Solid Album
O. KAKA | WOODBRIDGE, NJ United States | 09/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I unequivocally assent with all the reviews on this solid effort from Capital Tax. They originally hail from Oakland, California, which is a shock to a lot of people, due to the nature of this album-----east coast vibe. I loved all the tracks on this album no exceptions, moreover, the Masha's Remix produced by my man Smooth G is arguably the best song that came out in the blessed year of '93. Hip Hop is dead, I'm not kidding, its spirits has ascended to the heavens and comfortably resting in peace. ONE!"
ESSENTIAL '93 HIPHOP
? | United Kingdom! | 06/02/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Capital Tax's "The Swoll Package" is a complete essential to fans of 1993 eastcoast hiphop. Soo jazzy! this album has been slept on for too long now, I mean hardly anybody has heard of them. One listen and you know what you're in for ; fantastic production (with some neck brakin' bass), great lyrics which displays that strong charisma all MC's came with in the 90's, and an undeniable chemistry that just begs you to stick it back in the cd player for another spin. The swoll package is a strict must-have to hiphop fans searching for some more good ol' ish from the golden era. DO NOT SLEEP!!!
Best Tracks - The Masha, Styles I Manifest, Poet Treeman & Treetop Connection
Lyrics - 9/10
Beats - 10/10
Originality - 8/10
Replay Value - 9/10
BY THE WAY, THIS IS NOT A SOUNDTRACK, LIKE AMAZON SUGGESTS
If you found this helpful, check my other reviews"
High School Memories {4 Stars}
Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 09/10/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Much respect to Amazon for having this album on hand. I bugged out when this turned up after a random search on the site. I thought this joint was all but extinct. Since it's selling for a penny, you know I had to snatch it up. I bought this on tape back in High school and my friends and I would bump this joint after school during long video game sessions (mostly Joe Montana Football and Bulls vs. Blazers lol). The debut LP from Capital Tax is made up of DJ Cool Al, TMD (Total Mind Devastator), Bozie, and Scruff. It's hard to describe what they sound like. Try to imagine the Fu-Schnickens (minus Chip Fu) rhyming over some B level Marley Marl beats (which would still be better than a lot of beats that came out of '93) and you'll have some idea. Lyrically, the album is tight, the production is nice. What more could you want?
The only problem I have with the album is that a lot of the production sounds the same. The entire album is produced by DJ Smooth G, so I guess that should've been expected. Also, there are a lot of skip worthy tracks on the album like "Can You Dig It", "Mista Wonka", and "We Pals". The rest of the album is pretty good.
The Swoll Package is a dope album from a crew of cats that were all but ignored by the mainstream. It could've been because a lot of other acts were bringing a lot of the same flavor at the time, so they probably got lost in the shuffle. Either way, this album is worth a listen. I recommend checking it out. Now I think I'll go dust off my Sega Genesis and play Sonic The Hedgehog while I bump this.
Standout Tracks: Poet Treeman, Givin' It Back, Nottie Natural, Make Some Cash, I Can't Believe It, In Memory Of, Make A Move Y'all (My Favorite), The Masha, and Styles I Manifest"
Track Listings (15) - Disc #1