Nice & Smooth - self titled debut. album

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

Now i understand Philaflava is generally of kids who think that Nice & Smooth ruined "dwyck"
but those with taste who'd rather listen to Schoolly D than some emasculated hippy faggot like Common know that Nice & Smooth were THE shit
especially their debut album from 1989.



I love this album
the production, which they did themselves alongside their dj Teddy Ted from Awesome 2, was absolutely off the hook
most producers were still usin' the same old James Brown loops over and over
and while some of the usual suspect samples like "impeach..", "substitution", "amen brother" and "think" appear
these cats were also sampling Fat Albert, Parliament, Barry White, King Floyd and Richard Pryor
and usin' ill vocal soul samples years before anyone
check "ohh child".

What i also like was their rap style was a throwback to the early 80's nursery rhyme party raps by Busy Bee,
the old harmonizing rap groups like Super 3 or Coldcrush Brothers
and maybe a nod to Run Dmc as well.

You gotta love their whole smooth steez in general really :
talkin' about chillin' on the french riviera
the ridiculously macked out "something i can't explain" joint
references to Blake Carrington from Dynasty
the cover where they're rockin' the bowler hats and cigars with Dapper Dan suits.

Greg Nice also casually uses the word "cunt" on here
on the sex rhymes track "hit me"
you gotta show love for that.

I shouldn't have to mention all the hot cuts on this album
so i won't
instead i'll remind you of that dope Greg Nice "set it off" track :

"..Let's take it it back to the old school
let's take it to Union Square
let's take it back to the L.Q
wave yer hands like you just don't care.."

[Y@k Bollocks]

The snappiest dressers in hip hop.

I was a big fan of 'Ain't A Damn Thing Changed' and was relatively late getting into this album. Needless to say i was blown away. So many bangers, but its all about 'Dope Not Hype'.

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

Word to the second album
"paranoia", "down the line" and "hip hop junkies" are personal favorites
and word to "dope not hype" also
that cut is absolutely bangin'.

[oracle21]

great album as was their second joint in my opinion. they have very basic lyrics and rhymes schemes but a good sense of chemistry and had fun doin there joints

[hired gun]

quintessential "party hip hop" in my opinion. Literally just fun music. "Ayo Kick a wicked rhyme like a fortune teller, had a dog by the name of ol yella, ol yella had a fiendish plot, schemed and dreamed for me to get a knot, ever since then booties clocked me like Big Ben". Just hearing that verse kick in, takes me back to Red jugglin the Kane sample in the beginning FOREVER. you have to appreciate Nice N Smooth.

[Liger Woods]

haven't heard the first but i got the second album on tape when i was about 6. i might have to find that tape to really appreciate it but liked it when i was a youngster.

[devoglam]

never heard that album. or seen it used. but i know album #2 is pretty strong.

[mud]

Nice & Smooth ruined "dwyck"

[curiouscharles]

never heard their albums, only heard the joint "sometimes i rhyme slow, sometimes i rhyme quick", it's pretty sick, otherwise have never been able to find any of their albums, i was 5 in 1989 so i was aloof to this group

[Diggedy]

Big fan of this album.. Still have it only on cassette...

Favorite tracks are "Early To Rise" and "No Delayin"..

[oracle21]

in my opinion i do not think that they ruined dwyck. they added a different dimension to it. well thats just me

[Cryptic One]

people who think they ruin dwyck baffle me... as if Guru was leagues ahead of them on it... "lemonade was a popular drink and it still is"... i can see how that outshines them

i prefer their 1st album over their second...but both are great

i used also love the song No Bones in Ice Cream (the b-side to the Funky For You)... but i dont think it ever made it on an LP (maybe on re-issues??)

great group, great songs, great beats, great chemistry

they werent the most lyrically lyrical lyricist, but they had tons charisma to make up for it

[clark bent]

this album isnt close to being great...early to rise and funky for you are classic...funky for you is one of my 50 favorite rap songs...but the rest of the album ranges from just listenable to downright shitty...aint a damn thing changed is infinitely better than this

as for dwyck if anything they made the song not ruined it...without them its another great gangstarr song...with them is an all-time classic posse cut

ps- for the record id much rather listen to common than schooly d

[Philaflava]

my boy sold me this cd for 5.00 years ago and it was one of the best things that abe has ever gotten me.

i believe on half.com this cd would sell for a bit.

