MC Breed Albums (15)
What The Critics Say
This is getting slightly ridiculous. 2004's The Mix Tape is the third compilation covering MC Breed's early-to-mid-'90s career on the Wrap label. However, after 1995's remix-heavy The Best of Breed and 2002's Chopped and Screwed (which was part of the short-lived fad, led by the late DJ Screw, of slowing down records until they had the woozy, disorienting feel of a cough-syrup high), The Mix Tape is really the first single-disc sampler that presents the rapper's best tracks in their original and best versions. MC Breed's gift is his musical dexterity as much as his lyrical skills: 1991's "Ain't No Future in Yo Frontin'" pointedly uses elements from both the East Coast and West Coast hip-hop styles of the time to comment on the uselessness of turf wars, and although later records find the Michigan native rebased in Atlanta and incorporating more of a Dirty South funk flair to his music, songs like the chilling, piano-based "Everyday Ho" and the P-Funk style of "This Is How We Do It, Pt. 1" show that MC Breed is never completely beholden to one style. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide
'Chopped and Screwed'
Release Date 7/30/2002
Tracks 12
Label Ichiban/Ryko
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
After a few years of embarrassingly exploitative attempts to cash in on the Dirty South feeding frenzy of the late '90s, MC Breed somewhat returned to his roots in the Midwest. He had begun his career in Flint, MI, less than an hour's drive north on I-75 from Detroit, before criss-crossing the States during the '90s, heading first out west to work with D.O.C. and then to Atlanta to work with Jazze Pha and Too $hort. But in 2001, ten years after he'd broken through with "Ain't No Future in Yo' Frontin'," Breed returned to Detroit to work with the upstart Fharmacy Records and up and coming Midwest producer Gee Pierce. Since Breed's never been one to miss a trend -- jumping first on the West Coast gangsta bandwagon and then cashing in on the Dirty South trend -- it's perhaps not surprising that he headed back to Detroit. By 2001 the city more identified with soul and techno than rap was experiencing something of a boom: Following the initial success of Eminem, a number of other Detroit rappers broke out of the underground, the more noteworthy being D-12, Royce the 5'9," Drunken Master, E-Dub, Slum Village (which features producer Jay Dee), and more exploitative stuff like the Dayton Family and Esham. Overall, Breed's moving-up-north gamble seemed to work. The Dirty South movement lost some of its steam in 2001, and Breed scored his biggest hit in years, "Let's Go to the Club," a remake of a song from his It's All Good album. The remake features production and rapping by Jazze Pha, and the song became a gigantic hit in Detroit -- definitely a high-rollin', blunt-smokin', Stacey Adams-wearin', we-be-clubbin' city -- where the song was ubiquitous on the radio for months. In addition to the hit single, the album finds Breed returning to sincerity after a few years of exploitation. He raps from the heart and looks back on his prolific decade in the rap game. In addition, it's nice to see Breed writing with D.O.C. again, and Pierce showcases why he was hailed as such a promising beat-making talent. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Nearly all of MC Breed's albums for Power Records in the late '90s had something exploitative about them, and 2 for the Show is arguably the most gimmicky of them all. The concept here is that Breed collaborates with other MCs on each of the tracks, with such high-profile guests as 2 Pac, Eightball, Too $hort, Big Mike, and more. However, some of these songs, most notably the 2 Pac song, "Gotta Get Mine," are previously released and readily available. Like the other Breed albums released by Power, you're best off avoiding these exploitative efforts in favor of Breed's much better work for Wrap in the early to late '90s and his post-Power work that begins with his return to sincerity, The Fharmacist (2001). ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
'MC Breed Presents the Thugz, Vol. 1'
Release Date 9/7/1999
Tracks 13
Label Hitman
See Album Tracklist and Review
What The Critics Say
MC Breed's relationship with Wrap Records came to an end with 1997's Flatline, which ironically happened to be one of his best albums, featuring big-name producers like Ant Banks and Jazze Pha. When Breed returned in 1999 on Power Records (based in Atlanta and distributed for a while by Roadrunner), things were different. First of all, the label didn't have the budget that Wrap did, meaning that there weren't going to be any more big-name producers on Breed's albums. Secondly, the label didn't have nearly the marketing push that the artist was used to having, meaning that, after nearly a decade of moderate success, the Atlanta-by-way-of-Michigan rapper was suddenly an underground rapper. Third of all, the Dirty South movement was in full bloom by 1999, with labels like No Limit and Cash Money having changed the game, flooding record stores with more down South rap than stores could handle. As a result, Breed was in an awkward situation on this album, though he tries to dismiss the pressures he faced by titling his album It's All Good. Well, Breed can call his album what he likes, but all surely wasn't good for the rapper, and he was entering a frustrating era that would find him falling off the map for a few years, working with a limited budget, and trying to adapt to overnight trends. As the No Limit/Cash Money circa 1999-looking album cover may lead you to presume, Breed unfortunately jumps on the bling-bling/thug trend of the time. You can tell he's uncomfortable trying to adapt to the sound of the time, but he was in a dire situation. For instance, when Breed opens the album with a remix of his five-year-old pre-Death Row 2 Pac collaboration, "Gotta Get Mine," you know he's trying too hard. The aura of desperation that underlies the "It's All Good" facade makes this an awkward album and one to avoid in favor of Breed's many better, and much more sincere, albums. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
It took a year or two for MC Breed to make the transition from his early-'90s West Coast style to his late-'90s down South style, but by the time Flatline hit the streets in 1997, he had the Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik/pimpin'/baller thing down to a science. Just as he had done a year before on the solid To da Beat Ch'all album, he works mostly with producer Jazze Pha here, a soon-to-be big-name Dirty South producer who really comes into his own on these late-'90s Breed albums. Furthermore, Breed teams up with Bay Area and longtime Too $hort producer Ant Banks for a few tracks, including the excellent lead single, "Dreamin'." In addition to Pha and Banks, Erotic D and D.O.C. help out on this album, which is just as solid as -- if not a step up from -- To da Beat Ch'all. Breed's late-'90s albums may have not been as commercially successful as his early-'90s efforts, but they're surely more polished. At this point, Breed's a veteran, and it shows. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
If MC Breed's album from a year before, Big Baller (1995), found him trying to switch from a West Coast sound to a Southern sound, To da Beat Ch'all finds him finalizing that switch. He wasn't working with D.O.C. or other West Coast artists like Warren G or 2 Pac any longer, like he had only a couple years before on The New Breed (1993) (though D.O.C. does contribute some vocals). No, he had moved to Atlanta, just as Too $hort had, and began working with Atlanta artists, most notably Jazze Pha and Hurricane, as well as Eric Sermon, who spent some time in Atlanta at the time. As a result, this is a fresh album for Breed, a firm step in a new direction. And it's also a formative album for the then embryonic Southern rap scene. Unfortuantely, just as Big Baller had, it left many of Breed's fans scratching their heads in dizzying confusion: first he was Midwest, then he was West Coast gangsta rap, and now he's a down-South baller. Commercial success aside, this is a solid album from Breed, who usually takes an album or two to successfully change styles. For instance, just as The New Breed bettered the West Coast style Breed struggled to adopt on 20 Below, this album betters the down-South style he struggled to adopt on Big Baller. Plus, it's a really slick album with great production from Pha and Sermon, two producers who never cease to amaze. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
