K-E-V-I-N M-A-D-I-S-O-N (pt. 2): The Incredible Letterman (Rating: 7 out of 10- -3.5 stars) - Enter K-Solo s second effort on Atlantic/WEA after the great debut Tell the World My Name. Between those albums, Solo as had some buzz from some good guest appearances, mainly appearing on EPMD s Headbanger from Business Never Personal. Now, this album couldn t have came at a worst time for him during the summer of 92, because of the fact that gangsta rap from the west coast was on the rise, not to metion other albums on the east coast had already had a major buzz before him. So when Solo dropped this album, very little, if any, heard him by that point.As for Time s Up, it pickes up were his first one left off. And if you have already heard that one, you probably have K-Solo s flow already figured out. Unfortunately, this one sounds a lot like is first one. The production is updated, but K-Solo s concept style isn t. And if it is, he rarely shows it. The promising single Can t Hold It Back is one of the few moments where he kicks a different style. But Letterman (aka Spellbound 2) and Long Live The Fugitive both rehases concepts that he has used on his first album. Luckly the latter song is short, so he gets the point across quickly. But to be fair, on Letterman, Solo s flow with lots of energy, making it a standout. And the production here is outstanding as well. Solo is at his best when he speaks about problems such as Premonition Of A Black Prisoner and Who s Killing Who. Sneak Tip is another crazy story, this time about shoes attacking him while he was out shopping. The Baby Doesn t Look Like Me is a nice story about a girl who tries to play him. Another standout is Rock Bottom, because it s production. Other than that, there are not many other high points with this album.Chances are if you liked the first one, you will like this one. The production here as gotten better curteosy of Erick Sermon. So expect those dark funky beats that he has gotten to be known for later on in the 90 s. As mentioned before, this album was slept on because of it s timing and subject matter didn t fit in the 92 era, possibly causing K-Solo to be dropped from Atlantic. East coast fans should definitely have this in their collection, and this may be a decent place to start if anyone is trying to discover who K-Solo is. The only big problem for me was it was too much like his first album. Peace.Lyrics: B-Production: B+Guest Appearances: N/AMusical Vibes: BTop 5 Tracks:1. Can t Hold It Back2. Who s Killin Who?3. Premonition Of A Black Prisoner4. Letterman5. Rock BottomHonorable Mention:1. Sneak Tip2. The Baby Doesn t Look Like Me
Back in effect, on my second cassette (4.5/5) - K-Solo was stuck between a rock and a hard place in 92. With the rise of gangsta rap on the West Coast and alternative rap on the East Coast, versatile old school MCs such as Solo were fading fast. Plus, the impending breakup of his mentors EPMD meant that soon he would lack the affiliation so critical in the rap game. With all this working against him, it s almost surprising that his sophomore LP Time s Up is so good. While it s certainly not the most exciting rap album ever released, it s one of those LPs that you just can t poke any holes into. The only flaw anyone might mention is that it sounds a bit familiar, and for the quickly progressing rap landscape in 92, it might have seemed a tad dated.Solo s a talented rapper, but he s also fun because he s so versatile. He does rapid-fire delivery on some tracks, tells stories, kicks b-boy bragadocio, and even plays the conscious MC sometimes. His signature style was his practice of spelling out words, and he keeps it upbeat so it never sounds stale. Another selling point is the production, handled by Erick Sermon, which is constantly on-point. It s sad that this was his final release, because his brief career spanned two great LPs.On the opener I Can t Hold It Back, Solo rechannels his aggressive performance on EPMD s Headbanger for a furious highlight. He tells stories in acronyms on Letterman and kicks a tight rhyme over a dope beat on the short Long Live the Fugitive. Premonition of a Black Prisoner is an effective track where he tackles prison life, and he tells of a trippy and hilarious encounter while shoe shopping on Sneak Tip. The Baby Doesn t Look Like Me is self-explanatory, and with a funky beat it s a keeper. The Formula (House Party) is a freestyle interlude, and the highlight Who s Killin Who follows, a relevant message to the black community with strong production. After the goofy story on Household Maid come the two strong closers, Rock Bottom and King of the Mountain, both seeping with old school charm.Time certainly hasn t been kind to K-Solo, but in the year of The Chronic, Mecca and the Soul Brother, and Daily Operation, it s understandable that some gems such as this were overlooked. Regardless, it s a shame that so many have forgotten Solo s name, because for a time he was among the East Coast s most formidable MCs. I d love to see his two LPs reissued together, but until then, I highly recommend this and its predecessor Tell the World My Name.
THIS ONE WAS DECENT (3.5 stars) - i did not enjoy this one as much as the first one. there was something lacking on this one by k solo. my fave on here is LETTERMAN. I CAN T HOLD IT BACK is okay as well. SNEAK TIP........ahhhhhhhhhhhh........errrrrrrrrrrrrrr.........ummmmmmmmmmmmmm. i would say that you have to be in a nostalgic mode to enjoy this one. it s not bad, but it is not good either. it is somewhere in between. my suggestion is just get the first album.
The Letterman Chronicles {4 Stars} - When K-Solo dropped this album back in 92 the climate in rap had began to shift. The mainstream audience had begun to drift out to the west coast to see what Dr. Dre was cooking up (and rightfully so). The problem with that is that artists like K-Solo got lost in the shuffle and great albums like this one were pretty much ignored. Time s up is a great album that features Solo ( ne Kevin Madison) getting busy over some dope production from him self and the Green Eyed Bandit. In fact, you can tell that E Double was beginning to shed that funk heavy, sample heavy production from his EPMD days to switch to the smoked out, still funky, yet darker production that he would later fine tune during the Def Squad heyday. Well, at the very least, you can hear the early remnants of it here. Couple that with the fact that The Letterman had an ill flow and crazy topic range and you have a can t miss album on your hands.As far as flaws, there aren t really that many worth mentioning. The album is a pretty short listen, but most of the tracks are excellent. The topics swing from buying new sneakers to being locked up to house parties to paternity issues with a philandering ex girlfriend. Really, that kind of versatility is all but extinct nowadays. The bottom reviewer is sorely mistaken with those comments.If you re a true head, you re going to seriously dig this. I m sorry, there is nothing redundant about his flow. I know we all have opinions, but that statement is so far from the truth that I question if the 1st reviewer even heard the album. They probably haven t heard since 92 and tried reviewing this based solely on their memories. Take it from someon that still owns this LP, it s dope. It s a simple equation: dope beats + dope rhymes = tight album. So what does Erick Sermon + K-Solo equal? You already know the answer to that. If you come across Time s Up, add it to your collection. I highly recommend it.Standout Tracks: Sneak Tip, Rock Bottom, Can t Hold It Back (My Favorite), Household Maid, Premonition Of A Black Prisoner, Letterman, and Who s Killin Who
Excellent CD at the time - much better than the 1st - This is some of K-Solo s best work. The beats are on point and Kevin Madison s lyrics are tight. I love every song on here except Rock Bottom. Most of his songs are telling a story. My personal favorite is The Formula (House Party). It s K-Solo at a party and it sound like he s flowing live. If you blast this in your system, you almost feel like you re there. The song ends with some guys starting a fight(as usual). This was an excellent album for the time and I m still feeling it 13 years later.