After being hailed as a promising talent following his debut with
Brand Nubian in 1990,
Grand Puba struggled through a rocky decade. His 1992 solo debut, Reel to Reel, and a 1998 reunion album with
Brand Nubian, Reunited, ended up being the only other highlights in an otherwise quiet decade for
Puba. In 2001, however, he made an ambitious return to the rap game with
Understand This, his first solo album in over five years and the first album on his Rising Son label (distributed and marketed by Koch). Furthermore,
Puba produces every track on this comeback album. But, despite his ambition,
Puba's return feels awkward and ultimately a bit embarrassing. Rap has always been a culture by and for the youth, and particularly in the early 2000s more than ever. Therefore, a veteran like
Puba seems more than a little out of place among other East Coast rappers of the era like
Jay-Z and
DMX. Ultimately,
Puba's just too old for the rap game. He's out of touch with the times and sounds ridiculous trying to co-opt early-2000s lingo like "ice." And it doesn't help that his productions, though adequate, are less than engaging. In the end, like the many other golden age rappers trying to make comebacks in the early 2000s,
Grand Puba ultimately embarrasses himself with
Understand This. Sure, you have to commend his efforts and his courage, but, even if you're a longtime fan, you kind of wish he'd thrown in the towel when he was still on top of the game. It'd be different if
Puba would have stuck with his old style. However, that's sadly not the case. He's an old man unsuccessfully trying to sound young. ~ Jason Birchmeier