As Raw as Ever

Shabba Ranks

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 21, 1991)
• Original Release Date: May 21, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000027JT
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #127,483 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Shabba's 1991 Epic Records debut captures the sophistication of his roughneck reggae style, although Jamaica's breakout dancehall deejay (rapper) voiced his best efforts before signing to the American label and being marketed as an X-rated buffoon. The two tracks where his eye is shamelessly fixed on the R&B/hip-hop crossover prize--"The Jam" with KRS-1 and "Housecall" with Maxi Priest--are the only artistic failures, though "Housecall" did well as a single. On his own for the rest of the cuts, Shabba proves himself to be a languid yet keen styler of time. In tunes like the album's lead single, "Trailor Load A Girls" and "Gun Pon Me," he drops rhymes with artillery precision, while blanketing the tinny drum machine beats and computer game mixing board F/X with that unmistakable chesty bass. --Elena Oumano

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars RAPPIN' & ROLLIN', July 10, 2000

By	Pieter "Toypom" (Johannesburg) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)

Trailer Load A Girls triggers off a rollercoaster of rhythms and rap, mostly unintelligible. Gun Pon Me and Flesh Axe are particularly raucous, the former's only discernible words being "jezebel, prostitute, mongrel" and there's a definite preoccupation with ladies throughout, as evidenced by titles like Woman Tangle and A Mi Di Girls Dem Love. Maxi Priest lends some respectability as he duets with Shabba on the radio-friendly Housecall, while the closing track, The Jam, features KRS-1 of Boogie Down Productions. Shabba rants about his hero Yellowman on Where Does Slackness Come From?, and about blue movies and reality, casually dropping profundities like "Me I went to high school/Was once a prefect/Took some great subjects English and mathematics/But my greatest subject was sex." (Fist-A-Ris). As subtle as an air raid yet affectionate in a naive sort of way. It's all the excitement of ska and early reggae returned, infused with a very positive vibration.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sweet Dancehall Rythms!!!!, August 11, 1999

By A Customer

The entire CD is slammin' with good dancehall. It's not all "sooped" up to be a cross-over pop hit. It's one of Shabba's best. The tracks are not necessarily hardcore, but the beats the lyrics and Shabba's "gruff" voice set the CD off lovely. A must have CD for all the dancehall junkie's out there.

5.0 out of 5 stars Mista Ugly Man... Shabbaaaaaa!, November 10, 2006

By	Lord Jimson "619 to 703" (D.C. Area) - See all my reviews

Buy this album for "The Jam" if nothing else. It is hands down the best hip-hop dancehall collabo EVER. I used to rock this tape on the bus back in junior high and it's still in heavy rotation... However, Maxi Priest Sucks!!!