So where do I start here...
The RBL Posse (short for Ruthless By Law; perhaps they declared anarchy) is a relatively underground gangsta rap group hailing from Hunter's Point, San Francisco, and are perhaps maybe the best known rappers from San Francisco, formed by Christian Matthews (Black C), and Kyle Church (Mr. Cee). Ricky Herd (Hitman) would not join until a later date in 1995, therefore fully creating the Three Amigos.
For a while from 1992 until 1995, RBL Posse were making quite a name for themselves in the West Coast; they were not nearly as well known as other famous West Coast stalwarts such as Ice Cube, the rookie of the year at the time Snoop Dogg, or famous worldwide player and ass-shaker Too $hort. However, indie sales regionally were quite impressive, enough to get a deal on Atlantic Records. The RBL Posse had a very distinct sound; it was dark and grimey, yet very distinctly West Coast. It seemed as if the RBL Posse were destined for a blow up nationwide. Unfortunately, this good will would not last long.
On New Year's Day 1996, Mr. Cee was murdered near his home in San Francisco, in an apparent gang beef. Throughout the 1990s and the early 2000s Hunter's Point, San Francisco would be plagued by a number of gang wars and retaliation murders; eventually this reached a boiling point with Hitman being murdered in 2003, leaving only Black C as the survivng member of the RBL Posse; to this day, Black C continues the legacy of the brand, still making solo projects, as well as some weed carrier projects.
I'll go on with the RBL Posse as I progress with their discography; first, let's tackle A Lesson to Be Learned, a gangsta rap album released just before the dawn of Dr. Dre's The Chronic.
1. INTRO (FEAT. HERM LEWIS) - To start off our proceedings, we are hit with a conscious message from apparent SF community leader Herm Lewis, with a "warning" of not letting the album influence one's actions, an apparent retort of N.W.A.'s earlier messages about gangsta rap. I usually wouldn't right so much about an intro, but this feels so unfortunately ironic and out-of place; I'd listen to a preachy album if I needed to. Anyway...
2. I AIN'T NO JOKE - Starts off with a Beastie Boys sample, interestingly enough. The actual beat is pretty simple, primarily utilizing a 80s funk sampled bass, which is pretty catchy, although admittedly sounds slightly dated. Our verses, rapping about the dangers of Hunter's Point and the RBL Posse's rep, are effective enough, if not pedestrian. Overall, a pretty solid way to begin the album.
3. MORE LIKE AN ORGY - As it was a 1990s West Coast album, of course we have a sex rap. At the very least, this is a good sex rap. Black C's beat, again infused with 80s funk bass, as well as a few vocal samples, is catchy as all hell, and you just want to move to it. Lyrically, the Posse is quite descriptive and vivid with an apparent late night party, which the goal of getting sweet, black pussy. In all seriousness, this was a fun listen.
4. DON'T GIVE ME NO BAMMER WEED - The first single off the album, peaking at #16 in the Hot Rap Singles chart. An ode to quality marijuana, Black C and Mr. Cee call out those that fail in giving out good joints, as well as the beautiful effects of cannabis, thus encouraging the use and sharing of quality marijuana throughout the populace. The beat is just smooth as all hell, yet so cheery and peaceful, as if the beat itself was smoking whatever Black C and Mr. Cee brought to work that day. The chorous is goofy as hell, but that's the point. 24 years later it still holds strong.
5. BITCHES ON THE DING DONG - The beat here begins with a drum kick, which kind of reminds me of Havoc's production circa 1993-2000, which would begin with that signature drum kick. But that's the best that can be said here; the beat isn't nearly as catchy as our previous 3 beats, and sort of feels a bit like a mess. The lyrics are mostly just a generic sex rap. Unlike More Like an Orgy, this feels rather forced, and incredibly corny, thus, our first true dud of the album. Also, I wonder if Hostess ever heard this song before.
6. A LESSON TO BE LEARNED - As a general rule, title tracks usually suck, and I'm not a fan of this one; the beat basically follows the trend that Ice Cube started in 1990 of directly jacking beats for songs, so this feels rather unoriginal. Lyrically, the Posse sounds all right; the song is mostly a diss track towards the SFPD, and calling them out for police brutality (which was just as bad of an issue back then, as it is now), and a warning to them about dealing with Hunter's Point's denizens. If this song were over an actual original beat, I probably would've liked this more, but this song feels pretty average.
7. G'S BY THE 1,2,3'S (FEAT. TOTALLY INSANE) - The obligatory weed carrier track; to their credit, Totally Insane (a name I probably won't be writing about too much) manage to hold their own with the rest of the Posse. Yet again we get a pretty simple, yet actually quite smooth and catchy beat. Lyrically, our performers aren't amazing, rapping about living the thug life in the SFC; howver, overall this is another pretty solid track.
8. REMIND ME - Another West Coast track that basically jacks Patrice Rushen's Remind Me, the Posse this time raps about being able to pick up so many girls based on the popularity of the music. While this song isn't the worse, this concept has been done before, and it's been done better. Like with A Lesson to Be Learned, the song follows the Ice Cube created trend of using 2 beats in one song; also, the term "Captain Save a Hoe" seems to have been used here before E-40 made an entire song about that concept, a song that blew up on the entire West Coast and lead to the term being popularized in general.
9. SORTA LIKE A PSYCHO - Both Black C and Mr. Cee vent their frustrations about life and society, and how much they want to go Grand Theft Auto on civilization, and their anger at the system; the song turns into a simple vent into a bit of a story, where our heroes end up shooting civilians out of rage, which is actually pretty seamless. Again, the beat, while simple, is pretty smooth and catchy, so this was an enjoyable listen.
10. A PART OF SURVIVAL - The Posse deliver a pretty serious song about how crime is seriously affecting their community; our hosts deliver some pretty vivid lyrics about what life is like in the Hunter's Point, and how the struggle is seriously affecting them and their community. The beat is a bit too happy and bouncy for the serious and dark subject matter, but it manages to kick ass anyway.
11. OUTRO - An outro dedicated to friends, family members, and those that helped with the creation of the album. And with that, we are done.
SUMMARY: For an underground gangsta rap album that actually did quite well for itself regionally, RBL Posse's A Lesson to Be Learned is actually pretty good, and is a nice West Coast gem. The beats sadly sound a bit dated, and lyrically RBL Posse aren't Geoffrey Chaucer. However, a lot of these tracks actually have a lot of charm to them, which shines through.
BUY OR BURN: You should definitely buy this. While this album is out of print and quite rare, you can find this on iTunes, and you can support the RBL Posse itself through their official website.
BEST TRACKS: "Don't Give Me No Bammer Weed", "More Like an Orgy", "Sorta Like a Psycho", "G's by the 1, 2, 3's"
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