Released in 1994, Dare Iz a Darkside was the second album from New Jersey MC Redman. Whereas his debut, Whut? Thee Album, was stuffed sick with funkadelic beats and relentless lyricism that made up for an overall lack of content by being alternately hilarious, threatening, and braggadocious. Darkside dunked the Clintonian vibe in thick red syrup and set it on fire, using the resultant blaze to, well, blaze. For someone who never has smoked, this album is a Viewmaster into a foreign land.1. "Dr. Trevis"--Redman's therapist takes his client over the first album and then proceeds to tell Redman that he must completely forget how he recorded said album. The funk must be elevated through cloudy concentration. (This must be richly ironic to the reviewers and fans who find this sophomore effort samey.)
2. "Bobyahed2dis"--Darkside was mixed by Ivan Rodriguez, who would gain greater fame as a Major League catcher. Or not. The "Atomic Dog" sample is predictable as all hell, but the snares slap nasty, the bass runs deep and murky like greasy-diner sink water, and the house is way fuckin' haunted.
3. "Journey Throo da Darkside"--The undefined bass on display here is almost the antithesis of the very idea of funk. Battle raps with cosmic weed wacking. Never does Redman come off as aggressively sexist or violent, but he still gets "more aahs than a dentist".
4. "Da Journee"--Another visit from the doctor.
5. "A Million and 1 Buddah Spots"--Just in case you forgot Redman smoked weed. And mixes it with suttin'.
6. "Noorotic"--The samples on this album seem to be more like basslines, while the actual basslines serve as the hooks. "I'll let your girl suck my dick from the back/And let your moms give me cornrows on my crack."
7. "Boodah Session"--So high, he can't even misspell the same word twice. Mo' skits.
8. "Cosmic Slop"--One day, Mobb Deep's Prodigy just up and says in a song, "fuck all you space rappers" (more or less). He didn't name names, but eh, it weren't hard to add 2 to 2. Subliminals and flat-outs got exchanged on wax, and at some point Redman's Def Squad comrade Keith Murray (who also appears on this song) snuffed Prodigy outside a club. It's always impressed me how Murray has incredible lyrical skill but negligible vocal presence.
9. "Rockafella (RIP)"--Rockafella was a rappin' friend of Red's, so Reggie gives the late artist some shine. Verdict? A dime-a-dozen rhymin' cousin.
10. "Rockafella"--"Built like NBA Jams/And you can have Chicago". One of my favorite battle rap lines of ever.
11. "Green Island"--Feel the breeze as you sway in the hemp hammock, sipping from a coconut, sweating underneath a toxic sun. In an interview with The Source, Redman expressed a sincere desire to reduce his weed intake and regain some lost brain cells. It took a rather amused Erick Sermon to explain that brain cells are not regenerative.
12. "Basically"--A swirl of bass and harmonica, not unlike something Kool Keith would rhyme over. Attacks mainstream rappers trying to exploit the underground and fast-food hos who wanna act fly.
13. "Can't Wait"--Not a Nu Shooz jack, sadly. The drums crack 'drums.
14. "Winicumuhround"--I admire how Redman makes a bunch of words into a single word. Izrlydope. See, it just looks stupid when I do it.
15. "Wuditlooklike"--Redman likes to sample his first LP a lot on this album. But why wouldn't he? I mean, if it ain't broke, take it with you.
16. "Slide and Rock On"--Red corn syrup slick with sleigh bells. High contact buzz bomb.
17. "Sooperman Luva II"--The second installment of a saga that Red continues on his releases to this day. He always samples some classy R&B and spins a hilarious carnal yarn. Here, Luva refuses an unsavory lady, gets tied up, shot, yet still manages to blast hell out of martians and Elizabeth Montgomery, who was just going to pick up some milk. And he smokes weed.
18. "We Run NY"--A single note guitar sample over and over. Wonderfully obnoxious. Hurricane G. can't even keep this from being the best song on the album, but she tries real hard.
19. "Dr. Trevis (Signs Off)"--Bye, Doc!
20. "Tonight's da Night (remix)"--The beat is inferior to the original, and the rhymes aren't superlative either. So, as with so so many remixes, this turns out utterly unnecessary. I sure hope he mispronounced "Pesci" with the hard "c" on purpose.
After Dare Iz a Darkside, Redman would make four more solo albums, and a near-classic collabo effort with bud brother Method Man. None of these works approach Darkside for sheer face-melting weirdness. One of the most overworn boasts in the hip hop genre is that said MC doesn't "give a fuck". But one look at their image, one listen to their songs, and you can tell they do. On this album, Redman did not give a fuck.
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