Nigga Please [PA]

Performer: Ol' Dirty Bastard
Artist: Chris Rock; Kelis; Lil' Mo
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Personnel: Ol' Dirty Bastard, 12 O'Clock LA the Darkman, Shorty Shit Stain PA, Kelis, Chris Rock (vocals); Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo (various instruments); Dominique Maybank (guitar, bass); Big Baby (horns); Mike "Suga" Allen (drums). Producers: RZA, Irv Gotti, Flava Hood's Big Baby, The Neptunes. Engineers include: Brian Stanley, Pat Viala, Kevin Thomas. Personnel: Ol' Dirty Bastard, 12 O'Clock LA the Darkman, Shorty Shit Stain PA, Kelis, Chris Rock (vocals); Pharrell Williams, Chad Hugo (various instruments); Dominique Maybank (guitar, bass); Big Baby (horns); Mike "Suga" Allen (drums). Producers: RZA, Irv Gotti, Flava Hood's Big Baby, The Neptunes. Engineers include: Brian Stanley, Pat Viala, Kevin Thomas. Ol' Dirty Bastard, perhaps the most well-known member of Staten Island's Wu-Tang Clan, returns with the first Wu masterpiece since Wu-Tang's 1997 double-LP WU-TANG FOREVER. Whether singing, albeit slightly off-key, on the bluesy "Good Morning Heartache" or randomly shouting-out on "I Can't Wait," ODB bounces between personas and genres like a schizophrenic clown. The results, while not quite as cohesive as some efforts by his peers, are still some of the most rewarding. Although many expected a more polished product after recent guest appearances on hits such as Pras' "Ghetto Superstar" and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy," ODB sets the record straight on the first track, "Recognize," with the statement "This ain't no commercial song." The producers, including Wu leader RZA and Irv Gotti, feed ODB's subterranean sound with kinetic tracks that sample unsuspected nuggets of funk such as the "Theme From T.J. Hooker." Even though ODB occasionally can confuse the listener by attacking white rappers on one song then claiming to both black and white on the next, these contradictions are the foundation of his style. He is both madman and jester, simultaneously the most scary and beloved of the Wu Tang Clan. N***A PLEASE, like ODB, is unpredictable from start to finish. Hollywood may have Austin Powers, but hip-hop has it's own international man of mystery; his name is Ol' Dirty Bastard. ODB lives and suffers with the adage that any publicity is good publicity, since he hasn't spent the greater part of the last two years gaining widespread notoriety for the music he makes. Rather, he has spent a majority of that time turning up on local crime blotters from coast to coast, trying to raise bail money, recuperating from gunshot wounds, rescuing a kid who was struck by a car, and hijacking the 1998 Grammy awards. With that in mind, it should be obvious by now that personalities of ODB's magnitude come around once in a lifetime. And even though he is repetitiously contradictory with his neurotic ramblings, who cares? That's half of his appeal, as there is an irrefutable attraction to ODB's carefree and inebriated outlook on life. With rhymes frequently so garbled that they are barely decipherable, calling ODB a quintessential lyricist would surely insult the intelligence of any hip-hop purist. Yet the dirt dog is indubitably a distinguished emcee and a uniquely abrasive one at that, as he turns an array of voice cracking/bloodcurdling hooks into grisly masterpieces. Examples include the nonsensical crooning of his Rick James interpolations "Cold Blooded" and "You Don't Want to Fuck With Me," and the ridiculously addictive "Rollin Wit You." Despite that ODB's production chores are handled admirably by the Neptunes, Irv Gotti and RZA, the backing acoustics are hardly needed; ODB rarely stays on beat and there is little, or no structure to his rhyme sequences. Safely nestled away in his own little world, there is no containing ODB's free-spirited outlook on life. His is a world that is heavy on shock value, yet undeniably entertaining. ~ Matt Conaway Ol' Dirty Bastard, perhaps the most well-known member of Staten Island's Wu-Tang Clan, returns with the first Wu masterpiece since Wu-Tang's 1997 double-LP WU-TANG FOREVER. Whether singing, albeit slightly off-key, on the bluesy "Good Morning Heartache" or randomly shouting-out on "I Can't Wait," ODB bounces between personas and genres like a schizophrenic clown. The results, while not quite as cohesive as some efforts by his peers, are still some of the most rewarding. Although many expected a more polished product after recent guest appearances on hits such as Pras' "Ghetto Superstar" and Mariah Carey's "Fantasy," ODB sets the record straight on the first track, "Recognize," with the statement "This ain't no commercial song." The producers, including Wu leader RZA and Irv Gotti, feed ODB's subterranean sound with kinetic tracks that sample unsuspected nuggets of funk such as the "Theme From T.J. Hooker." Even though ODB occasionally can confuse the listener by attacking white rappers on one song then claiming to both black and white on the next, these contradictions are the foundation of his style. He is both madman and jester, simultaneously the most scary and beloved of the Wu Tang Clan. N***A PLEASE, like ODB, is unpredictable from start to finish.

