Oh No – “Nodega” review

Oh No is a 46 year old MC & producer from Oxnard, California known for being 1/2 of The Professionals with his older brother Madlib & of course Gangrene with The Alchemist. His debut album The Disrupt under Stones Throw Records would become a west coast hip hop gem & the sophomore effort Exodus into Unheard Rhythms of course relied on Galt MacDermot samples. Ohnomite & the Chris Keys-produced Ashes would succeed the Oxperiment & Ethiopium beat tapes, returning over a decade after Disrupted Ads for his 6th studio LP after signing to Nature Sounds.

After the “Broken Radio” intro, “No One’s Stop” ruggedly begins with The Disrupt jumping over a gritty self-produced instrumental trying to get guap setting up shop whereas “Community Trenches” by Team Getem featuring Blu, Kazi & M.E.D. finds the quintet advising staying indoors so the war outside can be avoided. Rah Digga & Talib Kweli both rip the mic together for “Around Here” letting it be known that some ain’t allowed to be near their premises while the 2nd & final single “Rooftop Shottas” by Ghostface Killah & TriState finds the pair coming together over a gully beat advising to give up everything they got in the middle of a stickup unless you wanna get shot.

Following the “Dr. Nodega Informercial” skit, “Gutter Streams” reunites Gangrene a year & a half following their comeback Heads I Win, Tails You Lose to talk about making the needle break after shooting dope through people’s veins & after the “Watch Ya Steps” interlude, Guilty Simpson alongside Montage 1 & Vic Spencer along with him for the spaciously raw “Grounding Stars” so they can get at the throats of those who think they be running shit.

J. Sands takes us all on an 103 second “Nodega Run” having some vibraphones backing his storytelling while the lead single “Money Everyday” by Big Twins & Tha God Fahim talking about looking for new ways of getting paid. After the “Nobody Told U” interlude, “How Crime Works” by Crimeapple gets on some boom bap shit explaining his grind up until the “Alley Loitering” interlude.

“No Parking Zone” featuring Logic sets out for all the smoke with the wankstas acting like they really got it while “Czarnobyl Torture” featuring Esoteric carries the battle bars over wanting their opposition to know the applause wasn’t meant to be a congratulatory gesture to them. And after the “Good Beer Therapy (Interlude)”, “Likwit Smoke” by Tash & Wildchild makes it clear they’re still part of the Likwit Crew.

The song “ICU with Bottle Service” featuring Bishop Lamont finishes up our last few minutes of exploring the Nodega with him & Oh No over a Khrysis instrumental sampling what sounds like an SNES video game warning that they’ll let fists fly towards detractors who stay flapping their mouths while “Corner Goons” by Team Getem featuring Jayo Felony concludes with the trio suggesting everybody chillin’ at the corner to move because they carrying weight.

Thematically built around a corner store where all microphone assassins can stop through to lay down their street tales, Oh No cooks up a freshly wild collection of songs as the drama unfolds only contributing a handful of verses & letting his guests shine throughout a good bulk of Nodega. His production is some of the most cinematic he’s ever made & even though his performances are all occasional, a great deal of the veterans that’re brought on board all do what they’ve become known for VERY well.

Score: 4/5

Keep up with @legendswill_never_die on Instagram & @LegendsllLiveOn on Twitter for the best music reviews weekly!

Madlib – “Sound Ancestors” review

This is a brand new album from Oxnard icon Madlib. Getting his start as 1/3 of the trio Lootpack, he would go on to become one of the most well respected producers in all of hip hop from his unique ear for sample to his vast discography ranging from Madvillainy to WLIB AM: King of the Wigflip & his 2 albums under the high-pithed alter ego Quasimoto. However to finish off the first month of 2021, the Beat Konducta coming through with a new batch of beats.

After the futuristic “There Is No Time” intro, the first instrumental “The Call” throws it back to the days of ’70s blaxpoitation films whereas the “Theme de Crabtree” dabbles into boom bap territory. The “Road of the Lonely Ones” instrumental has a bittersweet, soulful vibe that I like a lot while “Loose Goose” is probably the quirkiest beat in the tracklisting. The “Dirtknock” instrumental cleverly fuses elements of boom bap & trip hop while “Hopprock” experiments with sound collage & field recordings. The “Riddim Chant” instrumental is the perfect track to smoke to with it’s stripped-back sound while the title track dives right into spiritual jazz territority.

The 2-parter “One for Quartabê / Right Now” starts off by going into a Latin direction à la The Medicine Show 2: Flight to Brazil, but then transitions into something more smoother. The “Hang Out (Phone Off)” instrumental jumps right back into that traditional boom bap sound while “Two for 2” is a super funky tribute to the late J Dilla. The “Latino Negro” instrumental switches gears back into Latin territority while “The New Normal” makes me feel like I’m being ascedened to the pearly gates. The “Chino” instrumental fuses together elements of boom bap & soul very well whereas “Duumbiyay” obviously throws it back to Beat Konducta, Vols. 3 & 4: Beat Konducta in India with it’s Middle Eastern samples.

Dude is one of my all-time favorite producers & he does not disappoint on this new album whatsoever. It’s amalgoration of all the sounds he’s dabbled with in the past from experimental hip hop & jazz to Indian & Brazilian music. If you’re a true fan of Madlib’s production, then this is a must listen in my eyes.

Score: 4/5

The Professionals – Self-Titled review

The Professionals are a hip hop duo from Oxnard, California consisting of Oh No on the mic along with his older brother Madlib on production. Both of whom have made household names for themselves in the West Coast underground in their own rights. An album together has been long overdue in my opinion & has been hinted at since 2008, but it seems like we’re finally getting it a little over a decade later.

After the “My House” intro, we get right into the first song “The Pros”. Which is a very short but gritty way for the duo to reintroduce themselves to the listener. The next track “Payday” of course talks about making money over a nondescript instrumental while the song “Give N Take” tells the story of Oh No trying to sleep with a woman at 3am over a somewhat funky instrumental with this vocal sample relaying in & out like a radio transmission. The track “Superhumans” with Chino XL & eLZhi sees the 3 comparing themselves to superheroes over a haunting instrumental while the song “Buggin'” talks about people annoying him over a somber beat.

The track “CDP Breakdown” talks about wanting to fight someone referencing the current 2-time UFC Light Heavyweight Champion Jon Jones over a grimy boom bap beat while the song “Timeless Treasure” gets conscious over a tense instrumental. The track “I Jus Wanna” talks about wanting to relax over a mellow boom bap beat while the song “Away Too Long” talks about the rap game over an extravagant instrumental.

“Make Due” is a dedication to people putting their last buck on trying to get it over a gorgeous instrumental while the song “Tired Atlas” is another politically charged cut much like “Timeless Treasure” over a hypnotic loop. The album then finishes with “Dishonored Valor”, where Oh No talks about the soldiers who went A.W.O.L. over a vintage sample.

I personally have been waiting on this album for a long time & now that we finally got it, it’s not as perfect as I’d hoped yet solid. Madlib’s production is creative always & Oh No’s rapping is sharp, but it could’ve used a couple more features in my opinion. Nonetheless, I’m still happy with the outcome of what the 2 legendary Oxnard siblings did together.

Score: 4/5