Operation Stackola

the take

If you only know of Luniz due to their big hit "I Got 5 on It", I can't really fault you for that. However, I would like to point out that their debut full-length, "Operation Stackola", shows that Luniz shouldn't have been labeled as one-hit-wonders. This album is filled with the Bay Area's interpretation of that laid-back G-funk sound that was popular on the West Coast around the time of this album's release. The first half is easily the strongest side out of the two, even without mentioning their biggest hit. Songs like "Pimps, Playas & Hustlas" and "Playa Hata" are addicting and catchy as fuck, due to the near-perfect uses of their respective samples and memorable hooks that randomly pop up in my head from time to time. (🎶 Why you wanna, playa hate on me? 🎶) After "Yellow Brick Road", the album begins to tail off a bit, especially when one gets to "She's Just a Freak", which doesn't sound pleasing to listen to for me, mainly because I didn't grow up listening to the wild lyrics in said song. Either way, this is easily a slept-on West Coast album, and definitely a Bay Area classic that I recommend one must check out at least once in your life.