"The combination of hip-hop with reggae/dancehall has been responsible for some of the most original flavas in recent memory: Mad Lion, Shabba, KRS and Latifah are just a few examples that come to mind. Charging into this territory now comes Nine, an MC representing the Boogie Down Bronx who first licked shots on the remix to Funkmaster Flex's jam "Six Million Ways To Die." Nine's debut long-playa combines a raspy ruffneck rhyme flow with top-notch hip-hop production that will have both banjees and hardcore heads bobbin' alongside each other. "Redrum" is a sinister jam that mixes Nine's rude boy flow with a Premier-style piano-and-horn loop ("Everybody wan' Heaven / dem no want dead / redrum!"). On cuts like "Who U Won Test" and "Ta Rasss," Nine serves wannabe MC's with some battle-tested hardcore lyrics ripped over tight reggae grooves.... There are also some moments of deep lyrical intelligence: "Fo Ever Blunted" is not your obligatory tribute to the cheeba-cheeba, but a wisdom-dropper about the many reasons why young brothers nowadays feel the need hit the weed: "Mad stress / thank God for the buddha blessed / now it's off my chest / until tomorrow it'll happen again / I'll still be hunted / I'll still be wanted / so I'm so fo' ever blunted." Things do fall off a bit on side two: "Tha Cipha" ironically disaplys some of the tiredest lyrics on the LP. The "Redrum" remix, entitled "Everybody Whon Heaven," also starts to drag and reveals more lyrical deficiencies. But overall, Nine Livez is a strong debut by an MC with an original style who beats are 90% on point." - The Source (April, 1995). Revisit Nine's debut LP below...
The Source's review of Nine's Nine Livez (4/95) is below...
