Understand This

Album review

After being hailed as a promising talent following his debut with Brand Nubian in 1990, Grand Puba struggled through a rocky decade. His 1992 solo debut, Reel to Reel, and a 1998 reunion album with Brand Nubian, Reunited, ended up being the only other highlights in an otherwise quiet decade for Puba. In 2001, however, he made an ambitious return to the rap game with Understand This, his first solo album in over five years and the first album on his Rising Son label (distributed and marketed by Koch). Furthermore, Puba produces every track on this comeback album. But, despite his ambition, Puba's return feels awkward and ultimately a bit embarrassing. Rap has always been a culture by and for the youth, and particularly in the early 2000s more than ever. Therefore, a veteran like Puba seems more than a little out of place among other East Coast rappers of the era like Jay-Z and DMX. Ultimately, Puba's just too old for the rap game. He's out of touch with the times and sounds ridiculous trying to co-opt early-2000s lingo like "ice." And it doesn't help that his productions, though adequate, are less than engaging. In the end, like the many other golden age rappers trying to make comebacks in the early 2000s, Grand Puba ultimately embarrasses himself with Understand This. Sure, you have to commend his efforts and his courage, but, even if you're a longtime fan, you kind of wish he'd thrown in the towel when he was still on top of the game. It'd be different if Puba would have stuck with his old style. However, that's sadly not the case. He's an old man unsuccessfully trying to sound young.
© Jason Birchmeier /TiVo