January 06, 2017

Cru "Da Dirty 30" (The Source, June 1997)


"Someone call the New York Post. There's a scandal from the rough streets of the Bronx to report and it involves three vatos who will never be mistaken for being shook ones. In fact, judging from their headline-grabbing first album, they got the biggest huevos this side of an elephant's trunks. You may wonder just what makes these cats - Yogi, Chadio and Mighty Ha - so damn fresh? Easy. Good ol' fashion creativity... The collective known simply as Cru have returned from rap 'Nam with hip-hop's most prominent POW, and it's time to celebrate. Flexin' more imagination than John Lennon, Cru's debut, Dirty 30, is likely to make you nod your noggin and say stuff like, "Yo, Yogi's production and rhymin' is hot on a lot of these joints..." Check out the track "Bubblin" below...


"Also pulling their weight are his charismatic partners: check the oddball stylings of "Lisa Lipps," a surreal solo shot from Mighty Ha that cross-references the Beatles and other unlikely sources; and then enjoy "Goines Tale," a song dedicated to famed writer Donald Goines... Although somewhat overbearing in length (30 tracks), Cru's biggest appeal rests on their knack for injecting a sly and raunchy sense of humor into their songs. Props due to Cru who were able to stare into the face of rap banality and come back alive with an accessible sound that at any given second might go completely loco. You got a grew, you'd better tell'em." - The Source, June 1997. Full review is below.