Patrick G. Varine | Georgetown, Delaware | 03/02/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"You wanna go cruisin' around at night? Pop this in. You wanna get a party started? Pop this in. You wanna kick back and throw down some beers? Pop this in. This is a feel-good gangsta party album. Ant Banks lays some of the tightest West Coast grooves ever heard. His high-end brand of Oakland funk is comparable to Too $hort's music (Banks usually does some of $hort's production), but it has an element all its own. Jazzy licks and deep beats dominate the day, and the result is a supremely bounceable feel. The bump-n-ride of the title track is excellent, the Spice 1 collabo ("2 Kill a G") is one of his more memorable performances, and the hilarity of "The Drunken Fool" is unmatched by anyone else on the West Coast, save for maybe some of DJ Quik's lyrical quips. Ant Banks and Quik are comparable in that they both loooove rappin' about their drinking ability and sexual prowess. Funny, entertaining, bumpin'... you couldn't ask for a better album to get your boogie on with."
This is the BEST Cd Ever
06/08/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"All i have to say is, this is the greatest cd ever, EVERY song is AWESOME, its definitly the best cd ever and Ant Banks is awesome, songs like Parlayin and Streets of Oakland are great, buy this cd NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!"
Why did he ween off this style
Graham Brown | FYSHWICK, ACT Australia | 05/17/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Ant Banks Ive said it before has got to be funks most consistant producer. I can honestly say there is not 1 of hes personal releases that is even the remotest bit ordinary. (although TWDY releases are). Parlayin is the only track that lacks the slap deep funky feel of the slow smooth bass bangin production style of the Big Bad Ass. This is arguably hes best release although I can say there is a struck match between this and hes other 3. The title track, Packin a Gat and Straight Hustlin and the Loot are the finest moments on the album and nothing negative can be said about any of these tracks although The Big Bad Ass could have been a little less stop starty as you move to the smooth funk and then either that rythum or beat stops and throws you out of the groove. Its almost like going into a deep organic consciousness with the funk and then having your mind snap back into consciousness when the flow or beat vavers out. Overall this is just worth living for. It truly is a shame that this style of funk is just so unappreciated in Australia. I was told if I threw a party, I would have to put hash biscuits and spliffs on the bar as apposed to alcoholic drinks otherwise people would get bored of this. How crazy is that."
One of Oaktown Best Producers Drops A Funky Album (Rating: 9
Chandler | Atlanta (College Park), Georgia | 02/14/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Just earlier in '06, I bought Too $hort's "Get In Where You Fit In". I personally was blown away by the production on that album, especially the fact that Ant Banks had a hand in the production in that album. That alone wanted me to search deeper to find his albums. I find his production to be very amazing and didn't know much too about him except that he produced some of the tracks on $hort's post-retirement albums and find them to be the highlights on those albums. So recently I came across this album at a local CD store in Little 5 Points, in the downtown area and didn't hesitate to pick it up.
I'm going to start my review talking about the bad things and end it explaing the good. The bad thing about this album was Banks' lyrical skills were sort of B grade. Not saying they were necessarly bad, but anyone can say that they've heard better. He does get help from members of The Dangerous Crew to spit a few verses. One song that imediately stood out when I first heard this album was "Parkayin" featuring Goldy (I believe it was the lead single for this album). Spice 1 and Too Short colab with Banks for the song "2 Kill A G". Goldy and Short would drop in and help Banks diss Pooh Man on the song "F With Banks". He can pull some great songs showing off his lyrical skills on the song "Streets Of Oakland", that I liked very well. "Hard As Hell" was also dope from a lyrical standpoint as well.
As for the good, the album's production. Ant Banks' beats are something you can just ride to and relax with. It questions me why artists outside of The Bay Area didn't utilize his production talent. The beats on this album are funky and are fantastic to listen to. To me, that is what make this album such a success. Two of the album's best produced songs are at the end of the album "Packin' A Gat" and "Hard As Hell". The latter song has J. Spencer who kills that saxaphone solo at the end of the track.
