Big Noyd - Only The Strong

By some strange conflux of music and geography, the collected recordings of a small group of MCs from one of New York City’s outer boroughs have turned the neighborhood surrounding the Queensbridge housing projects into a hip-hop subgenre all its own. While he strayed from the sound in his more recent efforts, Nas laid the foundation with his seminal debut, Illmatic, and the torch was carried by Capone-N-Noreaga, Cormega, Tragedy Khadafi, and perhaps most notably, Mobb Deep. Through their self-produced work, and that of associate The Alchemist, the M-O-B-B have defined the minimalist Queensbridge aesthetic of sparse, kick-snare percussion combined with ominous, rusty samples, and – of course – “stab your brain with your nosebone” gangsta lyricism. Big Noyd cut his teeth via incendiary cameos on past Mobb Deep albums, and his solo album, Only The Strong, is the latest ambassador for the QB sound. All the usual suspects appear behind the boards and on the mic, and Noyd’s verbal artillery fires exactly as expected – which is this disc’s blessing and curse. For Queensbridge enthusiasts and those who love the traditional NYC-style of hip-hop, the entire album delivers; from “Shoot Em Up (Pts. 1 and 2),” to the 70s cop-show theme vibe of “Air It Out,” beats knock with a boom bap fans know and love. However, the predictability and overall sameness wears thin over the course of a full length LP; although Noyd is nice enough on the mic, he doesn’t break any new ground as far as technique or content are concerned. Even with the very clever “bang bang” soul samples on “Shoot Em Up, Pt. 1,” the rest of Noyd’s disc – however solid for what it is – will seem somewhat monotonous to the average listener. As a result, Only The Strong will only appeal to QB diehards. [www.landspeed-records.com]