All Music Guide
Camp Lo, the Bronx rap duo who authored the 1997 throwback rap classic "Luchini aka This Is It," made an unexpected, and quite refreshing, return in 2007 with Black Hollywood. Camp Lo's return was unexpected because the duo (i.e., Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba) had dropped off after the indifferent reaction to their previous album, sophomore effort Let's Do It Again (2002). Part of the reason Let's Do It Again had been met with such indifference was because of the fiveyear gap distancing it from its predecessor, the debut album Uptown Saturday Night (1997). Camp Lo faced the same fate with Black Hollywood, which, like Let's Do It Again, was a halfdecade distanced from its predecessor. No question about it, five years is a lifetime in rap terms, as few rappers see their career endure five years' time total. What helped make Black Hollywood feel welcome in 2007 and more likely to be embraced than Let's Do It Again was is the presence of producer Ski (aka Ski Beatz), who gets cover bill...ing here. Ski was the original Camp Lo producer, the guy who programmed the beats of "Luchini" as well as "Cooly High," another highlight from Uptown Saturday Night. Moreover, Ski has become increasingly recognized for his other 1990s productions, most famous among them JayZ classics "Dead Presidents II," "Politics as Usual," and "Streets Is Watchin'." And indeed, Ski brings his classic, samplelaced early'90s production style to every second of the 35minute Black Hollywood, which alone may be reason enough for some hiphop aficionados to give the album a listen. As for the raps of Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba, they're as distinct as they were ten years prior. The guys aren't ace rappers, admittedly, but they're certainly unique in terms of flow, cadence, and tagteam; in general, the mélange of '70s blaxploitation motifs they so often riff upon seems less interesting than how they spit their rhymes. Just as Camp Lo was a breath of fresh air in 1997 circa "Luchini" (the dark days of gangsta rap, if you recall), their reunion with Ski on Black Hollywood in 2007 was truly refreshing, coming as it did at a time when rap was as creatively stagnant, if not in recession, as it had ever been. Granted, the album's highlights (e.g., "82 Afros," "Soul Fever," "Black Hollywood") don't reach the heights of "Luchini," yet at 12 tracks, Black Hollywood is nonetheless succinct and never dull again, in clear contrast to concurrent rap efforts, which were singledriven and fillerladen. - Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide Read more Less
