Muddy Waters

in his own way, redman a k a reggie noble, the funk dr. spock ranks as one of the most consistent mcs in rap. since his start as a protg of the now-defunct hip-hop heavyweight group epmd, which he followed with his 1992 breakout debut, whut? thee album, he has displayed a unique unpredictability and supreme funk sensibility.take the introduction to redman's latest release, muddy waters. a foreboding ambient interlude with tribal chanting, jungle sounds and explosions seems to pick up where his last effort, the sinister dare iz a darkside, left off. then, out of nowhere, the smooth boom bap of iz he 4 real segues in, perhaps bringing with it a new era of east coast funk. unlike his peers' grooves, producer erick sermon's beats are stripped down but tight %u2013 designed both to make you move and to give redman plenty of room to let loose his nasty tongue.