Track Checker: Spice 1 "Hard to Kill"

Hi there you fucking clap mouths. Remember not to long ago we caught up with Spice 1 (and found out that he got shot in the face but was okay). Well, playtime's over motherfuckers. Tort team is definitely in motherfucking effect. Know what I'm saying? So raise up and recognize that this blog is hard to kill. We're revisiting this guy for the 1-2...

What I'm trying to say is we're going to check out an old ass song where Method Man dropped in on his friend Spice 1 to lay a verse. This song is from 1994, when Meth was on top of his game and Spice 1 was exactly the same person that he has always been. For some perspective, "Tical" came out just a week before this song was released, so Meth was a new jack...kind of. On the other hand, this is Spice 1's thrid album "AmeriKKKa's Nightmare". So we're dealing with a very new-to-the scene Method Man teaming up with a West Coast veteran. How will they do? Will the new guy choke? Will the veteran get outshined? Let's answer those questions from twenty years ago!

So, is this a good song? I don't remember, it probably didn't hold up well. Let's find out...




Not that good. I mean the lyrics are good, but the beat is wack. I find it hard to believe that this beat was ever considered good. But, what do I know? Maybe everyone thought it was good in 1994 and tried to learn it on the piano. #MUSICLESSONS. Plus, the fake rasta talk is kind of dumb. But Method Man is on point. He sounds hungry. What happened to that guy? Well fed Method Man isn't as good of an MC. #GETHUNGRY Meth. Diet.

I wonder who this appearance was a favor for. I know that after the Wu's first album dropped, people were hungry for Method Man (and anything Wu), so maybe people heard that Meth was on a Spice one album and picked it up. On the other hand, maybe Spice 1 had a huge fan base and somehow the veteran was trying to bring shine to a young gunner. Or, more likely, the record executives knew that Wu Tang was big money, and that by crossing Meth over to the west coast he might gain some traction nation wide. Marketing!

In Conclusion: With a beat that is too crap this song is DOA. Hungry Meth is nice, kind of. I guess just listen to this son once and then move on to something else for twnety more years.

HARD TO KILL SCORE 4/10

Munchies, but not hungry

Where You At? Spice 1

Hey-Ho! It's time for the Tortoise General Blog to catch up with some of our old friends! Today let's drop in on everybody's favorite West Coast rapper: Spice 1! 187 Proof! Dr. Bomb from the Bay! What have you been doing Spice 1? I'm pretty sure you're still rapping but I haven't bought one of your albums since 1990-Sick way back in 1996. Why not? I don't know!

I'm sure everyone under the age of 40 is wondering "who is this Spice 1 fellow?". Which is a good question since his first album came out in 1991.


An old album that I never bought.

I guess he was discovered by Too Short somewhere out west, later he was discovered by me when I heard something off of his album 187 He Wrote and proceeded to buy the shit and listen to it a lot. I liked it so much that I eventually picked up several more of his albums. So did a lot of people because several of his albums went gold. Spice 1 was the epitome of gangsta rap, if others did it, Spice 1 did it bigger and with more gun shots. That's my cup of tea (violence tea).

His name is an acrynom for Sex, Pistols, Indo, Cash, and Entertainment, so that sums up his music and philosophy on life. Here is one of his early hits which I can honestly say that I listened to about a million times:



That's still a good song! Very good! Here is one of his more, uh, recent and colorful songs (from 1990-sick):



Kill 'em ALL! Hahahah. So fun. Not fun for the raido though.

Well, let's start with the good news: Spice 1 is still making records! I think! It's really hard to tell. Now for the not so good news: Spice 1 was shot in the face! In front of his parent's house! Recently! Like 2007. He survived, but the thing is that he was shot over dumb shit. Spice was "passed out" sitting in his Escalade when someone walked up to the passenger side of the vehicle and tried to "jimmy" the door. Spice 1 "demanded to know it was was and was shot".

Yikes. Is it time to move? Is the Bay area is getting bad? I don't know. Here is the full story as told by Mr. 1 himself...



I wish that hadn't happend to you Spice 1! As I was researching this post I came across the 2007 news story about the shooting and it has a very interesting tidbit about Spice 1:

"[Spice 1's] stepfather, Jerry Craven, 57, said that 'everybody loves him...[he would] give you his last dime."

So Spice 1 is super nice? And generous! I didn't think he was nice at all based on his music. Did you think Spice 1 was a nice fella? Probably not. But, do you think that Spice 1 was upset that his dad was telling the news his non-gangsta secrets?


Okay, so other than getting shot in the face, Spice 1, where u at?

Well, he's made like fourteen albums total, the most recent one "Home Street Home" came out this year. He's pretty much had an album drop every few years since 1991! "It's a living" - Spice 1. Well, he didn't say that but here is what he actually did say about his current projects:



Transcript:

"Yo. What it do man. This is Spice 1 bossalemmechicochezmilchi. Posted up at Dean Land Studios. YouknowwhatI'mSayin? Thug world in this mother f*****. KnowwhatI'msaying? OG Ruth.  
KnowwhatI'msaying? The Treezio. 'Bout to drop some more hot s***. YouknowwhatI'mSayin? We just give y'all some cool s***. For the females to dance to at the club. We about to drop some gangsta s*** next. YouknowwhatI'mSayin? Just stay tuned n****. YouknowwhatI'mSayin? Blah!"

There you go. I can't understand some of that, but I think some of it has to do with music! Blah!

So how is his recent stuff? Here he go "I'm A Ridah" from Home Street Home. SWING THAT SHIT?

Not bad. Except that the chorus is taken from the horrible song "Tom's Diner" which I've already declared off-limits in all music (see my review of B-Real's "Don't Ya Dare Laugh"). But aside from that, this is a pretty good gangsta rap song. He stays heated like charcoal! Good. Your mama jokes. Good. Sounds professional. Spice 1 is still 1990-Sick, just like how I remember.

So I guess Spice 1 hasn't changed (except for getting shot), it's society that changed. So catch up on ya gangsta shit and buy Home Street Home, support real gangsta rap!

WELCOME TO THE GHETTO SCORE 10/10
KILL EM ALL SCORE 5/10
I'M A RIDAH SCORE 510