"Paperboy in my opinion is one of the best rappers of all time. I have never heard a song like "Ditty" in my life, and "Ditty" might be the best Rap song of all time. In The Song "Ditty" Paperboy has a tight Bass, nice quick and smooth voice to go with the song, and tight lyrics. "Ditty" to this day is still a great song, and i dont care who you are, you will love this song. "Bumpin'," in my opinion is the 2nd best song on this cd Cause of its funky beat with the drums, gutair, and even the chrous is great in this song. The 3rd best song on this is a tie cause "Zooted" and "Little Somethin For The Summer" kinda sound the same, but "Zooted" has a great style to it i like how paperboy starts it off sayin "Paperboys got da tha chronic" truly brillant stuff by paperboy on those tracks. "The Nine Yards" might be the 4th best song on here cause of how different it is, it switchs beats on ya and goes with somethin kinda like "Ditty" and Then Straight to a Hard bass witch will leave you stunned for sure. "Goin On" I thought could have been better, but still great KINDA sounds like "ZOOTED" and "LITTLE SOMETHIN FOR THE SUMMER" but not quite as good as those onez. The "Ditty Divine Street MIX" is kool cause it takes the little horn thang from ditty and puts a different bass in there, and some more lyrics in it. "Jack Move" is like the short song on the CD that is above average butjust can't hang with the standout tracks on here, but it has a tight flow to it and like I said above average. "Studs" is a good song, it has a chrous like "Bumpin'" and very similar to "Bumpin". "Shoutouts" is a track to give his thankz to his homies and friends, family, and people that helped on the album. The Nine Yards gets a 5 star from cause of how much i can still listen to it today. One thang bad about this cd is Lack of tracks and alot of the songs sound the same as each other. If You dont have this your missin out on some classic stuff of rap you gotz tah get it no matter who you are. If you like paperboy yall should check out his other that was released in 1996 called CITY TO CITY check that out if you havent."
ITS ALL ABOUT THE DITTY AND WILL FOR YEARS TO COME
m12rocesbd@aol.com | USA | 12/27/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I had this cd when i was in sixth grade 7 years ago. i still have the cd and listen to it this day, ditty is a classic and will still be one of the greatest songs in hip hop. Ditty has one of those oldschool beats that gets stuck in you head and you cant stop it and just have to listen to it again. to anyone that doesnt have this cd, get it! you wont regret it, everyone knows the ditty, the rest of the cd is ok, the 9 yards is another good song on the cd, but when it comes down to it, its all about the DITTY"
"Yo, this is how I'm comin' for the nine-deuce..." (3.5/5)
ctrx | 'bout to show you how the EAST COAST rocks... | 05/29/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Paperboy debuted in 1993 with his album "The Nine Yards." "The Nine Yards" was marketed as an album built around his incredible single, "Ditty." This song's classic quality combined with the fact that he failed to produce another hit earned Paperboy the status of a one-hit wonder, but his debut album is actually quite enjoyable. "The Nine Yards" is short at only ten tracks (one an interlude and one a remix), but it's quite consistent and is actually very unique, sounding different than pretty much the rest of '93 hip hop. Paperboy is a pop rapper, kind of in the same boat as Young MC, Tone Loc, or Skee-Lo, and his name would never come up when discussing greatest lyricists. He's not menacing at all. His tales of sunny California, weed smoke, and dance floors aren't revolutionary in the least, and although he has a nice voice and a nice flow, it can be hard to understand his quick-lipped verses at times, especially because each verse is doubled up on the recordings. But like most pop rap, this operates mostly on the strength of the great production. West coast producer Rhythm D handles the beats, and he does a great job. The entire album is funky, upbeat, and even a little futuristic sounding, the beats are constantly interesting and enjoyable. A happy vibe is maintained throughout, and the combination of clever sampling, funky instrumentals and fast bass makes a nice sound. A lot of these songs are meant for dancing, but they're fun to listen to even without a dance floor nearby. The songs are very hooky and many try to recapture the magic of "Ditty," and while none quite do, there's still some very solid cuts to be found. The verses are none too amazing and the subject matter is redundant, but the beats are really fun and "The Nine Yards" is a winner.
The first song is the classic single, "Ditty." Honestly, I could count on two hands the number of hip hop singles as catchy, infectious, and memorable as this one here. From the clever Zapp sample, Paperboy's well-sung chorus, and his humorous, sunny yet philosophical verses, this is a true classic. "Bumpin' (Adaptation of Humpin')" was the second single, and it attempts to catch the same spark as "Ditty" by using another slick, well-known sample. This song is okay, the beat is nice but the hook is awkward and Paperboy doesn't impress like he does on "Ditty." "Studs" boasts another upbeat, catchy beat and very nice saxophone instrumentation, as well as a good guest appearance. "Goin' On" is also very appealing musically, and Paperboy flows nicely. "Zooted" is again nicely produced, but not quite as memorable as most of the other songs, the weed rhymes and another dance floor chorus aren't the best on the album. The short "Jack Move" precedes the average title track, neither the beat nor lyrics are outstanding here. "Little Somethin' for the Summer" is solid, and the album ends with the "Shoutouts" interlude and a remix of "Ditty" which just relaces the track with an (inferior) beat. I never really understood the point of a remix unless it was significantly different than the original or improved on it, this one does neither and kind of just takes up space.
"The Nine Yards" is definitely pop rap, so if the happy sounds of 1990s radio-friendly hip hop isn't for you, then steer clear. But if you can't enjoy these beats, or at least some of them, then I would seriously question your musical ear. This album would be worth it just for "Ditty" (especially at a low price, and considering "Ditty" isn't on iTunes yet!), but the rest of the album is surprisingly good too. Paperboy is harmless, pop-friendly, and well produced, so he's had his share of haters, and he's been forgotten over the years even as a one-hit-wonder. I recommend "The Nine Yards," it's fun and light hip hop that's nice for the summertime, and it's sure to be found at bargain-bin prices pretty much everywhere."
Ditty
Randy | Indiana, USA | 12/09/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Like everyone else that reviewed, I LOVE Ditty and have been listening to it since summer of 1993 when it came out (my vivid memories are driving around with the T-tops out of my 83 Trans-Am and listening to the song over and over on the tape deck). I lost the tape 8=( a few years back and I also lost the tape I had with the "Radio re-mix" on it. The re-mix was just soooo awesome (one of the few mixes that was even better than the original, better than "Ditty" if you can believe that). Thanks"
ORIGINATOR OF THE G-FUNK SOUND
Randy | 07/10/1999
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Forget Warren G and Domino, because Paperboy was really the first artist to put the G-Funk sound on an album. I'm not sure that he created the sound, but he definatley put it down a couple years before all these other LBC artist jumped on the bandwagon. "The Nine Yards" is a classic, and even groundbreaking album, because of the G-Funk style of production that Paperboy used a year before Dr. Dre had even released "The Chronic". The production on this album was years ahead of its time. Just listen to classic tracks like "Ditty" or "The Nine Yards", and the beats sound like something Warren G would use now. True, Paperboy isn't the most lyrical kid to grace the mic compared to emcees nowadays, but he sounded fresh back in early '93, when this album first dropped. Still, lyrical wizardry never held much weight for G-Funk artists anyway, it was the beats and laid back delivery that made them classic. This album should definatley belong in your collection if you are a West Coast/Long Beach fan."