World Ultimate

World Ultimate
Studio album by
the Nonce
ReleasedFebruary 28, 1995 (1995-02-28)
StudioKitchen Sync Studios, Hollywood, California, U.S.
GenreHip hop
Length51:03
Label
ProducerThe Nonce
The Nonce chronology
World Ultimate
(1995) 		The Sight of Things
(1998)
Singles from World Ultimate
  1. "Mix Tapes"
    Released: 1994 (1994)
  2. "Bus Stops"
    Released: 1995 (1995)

World Ultimate is the first studio album by American hip hop group the Nonce. It was released by American Recordings and Wild West Records on February 28, 1995.[1][2] "Bus Stops" peaked at number 44 on the Billboard Hot Rap Songs chart.[3]

Critical reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[4]
Billboardmixed[5]
Muzik[6]

Glen Sansone of CMJ New Music Monthly stated that "World Ultimate tips its cap to both L.L. Cool J and MC Shan, while joining loose, outgoing B-Boy posturing with old-school beats jacketed in an ethereal coating, as on 'Mix Tapes.'"[7] The Village Voice called "Keep It On" "perfect, passages of cool jazz chording blending into flat noise and movement."[8]

Steve Huey of AllMusic wrote, "Occasionally, the duo can get a little too relaxed, but on the whole it's an engaging alternative to the standard West Coast gangsta fare."[4] Matt Welty of Complex commented that "MCs Nouka Basetype (who would later go by Sach) and Yusef Afloat came together with their conscious perspectives to rap over jazzy instrumentation about everything from taking the bus to the issues plaguing hip-hop."[9] In 2012, Fact included the album on the "Most Overlooked Hip-Hop LPs of the 90s" list.[10]

Track listing

No.TitleLength
1."On the Air"4:00
2."Keep It On"4:13
3."Bus Stops"4:12
4."The West Is..."4:25
5."Mix Tapes"3:30
6."Testing"0:42
7."World Ultimate"5:09
8."Good to Go"4:25
9."On the Road Again"5:01
10."Hoods Like to Play"3:58
11."J to the I"4:18
12."Eighty Five"2:45
13."Mix Tapes (1926 Sunday Night Remix)"4:47
Total length:51:03

Personnel

Credits adapted from liner notes.

The Nonce

  • Nouka Basetype – vocals, production, cover concept
  • Yusef Afloat – vocals, production, cover concept

Additional personnel

  • Aceyalone – additional vocals (3)
  • Butta B. – additional vocals (4)
  • Meen Green – additional vocals (4)
  • Figures of Speech – background vocals (9)
  • Sean Freehill – recording
  • Tom Coyne – mastering
  • Morris "Mo" Taft – executive production, cover concept
  • Aldo Sampieri – art direction
  • Susan Goines – cover photography
  • Dorothy Low – inside folder photography

References

  1. ^ Tosiello, Pete (September 28, 2015). "The Nonce Were One of L.A.'s Greatest '90s Rap Groups — Until Tragedy Intervened". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on August 13, 2020. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  2. ^ Fox, Luke (February 4, 2021). "Hip-Hop Moments in 1995 That Were Pivotal to the Golden Era". XXL. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved November 26, 2022.
  3. ^ "The Nonce: Chart History". Billboard. Archived from the original on June 2, 2018. Retrieved June 2, 2018.
  4. ^ a b Huey, Steve. "The Nonce - World Ultimate". AllMusic. Archived from the original on September 21, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  5. ^ Verna, Paul; Gillen, Marilyn A.; Cronin, Peter (April 8, 1995). "Album Reviews". Billboard. p. 96.
  6. ^ Ashon, Will (June 1995). "The Nonce: World Ultimate" (PDF). Muzik. No. 1. p. 76. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 April 2022.
  7. ^ Sansone, Glen (March 1995). "Hip-Hop". CMJ New Music Monthly: 49.
  8. ^ Hunter, James (25 July 1995). "Out there". The Village Voice. Vol. 40, no. 30. p. 68.
  9. ^ Welty, Matt (March 27, 2015). "Listen to These '90s Underground West Coast Rap Releases if You Like Kendrick Lamar's New Album - The Nonce, World Ultimate". Complex. Archived from the original on March 30, 2015. Retrieved April 21, 2016.
  10. ^ "The Most Overlooked Hip-Hop LPs of the 90s: Part 2 (page 3 of 11)". Fact. August 24, 2012. Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. Retrieved April 21, 2016.