Unlike New York, L.A., Philadelphia, Oakland, Atlanta and Miami, St. Louis wasn't considered a major city for rap in the 1980s or 1990s. This isn't to say that St. Louis didn't have its share of rappers, but not many of them recorded for well known labels or enjoyed anything more than local or regional success. One rap act that came out of St. Louis in the early '90s was JCD and the Dawg LB., whose
A Day in the Life is a likable, if uneven, hardcore rap outing. Rapper JCD and his associates don't bring any unique, distinctive or groundbreaking perspectives to hip-hop -- for the most part, they rap about their sexual misadventures and how rough the streets of St. Louis' inner-city areas are. But tunes like "St. Louis Niggas," "Over Pussy" and "Kibbles and Bits" are catchy enough, and some of their reflections on urban life are rather funny in a twisted, dark-humored sort of way. Like many blues and country artists, rappers such as JCD have a way of laughing at the dark side of life (Everlast wasn't off base when he called
Johnny Cash a "b-boy").
A Day in the Life is far from a hip-hop masterpiece, but this obscure CD isn't without its pleasures. ~ Alex Henderson