 | |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
 | |
Black Eyed Peas: Bridging The Gap
For every musical movement, there must be groups of major and minor importance. Thus, for every Beatles there must be a Monkees, for every Met-allica there must be a Poison, and for every Nirvana, a Stone Temple Pilots waits in the wings. For the current movement of positive, thoughtful hip-hop artists like the Roots, Black Star, and Common, one such secondary group is the Black Eyed Peas, the L.A. trio who got some unexpected radio play in 1998 with the bouncy "Joints and Jams." Bridging the Gap is the Peas' attempt to do just that with the gap between themselves and the competition, but despite this funky effort the Peas still have a lot to lift before they can compete in the Roots' weight class.
Bridging the Gap starts with what is rapidly becoming every hip-hop group's obligatory announcement of arrival: their first DJ Premier-produced song. On "BEP Empire" Premier comes through with a tight, if standard, track, but with lightweight lines like "Attack like alligators/We known to elevate like escalators," BEP doesn't quite have the lyrical skill to tread on Primo's turf. "Weekends," a funky and danceable party jam reminiscent of De La Soul's "Saturdays," is much more the Peas' territory. Newcomer Esthero's sugary voice smooths out the r & b hook and the jam ends with a nice bit of guitar riffing as a subtle reminder of the live band behind BEP's three lyricists. Although the band is limited by the group's strict adherence to a standard verse-chorus-verse format, it still comes through on the title track, the Macy Gray-blessed "Request Line," and, most impressively, the horn-infused "Tell Your Mama Come," the only track on the album that really does "bridge the gaps from rap to calypso."
Guest appearances by De La Soul ("Cali to New York") and Mos Def ("On My Own") are album highlights, but they're also reminders of the Peas' limited lyrical ability. MCs Will.I.Am, Apl.De.Ap, and Taboo couldn't touch lines like Mos Def's "I know self, own self, and control self/Avoid and destroy whatever come oppose self" if they had more calypso than Harry Belafonte. For all the lyrical shortcomings of the Black Eyed Peas, Bridging the Gap is a funky, light album that makes good background music to a party. Unfortunately, it does little to establish BEP as anything more than the background music to a larger movement. (Interscope)
—Josh Drimmer
All materials © 2000 The Yale Herald, Inc., and its staff.
Got any questions, comments, or advice? Email the online editors at
online@yaleherald.com.
Like to join us?