Peanut Butter Wolf – Straight To Tape
Stones Throw: 2009
You ever wonder what your favorite producer/DJ was doing in their early days, back when they were still trying to make a serious name for themselves? Well, if your favorite producer/DJ happens to be Stones Throw founder Peanut Butter Wolf, then wonder no more. Straight To Tape is a compilation album showcasing the producer’s work from 1990-1992, or what he refers to as “the 4-track years.” At this time, Peanut Butter Wolf had just finished up his production work with Lyrical Prophecy (Quiz One and Deshee), which had given the producer some credibility to his name. He began working with a variety of emcees, including Quiz One, Deshee, and most notably Charizma.
All three emcees, along with a handful of others, make appearances on Straight To Tape, with Charizma (who fittingly proves to be the album’s star) leading the pack with six tracks. However, none of the tracks on Straight To Tape are likely to be recognized, even by those die-hard fans. In fact, none of these songs were finished products, not even making it to the studio for mastering and polishing. Peanut Butter Wolf even concedes that at the time he had no idea what compression was, and thus the vocals on these tracks remained uncompressed, leading to an extremely raw sound.
The production here only adds to the spontaneity and raw feel of Straight To Tape. Jazz samples loop over and over and on top of one another, channeling the sounds of many alternative acts of the time period (A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul). However, at times the production just seems a bit too unorganized, as if there is no rhyme or reason. Tracks transition deftly from one to the next, with short outros and instrumental interludes playfully scattered here and there.
On certain albums (or for certain artists) such a whimsical approach may be a downfall, but Peanut Butter Wolf and his rhyming cohorts make all it come together. Their lyrics range from mocking hardcore posturing, to boasting about their own lyrical prowess, to hilarious anecdotes. On “Raquel”, Charizma describes a humorous tale of a random hookup that ends with a horrible twist. Charizma delivers with his stop-and-go technique again on “No Time For Frontin”, where he praises anything and everything authentic, and dismisses everything else.
There are numerous tracks here that match Charizma’s easy-going demeanor and (at times) silliness, but a few tracks certainly fall short lyrically. Additionally, the production is very compact overall, without huge drastic changes sonically from start to finish. Therefore Straight To Tape appears a bit lengthy, at 20 tracks, for such a compact sound; it would have benefited from being trimmed to about 15 tracks. It also doesn’t help certain tracks that there is actual evidence of sloppiness, despite that being part of the principal purpose of this album. Still, Straight To Tape is a fascinating and highly entertaining glimpse into the early days of one of the most creative minds in hip-hop. If you happen to be one of the lucky people attending Peanut Butter Wolf’s 999 Tour, be sure to pick up your copy there.
3.5 out of 5