A Beehive of Culture (4 stars) - Arrested Development wraps up some of my favorite elements of hip-hop - political/social awareness, intelligent content, positive messages, organic live music, and an impeccable mission of revolution. Their sophomore album Zingalamaduni was met in 1994 with mixed reviews. At the time, the demand for positive-inflicted conscious rap was in a lull, and subsequently this one may have slipped through the cracks for many. It s a shame really, because this was a nice evolution & stylistic change from their monster hit/debut 3 Years, 5 Months & 2 Days in the Life Of....Although this is sort of a mixed bag, most of the material here is very solid, and performed well. Speech was at the top of his game lyrically, as seen on such tracks as Mr. Landlord, Ache n for Acres, Praisin U & the excellent title cut. They enjoyed brief chart success with heavy hitters like Ease My Mind & United Front. In my opinion, United Minds was the closest they came to matching the highly memorable success of Tennessee. In the Sunshine has also remains a favorite. As the cover would suggest, this has an even more Afrocentric vibe which is sprinkled through the production.Overall, this may not be quite as memorable or powerful as their debut album, but it still has redeeming qualities that are sure to be rewarding to fans of Arrested Development.
A bargain, even at full price... - ...but you probably can find it used for a few dollars. The lyrics on this album are strikingly clever throughout each song. After the success of their first release 3 years..., AD may have felt less pressure to be commercially pleasing and more freedom to just let their creativity flow. Making such powerful messages sound so musically pleasing is no simple feat, but Arrested Development makes it seem like just another day in a neighborhood where I wish I could live.I found this disc for $1 in a used CD store, and each time I listen to it I cannot believe my good fortune! If you find yourself in a similar position I highly recommend making whatever investment is necessary. Now that I know, I d gladly spend 10 times that amount.
Profound! - I simply have fallen in love with this release! The music is personal & heartfelt. It s filled with direction for a people that are desperatly in need of it! Its thus profound.
More of the same and yet less so - This was one of those albums where the group read too much of their own press and believed too much of their own press. I suppose you could blame the media. Too many articles came out calling this band the antidote to the evil gangsta rap, and the serious political rap group to replace an increasingly xenophobic Public Enemy. This was all a shame since the band seems to have decided that they were popular because they were political.Absent is Dione Farris who made the first CD so good and absent are the hooks and the great tunes. Sadly present is the same preachiness from the first CD. Like Highlander II, it went back in time and made the first effort wretched. More deadly was the fact that instead of rapping about befriending homeless people or going home to your roots, this CD is full of complaints about the landlord and a particularly whiny tune (I don t think it was meant to be ironic, since irony is not part of this band s SOP) about a girlfriend that aborted Speech s baby. And the tunes are boring.Slicker studio productions, more earnest lyrics, and press buzz combined to make this album. And this album killed socially conscious rap.In other words, this is one boring CD.
Powerful! - A lot of people didn t respond to this follow-up album, but in my opinion, it is every bit as good as A.D s debut.Africa s Inside Me is my personal anthem, and a truly profound song. The band is tight and Speech has crafted some awesome songs here. Again, how many bands include a spiritual consultant like Baba Oje? They respect where they came from, which is why they know where they re going, and when you listen with your heart, you will too.