One of a seemingly endless number of upcoming Non Phixion-related releases on the Uncle Howie label, The Green CD is an odd-and-ends anthology of material recorded over the course of the collective's career. Formatted like a mixtape, the album combines the work of three very different MCs and rarely strays from the generic, angry, independent thug topics (sex, drugs, murder) that Non Phixion mastered elsewhere.
The content is less than polished-- the majority of the tracks are freestyles, unfinished songs and radio drops. The muddy, unprofessional sound quality of the album's on-air recordings complements the dark and aggressive nature of the group. One of the unfortunate drawbacks to recorded freestyles is their occasional lack of replay value-- a problem to which Non Phixion is not immune. Those songs exist almost completely for punchlines and solid sequences, so by this token, Non Phixion typically impress ("Drugged out, 'cause hash rules everything around me"; "If I disappear, the masons took me").
That isn't to say there aren't several studio tracks here to whet the appetites of Uncle Howie fanatics ahead of the release of solo albums from each member of Non Phixion. There are roughly 10 studio songs here, depending on your definition, and the most successful songs are newly recorded ("We All Bleed", "Caught Between Worlds"). The rest, however, are rendered uninteresting by either a lack of conceptuality or by mundane production. So, your enjoyment of this album effectively hinges on your interest in the art of battle rap.
The album's standout comes with "Caught Between Worlds", a focused meditation on the white ghetto experience and the gritty adolescence of our antiheroes. Domingo's production sounds like the nouveau RZA-tempered sped-up soul we've come to expect from the Rocafella camp, but is ultimately a new, effective fit for Non Phixion. The verses are emotional, chock-full of word pictures: Ill Bill claims his "mind is like the script from an Italian gore flick," Goretex recounts his matriarchal appreciation ("It started back in apartment buildings, poverty stricken/ Mom was sick but I still felt her love from the kitchen") and Sabac Red reminisces on early problems with drugs ("I got high and did the running man") and education ("A badass in math class, I had to change teachers").
As a rarities collection, The Green fails. It's missing their best-known non-album tracks ("Thug Tuning", "I Shot Reagan", "5 Boroughs"), it's relatively short, there are no real topics explored, and the beats are uninteresting-- especially when compared to the group's more thoughtful work. In short, The Green CD is clearly a collection for Non Phixion completists. On the plus side, the limited edition DVD is beautifully assembled, the lines are relatively consistent, and the tone of the album is both shadowy and a good representation of where they've been coming from over the course of their career. On the whole, however, it's just a teaser for upcoming albums from Sabac, Goretex, Necro and Mr. Hyde.
