Das Efx - Straight Up Sewaside

[KingsOfKings]

 

[BlackMajik]

That track Baknaffek

 

[BUSINESS AS USUAL]

Most slept on group ever

 

[BmoreGorilla]

I got this tape for Christmas one year. When I asked my mother for it she thought I was saying the name of the album was Straight Up Suicide


I had to explain to her that wasn’t the case

 

[FreshAIG]

Their debut is more of a classic because it ushered in an entire style that nikkas all jumped on and had higher highs

But I like this album more all the way through. "Rappaz" used to stay on repeat

They dropped most of the "iggity" shyt on this album and was displaying crazy wordplay and flows.

 

[hex]

Great album.

Fred.

 

[MaddGame]

Too bad a lot of their tracks were censored (at least on their debut album).

 

[IronFist]

This sophomore album from DAS Efx wasn't without its problems in the lead up to it, the album took just 8 months to record, some would say at the time, they were rushed in the process of making it but their was a little more to it, When "Dead Serious" dropped in 1992, they were fresh and they stood out for having their own style, making them a huge success even in a crossover way, nobody was rhyming like them or doing wordplay like them, "Dead Serious" was full of speedy back and forward technical raps, intelligent production but Das Efx themselves were full of originality, with their wonky flow and skillful wordplay and their love for referencing popular and current culture and making it sound good on a record, they also had that off the wall humor to go with their energetic delivery's, some artists particularly on the East Coast caught wind of how successful Das Efx had became when they came on the scene with that album and started to imitate their hardcore and original style, in particular their use of wordplay (They even address the copying of their style on this album on "The Interview"), by the time "Straight Up Sewaside" rolled up in November of 1993, the iggidy and riggidy rough style they blueprinted, was a little played out by that time and People were starting to see it as a gimmick, even if it wasn't solely down to Das Efx themselves, their label EastWest records, wanted them to use the exact same style and type of wordplay as on "Dead Serious" but Das Efx wanted to show they ain't a gimmick in the industry and prove people wrong, with a more updated rhyme style and skill of songwriting, so their was tension with them and the label, they were also going through some sample clearances from the first album, so they had to go for a more organic but still home team approach on this album, so almost all of the production on this album is done by Solid Scheme once again and executive produced by PMD, who was also going through his own issues at the time, with the break up of EPMD in 1993, all that being said I think this album is a banger, gets a lot of unfair criticism, the beats are dark and Boom Bap, the back and forward flows are still well and truly on the show from Das Efx, they alienated their trademark style on the mic on the album but swapped it for some straightforward and skillful rapping but its still very much them, just less bravado and animation behind the raps, I feel the lyricism is also more progressive on this one, the production is more moody and not quite as memorable as "Dead Serious" but I definitely get a lot of enjoyment out of the beats still, you want good rapping and good beats? throw it on