Akafella, you mad bastard. Sure, the Ak is no making bank off his strip club that, legend has it, was paid for by the payout he got from a mechanic that fucked up his motorcycle repairs and almost killed dude. He also made the immortal ‘Put It In Your Mouth’ which recently received an oral history (geddit?) by Soheil Rezayazdi. But before that? He recorded a little album produced entirely by Large Professor in his prime, flaunting ‘one solid gimmick’ at the height of the diggity tongue-twisting era which consisted of simply dropping his voice several octaves at the end of each bar.
‘Worldwide’
Riding floating horns,a rolling bassline and a sharp snare hit, Akinyele unleashes some marvelous Punchline Rap that avoids the corny cliches and sticks to obscure references that become more rewarding with each repeated listen.
‘Outta State’
A superb break seats the scene for a classic moving weight road trip. ‘My man gave me work home on credit/he thinks I’m coming back? Black, he can forget it!’
‘Ak Ha Ha!’
This was such a weird choice for a first single. The song is less than three minutes long and Ak only raps eight bars per hook – not bad at all but the least memorable song of the entire record.
‘Dear Diary’
This is more like it! A supreme Brag Rap showcase over of magnificently understated Xtra-P track with a Rob Swift scratch break. ‘I’ll kick your wack baby-ass raps right back to pediatrics!’
‘Bags Packed’
Five tracks in and this is the first track about chicks on an album named Vagina Diner and featuring cartoon babes on the front and back cover? Hold ya dome, Interscope Records marketing department.
‘The Bomb’
This is a proto-type 1993 rap, with a shouted chorus and allathat, but it still works thanks to Ak’s spirited delivery. Lines like ‘Cardiologist of words, ‘ cos it comes from the heart!’ prove that Mad Skillz and Chino XL aren’t qualified to hold this guy’s neck towel on stage.
‘Checkmate’
Easily one of the greatest rap songs ever made. Both the music and the raps are absolute perfection. ‘Picasso the great don’t know me from a can of paint!’ *chef’s kiss*
‘I Luh Her’
This song brought the wrath of Source writer Keiro Mayo, a pioneer of Woke Rap criticism, who wrote an editorial about how horrible Akinyele was to describe how he might avoid becoming a dad. I’m not saying she was wrong, but to his credit Akinyele wrote in the following month to defend himself.
‘Exercise’
The second best song on the album, Akinyele unleashes one of the most original rants in rap history as he explains why playing sport is for herbs. Every line in this songs is certified classic, while the beat is hard as nails.
‘No Exit’
Another song that hurt feelings when it was released but it’s fuckin’ incredible. Just the way Akinyele describes his outfit: ‘I had a Northface jacket, Polo shirt, diamond on my hands/stonewash pants tucked inside some Timberlands, her eyes just stayed on my face/she threw her hand on my hip and felt the 4-5 on my waist’.
’30 Days’
Large Professor once told me that this was his favourite cut from the album, which is valid considering that ‘Harmonizing in the precinct/trying to catch an R&B contract’ remains as the most succinct description of snitching ever committed to record.
Sadly, this wonderful demonstration of Lefrak Rap Genius is trapped in limbo forever, as attempts to reissue it and add it to streaming platforms have all fallen short, leaving it to jerks like me to hoard our cassette, vinyl and CD editions until we take that final dirt nap.
dope review, co-sign every word! 93 aoty for sure, plus top 20 rap album of all times!
jumpin over fences don’t make sense kid
It’s good, but it doesn’t make my top 10 for 9-tre releases…
@3BM-Ark Hiero and the Liks crew dominating your ten for that year?
Pretty much, with some SPC and Rap-a-lot for good measure…
Did I forget to mention Slaughtahouse is numero uno? That production… ;)
Yeah ‘Slaughterhouse’ is amazing.
This album is not in “limbo.” it has been reissued on CD more than once. It’s good but far from “Great.”
@Dino Actually it has only been reissued once on CD and that was a Japanese pressing in 2015.
SlaughtaHouse, In God We Trust, ’93 til Infinity, Midnight Marauders, etc. are all superior albums. Obviously.
Robbie’s not as keen on Vagina Diner as he’d like us all to believe. He didn’t even remember it on his list of the 10 best albums of 1993.
‘Cardiologist of words, ‘ cos it comes from the heart!’ is a better line than Chino XL or Mad Skillz could come up with? Are you kidding?
@Slappy White: Not a great example but Ak never sunk to the corny depths of other punchline rappers.
That 1993 list will haunt me like a Jay Electronica album.
Haha. Character building, etc.
Great article! Good call. This album bangs 💥
Did somebody say Hiero were better LOL?
A bunch of nerdy ass country accent having overrated cornballs.
AK could actually rhyme his ass off and paid crazy dues in QU!
As corny as these idiots praising Griswalds played out corny ass drug bullshit.
But it’s ‘Slaughtahouse’ Robbie! 🦘
No, it’s SlaughtaHouse.
That’s the Master Ase version…
Not to be confused with Masta Ase.
Found the cd in the bargain bin for $5 a few years ago. Crazy he got signed before Nas.
You can stream this album on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uvq4Y3AAaVE
Speaking of unstreamable rap, I noticed that neither of the sophomore albums for Heather B and MC Lyte are on Spotify.
what the hell does AkinYele mean or come from?
Akinyele Adams is his given name.
I wrote in to “The Sauce” and checked them for dissing Ak for referencing abortion In “I Luh Her” and not saying anything when Ice Cube did the same in “You Can’t Fade Me”…
Didn’t Ak have beef with ODB? What was that all about?
Forgot to mention the superb interlude beats, especially after “Bags Packed”
@Da Commanda: Did that letter get published?
@Slappy White: I think ODB bumrushed Ak during a show on some ‘Wu Tang is for the children’ shit.
@Ohz Grayt – thanks for that
@Robbie: Yes it got published…wish I still had the issue…
Another unstreamable classic rap album: Guerillas in tha Mist by Da Lench Mob. Why!!!!!!??!!! Is Ice Cube holding it back?
@DaCommanda I still have that issue. It’s stored away in my Father’s basement, though.