Muggs Presents the Soul Assassins, Chapter II

Performer: Various Artists/Soul Assassins
Distributor: WEA (Distributor)

Notes: Producers: Muggs, The Alchemist, Troy Staton. Few hip-hop producers can craft such evocative soundscapes as Muggs. He doesn't just drop beats but rather revealing cinematic realms of sound with the uncanny ability to clearly communicate his smoky visions. Little more than halfway through Muggs Presents the Soul Assassins, Chapter II's elegant opening track, "Real Life," the languid tempo that his laconic string of beats bounce at perfectly accentuates the song's drifting synth ambience and the similarly swaying sound of a haunting female voice. Every one of these 13 tracks serve as the sound of a ghostly world filled with somber melancholia, the lifted soul of Muggs conveyed through music. Yet in the hip-hop world, great beats aren't enough; not only is the MC equally important, but he often eclipses great beats, for the better or for the worse. On certain songs, the many guest rappers featured on this album make the beats even better, such as when GZA, Xzibit, Goodie Mob, or Kool G. Rap step up to the mic. A few of the guest rappers do detract from the dark beauty of Muggs' poetry, as by no means is this a consistent album, but with such a broad roster of MCs from all coasts, you really can't expect that. Muggs Presents the Soul Assassins, Chapter II isn't quite as blessed with MC talent as the first Soul Assassins album, yet it's still a noble accomplishment by Muggs, lengths ahead of most hip-hop producers' work. ~ Jason Birchmeier The idea was so nice they had to try it twice. The first volume of SOUL ASSASSINS showed the ability of Muggs--the hip-hop producer extraordinaire who added so much to the work of Cypress Hill, among others--to gather together rappers from disparate corners of the hip-hop community in service of his larger vision. This second volume functions in essentially the same way, with some new faces added to the mix and some new sonic tricks up Muggs' sleeve. The overwhelming theme is gangsta, and Muggs doesn't shy away from presenting the harsher side of that reality (aided by the likes of Goodie Mob, Xzibit, and Everlast). What makes SOUL ASSASSINS so effective, though, is Muggs' knack for framing the raps in atmospheric backdrops that utilize everything from funk to hard rock to orchestral sweeps.

Rolling Stone (10/26/00, p.114) - 3 stars out of 5 - "...Solid performances dominate....Muggs' considerable beat-making skills carry the day..." Q (11/00, p.119) - 4 stars out of 5 - "...Muggs has been hoarding all his best work. The evidence? These dramatic backing tracks are far superior to Cypress Hill's recent efforts..." Muzik (11/00, p.115) - 4 out of 5 - "...The all-star cast are supplied with string-heavy, hip hop beats which are a long way from what the Hill are working with right now....a good compilation..." CMJ (10/2/00, p.31) - "...Muggs plays a chameleon who morphs his approach around the voices of his guests..." The Source (10/00, p.265) - "...With sinister bass drops, funkadelic brass sections and hardcore lyrics from some of the game's best MC's, [this album] will satisfy low-riding homies, syrup sippers and Shaolin warriors alike..."

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