Customer Reviews

This Is the Shack

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The Dove Shack is a group of three talented rappers who made their debut on Warren G's "This Is The Shack" from his classic Regulate: The G-Funk Era. All three members have their own personalities making them a special part of the group. Bo-Roc is my favorite, he can rap and sing very nicely as well, with a breezy, flowing style. C-Knight has a cool, yet hardcore style and laid-back rhymes. And Two Scoops flows in a rapid, mind-bending battle style. All of them are unique in their own ways. The Dove Shack's debut album, called This Is The Shack, was released on Warren G's G-Funk Records. While Warren only produced one track on the album, it's obvious he influenced the production and creation of this album greatly. All of the tracks have the laid-back summertime feel of keyboards and guitars. There are some skits in the album which some may find offensive, but are really pretty funny.

Highlights on this album start out with "Smoke Out", a laid-back G-Funk looped song featuring R&B singer Montell Jordan singing on the chorus. The track has stunning raps by all three members and also has a soulful beat. "This Is The Shack" shows up on here, but this version is slightly different from the one on Warren G's album, and has Bo-Roc singing a new outro at the end. It's easily (still) a classic song. "Summertime In The LBC" is the first single, and has the nice, laid-back summer feel, a completely unforgettable song with great guitars and singing from Bo-Roc and guest Arnita Porter. A true G-Funk gem. "Bomb Drop" is a hardcore type track, with all three emcees making their presence felt, using a darker effect. "Your Mouth" is more of a playa's type of song. It has a soulful beat and Bo-Roc, C-Knight and Two Scoops let all disloyal women have it. There is a "Freestyle" track with The Dove Shack rapping straight off the tops of their heads. They do an excellent job, over a hard gangsta-style beat proving how they got their record deals! Bo-Roc even coughs in the middle and raps, "Excuse me, I had to cough" and then goes straight on, amazing. "Ghetto Life" is more of a slower style track, talking about the lifestyle of the ghetto. The three emcees take on subjects of having to survive from day-to-day, the pressure of being black in today's society, and other problems. A classic song again. "Eastside Party" is a fast-paced party song, where they go nuts and tear the track to shreds over a nice beat. "Rollin' With A Gang" is a nice semi-dark, late-night sounding track, C-Knight says my favorite line of the song, "The Kniggy Knight ain't no biter/Funky styles that I write-ah", it's comical and tight. "We Funk (The G-Funk)" is also a single, and is an obvious classic with each rapper giving his definition of G-Funk, the greatest kind of rap ever made. "There'll Come A Day" is a gangsta blues type track about people who be-friended them after they became famous with a nice guitar riff. There also is a remix of "Summertime In The LBC", with Two Scoops and C-Knight rapping on it along with Bo-Roc singing. My favorite quotes: "Why do we do what we do when we do what we do/Hangin' out late with no curfew" said by Two Scoops and C-Knight says, "We got the Coke and Hen/We got the Five Footaz and The Twinz/We got Warren G and the D-o-g" using Five Footaz, The Twinz, Warren and Snoop's names for Long Beach shoutouts.

Overall, this is a great album. It's a shame these guys never got the credit they deserved. If I could've made the choice, they would've gone platinum easily. Great work, if you like Warren G, or Dogg Pound, or The Twinz, you'll love this.

I might be a little biased in my review, but when you're out in Long Beach with some west coast funk playing in your ear, walking up MLK and PCH, everything just sounds better. That was what was going on a few days ago, while having the Dove Shack's CD in heavy rotation. Dove Shack (C-Knight, Bo Roc, and 2 Scoops) is more of a laid back, slightly more friendlier group compared to others artists who came out of Long Beach, California.

The album has a laid back G-funk vibe, like most albums that come out of Warren G.'s crew such as Regulate...G Funk Era and Conversation. The group's rhymes are solid, but throughout the album are a few catchy hooks. "Smoke Out" really starts the CD on a high note, (and for some odd reason, it reminds me of an Outkast song). Next is "This Is The Shack" followed by the R&B version of "Summertime In the LBC" with Bo-Roc and female singer Arnita Porter in a summertime style duet. The songs "Bomb Drop", "F Ya Mouth" and "Freestyle" explores more styles that the trio can handle.

