October 10, 2014

Poor Righteous Teachers "Black Business" (The Source, 10/93)


"After checking PRT's sophomore effort, Pure Poverty, more than a few fans of this Trenton, NJ, outfit were left disappointed, feeling as though the group had failed to live up to the high standards they set on their 1990 debut. But don't worry. On their third release, PRT returns with a strong and versatile showing. Even while they change up the styles, consistency is the key here, as all of the tracks swing with that unmistakable PRT groove - rootsy, funky and just a little off-beat, often reminiscent of "Rock Dis Funky Joint." The crew also rocks hard with the '93 style on standouts like "Nobody Move." "Mi Fresh" and "Here We Go Again," a head-nodding romp driven by a crisp snare track and a simple but deadly acoustic bassline." Check out "Nobody Move" below...


"On the lyrical tip, Wise Intelligent and Culture Freedom come again with the roughneck, ragga-muffin chatting - over strictly hip-hop beats this time - and Wise's crooning silky smooth internal melodies. Despite stiff competition from the Yardies, PRT shows that they can mash it with the best of the dancehall dons and are definitely for real. On the posse cut "Da Rill Shit," even their deejay Father Shaheed catches some wreck. Though fervent members of the Five Percent Nation, the PRT "P"-osse don't hit you over the head with rhetoric, choosing instead to skillfully slip in their messages into such tracks as "Black Business," "Ghetto We Love" and "144K," a song about the 144,000 Blacks from the 12 tribes of Israel who will be saved on Judgment Day. Though rap is their route out of poverty, they maintain the hardcore ghetto mentality that proves they're coming from the roots and thinking long-range." - The Source, October 1993. Full review is available below.