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Redman's Darkest Days: Inside Dare Iz a Darkside
8 Mar
Summary
- Redman's 1994 album captured a period of intense paranoia and isolation.
- The rapper was reportedly using acid and PCP during the album's creation.
- Dare Iz a Darkside is considered his purest, though least likable, work.
Pitchfork revisits Redman's 1994 album, Dare Iz a Darkside, highlighting its status as an East Coast G-funk classic born from a period of deep paranoia.
During the album's creation, Redman, then living with mentor Erick Sermon, experienced significant personal turmoil. Sermon's split with PMD fractured their musical collective, leading to a chaotic environment, even with bullet holes in Sermon's house. Redman himself has recounted being heavily under the influence of drugs like acid and PCP at the time.
This era saw Redman in a confrontational state, a stark contrast to his later, more approachable public image. He recalls little of the album's making, acknowledging it as his "least likable album." However, the article posits it as his purest, a moment where he forgot his duty to entertain and retreated inward.
Dare Iz a Darkside represents a unique chapter where Redman, consumed by his internal state and neurochemical influences, prioritized artistic expression over likability. It remains a compelling, albeit dark, entry in his influential discography.
