Compared to the average pop-rap MC in 2005,
Nitty is squeaky clean. There's no parental advisory sticker on
Player's Paradise, instantly making it an effective repellent for most people who buy rap records. And, just like hundreds of other rappers,
Nitty wants to re-introduce hip-hop to the concept of fun. (This is just like wanting to put guitars back in rock & roll, but whatever.) So the deck is stacked against him. Really stacked. What he does have going for him is plenty of charm and just as many upbeat, party-oriented tracks with memorable hooks. One problem is that the hooks are often memorable in an "Oh no, I can't for the life of me get this out of my head" way -- the chorus of "Hey Bitty" takes too easily from
Toni Basil's "Mickey," and "Nasty Girl" does the same with
the Archies' "Sugar, Sugar." The album is bound to do best with kids who don't place a high priority on making their parents uneasy. ~ Andy Kellman