As you can see in the title, I'm reviewing the original 2001 edition. If you follow Blaze or browse Hatchetgear, you've probably seen the "1 Less G N Da Hood - Deluxe G edition" floating around. At first I just thought it was a better version of 1 Less G N Da Hood, maybe the same CD except with bonus tracks or some other freshness. That's not the case. Deluxe G edition is a whole other CD with a remastered tracklist and graphics separate from the OG press. The reissue was released in 2006. Down below I'm going to list the tracklist of Deluxe G edition for comparison:
Removed tracks: "The Eulogy", "Str8 Outta Detroit", "Here I Am", and "Hatchet Execution".
Reissued tracks: "Intro 2 the Hood" (Note that this is not fresh material; it is the intro to Blaze's first release on Psychopathic, his self-titled EP from back when), "Real G Shit", " "In Case U Forgot", "I Go to Work", "Put it Down", "Look Out", "Mamma I Ain't Changed", and finally, "Garbage".
With all the added tracks, along with the alternate graphics, all of the new content certainly validates the album as being both true to the original but also containing lots of new freshness for us Juggalos to gawk at. Now, I'll be diving into graphics.
Graphics:
The cover for this CD isn't too elaborate, but it's nice nonetheless. It features Blaze Ya Homie's mug covered in blood (and paint) lookin' all ferocious, with dirty teeth gritted in anger. It's got his name on the front too. On the back you got your track listing, and the title of the album: "1 Less G N Da Hood".
Open it up: On the CD you got Blaze throwing up the east, wearing his clock chain, with blood splatter on it. On the left you have the track listing again, with a down-to-top view of Blaze, who appears to be looking at his bloodied, grimy hands.
The cover doubles as a fold-out. On the inward-facing side, there's production credits for the album and all that, accompanied by a picture of Blaze posing again. The rest of the panels are pretty fuckin' sweet. There's a lot of art of Anybody Killa and Blaze Ya Dead Homie together taking up most of the panels on this side. On the right...oh hells yeah, here it comes...OLD SCHOOL ADS IN THIS PIECE!!! You got Mostasteless and Freek Show ads, Bizzar Bizaar ads, Big Money Hu$tlas ads, and something that looks like an old school documentary called "Born Twiztid". Then there's an ad for the "Almighty sixth Joker's card", which has since obviously been reveled as The Wraith. Even an advertisement for the long OoP Tales From The Lotus Pod, and, oddly enough, an ad for 1 Less G N Da Hood. On the backside, there's some pictures of Blaze Ya Dead Homie and Anybody Killa, with some phrases and poetic wording. The photography is definitely spot-on. That's about it for graphics.
Content:
1 Less G N Da Hood is an experience, and a very interesting one at that. Blaze Ya Dead Homie's character is an OG hood thug who's died and is now back from the dead. While you don't get much of a backstory on his character, the existence of his persona is easily felt on this CD. The sound of this CD is a combination of several different musical styles, with elements of gangsta rap, horrorcore, and rock elements. There are also some Hatchet features on the disc, like Twiztid and Anybody Killa who are present on a handful of tracks, and one Violent J feature.
1 Less G is a solid walkway into Blaze Ya Dead Homie's career on the Hatchet, and is something creative that hadn't been done before. Musically speaking, the album is pretty stellar but not absolutely phenomenal. While there are many tracks here that are nice and thumping, a lot of content on the CD is rather unremarkable and bland; filler. It is a shame that the CD didn't get the same level of production as other Psychopathic releases from around this time, because while 1 Less G has the potential to be so much better than it is, it just doesn't quite make the cut.
There is a lot of musical variety on the CD, but is not scattered or disorganized, and the arrangement of the CD is very deliberate. The different musical and lyrical styles on this CD don't clash at all, they meld to create something more unique and that is part of what makes this CD fresh despite the fact that is isn't the strongest musically. There are definitely some things to look forward to if you're going to buy this CD, but don't expect to have your wig flipped.
One last thing of note is that the last track on the disc is twenty-two minutes long and houses a long-ass prank phone call to one of the producers of the album. I don't really feel like going over the whole shit, I will say that while the skit is entertaining as fuck, it seems like a way to throw in a bunch of filler and make the album have a little more run time as opposed to filling it with more content. Almost lazy, and out of place. The Deluxe G edition lacks the skit and instead has more actual content, so consider that if you're having trouble deciding which one to buy.
If you like Blaze Ya Dead Homie, I recommend getting another CD like Clockwork Gray, something that got more attention during its production,. It isn't spectacular at all, but there are a couple gems on the disc to be sure. To the average listener, you don't need this, but to the collectors, I'd recommend the OG disc.
JRH gives "1 Less G N Da Hood" by Blaze Ya Dead Homie a: 3/5!
Strong points:
- Good features
- Interesting persona
- Musical variety
- Couple gems on here
- Unique vocals
Weak points:
- Obscenely long phone call skit at the end, obviously added as filler
- Lots of filler and unremarkable songs
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| The cover for the original 2001 OoP edition |
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