Strong Arm Steady: In Search of Stoney Jackson

Strong Arm Steady has been around for a hot minute. Originally a mixtape posse, the group was comprised of a various number of artists, stemming from Ras Kass to Xzibit. Today, the group is made up of three members: Phil Da Agony, Krondon, and Mitchy Slick; however in this album Mitchy Slick plays a minimum role. Their latest installment, In Search Of Stoney Jackson, is a collaborative effort with premier producer Madlib. This west coast connection lives up to expectation, as Madlib’s outstanding instrumentals are laced with the Strong Arm Steady crew’s hard hitting lyrics, and definitely starts the year off correct with one dope album.

Being that the original Strong Arm Steady crew was an ensemble of a loose collective of artists, it’s only fitting that the album is full of guest appearances. Only three out of the eighteen tracks have no features on them. This acts as a double-edge sword throughout the album. The opening song, “Best Of Times” includes a feature from Phonte, who is quickly becoming the king of hooks. Behind a Madlib beat that oozes into your ears with a smooth bass line and chorus, Phonte actually spits a verse along with singing the hook which is a pleasant treat, “It make me think about the loot that I shell out/ If times get tight, will the shows still sell out? / Poor folk need help they call it welfare/ But rich folk need it and ya’ll call it a bailout”. “Chittlins & Pepsi” includes the first of many features of Planet Asia; he’s all over the LP, or it seems as though. Madlib grants a gem of an instrumental with an arrangement of violin and harp strokes, and a barrage of samples that make for a soothing beat as the crew talks about their passion for honey’s and food. Mr. Bossman himself lends a hand as Talib Kweli comes through on “Get Started” and kills his verse, “That’s right, we back for seconds/ Cause ya’ll got it backwards like a Black Sabbath Record/ Its like they trying to get the message/ we deep in the recession/ people reaching for they weapon.” The beat is reminiscent of a Black Star track, with a hard hitting bass and snare, and a moaning sample in the backdrop.

“Needle In The Haystack” is one of the highlights of the album, with “features” by Roscoe and Guilty Simpson, although they are the only MC’s on the record. The beat paints a picture of a jungle, with monkey chants fading in and out and hard hitting horns. Both MC’s animal instincts kick in, as they both attack the track. Roscoe with a flurry of hard hitting lines, “Hood fever/ Good reason to bust a heater/ I’m seasoned, spicy as Haitian/ or Jamaican or Belizean season/ stampede through regions/ off weed and seeds/ in a Regal speedin’/ with illegal twin Eagles/ got you niggas on pins and needles/ I’m a needle in a haystack/ and I stay strapped” and Guilty slap boxing the beat with his laid back flow, “When they eat, they guard the food, its scornful rude/ try to act? I’ll swing the bat/ Joe Clark a dude/ your crew learn/ when I hit a U-Turn/ rappers trying to get a buzz, I’ma give em new burn/ maybe when I flatten em/ then they go platinum/ fuck what your dissin’/ I’m physically attackin’ em/ smackin’ em’.” One song that does not have any features, “Cheeba Cheeba,” deals with the group’s love with weed. With a mellow beat accompanied by gentle violin strokes and samples, Strong Arm Steady explain their infatuation with the blunts, “Why you always rap about backwoods? /They aint really all that good/ I’m from a black hood where all my black brothers wear black hooded sweatshirts/ gold chains show the net worth.”

However, the abundance of features does drag the album down as well. The track, “True Champs” includes Montage One, Oh No, Evidence, and Roc C, and a verse from Phil Da Agony. Needless to say, it makes for a pretty boring song and a most likely a track to skip over. Even the Fashawn feature in the track “Questions” falls just a little short. He’s on the hook and does it great justice; but his verse doesn’t do much for me, as he seems off cue with the beat and doesn’t ride it all too well. The number of features does make the album a little over-bearing at times, and do lower the albums potential as opposed to maybe if the majority of the album was handled by the Strong Arm Steady Crew. However, this does not happen too often, and the album is still a certified head nodder.

If you’re familiar with Madlib, you know more or less his production style. Weird, eerie beats that knock. He displays this on the record. Madlib’s production never leaves the listener bored; every song has its own flavor and sound. “Smile” shows Madlib’s, dare I say, Dilla side? When the sample hits your ears, it overwhelms you, and is very reminiscent of J-Dilla’s, “U-Luv” off his Donuts LP. In “Telegram,” an instrumental interlude, the Beat Konducta shows his strength of crate digging with his choice of sample, and has a smooth piano loop to accompany it. Another instrumental interlude, “Chants” shows what sets Madlib apart from anyone with his weird samples and jungle, hypnotizing sound that will have you singing along, even if you don’t know what you’re saying. But he can also put out a banger, and shows this in “Ambassadors.” It’s evident that the song will be a “cruising down the block with your speakers turned up” type in the first seconds of the song; with the Common, “Muthafucka move back” sample. Madlib brings Bass, bass and more bass the track feels as though he recorded a tribe striking a gong for the boom sound.

Strong Arm Steady has a good album with, In Search Of Stoney Jackson. In collaboration with Madlib, the West Coast crew shows many sides to their game. If you were looking for a strictly Strong Arm Steady album, then you may have been disappointed as the features make the album. And while there are no outstanding songs on the LP, the album constantly hits you with quality material that is impossible to deny. Although the track listing may seem to allude to an erratic album with so many features, the album almost acts like a movie; the supporting actors get their due shine and have their moments, but the message still revolves around the stars, as Strong Arm Steady puts out a dope album to kick off the year with.

8.5 out of 10 stars

Get Started (feat Talib Kweli)

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Needle In The Haystack (feat Guilty Simpson & Roscoe)

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Ambassadors (feat Planet Asia & Chace Infinite)

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Cheeba Cheeba

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