(Eastern Conference Records)
Tame One, formerly half of the group Artifacts, has been around the block in terms of the dark side of the record industry. After releasing two critically acclaimed albums with partner El Da Sensei, label issues and group strife caused the group's implosion. Both artists went solo, with El joining the Seven Heads label and Tame One latching on to Eastern Conference Records. Sadly, neither has quite been able to replicate the quality of material that they created together.
The dullness of When Rappers Attack comes as a bit of a surprise. To make a 40-minute hip-hop album this boring is no small feat. Furthermore, when Tame One joined Eastern Conference, he inherited a talented pool of producers, including J-Zone and DJ Mighty Mi, both of whom have production credits on the album.
The beats are not the problem though, as the entire album is well produced. J-Zone continues to prove that he is the premier up-and-coming beatmaker in hip-hop with tracks like \Heat"" and ""Tame Az It Ever Wuz."" The former has the classic Zone sound, with guitar and violin loops meshing perfectly with a well-used vocal sample. The latter has an upbeat classical vibe that results in neck pain. Unfortunately, Tame's lyrics on both of the songs are just uninspiring, and there is no improvement anywhere else on the album. In fact, Tame even manages to take an RJD2 beat and turn the song into a sleeper (""Up 2 No Good Again""). His performances aren't bad per se, he just never does anything lyrically to lift himself above the crowd.
By the sounds of it, it doesn't look like you will ever see an Artifacts reunion album, so the solo releases will have to suffice for the fans of the former group. If this is you, then you will find this album enjoyable. Beat junkies who ignore the lyrics will also be satisfied with When Rappers Attack. For most others, Tame One's ""attack"" will only leave you afraid to put on your earphones.
