Customer Reviews

Time Will Reveal

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(5)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Above The Law has came out with album after album that changed the game each time. This one from 1996 is no different. The whole album is G-Funk, but do not think for one minute that is that generic P-Funk sampling that you hear hundreds emulate. Don't get it twisted; I love the P-Funk samples; they make for dope beats, but Cold 187um flips the script. His beats are always different than the other producers, and they are different on every ATL album! He experiments heavily and makes those off the beaten path boogie beats that bang! Now, the lyrics here are hella different from Uncle Sam's Curse from 1994. USC was politically heated, and this one is on the smooth pimpin tip. "Gorilla Pimp" is a prime example with a slammin' semi-southern fried inspired beat. Another pimp style song is "Clinic 2000" which is smooth and different beatwise. It seems to be a sequel to "Pimp Clinic" from Black Mafia Life. "Evil That Men Do" sorta reverts to more of a gangsta mentality, and is hella tight. The beat slaps hard with that L.A. style bounce. Another certified banger is "City Of Angels" remix with Frost. I love songs that represent for rappers hoods, and this one definitely puts it down for L.A. over a mid-tempo lowrider style beat. A good track to lay back and blow a sack to is "Endonesia" with a keyboard melody ridden lovably oddball beat. This album definitely is different musically, and shows another aspect of G-Funk. G-Funk is not as simple as many put it- P-Funk samples and gangbanger rhymes. Cold 187um definitely deserves a place in the rap hall-of-fame for his production skills.

Above The Law's fourth full length album is quite different than their previous ones that they have released. After leaving Ruthless/Relativity Records and on to Tommy Boy ATL switches their style in their rhymes. On Livin' Like Hustlers, they had a more gangsta style rhyming. Their next two full length LP's Black Mafia Life and Uncle Sam's Curse were more focused on their pimp style of rhyming. The latter LP had a little spice of political influence. Time Will Reveal went back to the gangsta style rhyming, with a more updated touch.

At first I didn't like this album, because it didn't sound like other ATL albums. In fact I didn't make it through the album the first time. Around "1996" I lost my interest. But hearing this album a few more times, the album get easier and easier to listen to. KM G and Cold 187um rhyme like they haven't lost a beat. "Encore" and "The Evil That Men Do" are two tracks that lead off the album with energy. A few other standout tracks on here are "Killaz In The Park" featuring MC Ren and the bouncy single "Endonesia" (I have no idea who that girl is in the video). "City Of Angels (Remix)" featuring Kid Frost is a good track, not to mention "Apocalypse Now" ends the album on a high note. ATL does get back to pimpin, but briefly on "Clinic 2000" featuring Enuff and Daddy Cool.

This album can be a drag sometimes, especially with the fact that there are many songs with hooks that are longer than they are supposed to be. That might expain why most of these songs here clock in at 4 1/2 minutes where KM G and 187 only spit two short verses. Not to mention since ATL decided to focus on life in the Ponoma streets, they aren't saying anything new than what any other group from L.A. has made a while back.

Given that this is a dope album. Tommy Boy shouldn't let this go out of print, because this is one of their best albums that are from that label (believe it or not). This is nowhere near classic material from this group, but fans of gangsta rap from Cali will be impressed with this one. Peace.

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

Top 5 Tracks:
1. Killaz In The Park (featuring MC Ren)
2. Apocalypse Now
3. Evil That Men Do
4. Endonesia
5. City Of Angels [Remix] (featuring Kid Frost)

Honorable Mention:
1. 100 Spokes
2. Encore

A little over 2 years since their last album "Uncle Sams Curse" (which many say is their best but I don't have it since I can't find it under 50 bucks!) KMG & Cold 187um are back with a near classic g-funk album. Off Ruthless records and moving to Tommy Boy (where they did my 2 favorite albums of theirs -- again I don't have 2 of their albums). Of the 13 songs on here, none are bad, 3 are ok, 3 or 4 are almost classics and 1 is a classic, the rest are good songs. Guests are on 3 songs rapping a 3 doing hooks so you get a lot of the rap duo (K-oss don't rap on the albums). Production is mostly handled by Cold 187 um (aka Big Hutch) like most of their albums. He does every song but 1, which Julio G produces, and 187um really out does himself on this as the production is great. A must have albnum for west coast G-Funk fans and my favorite of theirs (again I don't have "Uncle Sam's Curse" or "Livin Like Hustlers").

