One of the most under-rated Hip-Hop albums to date, and by far my favourite!

Easily one of the best and most overlooked albums of the 1990s, the debut by The Goats tells a harrowing tale of political misdealings, racialized social relations, bureaucratic abuse, unjust war, and simple rage at an outdated moral system that was in power at the time (the initial George Bush). All of this is chin-strokingly fine for those looking for heavy content, but the record matches the fury of the lyrics with intense production, where samples and live instruments do battle with each other on the way to your ears. At the time, many live rap acts were coming with a bohemian, jazz-based stance. Not so the Goats, as the beats come hard and the band is working at complicating and adding mood to the sound, not easing it up for jazz instrument solos. This was the beginning of a sprawling body of work, as the three vocalists of the Goats (Madd, Swayzack, and Oatie Kato) managed one more album after this before breaking into a diaspora that continues today. Black Landlord, Jimmy Luxury and the Tommy Rome Orchestra, Rooster, and Incognegro were some of the acts that spun out of this nebula begun by three guys (2 African-American, 1 Italian-American) who met as push-cart vendors in Philadelphia. What to say about this album? It's a concept piece, where Chicken Little and his kid brother Hangerhead (product of a botched abortion) go stumbling through Uncle Scam's Federally Funded Wel-fair and Freakshow, running into everyone from the caged Leonard Peltier to Manuel Noriega while looking for their mother. The twisted carnival motif manages to push all the hot-button issues of the early 90s, from flag-burning to police harassment to the initial Iraq war, but the concept never overrides the tracks themselves. "Not Not Bad", "Typical American," the haunting "TV Cops", and the mellower "Aaah D Yaaa" all hold up the weight of the topical material as well as the strength of the MCs. The CD booklet contains ALL the lyrics and believe me it was well worth reading. Personally, this album was a pivotal moment when I encountered it back in '92.It languished in CD dollar bins for years, but seems like the Goats never lost their core following. Black Landlord is active with Madd at the mic stand, and the Goats feature both a Myspace and a website (off the Jimmy Luxury one). It's still a document of the time, but this record has definitely dated quite well as an excellent rap classic of the 90s.

Many thanks, I'm working on it. I'm also enjoying your reviews quite a bit. Keep it up!

Fantastic review, my friend. You should review more releases! I, too, love this album and feel it didn't get the attention it deserved. And, although many "lost" albums eventually find an appreciative audience years later, this one still hasn't attained its full birthright in that area. Some of the underground blogs should pick this up and have a look at it (and the associated singles) in a new light.

Awesome political LP. Heavy beats and heartfelt, powerful and intelligent rhymes the likes of which haven't been seen since. Also one of the few albums ever to pull of skits succesfully as the narrator tours through a theme park as an analogy to modern day America. One of the craziest things about this album though, is that the sentiments are just as valid in this day and age....