Happy 25th Anniversary to Kurupt’s second studio album The Streetz Iz A Mutha, originally released November 16, 1999.
The late ’90s were an interesting time for West Coast gangsta rap, punctuated by great flux. Death Row Records had dominated the genre during the early to mid ’90s, but the death of Tupac Shakur and the exodus of nearly all of its signature artists—including Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg—put the label in a precarious position. Ice Cube released his War & Peace Volume 1 album in 1998, but he was spending an increasing amount of time acting in and directing films. Meanwhile, the South was ascendant with the meteoric rise of record labels like No Limit and Ca$h Money Records, both with expansive rosters of up-and-coming talent. It was also a pretty big deal when Snoop Dogg ended up leaving Death Row for Master P’s No Limit imprint.
Hence, it was the “supporting players” who dominated the landscape of late ’90s Los Angeles gangsta rap. Artists like WC, Mack 10, Swoop G, and The Comrads all released memorable, if overlooked projects. And while many of the emcees on Death Row Records fled the label, many also continued to record and release slept-on albums. One of these artists was Ricardo “Kurupt” Brown.
Even when he first became known as part of the Death Row Records camp, Kurupt was a singular talent. Hailing from Philadelphia but moving to Los Angeles in his teens, he was the purest lyricist on Death Row’s roster, influenced by legendary emcees like Rakim and KRS-One. He contributed some of the dopest verses to Dre’s The Chronic (1992) and Snoop’s Doggystyle (1993). As one of half of Tha Dogg Pound, he was the lyrical star of their debut album Dogg Food (1995). After recording and releasing the double-LP Kuruption (1998), his debut solo album, he wasted no time in blessing the rap audience with Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha, which hit the shelves 25 years ago. The project was not only superior to Kurupt’s inaugural effort, it was among the best West Coast gangsta albums of that era.
But Streetz Iz a Mutha had to fight to receive its deserved shine when it dropped. A big part of that reason is Dr. Dre—Streetz was released on literally the same day as Dre’s 2001. While Streetz is arguably the better album, it couldn’t escape the shadow that 2001 cast. While 2001 was certified 6x Platinum, Streetz didn’t go Gold, according to the RIAA website.
Streetz is an album made for the car, best listened to while in transit. It’s also quintessentially Los Angeles in terms of the vibe that it captures. It really should have been released in the late spring or early summer, as it was designed to be pumping out of car stereos on sunny days, not on the eve of late fall right when the nights are getting excruciatingly longer.
Streetz’s production plays as warm. The musical backdrop is mostly provided by West Coast stalwarts like Kurupt’s Dogg Pound partner Daz Dillinger, Soopafly, and Fred Wreck. He also receives assists from Philly’s Bink! and Organized Noize. The majority of the tracks are sample free but completely funky and soulful, creating some of the best “Ridah” music ever recorded. Kurupt holds his own as an emcee throughout Streetz, but often enlists his sizeable crew to rhyme throughout the album, showcasing both familiar faces and new talent.
“Who Ride Wit Us,” the album’s second single, is a late era G-Funk classic and the best Dogg Pound song that doesn’t appear on a proper Dogg Pound album. With its elastic synths and handclaps, it’s powered by late ‘70s/early ’80s funk, as Kurupt and Daz rhyme about their domination of the West Coast. “Represent That G.C.” is a bouncy posse-cut, where rappers like Daz, Snoop Dogg, Jayo Felony, Soopafly, and Tray Dee all sing the praises of Tha Dogg Pound clique over a slightly slowed-down sample of Fatback Band’s “Kool Whip.”
Listen to the Album:
“Welcome Home,” the album’s third single, is a classic ode to the city of Los Angeles, crafted perfectly to be played at maximum volume out the back of a drop-top. Soopafly creates possibly the strongest beat on the album, filled with bubbly, popping keyboards and bass, and quick scratches of vocals. On the mic, Kurupt weaves his way through the city, hitting switches in his Impala and getting into dice games and other types of trouble.
