In the early '90s, Vanilla Ice was the whipping boy of hip-hop's hardcore, which resented the fact that someone with such limited rapping skills was selling millions of CDs. Some of Vanilla's most blistering critics were fellow Anglos; as they saw it, he was making white rappers look bad and making it even more difficult for them to be accepted by African-American listeners. But one theory has it that Vanilla inadvertently did other white rappers a favor -- he made them work extra hard to prove that they weren't anything like him and that other white guys could, in fact, rap. And to be sure, there are many white MCs who have excellent rapping skills, including Everlast, House of Pain, Beastie Boys, 3rd Bass, Eminem, and Tony D. The latter showed a lot of promise on Droppin' Funky Verses, his debut album of 1991. Anyone who doubts that a white MC can rap his funky head off need only listen to forceful numbers like "Birdie Disease," "Tony Don't Play That," and "Harvey Wallbanger," all of which are pure, unadulterated hardcore rap with a strong East-Coast flavor. It's impossible to miss the fact that Tony D is from the Northeastern corridor; no one will mistake Droppin' Funky Verses for either West Coast gangsta rap or Southern bass. The Trenton, NJ, native's sample-heavy production is quite typical of Northeastern hip-hoppers of the early '90s; as a producer, he reminds one of Marley Marl or DJ Mark the 45 King rather than a West-Coast heavyweight like the influential Dr. Dre. Droppin' Funky Verses falls short of superb, but it's definitely solid -- and it leaves no doubt whatsoever that an Anglo MC can have impressive rapping skills. ~ Alex Henderson