Why is Redman’s Muddy Waters on my best 1,000 albums ever list?
Rap music for getting one’s head up.
Some stats & info about Redman – Muddy Waters
- What kind of musical stylings does this album represent? Rap, Hip Hop, East Coast Rap, Hardcore Rap
- Rolling Stone’s greatest 500 albums ranking – not ranked!
- All Music’s rating – 4 out of 5 stars
- When was Muddy Waters released? 1995
- My ranking, the one you’re reading right now – #932 out of 1,000
Redman’s Muddy Waters on Spotify
What does the “best 1,000 albums ever” mean and why are you doing this?
Yeah, I know it’s audacious, a little crazy (okay, maybe a lot cray cray), bordering on criminal nerdery.
But here’s what it’s NOT: a definitive list of the Greatest Albums of All-Time. This is 100% my own personal super biased, incredibly subjective take on what my top 1,000 albums are, ranked in painstaking order over the course of doing research for nearly a year, Rob from High Fidelity style. Find out more about why I embarked on a best 1,000 albums ever project.
What does Redman’s Muddy Waters mean to me? What does it make me feel? Why is it exciting or compelling?
“Smoke Buddha” might be the quintessential Redman song, both musically and in terms of lyrical content. Much like other hip hop acts such as Cypress Hill, Redman frequently espouses his love for the marijuana. “Smoke Buddha” has a great looping, upbeat sample that meshes perfectly with Redman’s flow and, presumably, is ideal for getting one’s head up.
“Rock Da Spot” has a slinky bass line that reminds me a little of Camp Lo. Note here that this is a song (and album) that has lyrics that should not be played for innocent ears and, indeed, don’t necessarily age that well in some cases. Overall though, Redman has a propensity for highly clever writing that sets him apart from most other rappers of his generation.
“Da Bump” shows some nice range, a smoothed out number that flows really well. Again, we’re on the weed theme but it’s a theme that contains multitudes, yes?
This album also sounds like
Redman might just be in that sweet spot between frequent collaborator and Wu-Tang Clan alumnus Method Man and Busta Rhymes.
Pop culture stuff that’s somehow related to Redman’s Muddy Waters
Since the name of the album is Muddy Waters (for reasons that remain unclear to me) and, sadly, the blues legend did not (spoiler!) find a way onto my best 1,000 albums ever list, I figured this would be the ideal place to talk about him a little bit. Here’s what Wikipedia has to say:
McKinley Morganfield (April 4, 1913 – April 30, 1983),[1][2] known professionally as Muddy Waters, was an American blues singer-songwriter and musician who was an important figure in the post-war blues scene, and is often cited as the “father of modern Chicago blues.”[3] His style of playing has been described as “raining down Delta beatitude.”[4]
Because I’m an insane fan of the movie Goodfellas, Muddy Waters cements his legendary status by having Martin Scorsese include the brilliant “Mannish Waters” into a scene where things are spinning off the rail for Henry and Karen Hill.
And you can hear the origins of what would be coming in subsequent decades across blues and rock n’ roll in songs like “I Can’t Be Satisfied.”
Personal stuff that’s somehow related to Redman’s Muddy Waters
Listening to “Smoke Buddha,” I’m reminded of an old friend of mine, a legendary figure in his own right and fellow rugby player from my college years. His nickname was Cobain due to his longish blonde hair, which he tucked behind his ears.
He was the kind of guy that you heard about before you met, so when I did finally meet him, at an early semester keg party at the house I had just moved into, I thought of it as something of an event.
And he didn’t disappoint. I introduced myself, and the very first thing he ask me was, “Do you smoke the marijuana?”
For me, it was a moment akin to Matthew McConaughey’s character in Dazed and Confused asking the young freshman kid if he had a joint and, when the kid said no (which was the same answer and truthful answer that I responded to Cobain with), McConaughey’s David Wooderson replies, “It would be a lot cooler if you did.”