What`s up y`all? Hope all is well! Today I`m dustin` off a compilation album that was released back in 1997 to share with y`all, this joint was put together by producer/songwriter Laylaw. For those of you that aren`t familiar with his work he has done ish for Above The Law, N.W.A., Eazy-E, Kokane ("Addictive Hip Hop Muzick"), Michel`le (wrote most of her self-titled debut album), Ice Cube, 2Pac ("Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.", "California Love [Rmx]") & E-40 to name a few. It`s safe to say that he`s been puttin` in that work on the West Coast for a long while & has worked with plenty of talented artists. I`ve always thought that he was an unofficial member of Above The Law, but apparently that`s not the case at all....LoL, anyway he released this West Coast compilation (only folks that weren`t reppin` the West on there are Eightball & MJG) on his very own label Lawhouse Records. I think if I`m not mistaken that this comp` is the only project that was released thru Lawhouse Records, that is until he decides to drop "Lawhouse Greatest Hitz" which is supposed to be a 3-Disc Box Set. It`s said to feature both released & unreleased music from Ice Cube, 2Pac, DJ Quik, E-40, Above The Law, Eazy-E, MC Ren, Nas, Flo-Rida, Pharcyde, Luniz, Michel’le, Stanley Clarke & George Duke amongst others...
As a youngster I remember seeing this on the shelves at the records stores & wanted to cop it, especially since the featured artists were some of the best from the West, but back then with limited funds I chose to skip out on it because the price tag was just not all that attractive at $21.99.....LoL, especially when I was able to grab a newer release for $12-15. Fast~forward 17-18 years later I was able to cop this joint for a whole $4.25 so I did (guess it paid off to wait.....hehe~heh!) Anyways let`s get to the music now shall we? Now right off the top I have to be honest & say that the Intro, Skits, Interlude & Outro are nothing short of just album filler. Sure there are some aspects of the Phat Freddie skits that are a lil` comical, but really if you don`t hear them you aren`t missing out on anything. Once you get passed that there`s really only 1 joint on this compilation that I didn`t really care for much; L.V.`s "I Just Wanna Play". L.V.`s joint isn`t wack I just find that it`s a lil` out of place since it`s the only R&B flavored joint on this comp`...
The rest of the artists on this compilation deliver some pretty decent joints overall, nothing super spectacular but also nothing that`s crazy wack either. Standout tracks for me are the Ras Kass & Xzibit collabo` "Arch Angels", Ice Cube`s "Legal Paper", Kausion`s "Lil` Sumpin`", Phalos` "Phalosmode", K-Dee`s "World Wide" & Da Pharcyde`s "Westcyde 242". Above The Law`s former DJ, Go Mack`s "One Way In" isn`t too shabby either. In conclusion I wouldn`t say that this album`s to die for, but if you`re a fan of the late 1990`s West Coast sound you should give it a listen. So there ya have it y`all now go `head & check it out for ya`self...
If you`re interested in reading a lil` more about Laylaw & his begins in the Rap world you should peep this interview that he did with Hip Hop DX back in 2011. He talks about his early days, working with Dre, working with Eazy & Ruthless Records, as well as working with 2Pac amongst other interesting ish...
Various Artists - The Lawhouse Experience Vol. 1
Label: Street Life Records/ Lawhouse Records
Released: 1997
1. Entrance [Intro] {Coolio & Kokane}
2. Arch Angels {Ras Kass ft. Xzibit}
3. Give It Up {W.C.}
4. Legal Paper {Ice Cube}
5. Spank That Ass [Skit] {Phat Freddie}
6. Your Hustle Ain`t On {Ice-T}
7. One Way In {Go Mack}
8. Lil` Sumpin` {Kausion}
9. Drank Break [Skit] {Barney Rubble}
10. Live Yo` Life {The Luniz ft. Dru Down}
11. You Might Get Stuck {Above The Law}
12. Phalosmode {Phalos}
13. Housin` [Interlude] {Eightball & M.J.G.}
14. World Wide {K-Dee}
15. Westcyde 242 {Da Pharcyde}
16. I Just Wanna Play {L.V.}
17. Phat Chance [Skit] {Phat Freddie}
18. Exit [Outro] {Kokane}
MeGa LiNK...
R.i.P. KMG...
