I want to revisit this as I've recently started to feel like Firing Squad is under appreciated.

Which is their best and why?

Poll question: Firing Squad vs First Family vs Warriorz

Poll result (17 votes) 96 (5 votes) Vote 98 (2 votes) Vote 00 (9 votes) Vote Does MOP stand for monkeys on parole? (1 votes) Vote

I love Firing Squad but damn Warriorz is a monster!

3. First Family 4 Life
2. Firing Squad
1. Warriorz

Maybe it was my experience but with both MOP and Mob by the time we got Warriorz
and Murda Muzik I was kind of on to something else.

Albums were dope but it seemed like they weren't progressing and artists and I was more into acts like Kast, Roots and Common that were showing growth.

I like both Warriorz and Murda Muzik more now than I did when they dropped.

I'm going to break both those albums out again.

Only thing I didn't like about Warriorz was Funk Flex. Could've sworn there was a version of Ante-Up without Flex.

My problems with Firing Squad:
Didn't need the Firing Squad skit right after the intro. Sequencing is everything. Just drop the heat.

Revolution. No way anybody needs 5+ minutes of uh, uh, uh, uh, uh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. Automatic skip.

Didn't care for Dead & Gone or Born 2 Lose Jazz Mix. That's a weak way to close out the album.

With that said, my two favorite MOP songs are on Firing Squad. New Jack City and Brownsville.

Flex was a terrible addition to that song and imo borderline ruins a classic.

I do think there is a version without him through because it was a surprise when I copped the album.

You like G&B hook? I want to like that joint but...nah.

I agree with the Firing Squad Skit being overkill. The intro is so dope...not sure why they would need that. Maybe they should've tacked it onto the end of the intro if they could let it go.

Revolution did need to get cut...that I agree with.

Dead and Gone is dope to me. They stepped outside of their box and it worked in my opinion where as the G&B hook came off kind of corny.

I wouldn't argue with cutting the remix either.

I just feel like my favorite joints are on Firing Squad.

Title track
New Jack
Stick To Your Gunz
Brownsville
Salute
World Famous
Downtown Swinga 96
Nothing to Lose

All their albums are dope. Foundation gets overlooked too.

>Flex was a terrible addition to that song and imo borderline
>ruins a classic.

thats only on the album.. every other version doesn't have that..and i agree, it ruined the song for those who listen to the LP..

.

Firing Squad was heat though, as was First Family 4 Life

I actually LOVE "Everyday". I say it every time this album is discussed. I love the production of that song and Product G&B do their thing on the vocals. In my brain I think "this shouldn't work" but it does. I'm glad they added it to the album.

Then I have Firing Squad and First family is 3rd. It's a close 3rd though. I LOVE first family. If the rock version of Handle Ur Bizness was on that album I might give it the edge. MIGHT.

The beat to Everyday is dope

The singing is dope.

But there's just something cringe-worthy about the lyrics "keeping it gangsta, living thug life" to me on an MOP record.

Just seemed like a blatant attempt at a commercial hit that didn't quite fit them.

>If the rock version of Handle
>Ur Bizness was on that album I might give it the edge. MIGHT.
>

It's on the EP. One of the few times I didn't prefer the Premier version to the original

It's 17 tracks deep and then I added;

Cold World
Move Something
Way Of The World
Handle Ur Bizness (og)
Ride (soul in the hole soundtrack)
1/2 and 1/2

Pretty much makes the album unfuckwitable lol

People act like it doesn't exist, including MOP. It's dope as hell. Blue Steel is greatness.

Agreed. Just sayin...

Muthafuckin' DR. I actually went back and got that Flatlinerz CD because of him and Rockwilder

https://youtu.be/a2E8Q2CkqmU

Flatline!

2:45-3:35 has me howling every time I watch it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2ra8DKWCWM

I never peeped this before. That track he played was NUTS!!!!

.

The easy pick would be Warriors, as everything seemed to come together, Loud gave them a better push than Select/Relativity and they had the monster that was Ante Up. As a project it stayed pretty consistent all the way through, while Firing Squad seemed to run out of gas through the back half of the album.

That being said, 1st Fam 4 Life had 2 of my favorite MOP/Primo collabs on it (I Luv and Downtown Swinga '98) and one of Preem's favorite tracks he's done (Salute pt. II). Shit, looking at the track list the only 2 songs I don't really fux with heavy are Ride With Us and What The Future Holds.

