Part of the slew of grand early-'90s hip-hop releases that avoided tough criminal posing for inventive, witty lyrics and arrangements,
And Now the Legacy Begins is a hilarious, entertaining rollercoaster of a record. That the Warriors themselves were Canadian shows that north of the US border isn't all
Rush tribute bands, as the duo plays around with any number of inspired samples and grooves, from jazz to harder-edged beats, with style and skill. The most well-known track, "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style," predicts a particular pop trend well in advance, using
Quincy Jones' brilliant "Soul Bossa Nova" as its base long before fellow Canuck Mike Myers made the original the Austin Powers theme song. The flow of King Lou and Capital Q, mostly the former, fits the stuttering, dramatic pace of the arrangement to a T, bringing an instant smile to the face and dance to the feet. The lead-off single, "Wash Your Face in My Sink," is an equal winner, a nutty warning to a friend who doesn't have it all together about cleanliness set to a equally playful arrangement. Things aren't always pretty, though -- "U Could Get Arrested" is a slamming attack on police racism delivered with belligerent panache. Throughout the album the Warriors show that they know their pop culture cold. As jazz-inspired producers and arrangers, the Warriors and their various studio assistants may not always be as perfectly smooth as
A Tribe Called Quest or
Guru, but the results are rarely anything but a joy to hear. ~ Ned Raggett