Ghetto Bootleg

Album Review

Fannypack may be remembered as one (almost)-hit wonders thanks to their silly ode to the fashion disaster known as "Cameltoe" but their first album So Stylistic is an inspired ode to the sound of early hip-hop female acts like J.J. Fad and L'Trimm. The beats are tight, the hooks sharp (both courtesy of producers Matt and Fancy) and the rhymes laid down by the trio of female rappers (Jessibel, Kat, and Belinda) are funny and fun. Their second album, See You Next Tuesday, was a major letdown, trading in the innocent fun of the debut for a skanky, almost world-weary feel. Instead of laughing about camel toes and boasting like schoolgirls, the trio rapped about lap dances and dropped terrible lines about Great White. Around the release of that album in 2005, the group released a set of unreleased tracks and remixes on their website. Titled Ghetto Bootleg, there were originally only 1,000 copies available but in 2008, three years after the group split, Tommy Boy gave the disc an official release. About half the disc seems to be of So Stylistic vintage including decent remixes of "Cameltoe," "So Stylistic," and "Hey Mami," and a revamped version of "Theme from Fannypack" (here re-titled "The Theme from Frank"). "Hit It" and "Yo!" are the two unreleased tracks and both sound almost good enough for the CD. The best thing on the record is the slinky, truly sexy Double J & Haze remix of their cover of Lidell Townsell's classic slice of New Jack house "Nu Nu (Yeah Yeah"). No bad rapping, just some sultry vocals and a tune that floats along like a butterfly.