RBL POSSE
AN EYE FOR AN EYE
BIG BEAT

An Ok Album
A Good Start For A New Beginning
Suffers From Too Many Filler Tracks..

The story surrounding San Francisco's RBL Posse is a remarkable one.. A few years ago they were one of many crews trying to shake the stigma those outside of The City had attached to rappers coming from that area.. It was bad enough that folks weren't respecting West Coast artists.. It was even sadder that folks kept placing negative gay stereotypes to artists hailing from SF... Adding fuel to the fire was this constant comparison to Oakland's burgeoning rap scene.. A few years back.. RBL hit the mark when they came through with an anthem type song called Bammer Weed..Here they talked about the need to obtain some good weed.. To this day it's considered a Bay Area classic...

RBL also started referring to San Francisco as SFC.. Sucka Free City.. RBL was well on it's way to blowing up.. On their way to the top they dropped another bomb.. An infectious hit song called..Bounce To This.. This song was another Bay Area anthem that was consistently heard both on radio and in all the clubs.. The success of that track led to RBL being signed to a major label.. Big Beat/ Atlantic... As they were perched for what looked to be a glorious ascension to the top...tragedy struck... On New Years Eve..of '95.. lead rapper Mr Cee was gunned down as he stood on a street corner in his native Hunters Point neighborhood with several friends.. The Bay Area's hip hop community not only mourned the tragic death of Mr Cee but also of RBL... No one was quite sure as to what would happen to the group..

It took a while .. but they managed to re-emerge on the scene.. Remaining group members..Black C and Hitman have dropped a new lp entitled 'An Eye For An Eye'... It's a pretty good attempt considering what the crew had to go through.. Mr Cee was the groups inspiration and the gel that kept them moving.. He remained a source of inspiration after his death while the group tried to move forward..

For those who aren't familiar..RBL spins lots of tales about life on the Frisco streets.. Some may call it reality rap or gangsta rap.. Most of the tracks are pretty cool.. It definitely has a Bay Area feel.. thanks to producers, Rick Rock of Cosmic Slop Shop, Mike Mosley, Cellski, The Enhancer and Black C... There are some standout songs that really hit like; 'Gotta Git Mine' which features MC Eiht and Tela.. The ominous Eye For An Eye which talks about the pain and eventual revenge for Mr Cee's death.. Another cool track is Till The End..which features The P-O-S-S-E.

The album suffers from too many filler songs.. There are just some tracks that seemed like they were hastily produced.. or even outdated.. That's too bad because it doesn't reflect RBL total talent.. While I must give them props for coming together and trying to move on.. One can tell that Mr Cee's presence is surly missed.. Over the years to come look for RBL to grow and re-establish themselves within this rap game.. They had a major set back.. but Eye For An Eye is a decent new beginning..

Reviewed By Davey D
11/22/97

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