Seminar

AMG Review of Seminar

Alex Henderson
All Music Guide

With his second album, Sir Mix-A-Lot continued focusing primarily on the type of material that made his first reach gold status: escapist, lighthearted pop/rap that fared well among pop, R&B and dance-music circles, but generally wasn't well received in "the hood." What few sociopolitical songs the CD does contain are first-rate, including "The (Peek-A-Boo) Game" (which uses Siouxsie & the Banshees as a reference point) and "National Anthem." An angry number addressing the Iran-contra scandal, the drug plague and the plight of Vietnam vets, the latter is as powerful as anything Public Enemy, KRS-One or Ice-T has done. Nonetheless, what made Seminar a hit weren't those gems, but odes to cars, gold chains and "fly girls." As enjoyable as such escapist fare as "My Hooptie" and "Beepers" is, Mix sells himself short by not including more message songs.