Rolling Stone (10/14/99, pp.119,127) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...the ultimate guilty pleasure. This is African-American nihilism at its most resolute and shamelessly hilarious....hysterical and mad-brilliant..." Rolling Stone (10/14/99, pp.119,127) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...the ultimate guilty pleasure. This is African-American nihilism at its most resolute and shamelessly hilarious....hysterical and mad-brilliant..." Spin (11/99, pp.184-5) - 8 out of 10 - "...[a] dazzling, daffy album....ODB works hard to invite you into his head. It's a strange place..." Spin (11/99, pp.184-5) - 8 out of 10 - "...[a] dazzling, daffy album....ODB works hard to invite you into his head. It's a strange place..." Entertainment Weekly (9/17/99, pp.77-8) - "...agreeably funky in a Stax/Volt kind of way....it sounds as if [O.D.B.] stumbled in off the street and began ranting about whatever popped into his mind....[NIGGA PLEASE] is a fascinating snapshot of a deeply conflicted man..." - Rating: C+ Entertainment Weekly (9/17/99, pp.77-8) - "...agreeably funky in a Stax/Volt kind of way....it sounds as if [O.D.B.] stumbled in off the street and began ranting about whatever popped into his mind....[NIGGA PLEASE] is a fascinating snapshot of a deeply conflicted man..." - Rating: C+ Alternative Press (1/00, p.96) - 3 out of 5 - "...the individual tracks are greater than the sum of it's parts. Ol' Dirty is a twisted seer who speaks in metaphors and isn't afraid to let his mind state hang out in the air." Alternative Press (1/00, p.96) - 3 out of 5 - "...the individual tracks are greater than the sum of it's parts. Ol' Dirty is a twisted seer who speaks in metaphors and isn't afraid to let his mind state hang out in the air." The Wire (10/01, p.48) - "...The mood here is desperate, as Ol' Dirty breaks down in front of the mic..." CMJ (1/10/00, p.22) - Included in CMJ's "Beat Box '99 Top 5" - "...ODB howls like the ghetto Captain Beefheart with a serious God complex. Possibly the strangest rap album ever made..." CMJ (1/10/00, p.22) - Included in CMJ's "Beat Box '99 Top 5" - "...ODB howls like the ghetto Captain Beefheart with a serious God complex. Possibly the strangest rap album ever made..." Vibe (11/99, pp.185-6) - "...NIGGA PLEASE, is the biggest, baddest, best record of the year, maybe of the past few years - a biblical storm set to funk beats....Not since Ozzy Osbourne's heyday has a musical artist done evil so well....as touching at times as it is offensive at others..." Vibe (11/99, pp.185-6) - "...NIGGA PLEASE, is the biggest, baddest, best record of the year, maybe of the past few years - a biblical storm set to funk beats....Not since Ozzy Osbourne's heyday has a musical artist done evil so well....as touching at times as it is offensive at others..." The Source (11/99, pp.213-4) - 4 mics out of 5 - "...a solid, non-formulaic, hip-hop album with major label push....Like his quasi-namesake [Jesus] from a couple of thousand years back, he's willing to sacrifice his life for this...Either that or the nigga 'is' crazy." The Source (11/99, pp.213-4) - 4 mics out of 5 - "...a solid, non-formulaic, hip-hop album with major label push....Like his quasi-namesake [Jesus] from a couple of thousand years back, he's willing to sacrifice his life for this...Either that or the nigga 'is' crazy." Rap Pages (12/99, pp.149-50) - "...Ol' Dirty is one long interlude intertwined with the actual songs....ODB is one of a kind - you just can't hate him or hate on him." - Rating: C Rap Pages (12/99, pp.149-50) - "...Ol' Dirty is one long interlude intertwined with the actual songs....ODB is one of a kind - you just can't hate him or hate on him." - Rating: C

Old Dirty Bastard (aka Dirt McGirt, Big Baby Jesus, Osirus, and the ODB) is one of the most outrageous and beloved figures in hip-hop history. As a founding member of the Wu-Tang Clan, ODB was instrumental in that outfit's unique identity, offering a bizarre, often humorous antidote to the Wu's hardcore lyrical sword play. As a solo artist, however, Dirty took his vision to a whole new level, utilizing his own howling version of a croon on songs as much as his already unique flow. Sadly, his volatile personality and a hefty drug habit led to numerous run-ins with the law, and eventually his death from an overdose in 2004.

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