Soopafly is in fine form as a producer throughout the album, also laying down the tracks for “It Ain’t About You” and “I Ain’t Shit Without My Homeboys.” The former is an exhibit in musical simplicity, with Kurupt, Tray Dee, and Soopafly all flowing over guitar licks and occasional synth notes. “I Ain’t Shit…” is a more complex production, featuring layers of guitars, keys, and strings. Daz, Soopafly, a young Crooked I, and Baby S join Kurupt to testify about the importance of friendship in the unforgiving environs of South Central Los Angeles.
Streetz is likely best known for its first single, “Girls All Pause,” the one clear club oriented track on the album. I’ve always had a soft spot for the Bink-produced jam. It’s also a more minimalist endeavor with Kurupt and occasionally Roscoe delivering short, seemingly clipped verses between soulful vocals and the hook by Nate Dogg, one of the best rapper/singers to ever do it. It’s one of my favorite performances by Nate Dogg in his voluminous history of making gangsta sound incredibly smooth.
Kurupt also includes some throwback late ’80s/early ’90s fast-paced tracks on Streetz, in the vein of the type of music that groups like his forefathers would record. “Loose Cannons” directly evokes (and samples) N.W.A’s “Quiet On Tha Set,” with Kurupt and Daz trading verses that sound as if they’re being broadcast through the radio. Kurupt later murders a classical music-based sample on the Bink-produced “Trylogy,” dropping a nearly two-minute verse about strong-arming his enemies both lyrically and physically.
Kurupt is later joined by Xzibit and Crooked I on “Step Up,” with all three serving some premium, battle-oriented “West Coast shit” over a strikingly rugged beat by Daz. All three emcees sound motivated and ready to rumble, as Kurupt states, “I select the methods of slow anguish / I mangle shit with my language” and Xzibit boasts that he’s the “direct descendant of the Gatling gun / Don't test me son, you fuck around and catch you one.”
“Live On the Mic” finds Kurupt fulfilling one of his life goals by recording a song with KRS-One. But rather than construct something conceptual, the pair literally freestyle in the studio, each riding the piano-heavy beat with off-the-head rhymes. In this case, neither emcee contributes their best material, but you can sense the fun and joy in the studio session, with each emcee recognizing when the time to pass the mic has come. There’s also the added bonus of hearing Kurupt’s (then) fiancée Foxy Brown laugh in the background at multiple points.
Kurupt ends the album with the brash dis track “Calling Out Names,” where he targets New York City rappers who he says weren’t representing the city correctly. Kurupt was not a stranger to beefs with NYC-based emcees. After recording “New York, New York” as a member of Tha Dogg Pound and famously knocking down the buildings in the city’s skyline in the song’s video, Kurupt enjoyed his fair share of static with East Coast artists.
But with “Calling Out Names,” things were different, as the song seems to be rooted in allegations of infidelity directed at Foxy Brown. According to Kurupt, he suspected that Foxy was cheating on him with Ruff Ryders rapper DMX. He also believed that Nas was disparaging both him and his relationship with Brown (who had recently recorded an album with Nas as a member of The Firm). As a result, Kurupt goes after DMX, Nas, and many of their affiliates, including the Murder Inc. clique, Ruff Ryders (except Eve and The Lox), The Firm, and Belly. As in the film.
The track itself is a bit sloppy, as it sounds like Kurupt is freestyling his rhymes in this case as well. But you can hear the raw bitterness and anger in Kurupt’s voice, especially as he singles out DMX. Early in the song he bluntly states, “Mothafuck D, Mothafuck M, only X I know is Xzibit or RBX.” Decades later, Kurupt revealed that he had squashed his beef with DMX and they had rekindled their friendship.
Kurupt would go on to record nearly half a dozen more solo albums, many more Dogg Pound albums, and a whole bunch of collaborative projects with artists like Roscoe and DJ Quik. I’d personally put Tha Streetz Iz A Mutha at the top of his catalogue. It possesses the best balance of his talents and the lushest beats that he ever blessed. Though it may not have received the shine that it deserved when it was released, it still stands as the pinnacle of its era.
LISTEN:
Editor's note: this anniversary tribute was originally published in 2019 and has since been edited for accuracy and timeliness.