Posted on 07/06/2009
Some of y’all reading this might be asking yourselves the same question I did initially: “Grand Puba is still making music?” Well, the answer is yes, an unequivocal yes. And not only has the veteran emcee released a new record, the aptly titled RetroActive, he is going for the gold. As he states on the album’s “Get That Money,” “I’m worldwide when I do my thing, I’m just a hall of fame playa coming back to get a ring.” But what Puba will find is that hip-hop is much different than it was 19 years ago, when he and Brand Nubian first pushed their socially conscious lyrics into the musical universe. Much like the economy, one can argue that the hip-hop market is also in a recession, which would make it easier for an expert like Puba to come in and show the current crop of emcees just how it’s done. But while he exhibits definite flashes of greatness on RetroActive, the album ultimately sounds stayed and suffers from a lack of progression.

Grand Puba has been in the hip-hop game for at least 24 years. In 1990, he, Sadat X, Lord Jamar and DJ Alamo — collectively called Brand Nubian — released their critically acclaimed debut, One For All, and made an immediate splash with lyrics about black awareness and knowledge of self. Following the album’s release, Puba, one of two lead emcees in the group, went solo and released four albums in nine years: Reel to Reel in 1992; 2000 in 1995; and Understand This in 2001.

Although Grand Puba’s RetroActive lacks a certified banger, it is refreshing to hear an emcee rhyme with a purpose. And he doesn’t waste any time, immediately launching the album with “I See Dead People,” a mid-tempo track featuring Rell and Lord Jamar that discusses pivotal moments in black history and the importance for black people to know their origins. On “It Is What It Is,” which features songstress Tiffini Davis, Puba speaks about a woman he’s interested in who’s a hairdresser by day and stripper by night. Unfortunately, even Puba turns to auto-tune to sing the hook on “How Long?” which greatly detracts from the song’s message of surviving life in the ghetto. Q-Tip makes an appearance on the drum heavy “Good To Go,” Large Professor spits a verse on the intellectual “Same Old Drama,” and Kid Cupri plays hype man on the club influenced “This Joint Right Here.” Still, the combination of guest appearances and positive messages just isn’t enough to make RetroActive stick.

Hip-hop desperately needs more pioneers like Grand Puba to return to the art and set the game straight. Today’s emcees could look to the former Brand Nubian front man as an example of an artist who always aspired to teach lessons to the masses through his music. However, the new breed might be inclined to visit the greatest hits of Puba and Nubian, as RetroActive is much more retro than active.

- Marcus Moore