Oh No is a 46 year old MC & producer from Oxnard, California known for being 1/2 of The Professionals with his older brother Madlib & of course Gangrene with The Alchemist. His debut album The Disrupt under Stones Throw Records would become a west coast hip hop gem & the sophomore effort Exodus into Unheard Rhythms of course relied on Galt MacDermot samples. Ohnomite & the Chris Keys-produced Ashes would succeed the Oxperiment & Ethiopium beat tapes, returning over a decade after Disrupted Ads for his 6th studio LP after signing to Nature Sounds.
After the “Broken Radio” intro, “No One’s Stop” ruggedly begins with The Disrupt jumping over a gritty self-produced instrumental trying to get guap setting up shop whereas “Community Trenches” by Team Getem featuring Blu, Kazi & M.E.D. finds the quintet advising staying indoors so the war outside can be avoided. Rah Digga & Talib Kweli both rip the mic together for “Around Here” letting it be known that some ain’t allowed to be near their premises while the 2nd & final single “Rooftop Shottas” by Ghostface Killah & TriState finds the pair coming together over a gully beat advising to give up everything they got in the middle of a stickup unless you wanna get shot.
Following the “Dr. Nodega Informercial” skit, “Gutter Streams” reunites Gangrene a year & a half following their comeback Heads I Win, Tails You Lose to talk about making the needle break after shooting dope through people’s veins & after the “Watch Ya Steps” interlude, Guilty Simpson alongside Montage One & Vic Spencer along with him for the spaciously raw “Grounding Stars” so they can get at the throats of those who think they be running shit.
J. Sands takes us all on an 103 second “Nodega Run” having some vibraphones backing his storytelling while the lead single “Money Everyday” by Big Twins & Tha God Fahim talking about looking for new ways of getting paid. After the “Nobody Told U” interlude, “How Crime Works” by Crimeapple gets on some boom bap shit explaining his grind up until the “Alley Loitering” interlude.
“No Parking Zone” featuring Logic sets out for all the smoke with the wankstas acting like they really got it while “Czarnobyl Torture” featuring Esoteric carries the battle bars over wanting their opposition to know the applause wasn’t meant to be a congratulatory gesture to them. And after the “Good Beer Therapy (Interlude)”, “Likwit Smoke” by Tash & Wildchild makes it clear they’re still part of the Likwit Crew.
The song “ICU with Bottle Service” featuring Bishop Lamont finishes up our last few minutes of exploring the Nodega with him & Oh No over a Khrysis instrumental sampling what sounds like an SNES video game warning that they’ll let fists fly towards detractors who stay flapping their mouths while “Corner Goons” by Team Getem featuring Jayo Felony concludes with the trio suggesting everybody chillin’ at the corner to move because they carrying weight.
Thematically built around a corner store where all microphone assassins can stop through to lay down their street tales, Oh No cooks up a freshly wild collection of songs as the drama unfolds only contributing a handful of verses & letting his guests shine throughout a good bulk of Nodega. His production is some of the most cinematic he’s ever made & even though his performances are all occasional, a great deal of the veterans that’re brought on board all do what they’ve become known for VERY well.
Score: 8/10