Artist: Black MoonTitle: Total EclipseRating: 4 StarsReviewed by: A P Special Correspondent
Though they may not get all the “props” they did in ’93, Black Moon has returned with a vengeance. Only their third album, Total Eclipse takes you back to a time when lyrics mattered and beats made your neck hurt. Buckshot, 5 FT and Evil Dee have finally put together an album comparable their classic debut Enta Da Stage. Even though this album will not get the commercial pub it deserves, all true Hip-Hop fans should pick this up. This is an album you can actually listen to from start to finish. With their street bravado in tact, Black Moon looks to slay the industry for selling out real Hip-Hop artists; a recurring theme that is found throughout the album.
The opening track, “Stay Real,” reintroduces the new Hip-Hop generation to Black Moon. Buck and 5 FT spit venom at wack MC’s over a bass crackin’ Beatminerz track. Buckshot lets everyone know how he feels about today’s crop of emcees, “First of all, I own the Night/The rest ya’ll N##### rely on the light/Light beats,Light hooks/Light beef and you’re shook/The rap game like the crack game/The streets is took.” Total Eclipse is filled with jabs like that. Other tracks of note include “Why We Act This Way”, “Confusion”, “What Would You Do”, “No Way” and “How We Do It”.
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What also sets this album apart from contemporary releases is the proper use of guest appearances. The Boot Camp Click comes ready for war on this album. Ruck starts it off on the Moss produced “Looking Down the Barrel”. And on “What Would You Do?,” Ruck and Buck toss the mic back and forth answering each others hypothetical situations. There are also guest shots from Starang (OGC) and the Cocoa Brovaz, whom all represent as if this was ’96.
The album’s production is spread among the Beatminerz and several fairly unknown producers (Kleph Dollaz: “How We Do It”, Coptic: “This Goes Out to You”, Nottz: “Why We Act This Way”). The variety in production keeps the album flowing, making it a great album to rock while you’re just chillin’, playing PS2, or on a long road trip. This isn’t the album to set a party off but every album has its place. Total Eclipse’s place is in my CD player as Black Moon has me open, again.