Ahmad

Album review

Ahmad's 1994 self-titled debut was G-funk lite. It avoided the gangsta violence and cultural criticism that defined much of the music from his South Central neighborhood, and followed instead in the laid-back footsteps of Dr. Dre's epochal 1992 release The Chronic. While it lacked Dre's midas production and wasn't quite as solid as stylistic contemporary Montell Jordan's This Is How We Do It, Ahmad was still full of great songs. With its images of playground foolery and junior-high discovery, "Back in the Day" depicted Ahmad's boyhood days in an idyllic, wistful light -- a hip-hop Norman Rockwell painting. It was the only significant single from Ahmad's debut, but by no means was it the only thing worth hearing. "Touch the Ceiling," "Can I Party?," and the self-explanatory "We Want the Funk" were all charming, Parliament/Funkadelic-style jams. "Homeboys First," while a bit clichéd, was rumbling and jocular, with a debt to Low End Theory-era Tribe Called Quest. Ahmad wasn't able to capitalize on his success, and eventually faded from sight. But his debut is a memorable ride, with a youthful, effervescent vibe as warm as the California sun.

© Johnny Loftus /TiVo