D-12

Devils Night

Shady Records

ST. LUNATICS

Free City

Universal Records

It only makes sense. Become a millionaire rap star, and take your friends along for the ride. Although their rapping styles contrast, Eminem and Nelly have more in common than one might think. Both spent years struggling to get record executives to give them a listen. After getting a chance, both went on to achieve multi-platinum rap/pop crossover success. Now that they have all the chedda, bling and ice one could ask for, why not spread the wealth a little by doing an album with their posses?

Last summer Eminem’s Detroit crew – D-12 – and Nelly’s St. Louis boys – The St. Lunatics – unleashed their major label debuts on the hip hop nation. Eminem and Nelly both joined their mates on the albums as full-fledged members of the groups. However, the comparisons between the groups end there. With entirely different styles, the Lunatics and D-12 are far apart musically.

D-12’s debut Devils Night provides more of the profanity laced, shocking, and gross-out style of hip hop that Eminem put forth on his two solo efforts. If there is a line of what is appropriate, D-12 might as well have not only gone over the line, but trampled all over the thing and blown it up. Versus about drug use, school violence, murder, rape, masturbation and even sodomizing one’s own grandmother are as common as “wave your hands in the air” is at a rap concert.

The most bizarre member of the group, aptly named “Bizarre,” provides the most wacked-out moments of a wacked-out album. “Smacked this whore for talking crap,” he rhymes on “Fight Music,” “so what if she’s handicap.” Still, his bandmates – Kon Artis, Proof, Kuniva and Swifty – provide their share of moments throughout the album as well. Just a sample: “Shut your mouth you dirty slut, you know you want it in your butt,” from “Purple Pills.” Whether they delve into the mind of a killer in “American Psycho,” or a sexual pervert in “Nasty Mind,” D-12 has a unique ability to draw the listener in to whatever disturbing story they choose to tell.

Aside from the X-rated lyrics, the other notable aspect of Devils Night is the stellar production job by Eminem and Dr. Dre. Clearly, Eminem took a lot of what he learned from Dre, and he couldn’t have asked for a better teacher. Like Dre, Eminem produced unique and catchy beats and hooks that managed to have a pop like quality, while still doing justice to the hardcore lyrics. The tribute to getting high, “Purple Pills,” is the catchiest track, with its scratchy danceable beats and harmonica sample. The album closing “Devils Night,” and “American Psycho,” both of which feature creepy beats that sound like they were sampled off of the “Tales From The Crypt” soundtrack, stand out as two of Em’s best produced works. Dre’s contribution, “Ain’t Nuttin But Music,” has the same bouncy beats as “The Real Slim Shady” and is Dre’s best production moment on the album.

As D-12’s fictional (sort of) record executive Steve Berman says during a skit on Devils Night in which he is critical of D-12’s controversial sound, “I don’t want to rape my grandmother. I don’t want to have sex with pit bulls. I wanna roll on dubs. I wanna throw bows. I wanna rock Prada.” Well, if he wanted that thing, he surely came to the right place with the St. Lunatics.

With the same happy go lucky beats and song topics as Nelly’s Country Grammar; the Loonies -Ali, Murphy Lee, Kyjuan, and Nelly – provide a more mainstream product than D-12. There are songs about their hometown (“St. Louie”), their rides (“Okay”), bling (“Jang-a Lang”), sex (“Boom d. Boom”) and summertime (“Summer in the City”).

Like Nelly’s album, “Jay E” Epperson produced all of the tracks. Still, they weren’t able to come up with a “Ride Wit Me,” “Country Grammar,” or “E.I” level of a hit song. Suffering from lack of variety, Free City is a tough listen from beginning to end, unless one is passionate about Nelly’s Midwest style of pop hop, that is just barely street enough (throw in a few swears to make it that way) to prevent it from being lumped in with Will Smith.

Even so, the album does provide some fun moments. Tracks like “Midwest Swing” and “Let Me In Now” resonate such a care free and cool vibe that it is easy to believe that Nelly and his crew really are enjoying their lifestyles of fast cars and fast women. Certainly, they aren’t afraid to tell us about it.

Whenever someone says, “hip hop all sounds the same,” don’t believe him or her. The debuts from D-12 and The St. Lunatics might as well be filed under different categories in the music store. Although both were solid, both will likely have to rely on their superstar leaders for future albums and fan support. But hey, it pays to have friends in high places.