At the back of this story lies another more tragic story, a story made more tragic by the often wilful ease with which many young black rappers meet their untimely deaths. Big Pun was not only the first Latin solo rapper to go platinum he was known to those who knew him as an extremely generous man with a great sense of humour and an even greater family man. Being Big though has its downside and Big Punisher died of a heart-attack and respiratory failure in 2000. But what has Big Pun got to do with this story? Everything.
Triple Seis along with Big Pun, Fat Joe, Prospect, Armageddon and Cuban Link were central members of Latino hip-hop group, Terror Squad who released only one album, Terror Squad in 1999 on Atlantic Records before both Cuban Link and Triple Seis called it a day, leaving Fat Joe to lead a his crew down an altogether different route.
Time’ll Tell is not only a testimony to Seis’ life – it’s a testament to his musical experiences with and without the Big Pun. In fact, none of his former Terror Squad blood are far from the cards this album deals. Big Pun appears from the broader fringes of heaven on “Harsh Reality” and Cuban Link appears on two cuts “Be About It” and the Psycho Les produced “Drinks Up” which also features The Beatnuts.
Some may have lamented the lack of sugar-coating on this album and perhaps the lack of quick-fire quality beats but that’s often what you get in life: you get what’s dealt and you make the most of what you’ve got. What ‘Only Time’ll Tell’ does have is some of the smoothest flows and impacts you’re likely to hear all year, illustrated in words and rhymes turned over from real-life events.
While the LP’s up-tempo single, “Crazy” featuring the hot totty vocals of Veronica provides some credible radio fodder, Only Time’ll Tell also features collaborations with Ice-T on the Reef produced “Coast To Coast” and Seis joins Madd Records labelmate 24K on the Just Blaze produced “Skully Remix” – a track of stuttering club weight and something a standout turn on this moderately paced but well balanced debut.