PICK OF THE MONTH

CONFRONTATION CAMP >> OBJECTS ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR. ARTEMIS RECORDS 2000

This is a hard one to review. After listening to Public Enemy for so many years, it’s impossible to play this CD without expectations. Confrontation Camp is fronted by none other than Professor Griff and Chuck D—that’s Mista Chuck to you—themselves. However, this project teams the partners in rhyme with Kyle Ice, Jason DJ Lord, and the occasional backing of a metal ensemble. Like I said, it’s not really what you would expect when thinking of Griff and Chuck.

Objects In The Mirror Are Closer Than They Appear runs the entire scheme from hard-edged rap and beat-based sampling to loud guitar solos. The rap/ rock combination that has sent jackass imitation rap acts like Kid Rock and Limp Bizkit to multi-platinum record sales finds mixed success on this CD. This comes as a result of some overproduction and weak arrangement on a few tracks. Griff and Chuck have a signature style that’s notorious for being full of sound, and it’s very difficult to add guitars to that mix without some overflow. To be fair, they strike up a perfect balance of volume and amplitude toward the end in “Grudge.”

Long-time fans will love the numerous tracks that sport the classic PE sound. Most of the album is straight-up rap, not hip-hop; songs like “Babies Makin’ Babies Killin’ Babies” and “Che” trade-in a catchy tune for pointed messages on the state of life. The most arresting is the analysis of racism today in “Jasper,” a song about the man who was recently dragged to death in Texas. Sure it’s pretty heady, but then again these guys have built a career on assaulting the status quo no matter if it is the way you think about society or music. -By Eric Seeger