By
Ian Caruth
Grade: A-
Mainstream rap music of the late 1990s has been criticized for its perceived thematic emptiness - apparently under the theory that if music is not saying something Important with a capital "I," it is not worth a listen. These critical naysayers conveniently ignore the origins of rap and hip-hop - the music was not born from a group of revolutionaries looking for postmodern expression, but from a bunch of guys in a parking lot who wanted to have a party and dance a little.
Love for this happy little period has long informed underground hip-hop, and recent releases from Jurassic 5, the Dilated Peoples and the Black Eyed Peas have made this abundantly clear - the call-and-response rapping, lively beats and upbeat vibe of early rap is all over their albums. Adding another voice to the movement is Long Beach trio Ugly Duckling, whose professed love for A Tribe Called Quest and Eric B. and Rakim clearly informs its liquid beats, while the rapping is pure early 80s ensemble fun.
DJ Young Einstein makes the group's retro ambitions apparent both visually - he wears an 8-pound gold dookie rope around his neck, ‡ lˆ Run DMC's Jam Master Jay - and aurally, as his sample collages aim for territory somewhere between mid-period Tribe Called Quest and Gang Starr, but less jazzy and more fun, respectively, than those two groups.
Rappers Andycat and Dizzy trade funny, good-natured rhymes over the beats, dropping lyrical references ranging from the 1980s TV comedy "The Great American Hero" to Raisin Bran. The MCs are obviously enjoying themselves, and their enthusiasm is infectious - the aural equivalent of recess.
Silly, cheerful and more fun than a "Teletubbies" marathon on Ecstasy, Ugly Duckling is a blast.
