The fearlessness in the rhymes of Houston hip-hop fivesome
Young Problemz on their 2009 debut can be summed up by opening line of swaggering booty track "Knock Ha Dyne," as they blithely claim they'll "knock your gal down like the World Trade Center." They also show a reverence to hip-hop's past, effortlessly throwing in shout-outs to
Beastie Boys,
Doug E. Fresh, and others, slickly contrasting the nostalgia with more of-the-moment references like Twitter and cyberspeak.
Young Problemz is something of a Houston supergroup, gathering five members from prominent local crews, and the talent does pour out as they rep their hometown with zeal. The unabashed, raw lyrics, traded from MC to MC with man-on-the-flying-trapeze ease, keep the game exciting on
Da Problem (How's My Rappin?). The problem on the promising record is certainly not the rapping, but the standard Houston spare-bombast beats. It's not that the production is terrible, but merely uninspired, although they do spiral nicely on opening single "Boi" (featuring a sly guest spot from
Gucci Mane). However, ultimately, the rhymes are what count here and they are always hard-as-nails, and often downright hilarious on a solid opening salvo from the Southern gents. ~ Jason Thurston