HeRBaN LyRiX: 40 THeVZ` "HoNoR AMoNGST THeVZ"...

Friday, November 22, 2013

40 THeVZ` "HoNoR AMoNGST THeVZ"...

Goin` back to 1997 once again with this post but this time around I`m sharing with y`all the debut album from the 40 Thevz titled "Honor Amongst Thevz" released thru Mercury. Info~wise I don`t know very much about this duo consisting of brothers; Henry Straughter a.k.a. P.S. & Malieek Straughter a.k.a. Leek Ratt. They were down with Coolio that much I do know.....LoL, most of y`all may remember `em from their feature on the Coolio track "C U When U Get There" off the "Nothing To Lose Soundtrack", it`s a decent joint with a nice vibe to it...

P.S. was also featured on "Thought You Knew" off Coolio`s 1994 debut album "It Takes A Thief". The following year in 1995 they made a few appearances on Coolio`s second album "Gangsta`s Paradise" on the tracks ; "Geto Highlites","Exercise Yo` Game" & "Get Up Get Down". They also had the Coolio collabo` "Dial A Jam" on the 1995 soundtrack to the "Jerky Boys" movie & then in 1996 they had a track featured on the "Eddie Soundtrack" titled "Ain`t No Love". Coolio gave `em a few more features on his 1997 album titled "My Soul" on the tracks; "One Mo`", "Throwdown 2000" & the previously mentioned "C U When U Get There". Then in 1999 the 40 Thevz released their second album "Lef 4 Dead" independently on their own label 40 Thevz Records. After that from what I can tell the duo dropped out of Hip Hop`s radar, please correct me if I`m wrong...

As for their debut album, overall it`s a pretty solid listen. With it`s Funk~influenced groovin` bass lines & synthesizer work, the beats are sure to get ya` head noddin`. Most of the beats on here bang hard, they definitely give the speakers in my ride a good thumpin` anyway (peep "Mad Doggin`"). "Honor Amongst Thevz" is not your typical Gangsta Rap album, the Thevz cover a variety of topics definitely going beyond cars, bitches & violence. For example they speak for the youth of today on "Thank God For The Children" & then on "Crazy Love" they cover the topic of folks in love & how crazy it can be. The Thevz do a good job on their own with this effort, especially since most would think that they would have had Coolio all over the album based on their previous collabo`s. It`s a gesture that`s really appreciated by this listener because it gives the Thevz an opportunity for themselves to develop their own identity. Sure they do get a feature from their homie & that`s obviously expected & happens on "One For The Money"; a cautionary joint about ca$h hungry folks out for self & no one else -- but that`s it, well aside from him being the album`s producer of course...

"Tennis Shoe Pimpin`" may have a lil` familiar sounding beat to some, they interpolate Queen`s "Another One Bites The Dust" with a lil` of the Sugar Hill Gang`s "Rapper`s Delight" thrown into the mix to make it a nice lil` catchy tune. My favorite joint on the album is the laid back "Let My Mind Be Free". The beat just straight compliments their lyrics & puts you in a good chillin` mindset. The self motivating "Never Gonna Get Nowhere" has a nice thumpin` beat backin` to it, while the Thevz talk about the pros of believing in ya`self. Female emcee Malika makes a few guest appearances on the album, three tracks to be exact with one of `em being a CD~only bonus cut. Some of y`all may remember her from her appearances on Coolio`s "Gangsta`s Paradise" album on the tracks "Cruisin`" & "Get Up Get Down", but she`s also worked with Celly Cel, Sleepdank & L.A. Posse...

Her first appearance on the 40 Thevz album comes on "All I Wanna Do"; a male~female collabo` about two people down to fuck, but at the same time they`re trying to set some ground rules before things jump off. The CD~only bonus joint is just another version of "All I Wanna Do". Malika`s second appearance is on "Group Therapy"; a joint that has all three emcees ventin` their skills on the mic. "I Like It" samples the all too familiar song by KC & The Sunshine Band "That`s The Way I Like It", but the Thevz put their lil` G twist on it of course. The only joint on the album that I`m not a huge fan of is The Dramatics collabo` "Fly Away". It`s not really a wack song, I just find that it`s a lil` too slow for my liking. So there ya have it y`all, go `head & peep the album for ya`self. Oh yeah & please excuse the mislabeling of the folder....LoL, I have it as Honor Among Thevz, but don`t worry once you unzip it all the files are tagged correctly...