Customer Reviews

From Where

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

I bought this album when it was first released and without question this is a solid debut for Mad Skillz. The Richmond, Virginia native's style represents the Mid Atlantic Region (the area from Washington D.C., Richmond, VA, Norfolk,VA, Raleigh,NC, to Charlotte NC - The Queen City better known as DC to QC).This region's hiphop, not southern enough to be fully "Dirty" or northern enough to be fully "East Coast" is a copycat of New York styled hip hop with southern flava. Through his collection of freestyle flows and battle rhymes, skillz illustrates the fundamentals of emceeing. The album starts of with a freestyle featuring fellow Richmonder, Lonnie B. Lines like "And I can keep rapping 'til Biz Markie gets Cute", gives a taste of what's yet to come. The track ends with what many Mid Atlantic MC's consider a compliment, to be mistaken to be from New York because of the level of one's lyrical skills(Well, New York is the holy city of Hip Hop). The album continues with the premise of establishing Virgina's underground hiphop. Overall, the album is tigh lyrically and has good beats and production. High lights are "The Nod Factor", "VA is in the House", "Move Ya Body", "Tongues of the Next S*@t", and the posse cut featuring all of the supafriends the "Unseen World". The rest of the album are solid cuts that showcase skillz verbal dexterity and dedication to hip hop. This album is definitely a good buy, even though New York, the West coast, and the rest of the dirty south may sleep on it, but those of us from DC to QC feels ya skillz, B.

Mad props to this playa. He is on a whole nother level when it comes to lyrics. Skillz needs some more publictity though, so youpeople need to pick this up! NOW!

First of all I bought this Album in '95 when Skillz first came out. Without question this is a solid album. To me it reflected the type of hip hop that best represents the mid atlantic region from DC to QC(Washington D.C. to the Queen City - Charlotte, NC). Not far enough south to be fully "Dirty", yet not far enough North to fully be "East Coast- New York". This type of hip hop is basically a copy of New York styles transplanted south. And that is what skillz does best, kicking fly battle rhymes and freestyles. The 1st track is an intro that shows the freestyle ability of skillz, also it illustrates what many MC's from the mid atlantic consider the highest compliment: To be mistaken for a New York MC because of one's rhyme skillz. The rest of the album continues on establishing underground VA HipHop. High lights of the album are "The Nod Factor", "VA is in the House", the posse cut featuring the Supafriends "The Unseen World", "Time in da cipher", "Extra Abstract Skillz" featuring Q'Tip and Large Professor and "Move Ya Body", All tight cuts. The rest of the album are solid songs with nice beats. No Doubt New York purists will sleep on the album as well as those from the West Coast and Dirty South, but the kids from Dc to QC feel ya skillz. F@#$ what ya heard, Skillz album is worth the purchase.

One of the most slept on and underrated albums to come out in the last years of Hiphop's most consistent periods (1987-1996). Mad Skillz comes 100% correct with "From Where???" with a trademark style, innovative lyrics/flow and underrated beats courtesy of hiphop legends like Buckwild,Beatnuts,Jaydee,Large Professor,Shawn J Period, Clark Kent, Ez Elpee & Skillz himself, Mad Skillz was making a statement. Now, With a line up like that, you wonder how has this album been slept on so dramatically? Well, although I can not answer that or justify just how unfortunate that is, I can only try and spread my knowledge of this and hope that any true hiphop fan can learn. Now, the album consists of 16 tracks (2 of which are skits) all of which contribute its own sense of individuality and memorability to the album. Hands down, this is one of the most consistent albums to come out of 1996 with not one weak track, meaning that no skipping is needed. Tip of the tongue, Extra abstract skillz and unseen world are tracks in which amazing lyrics and flow will occupy your ears for 4 minutes at a time, satisfying those fans of an MC's originality. Tracks like, All in it, Extra Abstract Skills, VA in the house offer the best production on the album with brilliant melodies, samples and breaks satisfying those beat junkies which will make you think "damn, how did I sleep on this?". In addition, From where??? also shares a few tracks to get the people dancing (Although, not in a commercial way) like Get your groove on, Move Ya Body & even the nod factor, which all contribute to the album being of a more well-rounded product. Personally, this album is one of my most played albums that I own, which is saying something purely because Skillz keeps true hiphop how its meant to be in its final days.Check this album out, DO NOT SLEEP and just leave this album to stay being one of the most underrated albums of all time. PEACE.

