If Chicano Rap was a book, Orange County would be the last chapter on the last page and Mr. Vic would be the last sentence of the last paragraph. What I'm tryin' to say is that OC is hella fucking slept on. I understand there hasn't been a whole lot of activity there in the rap scene, but they've been there since the early days (Thee Suspect in 1991, D Lyrical & The S.A Mob in the mid 90s) however, the limelight has been focused on the less than stellar Westside Cartel (and its affiliates). But in 2001 The OC gave us an exceptional release from a little known Santanero by the name of Mr. Vic. Back in high school I remember a homie had hooked me up with a few songs by Vic, but I never really sought out any more of his material. Few months back I picked up the album out of curiosity now that my taste in Chicano Rap has matured and evolved. Popped THE COUNTY OF "O" into my dashboard and started to dissect this project.
01. How Could You Deal (feat. D-Lyrical)
Busting side by side with OC veteran rapper D Lyrical, this instrumental is a straight banger. The rapping was on point. Has become my go-to song the more i listen to this album.
02. Come From Cosa (feat. Dre Rome, Dee)
Mellow instrumental laced in with Vic's raspy vocals keep you enticed. The chorus was off a bit, and surprisingly Baby Snyper fits well in this. However the enticement doesn't last and the track gets boring, runs a bit too long.
03. Iz It Really You
Track three has a sick beat, I enjoyed the slower down tempo. Or maybe I'm a sucker for "Bounce Rock Skate" samples. (Incorrectly titled, should be "Rock Your Block".)
04. Yeah Mr. V.I (feat. Esmeralda)
Vic's greatest strength is his ability to ride an instrumental and make it his. I give him props for busting raps in Spanish, though it's not his strength he gets credit for making sense, but alas he suffers from the lack of adequate education in Spanish that all of us pochos missed out on.
05. I've Been Ready
Rapping over Too Short's "I Need A Freak" wasn't enough to save this song. Not that Vic came whack, pero el Baby Snyper la cago. Snyper is a real one, I'll give him that, but that's not enough to spare you from lame rhymes.
06. Comin From (714) (feat. Baby Snyper)
Vic is a solid dude, paying homage to the ones who put it down for OC before him (by featuring Deesta Dee on this song and D Lyrical on another). With that said, this was a lackluster track that had more potential that it delivered.
07. Rock Your Block
The unmistakable production from Daz gave life to this track. Using Daz's instrumental to drop some rhymes of his own, Vic did a good job. It even made the less than stellar Baby Snyper sound bearable. The outro was dope, giving shout outs to all the cities that encompass Orange County was a nice touch.
08. Armed Robbery (feat. Casual Tee, Baby Snyper)
This was the first jam I'd heard from Vic. The P. Diddy instrumental is contagious, the beats knocking and the bass is heavy (one of my favorite instrumentals). Vic has this way of submerging himself into the beat. The best compliment I can give Baby Snyper on this track is that his lines are hella quotable (example: 1. "coming in clean/ with a glock 17", 2. "tilt to the side/ Myrtle Street til I die", 3. "always in my ride just hitting on a switch") they could even be used as a hook (I know I would).
09. Tha Girls Luv Me (feat. Casual Tee, Baby Snyper)
This song, especially, makes this feel like a mixtape. The crazy part is that the mixing and engineering made everything sync up as if it was Vic's own production. I give him props for riding a Dre beat naturally.
10. The Hot Ones (feat. Baby Snyper)
Baby Snyper sounds like a young cat, almost like that annoying little brother who wants to jump in the business but clearly doesn't belong. In contrast to Vic's delivery, his vocal tone pales in comparison to the permanent fixture that Vic marks in his tunes. The chorus and the "Aint No Fun" track make it hang on by a thread.
11. Keep From Going Unda (feat. Baby Snyper)
Taking over Snoop's "Still A G Thang" beat, Vic collabs with local rappers from OC to put it down. I give them their due props for trying, but the song ultimately sounds flat (though not terrible).
12. I Need A Joint (feat. Baby Snyper)
I realized that although track 12 is titled "I Need a Joint" it is actually "Coming From Cosa" (pronounced ko-say). The instrumental is phenomenal, the chorus is rough around the edges (not great but not bad) and the flow exceeds the expectations I had. Overall the track was laid back. Now I'm curious where this is from.
13. Flow (feat. Baby Snyper, Casual Tee)
Snyper and Casual Tee really shitted all over this song. That's not a compliment. The song is just terrible. Not even Vic's lyrical prowess was enough to save this. Dude should have saved himself the money he spent on the features and done this solo. Albeit I can appreciate the love S.A showed Anaheim.
14. El Poderoso (All Powerfull)
Obviously titled incorrectly ("Iz It Really U"). Disregarding that, Mr. Vic runs a flow so similar to Mase from Bad Boy. It's somewhat catchy, short and sweet. The player concepts don't get played out, that was a plus.
15. Tha Life (feat. Baby Snyper)
Grand Master Flash's "New York New York" was exquisitely sampled with a sonically pleasant synthesizer. The shit bangs. One of the highlights of this album. I definitely hit repeat after first hearing it.
16. Guess Who's Back?
There's several interpolations of other songs, giving credit where credit is due. I understand Vic is tight with Snypee but this far into the album you realize Vic is carrying dead weight. Mr. Vic is skillful enough to rock the track solo but kudos to him for breaking bread with his homies.
17. County Of O (feat. Casual Tee)
One of the things I enjoy about Chicano Rap is how down to earth it is, when I hear them naming the cross streets I can't help but picture the locality. I wouldn't go as far as saying young Vic is versatile but he definitely is adaptive and possesses an extensive vocabulary.
In its entirety, the album had a wholesome feel, what I mean is that the album felt very complete from beginning to end (which is not always the case in this genre). Solid. It's actually incredibly well put together, like it was thought out and professionally recorded, but rather than a studio album I'd say this was more along the lines of a mixtape. I was impressed, considering it exceeded my expectations. The thing that threw me off was the mismatch of titles and tracks. Otherwise, Mr. Vic should have gotten more attention than those clowns from W/S Cartel. He represented OC well and yet somehow flew right under the radar. I recommend picking it up and cruise to it when find the time for a long ride ‘cause the album is lengthy.
01. How Could You Deal (feat. D-Lyrical)
02. Come From Cosa (feat. Dre Rome, Dee)
03. Iz It Really You
04. Yeah Mr. V.I (feat. Esmeralda)
05. I've Been Ready
06. Comin From (714) (feat. Baby Snyper)
07. Rock Your Block
08. Armed Robbery (feat. Casual Tee, Baby Snyper)
09. Tha Girls Luv Me (feat. Casual Tee, Baby Snyper)
10. The Hot Ones (feat. Baby Snyper)
11. Keep From Going Unda (feat. Baby Snyper)
12. I Need A Joint (feat. Baby Snyper)
13. Flow (feat. Baby Snyper, Casual Tee)
14. El Poderoso (All Powerfull)
15. Tha Life (feat. Baby Snyper)
16. Guess Who's Back?
17. County Of O (feat. Casual Tee)
