The Latin/Puerto Rican culture has always been an integral part of hip-hop music, but lately there has been a renaissance of quality material courtesy of artists like Cypress Hill, The Beatnuts and Hurricane G. Not to be left out, Buzztone/RCA's Funkdoobiest returns with "Troubleshooters." Unlike Funkdoobiest's previous two albums, Son Doobie and DJ Ralph M. play up the band members' Puerto Rican heritage to the fullest. They've dropped their "Pornstar" image, and in reinventing themselves, they may have secured a future in rap music."Troubleshooters" is pure hip-hop. Son's brash, off-beat style of rapping forms a strange unison with Ralph's stripped-down production. It's a little disorienting, but is fun to listen to, nonetheless. The radio-friendly "Anthem" is a treat for those who like rappers who perform their rhymes over classic songs (á la Puffy), but songs like the barebones "Oyé Papi" appeal to the fans of hardcore B-boy music.
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Funkdoobiest
Troubleshooter
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But the useless interludes aren't. Out of the five interludes that were interjected, only the freestyle rap in "Alley" is worth listening to. But these really don't detract that much from the album.
Funkdoobiest has rebounded very nicely from their dismal sophomore album and is showing signs of living up to the potential they showed on its noteworthy debut. In fact, "Troubleshooters" may yet become one of the definitive albums in the Latin hip-hop canon.
02-10-98
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