MC Breed

September 5 - 12, 1 9 9 6 [Off the Record]

*** MC Breed

TO DA BEAT CH'ALL

(Wrap/Ichiban)
Hailing from the (once) working class town of Flint, Michigan, Eric Breed is the perfect working man's rapper. He sweats hard, gets little acclaim, and just keeps churning out the product. Having released six studio albums in as many years, he is among the very few MCs who can boast having put out a best-of compilation while he's still making new records. If anything, though, his long career survives on low expectations: a steady (if unspectacular) seller, he meets the needs of Atlanta-based Wrap Records, an indie label in his adopted hometown.
At his best, Breed's distinctive grainy vocals, live instruments, and deep funk hooks make for a thoroughly enjoyable blend of West Coast and Southern-fried hip-hop. On To Da Beat Ch'all, tracks like "Choose One" and "My Walls" swing down-and-dirty with the thickest rubberband bass, wailing wah-wah blues guitar, and Breed's gritty singing.
But perhaps the rapper's terminally low profile breeds an insecurity that keeps him indulging in trendy subject matter. He's tried X-rated, gangsta, and smoking & drinking raps, as well as fun-loving and positive-message raps. Although bits of all these appear on To Da Beat Ch'all, Breed hasn't got anything to add to what he said five albums ago. If he'd only stop giving listeners what he thinks they want and start capitalizing on what he does best, he might find the strength to carry himself through six more albums. Or maybe it's just time this workaholic collected his pension.
-- Roni Sarig