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Lyrics - 10/10
Beats - 10/10
Replay Value - 10/10
Originality---oh yeh!

I ever had in my first car I had bought it twice and Music Fan what are you talking about, Timberland aint on the CD. You lied with your name you are no music fan but anyway the Cd is good OK beats but the lyrics is off da hook check out these standout tracks doin time in the cypher, move ya body, extra abstract skillz, all in it, inherit the world, and unseen world, toungs of the next, get your groove on, street rules and the nod factor are all good tracks Music Fan the only thing I can get from Timbo being on the CD is Q-tip U probably thought it was Magoo and got the name wrong but everyone it is a good CD

This Album Is One of The Realist To Come Out During The 90's. It's Truly The Meaning of Hip Hop And Better Than 90% of This Crap Out Now! It Starts It Out With 'From Where???' And Flows On Through The Whole Album. This CD Is Mad Underated And People Must Be Idiots To Charge 36 Dollars For A CD!

BUY IT IF YOU CAN FIND IT!

This emcee is so under-rated it should be a crime. I copped this when it first came out and still to this day its in heavy rotation!!! As with most of the reviews i'd have to say although his lyrics are nothing sort of perfection, the beats simply dont do him justice. The scary part is most of the beat makers are well known+respected producers who really should've blessed the kid much better than they did. The same can be said on his follow up album "i aint mad no more" (which is available on sandbox). Back to this joint however, the standouts are "the nod factor", "move ya body", "extra abstract skillz", "all in it", "get your groove on", "its goin'down" and "doin' time in the cypha". All the rest are still hotter than alotta other mc's BEST material so its really saying something.

Mad Skillz has been quite known in the rap game for sometime now, mostly known for his end of the year "Rap Up" that he releases every year. From this ghostwriting times with other rappers to appearing on Soundbombing 3 (when I first heard him), he has been well known, coming out of VA. What he specializes in is being a straight forward battle type emcee, which can be a good and bad thing. It's good because lyrically, he gets the job done without a problem over nice production (mostly by Shawn J Period, and Skillz himself). The bad thing about it is that he lacks variety. Hearing From Where??? it's a type of album whereas it has consistancy, but it gets kind of boring due to the lacks that Skillz has here.

Tracks thatm are really good are "The Nod Factor" and "Va In The House", both with nice beats. "Tongues Of The Next Sh**" is a cool track that features Kalonji the Immortal. Following that are "Doin' Time In The Cypha" and "Tip Of The Tounge" which are good tracks that fits Skillz rhyme style. "Extra Abstract Skillz" has two notable guest appearances, Q-Tip and Large Professor. Unfortunately, the song is not as interesting as it should have been. Further on the album is the song "Move Ya Body". While its an obvious cross over attempt (it's a song meant for the females, but Mad Skillz is still in battle mode here), the song is nice in my opinion. The song "All In It" is another song that fit Skillz rhyme style perfectly. The next track "Unseen World" features Va's Supafriendz (Lonnie B, Kalonji the Immortal, and a few others) all have a similar rhymestyle to Skillz and keeps the track on point. The final track "Inherit The World" ends the album on a solid note.

Mad Skillz may be on of the few to come out of Va, but to be honest, he needs to stretch his rhymestyle, which isn't easy when you're considered a battle type rapper. The album could have used more guest appearances to help give him some more variety. But for the most part he holds it down representing the south/mid-atlantic reigion. From Where??? is out of print, but I definitely recommend that you check it out if you come across it. I also recommend that you check out his most recent The Million Dollar Backpack. Peace.

