DJ assaults with 'Mista'

The enormous success of DJ Assault in the Midwest proves that there is more to these songs than pornographic content. Along with other Detroit artists such as DJ Godfather and DJs such as Disco D, DJ Assault has created a new musical genre acknowledged by both the press and the public: ghetto tech.

Otherwise known as "booty," ghetto tech blends together the naughty motifs of ghetto house artists such as DJ Funk and Miami bass artists such as the Two Live Crew with the techno sounds of Detroit. The sum of these elements is a sound with bass heavy, dancefloor beats perfect for club play or slow cruising along with some nasty rapping anthems sure to be chanted by many.

"Mista Muthafukka" is a compilation of all DJ Assault's biggest hits as heard on late night urban radio mix shows and in the more scandalous clubs. Some of the songs on the album are poor quality techno-rap hybrids, but most of the tracks deserve the status of "classic."

All the songs that established DJ Assault and his Detroit-based record label, Electrofunk, are included such as "Sex on the Beach," "Hoez Get Naked," "Tear the Club Up," "Checkstub" and others.

Take for example, "Ass 'n' Titties," the quintessential ghetto tech anthem is there is one. The song begins with a chant: "Ass, titties, ass and titties, ass, ass, titties, titties, ass and titties." Once again, this type of language is either going to horrify you or make you giggle. The song progresses for a few minutes with more colorful language and plenty of booty bouncing bass beats before coming to a close.

The lack of developed song structure is the main problem with DJ Assault. His frustratingly short songs are designed for DJs to mix with other records whereas home listeners are used to songs with introductions and conclusions.

Other than this issue, the songs also begin to get a bit monotonous. The same sort of booming bass and cliched techno get used song after song, causing many of the songs to sound similar with different words. Another problem is the vocals. Much like a spoken word album, the novelty and humor of hearing DJ Assault rap about his accomplishments as a male - as in "Dick By the Pound" - lose their shock value quickly.

DJ Assault's best songs are where he doesn't even rap but instead just samples an anthemic chorus and loops it. "Checkstub" is an example of a song where the vocal loop of a woman saying "let me see yo' checkstub" followed by DJ Assault saying "get yo' own checkstub" repeated over and over become rhythmic and even a bit melodic.

Near the end of the compilation, DJ Assault makes an announcement, promoting Electrofunk's newest additions to their roster of artists. The next few songs include a drum 'n' bass cover of Erykah Badu's "Tyrone" sung by a woman as well as a few rap songs sounding a bit too much like something off Dr. Dre's "The Chronic."

Besides the occasional poor quality of a few of DJ Assault's classics, the primarily flaw of the album is its blatant function as a promotional vehicle. Instead of savoring DJ Assault's ghetto tech classics, listeners have to bear DJ Assault's dreams to become the next Master P. In the end, "Mista Muthafukka" is by all means an amusing listen, perfect for livening up your next party but far from a masterpiece.

04-20-99