When Tribal Music’s Do The Math dropped, I was much too young to be in tune with the workings of a local music scene. I was ten. I didn’t know there were any rappers or producers not named 2pac or Wu-Tang Clan. The only local music I was aware of was Bust A Bucket.
Ten years later, in 2006, an OG hipped me to game. This is a classic album composed before the term classic was thrown around like laundry on a clothes line. Still though, I didn’t really get it.
I liked it. I thought it was dope but mostly because the older cats in my neighborhood told me so. Fast forward to 2015, and Do The Math was available as a free download on Tribal Music’s Bandcamp page and it became easier to see the incredible foundation this release built for Northwest rap in 1996 and beyond. It’s so great to listen to this release in the present moment.
Do The Math gave me some of my favorite songs ever with The Ghetto Children’s Who’s Listening and The Truth Hurts by Infinite and Los and What It’s Worth by Union of Opposites which also exhibits one of my favorite hooks I’ve ever heard. I could go on man, so many joints. It also gave me one of my favorite bass lines, courtesy of DJ Topspin, with Sinsemilla’s Traffic. I was mesmerized by the voices of Samson S, H-Bomb and Silas Blak. They and their cohorts embodied the definition of show and prove.
It also featured a recording of a phone call on Earth Girlz R E Z, a trend I imagine wasn’t nearly as popular in 1996 as it is now. If you didn’t laugh at the end with, “She smell like some damn Jolly Rancher’s, motherfucker, she remembers me!” I seriously question if you have a soul. Another highlight of the album is the title track, with an all-star lineup of Do The Math contributors.
One of the dope things about Do The Math is the continuity displayed with each song. The transitions from track to track are smooth. With this many voices, characters and skill sets; it could have easily felt rushed, forced and unnatural. This is achieved by every artist simply being themselves, as well as carefully sprinkled interludes and old school record samples thrown into the mix.
I don’t have any indelible theory or reason why, but this album is perfect for the summer time. It just feels like summer. Play it at the BBQ, play it when you’re cruising the town with the windows rolled down. There are so many high points on this album that I’ll just leave you with this last piece of advice: listen to Do The Math and give thanks to the many artists of Tribal Music for their wonderful contributions to Northwest rap and music in general.