Abandoned In Da Streetz

the take

If it wasn't for me following a page on Facebook that highlighted lowkey 90's hip-hop, I may have never stumbled upon the debut (and only) album by Da Homlez, "Abandoned in da Streetz". But then again, I kind of had high expectations and was a tad bit disappointed. Da Homlez was a group from California, so the music reflected their coast about 75% of the time. With the jazzy production incorporated throughout, Da Homlez somewhat gave off a bit of Souls of Mischief vibes and a small amount of The Pharcyde vibes as well, although the latter isn't as obvious as the former. With the trio, the flows by each member were good. Nothing too crazy, but great enough to maintain my interest throughout each track. The title track, "Boogie Man", and "I Got Your Back" are three of the best songs on here. What dragged this album down for me is how the back half of the album has Da Homlez attempt to sound like they're from New York, with the samples and drum patterns used giving off that knock-off East Coast sound. Plus, it doesn't help that they have three songs with the words "Hip Hop" in them and that's where the East Coast influence is on display the most. "Abandoned in da Streetz" starts off kind of strong, but begins to become a bit stale by the halfway point. Fortunately, though, the number of highs on here outweigh the lows (and the lows aren't as deep). I won't call this a classic, but I will admit that this is one of those albums that you should check out at least once, especially if you're a fan of either Souls of Mischief or The Pharcyde.