This album is excellent comming from Oakland. Even though his lyrical skills don't shine, the production alone is a reason why I recommend that you find this album. I personally believe Banks' production was underrated back in the mid 90's. If you can't afford this album, there is a "Best Of Ant Banks'" album that gives an overview of the albums that he has released, and I'm kind of mad that Jive Records let this go out of print (as well as some other Dangerous Crew related album). But as I said before, if you can find this, do not hesitate to get this album. As I mentioned before, the west coast has the most creative music in hip hop, and albums like this only validates my statement.
Lyrics: B
Production: A+
Guest Appearances: A
Musical Vibes: A+
Overall: A
Favorite Tracks: The Big Bada**, 2 Kill A G, Streets Of Oakland, Parlayin', Clownin With Da Crew, F With Banks, The Loot, Packin' A Gat, Hard As Hell
ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 08/06/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Ant Banks is a very talented Oakland rap producer who is best known for his production work for Too Short and his Dangerous Crew, as well as songs for other well-known Bay Area rappers. He's definitely a great producer, and while his beats are not the most complex, Banks has the invaluable ability to, more than most producers, feel a great groove. Ant Banks' brand of hip hop is heavy on the funk, and his rolling bass, sparkly keyboards, and catchy instrumentals are sure to keep any listeners' head bobbing within a hundred yard radius. This album, his second solo album, showcases some of his top quality production, and although not every track is musically perfect, there are enough tight grooves here to make any listener happy. What I like about his funk is how pure it is; it's not over-gangstafied like the g-funk of Long Beach, nor does it possess any of that inexplicable weird quality that much of Bay Area rap does.
Ant Banks is a producer by trade and a rapper by circumstance, and he's a very ordinary rapper at best. He tells average tales of partying, sex, and regular West Coast gangsta-isms that boast little flair or originality, but on this effort, he cleverly lends much of the mic time to a good group of guests. The Dangerous Crew handles most of the rapping work, including appearances by Too Short, Goldy, Ant Diddley Dog, and Rappin' Ron, as well as outside appearances by Boots from The Coup and Spice 1. As these are all guest appearances, the rapping throughout is a little unfocused and variable, but overall it's all right. Lyrically the album is overall pretty average, but you wouldn't buy this album for stunning lyricism in the first place.
The LP opens with the title track, which has a nice beat and some average lyrics, I don't really like the electronic voice in this song. Spice 1 and Too Short guest for a pretty nice collaboration on "2 Kill a G," and "Streets of Oakland" is a decent cut featuring Boots from The Coup. "The Drunken Fool" has a really tight groove, lyrically it's average but overall a nice party jam. One of the early highlights is "Parlayin," which has a great beat. Ant Banks gives a nice performance, aided well by guest Goldy, and he laces a nice hook too. I love this song, it just has great vibes and feels really good. After the okay "Clownin' Wit da Crew" featuring the Dangerous Crew comes "F...in' Wit Banks," with Too Short and Goldy. On this song, the trio aims a diss at their former crew member Pooh-Man, a vicious rap that Pooh-Man would respond to with his album Ain't No Love. Ant Banks restructures a hook previously used on his 1992 Pooh-Man collaboration "F...in' Wit Dank," overall it's a nice song. On "Straight Hustlin'" he provides one of his better lyrical performances, recounting his come-up and early career. Rappin' Ron and Ant Diddley Dog rap over a nice beat on "Pimp Style Gangstas," and Too Short makes "The Loot" memorable over a funky production. "Packin' a Gat" has some nice instrumentals, especially at the end of the song, and the album closes with "Hard as Hell," which has an awesome sax instrumental, a definite musical highlight which ends the album with maybe the best song of all.
Ant Banks is a truly talented and very underrated producer, and his second solo album is a solid offering of some of a few of the best grooves '94 had to offer. This was truly the golden age of hip hop, and in a few ways you can see why on this album. I find it disappointing that it is out of print while all of Too Short's albums remain in print by Jive, so unless you're willing to pay high prices one might have to settle for their The Best of Ant Banks collection, which includes eight of the twelve songs on this album. In any event, I highly recommend this album to the Too Short/Dangerous Crew crowd, who are sure to adore the catchy funk. Those looking for a little more lyrical dexterity out to seek elsewhere, because they won't find it here, but this is overall a solid and quite enjoyable piece of West Coast hip hop."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
