Jayo Felony - Take a Ride

Gangsta Funk At A High Point (Rating: 8 out of 10- -4.0 stars)

When I bring up Jayo to a lot of my friends, they asked me "Damn, what happened to him?" With the rapper from San Diego, signing a deal with Def Jam, he was able to release his debut album "Take A Ride". We all know how Def Jam treats west coast artists, so I'm pretty sure that there wasn't much behind this album. To me, I find Jayo to be a rapper who talks about what he has been through. Most of his songs are about how he has gotten into jail and ran the streets of San Diego, all backed by some great west coast production that was popular around the time the west coast hit it's peak in 1994/'95.

Most of these tracks Jayo rarely switches up his subject matter, so expect a lot of gangsta topics on the majority of the tracks. "The Loc Is On His Own" & "I'ma Keep Bangin'" are all dedicated to his lifestyle that he lives. The production on the latter song will keep you interested. "Sherm Stick" is the tune to the old R&B song "Come And Go With Me", as Jayo rhymes about getting smoked out. "Brothas & Sistas" (or track #7) was one of the singles for this album and rides a heavy basslines and synths thats cool. "Can't Keep A Gee Down" is another banging song to ride to. Further on the album, the short song "Don't Call Me A *****" is dope. "They Got Me On Medication" is a standout in my opinion. "Funk 2 Da Head" is my favorite track, as Jayo flows perfectly with the dope beat. "Take A Ride" sounds decent, but not a standout. A couple of filler tracks in the middle of the album, like "***** I'm Through", but that doesn't make the album bad.

Overall, excellent album from Jayo. His rhyme style is great in my opinion. This album has that southern Cali vibe that many people who are fans of gangsta rap would appriciate. The next album Whatcha Gonna Do? would follow up three years later (which is a little more commercial, but great), and is worth picking up as well. Peace.

Lyrics: B+
Production: B+
Guest Appearances: N/A
Musical Vibes: A+

Top 5 Tracks:
1. Funk 2 Da Head
2. Medication
3. Can't Keep A Gee Down
4. I'ma Keep Bangin'
5. Brothas & Sistas February 23, 2008

Jayo's masterpiece

Jayo Felony's 1995 debut album is a west coast classic, one of the most overlooked masterpieces of g-funk and a personal favorite of my collectoin. Unfortunately, this album also displayed Def Jam's complete ineptitude to promote west coast artists (just ask Richie Rich, Twinz, The Dove Shack, WC, South Central Cartel, or even Warren G). What's so great about this album is that Jayo is much more insightful than the average g-funker. He's a true lyricist, but his subject matter really sets him apart from his west coast contemporaries. He has beef with the legal and prison system, and on many tracks he vents out his frustration with the law and incarceration. His tales of street crime, penitentiary life, and loneliness are really engaging and interesting, as a rapper Jayo constantly demands and maintains your attention. His flow really helps this too, he's got a lazy and conversational delivery that makes his raps feel more personal. He switches this up sometimes, almost singing a few hooks. But the production is also spectacular. It's so focused, especially because there's not a single guest verse or appearance on the whole album. The music has deep bass, but the instrumentals are a little more stripped down than most of the g-funk coming out at this time. It's not so woozy and computerized either, it has a great feel and is often upbeat and very catchy. The dark, gloomy funk enhances Jayo's portrayal of a grim world where penitentiary stays are punctuated by gang violence and drug abuse. This album has absolutely no weak tracks, the consistency is something rare in this genre, and that's what makes "Take a Ride" such a classic. Even the skits are relevant and entertaining. While this album is still available (unlike his other two), I consider this a must have, and this is an awesome, underappreciated classic.

