Aug 29 2008
Reviews: B. Nice ‘Do the Nice Thing’ (2007)
Album cover
This gem is from my 2007 portfolio archives. Take a look. This guy is well worth one!
By La Penna Prolifica™ | 2007
B. Nice: Do the Nice Thing
Reviewed by Mikey Mystik
What do you get when you cross the old school stealthy, tight flows of A Tribe Called Quest and the teacher mentality of KRS-One with the effortless freestyles of Eminem and a Master’s Degree in Multi-cultural Humanistic Education? Answer: Long Island born, non-novelty, Caucasian emcee and hip hop humanitarian, Brian “B. Nice” Birkeland and his new indie disc Do the Nice Thing. This musical equivalent of education on wax touches the brain on all points.
From the motivational speech of “Full Time” where Mr. Nice bluntly spits over confident horns and an easy-bumpin,’ mid-tempo kick drum… “Too much to accomplish/What the Hell would I chill for?/Level-headed Imma get it instead/ I’ll work hard now and rest when I’m dead!” to the life lessons of “Life Learner” and “Do 4 U” where he imparts, “It don’t matter if you can’t read or write as long as you are literate to the hatred and greed in life.” The education continues on the schoolhouse friendly “Cryin’” in which the “emceeducator” tells tales of his parents’ broken marriage, his teenage love, and the loss of his friends to the ills of the world with such transparency that you may actually find yourself reliving ten years of your life all over again in three and a half minutes. Nice truly is the “optimal optimist always seein’ positive [transforming] ahead of [his] prime just like Optimus.”
Producer Peter Perfect tags along on the tracks of Nice’s train of rhymes as the graffiti artist of old school breaks that Kanye hasn’t used yet. What Perfect lacks in resources he makes up for in diversity. On “Lovely Day” he creates a radio-friendly summertime joint to roll to without allowing his wingman to lose a step. Perfect summons the funk of Kool Keith on “Bionic Man” without making it sound like Kool Keith, and “Block Boys” thumps just enough not to overpower Nice’s lashing wordplay.
Overall, this is an excellent album. The only con I can find is that somehow Do the Nice Thing sounds like it could be even more. Is the “distinguished gentlemen with a bounce like gelatin” holding out on us? Of course he is! Rating 4/5
Album available at myspace.com/bniceakaniceb
Until we meet again… from the Outskirts!
