Can You Feel Me

As the G-funk fad subsided in the mid-'90s and dozens of hitmakers were exposed as artistic frauds, Dru Down was one of the few left looking like the genuine article. Though he rose to prominence as a gangsta rapper, 1996’s Can You Feel Me is better seen as an outcome of the street funk culture of the '70s and '80s. Dru was slightly older than his hip-hop contemporaries, and he had an impeccable feel for classic funk and early rap. The hit single “Can You Feel Me” seamlessly combines the heavy thump of West Coast hip-hop with an early Fat Boys beat. Such was Dru Down’s specialty. His allegiance to an older generation of hustlers and musicians made him authentic at a time when many rappers were merely exploiting unlawful imagery. His credentials were ratified by an appearance from none other than Bootsy Collins, who helped turn “Babby Bubba” into a glutinous mass of vintage soul. The spoken-word performance of “The Game” shows Dru’s ability to channel authors like Iceberg Slim. But the sharpest song on the album is “Breezy,” which exudes the pace of California even as it's propelled by the precision of New York–style rhyming.