Review Summary: Rowdy Irish hooligans drop gangsta rhymes and worship their heritage
House Of Pain were destined to become one of the greats. However, being labeled as a one-hit wonder and not having too many huge singles made them fade into obscurity. House Of Pain were better than being one-hit wonders. They actually had decent albums and sharp rhyming skills and some of the best production in old-school hip hop. House Of Pain formed after rapper Everlast left Ice-T's rhyme syndicate. Everlast had gathered his friends Dannyboy and D.J. Lethal to make a rap/hip-hop group. Everlast went from the slick and smooth style of his debut,
Forever Everlasting, to a gruffer-voiced, gangster rap inclined, Irish heritage worshiping rhyme style. Dannyboy followed suit but had a cleaner voice to contrast with the rough drawl of Everlast. This album was released July 7th, 1992 to great success. Mostly bolstered by the success of single
Jump Around, the album went gold and went on to make House Of Pain one of the most revered rap groups of all time.
I have to admit, Everlast was never the best lyricist, He has a decent flow and voice, but his lyrics were always somewhat simplistic. He talked of his Irish heritage, being with fine women, and beating the crap out of people he didn't like. The lyrics are fun and all, but their isn't much substance. Dannyboy is like the polar opposite of Everlast. He had better lyrics than him but he had a terrible flow and can get annoying when he performs. Thankfully, it was only for 5 tracks. The production is definitely reminiscent of Cypress Hill. Probably due to the fact that D.J. Muggs produced a lot of the tracks on here. At the time, Lethal's production style was no different than Mugg's. They both used horns, trumpets and saxophones laced over a bass line and drum loop. The cuts to Jump Around and Shamrocks And Shenanigans are absolutely classic though. The simple 4/4 rhythms are instantly recognizable along with the trademark horn squeals and bouncing dance grooves. Had Dr. Dre not pioneered the sound of g-funk, This production style probably would have been imitated by many other rappers. Also, the guest spots are on point here too. You've got B-Real and Pete Rock in their prime, as well as Sondoobiest of legendary rap group, Funkdoobiest.
The album does have some pointless filler. You've got two pointless interludes as well as a shout-out track and a good, if unnecessary remix by Pete Rock. The last 4 or 5 songs are just pretty lame and should-ve been taken off to make this a more focused, almost perfect cd. Other than that, i really have no qualms about this. It's fun to blast at parties or to get into some vintage rap music. It's a little more style than substance, but still very enjoyable. They would get a hell of a lot better on their next album but this is still an enjoyable classic. A 4/5
