The Hip Hop Mortuary

I did promise, and here it is... King Nicky aka Dre Dog aka Andre Nickatina aka I don't know his first name. Hailing from the West Coast, more specifically San Francisco, Nickatina has been crafting rhymes for 15 years now. Nicky has created his own genre of music, think Wu-Tang samples meets Rick Ross boss rap meets hyphy. I'm from Minnesota, pretty much as opposite of San Fransisco as possible... but Andre Nickatina is huge here, he really can flow and what appeals him to me is his enigma, no one really knows a lot about this dude, and his rhymes are one of a kind. His affiliates are even more underground, his boy Equipto can spit for days, but has even less acclaim than his partner. All that being said, this album is known as an underground classic and for good reason....

The Good:

1. Conversation With A Devil- Instrumental is crazy, and the rhyme scheme is interesting... and the Daddy Kane reference fits perfectly.

2. Fly Like A Bird- That annoying voice at the beginning, that's Mac Dre... Kansas City's hip-hop savior. This shit is amazing.

4. Pick-Cha- Damn... the metaphors are crazy, and the dark lyrics are perfectly placed beneath the dark samples and grimy instrumentals.

5. Dice Of Life- I've always been confused by this track... only Andre could spit cocaine rhymes over a Scottish instrumental and the hook: "Mike Tyson likes custom models"? But still I love it...

6. 5th Gear- The first Equipto contribution and it's fucking ill.... and Nickatina outshines Equipto's nearly immaculate lines. Another unique instrumental.

7. Soul Of A Coke Dealer- This instrumental has always taken me to a different place, and the storytelling just immerses you into this song for the sheer 4 minutes it lasts.

9. The Falcon and The Snowman- GODDAMN!!!! Listen, words can't explain this avalanche of HIV- ILLNESS!!

10. Summer In Florida- Slows it down to screw-n-chop level, and Nickatina sounds menacing as fuck. This is the song to drive slow to.

11. Ayo For Yayo- Widely regarded as Nicky's best song ever made, silky smooth delivery over a soft instrumental and every word is brought out beautifully. THIS MAY BE THE BEST SONG EVER MADE... by anybody... in rap... and in any genre.

12. Fist Full Of Dollars 'Green Eyes'- The instrumental is a bagpipe, but the lyricism is insane.

13. Train With No Love- Sounds like "5th Gear", but another interesting narrative that's obviously exaggerated, but it's still a good waste of 4 and a half minutes.

14. Nino Did The Cartah- I wish Nino did the Carter, but I'll settle for this track.... I'd quote a line, but their all immaculate.

And we're done. I'll admit that I loved this album a year ago, and I love it even more today. Everyone who feels they love hip-hop needs this album, because even if Andre isn't the most original or honest cat, he spits fucking heat 99.99999 % of the time, and the instrumentals are like nothing you've ever heard.

0-20: Terrible listening experience
21-40: Maybe one good song
41-60: A few good songs
61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak
81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 92, I searched for this link forever, so people please give my dude a listen and holla back.


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