Misplaced Pages

Sometimes I Rhyme Slow

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
1991 single by Nice & Smooth
"Sometimes I Rhyme Slow"
Single by Nice & Smooth
from the album Ain't a Damn Thing Changed
Released1991
GenreHip hop
Length2:52
Label
Songwriter(s)
Producer(s)Nice & Smooth
Nice & Smooth singles chronology
"Funky for You"
(1990) 		"Sometimes I Rhyme Slow"
(1991) 		"Hip Hop Junkies"
(1991)
Music video
"Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" on YouTube

"Sometimes I Rhyme Slow" is a song by American hip hop duo Nice & Smooth and the lead single from their second studio album Ain't a Damn Thing Changed (1991). It contains a sample of "Fast Car" by Tracy Chapman.

Composition

The production uses a sample of the acoustic guitar intro to "Fast Car" accompanied with drums. The lyrics make references to drug abuse, guns and violence. Greg Nice performs the first verse, while Smooth B performs the second verse, which revolves around him being in love with a cocaine addict who relapses after 18 months in rehab.

Critical reception

Stanton Swihart of AllMusic commented the song has an "insanely catchy vocal hook". Angus Batey of The Quietus wrote of the song, "A deceptively - even outrageously - simple idea, it would have bridged the gap between the PE and De La crowds admirably." In addition, he described Smooth B's verse as "so out of character you're never too sure how real it is", suggesting it could be an "elaborate set-up for the self-deprecating punchline", but "there is detail in the writing that, allied with the innate melancholia of the Chapman sample, makes it feel like it comes from somewhere that's recalled rather than studied."

Charts

Chart (1992) Peak
position
US Billboard Hot 100 44
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard) 17
US Hot Rap Songs (Billboard) 1

References

  1. ^ Batey, Angus (December 27, 2011). "Thirty Years On: Nice & Smooth's Ain't A Damn Thing Changed Revisited". The Quietus. Retrieved 13 May 2024.
  2. ^ Swihart, Stanton. "Ain't a Damn Thing Changed - Nice & Smooth | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved October 5, 2018.
  3. "Nice & Smooth Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  4. "Nice & Smooth Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  5. "Nice & Smooth Chart History (Hot Rap Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
Nice & Smooth
Studio albums
Singles
Featured singles
Categories: