The Psycho Realm The Psycho Realm

Posted on 10.28.1997

The Psycho Realm
Album : The Psycho Realm
Release Date : October 28, 1997
Label : Sony

Customer Review :

Psycho Realm’s debut record was released in 1997, a time when no one was looking for the break-through work from Duke & Jacken, two East Los Angeles natives. Aside from the limited advertising of the record and sparse airplay of the lead single, the album (featuring Cypress Hill frontman B-Real) still did surprisingly well on music store shelves. In its raw form, the self-titled debut is a biting, visual portrait of life in the inner city, particularly for Latinos in East L.A.

From the very first track, "Psycho City Blocks", to "Lost Cities", Duke & Jacken paint vivid pictures of life on the mean streets. Differentiating Psycho Realm from other California rap acts, the trio show both sides of the coin, gloryfying the negative and condemning it in the same breath. A reoccuring theme on the record is insanity, whether one is driven to it by life itself ("Temporary Insanity"), or whether it’s welcomed with open arms in prison, as heard on the gripping stories told on "La Conecta (Pts. 1 & 2)". Love and pain are exploited and exposed on "Love Letters", and "Premonitions" displays a readiness to face the world head-on. Every song lets shine the fact that the three rappers aren’t afraid to express emotion, making the songs even more poignant.

Prodution-wise, The Psycho Ward (B-Real, Duke, Jacken and Cypress Hill percussionist Bo-Bo) created a sound similar to partner DJ Muggs, but this doesn’t take away from the value of the album. The music is exceedingly unique in its own right, as the album flows more like a complete symphony than a radio single-filled mess that plauged most Hip-Hop records at the time. In the end, the Psycho Realm’s first (but not last ; see : "A War Story") release was too far under the radar to be picked up by the masses. But those of us who still enjoy it to this day savor its perfection and boldness each time we listen.

Track Listings :
1. Psycho City Blocks/Psycho Interlude
2. Showdown
3. Big Payback
4. Premonitions
5. Interlude/Stone Garden/Interlude
6. Temporary Insanity
7. Doors Intro/Confrssions of a Drug Addict
8. Who Are You Interlude/Bullets
9. Love Letters Intro/Love from the Sick Side
10. R.U. Experienced/Outro
11. Psyclones
12. Lost Cities
13. Conceta Intro/La Conecta, Pt. 1
14. Conecta, Pt. 2/Goin’ in Circles/Outro