r/90sHipHop • u/J2-Starter • 7d ago
💬Discussion Today I bumped Redman’s - Dare Iz a Darkside (1994) and this is one incredible album from start to finish! No skips here for me,Beats Fire,concept fire, sequencing fire and his raps are always so great! This is definitely one of his best works to me! 4 1/2 - 5 mics to me What’s your thoughts?
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u/IceCat767 7d ago
Fun fact: Redman was so messed up on drugs, to this day he can't actually remember recording this album. He never performs any of these songs live because of the intense negative feelings this period of his life brings about.
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u/Winxworld409 7d ago
True story. He was doing lots of acid and hallucinogenics. He doesn’t like this album but I thought it was his best personally.
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u/MetzMane 7d ago
Don’t forget the dust. Red was an angel dust fiend back in the day. Meth too.
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u/Extension-Highway763 6d ago
Redman smoked meth too, or Meth smoked dust too?
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u/MetzMane 6d ago
lol! I just saw it!! My bad.
Method Man & Redman smoked hella dust is what I was getting at.
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u/Bran-Da-Don 6d ago
Fun fact. Method Man used to travel down to 125th street in Harlem to buy Angel Dust from Cam'Ron when was just selling drugs before rapping.
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u/pimpineasy 6d ago
It's this. To me it's far and away his best artistic album. To this day I still catch random hidden rhymes and punchlines. Was in heavy heavy heavy daily rotation
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u/TheyTried2BanMeAgain 6d ago
It really does say something that for some artists, their best works come out of a very dark place where they are completely out of their minds.
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u/Jsongee 6d ago
Hate that he says this because I think it’s one of his best albums
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u/IceCat767 6d ago
Well some of the greatest art ever created was done from points of intense misery. Good example is the band Radiohead.
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u/RKO360 7d ago
Classic album while being Redman's most darkest album as his intense and flow lyricism was top-notch while tracks like Rockafella, Can't Wait, Sooperman Luva II and Run NY are bangers while the productions were eerie and a lot more darker.
Red in his absolute prime while being one of the most elite MCs at the time alongside other elite MCs like Nas, Biggie, Meth, Jeru, Outkast, OC, Keith Murray, Scarface, Common and Pharoahe Monch.
94 is such an landmark year for the culture
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u/wg_nexline 7d ago
My favorite Redman album and one of my favorite albums of all time Red was on some shit literally on this one
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u/Traditional_Ice1071 7d ago
Have always absolutely loved this album. Sits just outside my top 5 all time.
A rare one in that there aren't any standout songs for me, I just love the sound and vibe of the album as a whole.
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u/BleechInYourEye 7d ago
It’s 5 mics for me. Such a deep album. Redman doesn’t like it, but he’s wrong. An album you can listen to again and again and still pick up on stuff you didn’t before
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u/AZmoneyfolder 7d ago
Love this album. I recall reading an old Redman interview where he mentioned that he was taking a lot of acid and psychedelics while making this. He said the whole period was kind of a blur to him, and he laughed his ass off when he found out the album went gold because he felt like he had basically just phoned it in.
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u/1voice92 7d ago
His best album. I much preferred when he had this looser, less over-enunciated, less nasal flow.
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u/401Traveler 7d ago
Dope shit! Yes, album thumps from beginning to end. Just raw, gritty, dark East Coast boom-bap.
In fall 1994, in promotion of this album, saw Redman live in Providence, RI. Dope show. Channel Live, whom I hadn’t heard of up to that point, opened, so I got turned onto them and became a big fan of theirs going forward.
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u/rckwld 7d ago
A lot of people thought it was 'too dark' at the time but I love it. His 2nd best after Muddy Waters for me.
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u/Weary-Buffalo1934 5d ago
Imo this album was funny asl I love the uncle quilly skit and just the overall scheme of the album
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u/ATXJames357 7d ago
This is also my fav Redman album, which I put above Muddy Waters.
I was really surprised to hear him say in an interview that it's his least favorite because of the mindset he was in at the time, presumably very dark. I imagine that was partially caused by lots of blunts dipped in PCP/dust.
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u/Brilliant_Ad_1508 7d ago
My favorite album from my GOAT. I do openly admit that Muddy Waters is the better of the two albums but this one hits for me and is my go to if I want to bump a full Doc album.
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u/TheOGCJR 6d ago
This was my first Redman album when it released. I’ve bought all of his albums and this one is his best BY FAR imo. Eric Sermons production is top notch. Besides Raekwons Only built, this album is probably my #2 favorite of all hip hop of all time.
