No, Not Rubbers. They're... (Sex Packets - Digital Underground)

Member Name: XICripZ

Product:	Sex Packets - Digital Underground
Date:	05/02/09 (74 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Lots of bangers

Disadvantages: A couple of tracks let it down

"Sex Packets" came out in 1990, and it was Digital Underground's debut album. The group are best known for being very alternative whilst coming out at a time with a musical revolution (for Hip Hop) as everyone flocked towards the new Gangsta Rap sound, whilst these Oakland MCs (over 20 individuals, headed by Shock G). Came with a brand new soudn which had them take on a variety of influences, including P-Funk, and the earliest forms of Hip Hop in the late seventies to early eighties. They are most famous for their one-hit-wonder, "The Humpty Dance", and bringing 2Pac to the world.

1. "The Humpty Dance"

Kicking things off, you have the trakc which they are most famous for as you get the group bursting through with a gentle feel-good anthem whihc has them hitting the clubs with a dance-based song to whose dance was never definitively outlined. It is a banger of a tune, which samples "More Bounce To The Ounce", and so has a clear West coast sound to it, but the humerous appraoch to rapping seems to contrast to the general direction of these acts in California at the time.

**Five Stars**

2. "The Way We Swing"

This one has them explain the fact that they are aware that they can't really be pigeonholed in the way that most muical acts are, and it has them explain that they aren't really concerned by any of this, and simpy wish to just do what they do, the way they want to do it. I thought that it brought things down a level, but it was still decent work with interesting raps from the group.

**Three Stars**

3. "Rhymin' on the Funk"

The title of this one descrbes exaclty what this track does as you have them just flowing on an amazing arrangement of Funk samples. You can't help but enjoy this one with tis high tempo and feel-good approach to exciting its listeners with original takes on exisiting concepts.

**Four Stars**

4. "The New Jazz (One)" (Lude)

5. "Underwater Rimes" (Remix)

You get some funky samples being used for this one, and it sets up for a banger of a track, as it gives them the perfect foudntions for them to build aroudn. You have them use a little Eric B segment in it too, and so it displays where their influences have come from in this: vastly varied with some classic Hip Hop, Funk, and a few other things being thrown in.

**Four Stars**

6. "Gutfest '89"

I didn't really think much to this one as you have them going for a long one, which has it bring in interludes into it to seemingly waste time at several parts during the recording. It is a concept track from them with them playing at a fictional concert. It is a fast-paced one, but I didn't really see much quality within it as basically describe the location in the rhymes.

**Two Stars**

7. "The Danger Zone"

The way that this one is compsoed is far ahead of its time, and for this group it really works as they take the best elemenys of their biggest tracks, and use riginal things such as backtracking to come up with new things whihc haven't been heard beefore in the Hip Hop world.

**Four Stars**

8. "Freaks of the Industry"

In a significant change to things, you have hard beats from the performers of this one with prodcution based around heavy bass, and percussion, and wih the implementation of smooth samples, you get them really coming out with interesting results with a sensually-feeling track with a hard twist to it all.

**Four Stars**

9. "Doowutchyalike"

This has to be one of my favourites off the album, and it has the group just killing it with their appraoch to things hear as they go back to the way that things were done on "The Humpty Dance", you have them seemingly taking from the New Jack Swing scene in terms of the beats, but it is clearly more Hip Hop-edged than the genreal sound that Teddy Riley was coming with at the time.

**Five Stars**

10. "Packet Prelude" (Lude)

11. "Sex Packets"

I didn't think much to this track by them, and I'm sure that many others will have similar feelings towards it as it has them truely going alternative on us with the eponymous track, which turns out to be a cold one with the pace slowed right down. it has minimalstic beats, with Shock G coming up to sing slowly to the bass guitar and infrequent use of samples.

**Two Stars**

12. "Street Scene" (Lude)

13. "Packet Man"

The beats in this one are just so well-composed, and you must enjoy the thing as it gets them utilising even more Funk in the thing, and taking it to a new place. You have them seemingly take on the role of a drug dealer, who in place of attual drugs, is dishing out "Sex Packets" for more pleasurable effects.

**Four Stars**

14. "Packet Reprise" (Outro)

Thi is a big album, but I very different one to what you would expect from an early nineties West Coast Rap album. I expect that you will like this if you enjoy the more up-lifting rap, and less of the lyrically-engaging Hip Hop which is found in modern times.

Summary: Digital Underground's debut album