World Ultimate

Nonce | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (February 28, 1995)
• Original Release Date: 1995
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Warner Bros / Wea
• ASIN: B000002M8I
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #184,491 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. On The Air

2. Keep It On

3. Bus Stops

4. The West Is...

5. Mix Tapes

6. Testing

7. World Ultimate

8. Good To Go

9. On The Road Again

10. Hoods Like To Play

11. J To The I

12. Eighty Five

13. Mix Tapes (1926 Sunday Night Remix)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars classic masterpiece, June 10, 2005

By 

mordecai (Richmond, VA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: World Ultimate (Audio CD)

I love this album. Great jazzy production that isn't too soft. Perfect flows to complement the beats. Very complete and well put-together with highlights including "Mixtapes" (and its remix), "On The Road" and "Bus Stops"

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WEST COAST MASTERPIECE, April 7, 2005

By 

O. KAKA (WOODBRIDGE, NJ United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: World Ultimate (Audio CD)

CLASSIC
LYRICS --------- 9/10
PRODUCTION COURTESY OF THE NONCE ---------- 10/10
THEME --------- 10/10
ALBUM COVER ---------- 8/10
CONCEPT ---------- 10/10
STANDOUT TRACKS ---------- ALL TRACKS
OVERALL ----------- PURE HIP HOP NON STOP.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Nothing short of wonderful, September 1, 2007

By 

ctrx ('bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks...) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: World Ultimate (Audio CD)

There are maybe twenty or so hip hop albums of the hundreds I own that I would call perfect. The Nonce's 1995 debut "World Ultimate" would never be spoken of as a top 20 album because it wasn't hugely influential or even popular, but listening to this album from start to finish it is absolutely flawless. This album was executed to perfection. The rappers Nouka Base and Yusef Afloat are West Coast MCs with what one might call an East Coast mentality. Their product comes off most comparable to a Tribe Called Quest record, but not lyrically. They're plenty distinctive, but I say that mostly because the production recalls a more laidback and polished Tribe production and Yusef sounds pretty similar to Q-Tip vocally. They celebrate the original spirit of hip hop, and they're incredibly artistic in their trade. Both of them fit the definition of a dope MC. They have dope flows, dope vernaculars, write dope rhymes, and deliver dope hooks. The beats are really something else on "World Ultimate." The feeling is very jazzy, and each beat has a kind of laidback background vibe line that makes them perfect. Horns, saxes, flutes, and keyboards are plentiful, and the beats are really clever and catchy, you could get lost in this type of production. The LP is a perfect length at thirteen tracks, you can just let it flow. Heck, even the cover is dope. "World Ultimate" is a flawless hip hop album full of absolutely gorgeous hip hop: a must have!

The album opens with the gorgeous "On the Air," which has some nice vibes and a hook anchored by a perfect breezy sax loop. Nouka and Yusef's rhymes on this song sound therapeutic, their flows and execution are flawless. The lighter, more upbeat but equally polished "Keep It On" celebrates the joyful spirit of hip hop and B-Boys, a great song. The single "Bus Stops" is a true highlight, a laidback weekend song about relaxing and kickin' it to the ladies. Again the production and rappers' performance shine. The collaboration "West Is..." is a shout-out to their beloved coast, shaking the perception of it being solely a home to gangsta rap. Another highlight is "Mix Tapes," where the duo recalls their introduction to the hip hop world and their early days. After the dope "Testing" instrumental interlude, the great title track arrives with a wonderful, upbeat jazzy and relaxed beat and fun verses. The chorus to "Good to Go" is based on a classic EPMD line from Strictly Business, and it's another song I really like that fulfills their potential and displays flawless execution. I also love "On the Road Again," a particularly soulful and toney number that vibes really well, and it's followed by a similarly nice track "Hoods Like to Play." "J to the I" is perfect, with some of the best lines and an airy flute instrumental. The bullhorned B-Boy verses to "Eighty-Five" recall Run-DMC or Grandmaster Flash, over a signature Nonce production. The album closes with a very nice remix of "Mix Tapes."

"World Ultimate" was released during the golden age of hip hop, and while it ranks among the best of its contemporaries is still incredibly slept-on, so much that it's even gone out of print. For any hip hop purist and fan of the artistic sounds of A Tribe Called Quest, Aceyalone, Digable Planets, or Camp Lo, consider this release a must-own. The Nonce could have been an underground force, but tragically Yusef died in 2000 and the Nonce never released another LP, just their final EP recording The Sight of Things in 1998. Their name will live on in obscurity with their one perfect album, and I highly recommend it.