Jack Frost And B.A.N.M.E. – Based On A True Story

Track Listing:
1. House Dat Jack Built - 5:18   2. You Don't Like How I'm Livin - 4:20   3. Shut the F-K up and Pour - 4:34   4. A Land That Never Gave a Damn - 5:07   5. Skit One - 1:08   6. A Day in Detroit - 4:26   7. B.A.N.M.E. - 4:01   8. Hoppin' da Fence - 6:09   9. The Mack Is Back - 3:23   10. Lookin 4 da Nigga Dat Killed Me - 4:18   11. Skit Two - 0:43   12. The 4 Lil Niggaz - 4:13   13. Based Onna True Story - 4:42   

Reviews:

1. AllMusic - Alex Henderson
If you consider yourself a major hip-hop historian but have never heard anything by Jack Frost and his group B.A.N.M.E., it isn't surprising--Based Onna True Story, the little known gangsta rappers' only album, received very little attention and went out of print not long after it was released. Although Frost and his colleagues are from Detroit, this competent, if unremarkable, CD owes something to both New York and Los Angeles. Most of Frost's lyrics are run-of-the-mill gangsta rap and are heavily influenced by N.W.A. --his rapping style owes a lot to N.W.A.'s MC Ren, and even though he is describing Detroit instead of South-Central L.A., he raps in the first person about the same things (drugs, gang violence, black-on-black crime, etc.). The production style, however, owes more to New York than the West Coast. At a time when other gangsta rappers were being influenced by Dr. Dre's sleek, clean production style, Based Onna True Story favors a Marley Marl like production that is, a drum machine and numerous samples of soul tunes from the 1960s and 1970s. Lovers of classic soul will hear bits of everyone from War to the Jackson Five. The one track that doesn't remind you of Marl is "A Land That Never Gave A Damn," which has a more abrasive and Public Enemy-ish style of production. Based Onna True Storyleaves no doubt that Frost can flow; what this derivative CD lacks is originality.