Prodigy - H.N.I.C. Pt. 2: Album Review
Prodigy, H.N.I.C. Pt. 2 (Voxonic Music, 2008)
I don't know that anyone was really clamoring for a sequel to Prodigy's lackluster solo debut from eight years ago or so, but you know how people live to front on Prodigy. He hardly receives the credit he deserves for being one of hip-hop's foremost innovators.
REAL POWER IS PEOPLE
Sickle Cell P lets loose with some wacky conspiracy theories here, and it's hard to tell whether he's really sincere, or if he's just bullshitting. Case in point: "I'll tell you a little secret. It's a secret government that worship a island. They practice witchcraft, to harness they power. Pedophiles drink little kids for energy. Satanic rituals, WTC (RIP). They lit the Pentagon on fire... that's lighting a pentagram on fire. All these bodies for what? So you can scare everybody into one world, huh?"
THE LIFE
If this album has a saving grace, other than the unintentionally humorous lyrics, it's the production by the Alchemist, and some other kids who kinda sound like the Alchemist. For the most part, these beats are more "Keep It Thoro" than Return of the Mac (note the difference), but I always did kinda like "Keep It Thoro."
YOUNG VETERANS
Prodigy had already become a pretty lackluster MC by the time the first HNIC came out - which was what, like eight years ago? But these days, he's setting new standards for half-assedness in MCing. I would list all of the times on this album he says some shit that's just, "I can't believe he just tried to rhyme some shit like that," but I don't even have the time.
ILLUMINATI
The chorus to this one quotes from his verse from LL's "I Shot Ya" remix, which seems like forever ago. The beat sounds like a synth rap take on something from one of the Godfather movies. It's certainly not anything I would normally listen to, but it works within the context of this album.
NEW YITTY
Indeed, even though this album is produced by a few different people - mostly the Alchemist, and a fellow named Sid Roams (if it was Sid Reams, I'd swear that was a pr0n name, nhjic) - it all hangs together pretty well.
ABC
Perhaps the most retarded chorus on any rap song ever, other than maybe the new Soulja Boy record. It's basically someone saying their ABCs through a vocoder. It actually sounds like J-Zone's old sidekick Chief Chinchilla, for my early '00s misogynist rap heads.
CLICK CLACK
A little R&B-ish. They should have gotten AZ to drop some guest raps. He would've been better than whoever the fuck this guy Big Twinz (nullus?) is.
VETERANS MEMORIAL PT. 2
A sequel to what may have been a track on the first HNIC. (I had higher standards back in those days.) It's surprisingly touching, even though this might be the most half-assed rappin' on the entire album - and that's saying something!
FIELD MARSHAL P
One of two tracks on here produced by Havoc and featuring this guy Un Pacino. Havoc raps on the other one. This one, I'm not as crazy about. It's got his signature darkness, but that's about it.
3 STACKS
And ode to people who don't really like rap's favorite MC, Andre 3000? Alas, no. If it wasn't for ABC, this would probably be the album's most asinine chorus. And it features Big Twinz, who sounds like a throat cancer survivor.
WHEN I SEE YOU
The lone track produced by a fellow named Apex, who's listed on the album's packaging along with Havoc and the Alchemist, as if he's that big-time. I don't get it.
IT'S NOTHING
Wikipedia calls this one "Dirty New Yorker." I'm assuming that's just one of these issues you have when you don't actually buy your music.
I WANT OUT
The other one produced by Havoc and featuring Un Pacino, complete with Havoc guest raps. It makes me wish Prodigy wasn't locked up for three years, and there could be a new Mobb Deep album. For all we know, Blood Money could be the last Mobb Deep album ever. How sad would that be?
ABC (VOX SPANISH REMIX TEASER)
A preview of the version of this album that's been rerecorded in Spanish, using some sort of software. It's about as retarded as you'd think.
COMMENTS: Call me crazy, but I'm gonna have to give this my patented LCD rap half co-sign, not unlike I did the most recent Fat Joe album. If you absolutely have to listen to an album that's composed primarily on synthesizers, and has basically no good rapping on it, and features a whole lot of tough guy posturing from a guy who's notoriously soft, you might want to try this out. You could do worse. No, really.
BEST TRACKS: "Real Power Is People" "Young Veterans" "Veterans Memorial Pt. 2"
BONUS VIDEO: "ABC" - absolutely brilliant
