The Jungle Brothers are a golden age hip hop duo from Brooklyn, New York consisting of Afrika Baby Bam & Mike Gee. Originally a trio alongside DJ Sammy B, their 1988 debut Straight Out the Jungle & the sophomore effort Done by the Forces of Nature under Warner Records are considered to be some of the most important hip house albums ever created, although their music since then has generally been hit or miss. However, I still had interest for the Native Tongues subgroup’s 2nd extended play.
“Make the Party Rock” featuring TdiMuzik begins with a fun intro talking about 2-steppin’ on muhfuckas even if the TdiMuzik verse was alright whereas “Check This Out” takes it back to the group’s signature hip house sound calling for everyone on the dance floor to put their backs into it. “Special Request (Dancin’)” kicks off the 2nd half with a carefree party anthem while “Rocket” concludes the EP talking about them continuing to rock stages.
A great deal of the Jungle Brothers’ output for the past 3 decades has mostly been average at worst & I might not have Concrete Jungle on the very same pedestal as their first couple of LPs that were so groundbreaking, but I think it’s a decent return for them overall. The production shifts between the hip house sound that made them so unique & boom bap, although I wouldn’t go as far to say that they don’t really push either those styles forward.
Score: 6/10