoll Package" is one of those albums from 1993 that not many people have heard, and I just so happened to come up onto this album one day. Consisting of TMD (Total Mind Devastator), DJ Cool Al, Bozie, and Scruff, comming out of Oakland, California has some music that kind of reminds you of hip hop back in the 90's.

Some great songs were the beginning of the album like "Mista Wonka", and "Make A Move Y'all", both tracks standing out lyrically with some good production. "The Masha" is a great song as well. I would say that is one of the best songs on the album. Another one of my favorites is "Styles I Manifest". The album ends with a posse cut "Treetop Connection" featuring JH The Master, Alafi, Prophecy, and Father Dom.

This album here is dope. It sure as hell will remind you of rap back in '93. It's hard to imagine these guys are from Oakland, California, because this album was just heavy beats and little, if any, synths used in the production (like most albums that came from the West Coast around that time). Fans of 90's rap should pick this up, because this is one great album. Peace.

Lyrics: B+

Production: B+

Guest Appearances: B+

Musical Vibes: A-

Top 5 Tracks:

1. The Masha

2. Treetop Connection (featuring JH The Master, Alafi, Prophecy, and Father Dom)

3. Mista Wonka

4. Givin' It Back

5. Styles I Manifest

Capital Tax's one and only album came during (in my opinion) the finest year of hip hop, 1993. I don't really know a lot about the group, but they operate with a heavy east coast sound and tight chemistry. Their style is pretty typical for the '93 jazzy sound, you could draw comparisons to Das EFX, Yaggfu Front, and Fu-Schnickens, but they execute it very well. They're happy, friendly, and not menacing, they rap about fun times, chilling with friends, and there's quite a few funny nonsensical verses in there too. All of the rappers are similar, they have similar voices and deliveries, and none stands out as better than the rest, though they have great chemistry. The production is nice. The music is constantly upbeat and pretty bouncy, there's fast bass and hooks to every song. There's some jazzy saxophones on almost every song too, the horn instrumentation makes a nice touch, this is a characteristic I love to the '93 hip hop sound. The beats are really consistent, so none really stand out, and a lot kind of run together. They're not nearly as nice as the fairly similar beats you'd find on a DJ Premier, Marley Marl, or Pete Rock productions from this time period, but they're good music. Overall, "The Swoll Package" is a cool listen, and a nice album to add to the collection (by the way, this is NOT a soundtrack as Amazon indicates).

The first song (after the five-second intro) is "Mista Wonka." This song is bouncy and fun, the fairly nonsensical verses and loopy beat make for a nice start to the album. "Make a Move Y'all" follows, some basic representative rhymes over a decent beat. After a short freestyle interlude comes "I Can't Believe It," a track where the verses recount childhood episodes and stories, it's lyrically solid and also musically so, the beat has organ and funky sax instrumentation, especially in the hook. I like "We Pals," the rappers talk about hanging out with friends over another solid track. "Can You Dig It" is pretty good but not a standout, and "Nottie Natural" follows a common '93 trend by using a Jamaican dancehall influence. "The Masha" is a definite highlight, the beat is excellent, vibesy and funky, and the rhymes are extremely entertaining. A nice short musical interlude precedes probably my favorite song here, "Givin' It Back." This song has among the best beats on the album, and the lyrics advocate generosity and paying dues, advising not to forget where you came from. I like the vocals in the hook and overall it's a great song. "Styles I Manifest" is okay, and "Make Some Cash" is fun. "Poet Treeman" and "Treetop Connection" are two of the best songs, both heavy on the jazzy sax. "Outs" closes the album.

I think it would have been hard for Capital Tax to come with another album, their sound drew a lot from the 1993 jazzy vibe and didn't take too much originality, and within a few years it would sound dated. If you're unfamiliar with them, it's because they didn't receive attention because better and fairly similar artists had the spotlight. But this album is a great listen, but it's just not as good as similar works from the same time period by Das EFX, EPMD, Lords of the Underground, or Fu-Schnickens, who easily overshadowed it in '93. "The Swoll Package" reflects a great time period for hip hop music, a time where originality, performance, and jazziness were at their peaks. I recommend this album to fans of those groups, listeners will find that it draws a lot from the sound they love. Capital Tax didn't bring much new to the table, but they executed an established sound nicely.