Sadat X (PA) - Wild Cowboys

Tracks: 1. The Lump Lump 2. Wild Cowboys 3. Sauce for Birdhead 4. Open Bar 5. Hang 'Em High 6. Do It Again 7. Game's Sober 8. Smoking on the Low 9. Petty People 10. The Interview 11. Stages and Lights 12. Move On 13. The Funkiest 14. Escape from New York 15. The Hashout Product Description

The "Wild Cowboys" of Hip Hop

Wild Cowboys is the debut album of hip hop luminary Sadat X. To this point, Sadat was a member of the influential Brand Nubian, whose entire discography is very strong. After the solo success of group leader Grand Puba, Sadat chose to break out on his own. Wild Cowboys is the first of several strong solo efforts on his part.

Released in 1996, Wild Cowboys has a very loose, jazzy feel (not unlike much hip hop of that time. The production is very understated and relaxed, yet is very engaging. Pete Rock, Buckwild, Diamond D, Alamo, Showbiz, Da Beatminerz, and the underrated Minnesota all provide very chill jazzy tracks. If you know their work, you know what you're getting here-killer NY stuff.

As for the rhyming, guest spots are kept mostly within the family, as Sadat brings in his boys (the cowboys(?)) on several tracks. Grand Puba, crooner DV Alias Khryst, and the severely slept-on Money Boss Players all have features as well. Smoka J was pretty accurate about how Sadat's boys don't add a lot to the tracks. For what they lack, Sadat more than makes up for with his highly skilled rhymes and active flow. He is on point all album.

Standout tracks are "The Lump Lump", "Do It Again" (feat. DV), "Do It Again", "Game's Sober" (feat. Money Boss Players & Sha Sha), "Smokin on the Low" (ft. DV), and the Pete Rock produced "Escape From New York". The rest of the album is very strong too. The only track I couldn't get into was "The Funkiest". I've got no particular reason...just wanted feeling it.

All in all, Wild Cowboys is an album worth purchase by fans of 90s hip hop, jazzy hip hop, or of any of the above artists. This album has been slept-on for years. It's time to get the word out. November 28, 2007

As a whole it could be his best work...

Loud records ran the street scene in the 90's. This Lp from Sadat takes me back. Every artist that ran with Loud was dope back then. It wasn't the lyrics necessarily, his lyrics are great but it was the beats that captured my feelings. It definetly fit the year, (which was 96' I believe) with its flawless lyrics from X and its production from one song to the next. Good stuff, without a doubt. Peace! November 17, 2006

Godz of NYC Production

A lot of people whose taste I respect really don't like Sadat X. I'm not one of those people, and hence this is an enjoyable disc. My favorite track is "Stages & Lights" wherein Showbiz (my main man) jacks Shawn Phillips (!) lovely to provide the ultimate head nod. The Beatminerz "Interview" is a brilliant cut, lyrically, plus a great beat. The EP Dx from the Bx dropped next was fresh too, though even more slept on. September 16, 2006

Dotty X blazes his first solo trail...

By the time fellow Brand Nubian, Grand Puba had left the group and released 2 solo joints ("Reel to Reel" in 1992 & "2000" in '95), I guess Sadat had enough of Lord Jamar and went for his on the solo tip. The result is a decent album in '96's "Wild Cowboys" (an odd choice for a concept if you ask me).

When Puba left Brand Nubian after their classic debut "One for All" (1990), the remaining 3 group members (MC's Sadat X & Lord Jamar & producer DJ Alamo) released 2 more albums with 1992's highly under-rated "In God We Trust" and 1994's forgettable "Everything is Everything." Any fan of Brand Nubian knows that all the talent lay in the hands of Puba and Sadat (their chemistry together is among the best duos out there), while Jamar played a "sometimes dope, often bland" interlude between the two. I was as surprised as anyone with how dope the Puba-less "In God We Trust" turned out to be. I thought that w/o Puba the up-and-coming Brand Nubian was finished. However, when "Everything is Everything" bombed, our suspicions were confirmed and I guess Sadat had enough and went for dolo. It was a wise choice...sort of.

The best thing about "Wild Cowboys" is the beats. Sadat amassed A WHOLE GANG of all-star producers; Diamond D (4 tracks), Buckwild (2), Da Beatminerz (1), Showbiz (1), Dante Ross for the SD 50's (1), DJ Alamo (1), & Pete Rock (1). So you know this album bumps that '96 east-coast flava, no questions there...

The problem with this album lies in Sadat's inexperience as a solo artist. His entire MC career, he's had a partner (or two) - therefore he's never had to shoulder a complete album's worth of material, and it shows here. Oddly enough, Sadat's not the problem (he does just fine) - it's his guest artists, there's too many. The good; Puba returns and shares the track "Open Bar," one of my favorites on the album, and the haunting singing of DV Alias Christ blesses the tracks "Hang 'Em High" and "Smoking on the Low." The bad; EVERYONE ELSE. For some reason, Sadat called on his buddy Shawn Black (???) to add on to some of the tracks...4 to be exact. He's one of those boring, heard-him-a thousand times MC's that sadly ruin a perfectly good song. There's some other unknown MC's on this album, but they only appear once a piece - the end result is still the same, they add nothing. I was under the impression that Sadat broke away from Lord Jamar to spread his wings, but after hearing so many bland guests on this album, I was wishing that Jamar had taken their places. I would have loved it if Sadat had been more selfish and kept the tracks to himself and the pros (Puba) and I actually missed Lord Jamar. I bought this album to hear Sadat X, not Sadat X and his broke, wack homies. The best comparison I can think of is Diamond D's 2nd album "Hatred, Passions, Infidelity" (1997), where almost every track had some no name (save a few) who just took up a verse and added nothing to the track. After a while it gets very frusturating and eventually annoying.

Bottom Line: A decent effort. The beats are top notch and Sadat does a commendable job on his first solo venture. It's definitely worth owning, just heed my warnings. I have to say "The Lump Lump" totally bumps, and the remix with Brand Nubian is a classic. 3 1/2 stars, Peace. July 28, 2006

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