Facemob is a collective that as a whole represents from Houston, TX but members were recruited from different cities and states by Scarface of the Geto Boys. The group was originally comprised with five members, Devin The Dude, DMG, Smit-D, Chi-Ray and the female emcee known as 350. Devin did not participate in this release on account of him focusing on his solo career. Facemob's first appearance came in 1995 on the soundtrack of the movie called, "The Walking Dead." They would do a couple more soundtracks for different movies before launching their debut album in 1996 known as "The Other Side Of The Law." Silence is their second album and it was released after a six year hiatus in 2002 on Rap-A-Lot Records. The record is masterly produced by the likes of Tone Capone, Mr. Lee, Domo and Scarface himself. The beats are a perfect ensemble of dark, synth filled rhythms that are derived straight out of gangster territory. They are laid out with utter precision and originality is pursued with a passion. The producers from Rap-A-Lot Records were known for their extreme attention to detail when using multiple instruments and always putting together rock solid packages for their artists. So it is needless to say that they spared no expense on this release either. Lyrically the album also fares very well. The members take turns unleashing their onslaught on the microphone. Their fierce rhymes are a testament to their aggressive personalities and destructive behaviors. DMG seems to be the more dominant member but the rest are not too far behind. Guest appearances are made by Do Or Die, Yukmouth and G-Mone. Overall this was an exceptional release but it didn't garner any success. To be honest, this album was released as a last ditch effort by the folks behind Rap-A-Lot Records to save their label. It was part of the so called "Resurrection" phase that the label was going through, which was basically an attempt to put out some unreleased material by their artists and also move forward with the hard, street edged sound. The only problem was that the music in Houston as well as the entire southern region was changing and moving towards a more club savvy sound. People wanted more of the "Baller Bling Rap" or the "Swang & Bang" sound or even chart topping singles designed around a dance move and could really care less for anything that hardcore and street oriented. Had this album been released in the late nineties, it could have done wonders for Rap-A-Lot Records and the artists involved. In the end, this record was a day late and a dollar short. It was only a matter of time until the group members became disgruntled with the results and would soon break up in the following year. This album was marked as the final recording by Facemob and although it did not receive any recognition then, it is still worth a listen now.
Deadly Verses
Deadly Verses
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