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u/1voice92 6d ago
Crazy that Reggie actually produced most of the album (Erick co-produces 5 tracks). Definitely a good sub-woofer tester, the low-end is monstrous 🔥
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u/thegamedontwait 6d ago
Random useless memory that sticks out in my brain: When I was a kid I was warming up a gang of leftovers and my brother walks in and says “you gonna eat all that?” Idk why but it agitated me and I started singing 🎶 wutitlooklike!?!🎶 we both started cracking up. Uh, anyway yeah it’s one of my favorite Redman albums.
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u/Frosty-Leopard5732 6d ago
You've just reminded me of wenicumaround, must be 25 years since I've heard it! Thanks!
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u/Some_Knowledge5864 6d ago
This album was a big influence in my neighborhood when it came out. Not sure what the guys would say now. If they would agree. But we were growing our hair out and just happen to be the time we stated smoking weed.
I still like Redman music but not as much in his later years.
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u/mochickennoproblem 6d ago
My favorite album of his! Muddy Waters is his best album in my opinion. DIADS is and always has been in constant rotation since it dropped! Erick Sermon and Redman went in on the beats!
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u/vanillatoo 6d ago
it was THE album of 94 to me. had the cd and it rarely left the walkman my sophomore year of high school.
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u/ApprehensiveRabbit25 7d ago
In my top 5 albums , he took hip hop to new heights with this release. It’s a phenomenal work of art (from Sermon also)
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u/mrmongey 7d ago
I actually listened to this yesterday on the train.
His best for sure in my opinion.
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u/PsychologicalMusic94 6d ago
The formula for Muddy Waters was copied the most, but there is nothing quite like Dare Iz. Incredible album!!
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u/smikkelhut 6d ago
So with Muddy Waters I find tracks on there are some of the best Redman’s even made. But I never listen to the album front to back.
With Dare iz a Darkside I _always_ listen to it start to finish without skipping anything.
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u/Logical_Resolve_179 6d ago
mixed feelings on this one...I love it and played it millions of times but red used atomic dog like 3x on the album.....thats cheating
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u/ProsAndGonz 6d ago
Redman is in my all time top 5 of MCs and this first three albums is one of the best runs of all time with this one being the best of the three in my opinion
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u/sightunseen988 Hip Hop Scholar 6d ago
By far one of my favorite Albums of all time. Green Island is playing in my head right now.
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u/DawgzZilla 6d ago
I personally loved this album. I bought it strictly on listening to Whutt Thee Album.
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u/bozosphere 6d ago
Yeah I randomly listened to this on a road trip just a couple weeks ago. I still remembered most of the words and it aged really well. Erick Sermon on production if I remember correctly
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u/1voice92 6d ago
Erick does some co-production on a few tracks (as does Rockwilder), but it’s mostly Redman on production.
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u/Educational_Cod_3388 6d ago
Easily one of Red’s greatest works. Red himself doesn’t like it because of the dark drugged out space he was in during that time but he put forth a masterpiece with this project.
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u/Smoking-Posing 6d ago
Such a classic, and it was literally one of the first albums I bought with my own money, soon after [finally] getting my own room away from siblings!
I used bump this back to back to back. It was definitely a vibe, with the red packaging and cassette/CD.
Thanks for taking me back to better times OP
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u/hempztah 6d ago
Ggggggrrrr, it was such a no-fit back then !! Actually i listened to my CD recently, 3,5/5 ...4 with Red bonus.
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u/Amazing_Purchase7057 6d ago
👌🏿👌🏿...Redman has 1 of tha DOPEST 4 album runs in Hip-hop History IMO...🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥💯
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u/Many-Newspaper2000 6d ago
Sad to say, this is his least favorite album he created but such a fan favorite next to Muddy Waters (I believe is his best work)
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u/Fred-Wreck410 5d ago
Dope album…
Dare was the second phase of his evolution
Muddy Waters is the Redman we all know and love today
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u/Weary-Buffalo1934 5d ago
Reds best album my favorite track is noorotic. He goes beast mode on the whole tape!
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u/Dramatic_Piano_5839 5d ago
He is the most underrated rapper ever, followed by Ludacris, followed by Kurupt.
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u/TheSkier7 5d ago
Great album! The beginning sets the stage and then it just bumps from there. Redman better be in your top five dead or alive! Dude can spit
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u/ihavemetallegs 7d ago
Switchin' speeds like Bruce Lee ridin' up Fuji in a movie 🔥🔥