★★★★★
Young MC's problem is not that he has lost his ear for toe-tapping pop hooks: His first single, "What's the Flavor?," is every bit as infectious as his monster 1989 hit, "Bust a Move." And he can certainly tongue-twist his way through a fast rhyme. What he can't do is make any of it believable; Young strings the words together nimbly enough, but they never come to life.
- ew.com
2010-08-27
★★★★★
From the bright, cute funk of "I Come Off" to the Q. Jones Jr.-cowritten "Just Say No," he's just too clean. His polysyllables and quick lips aren't as fresh as he thinks they are, either. Much more than his East Coast counterpart the Fresh Prince, though, he has his own sparely hooky musical style--courtesy Matt Dike, Michael Ross, and the usual panoply of pop-funk geniuses past. Has his own style as a writer, too, summed up pretty well in the title--he's not a storyteller, he's a wordslinger...
- www.robertchristgau.com
2009-07-10
★★★★★
Young M.C.'s new record,Brainstorm, is an icy shower. For an artist who sold over 2 millioncopies of his 1989 debut, Stone Cold Rhymin', won several prestigiousmusic awards, and leaped to a major label (after squirming out of acontract with independent Delicious Vinyl), this 24-year-old refusesto use his enviable clout to take artistic risks. Young M.C...
- ew.com
2009-06-12
★★★★★
Young MC wasn't given props at the time and he wasn't respected in the years following the release of his debut Stone Cold Rhymin', largely because he worked entirely in the pop-rap/crossover vein. All the same, that's what's great about his debut, since it's exceptionally clever and effective, a wonderful combination of deft rhymes and skillful production. And there's no discounting Matt Dike, Michael Ross, the Dust Brothers, and engineer Mario Caldato, Jr...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
In hardcore hip-hop circles, more commercial rappers generally aren't thought of as having a lot of technique -- the consensus is that they're getting over on their pop or R&B; appeal rather than their rapping skills. After "Bust a Move" became a major hit in the R&B; market, Young MC was viewed suspiciously by b-boys. But make no mistake: the clean-cut L.A. rapper has considerable technique and could no doubt hold his own in a microphone battle...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
★★★★★
Once, Young MC was a more clever Fresh Prince, a guy whose pop hits tapped the same middle-class themes without all the smarminess. Things might have worked out better if Young MC (aka Marvin Young) had been insufferable instead: while Will Smith was plugging his latest blockbuster film, Men in Black II, with an accompanying single, Young was releasing this comeback on a small independent label to little fanfare. However, time and circumstances haven't eroded Young MC's mic skills...
- music.aol.com
2008-08-28
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