Yes~yes y`all today I`ve got another album for y`all that received the HeRBaN DeLuXe treatment! I reached all the way back to 1996 to give this under~appreciated female emcee`s debut album some much deserved ReSPeCT. The album I`m referring to is from New Jersey`s own Heather B. & is titled "Takin` Mine", originally released thru EMI/ Pendulum Records. At just over 40 minutes in length & only 10 tracks deep her debut offering is somewhat short, much like Da Brat`s "Funkdafied" album -- but for what both these albums lack in length they make up for in DoPe music! Just goes to show you that like the saying goes, sometimes less is more...
Anyways, for those that aren`t familiar with Heather B. let me drop a quick lil` introduction for ya. From what I know she first stepped onto the Hip Hop scene in the early 1990`s thru her connection with Boogie Down Productions, appearing on BDP`s 1990 album "Edutainment" on the long~ass track titled "7 Dee Jays" (it`s just over 9 minutes in length) along with KRS-One, D-Nice, Jamal-Ski, Harmony & Ms.Melodie. She followed that up with an appearance on KRS-One`s H.E.A.L. (Human Education Against Lies) project on the 1991 compilation album "Civilization vs. Technology" on the solo track "Don`t Hold Us Back"...
Then in 1992 thru Elektra she released her first 12 inch single "I Get Wreck" b/w "Get A Job" with production handled by Kenny Parker. It was also around this time that she was cast for the first season of MTV`s Real World (New York), a 'reality' show that focuses on the lives of a group of strangers all living together in a SoHo loft for a few months while cameras film their ups & downs. While on the show Heather B. is shown in the studio working on her debut album which at the time was going to be titled "The System Sucks". I`m not sure if that album ended up being renamed "Takin` Mine" or if there`s some unreleased tracks from those sessions, either way "The System Sucks" never seen a release date...
Fast forward a few years to 1995, Heather B. releases another 12 inch single thru Front Page Entertainment under the moniker Misunderstood titled "The Real Ruff & Rugged" b/w "One To One" produced by KRS-One. She followed up that single with 2 more 12 inches this time released under Heather B. & they were the anti~gun anthem "All Glocks Down" & the grimy & hard "No Doubt (Get Hardcore)" with it`s iLL Biggie sample on the hook, both singles were produced by Kenny Parker. After generating a solid buzz on the mixtape circuit with "All Glocks Down" she released another 12 inch in 1996 produced by Kenny Parker titled "If Headz Only Knew" which eventually became the lead single for her debut album "Takin` Mine"...
I`m guessing that since Heather & Kenny Parker had such good chemistry while working in the studio together that`s the main reason behind Kenny producing 9 of the albums 10 tracks, "Real Niggaz Up" was produced by Da Beatminerz. They do make great music together so I`m not complaining, Kenny provides her with some great backdrops to mesh perfectly with her rugged & raw lyrics. Don`t expect any X~rated sex rhymes on this album `cuz Heather B. presents herself as more of a tomboy flexing a hardcore street style kind of similar to that of the Lady Of Rage, a good example is on the M.O.P. collabo` "My Kinda Nigga"...
Overall out of the 10 joints that are on the album, I can`t really say that any of them are weak. Now obviously some stand out a bit more than others like "All Glocks Down", the heart~felt Hip Hop dedication joint "If Headz Only Knew", the rowdy M.O.P. collabo` joint "My Kinda Nigga" & "No Doubt (Get Hardcore)", but with that being said there`s not one filler track on here. "Takin` Mine" is most definitely a solid debut at least to my ears anyway. Like I mentioned before though I found it to be a lil` on the short side so I decided to make it an HeRBaN DeLuXe VeRSioN by adding a few tracks to it. The bonus joints if you will consist of "Don`t Hold Us Back" from the H.E.A.L. compilation, "7 Dee Jays" off BDP`s "Edutainment" -- I did cut roughly a minute off this joint to make room for the "Tony Touch Freestyle", but y`all don`t really miss out on much anyway. I also included her Misunderstood joint "One To One", my apologies on the sound quality though `cuz it`s ripped from a cassette...
"I Get Wreck" & "Get A Job" from her 1992 12 inch single also make the cut along with the "All Glocks Down [Extended Mix Tape Version]" from the "All Glocks Down" 12 inch. The sequel to her M.O.P. collabo` "My Kinda Nigga Pt. 2" was added which is originally off of M.O.P.`s "First Family 4 Life" album. The last track that I need to mention is "Cloud 9" featuring Ajax which is from a 1997 12 inch single. So there ya have it y`all, all these joints will fit on an 80 minute CD so you shouldn`t have any trouble BuMP`n it in ya ride, enjoy...
Label: EMI/ Pendulum Records
Released: 1996-2013
1. Da Heartbreaka
2. All Glocks Down
3. If Headz Only Knew
4. My Kinda Nigga {ft. M.O.P.}
5. Takin` Mine
6. Mad Bent
7. Sendin` `Em Back
8. No Doubt (Get Hardcore)
9. Real Niggaz Up
10. What Goes On?
11. Don`t Hold Us Back
12. 7 Dee Jays {KRS-One ft. D-Nice, Heather B, Jamal-Ski, Harmony & Ms. Melodie}
13. One To One {Misunderstood a.k.a. Heather B.}
14. I Get Wreck [Dirty]
15. Get A Job [Dirty]
16. All Glocks Down [Extended Mix Tape Version]
17. My Kinda Nigga Part II {M.O.P. ft. Heather B}
18. Cloud 9 {ft. Ajax}
19. Tony Touch Freestyle
N`JoY...