Following the intro, the first song is "The Loc Is on His Own," a nice cut. This song is slow and funky, and the lyrics are some of the best. Jayo recounts the difficulties with contacting and connecting with his friends and family following incarceration, it's conscious and an interesting take. He also drops some raw philosophy on the jail system. "I'ma Keep Bangin'" is faster and bouncier, the production is very nice and Jayo holds your attention with his rough profiles of urban life. "Homicide" is pretty laidback, Jayo shows true lyrical talent on this track. The nice "Love Boat" skit serves as an intro to this album's classic single, "Sherm Stick." Over a sunny, head-nodding beat, Jayo laces a smoking anthem with a great hook and verses. I also really like "N...s and B...s," another excellently produced track, and "Can't Keep a Gee Down" continues the roll of funky, upbeat tracks with intense lyricism. My favorite beat here is found on "B... I'm Through," which musically is the finest track. The woozy, bumping beat has awesome instrumentals and a great hook as well. "Penitentiary Bound" is awesome. On this song, Jayo tells the story of a parole violation that led to incarceration, and he explores injustices in the system. The short yet inspiring "Don't Call Me N..." is a real highlight, and my favorite song comes next, "They Got Me On Medication." Jayo's delivery on this song is totally on point, and the production is excellent. He tells stories about hood life and insanity with the law, leading to the awesome hook. "Funk 2 da Head" is appealing but not outstanding, and the album finishes with the title track, an incredibly catchy and upbeat west coast anthem.

It's embarrassing that an album so great both lyrically and musically could have gone so under the radar, but the combination of lack of promotion and a flood of g-funk albums in '95 made this one of the year's slept-on gems, just like BG Knocc Out & Dresta's Real Brothas and Twinz' Conversation. Jayo is one of those rappers that seems to have been on the verge of stardom at one point, but for whatever reason it never really happened for him. Regardless, "Take a Ride" is the album that was the first to put San Diego on anybody's hip hop radar. Fans of west coast rap will love this, and anybody can appreciate the emotional lyrics and funky beats. May 26, 2007

Jayo Got The Shaft... {4 Stars}

I don't know what to make of Def Jam signing dope west coast acts and then pretty much hanging them out to dry. If you look at the Def Jam catalog during the mid-nineties, you'll find potent albums from the likes of Warren G, South Central Cartel, Dove Shack, Jayo Felony, and quite a few others. I'm not saying these artists are the best the west have to offer, but they were very promising prospects at the time. Think about the promotion these artists got -- or didn't get. It's not a coincidence that the Cali artists got no shine on Def Jam or Def Jam West. Anyway, this album is tight. Smoothed out, funky beats...passionate lyrics that speak on bangin', slangin', & maintainin'...I mean, you can't help but feel Jayo when he speaks. Even the interludes/skits have a place on this LP (unlike a lot of albums that come out nowadays with highly unnecessary skits). If you're expecting a lot of that rapid fire/choppy flow stuff that he does today, you may want to look for later releases -- this is basically just Jay puttin' it down gangsta style.

As far as flaws, there aren't many. There are a few joints that I didn't particularly feel, but I wouldn't necessarily call them bad songs -- "Homicide", "They Got Me on Medication", and "B**ch I'm Through" are the songs that I speak of.

Def Jam's decision to totally ignore albums from their west coast signees should be viewed as nothing less than their attempt to disembowel the west when they were in a position to remove the east coast from their top spot. I can't think of any other reason for them to ignore great albums like this one and the other bangers that I mentioned earlier. The beats are tight and Jayo has a flow unlike most that you will find out there. There simply should've been more done on Def Jam's part. Take A Ride is a vintage mid 90's rap album that should be looked into. I recommend adding this album to your collection if you can find it.

Standout Tracks: Can't Keep a Gee Down, Don't Call Me Ni**a, Sherm Stick, I'ma Keep Bangin', Ni**as and Bi***es, Penitentiary Bound, and The Loc Is on His Own April 20, 2007

where has rap gone??

It seems like rap now is all about bling, ching-ching, and grills. On this album, JAYO represents what real hip hop was about back in the day (being broke, jail time, just pure everyday LIFE). My favorite songs are #6 and #10. but overall the man does the job on the entire album. To me any rap album from early 90s to mid 90s is a classic. Even though im from the dirty south, west coast is my fav type of rap because it's chill and relaxed.......which is why i bought Jay's album. PEACE!!! August 13, 2006

Classic Debut

Jayo felony's debut album, Take a Ride slams and satisfies from start to finish. He is raw and rugged throughout. The beats here are hard core G-Funk, with vicious and rapid fiery flows. Songs like "I'mma Keep Bangin," "They Got Me On Medication," "The Loc is On His Own," show cases his hard, but unique persona. He put San Diego on the map, and shows no mercy! February 10, 2006

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