All Natural - Second Nature (2001)

All Natural - Second Nature

Genre: Hip-Hop

Released: 2001

This album kinda brought Hip-Hop forward into the new decade for me, despite the fact that at the time, there were lots of albums coming out which were far more experimental and wide-reaching. It just seemed like Hip-Hop had suffered an indentity crisis somewhere around the new millenium, unsure whether it should be about Hype Williams videos and R&B singers on every chorus, or complex metaphorical madness over disjointed beats. In trying to be so many things at once, it pulled itself apart and needed something to sew it back up. I'm getting a bit too deep here though, because to be fair, Second Nature didn't exactly fix Hip-Hop by any means. At the time it just went somewhat ignored (except among a handfull of underground enthusiasts), and is now being touted about on ebay as a "rare" LP. What I guess it did do though, was prove that in the emerging information age of cross-breeding genres and bullshit sub-genres, it was still possible for some really fucking good, no-bullshit Hip-Hop to be made! There was a moment where if an MC were to craft some art into his wordplay, it would mean he was "consious", and if a DJ wanted to bring something new to the table, they'd need to smash two opposing genres together on some wacky mash-up mixtape.

Second Nature just gets straight to the point, refusing to bend over to a new emerging style on the basis that what it's already got is good enough to last, and no, it doesn't bore you with cheesy nostalgic tracks about how "boy I wish it was '86 again" either. Listening to it 8 years later, it still sounds just as refreshing and exciting. If you've accidentally overdosed on synthetic beats and velcro-texture vocals (we're living in a world of Love Lock Down and Flashing Lights here), i'd prescribe this album as the perfect antidote.

Tracks like Elements Of Style, Ill Advisory and Stellar are immensely potent in that mystical, most supernatural of forces they call dopeness. If these don't make you want to throw on a Kangol hat and start doing windmills in the street, then there's something wrong with you.

"The Stick Up" opens the album up with some straight rowdy shit,

"You keep your Nikon 'n Canon camera's

Focused on the icon cats that's slammin' ya

Over the banister, 

The B-Boy barrister, embarrass the, 

Phonies on Sony, Def Jam and Arista..."

...and the album pretty much continues in that vein, with almost every beat and every verse reminding you of why you love Hip-Hop.

Before I finish, I have to throw in a mention of that beat on Queen's Get The Money somewhere, just because it's amazing.

Second Nature (192kbps)

Keep it natural.