What's the goodness my folks?! This anniversary salute is dedicated to an album that's considered among the most acclaimed , yet under-appreciated, albums of the mid to late nineties. Following up a highly touted and revered debut album is never an easy task, as many artists will likely attest to, but it's saying something when not does an emcee does so with absolute flying colors, but also has people in arguments over whether or not the follow-up was actually better than the debut. With an album that was a playthrough and a somewhat building audience, this should've been THAT album, but sadly, with so many other fantastic albums released with more marketing and more fanfare attached, this album wasn't mentioned as much, but for those who peeped it, they knew this album was as formidable as, if not more than, a lot of efforts in '97. With all that being said, let's salute O.C.'s Jewelz.
D.I.T.C. member Omar Credle, or O.C., had been buzzing in the underground due to an incredible single called "Time's Up". The single served as a wake up call to fake emcees, studio gangstas, and wack emcees. Truth be told, this cut is considered a classic in hip-hop based upon how relevant this cut is to this very day. The beat was even used in the movie 8 Mile during one of the opening battle scenes. This cut, along with the second single "Born 2 Live" and others, made his debut album Word...Life one of the most rotated albums of '94 going into '95. An underground treasure, he more than stamped his notice into D.I.T.C. with this release. D.I.T.C. (Diggin' In The Crates) was already a CRAZY crew of emcees and producers including Diamond D (now Diamond), Lord Finesse, Buckwild, Showbiz & A.G., a young upstart named Fat Joe and the late, great "flamboyant one" himself, Big L. Credle just fit right in. However, it was time to deliver a follow-up release and before too long, heads were sweating.
The first indication of his return was a crazy dope DJ Premier-crafted cut called "My World". It turned out to be the B-side to his first official single and video, they Yvette Michele-featured "Far From Yours". Sounding a bit more polished and mainstream focused, it was still something to bump. What followed was the release of his sophomore effort, Jewelz. This was a fifteen track heatseeker that contained little to no filler whatsoever and ended up being in the discussion of being among the most polished and cohesive albums of the year. There were few guest appearances, as only Organized Konfusion (one of the most innovative, yet under-appreciated hip-hop duos to ever exist), Big L, and extended D.I.T.C. family member, Bumpy Knuckles (or Freddie Foxx, which ever name you prefer to call him) on two cuts. The rest of the album was focused on him, much like Word...Life.
One indicator of the change for Jewelz was that this wasn't just an album showcasing his ability to spit. This was an album with some concepts as well. While cuts like the Premo-powered, Bumpy Knucks assisted "M.U.G." and the silky "The Chosen One" display his penchant for riding the beat effortlessly while showing his lyrical way above average abilities, cuts like "Stronjay" and "Can't Go Wrong" cater to the ladies, while "The Crow" goes deeper and must be heard to be fully appreciated. Also, the production is more crisp and more clean, whereas Word...Life was very basement sounding and definitely not-radio friendly. That's not a dis whatsoever, but Word...Life was just a raw, uncut record, whereas Jewelz clearly saw O.C. wanting to expand his audience without compromising his craft, which was definitely to be respected during this time period. While "Far From Yours" was the only blatant attempt as radio appeal, the rest of the album sounded like Word...Life, only more mature in concepts, lyrics, and production (the four Premo beats didn't hurt either).
As time went by, O.C. struggled a bit. Not in terms of lyrical abilities, but in terms of labels. It was rumored that he, along with Big L, was getting touted to join Roc-A-Fella (this was fanned by the cut "Bonafide" with a guest feature by Jay-Z that ended up on his next album, the mixed reviewed- Bon Appetit). He stayed with the indie route, and albums such as the aforementioned Bon Appetit, the heavily bootlegged Japanese import Starchild, and the underrated Smoke & Mirrors. While putting out these albums, as well as his collab album with fellow D.I.T.C. member A.G., Oasis, it was 2012 when he got up with monster Detroit producer Apollo Brown to deliver Trophies that put O.C. back in a zone that we had last heard on Jewelz. A musical and lyrical crowning achievement for O.C., this sounded like a fully refreshed and confident O.C. much like the Word...Life/Jewelz days.
Getting back to Jewelz, this was a no filter album. Rhymes and beats. Simple, to the point formula that made O.C. such an acclaimed artist. In the midst of greatness from other artists that year such as Common, Company Flow, Wyclef, Wu-Tang, and Biggie's tragic final studio album, O.C.'s Jewelz deserved to get mentioned as hot as these and any other that was released in '97. What it lacked in sales, it made up for in garnering more respect and more acclaim among critics and fellow emcees. Shouts to O.C. for this blistering album and we salute it. Happy twenty years to Jewelz.
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