For all the grannies out there hollering about the evils of rap music, Whut...Thee Album kicks off with a comeback. Opening skit, "Psycho Ward" finds menace-to-society Redman undergoing psychotherapy, with the doc telling him to let loose on some rhymes and get all the "unnecessary anger" out of his system. Being the socially responsible, cooperative (and, in this scenario, incarcerated) brotha that he is, Redman proceeds to bust some wicked loaded lyrics, boosted by tasty, fat grooves courtesy of fellow Hit Squad bomber Erick "EPMD" Sermon, who drops a few words here as well. In typical debut fashion, lyrics on Whut are aimed primarily at making sure suckas appreciate what it is they're hearing. Nothing too mind-bending there, okay, but Redman's got the musical momentum and sense of humor to keep things rolling. Hardcore funk jams like "Blow Your Mind" and "I'm a Bad" playing alongside skits bagging on Hammer ("Funky Uncles"), confrontations between Redman and himself ("Redman Meets Reggie Noble") and just flatout toasted directives on getting bent ("How To Roll A Blunt"). Slapstick track "A Day of Sooperman Lover" follows the exploits of one superfly Romeo who can "slam King Kong and pick up freight trains," but doesn't have a clue what it is he's about to bone: "Stuck my hand between her legs and I felt the bozack--as big as mine!" Definitely not an album for the grandkids, but then again Redman told us straight out he was "Rated R." - Rap Pages (December, 1992). Revisit Redman's debut classic LP below, but please by advised that the exact date of the album's release has been debated for several years. Based on adverts and Def Jam's Friday release schedule, October 9, 1992 is the likely release date.
I still listen to -- and enjoy -- this album to this day... an absolute classic!
