The Two Start Buggin' (What More Can I Say? - Audio Two)

Member Name: XICripZ

Product:	What More Can I Say? - Audio Two
Date:	16/11/08 (116 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Classic Hip Hop

Disadvantages: Repetitive beats

Released in 1988, "What More Can I Say?" is the debut album from the classic Hip Hop duo from Brooklyn, the Audio Two. Brothers Milk D and DJ Gizmo form (also related to MC Lyte) make up this pair, and they are known for their hit single "Top Billin'", which originally came out as a B-Side.

1. "Top Billin'"

Recently sampled on 50 Cent's "I Get Money", "Top Billin'" stands out as the most siginficant track for them as it is what attracted so many to their fresh style Hip Hop, which was in line with expectations around this time, the late eighties, but with an original twist.

**Five Stars**

2. "What More Can I Say?"

Sampling their hit single, this one has the pair come out with another funky joint which you are bound to like if "Top Billin'" had you feel great appreciation for their innovative way of producing, which had elements of various other pioneering Hip Hop acts just before they would have come out.

**Four Stars**

3. "When The 2 is On The Mic"

Sampling Stetsasonic with the inital drumroll, this one has The Two go for some hard head-bopping stuff with them doing their raps on heavy drum work which drives the tune. The pair sound as if they have taken on DJ Run's Rock Rap way of performing, and it works with the beats, which are used.

**Four Stars**

4. "I Like Cherries"

Beginning with a megamix of Hip Hop cuts, including Doug E. Fresh, Fat Boys and Whodini, the duo break down into a heavy track about their enjoyment of cherries in comparison to other fruits. You would never get something like this today, and shows how naive the genre was back then.

**Four Stars**

5. "I Don't Care"

Making siginficant changes to their style, this one has them take on more complex production, whcih has more than a simple drum machine beat as it used sme funky keyboarding in the background too, and it seems to bring out a different side to them.

**Four Stars**

6. "Giz Starts Buggin'"

Here you get Gizmo on his own being given a chance to do what he can on the mic(rophone). There is nothing in this I could pick out as being weka other than where the mixes and cuts don't seem to fit the rhythm of the track, but this can be overlooked.

**Four Stars**

7. "Make It Funky"

Originally, their debut single, this one has them come out with a killer beat to give them all that is need to bring out their full potential when it comes to the flows. They use samples of Slick Rick, Stet and others within this and it all adds to it in a positive way by making their influences obvious to the listener.

**Five Stars**

8. "Hickeys Around My Neck"

This one starts as an earlier jint did, with a sample of Stetasonic's "Go Stetsa I", and the pioneering Hip Hop band's prescence gives this one a big initalt burst of energy, but once they funky rhymes about the trouble of removing a love bite from their neck is what really stood out for me, as it just isn't something I woudl expect, but they make it work so well.

**Five Stars**

9. "Put It To Music"

To bring the record to a close, you have The Two doing so a cappela raps with their sister, MC Lyte, and it hints on the future they would hav, as they seemingly past on their hype to the more sustainable act in their sister.

**Five Stars**

10. "Top Billin'" (Instrumental)

This album is very refreshing when you go back and listen to it now, espcially in light of the fact that gangsta Rap is dominant now, so when you here this feel-good stuff which hasn't been corrupted by the Gangsta Rap movement (which was just about to materialise). You can tell that the pair have been influenced from the best in this field of Hip Hop with Old School acts like Slick Rick, Stetsasonic and Run-D.M.C all having elements of their style ripped and stuck into this record, and it is just the type of mix you can't help but enjoy.

One criticism which I must bring up is that it does suffer from a great deal of repetition when it comes to the production, which really reminded me a lot of music from Run-D.M.C.'s self-entitled debut album.

Summary: Audio Two's debut album