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

Top 5 Tracks:
1. Doin Time In The Cypha
2. All In It
3. Move Ya Body
4. Unseen World (feat. Supafriendz)
5. Nod Factor

Virginia freestyle MC Mad Skillz debuted in 1996 with "From Where???" Mad Skillz is a very special MC, and he has a true gift that very few rappers are blessed with. He's an incredible freestyler, kicking some of the most clever punchlines and funny references you've ever heard off the top of his head. He has a great rhyme structure and also pulls off some conceptual gems where he shows some much deeper thinking. He could be described as a rapper's rapper, which is probably why he became such a prominent ghostwriter after this album failed to sell well. That said, "From Where???" is very hit-or-miss. When it's great, believe it's great, but when it's not working, it can be very bad. Like a lot of traditional battle rappers (see: Supernatural, Cassidy, Jin), Skillz has difficulty creating enough subject material to fill an LP with. The tracks where he is just cleverly freestyling over a simple beat are awesome, but when he tries to pull of a club song or a song for the ladies, it's a mess. The production is very understated and is another problem. These beats are very simple and often quite boring, despite the great producers that contribute like Shawn J Period and Large Professor, among others. Skillz has a pretty uninteresting flow, and this combined with a boring beat can be downright disappointing. There are some really great cuts that make "From Where???" worth owning, because Mad Skillz is really an especially talented rapper the likes of which you probably haven't seen, he's very unlike anyone I've listened to, but overall it's a mixed bag.

Following an intro where Skillz kicks a dope freestyle over a beatbox, the album begins with "It's Goin' Down." Over a nicely toned and vibesy beat, Skillz shows his gift with some of his standard, clever freestyles. There's some nice punchlines and smart one-liners, and while it's not completely memorable, it's a dope hip hop track, and that could be said for a lot of the album. The next song, "The Nod Factor," was the single, and while the beat is fairly boring, it makes way for his nice freestyle verses. The weak hook bookends such nice lines like "I'm like a black president, cause n....s ain't seein' me" and "after this joint, we passin' out neck braces." "Va. in the House" has one of the album's better beats, a breezy and funky upbeat track, and the verses are nice. "Tongues of the Next S..." is a good collaboration with a decent beat. "Doin' Time in the Cypha" is one of my favorites on this album, with an understated musical backing and an interesting concept. "Tip of the Tongue" is lyrically average but musically extremely boring. Queens legends Large Professor and Q-Tip guest on "Extra Abstract Skillz," but this is one of Large Pro's weaker beats and it doesn't do the verses justice. Skillz tells a pretty cool tale of the VA nightlife on "Get Your Groove On," but I am not feeling the production here at all, club tracks and slow jams are not meant for this type of MC, and the female R&B chorus and call and response are terrible, this track is a definite lowlight. "The Jam" puts the spotlight back on the dope rhymes, but "Move Ya Body" is another mess of an attempt at mainstream popularity, a slow jam for the ladies. "Street Rules" is an ode to the ghetto, showing another side of Skillz that doesn't usually emerge. "All In It" has a very nice, tasteful beat, and the album concludes with two of my favorite songs. "Unseen World" is a well produced collaboration, and "Inherit the World" is conceptually genius.

Like far too many good albums from the 90s golden age of hip hop, "From Where???" is now out of print and becoming increasingly hard to find. If you come across it, I'd suggest that you pick it up, it's a nice disc for the collection. The great tracks would make it worth a purchase, and even if the whole album doesn't flow so well, Skillz might be best enjoyed in small doses. I wouldn't recommend paying too much for a used or import copy though, it's not what I'd call an essential album. I feel this album could have been made into a classic given the right people behind the boards, but it's flawed enough that I'd only recommend a buy at a reasonable price as it sells for high prices today.

If you are looking for an album that you can let play from start to finish then Mad Skillz From Where? is a must have. With All Star production by Large Professor, The Beatnuts, Buckwild, & Shawn J Period, Skillz has enough Beats to flow and ride on. Stand out tracks include the first single The NOD Factor, Extract Abstract Skillz featuring Xtra-P, & Q-Tip, Unseen World, & Get Your Groove On. I believe this album to be one of the most complete Cd's ever released, Skillz is no doubt one of Hip Hop's most under-rated over looked Emcees. Don't Sleep Cop The Album, if you can find it.......