#2 - 9.5 (f/ Dorinda Roberts -- great beat)
#3 - 9.5 (great beat)
#5 - 9.5 (f/ Enuff & Kokane -- great beat)
#6 - 8.5 (good beat)
#7 - 8
#8 - 8.5 (f/ Dorinda Roberts -- nice beat)
#9 - 7 (f/ Enuff & Daddy Cool)
#10 - 8 (good beat)
#11 - 10 (CLASSIC -- about smokin -- great beat -- f/ Mike )
#12 - 7.5
#13 - 7.5
#14 - 8 (f/ Frost)
#15 - 9 (nice upbeat one to end the album)

COLD 187um (Big Hutch) -- Gregory Hutchinson -- b. around 1968 -- Pomona, CA
KMG -- Kenneth M. Gulley -- Pomona, CA

Check all my reviews

The return of the Chronic Smokin' Loccin' Cold 187um & that B.G. Rhida KMG who put Pomona, CA on that Map, thanks to Above The Law's debut Livin' Like Hustlers in 1990. After God (Eazy-E) died in 1995, Above The Law switched from Ruthless Records to Naughty By Nature's Tommy Boy Records, and now they have a release on Tommy Boy which is called Time Will Reveal. To bad it doesn't have any appearences by their homies from back in the day like MC Ren, The D.O.C., CPO Boss Hogg & BTNH, though.

Time Will Reveal has the potential to be Above The Laws next big album, I have a shorter version cut of the song City Of Angels, called City Of Angels (Remix) featuring Frost, ALT, SPM & Mr. Shadow which has a tight West Coast Rhida beat. A song that I liked the beat to was the song Evil That Men Do, Locc'd out group Above The Law have another hard gangsta song 100 Spokes, and a cool song about smokin' Indo, Cavi, Dank and Skunk called Endonesia, a very tight song and tight name too! Above The Law had made 1 good under r8ed album, thanks to Cold 187um & KMG.

Above The Law Reveal Time on songs 2, *3, 5, 6, 7, *8, 9, 10, *11, 12, 13, *14(featuring Frost, ALT, SPM & Mr. Shadow) & 15.

ATL is really the best west coast group ever...why are they so underrated???? i can't understand...even those who don't like funkyhardcorerapgetthostyle will appreciate because Above the Law are real artists, and they are the best...

If your a huge left coast hip fan you know the best albums came out in 1996. That was the last year westcoast hip hop mattered. They perfected there sound to a smooth out gangsta funk, instead of just hardcore beats and lyrics. Don't get me wrong I love those straight gangsta murda beats you find on albums like Spice 1 187 he wrote, but the chill stuff is cool for the the ride. Anyway on to the album most people say Uncle Sams Curse is the best ATL album, you can make the argument that it is. But this is the best there is really no bad songs on it. It is more gangsta than Uncle Sams Curse. That album to my surprise was more political. This album went to back to the Black Mafia Life formula, gangsta pimpin. This album makes me wish hip hop sounded like this again. To bad this and U.S.C cost a grip. Who wants to pay $50 or more for a cd I got this thing for $15 dollars on ebay recently. If there is only one A.T.L album to get, get this one. There top albums go like this, Time Will Reveal, Uncle Sams Curse, Livin like Hustlers, Black Mafia Life, Legends, Forever Rich Thugs. Take that to the bank, this is muziktodriveby I wouldn't stere you wrong.

Great CD!! The CD arrived in perfect condition!! Fast shipping !! Will do business again!!

let me first start off by saying i only have 3 ATL albums i have this one,uncle sams curse and livin like hustlers.this review is just my opinion.I think this might be better than uncle sams curse because on this album it has songs that i think are better than anything on uncle sams curse, songs such as evil that men do, encore and the one with kokane.but it also might not be better than uncle sams curse because on this cd towards the end of the album the songs get worse there a few songs that are not good and on uncle sams curse all the songs are good but none of them really blow you away either.so i dont know my opinion i would have to say pick up time will reveal over uncle sams curse

This album has a bit of a strange sound, the best way of describing it would be "the next step of the double timed drums" (as used by Timbaland). I'm a big westcoast g-rap fan and I have everything from the NWA affiliates.

To me this is the climax of their musical evolution. Unfortunately they didn't continue the sound used on this album but started experimenting more. On legends this resulted in some excellent tracks and some OK ones, but after that it was mostly dissapointment.
This Album however, never fails to live up to my high Hip-Hop expectations. Give it a chance to grow on you.

This cd's not quite as good as their followup Legends, but it is well worth buying.Encore is a jawdropping track with a fine R&B instrumental and chorus.100Spokes is a funky dance track.GorillaPimpin is for all you playaz out there.The best song is My World, with one of the best beats I ever heard.It will mesmerize you. Here's my review in 3 words:get this album!