In a time where Hip-Hop has evolved to the mainstream and is no longer mainly the voice of the voiceless, from America finally settling down and actually listening to rhyme-smiths from the raw streets representing a culture that was created out of circumstance and abandonment, Nineteen Ninety Now has been released at a time where the ideals of Hip-Hop are being solicited by forces that mean the culture itself no good. Years after an Illmatic prophesy that Hip-Hop was dead, Nineteen Ninety Now screams at the architects of the classics in Hip-Hop today with hopes to awake them and attempts to revitalize the power by revisiting some of the sounds and culture that laid the foundation of the genre itself. One of the architects of this body of work is Celph Titled, a Cuban-German-American rhyme-smith from Tampa, Florida who was the leading member of 2 legendary Hip-Hop crews, The Demigodz and Jedi mind Tricks’ Army of Pharaohs. Another architect is Buckwild, a multi-platinum producer from the Bronx responsible for a plethora of hit production credits in the 90’s for the Beastie Boys, Big Pun, Brand Nubian, Capone-N-Noreaga, Fat Joe, 50 Cent, Jay-Z, Nas, Big L, and The Notorious B.I.G. Celph Titled was also known for his East Coast style of production which allowed him to elevate from Tampa to New York which was Hip-Hop’s mecca. On “The deal maker” Celph Titled shows similarities to the late Gang Starr with his smooth metaphoric lyrics only completely understood from a double-take replay rewind session. The horns planted in the melody of the song give you a feel of the spirit of Mr. Jazzmatazz himself. “Fuckmaster sex” pushes the envelope on how explicit a rap song could be and word plays with the legendary DJ Funkmaster Flex’s name. “Fuckmaster sex” reminds you of how many rap songs in the 90’s were wrapped in social controversy to where their fate was determined in America’s courts. Nineteen Ninety Now even has the throwback style of interlude skits between songs that made listening to a whole album a cinematic-like experience. On “I could write a rhyme” Celph tells the story of his journey through Hip-Hop from the underground being a Cuban from the south using the “N” word freely and caring less about it which epitomizes his battle rap style which is displayed on the entire album with his “mad ammo” rhyme style. Buckwild’s production on songs such as “Tingin’” and “There will be Blood” allows Celph to shoot aggressive rhymes. “There will be Blood” features Sadat X, Grand Puba, O.C., A.G., and Diamond D. The one track that embodies and represents the whole album is “Miss those days” where Celph Titled reminisces about the 90’s which he credits as the greatest era of Hip-Hop. In the intro of the song he compares it to being a teenager during the great Jazz era. Celph covers all the aspects of the 90’s in the song from the fashions, laws that effected society (the 3 strikes law), TV figures (a “fat” Al Roker and charismatic Arsenio Hall), musical styles (G-Funk), and Godly rap figures (Biggie and 2pac). Albums such as Nineteen Ninety Now are necessary today to keep the raw materials of Hip-Hop alive instead of following the pattern of musical productions that cater to servicing gadgets such as multi-media cell phone or MP3 players. Buckwild blew the dust off his crates, dug deep, and released some mid 90’s unreleased jewels to breathe life back into the game. Hip-hop has come full circle and will be born again…. and now.
Check out Celph Titled & Buckwild’s Mad Ammo video featuring FT & RA The Rugged Man:
