Jive (1994)
Every Wednesday, in honor of Ed Lover Dance Day from Yo MTV Raps, I take a break from rock and roll to write a little bit about hip hop. In the late 80s and early 90s hip hop ruled my musical life. During this often called 'Golden Era' I discovered so much incredible music. As I am slowly replacing the CDs I've had for twenty-five plus years with vinyl copies, I'm going to talk about some albums that had a really important impact on me during some very formative years.
This was Casual's third single from Fear Itself, but if I was in charge of the release I would have had "Me-O-Mi-O" the lead single. I think that of all of the incredible songs on the full length, this is the one that would have the most opportunity for mass appeal in 1994. The rumbling bass along with killer lyrics and an easily digestible sing along hook should have been a smash hit. Why it wasn't I'll never know, but it's a true highlight on an album that is packed with high points.
We've got a bunch of extra tracks on the 12" version. We have "Me-O-Mi-O (It'd A Me Thang)," which isn't a remix at all, but a new track with different production and different lyrics. Aside from sort of referencing the original's hook in its own hook, I'm not sure why the two are connected at all. The beat is a little sparser and more dark than you'd think for a Hiero cut from this era, but as usual, Casual is on point and turns in some great verses.
There's also an exclusive song called "Rock On" that features Pep Love. This one is built off a jazzy brass loop with some great scratching and laid back performances from Cas and Pep. It's a little on the slow side, but really everything these guys touched during this era was pretty flawless. Lastly, we have the Disseshowedo remix of "That's How It Is." Since that song is already on the That's How It Is 12", I'm not really sure why it makes another appearance here.
Casual - "Me-O-Mi-O"
Casual - "Me-O-Mi-O (It's A Me Thang)"
Casual - "Rock On"
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