Firing Squad was my shit though. The first time I heard World Famous on one of DJ Clue's Spring Break mixtapes I was all the way in for Billy and Fame. Primo gave them some of the dirtiest shit he had in the crates and they killed it. We not even gonna talk about Kool G Rap coming through and crushing the buildings (They'll be 3 niggas clappin but we ain't applaudin you muthafuckas). But after Lifestyles of a Ghetto Child the album kinda drags, as the lyrics and beats don't come close to the first half of the album. Still, it's a helluva album

And not for nothing their Handle Ur Bizness EP was fire. Way of the World is probably one of my top 5 MOP songs, mainly because Fame's verse was absolutely brutal

>The easy pick would be Warriors, as everything seemed to come
>together, Loud gave them a better push than Select/Relativity
>and they had the monster that was Ante Up. As a project it
>stayed pretty consistent all the way through, while Firing
>Squad seemed to run out of gas through the back half of the
>album.
>

I think the thing that turned me off from the album, like I said above, is that it seemed like they were on cruise control and everything started sounding the same. Dope but the same.

>That being said, 1st Fam 4 Life had 2 of my favorite MOP/Primo
>collabs on it (I Luv and Downtown Swinga '98) and one of
>Preem's favorite tracks he's done (Salute pt. II). Shit,
>looking at the track list the only 2 songs I don't really fux
>with heavy are Ride With Us and What The Future Holds.
>

What feature was on Downtown Swinga 98? Salute Part 2 is my favorite MOP joint ever, top 3 Primo joints along with Nas Is Like and Above The Clouds, and always on my shortlist of favorite hip-hop songs ever. Ride With Us does stick out because that beat sounds keyboard based on doesn't fit the sound. What The Future Holds is dope to me and the main reason I always like First Fam the most was because the track list had more dynamics and range of emotion.

>Firing Squad was my shit though. The first time I heard World
>Famous on one of DJ Clue's Spring Break mixtapes I was all the
>way in for Billy and Fame. Primo gave them some of the
>dirtiest shit he had in the crates and they killed it. We not
>even gonna talk about Kool G Rap coming through and crushing
>the buildings (They'll be 3 niggas clappin but we ain't
>applaudin you muthafuckas). But after Lifestyles of a Ghetto
>Child the album kinda drags, as the lyrics and beats don't
>come close to the first half of the album. Still, it's a
>helluva album
>

After Lifestylez of a Ghetto Child there is Illside of Town, Nothing 2 Lose and Dead & Gone which are ALL dope to me so I'm not sure I'm seeing this "drop off" that you're talking about nor would I consider that the halfway mark of the album. I know Revolution throws off the track list a bit but still.

>And not for nothing their Handle Ur Bizness EP was fire. Way
>of the World is probably one of my top 5 MOP songs, mainly
>because Fame's verse was absolutely brutal

First of all, I feel like slapping people whenever they say "not for nothing" and second of all, I agree.

I actually added those joints and Ride from the Soul In The Hole soundtrack to my First Fam album on my iPhone so it's now a 23 track monster of an album.

>
>What feature was on Downtown Swinga 98? Salute Part 2 is my
>favorite MOP joint ever, top 3 Primo joints along with Nas Is
>Like and Above The Clouds, and always on my shortlist of
>favorite hip-hop songs ever. Ride With Us does stick out
>because that beat sounds keyboard based on doesn't fit the
>sound. What The Future Holds is dope to me and the main reason
>I always like First Fam the most was because the track list
>had more dynamics and range of emotion.

I was just going by tracks Primo produced on that album, those being my favorite 2. Bumpy Knuckles killed it on I Luv though...

>

>
>After Lifestylez of a Ghetto Child there is Illside of Town,
>Nothing 2 Lose and Dead & Gone which are ALL dope to me so I'm
>not sure I'm seeing this "drop off" that you're talking about
>nor would I consider that the halfway mark of the album. I
>know Revolution throws off the track list a bit but still.
>

OK, for an 18 track album it's not halfway. Would back end work better? Revolution thru Dead & Gone are just OK. I listen sometimes, but not all the time. And compared with the front end of the album, it's a letdown. I mean, you have a heavy DJ Premier presence at the beginning and none at the end, and nothing close to the energy as Worlds Famous. At the very least, call it bad sequencing. At worst call it a drop off. At least for me


>>And not for nothing their Handle Ur Bizness EP was fire. Way
>>of the World is probably one of my top 5 MOP songs, mainly
>>because Fame's verse was absolutely brutal
>
>First of all, I feel like slapping people whenever they say
>"not for nothing" and second of all, I agree.
>
>I actually added those joints and Ride from the Soul In The
>Hole soundtrack to my First Fam album on my iPhone so it's now
>a 23 track monster of an album.

