B.G. Knoccout & Dresta (Real Brothas) How Gangsta Was It? - A Revisit

[@xenopsyborg]

Memories of the end of senior year in high school, 2002, blasting Compton & Watts, when I first started driving and was allowed to take my mom's car sometimes.

[@xenopsyborg]

I heard of B.G. Knocc Out for the first time on Flesh-n-Bone's solo album T.H.U.G.S. as he was on the song Comin' 2 Serve U, which incidentally uses the same instrumental that we would later hear as the unreleased Bone Thugs and Eazy-E cut Sleepwalkers. I was just slightly too young to remember Real Muthaphukkin G'z, but I would end up getting into Eazy-E about 3 years or so after his death because of being obsessed with Bone. This eventually led me to B.G. Knocc Out & Dresta through the tracks on It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa and a few cuts on Str8 Off the Streetz of Muthaphuckkin Compton. This would have been around 98 to 99 or so. I still remember being blown by the preview clips of tracks like Micc Checc, Do or Die, and Down Goes Another Nigga on one of the early online CD retailers, and had this album in wish list immediately. The album was still being sold in CD stores on the East Coast up until the early 2000's as I eventually bought my copy of the CD, which I still have, from the store. It's such an amazing album, but I think it came out too late in the west coast G-funk era, as it was already starting to wane, and I think they didn't have as much marketability without Eazy-E's guidance. So unfortunate, as this album is so much better than others that came out in the same year.

[@xenopsyborg]

Ohh, it's interesting that you don't care much for Micc Checc. I think that's the one that really sold me the album when I first listened to preview clips back in the day. I love the story telling, I love the voice overs in the end of each verses. Go back to the track, I implore, and pay attention to the bass that comes in during the hook, and the high pitched sine waves. Actually really really good G-Funk production in my opinion, rivaling the production on Above the Law's "Uncle Sam's Curse" - which also had a few strong, slower tempo G-Funk tracks. Production from the Danish duo Madness 4 Real, who did a bunch of stuff for Eazy and MC Ren in their post NWA careers.