Shock of the Hour

Shock of the Hour is MC Ren's first full-length solo album. Released in 1993, it has been called "uneven", but presents a lyrical vision. It was his first solo album released after he converted to the Nation of Islam. MC Ren highlights his view of American hyprocisy with a vengeance, and the title track foresees the nation's fiery end in an apocalyptic fury enabling black people to finally achieve justice. Both this tune and "Attack On Babylon" come closest to presenting a coherent, effective philosophy. Another provocative track is "Same Old Shit", a song that strips away any pretense of glamour around the gangsta lifestyle and outlines the brutality, paranoia and violence at its core. Many of the tracks display MC Ren's potential as a hip-hop theorist. The first half is Gangsta rap (which was originally recorded for Life Sentence, his follow-up to Kizz My Black Azz until he converted to Islam), the second half is "Muslim rap". The second half mainly talks of Judgment day and Armageddon. Album cover photography and portraits of MC Ren were taken by Daniel Arsenault.

Tracklisting

Instrumentation

• "11:55"
  • Keyboards: Mark "Fingaz" Dixon
• "Same Old Shit"
  • Keyboards: Mark "Fingaz" Dixon
• "Fuck What Ya Heard"
  • Bass: Mike Sims
  • Guitar: Mike Sims
• "All Bullshit Aside"
  • Bass (Stand-Up): Benjamin May
• "One False Move"
  • Bass: René 'The Secret Weapon' Flores
• "You Wanna Fuck Her"
  • Bass: Mike Sims
  • Guitar: Mike Sims
• "Mr. Fuck Up"
  • Bass: Big Bad Bob Morse
• "Shock of the Hour"
  • Scratches: D.J. Train

See also

• List of number-one R&B albums of 1993 (U.S.)