I just kept the EP separate, along with their mix tapes. But adding the tracks to 1st Fam 4 Life works well too

>I was just going by tracks Primo produced on that album, those
>being my favorite 2. Bumpy Knuckles killed it on I Luv
>though...
>
>>
>

The Treach collabo is greatness in my opinion and I'm not sure why more artists haven't reached out to Reach for a verse.

K, for an 18 track album it's not halfway. Would back end
>work better? Revolution thru Dead & Gone are just OK. I listen
>sometimes, but not all the time. And compared with the front
>end of the album, it's a letdown. I mean, you have a heavy DJ
>Premier presence at the beginning and none at the end, and
>nothing close to the energy as Worlds Famous. At the very
>least, call it bad sequencing. At worst call it a drop off. At
>least for me
>
>

True...the Primo bangers could be spread out better, Downtown Swinga 96 is probably my second favorite MOP joint.


>I just kept the EP separate, along with their mix tapes. But
>adding the tracks to 1st Fam 4 Life works well too
>

The track list in my iTunes is;

1 Billy Skit
2 Breakin' The Rules
3 4 Alarm Blaze
4 Blood Sweat and Tears
5 Down 4 Whateva
6 Move Something
7 Facing Off
8 Way of the World
9 Salute Pt 2
10 My Kinda N Pt 2
11 I Luv
12 Cold World
13 Ride With Us
14 Handle Ur Bizness (og)
15 Fly N Hill Figga
16 Downtown Swinga 98
17 1/2 and 1/2
18 What The Future Holds
19 Ride
20 Brooklyn/Jersey Get Wild
21 Fame Skit
22 New York Sale
23 Handle Ur Bizness (Primo Remix)

Foxx was in the house and I couldn't have been happier. Never thought I'd see them perform that joint. What a record man.

It was a top 5 rap album of '00.

Not sure you could say that about their other albums in their respective year of release.

In addition, it has their biggest songs and was their most commercially sucessful, if you wanna count that kind of stuff.

I prefer Primo from 96 and 98 over 00.

>It was a top 5 rap album of '00.
>

Stankonia
Supreme Clientele
Train of Thought
Fantastic Vol 2
Let's Get Free

>Not sure you could say that about their other albums in their
>respective year of release.
>

How does this matter? Couldn't the other years just be that much better pushing their other releases further down the list?

>In addition, it has their biggest songs and was their most
>commercially sucessful, if you wanna count that kind of
>stuff.

I don't.

As much as I rock DPz, there are some skippers on that album.

Let's Get Free is debateable.

give your opinion much weight with regards to MY opinion (remember this shit from GD?), but I'll respond anyway.

>I prefer Primo from 96 and 98 over 00.

okay, who cares. those are still GOOD Primo beats, but more importantly, since Primo only did like 25% of the album what i was actually talking about was the quality that the REST of the producers delivered. Lil' Fame was on fire, and Nottz, DR Period, Laz-E-Laze and a couple others all delivered bangers.

>>It was a top 5 rap album of '00.
>>
>
>Stankonia
>Supreme Clientele
>Train of Thought
>Fantastic Vol 2
>Let's Get Free

It's better than all of those except SC. Go back and listen to how those albums sound NOW when compared to Warriorz. But like, that's just my opinion, man. it's definitely a more complete and better sounding album now, and it was so back when it came out.

>>Not sure you could say that about their other albums in
>their
>>respective year of release.
>>
>
>How does this matter? Couldn't the other years just be that
>much better pushing their other releases further down the
>list?

Sure, or it could just be that while those prior LPs were very good, they just weren't as good as Warriorz so they couldn't attain a higher status in that year's rap pantheon. Or pigs could fly, or whatever.

