the darker the content...

i wanted to discuss something i've been thinking about for a minute. you hear critics say in order for a producer to be one of the greatest they have to have that "love" song in their careers. Timbaland's work on swv's "rain" could be "the" prime example. i'm not going to go in producers' catalogs of love songs but i wanted to stress another factor that i think is equally important. i call them "dark albums". the kind of albums you usually don't hear about. i find certain few of our greatest producers in hip-hop have had a dark album in their careers. maybe the most recognized and critically-acclaimed production has been The RZA on GZA/Genius' Liquid Swords. The Abbott switched his style and added synthesizers and other new equipment to give GZA's masterpiece a feel not heard in the Wu-Tang canon. i especially enjoy this wu solo album (forever fighting with OB4CL) cause there isn't any song for the bitches. i don't know why but there is just something about having a record where your not trying to appeal to the female gender (Soul Food is another great example). GZA is the best at saying little but meaning everything. he doesn't have to get you with the whimsical punchlines to gain your interest, his voice alone compels you to listen to his every word. another influential production team with said dark album in their works are the members of Organized Noize Productions. the overlooked, underrated, and almost completely lost classic, Witchdoctor's A S.W.A.T. Healin' Ritual. you could almost get this solely on their dark and compelling productions, but do listen to the doctor's mix of spirituality, religion, and thoughtful words equally. if this album was push by the record labels when in came out in 1998 i feel it could have been a tremendous success. even in today's times i feel it could apply today, the work is very much timeless. if you have extra change in your piggy bank please cop these works. i'm sure you can gather some of the inspiration i have gotten listening to these gems.