Life Of A Kid In The Ghetto: Demos & Rarites

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Review by Andrea Boston

Edo G & Da Bulldog’s Life of a Kid in the Ghetto: Demos & Rarities would be the dopest album to have on a gently loved 12-inch. In 1991, Edo G & Da Bulldogs represented the Northeast with debut darling Life of a Kid in the Ghetto, introducing the Black United Leaders ,Living Directly On Grooving Sounds to the world’s attention. Distributed by Mercury Records, this underground favorite shot the breezy single “I Got to Have It” to Billboard’s Hot 100 Rap Singles and — most importantly — to the crest of the legendary Yo! MTV Raps countdown. The accolades poured in and the album found considerable success, but by 1993’s Roxbury 02119, Da Bulldogs began to fade into “what ever happened to…?” obscurity, as the sounds of the early ‘90s shifted shape. Edo G eased down the solo road with 2004’s My Own Worst Enemy, but it was his mischievous persona and verbal fitness on tracks recorded during the heyday of new jack swing that warranted a fresh spit shine.

The greatest part about Life of a Kid in the Ghetto: Demos & Rarities is the actual Demos & Rarities element. Both discs serve as time capsules, brimming with gobs of original recordings and alternate versions of Edo G classics, never revealed to the public until now — a preposterous 17 years later. The first disc opens the velvet curtains on Edo G & Da Bulldogs’ humble beginnings with four original versions of early triumphs, including “I Got to Have It,” “I’m Different” and the boot-knockin’ brass-samplin', “Feel Like a Nut.” The sound quality quivers throughout with a gritty layer of analogue that strips each song down to the bare necessities: raw talent and a live beat.

Fans might be a little bummed that each song doesn’t mirror the polished versions they came to love; that the groundbreaking “Be a Father to Your Child” is only an instrumental, and that “Bugaboo” is nowhere in sight, but overall, it’s hard to snub the troupe’s explosive enthusiasm. Edo G’s tripped-up lyrics hustle through googley-eyed courtship in “Me & You Girl,” and everyday haters in “Punk Like You,” but it’s disc two that’s arguably the most cohesive compilation. “Stay Funky’s” saxophone hook converts non-believers to his pledge of authenticity, and “How It’s Supposed to Be” featuring KRS-One is such a strong pairing between two East coast trailblazers, it’s an abomination that this track has been kept under wraps until now. The multiple renditions of songs are redundant, but the quality of the music speaks for itself.