>give your opinion much weight with regards to MY opinion
>(remember this shit from GD?), but I'll respond anyway.
>

All I did was simply disagree with your opinion. I didn't name call, I didn't tell you that you were wrong, and I wouldn't have asked the question if I didn't think all three albums were worthy of being number 1. Once again, discussion is stopped because someone didn't co-sign your opinion. This is a message board...discussion is what we are supposed to be here for. Maybe your take on the album may change the way I look at it...crazy thought...*shrug*

>>I prefer Primo from 96 and 98 over 00.
>
>okay, who cares. those are still GOOD Primo beats, but more
>importantly, since Primo only did like 25% of the album what i
>was actually talking about was the quality that the REST of
>the producers delivered. Lil' Fame was on fire, and Nottz, DR
>Period, Laz-E-Laze and a couple others all delivered bangers.
>

Yes those were great Primo beats. I simply said I preferred the heat in gave them in other years. And you said ALL producers which does include Primo. How am I supposed to gather that you were "actually" talking about everyone else? In that case, I do agree that the producers did lace them with beats. However, I was not always the biggest fan of Fame's production because his ideas and concepts always seem to be better than the actual quality. Cold As Ice and Calm Down being examples. Cold As Ice sounds much better with a harder baseline (I've made it) and Calm Down has possible the ILLEST build up ever and then drops with a pretty simplistic beat and the intro always leaves me wanting it to be doper than the actual track is similar to Kweli's This Means You.

>>>It was a top 5 rap album of '00.
>>>
>>
>>Stankonia
>>Supreme Clientele
>>Train of Thought
>>Fantastic Vol 2
>>Let's Get Free
>
>It's better than all of those except SC. Go back and listen to
>how those albums sound NOW when compared to Warriorz. But
>like, that's just my opinion, man. it's definitely a more
>complete and better sounding album now, and it was so back
>when it came out.
>

Surely you have to know you're in the minority here. And that's not to say you're wrong but you should also be able to recognize the albums I listed and LWFC are all considered better albums by most. And too say "more complete" is confusing to me because in my opinion, "complete" would mean the album is more well-rounded and Warriorz is pretty much the same vibe, tempo, and content for 19 songs. There is no Blood, Sweat & Tears on there and honestly MOP excels in those type of tracks to me because the contrast of their hard rhyme style and softer beats (see NY Salute also) is just perfection.

>>>Not sure you could say that about their other albums in
>>their
>>>respective year of release.
>>>
>>
>>How does this matter? Couldn't the other years just be that
>>much better pushing their other releases further down the
>>list?
>
>Sure, or it could just be that while those prior LPs were very
>good, they just weren't as good as Warriorz so they couldn't
>attain a higher status in that year's rap pantheon. Or pigs
>could fly, or whatever.
>

Regardless of which album is better you can't use your method of saying "album a was top 5 of year x and album b was only top 10 of year y" because it's not the same scale. This is a pretty simple concept. I'm pretty sure we could easily come up with 5 albums better than Warriorz from 1996.

Again, I'm not saying Warriorz is an incorrect answer. I wouldn't have put it in the poll. Most people agree with you. I just think you need to take a deep breath when someone questions your opinion ON A MUSIC DISCUSSION BOARD.

..or has primo gotten better with time... I thought he had peaked at Moment of truth but then his work with MOP and beyond... amazing!!!!

Because his work with MOP was done around the same exact time as pretty much all of his other classics.

It's probably their greatest moment as artists, while Warriorz feels like a collection of great songs moreso than an album. The verses on Warriorz were better from a technical perspective, and they're better now than they were then, but nothing really sticks with me the way FF did.

The primo production was the best of the three: three for three bangers. The rest is relentless and the formula was never better. Then Firing squad (Billy Danz caught fire) and I would say legacy before first family.

I didn't buy any other MOP despite hearing good things. Thought they were too shouty shouty whilst I liked more rappitty rap... This post makes me wanna go check them albums out even if only for more Primo joints..

don't look at me, i'm hideous

And don't sleep on ghetto warfare either. Salute.

Fun fact: Salute pt. 2 was the first track I ever downloaded for free (illegally) on Napster.

That was my test track. Not super underground/obscure, but not an easy Jay-Z song either.


__
I don't like the beat anymore because its just a loop. ALC didn't FLIP IT ENOUGH!

Flip it enough? Flip these. Flip off. Go flip some f*cking burgers.(c)Kno

Allied State of the National Electric Beat Treaty Organization (NEBTO)

Yes, I know it is absurd to use the word "sentimental" in any post about MOP.

Peace,

Spirit (Alan)
http://wutangbook.com