Afterward, the album really begins to loose it's momentum. "Crooked Cop" and "East Side Party" fails to standout. Only two tracks at the end of the album that are worth listening to are "We Funk" and the rap version of "Summertime In The LBC" which is almost as the same as the original, but there are a few rap verses at the end.

Still despite some missteps towards the end of the album, This Is The Shack still delivers what the west coast have been known for back in the mid 90's. Whats unfortunate about this is that they were signed to such a terrible label, Def Jam, who basically ignored the west coast (see SCC, BG Knocc out & Dresta as well). So basically all albums from Warren G.'s crew, Dove Shack, Twinz, and Da Five Footaz received very little promotion (the latter group's album was shelved by the label). If you can I highly recommend you grab a copy of This Is The Shack, as well as the other albums mentioned in this review, which are essential for a west coast fan. Peace.

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

Top 5 Tracks:
1. F Ya Mouth
2. Smoke Out (featuring Montell Jordan)
3. Freestyle
4. Bomb Drop
5. We Funk (The G Funk)

Honorable Mention:
1. Summertime In The LBC (rap version) (featuring Arnita Porter)

I'm From Long Beach And i personally know the doveshack. i lived next to them when this album was released and i have to say that these guys are real talented. out of bo roc, two scoops, and C-Knight i have to choose C-Knight now this guy could really flow and touch you with his tight ... lyrics. much of you don't know that c-knight has done a solo project and is out now but the name of the album is Knight Time. bo roc is still incarcerated he should be out soon. so if you loved this album please look around for The DoveShack. Also look out for Bad Azz, Hobo, Lil Goldie Loc. East Side Up ESRTCG20

The Dove Shack were introduced to the world on Warren G's classic album "Regulate...G-Funk Era", and following that album they released their own debut. "This Is the Shack" is an entertaining and quite enjoyable album. The trio of BoRoc, Two Scoop, and C-Knight are talented, they have good voices that they sometimes use to sing, and they are pretty good rappers too. BoRoc especially stands out as a great vocal talent, singing most of the hooks. While Warren G doesn't exactly have a presence here, the beats are also good, kind of a grittier g-funk than Warren's soulful stylings, but there's some really good grooves to be found here. There's a lot of great songs on "This Is the Shack" to play for a ride in the car and a fair share of smokin' songs too, and while there are a few cuts worth skipping every time, the good ones make this album worth the purchase. Come summertime, this is my most rotated album, and the music has a beautiful sunny vibe that makes it so enjoyable. I recommend "This Is the Shack" to fans of mid-90s G-Funk like Tha Dogg Pound or Twinz, even though The Dove Shack is a pretty unique group and doesn't really sound like anyone else.

The first full song is "Smoke Out", a happy, bass-heavy weed song, it has a great vibe to it and there are some cool instrumentals like horns and a heavy drum. The chorus is nice and it's a great song. The next song, "This Is the Shack" is an extended version of the classic featured on Warren G's debut album. It has a longer intro and has an extra singing verse at the end, I love this song and think it's one of the best g-funk songs from the 90s. "Summertime in the LBC" is the second classic on this album, an upbeat R&B duet with BoRoc and a female singer. It's laidback, funky, and happy, I think it's a great song to roll to or chill to. The rest of the tracklist is not quite as strong as the opening, the placement of songs isn't great because the best three songs are at the beginning. "Bomb Drop" is totally forgettable, with no visible hook and a boring beat. "F*ck Ya Mouth" has a pretty good beat and hook, it's a decent song. "Freestyle" shows the trio's talent in freestyling but isn't really worth listening to more than once. "Ghetto Life" is an awesome song though, it might be the best on the disc. I love the beat, it has these vibes and heavy bass and it doesn't really sound like any other song I've heard before. They rap about their negative philosophies of growing up in the ghetto, it's their best song lyrically and it has a good hook. "East Side Party" is an upbeat party song, and "Rollin' With a Gang" is a slowed down, funkier track. "We Funk" is really good, soulful and joyful sounding, and "There'll Come a Day" is in the same vein. The remix to "Summertime in the LBC" at the end adds verses from the other two members of The Dove Shack, it's a little better than the original in my opinion thanks to their presence. The skits scattered throughout are your basic gangsta fare, as you could guess from the titles of them, and the album does run a little long, but overall the tracklist is strong.

