"Check N' Me Out" is the first complete song on the album. This a dope ass song! The beat and bassline is creepy and spooky but thick without being muddy. Redman kicks it off with an ill rhyme: "If I gotta go out, I'm going out full metal jacket style. Reverse suicide to do or die!" The Def Squad lets people know that know matter how much $ they get, they are hard to the core: "Cuz if the sh*t gets thick, we'll stick a muthaf*cka!" With plenty of curses, gun references and rhymes about weed, Def Squad kicks the album off with a song no one can f*ck with!

"Countdown" uses a rhyme from Parrish Smith from an old EPMD song for the chorus: "Emcees, it's the final countdown. You look tired, can you go the round? If you can, I'll smack your hand and give you credit. If you can't, I'll turn around and say forget it!" It's cool song with a cool beat. The E double E kicks the song off with no BS. He just starts rhyming as soon as the beat comes in. Jamal is on this jam too. His voice is kind of annoying but he is tolerable because the song is dope.

"Full Cooperation" is the next song and one of the tightest. Everyone probably heard this already due to the radio airplay. The hook is handled by a very energetic Keith Murray: " I need your full cooperation - your total attention. There's a few things I'd like to mention! These rappers out here swear they're so appealing when I step to the stage and hurt your feelings.." Everyone from the Def Squad rips the mic on this jam with a tight verse. It's a perfect song!

The next is a skit from "DEF radio" which talks about getting "Siminila" from the chickenheads. Not too intelligent but short enough so it's not annoying.

"Ride Wit Us" featuring Too Short is dope song with a smooth / jazzy beat. This is dope smoked-out jam which you can bump in your ride.

Next, "Rhymin' Wit Biz" featuring Biz Markie is a funk-fest is very tight lyrcally from Keith and Redman but is at the same time loose due to the Biz. It's a dope song but very silly. Biz does not get annoying since the song is not too long.

"The Game" uses a sped up sample from a popular dance/R&B track that the R&B group Next uses. There's no chorus to this song because it's probably a freestyle. Still, this is a dope song. Everyone from the Squad rips it apart!

The second side starts out with a skit called "World Announcement" where Keith Murray talks about unity in hip-hop to a huge crowd. He keeps on screaming at the end. "Can you dig it????" Well, what do you know?

The next song is the dope one called "Can U Dig It?" It has a bouncy and funky beat and uses the sample for the chorus of Keith saying "Can you dig it?" Though I think Redman is one of the best rhymers around these days, Keith Murray steals this song when he ends it. He goes off: "You suckers! You backdoor, barnyard, sewer rat eatin' muthaf*ckaz!" The next song is "You Do, I Do" which is a slow but hardcore smoking, drinking song. The chorus is cool without getting annoying: "You're smoking, I'm smoking. You're drinking, I'm drinking. You f*cked up, we're f*cked up. You talk sh*t, I talk sh*t!" Everyone from the Def Squad does a dope job on this song.

Next, is the southern influenced "Y'all N*ggas Ain't Reddy" which has a southern hip-hop beat. Erick Serman kicks it off with a southern rap style:"Yo! E, high as a kite. Rippin the mic, hardcore, keeping it tight." The others follow. Redman and Keith do amazing jobs on this one. It's like they try to out-do each other. This is a dope song! The rhymes are dope! The beat is slamming and the style is so different from the rest of the album. It's refreshing!

"Say Word" is a bouncy hip-hop anthem that doesn't grab the listener like the other songs. Don't get me wrong, this is a dope song but just not as dope as the others. The chorus is just them repeating :"Say word!" It's cool that they go back to the roots of hip-hop by using he original lingo.

"No Guest List" is weird song.  The  rhymes don't really have anything to do with the chorus which is sampled: "Miss thing, there is no guest list tonight!" When Redman gets on the mic to do his thing on this jam, he does something only he can get a way with: "I get on the mic like ba-doop-da-boop! Kick round house. You the tighest emcee n*gga, let me find out!" Hilarious! The next skit is some guy with many kids on the radio getting interviewed. He talked about how b*tches ain't sh*t.... (you know the song). He talks about how he doesn't pay child support and how he's so proud of that.

"El Nino" ends off with their cover version of "Rapper's Delight" which they retitle "Def Squad Delite". In it's full length version, Def Squad school the listener on the roots of hip-hop! This is a dope song! It's a cool party song which can get people dancing but it's not corny nor a crossover. It's just pure hip-hop! Turbulently phat!

Overall, "El Nino" is one of the tightest most hardcore albums of they year. Redman's voice and rhymes add humor too. It's not just guns, weed, and violence... It's a good time. And they remind us, hip-hop is about survival and making money but also about a goodtime and skills! Def Squad have the skills! Like I said before, they out-do each other. Though I think Redman is one of the best emcees around, Keith Murray comes close to stealing the show on some songs. There is not one weak beat on the album Erick Serman's production is top of the line. The only problem is that many of the beats sound somewhat similar. The choruses add the versitality. "Y'all N*ggas Ain't Reddy" and "Def Squad Delite" are the only tracks that sound very different beat-wise. Lyrically, all emcees are extremely tight and very hardcore. They say whatever they feel and don't give a crap what y'all think! Creative-wise? The songs could be a little diverse and be about something specific but they are not. Each song is basically a hip-hop jam filled with metaphors, references, and dope rhymes. There aren't any strong themes or stories in the songs. For Example, "No Guest List" has a chorus about a woman not getting into a club or a party but none of the emcees even rap about anything that comes close to that. The album does flow rock steady. Whether you listen to it straight through or on shuffle, I must admit this is a tight, hardcore hip-hop album... One of the best.I like this album so much that I will probably play it out. Def Squad brings in the storm and destorys everything in it's path like a rugged juggernaut. A natural disaster was never this much fun! Beats: 9.5/10, Lyrics: 9.5/10, Production: 9.5/10, Flow: 10/10, Originality/Creativity: 8.5/10, Hardcore Rating:10/10.
[ Overall Rating: 9.5/10 ]

*There's a limited edition c.d which is hosted by Redman and Method Man. It's dope! Even though the songs are only snippits, there are two Method Man joints from his new album. The one with Redman called "Big Dogs" is a little different because it brings the chorus in the begining (where on the album version, it's only at the end of the song.) There's also a song by Slick Rick, Keith Murray with L.L. Cool J, A dope song by Cormega featuring Mobb Deep, and a cool song by Ja which features Jay-Z. Pick this cd up if you can find it. It's really short but it's funny listening to two stoned muthaf*ckaz (Method Man and Redman) host this thing! It's the most diverse "Survival Of The Illest" volumes of them all. The only problem is that the songs are too short since they are only snippits. Any Def Jam enthusiast will love this!
-Todd E. Jones
sscwon@bellatlantic.net