The Pack arrived on the scene with their 2006 EP Skateboards 2 Scrapers, and their minimalist ode to slip-on sneakers, “Vans.” Skateboards 2 Scrapers buzzed, rattled and hummed on its seven focused anthems of getting fly, going dumb, shining and innumerous vague but intriguing sexual acts. “Vans” and “I’m Shinin'” became Web favorites, surprisingly garnering the attention of several Internet music magazines. No member of the Pack is older than 20, making their success even more impressive, but also making the hype for their debut more difficult to match.
Their recent follow-up album, Based Boys, begins with bombastic “Rumble,” and as group member/producer Young L proclaims right away, it’s straight to business. This is one of the album’s strengths: By forgoing the standard assortment of inside-joke skits prevalent in today’s major label rap releases, Based Boys achieves a rare sense of focus. “Rumble” pairs Young L’s intergalactic stomp with playful, if unsophisticated battle raps, successfully setting the tone for the rest of the album.
The first single off Based Boys, “In My Car,” is in the same vein as their previous hits, and as the title would suggest, it was forged to pound stereos. The chorus is noticeably smartass, and the rapping gets occasionally abstract, but this is definitively riding music. One questions what Jive/Zomba was thinking dropping this in late October. Most of Based Boys needs to be bumped so loud you think your automobile will implode to be truly appreciated.
The track “Club Stuntin'” sounds like a hyphy cruise missile, while “We in the Club Like (Da Dada Da)” is a bass overdose with all four members dropping rhymes about their jewelry and uncanny ability to attract freaky girls. “Jell-O,” likewise, keeps the ball rolling and prompts listeners’ booties to “bounce like you wrote a bad check,” as Stunna Man suggests.
Key to enjoying Based Boys is accepting the fact that the Pack’s lyrics rarely deviate from bling-flashing and booty-shaking. That’s not to say they aren’t clever, nor does it mean their skills aren’t apparent. After all, Too $hort turned this content into a legendary catalog. That said, the vehemently anti-Soulja Boy crowd will likely feel alienated by an album that offers “Why…/ Why am I so fly?” as a chorus. Unfortunately, the Pack sometimes suffers from blazing old trails, such as on the disappointing “My Girl Gotta Girl Too.” For a concept that’s only been around for about a year, groupie-polygamy in hip-hop is rapidly becoming played out.
Sonically, the album is at its bumping best when Young L, who laces nine new tracks, handles production. Logically, L’s status as a group member gives him the most reliable vision for the Pack’s sound, though too many songs recycle elements off their first album.
When Based Boys hits, it hits hard.It may not be a challenging listen, but the tracks range from playful to menacing, without compromising the Pack’s youthful sense of humor. The measure of a debut album is potential: not all debuts can be Illmatic. The Pack will continue to do their thing, uninterrupted in hyphy bliss, for many years to come.
3 stars out of 5