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

'Bent,
you are seriously buggin' now
this is far better overall than "ain't a damn thing changed"
and it's also better than "to the east blackwards"
both beat-wise and lyrically.

However,
you're 100 % right about "dwyck"
the whole point of the song is that it's a throwback joint
evokin' the spirit of 80's parties/rappers
which is why Nice & Smooth were perfect on it.

It is and will always be a club classic
it's the "top billin'" of the 90's, isn't it?
simple yet banging beat over a classic break
and every single line is a quotable.

[Dunnnnleavy]

what better way to start off a verse than "i left my philly at home, do you have another? / i want to get blunted, my brother" ???

[Galvatron78]

people who think they ruin dwyck baffle me... as if Guru was leagues ahead of them on it... "lemonade was a popular drink and it still is"... i can see how that outshines them

i prefer their 1st album over their second...but both are great

i used also love the song No Bones in Ice Cream (the b-side to the Funky For You)... but i dont think it ever made it on an LP (maybe on re-issues??)

great group, great songs, great beats, great chemistry

they werent the most lyrically lyrical lyricist, but they had tons charisma to make up for it

yeah "No Bones in cream" was just re-issued i copped dubs of that hit like a month ago and shit. This was one of my favorite duos in hiphop and the video for "Funky for you" was one of my favorites ever...and remember igggling at the line (keep in mind I was 11) "Hello I hate jello!!!" i kept saying that shit in the 6th grade. Dope albums i even kind of liked their third one a little bit.

[Kelly Kel]

"dizzie gillespie plays the sax" - Nice N Smooth are Legends
Greg Nice has one of the coolest voices in Hip Hop of all time

[Rezal]

I love this group so much I actually bought their last album when it dropped. Regrettable, but still there were a couple of salvageable joints. A live "DWYCK" for one, sans Guru. Kid Capri gave them a nice track too.

[Career Over Like Mike(NJJ)]

Kid Capri is god
i need to make a Kid Capri thread sometime.

[Combo7]

as for dwyck if anything they made the song not ruined it...without them its another great gangstarr song...with them is an all-time classic posse cut

Took the words out of my mouth.

[oracle21]

was gonna make a thread about this album but saw this. been rocking this all week. good stuff

[Versive]

Nice & Smooth ruined "dwyck"

greg nice's verse >>> guru's verse

[cenzi]

so basically only one shit head actually agrees that Nice and Smooth ruined Dwyck here. I think you can put that thought to rest. Dwyck was Dwyck because of Nice and Smooth.

But leaving the obvious aside, I think that they did better on their second album. I'm a big fan of the faggotest song on the album though. Cake And Eat It Too has a nice funky bassline to it. And Down The Line is one of my favorite posse cuts. (Shit... whoever uses the word "posse" is over 30 without a doubt.)

[PopsUK]

I always liked everything they did apart from that "Blazin' Hot" album which was probably the worst thing to ever burn my ears.

[CRASH DDZ]

never heard that album. or seen it used. but i know album #2 is pretty strong.

Cool story bros ? I got one for ya.. I worked in a record store (Record Town) and we had this CD in a long box.. old schoollers know.. I was going to buy it and had it stashed at the counter. All the employees had stuff on hold there.. But I had scribbled on the long box and someone had poked a hole through it...
Anyway they had an inventory night and all our holds got thrown in with the stuff going back to whatever warehouse.. so all our picks were gone.

About a 2 maybe years later the fair grounds had one of those "Car stereos 20 DOLLARS !! Blu-Ray players 25$ DOLLARS !!! Computers and TV's as low as 45 Dollars !!" type sales and we went.. There was a CD booth that had literally thousands of cd's.. Almost immediatly after starting to sift through them to see what they had.I found the exact copy of that Nice and Smooth .and bought it.

[oracle21]

haha great story. how much u end up gettin it for

[CRASH DDZ]

I think something like $7 ? or 2 for 7? I bought a stack but it was the first one I found.. the rest were bonuses ha ha...

[KITFUNK]

I was a big fan of 'Ain't A Damn Thing Changed'.