Grand Puba - 2000

After appearing on two of rap's more accomplished and entertaining releases, Brand Nubian's 1990 debut One for All and his own 1992 solo effort, Reel to Reel, Grand Puba seemed to fall off the face of hip-hop. Three years later he resurfaced, freestyling first in a Sprite commercial and then with this long-overdue second solo work, 2000. Puba carried those first two records on the inventiveness of his rhyme style--a little Slick Rick swagger, some Biz Markie pop culture referencing and tone deaf singing, and a lot of Puba's own distinctive whine and boast. On 2000, Puba recaptures all of that and sounds like he's never been away. As before, he packs scores of name drops and song snatches, from Erkel to "Little Drummer Boy," in between his own self-aggrandizing hyperbole and earns more than a few chuckles for the effort. Also tried-and-true Puba, the tracks on 2000 favor a heavy bounce and melodic soul groove over the more raw and rhythmic funk backings of most rappers--which means there's more music and fatter hooks than usual. Plus a bonus: Virtually none of the pseudo-Islamic race theories that have occasionally popped up in Puba's lyrics. --Roni Sarig Amazon.com

(3+half) 2000.....(ahead of its time) STILL hot in the 2007!!!

Grand Puba has got to be one of the most criminally slept-on mc's of hiphop history. After lighting up the Brand Nubian debut "One for All" along with Sadat X and Lord Jamar with social commentaries aplenty many people thought he would come out that way when he went solo. On his debut "Reel to Reel" he opted for a more party orientated and skills showcase approach. Same here. Funky beats on virtually every song provide Puba the perfect base for him to lay down his rapid fire metaphor laced flows all over the place. His wordplay is 2nd to none and made him really stand out back in the mid 90's. Mark the Spark(4), Alamo(2), Chris Liggio(1), Minnesota(3) and Dante Ross from the SD50's(1) produce an amazing album where, even now some 12years on, still stands the test of time. Only 1 or 2 beats sound a little dated. Standouts such as "Very Special", "I Like It", "A Little Of This", "Keep On", "2000", "Amazing" and "Play It Cool" make this a brilliant addition to any hiphop fans collection. March 2, 2007

2000 is hot for any year!

Grand Puba's second album 2000 is off the books! It is short, but every track is banging and stands alone, like Nas' Illmatic. You may have heard his single "I Like It", which received heavy airplay from Hot 97 back in 95. He definitely takes his game to the next level from "Reel to Reel" his first album. The only guest appearance is from Sadat X, but Grand Puba is talented enough to hold down a whole album dolo. The beat selection is great and varies from party cuts, piano loops and smooth/laid back, and Puba has a flow for each of them. Production by Mark Sparks, Minnesota, DJ Alamo and others. Definitely pick this up, you won't regret it! October 14, 2004

The man with figgatifiggaty phat skills

I have to hand it to him. He has to be one of the illest rappers in the game today to me. It's so hard not to dig his vibe, that you almost cant listen to him once and not by his cd. It is the bomb. November 21, 1999

dis sit is nice!

'i like it' and 'a little of this' are both butter. very smooth beats and really soothing when you are just chillin in your crib. this cd is a classic. February 24, 1999

This CD is great

I go this CD from a store and I love it. I like every sond on this disc. I would recommend it to anyone. Just be listen to '2000' and you will love Puba! January 11, 1999

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