The Pack – Based Boys

The Pack – Based Boys / 2007 Jive / 17 Tracks / http://www.myspace.com/thepack / http://www.jiverecords.com /

Individuals may know The Pack through a few different venues. First (and most likely), individuals will know The Pack through one of their prior hits – “Vans” – which was censored by MTV to remove all mentions of the title footware. Also, individuals may know The Pack through “I’m Shinin’”, which reached the elite 8 on MTV Jams. Luckily enough, this edition of The Pack’s new album, “Based Boys”, includes these two singles as well as “Candy” and “The Milky Way” remix. One sees 17 tracks on an album and assumes that an act like The Pack has thrown in some weak tracks or skits, but that is simply not the case.

Each of these tracks are solid and provide an interesting interpretation of rap by these Berkeley MCs. The act is not without their connections, either; “Booty Bounce Bopper” is a track that features the ever-famous, ever-raunchy Too Short. The dry arrangements and lengthy runtime of “Rumble” seems to be the only flaw in the early stages of “Based Boys”. The Pack are careful enough to throw in a catchy hook, but the repetition of the backing beat draws this track a little south of average. “I Look Good” is the second track of the disc and it goes back to the nineties in regard to the club-worthiness of the track. When I hear “I Look Good”, I hear early Sir-Mix-A-Lot and 12 Gauge, and that’s a good. The act as well as the backing beats are warming up, and this only bodes well for the rest of the disc. “In My Car” takes the California sound and throws in more than a healthy dollop of Detroit (and when I say Detroit, I mean ICP and Twiztid instead of Eminem).

The amount of styles that The Pack throw in and use successfully is impressive; they are one of the few acts in rap that can actually make a solid album out of a number of track, instead of throwing up garbage and a few solid tracks. For fans that have like The Pack in the past, “Based Boys” is an essential album because of all the new material and the presence of the earlier hits of the band. For new fans, the addition of these older songs allows them to get a full idea of what The Pack does at an earlier part of their career. Regardless, The Pack has a lot left to their career, and this should mark one of many solid albums by the act.

Top Tracks: At The Club, Backseat

Rating: 6.0/10