WC & THE MAAD CIRCLE - Curb Servin' | Review By: Nima







 

This was WC's second collaboration with the Maad Circle after "Ain't A Damn Thang Changed" from 1991. Coolio, who was a part of the Maad Circle isn't a group member anymore. The main producer is Crazy Toones and he dropped some hot Westcoast flavor on this album. I'll do a track by track review and try to get the people who don't own this to go out and buy it.

1. Intro - The intro, produced by Crazy Toones, contains a sample from Atomic Dog (George Clinton). At first you hear some helicopter noises and like the police coming' to look for WC. Then WC just drops like a Welcome and opens the album with a couple bars. Bangin' beat, very hard hitting drums and a very deep bass. Dope intro, WC shows us what he's gonna come with throughout the album. No rating though.

2. West Up! - This is most probably WC's most known track. Its a Westside Connection track, with Ice Cube & The Chicken Hawk aka Mack 10. The beat is funky and makes you bounce. Straight Westcoast heat! The drums are specially remarkable because they give the track a special party feeling. Crazy Toones used the Keys very intelligently here, they got a warm tone and make this track a perfect summer jam too. You can actually imagine rolling through the streets in the sun and bumping this track. The chorus is very catchy, sticks in your head and represents the Westcoast to the fullest. WC starts the track with his verse and rips it.

Nigga clear the lane, here I come, once again
With this, gangsta click, droppin this, gangsta shit
Strictly for the riders who ride us I gotta WestSider
Rhymer for them niggaz that's sittin on them Dayton wires
Pump the bass, hit the switch
Cause Ice Cube, Mack 10, and Dub-C, back up in this b-i-itch.

After WC, Mack 10 does his verse. Damn how i wish he would still come like this. Those were Mack 10's good days. He drops a hot verse, with his old style, aggressive and hungry and passes the mic to Ice Cube. This is not the best Ice Cube ever but its dope as always. He just represents his side with bars like "In the East, we can be brothers/But when you come to L.A., watch your motherfuckin colors." The end of the track gives us another small verse performed by the Shadiest One, and its straight heat. One of my favourite West Coast anthems ever. Classic. 5/5

3. Granny Nuttin' Up - Funny Skit Of A Granny Singin' "West Up"'s chorus. Not Rating needed though.

4. The One - This beat, another Crazy Toones production, is more laid back, relaxed shit. But that doesn't mean WC cant come off hot and rip the mic. His flow is really one of the best in the game. Its unfadable his raps just sound perfect. This track basically tells us that WC is "the muthafuckin nigga". He raps pretty fast, with some dope wordplay.

Locked down for years now releasin myself
Lettin my testicles swing from right left left right then back to the left
It's that quickster, mad hister, nigga looka
Beast known to make you give your motherfuckin hood up
Cooler than a chollo, gettin my stroll on/Goin solo, fuck all you niggaz should be my logo.

This is the perfect track to listen to when you just blazed up a spliff and wanna kick back and bump some music. Especially WC's second verse is dope, he got some incredible tongue twisters who not many can handle. He can ride any beat, no matter how fast or slow. There is a little bridge with some dope horns which show Crazy Toones talent too.
Dope track. 4/5

5. A Crazy Break Pt.2 - Skit

6. Put On Tha Set - This beat is so Westcoast and smooth it could be one of the greatest. Its laced by Madness 4 Real and Dr Jam. WC starts it with a dope flow and laid back rapping. He is a lot slower on this track than he was on the others, but it sounds just as good. The chorus is handled by Female singers and fits the track real good. WC does a little bit of singing on the beginning of his second verse. In this track, he basically tells us that he sees himself on TV and he thinks he is having illusions so he goes change the TV but it doesn't change. He does some great storytelling on this track.

I met this motherfucker named the Fresh Prince of Bel Air
Yeah this nigga was funny I must admit it
but his Uncle and his cousin Carlton was straight bitches
Them niggaz was cock blockin, talkin bout killin me
cause I told em I wanted to fuck the shit out of Hillary, ooh.

