Grand Puba Looks Back to Go Forward

While there was perpetually some problem with Brand Nubian – not so much their politics, but the effect that it had on the group’s potential fan base – no one would ever say that they were soft. That criticism might not be levied upon the group’s breakout star, Grand Puba, but something is goin’ on amidst the recently released RetroActive and its pervasive soul hooks. Admittedly, a great deal has gone on in the music industry since Puba’s last foray into full length albums, but that might be why parts of this new disc are a bit difficult.

Coming from one of the better respected rap group’s from the early ‘90s – although they formed in the late ‘80s – Brand Nubian trafficked in beats as easily appreciated by folks interested in De La Soul as fans of a more rugged type of hip hop music. The lyrical bent of their raps dealt with the Five Percenters as much as any other group. And even if they weren’t the only group to speak on Islam, they may have been one of the most open and militant. After the group’s first disc, though, Grand Puba decided to go it alone after tensions mounted regarding workload.

Oddly, though, the solo career this emcee has decided to follow – on this disc at least – seems more tied to the dirty underbelly of American life and the tangible things we all want. People’s views obviously change. That’s to be expected. And at one point the emcee even figures, “Got you thinkin’ the negative is positive.” But having that line in a song about how the vicious circle of life needs to be affected some how seems at odds with the previous track, simply titled “Get That Money.” Due to that contradiction – and a few others, the beats throughout all of this are one of the few unifying pieces on the release.

Of course dissecting any album and applying some sort of Frantz Fanon import to it defeats the purpose of entertainment. And when Grand Puba meets up with Q Tip on “Good to Go,” which sports a beat similar to a recent Mos Def production which in turn sounded a bit like some Rhymefest, it’s better to just sit back and enjoy. Each begins with a few boasts, but as Grand Puba persists, he figures that he’s old and new. That, in a single line, aptly defines what all of this inexplicable floundering to understand this disc comes to.

Yea, GP is from an era that’s come and gone. He’s said his piece and had time to revise it. But he’s still a vibrant voice in this subculture and will continue to be just that. RetroActive is old and new. It’s political as it wonders why “some white people won’t vote for Obama,” but the disc still has its moments primed to move a party. How many spins this’ll get in situations when folks are dancing remains to be seen, but this disc certainly is more than it could have been and shouldn’t, under any circumstance be written off as an old tyme dude trying to get back in the game.