Street Level

After releasing their EP Intoxicated Demons in 1993, the Beatnuts' debut full length "Street Level" arrived at the height of east coast hip hop's golden era, 1994. While this album isn't spectacular as a piece of hip hop in its own right, "Street Level" works as a very consistent piece that mostly reflects what a great time 1994 was for hip hop. At this time, creative and appealing production was valued highly, and raw lyrics that stayed true to hip hop were embraced by a wider audience. "Street Level" is a product of all of these factors, and it's really a very fun album. While JuJu, Les, and Fashion aren't great rappers, they're tons of fun to listen to, again reflecting the best styles of the era. They rap about drugs, women, partying, and the classic boom-bap type of toasts. There's hooks ripe with yelling and chants, and lyrically it's...Read more

This is Beatnuts at their prime. The skills are there, and the beats are infectious. Fashion, JuJu, and Les form like Voltron on this LP. Tracks like "Straight Jacket", "2-3-Break", "Rik's Joint", "Hellraiser", "Get Funky", and "Are you Ready", with Grand Puba, are just some of the prime examples of why these cats are so highly regarded by their true fans. They are influenced and inspired by the likes of A Tribe Called Quest, Brand Nubian, Cypress Hill etc. Jazzy loops, breaks, and on point scratching and hooks are plentiful on this 1994 release. Highly recommended for the first time listener. The "Intoxicated Demons EP" will also do a fine job of getting you hooked on this crew. Get Funky. Peace.

...i done wore thru 2 cassette tapes and all of the silver from the cd playin this! this is a favorite and the best album they've put out. critics useta complain that their rhyme style was to simplistic, but they aint twista or bone-thugs...their delivery here was perfect for the sound and content they were creating. they done lost somethin now...i cant put my finger on it...but their two latest releases cant compare to this. the level of fun, atmosphere and braggadocio here is what true hip hop was all about.