Groovable cuts like "Pick It Up" and "Da Bump" syllabically mow down underground perpetrators.
"Displaying maturity as a producer, he resurrects his political commentator skills from '92 on the police-wary "What U Lookin' 4." The spiritually swaying "Whateva Man" finds the funk doctor flying his smokey flag for the underachievers. But it's when rallying self-fulfilling causes that Red is most open." Now how many rappers can do that shit and still sell units? Waters continues in the same expansive vein, coming down a notch on the comprehensibility meter in order to deal with earthly issues, some of which have been consistent from jump street. The steady, bubbling syncopation on Whut? flipped to a furious flow of hazy metaphors and punchlines, best demonstrated on cuts like "Da Journee," Cosmic Slop" and "Green Island." Passionate about strictly taking the underground to new heights, Red publicly forewarned that Darkside wasn't made for everyone, especially the radio. Aside from the consistently gloomy, over-stripped arrangements and cryptic space-talk, Red took the path of Mothership pioneers Sun Ra and George Clinton, switching his style in defiance of complacency. The fascination with forging new lyrical horizons left many fans baffled and disillusioned when Red zoomed spaceward with the gold-selling Dare Iz A Darkside. Slightly lodging the effort between the musical/lyrical cohesiveness of 1992's Whut? Thee Album, and the rhyme inventiveness of 1994's Dare Iz a Darkside, Redman comes to groove with the masses, but he'll be damned if it's easily digestible for everyone. "Def Squad lion Redman has no problem blazing up the path between mainstream and the underground with his third Reggie Noble vs alter ego installment, Muddy Waters.