His flow is awesome as usual and makes this track hot shit to relax to. Incredible. 4.75/5

7. In A Twist - This Crazy Toon beat is a lot faster than the two tracks before. Coolio appears on this one so we see it aint no beef between him and the Maad Circle. WC immediatly starts the track with a little verse: You niggaz can't fade this/nutty-ass cutthroat Maad Circle villain/Leanin, scheamin in the Gremlin/Sippin on Mak Duk, on my way to Compton/to pick this nigga Coolio up. Then Coolio spits some fire on his verse. WC & Coolio do some awesome Mic Exchange on this track. They talk about how they wanna do a stick-up and get some cash. Its some dope story telling going on again. The beat fits the subject of the track, it gives it the "run from the cops" feel. The Horns are great too, and the Ghetto Bird in the background contributes to the "ghetto" atmosphere. I don't want to quote too much but I have to:

[Coolio] Call Crazy Toones and tell him to give you a ride
and drop you off on Manchester and Broadway, at half past five
Since old people don't trust young niggaz none
you gotta be disguised like a senior citizen
[WC] Nah man fuck this, this shit sound shady as fuck
You gon' fuck around and have us all stuck motherfucker
[Coolio] Quit actin like a hoe, and go get yo' fo'-fo' nigga
and let's make some dough, check this:/Nuttin plus nuttin equal none
Fool grab the motherfuckin money and run.

And it continues like that. Amazin track. Coolio really shines and there is a good chemistry between him and Dub C. I wish he still was rappin' with the Maad Circle. 5/5

8. Homesick - This track, in contrast to the fast "In A Twist", is laid back and smooth shit. It's produced by Ice Cube himself.. The drums are very slow, they sound as if there was someone holdin' them back from speeding up. And the guitar riffs give the track a very relaxed feeling. WC spits the first verse. He raps very slowly, and fits the beat nicely. He tells us about a hot sunny day in cali and how he cruises around and just chills with the homies. Got off on Crenshaw, here to conjure the 20thBumpin the oldies, lookin for the muthafuckin homies/Cause it's the weekend, ain't no sleepin/Hoodrats and dub sacks is what I'm seekin. They express their love for the hood in this track. The chorus goes: I can't stay away, I just cant stay away. Dope laid back track which tells us how the couldn't live without the hood life. Some people may think this is a boring track, but you just have to be in the right mood to bump this. For example when you come home from a long day, kick back, and put this on. Overall a very solid track. 4.25/5

9. Feel Me - Madness 4 Real and Dr. Jam laced this bangin beat. It's faster and a real party track. I love the whistles and the melody is awesome. The producers used some voice samples, and got some nice scratches. WC lays down his first verse and spits some real fire. He doesn't tell any real story in this track, he lays down some hot gangsta shit. This is one of the things that not many rappers besides WC can do: they can change their style and speed for every other track. He sounds as good fast as when he raps slowly. The chorus contains a sample from Ice Cube. WC's flow is great and I love how he twists the words. His third verse is just as good as the previous ones, bangin. He brings an impressive energy to the mic. Nothing else to say about this track, simply hot. 4.25/5

10. Curb Servin' - This beat is again as Westcoast as it gets. Its provided by Crazy Toones & Ice Cube. The track makes you bounce and wanna dance. A pure party tune. During the verses, its basically only the drums, supported by a deep bassline and some special effects. WC's raps faster on this track which is great. He drops straight heat and rips the mic. The track contains a sample from "Dr Funkenstein" by Parliament, which most of you will recognize. "Not just saggin, wavin my flag and fuck Bill Clinton, im still packin". WC handles the Chorus himself and he does a great job. There is again an Ice Cube voice sample. WC sounds very hungry on this track. I love it when WC speeds up and raps fast coz he has a unique style of rapping which not many can fade. The two other verses he does are even better than the first and he badly rips the mic. 4.75/5

11. Stucky Mack - Skit

12 - Wet Dream - This track is another smooth Crazy Toones production. The beat really gives you the feelin of been in a Wet Dream. And Dub's rappin fits the beat PERFECTLY. He does a great job bringin the dreamy mood over to the listener.

