A Chilee Powdah – Way Too Real (Infinity Records 1996)

This right here is nothing but a underground legend in the Bay Area. He´s been around since 1989. And how many know where he started from??? He signed with No Limit Records in 89, that´s right y´all! He was a part of the first version of ”The Real Untouchables” and was rapping on Master P´s ”Get Away Clean” album in 91 and was a part of ”Mama´s Bad Boy” in 92 but then he kind of disappeared, strange enough cause he had real skills.

He was featured on NBG´s album ”Richmond The City That Killz” and signed with Infinity Records and released this first solo album in 96. And this tape is so tight! Starts of with a song called ”Sidewayz” with real West Coast chorus ”I´m sidewayz to the liquor store so what´s up…?”. Then to get you more of the bay flavor the next song ”Nuthin But Game” is nothing but a classic bay song so is ”Get Ya Perk On”. But after that comes one of the best bay song to date ”Will You Be” with a girl singing in the chorus, you need to hear this song ”Will you be my G, she wanna get with me, C to the P”. Listen to this boss ass hustla!

Next track features Mafiosos and another ex-no limit rapper, Lil Ric. But the song is not about them having left No Limit, it´s another ”playa get yo mob on let´s do this the bay way” type of song, it´s called ”Talez From The Rich”. The chorus is simple but hella nice ”Some sick shit, some sick shit, some motherfucking sick shit, some niggas from the town with some motherfucking sick shit”.

The title track is next and once again real nice. Let me tell you, instead of saying that every damn song is the shit, cause it is, this is playa that have been trough it all and done this and that and he´s spitting some real lyrics dipped in some of the best bay beats ever. Most of em was done by K-Lou who´s also affiliated with P and No Limit.

Number 10 will grab you for real, it´s called ”Can´t Be Tied” and man oh man we get that bay shit again. The chorus is catchy and with a kind of funny twist to it, love it!

”Snakez N Da Grazz” is a lil bit harder then the other songs, it´s more bout murder type shit, close to a C-Bo sound, but this is that Powdah sound for real. It features Shady 8, Young G and a classic group called C.I.N., remember em? They released two CLASSIC albums ”94 Mobsters” and ”Richmond Roulette” both of em out of print but pick em up if you can find em!

”Same Page” features Young G, and it´s about how you can do nothing bout your situation when you’re stucked in the ghetto or the ”Same Page”. Young G got skills to and he´s still with Powdah, we might see a solo from him on Powdah´s label soon. Then you get a radio version of ”Way Too Real” and as the last track it´s ”Freak Scenario” a dick sucking skit, have we heard it before? It´s like the outro to the album.

He has two other albums out. The second album ”Richmentality” had some really strongs songs but it don´t get up to the same level as this debut, but it´s worth gettin for real. ”Retrospect” was his 3rd effort and adn album that came close to the debut – review coming soon!

This is a Bay classic that needs to be picked up!

5 points out of 5

Review by Dead Eye

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