Artist: Das Efx Album: How We Do

Year: 2003
Duration: 0:0-1

A Critical Review of the Album How We Do by Das Efx

Hip hop has been an ever-evolving genre, and it has produced some of the finest musicians of all time. One such artist is Das Efx, who rocked the late 1990s with their unique style and flow. Their album How We Do is a hip hop classic, and in this article, we will critically review this album. We will briefly touch upon the history of the duo, talk about the music genre of the album, and discuss the best songs of the album. We will also analyze the album's most innovative parts and give an honest critique of the album.

To give a brief history of Das Efx, they are an American hip hop duo comprising Skoob and Dray, who met in Virginia State University in 1988. They got their start with EPMD's production crew, and their debut album Dead Serious (1992) became a hit and is often considered a classic. How We Do (1998) was the last album released by the duo before their decade-long hiatus, where they reunited in 2008.

The music genre of the album How We Do is what we commonly describe as the golden era of hip hop. It's a genre characterized by funky beats, hard-hitting lyrics, and sampling old-school records. The album also features a lot of jazz and soul elements, lending the album a very cool and groovy vibe.

What Goes On is one of the standout songs on the album, featuring a captivating beat and a killer bass line. The song also has a great hook and catchy verses, making it an exceptional hip hop song. Mic Checka and Baknaffek are other songs that deserve a mention for their great flow and style. Baknaffek also has an excellent horn section that complements the lyrics brilliantly.

The most innovative parts of the album are its samples and the unique flow of the duo. The duo employed a lot of sampling, with tracks like Freakit, which sampled the Isley Brothers' Footsteps in the Dark. It's an intelligent use of a sample that makes the song incredibly catchy and gives it an old-school vibe. The duo's style of rapping is also pretty unique, characterized by their use of 'iggedy.' It's a technique of altering the flow of a sentence, giving it an incredibly fresh and creative sound.

The album is not all sunshine and rainbows, though. One of the album's major downsides is that it quickly becomes monotonous. The album's style and sound do not change much throughout, and it comes across as too generic at times. The album could have benefited from a few songs that broke this monotony, injecting some freshness and innovation.

Das Efx's album How We Do is undoubtedly a hip hop classic and deserves all the accolades it has garnered over the years. It's a unique album characterized by funky beats, hard-hitting lyrics, and sampling old-school records. The album's standout songs include What Goes On, Mic Checka, and Baknaffek, which boast excellent instrumentation and flow. The album's most innovative parts are its samples and the unique flow of the duo, which set it apart from other hip hop albums of the time. However, the album's biggest flaw is its monotony, which could have been improved by a few more varied tracks. Nevertheless, How We Do is a great hip hop album that deserves a place in any respected hip hop collection.