Snorin like a motherfucker, stretched on the couch
Slobbin on my pillow and I'm droolin at the mouth
And now I'm havin dreams cause I'm in a deep sleep
But I ain't Dream About no motherfucker named Jeannie
Shit was intense, it had me sweatin like crack
Sorta like a horror flick for every motherfucker who dissed the black.

During the hole track, you are packed by the athmosphere of the track. The synthed out whistle is very high pitched, it gives you chills. But WC manages to rap as hard as always and his flow is simply incredible. This track sounds alot like some old school shit. Certified dope. 4.5/5

13. Taking Ova - This is a Hard Hitting beat, provided by Madness 4 Real and Dr Jam. Its dark, and hardcore. The drums just bang throughout the track, and the melody is off the hook. Along with Crazy Toones, Madness 4 Real & Dr Jam layed down some classic productions on this record. WC raps a lot more aggressively on this track and gives you the feeling he is really Taking Ova. He does the chorus himself and again, he's dope at it. He speeds up a bit for his second verse, rips the mic and rides the beat perfectly. Not many mc's can ride the beat throughout the hole track, and do the chorus themselves and still have a perfect flow. He doesn't spit no deep lyrical shit, just straight g'd up lyrics over a g'd up beat. During the end, there are some tight scratches. Off the hook. 4.5/5

14. Kill A Habit - Crazy Toones is on the boards for this one. He drops a pretty fast beat, with dominant horns and keyboards. The drums are a bit in the background, same goes for the bass. After the little intro, the beat kicks in and WC starts rapping. This is a deep subject. WC really shines. He tells the story of his older brother, who is a drug addict, and who owes some niggas money. WC is looking for him, he wants to get him away of that shit. He says he's gone beat him up cause no other method worked. "I done tried rehabilitation, But to this nigga rehabs ain't shit but vacations, So now I gotta do it my way, So y'all excuse the tactic, I'm tryin to kill a habit". After WC's verse we got a little skit of people talking about cocaine addicts. The WC kicks in for his second verse. There he found his brother, locked him in the garage and fucked him up. Then he sent him to "basehead anonymous". After the verse we hear a little Skit of people welcoming him to the group. Then WC starts off for the third time. Six months passed, his brother is clean. WC and Toones go outta town and when they come back that nigga sold all their equipment for drugs. Dub takes a gun and shoots.
Incredible track over a very interesting subject. WC shines and showcasts his storytelling skills. Classic. 5/5

15. Reality Check - Skit

16. The Creator - This laid back production is handled by none other than Rhythm D. A very relaxed track with a nice melody. A chill track. "This one here's for the creator". This is the song for GOD. A very deep and touching track. He thanks god for helping through all these times, although he didn't do the right thing, for not losing faith in him. The chorus is a female singing. The second verse is thanking god for letting him rap over beats, instead of being in the streets or dead.


Take a second out to count my blessings
Cause you coulda laid me down a long time ago
But you let me live, and God knows I ain't a angel
So I'ma take this opportunity to flip the script

A deep track, with great lyrics. This shows the other side of WC. He just can rap everyway he wants, he's good at it. A very touching track about GOD, the Creator. A perfect way to end the album. 5/5



This album is a masterpiece. Some call it classic, some don't. I say its a 4.75/5, i don't give it a 5 because it didn't do enough in the rap game, didn't move a lot or it wasn't really something groundbreaking. And those factors are important for an album to be classic. Still, this is a masterpiece. And that's what im going to call it. WC showed everybody that he cant be faded on the mic. And all the producers did a great job too. An album you can bump all the way thru, and not get tired of it, even after years.


 

4.75/5 Dubs!







 

..........................................................................................