Kuruption! CD

Personnel includes: Kurupt, Freeze, Baby S, Andre Wilson, Blaq Toven, Slip Capone, Tray D, Paul, Fuss, Buckshot, Barshawn, El-Drex, Short Khop, Trigga, Slop, Patacico, Deadly Venoms, Ralik Royale, Snake, Floyd, Drea (rap vocals); Dana, Shelene (background vocals).
Producers include: Battlecat, D-Moet, Soopa Fly Priest, Warren G., Daz Dillinger.
Producers: Battlecat, Studiotone, Priest "Soopafly" Brooks, Easy Mo Bee, Daz Dillinger.
Kurupt is an example of a hardcore rapper who has one foot on the East Coast and the other on the West Coast. The MC grew up in north Philadelphia, but after moving to L.A., he became associated with Death Row Records and worked with the Dr. Dre/Snoop Doggy Dogg/Warren G crowd. When Death Row fell apart and Death Row's infamous Suge Knight was serving hard time in prison, Kurupt resurfaced with his A&M-distributed ANTRA label. The first ANTRA release was Kuruption, a two-CD set that contains a "West Coast Disc" and an "East Coast Disc." While the West Coast disc has more of a G-funk flavor, it isn't devoid of East Coast influences. Kurupt may have been influenced by the California rappers he hung out with, but he never abandoned the type of tongue-twisting complexity that has often characterized New York rappers. The East Coast disc, meanwhile, lives up to its title -- tunes like "No Feelings," "Light Shit Up," and "The Life" emphasize verbal technique and provide tongue twister after tongue twister. Kurupt's rapping skills are strong, but in terms of subject matter, he's rather limited and unfocused. Most of the time, he's content to simply boast about his rapping skills and hurl profanity at other MCs. The end result is a release that is uneven and not remarkable, but does have its moments. ~ Alex Henderson
Kurupt is an example of a hardcore rapper who has one foot on the East Coast and the other on the West Coast. The MC grew up in north Philadelphia, but after moving to L.A., he became associated with Death Row Records and worked with the Dr. Dre/Snoop Doggy Dogg/Warren G crowd. When Death Row fell apart and Death Row's infamous Suge Knight was serving hard time in prison, Kurupt resurfaced with his A&M-distributed ANTRA label. The first ANTRA release was Kuruption!, a two-CD set that contains a "West Coast Disc" and an "East Coast Disc." While the West Coast disc has more of a G-funk flavor, it isn't devoid of East Coast influences. Kurupt may have been influenced by the California rappers he hung out with, but he never abandoned the type of tongue-twisting complexity that has often characterized New York rappers. The East Coast disc, meanwhile, lives up to its title -- tunes like "No Feelings," "Light Shit Up," and "The Life" emphasize verbal technique and provide tongue twister after tongue twister. Kurupt's rapping skills are strong; in terms of subject matter, he's content to boast about his rapping skills and hurl profanity at other MCs. The end result is an uneven release that does have its moments. ~ Alex Henderson
With an innovative idea, (a double disc with divided between West and East coasts), Kurupt packs some impressive jams onto his Antra/A&M solo debut, KURUPTION. Giving each coast at least 10 tracks to flip over, Kurupt enlists a super team of producers to help him complete his mission. His Dogg Pound partner Daz, L.A. beat-maker Battlecat, Bay area producer Studiotone, funk freaker Priest "Soopafly" Brooks, D-Moet and newcomer Storm from the Wu-Tang Clan serve up thick slices of sonic butter. Some of the tracks that stand out on the West Coast side are "Make Some Noise," "That's Gangsta" and "Play My Cards." The first single "We Can Freak It," features a slick East Coast remix by Stevie J and an appearance from Noreaga. In addition, Dr. Dre lends his production talents to "Ask Yourself A Question."
Why the addition of an East Coast disc? Keep in mind the Kurupt hails from Philly and is determined not to forget his roots. "Light Shit Up" features an appearance fRolling Stone (9/17/98, p.96) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...KURUPTION bristles with the energy of a major talent stepping out of the shadows into the spotlight....Kurupt's urgent flow, derived from his idol Rakim, unifies the two discs..."
Rolling Stone (9/17/98, p.96) - 3.5 Stars (out of 5) - "...KURUPTION bristles with the energy of a major talent stepping out of the shadows into the spotlight....Kurupt's urgent flow, derived from his idol Rakim, unifies the two discs..."
Vibe (10/98, p.168) - "...the album attempts to bridge the gap many folks believe he and his Dogg Pound brethren helped create..."
The Source (10/98, p.214) - 3.5 Mics (out of 5) - "...With one side catering to his East Coast affiliates and the other catering to his homies on the West, Kurupt does hang tough in the vocal booth..."
The Source (10/98, p.214) - 3.5 Mics (out of 5) - "...With one side catering to his East Coast affiliates and the other catering to his homies on the West, Kurupt does hang tough in the vocal booth..."