Music
Press
David Lewis, Staff Writer
02/27/2007
Tha Breakfast Club,
Today's Specials
Connecticut is void of profile hip-hop acts, but with the release of Tha Breakfast Club's first-rate Today's Specials we can hope that the trend ends soon.
Though they do unfortunately spell their name with phonetics (we should have all learned how bad an idea that was with Limp Bizkit), the four-some luckily make good decisions for the rest of the record. Today's Specials is confident and gleeful. Producer A.I. keeps things moving throughout, injecting the record with Outkast speckled funk; vocalists Naim and Show bounce back and forth with a relaxed flow, Naim at times have the same amiable pitch as A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip. But moreover this record feels like a classic party jam and the band serves it like the best of them: De La Soul, Black Sheep, Digable Planets, The Roots, The Fugees.... Tha Breakfast Club. Tastes pretty good, if only they could have thought of a better name.
- Play Magazine (New Haven CT)
Discography
CD Today's Specials
Single "Shaken Baken"
Photos
Bio
Tired of the same old dishes on the Hip-Hop menu? Looking for a fresh new flavor to tantalize the taste buds? Then head to the upper West Side where ladies proudly swing plantain thighs and hustlers on the corner keep the natives high. There you will find a new dish, inspired by the tangy sights and sounds of the streets: Tha Breakfast Club--lyricists Show and Naim (a Detroit native); producer, A.I.; and jack-of-all-trades, The Dean. Four city-dwelling new jacks, who make beats so tasty it’s what folks listen to when the sun is rising, and the clubs shut down.
That early morning party mantra can be heard on several tracks of Tha Breakfast Club’s new CD, Today’s Specials, showcasing the group’s taste for voluptuous women on cuts like Shaking Baking, their drum and bass anthem. “The ladies are so lovely in this hood,” says Naim. “Beautiful, full-figured bodies that move with such grace and rhythm. Their energy fused with the music. You’ll see them in our videos … a size 12 and up, please!”
Additionally, what separates Today’s Specials from the typical NYC fan fare is the standout production by in-house aficionado, A.I (aka Artificial Intelligence). Influenced by everything from Middle Eastern chants to down tempo, Tha Breakfast Club has created a style that has an international appeal and influence. The opening track, Crème de la Crème, was the catalyst for the group’s change in cuisine.
“The track was finished when the Dean came across an old record I have of an Arabic vocalist,” says A.I. “As soon as I heard it, it clicked, and I started to look for pieces to add to the beat. We flipped it and pushed our music into another direction."
And nouveau cuisine it is … techno, house, and dance hall seasonings can be heard throughout the album as well as Negro spirituals. Diamante de Conflict is a haunting track on Today’s Specials that sounds as if it is weeping and conjures up early Portishead in style. Beta Phi Chi, by comparison, is a sexy, dirty funk cut that feels like a track from the movie Snatch.
The Dean (producer/writer) adds his soulful baritone voice to several tracks as well as spitting 16 bars on a few. The group mixes a variety of vocal flavors and samples, giving each song a distinctive sound. But it's the contrasting styles of frontmen Show and Naim that are Tha Breakfast Club's main ingredients.
Show's flow is smooth, silky and playful, but with an edginess reminiscent of a young Method Man. Naim, on the other hand, is more falsetto in tone and gritty in style. His ability to paint a picture with words sets him apart from others in the game. Both lyricists' skills lie beyond the best mixtape maestros and heads above the chefs who rule the charts. "There will definitely be a few dudes looking over their shoulder," says Show.
Perhaps the only thing Tha Breakfast Club has in common with today's New York scene is a love for Hip-Hop and a yearning for change. “The game’s gotten too serious in the NYC," says The Dean. "What happened to the Beatnuts? What happen to Biz? We want people dancing, laughing and having a good time. Let the kids battle.”
So forget what the haters have been saying about the NYC. Put down the Top 40 cheese melts, put down the chicken and waffles and pick up Today's Specials. Cuz Tha Breakfast Club is serving up some
"home- grown dro " that's bound to satisfy the palate. Bon appetit!
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