Search - Special Ed :: Revelations

Underrated Lyrics

R. Butler | 01/22/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Let's start with a quote:"I come straight from scratch,
there aint no mfin match,
but I got a lighter if you want to be a fighter."This stanza illustrates the level of wordplay Ed had always brought to the table in prior releases, but now as honed and layered as a damascus blade. The first couplet has 3 layers, 2 of which carry into the ending line.The beats are what did this album in, as Ed tried to update his sound to match exactly what was already playing out: That grimy, NY thug sound was getting the jiggy polish put to it by the Bad Boy production team and the unstoppable bounce beats coming from the No Limit camp.Also, despite Ed's incredible wordplay, his concepts didn't mature along with his skill. And in updating his image for 90s street cred, Ed jettisoned the fun-loving aspect of his persona which basically left him a cipher to those who rembered the original and a cipher to those who didn't know him from a menudo dancer.Cop it in the bargain bin and reflect on what might have been."

This must have took a lot of heart to make...

Solution | Lakeland, Florida | 01/03/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Not many artists can take a 6 year hiatus and make a shocking return. Hip hop late 80's veteran Special Ed after leaving many fans believing that he fell off the face of the Earth returns after a 6 year hiatus(if that's really what happened). 1989's album Youngest In Charge which quickly put Ed in the limelight with the off the charts single "I Got It Made". It did seem that the light quickly diminished shortly thereafter though until 1994 when Ed is featured as a "Crooklyn Dodger" along with Buckshot from Black Moon and Masta Ace for a song of the Crooklyn movie soundtrack entitled "Crooklyn" which displays Ed as a little more hardcore now than fans remember...on the strength of his "Crooklyn" appearance, Ed decides to take that ball and run with it putting out 1995's Revelations...you can tell that Ed is attempting to stay up to date by the album cover which displays with a thugged out image and a mean scowl on his face playing into the hardcore hip hop genre during the mid 90's. The first single "Neva Go Back" actually displays Ed referring to his old school persona and image and strongly indicating that he isn't going back to the way things were. The lyrics were explicit and a little too much perhaps for fans to catch on to. The production was catchy as hell and was immediately neck-snapping. Ed's delivery however didnt seem to display an MC who evolved or progressed after a 6 year absence which may come off a disappointing at times for those who are expecting to hear that vintage Special Ed. Nevertheless, those who are diehard fans will of course enjoy this album(Youngest In Charge is of course a classic)but those who don't know much about the background of Edward Archer may not be too impressed."

Lyrics

Karlis Neihofere | USA | 07/16/2001

(3 out of 5 stars)

"this is not the ed i remembered from 'magnificent' or 'got it made'. i needed a few weeks for this to hit me. adjust to his growth.'revelations' came out just after ed's song from the crooklyn soundtrk, if my history is true. it's understandable that people judged 'revelations' by special ed's past classics. on this album the producers sound very up-to-date (for '95) and this is not a great thing. he drops the songs into two (cookie-cutter) categories: reggae-tinted and battle raps straight from hell. the opening song begins with a krs-one sample, chorusing 'lyrics, somebody want lyrics?' obviously special ed does. he strings together seemingly unrelated topics in clever ways. by the time he finishes a verse you're a long way from the start. but ed has lost none of the wit we remember. the similar beats will not excite most listeners. nor will the violent lyrical images which has become too common 6 years after this recording. people who like eclectic rap, a lot of variety and rule-breaking, won't like 'revelations.' not a must-have for casual fans."