Pit Fight Records Presents: The Beatnuts U.F.O. Files Unreleased Joints

I've written a good amount about the Beatnuts on Pure Hip-Hop and for the most part everything I've typed has been overwhelmingly positive, much like the Corona, Queens duo's catalog. They were my hero's growing up man and part of the reason why I fell in love with production and ultimately became a producer (of sorts) myself. They was Latino's man, and they was nice. They made ill, creative beats and could rhyme with great wit. They made me and countless other Latin kids across the country proud. Their music in the 90's was as close to perfect as any artist's could get. Then, something happened as the 90's faded away and Hip-Hop merged into the new decade. Not really sure what, but all of a sudden their rhymes and beats went from being about 75% hardcore, 15% sex driven and 10% goofy fun, to being close to 60% sex driven, 20% goofy shit and club themed stuff and 20% hardcore. Which really all panned out to being 100% disappointment most times.

2001's "Take It Or Squeeze It" started their gradual slide into much different musical waters. It wasn't overtly that bad to me, but many loyalist's marked it as the beginning of the end. 2002 saw the Nut's hastily release "The Originators", which suffered not only from more than a few drastic last-minute changes, but also displayed JuJu and Psycho Les once again trying their hand at creating more club and radio friendly tracks. By the time 2004 came around and the Nuts dropped "Milk Me", their fans already knew what was coming and they got exactly what they feared they would. The sound on their latest group effort was so unrecognizable compared to their 90's masterpiece's and even their late classic "Musical Massacre", the Nuts seemed to be in full recession as worthwhile artist's. Now fully overdosing on their trademark funk sound, but for much different reasons and results, the two seemed to be all but ready to whole heartedly delve into being simple-tongued club rappers. The struggle to interpret the modern fan's omnipresent fickleness has surely taken a toll on Junkyard and Big Psych, and up until now the two haven't exactly been quite as visible together. Les has dropped a few solo projects on his own, including an album that saw him team back up with long estranged group mate Al Tariq AKA Fashion and a guy named Problems. While the two claim that nothing is up and they're still thick as thieves, cynical minds come to their own conclusions. While rumors of the two perhaps being on the outs with one another circulate quietly, the good name that the Beatnut's built up feverishly over the span of 15 years seemingly is falling by the wayside. Their new release of older material doesen't do much to shake their recent criticism's.

Maybe it's not exactly a comeback, but it's some new Nuts... Well, sort of anyway. With a new offering entitled "U.F.O. Files" the Beatnuts have returned to dish out some previously unreleased material. Unfortunately, I can't really pump this up too much to you good people. Besides most likely being the front runner for the worst album cover of 08', "U.F.O. Files" is a pretty un-impressive collection of the Beatnut's unreleased joints dating back to who knows when. Put together and distributed by Psycho Les's fairly new Pit Fight Records imprint, this collection is sloppy and un-inspired, and won't do much to appease the Beatnut's longtime fans. Most likely Les was just seeking to get another project (the others were the Mixtape "Keep The Fire Burning" and the album "Psycho Therapy") out on his fledgling new label, and for that I can't be mad at him, the economy looks more frigid than a Chicago winter and duke needs to get his paper while he still can. One thing that sort of sits kinda unusually is the lack of involvement that JuJu has with all these new endeavors Les got goin'. Take it from me fellas, goin the solo route ain't always the key to defining yourself as an individual, especially not for dope, two man groups from NYC. Case in point CNN. I say do well within your group, define yourself in that arena....and JuJu and Les did manage to do that. They've run together for a long time, and we as fans have never confused them, there's a reason for that and there's a reason why they should keep doin they thing...together.

"U.F.O. Files" (jesus, what a silly name/concept) isn't all bad. There are a few joints that provide a short time capsule back to when the Nuts were making music that was undeniably dope. "All My Life" and "Story To Tell" will send the fanatics back in time and make them ask why those joints never found a home on any of the Nuts' major releases. However, cuts like "Mama Let me See U Work That Pole!" and "Freak N The Club" quickly bring us right back down to earth as they sort of embody the lame club-themed type of hip-hop Les has been aiming at making lately. Another surprising component to this new album I thought, was the actual content itself really. Let me explain. I know the Beatnuts put in work. They're producers and producers do two things a lot; compile and save. These guys probably have tons of stuff that they've preserved and thrown in the vaults over the years and this is the stuff they drop on us for a "unreleased joints" type of release? I shouldn't even say "they", because I'm not sure of JuJu's level of involvement, but the cover says "The Beatnuts", so to me JuJu is involved by default because he's apart of the team and they name is on the front of this shit. I mean I've just grown so dissatisfied with their level of interest man....it's like JuJu is off somewhere doin whatever, and Les is putting out all these thoroughly un-memorable ventures.....man,...it's just so unnecessary at this point. I mean they know who they're fans are, yet they're chasing the 13 year old Soulja Boy fan's money? Come on yo, ya'll should already know if you put out that heat we're gonna have your back. They will have to re-earn that trust, but we'll have their backs. Les means well, and he has been busy, but this is officially the third dud that's dropped on Pit Fight Records. He's gotta turn the ship around and find a way to change his musical direction. I don't like going to his Myspace page and hearing better and more exclusive music in his standalone player than on his latest release.

I understand that the Beatnuts do have a new album slated for release sometime in early 09', tentatively titled "Planet Of The Crates". Sounds like another theme type of deal, if I had to take a guess I'd say it was most likely a collection of all their favorite samples/breaks or something, but you never know. What I will say for sure is that if they want a positive review and for there old fans to respect what their doin' in the here and now, they've got to have a better product. I'm confident that they can make ill underground music and still get their paper. It's what I would advise, because if the choice is between them putting out a terrible product like "U.F.O. Files" or just not putting anything out, I choose the latter.

-BIG D O



01. Ghetto Dawg 02:13
02. All My Life 02:27
03. Easy Does It 05:10
04. Story To Tell You 03:30
05. No Escaping This Undefeated 02:58
06. Think BIG 03:55
07. Sorry Ms. Jackson 03:36
08. Yall Niggas Can’t Touch Us 03:38
09. Get It! 02:56
10. Freak N The Club 03:38
11. Mama Let Me See U Work That Pole! 02:27
12. Fluid 04:02
13. Discco 05:01

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