On their third album since debuting in 1990 with It’s a Compton Thang, the MC Eiht-fronted group brings over a dozen tracks of thoroughly confident West Coast rap to bear, with plentiful jazz and funk breaks sampled for back-beats and hooks while Eiht’s verses detail gang-land confrontations and troubles. Keyboards, sax, and harmonica from unofficial member William Zimmerman lend things some extra organic texturing, and while Eiht’s delivery tends to be fairly laid-back, his anger and contempt for competitors come through with clarity.
Though the vocals maintain a steady presence and dominance, the beats are machined so well as to give the lyrics strong competition for attention. Loops, scratches, and vocal sample interjections come thickly-knitted together without getting cluttered, with Zimmerman’s additions smoothing over the seams and enabling some more involved progressions. Steady heat and insistent pressure help keep the album moving at speed, with a lengthy thanks track for cool-down at the end, and the balance and control shown throughout the LP speaks well to the group’s ability to incorporate multiple producers while retaining their own clear style.
Here’s the cover art used for the longbox version.
Scrambled Brains 