Nervous Breakdown

by Bret LoveWhen this Brooklyn trio emerged in 1992 with a unique style that combined high-speed rapping, dancehall chatting, and backward rhymes with Looney Tunes-inspired voice impressions and craftily arranged hip-hop grooves, the rap world had never heard anything like it. It took the group several years to follow up its gold debut, F.U.: Don't Take It Personal, but Nervous Breakdown proved that the Fu-Schnickens could deliver the goods. The album shows an improved lyrical maturity among all three members, but most noticeably Chip Fu, whose hyperactive, onomatopoeic flow has more hilarious, colorful cartoon imagery than anyone this side of the late, great Mel Blanc. While Poc Fu and Moc Fu are both better-than-average MCs with their own unique styles, it is Chip Fu's innovative approach that provides the distinctive personality that sets the group apart from other rap groups of the era. From the opening track, "Breakdown," on, this is a frenzied, fast-paced roller coaster ride of originality that doesn't let up until the last song ends.