Steve 'Flash' JuonPeople may have forgotten how influential Rick Ross was. In 2010 he was near the top in both name recognition and popularity for rappers when he released the Lex Luger produced “B.M.F. (Blowin’ Money Fast)” featuring Styles P. You may not even think you know the song until I say the words “I think I’m Big Meech… Larry Hoover… whippin’ work… Hallelujah.” If you were around at the time the melody would instantly be stuck in your head. The next year B.G. Knocc Out’s track “Knocc Em Off” produced by Dreasbeats was a knock off of both Ross vocally and Luger musically.
It’s not an accident. Ross was just that overwhelming of a presence at the time, much like the late Eric Wright was when B.G. Knocc Out first came on the scene. The man who calls himself “Eazy-E’s Protege” got a memorable start in the game screaming “WELLLLL” and then proceeding to diss both Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg as “pranksters, studio gangsters, busters” on E’s “Real Muthaphuckkin G’s” along with his half brother Dresta. A lot of things changed between 1993 and 2011 though, including Knocc Out doing a ten year bid starting in 1998 on an attempted murder charge. The intro to the song “Freedom” makes that part of his history crystal clear.
That’s not all though. The man born Arlandis Hinton changed his name to Al Hasan Naqiyy after converting to the Muslim faith (salām). I respect Knocc Out for serving his time and rehabilitating himself mentally and spiritually. Whether or not he actually did what he was accused of when he was sent up, he clearly came out a changed man. That also comes through on songs like “It’s All Good” when Knocc Out reminisces on his past relationships and says “all these silly hoes, I really pity those.” It’s a little misogynistic, but at least he’s looking forward to a more stable and respectful partnership as is his partner in rhyme Iceberg.
The other thing you can’t deny that changed is B.G. Knocc Out’s voice. He was incredibly young when Eazy-E first put him down on wax and if being in prison didn’t harden his voice the years and the testosterone in his veins certainly did. I have to smile a little knowing B.G. is short for Baby Gangsta, because there’s no doubt on “Protect Me From My Friends” he’s fully grown and wary of the people he knew in his past life. “Protect me from my friends, I can handle my enemies.” “These niggaz ain’t nothin’ but snakes in the grass.” Tell ’em how you feel Knocc Out, don’t hold back.
Let’s make it clear though — my respect for B.G. Knocc Out is not equivalent to me saying “Eazy-E’s Protege” is a must have album. Your interest in this album will be a direct consequence of being a fan of Eazy-E from the 1980’s and 90’s before his untimely passing. If you didn’t know E, you wouldn’t know B.G., and if you didn’t know B.G. you’d have no reason to pick this up. It was a fairly pedestrian album in its time and while Knocc Out’s voice aged like whiskey in a barrel his music didn’t. “I’m a real nigga, I’m into real shit.” We believe you B.G. and you don’t need more people, but these aren’t exactly insightful or revelatory remarks. When he’s not accidentally or intentionally sounded like Rick Ross over Dreasbeats, he’s very much a run-of-the-mill gangster rapper from the 2010’s. His friendship with Eric Wright lit a fire under him to drop a memorable anti-Death Row diss, but both his mentor and that label were long buried when this album dropped and it shows. He’s good (slightly above average) but the irony here is that sounding like Rick Ross for a song doesn’t give B.G. any of his star power or status.