Search - Dana Barros Malik Sealy, Shaquille O'Neal Brian Sshaw, Cedric Ceballos Chris Mills :: Basketball's Best Kept Secret

Unintentionally Hilarious {2 ½ Stars}

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 12/10/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Let's get the obvious out of the way first. These are athletes, not rappers. So you shouldn't expect jaw dropping verbal gymnastics on this album. That being said, there are quite a few holes in this particular album. Initially, the main issue that jumped out at me is the content of the lyrics of some of these guys. Listening to Dana Barros, who is pretty good otherwise, rhyme about how he "stays strapped" and "puffin' on chronic" is as awkward as it funny. Chris Mills pretty much reiterates the "stop frontin'-I'm paid-I'm from Cali-I'm a baller" theme throughout his entire song. I didn't expect much from these guys, but JR Rider is proof positive as to why athletes shouldn't try to be rappers. His song was beyond terrible.



There are a few decent tracks to be found here and there. Malik Sealy [R.I.P.] turns in a pretty good performance with "Lost In The Sauce." His flow isn't anything out of this world, but he's one of the few on the album that sounds like he could've done this for a living had he lived longer -- he was even better than the one guy on the album that DID do this for a living for a little while (Shaq). He definitely had the voice for it and he rode the beat nicely. Jason Kidd represents well too. He's probably saved by an excellent QD III creation and some vocals from DU member, Money B. Dennis Scott turns in a nice track, but Sauce Money rhymes more than he does on it. Gary Payton does a decent job, but he gets swallowed up by the production -- you can hardly hear him. Cedric Ceballos stumbles all over the beat on Flow On, but Warren G. does a pretty good job on the boards and even holds things together with a verse of his own. The obvious standout track is the last one. Ya Don't Stop features Cedric Ceballos, Dana Barros, Diamond D., Grand Puba, A.G., & Sadat X getting busy over an ill Diamond D creation. Speaking of producers, I'd say the production is nice for the most part. Producers like Warren G., DJ Alamo (Brand Nubian), QDIII, Clark Kent, Ant Banks, and a few others all supply pretty good beats.



B-Ball's Best Kept Secret is one of those novelty albums that, despite the popularity of the athletes at the time, never seemed to catch on to any particular niche (not even basketball or rap fans). The production is pretty good in spots, but the overabundance of wack lyrics weigh the things down. And, after you get past all of that, the fact is that this album hasn't aged very well over the 13 years since it's been released. I recommend taking a pass on this one or downloading it if you absolutely must hear it.



Standout Tracks: Lost In The Sauce, What The Kidd Didd feat. Money B., All Night Party feat. Sauce Money, & Ya Don't Stop feat. Diamond D., Grand Puba, A.G., & Sadat X (My Favorite)"

You dont want this

JiggaJ1979 | Thomasville NC | 11/05/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"This should have remained a secret especially that wack azz shi@ by Gary Payton and Jason Kidd Pure Garbage if you want this you must be Jordan laughing at the idiots trying to make music"

Not bad actually...

R. Tadwalkar | Los Angeles, CA | 02/07/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Though this album doesn't exactly represent the pinnacle of excellence in hip-hop, there are a few tracks on here that are worth a listen. This is especially true if you were/are a fan of either rap from the mid-90s or NBA basketball from that era. It's a plus if you happen to like both (as I did as a teenager back in the day).



Tracks of note on here are:



1) Malik Sealy - Don't Get Lost In The Sauce - An extremely "real" track about his upbringing, lessons learned from life, and his dedication and focus. It is actually of historical importance because Malik Sealy died unexpectedly a few years later... making this track all that much more important. The song as a whole (including beat and lyrics) is also quite good.



2) Cedric Ceballos f/ Warren G - Flow On - A popular west-coast anthem for it's time. It's sound embodies the prime of G-funk era music and is fun to listen to.



3) Jason Kidd - What The Kidd Didd - Though he pretty much just talks about how big he is, the song has a tight beat and is engineered well. It's actually pretty funny to listen to some of the lyrics now, but entertaining nonetheless.



4)Gary Payton - Living Legal And Large - Gary Payton is considered old skool now, but he was in fact "legal and large" in the 90s. The content in this song is enjoyable to listen to and the beat is worth mentioning too.



In sum, I guess this album targets a very niche audience... So if you happen to appreciate the NBA of the mid-90s or when rap was just beginning to become a worldwide phenomenon (or the intersection of the two), you might want to pick this one up."