1990 seems so far away. This was an important record back then and anything that had "sex" in the title was so edgy. Add black dudes wearing pimp gear and fake noses and it was suburban infiltration by Suzuki Samurai. 13 year olds grinded (the vertical dry hump) to "Humpty Dance" at school dances. Older kids told us that "Sex Packets" made you ejaculate without humping (or watching late night Skinamax at sleepovers). "Doowutchyalike" wasn't a bad follow-up and got it into the midwest. "Freaks of The Industry" still one of the baddest album-only cuts in history (so much finesse). In retrospect, this debut from the Oakland crew led by Shock-G / Humpty is much better than I remember. Going against the times, the songs here were all about musical restraint and control. They weren't blasting 50 rhymes per bar or looking for the loudest horn loop, plus they had Pac as a backup dancer. With great album cuts like "Packet Man" and "Sex Packets," and "Freaks," you can actually listen from beginning to end. 14 tracks in all, recommended.

• 180g clear blue colored double vinyl pressing
  
• includes printed liner note inserts
• limited edition
• music label: Tommy Boy 2021

reviewed by the mgmnt 05/2009