112, Hot and Wet
“We’re gonna take it to the club and we’re gonna make it sexy.”… and that’s just what they did.
Slim, Daron, Q and Mike are four boys from Georgia, Atlanta who make up 112. Da Twelve, as they call themselves, were the first and most successful group to emerge from P Diddy’s Bad Boy’s record label, although they have now leapt to Def Soul records after contract disputes, even though they remain on good terms with Puffy, to the extent that he still had a hand in the production of their latest album.
Hot and Wet is the boys fourth album and their first release in over two years.
It contains their signature fusion of RnB, soul and gospel with funky hip hop beat. The album contains a combination of hip hop dance tracks with robust beats that are likely to become a regular feature at any Hip Hop night worth its salt. However, the boys remain faithful to their soul and gospel roots, and when it comes to soul and gospel, these boys have certainly got their “chicken and grits in them”, with sultry, soulful ballads rife throughout the album.
Two of my favourite tracks from the album, are NaNaNa and Hot and Wet, which both lean towards the RnB and Hip hop end of the boy’s musical spectrum.
NaNaNa, originally written with a collaboration with Sean Paul in mind, features Jamaican reggae legend Supercat. It has a strong bass heavy beat with potent RnB, dancehall and hip hop undertones, best described by band member Slim, “…we took dancehall and combined it with the dirty south and made it “dirty hall”.” This record is more than likely to get even the most rhythm-less of you up on the dance floor, or at the very least, nodding your heads. The album also includes a bonus remix of this track, which has a solid reggae tempo.
Track 3, Hot and Wet, has a “Peaches and Cream” vibe, in that it has sexual connotations a-plenty and a powerful dance beat. It features man of the moment, Ludacris, who lends his distinctive rapping vocals to the upbeat track which is bound to get your feet tappin, and has the potential to become a popular club tune.
The album is a natural progression from their last album, Part III, showing that these old school superstars have still got what it takes to play the RnB game.
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