Customer Reviews

Time's Running Out

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

 

 

"Time's Runnin' Out" caught my eye in the new releases rack at my music shop last week and I immediately scooped it up. Brand Nubian is a group I've loved for years, and from their classic "Slow Down" to their solo work, a group that constantly has me coming back for more. It wasn't until I had already bought this album and taken it home that I learned that this wasn't actually a new recording, but a shelved album recorded in 1997. The original Brand Nubian quartet of Grand Puba, Sadat X, Lord Jamar, and DJ Alamo broke up after their legendary debut One for All, as Puba and Alamo released Reel to Reel and 2000 under Puba's name and Sadat X and Jamar released In God We Trust and Everything Is Everything under the Brand Nubian moniker, until finally the original lineup reassembled again for 1998's Foundation. What I didn't know was that prior to recording Foundation, an entire LP with the original 4-man lineup was recorded called "Time's Runnin' Out," and this album has finally been released a full ten years later.

"Time's Runnin' Out" has the classic Brand Nubian feel without really sounding like Foundation. All four members produce tracks, and except for one track, the production is handled entirely by the group members. There are no guest appearances, and this makes for a veery focused work. The production has the vintage mid-90s east coast underground sound, with a clean, upbeat polish and horn instrumentation. In relation to their other 1990s recordings, this is notably less sociopolitical, conscious, and militant; it has a lighter feel more akin to Puba's solo albums. They spend much more time bashing sucker MCs and celebrating the music than they do challenging social issues and religion. The lyrics stay strong and their flows sound tight as ever, youy basically know what type of artistic passion to expect from Brand Nubian. The overall feel is pretty happy, upbeat, and artistic, and the album has a lot of great tracks on it. "Time's Runnin' Out" is one that the Brand Nubian fans should not hesitate to pick up, and I highly recommend it to fans of the 90s east coast genre.

After the intro, the album opens with "Seen Enough." Over a dope, vibesy beat by Jamar, all three MCs drop strong verses starting the album on a nice note. "Girls, Girls, Girls" uses the same chorus and concept that Jay-Z would later use for his song of the same name, this song has a really artistic and intimate vibe. "One Time" is simple and appealing, and "Scientists of Sound," which Lord Finesse co-produced with Puba is excellent all-around, with a perfect beat and some of the album's best rhymes. The phenomenal title track follows, a true highlight and one of the LP's finest. It's songs like this that make it so hard to believe that this album could have been shelved, this has a real classic ring to it. The ultra-funky and upbeat "Brand Nu Hustle" is another really great song, and "Once Again" is thought provoking and musically very nice. "Rockin' It," which was supposed to be a single, is another standout track. Very upbeat and funky, this has the clean and upbeat polish that might make it likened to the Camp Lo track of the same name (from the same year, no less). It's a really fun party-type jam. "I Wanna Hear It" is anchored by some unique and really appealing production that is sure to induce some serious head-nodding. By far my favorite song here is "A Child Is Born," a song that I seriously can't get enough of right now. With a sick beat and a classic-sounding chorus sampling Grandmaster Flash, Nubian kicks some of their most thoughtful, grabbing rhymes I've heard. This song is among their finest and it's awesome. The cool "Right Here" precedes "Enjoy Yourself," a joyful and feel-good cut. "Go Hard" and "Somebody Told a Lie" close the album nicely with two solid tracks.

This release hasn't received any press, and I'm not sure of the details surrounding its being shelved and unreleased. In any event, this is a worthy Brand Nubian album that ranks among the group's better recordings. Brand Nubian is one of the East Coast's most underrated hip hop crews, and on this album it's easy to see why. It's one of my favorite releases in a while. Those looking for new recordings from Brand Nubian should pick up Sadat X's recent solo LP Black October. "Time's Runnin' Out" showcases one of hip hop's dopest trios in their prime, and it's a sure pickup for the hip hop heads.

Great samples, spare but killing beats, great raps! Makes me feel nostalgic for when hip Hop WAS Hip Hop and not R&B like today.

Recorded in the same time frame as Foundation (which we were all lead to believe was their 1st reunion album)comes this long lost disc bringing together the entire original crew after a 7 year split(Grand Puba, Sadat X, Lord Jamar, Alamo). The rhymes here are of the usual quality (although less militant and religious)you have come to expect and they have always complemented each other well with their unique flows and voices. Beats here are produced in-house by the members themselves, although pretty good their isn't anything that instantly makes you reach for the repeat button... just nice beats that patiently stand aside for the lyrics. This is probably closer to a 3.5 star album but I figure any cats who have been in the game for near twenty years (!)deserve to be rounded up rather than down. For fans this purchase is a no-brainer guaranteed to please, plus it might be the closest thing to a "new" album we get for some time (if ever). If you aren't familiar with Brand Nubian I'd recommend checking out any of their other releases first (except Everything Is Everything which is passable) and then picking this up. All in all an excellent release with a really chill vibe that I'm glad time never ran out on.

Brand Nubian doesn't come off very political on this album, but it's okay because at the end of the day I love to hear skillful boasting & good story telling. I downloaded this album from zshare(I will purchase this when the price drops) & it's was well worth my time. Why can't rappers make more albums with this kind of sound anymore. Now of days everybody's production sounds over the top and they don't embrace the ESSENCE! This is new york hip-hop at it's best. I miss brand nubian I wish they were still in they're prime, my only problem with this album is the production, they're aren't any producers outside of alamo, lord Jamar or grand puba unlike on foundation. Could have been a classic with more outside production and more involvement from sadat x who only appears on one song.

There is no secret the members of Brand Nubian stopped getting along way back and this album reflects that. You do not get the "one for all" sense anywhere on this recording. Sounds like they would much rather be somewhere else.

Fans of early `90s hip-hop should recognize Brand Nubian as delivering classics like "Word is Bond" and especially "Punks Jump Up to Get Beat Down". And even though Lord Jamar, Sadat X, Grand Puba and DJ Alamo did their thing on solo releases, they still got back together to deliver 1998's Foundation. But that album seemed to be the only "recent" album from the pack that people really paid attention to (admit it; how many people do you know that own Fire in the Hole?). At any rate, they now come back with Time's Runnin' Out.

Lyrically, the fellas really haven't lost that much of a step. The best track would have to be "Scientists of Sound", but the introspective "A Child is Born" comes in at second. And "I Wanna Hear It" will have you saying just that. "Enjoy Yourself" (which is based on the Jacksons' song of the same name) would also be good if it wasn't for the predictable chorus and the off-key trumpet sample.

Speaking of that, if people think "Girls, Girls, Girls" is a rip-off of the Jay-Z song, Brand Nubian's version was actually made first, which brings me to another point. A lot of these songs sound, well, old because this album was supposed to come out in 1997, and you can tell because they give props to 1997 and 1998 at various points throughout the album. In addition, the production and some of the choruses sound more dated than classic; I think I would be saying that even if this WERE 1997. Such examples include the hooks to "Once Again", "Rockin' It" and "Right Here". Some folks might argue that this is a "lost" album like Nas' The Lost Tapes or Anthony Hamilton's Soulife or Southern Comfort, but the thing is, it isn't marketed as such; it's marketed as a new album.

While Time's Runnin' Out will probably still satisfy fans of Puba, Jamar, X and Alamo, releasing this album feels more like a contract fulfillment than anything else. But I'll still wait for something brand new from Brand Nubian.

Anthony Rupert

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