"This Is the Shack" is inconsistent, but I recommend it based on the strength of the first four songs and "Ghetto Life", which are certified classics. While neither the production nor lyricism are really great, the album maintains a pretty solid feel and I like the group's chemistry and outlook. Fans of 90s West coast G-funk should purchase this album while they can, I'm sure it will be enjoyed by many and I would suggest it to most rap fans.

The rise of Warren G and the token G-Funk sound in the early 90's brought a slew of other artists trying jump on the money making bandwagon. While most of these groups sounded like imitators, a couple broke the mold, and expanded the G-Funk style. One such group is Warren G's prodiges The Dove Shack. There were many factors that made this album a classic. First, was that Warren G provided many of the beats (while he was still in his prime). Secondly, and most importantly, is that the 3 emcees that make up Dove Shack all have personality and versitility (something that Warren G lacks). Each emcee has a distinct voice and flow: C-Knight's smoothed out delivery, Bo-Roc's (who raps and sings) deep, breezy flow, and 2Scoops nasal, rapid fire rhymes. Almost every song on this album is a classic. And furthermore, the album has the best skits I've heard on anywhere so far. While most rapper's skits tends to be monotonous, The Dove Shack's are hilarious enough (and offensive) that I listen to them as much as I do the songs! I'd say that this album definatley rivals The Chronic and Doggystyle for best west coast album ever. My only question is what happend to The Dove Shack since this album? Other than Bo-Roc's occasional guest appearance on other artsits songs, The Dove Shack has been missing in action for the last 4 years! Can someone give me a clue as to where these guys disapeared to?

Whether you want some good rapping, or good clean smooth beats, this group can deliver. This is one of my favorite G-Funk albums of all time and they come with a very original sound. From the song titled "smoke out" to "F*** Ya Mouth," this album slaps from front to back. Next time your in the car with your homies, pop this in for a guaranteed good time.

This album dropped at the perfect time. The LBC was blowin up thanks to Snoop & GW during this time, and the spotlight happened to catch a glimpse of the Dove Shack. They put together a very solid album. The skits throughout are hilarious, The beats are slammin and their lyrics are pretty dope. CD almost plays all the way through. Highly recommended..cop it solely for the Summertime classic "Summertime in the LBC".
Peace

Summer Time in the LBC... I bought this in middle school. I still listen to this album every summer. Honestly most songs are not that great compared to today standards. It is still good though. I would recommend it if you like G-funk or anything related to classic Warren G.

Dove Shack's solo release "This Is The Shack" is nothing short of slammin. It combines laid back G-Funk like the cut "Smoke Out" (with a nice, heavy bass and whiny keyboard synths) with smooth R&B as in "Summertime In The LBC," adding in bumpin, funky party tracks like "East Side Party," and throws in some harder gangsta flava for your ear in tracks like "Rollin Wit A Gang." The album is well-rounded production wise, and the beats are awesome. The album is prime for a top down ride down the AVE! There is something great about Long Beach; it has spawned yet another super rap act and album. Too bad, these cats haven't released any more since this one came out in 95! If you love the styles of Warren G, Foesum, Twinz, DPG, this is an essential addition to your LBC/rap collection!

Warren G's original style know as "G - Funk" dazzles it listeners with tastes of a Jazz, rap, hip hop fusion. If one is a fan of music with a laid back touch, I highly reccomend this album. Another great rap cd from classic rap.