Album Review: Camp Lo – Stone and Rob: Caught on Tape (2009)
Rating: 3 out of 5 Potholes
From the same Bronx duo that brought a new sound to the gangster-heavy music landscape of 1997 with classic cuts such as “Coolie High”, and “Luchini AKA This Is It”, comes the fourth full-length album, Stone and Rob: Caught on Tape. This album follows up their 2007 release, Black Hollywood, which revived their careers in a sense.
Known for a blend of funk, jazz, and hip-hop influences, Camp Lo approaches Stone and Rob rather differently. The jazz elements, though still present, are downplayed and set to the background, replaced instead mostly by banging beats and repetitive little hooks. This approach serves them well in certain instances, like on the opening track “2 Dope Boyz” which has little, if anything, to do with the Outkast track, but still serves as a hard hitting opener. However, that same approach also proves to become monotonous as the album progresses as there is a bit too much ranting about guns and the hard personas, which to be fair is a common point of reference found in many New York City rap albums – just not all too often in Camp Lo classics. Instead emcees Geechi Suede and Sonny Cheeba seem most at home on more laid back tracks where they rap about love and women, like on “Gotcha” and the album’s strongest track “Ticket 4 2”.
The rest of the album is not bad, it’s just a slight misstep topically, but it is carried along by strong energy, audacious confidence, and an overall brash vibe, which works rather well for this duo. Though it may be a change in direction, possibly aiming for a more mainstream/radio target, Stone and Rob: Caught on Tape has its solid moments. It’s worth a listen for any fan of Camp Lo who appreciates the fact that they did not have to wait another five years for the next full-length to be released.
