Search - Mc Breed :: To Da Beat Ch'All

Hailing from the (once) working class town of Flint, Michigan, Eric Breed is the perfect workingman's rapper. He works hard, gets little acclaim, and just keeps churning out the product. He's released six studio albums in as many years and is among the very few MCs who can boast having put out a best-of compilation while he's still making new records. If anything, though, Breed's long career survives on low expectations: A steady (if unspectacular) seller, Breed meets the needs of Atlanta-based Wrap Records, an indie label in Breed's adopted hometown. At his best, Breed's distinctive grainy vocals, live instruments, and deep funk hooks make for a thoroughly enjoyable blend of West Coast and Southern-fried hip-hop. On To Da Beat Ch'all, 1996's contribution to the Breed canon, tracks like "Choose One" and "My Walls" swing down-and-dirty with the thickest rubberband bass, wailing wah-wah blues guitar, and Breed's gritty singing. But perhaps the rapper's terminally low profile breeds an insecurity that keeps him indulging in trendy subject matter. He's tried X-rated, gangsta, and smoking & drinking raps, as well as fun-loving and positive-message raps. While bits of all these appears on To Da Beat Ch'all, Breed hasn't got anything to add to what he said five albums ago. --Roni Sarig