Beatnuts

With many hip-hop artists trying to come at you from a different angle with each record, in an attempt to keep their sound fresh, there are still some crews out there that know what people want to hear and continue to ride that wave with no complaints from fans. The Beatnuts have never claimed to be anything more than a crew that knows how to turn a party out with their ass-shaking, friendly production. They know that when their followers hear a Beatnut loop, they’re going to receive a dose of dance floor funk and hardcore hip-hop. Milk Me continues on with this tradition, maybe just not as fine-tuned as in the past. With their "Hot” Greg Nice collaboration already thumping clubs all summer, it hits well as the lead-off track, sounding almost like a classic jam even after only a few months of exposure. "It’s Nothing” is in fact, vintage Beatnuts production, maybe even a little too similar to old joints, though with its hot flute chiming the days "Watch Out Now” was in your ears, it easily becomes one of Milk Me’s highlights. There are some slip-ups mixed in amongst Les and JuJu’s hot jams, including a stretch of forgettable tracks made strictly for dance purposes, such as the rather awful "We Don’t Give a Funk.” Luckily they manage to flip things back to the right side with Roc Raida on the cuts and Rahzel on the verbal turntables in the straight-up "Confused Rappers.” There’s loads of great beats on Milk Me (the sample vocal on "Uh Huh” is ridiculously nice) and when it comes to any Beatnuts venture, the production is the most essential ingredient. Though such is the case with pretty much all of their records, there are some weak links, but the strong points always keep you wanting more.