Customer Reviews

Who's Hard (Bonus Dvd) (Dig)

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One of my favorite Gang Starr records, F.A.L.A., features the long time associate of Primo & Guru. Now his solo debut. Not exceptional or profound, but an above average first album mainly due to the sick production attributed to Premier. It's noteworthy to think of how much money Premier passed up by not selling these beats to some whack rappers. That is the classic Gang Starr integrity that will leave an indelible mark on hip-hop.

Shug's lyrics and delivery match the production on nearly every song and they generally flow together quite well. Some may tire of 20 straight Shug records, but his flow is not half as monotonous as Guru's, and those records are tireless. A definite for a production fiend, and Gang Starr fans who enjoy a harder edge to the lyrics.

1st of all i am a hardcore REAL hip hop fan.ok.here we go...i know he has other production on his album but when premier gives you a track(s)you have to be a god on the mic.big shug tries but he fails as an mc.all through the album he talks about the same thing,and for all that gun talk he KNOWS he does none of that,if he did he would have BEEN in jail.its just entertainment and he's a straight up studio gangster.now as for his rhyming style and rhymes he sounds like someone who's 10yrs old trying to rap.very simple and no substance to his rhymes.what's also funny is that his OWN rhyme partners outshine him on the album.shug i know this is your 1st album but the only thing i was looking forward to was preemo's beats.im scared to get the rest of your albums.and to dj premier:STOP WASTING THOSE PHAT BEATS!!!!!!(you also did that on the group home's 1st album).if anybody agrees give me some feedback.peace!

I cant really explain it I really wanted to like this album not just because primo produced on it but because I think shug has been slept on for too long and it is definitely his turn to shine. From the moment I got this I have been listening to it trying to see if it would click with me musicly but the fact of the matter is I just dont like this album. Primos production is as always top notch and I think that he will go down in history as one of the greatest DJs of all time unfortunately not for this album. I guess my real problem with this release is Shug as an MC for starters theres the painfully generic subject matter that Shug chooses to rhyme about almost every song on this CD revolves around three subjects 1.packing a gat,2.wack MCs, and of course 3 we have the token song about growing up poor in the hood with no father and while these arent the worst lyrics ive ever heard they could be much better. On past gangstarr releases Shugs rhymes were a welcome addition to any song that guru rhymed over but in this case were talking 19 songs of the SAME subject matter. Seriously after about three songs of him talking about how hardcore he is and the fact that he packs a strap I was pretty bored and just wanted to listen to something else. His rhymes remind me alot of another well known Gangstarr affiliate Freddy Foxxx. I think at this point shug would have figured out that Real heads are tired of the whole "Im a gangster" "Im the hardest" crap this type of subject matter was cool for a while but frankly I couldnt be more tired of it. Add to this fact that shug just barely raps over the beats (its almost like hes just talking) and youve got an album that is as lyricly trite as it is boring Shugs flow probably would have been acceptable in 1980 but today it just sounds like a corny middle aged man attempting to rhyme and by the time it is over you get the distinct impression that more was bitten off by shug than he could chew. this album is not without merit though primos production smokes and it comes with a dvd so if you are a gangstarr fan this is worth checking out but dont say I didnt warn you about the lyrics

Long time Gang Starr affiliate Big Shug released "Who's Hard" (2005) earlier this year. I had never heard of Shug and decided to check this one out; any album, which has Premo production, is worth checking out. The album opens up with the hardcore title track, which has Shug reflecting on the Rap Game and fake thugs. My favourite track is "Counter Punch" backed by some Ill production; a hungry sounding Shug shines dropping some raw rhymes. Another standout is "Tha 3 Shugs", Shug continues to deliver some thugged out lyrics backed by more deadly premo production. Shug takes a minute to talk about growing up with "No Mother, No Father" in a deep track. A later standout has Shug and Singapore Cane collabing for "Life On Wax". "Dirt" is a throwback type track where Big Shug reflects on a thugged out life with Smiley the Ghetto Child & H Stax. The album closes off "What's Really Real?", Shug rhymes slowly over some more outstanding production. The highlight of this release for me is Premo's production; Big Shug gets a bit repetitive at times, partly due to a lack of content. He does best on hardcore tracks, because he seems genuine. Overall "Who's Hard" is a decent album, which was slept on by mainstream audiences.

¨Finally this album by longtime Gangstarr fondation affiliate is released, it was long overdue. I remember I already heard about the project and even the title around 2000. I gotta say I'm not disapointed because I wasn't expecting too much about Shug's skillz level (i Like Shug but he's not in my top mc's list), what I was worried about was having: a.- not enough involvement from Dj Premier b.- so so beats from Premier. a.- He produced nine tracks b.- these are bangers . This is enough to hear once again about a "dj premier come back", especially for the people who haven't heard his latest productions (AZ, Cormega, Teflon, Nyg'z, Blaq Poet). What's disapointing about this cd is that Premier didn't produce all the beats and that the other producers can't compare (even the 2 Alchemist's beats are not that great). The other thing is that Shug'flow and singing becomes sometimes boring (a reason why the guest mc's verses are welcome, great contributions by Bumpy Knuckles or Smiley by the way). Maybe they should'have released a shorter lp. To sum up, I'd say that you should buy it because there's nine bangers from Primo (he doesn't produce so much tracks on a project everyday) and some other good songs and for this price you got a bonus dvd...

Despite being from Boston, this cat is not bad. Hmm... maybe it's those nasty Brooklyn beats provided by Premier? Wait... did I mention that most of these beats were laid out by the greatest producer of all time, the legendary DJ Premier? 'Nuff said!