Chapter 11

Going for Broke

Dime City Records

(Chapter 11 MySpace)

Ain’t nobody does it better. You want some flowing hip hop mixed with some bouncy reggae? Then look no further than Chapter 11. On its sophomore effort, this Long Beach outfit has traded in its instruments for turntables, yet still delivers an organic feeling follow-up to its hugely popular debut, Live & Direct.

Chapter 11’s three MCs - Daddy Scotty, Stoney and Kepwon all return on Going for Broke, with each continuing to deliver their unique vocal style over incredibly infectious beats supplied by Jungle Josh and Javier Contender.

You want a party jumping? For immediate results, just spin the album opener, West Coast Cali, a homage to Chapter 11’s home state. The band continue to feed the goods time on such tracks like Ragamuffin Girlfriend and Blaze it Up, but one of Chapter 11’s strengths is in its diversity. Therefore, it refuses to ignore the not so good times with the poignant Living & Dying, Same O and Life Tuff.

Tim Wu (saxophonist) of Long Beach Dub All-stars fame returns again and adds his talents to a handful of tracks. It’s always a pleasure to hear Tim in any setting and his playing on songs like Living and Dying and Lik Shots is more than welcome.

After storming through 15 tracks of healthy beats, going on to further prove its diversity Chapter 11 changes pace and closes the album with the acoustic, Hurts So Bad, featuring Daddy Scotty performing solo. The result? All I can say is someone seriously needs to get him to record a solo album, as it is so beautifully done.

Chapter 11 really stands behind the album title, as the band has really ‘gone for broke’ with the record’s excellent production and well thought-out album packaging. As I said at the start of this review, for an independent act - ain’t nobody does it better.

Reviewed by Pilipo

Going for Broke can be purchased online here