|
|
Hip Hop Album Reviews 2005
 |
 |
Sean Price
Monkey Barz
|
If rap is the art of making ignorance blissful, Sean P is a saint. If rap is the defiance of self-destruction, Sean is the evidence. With his ribald honesty and tasteful delivery, Sean breathes life into a selection of underdog beats that are far from ready-made hits. Sean is his own best critic. He knows hardcore fans want something more than merely "real" in quotes. Sean is an unapologetic paradox who isn't afraid to share his foibles en route to some drugging and bitches. At times he panders to voyeurs, but the real story here is that Sean has taken his lyrics and delivery to a new level.  |
 |
Edan
Beauty & The Beat
|
He started off as a precocious, homage-paying white boy with a knack for imitations (Kool Keith, Big Daddy Kane). He followed his debut, Primitive Plus, with a similar retro-oriented EP (Sprain Your Tape Deck), re-released his 2001 Fast Rap mix, and then tided fans in 2004 with a "Funky Drummber" mix. Edan is an average DJ, but his sophomore album clearly establishes him as hip hop's foremost psychedelian. This is rap to take LSD to. Put it on the shelf next to Q-Bert's Wave Twisters. As both rapper and producer, Edan delivers something unique in hip hop music: songs. True, his rapping does alternate between inspired and annoying, but I guess that's the price we pay for orginality.
|
 |
Ellay Khule (aka Rifleman)
Califormula
|
It might be a formula (see title), but that doesn't mean it sounds conventional. Anyone familiar with Project Blowed knows what to expect: explosive, asynchronous raps over unconventional beats. For most rap fans, Blowdians don't connect. But fuck those people. Though not as accessible as Aceyalone, Khule is the current standout of the Blowed Bunch. To begin with, Ellay has acquired a number of catchy beats, primarily supplied by Omid (but also by Nobody and Keyza Soze). But it isn't just the beats or wacky delivery that makes Ellay compelling. Ellay's lyrics reflect someone who is earnest, intelligent, and empowered with explosive elements of style.
|
 |
Nicolay
The Dutchmasters Vol. 1
|
Here is proof that even Europe is not immune to the plague of Jay Dee & 9th Wonder beats. Fortunately, Nicolay is no one-trick beatmaker, he switches up and keeps things fresh. This remix-oriented compilation far exceeds the blandness of "Connected", his Foreign Exchange debut. Note surprise appearances from Living Legends and Common. It's pretty unusual to hear such an impressive remix project, and we can expect to hear a lot more from Nicolay in the next few years.
|
 |
Percee P
Legendary Status
|
Having done his uptempo rap thing since the late 1980s, Percee has been off the radar screens of all but the most devoted rap fans. With not a single high profile project to his name (unless you count his legendary battle with Lord Finesse), Percee has enough quality material to make this album nearly box-set worthy. Buoyed by strong beats from some of rap's most esteemed producers (Madlib, Jay Dee, Showbiz, Lord Finesse, Cut Chemist, Godfather Don) Percee brings the best out of his collaborators: Big Daddy Kane, Pharoah Monche, Jurassic 5, Planet Asia, Aesop Rock, etc.
|
 |
Likwit Junkies
The L.J.'s
|
The only problem with an album full of classic beats is that the emcee(s) might not be up to the challenge. Case in point: last year's Jaylib album. Defari is one of the C.O.A.T.s. For those who don't know, C.O.A.T. stands for "Corniest of all Time." He thinks he's cool...but he's a dork. Let's face it: only a dork gets a Master's degree. That said, this album suggests that Defari's C.O.A.T. days are fading. His flow is a little less enunciated, and he seems a little more at ease. If Babu and Defari maintain this level of artistry on the next album, they will quietly place themselves in the pantheon of producer/emcee duos.
|
 |
Kaze
Spirit of '94
|
It's not clear how Kaze distinguishes himself from the current crop of Carolina-based, 9th Wonder powered, Justus League artists. He gets mostly typical 9th wonder beats -- solid stuff -- but nothing on the level of what 9th has given Masta Ace or Sean Price. Kaze raps about all the usual stuff: babes, buds, making moves, smacking people up, etc. And his delivery, while dynamic and stylish, is nothing new or remarkable. And yet Kaze clearly stands atop this pile of Carolina emcees. Maybe it's the fact that hip hop has a shortage of earnest, straight-shootin emcees. Kaze isn't afraid to tackle serious subjects and be sentimental. Kaze might have the Spirit of '94, but he's right at home in 2005.
|
 |
M.F. Grimm
Scars & Memories
|
This is the ideal companion to Percee P's Legendary Status album. This collection brings together many rarities and exclusives, focusing primarily on Grimm's mid-1990s material, if I'm not mistaken. There's no need to rehash his oft-cited career obstacles. Grimm's music stands on its own two feet. For another opinion on this compilation, check out Robbie Ettelson's review at his site, A Tribute to Ignorance.
|
 |
Landspeed Records
Essential Underground Hip Hop Vol. 2
|
Talk about hustle, Landspeed really outdid themselves on this one. Populated by A-list rappers past and present (Game, Nas, Kurupt, Capone, CL Smooth, PMD, etc), Essential is the sort of comp you don't see very often. Instead of a few hits and lots of filler, this is grade A hip hop from start to finish. Mobb Deep, Cormega, Ghostface, AZ, Nature, Royce da 5'9", Big Noyd, M.O.P., Beatnuts, Tragedy, and some surprise appearances by Jayo Felony and Game.
|
 |
Cesar Comanche
Squirrel And The Aces
|
Cesar has a froggy voice, somewhere between Lord Finesse and Big L. But that doesn't stop him from delivering some of the Justus League's most emotion-laden raps. 9th Wonder has a knack for emotional beats -- on this album he packs them in -- and Cesar sounds right at home. Like Median, Cesar is able to step up to the challenge of an emotional track. Honesty and thoughtfulness are never out of style.
|
 |
S1
The Art Of One Mind
|
Yet another Justus-League-meets-Detroit album. I probably would have overlooked this one, if not for the BBE label. S1 and Illmind are clearly in the mold of Jay Dee, but I'm not hating! It's amazing how similar all these beats are, yet I really don't mind listening to them. It's like elevator music for the hip hop generation, with raps to boot. Strange Fruit Project, Little Brother, Median, El Da Sensei, Ken Starr, Procussions, among others. It's all so scarily consistent.
|
 |
Slum Village
Prequel To A Classic
|
"People don't like us, but fuck it, they gotta deal with us." So true. I wouldn't have put Prequel this high on the list, but with such a proliferation of SV knock-offs... how could I not? This is the blueprint. "I gave her the gift of gab, and the gift that she gave me was that aaaasssss." As usual, T3 and Elzhi have nothing to say, but they sure say nothing better than most.
|
 |
Median
Path To Relief
|
Another Justus League soldier, Median has a nice voice and fairly conventional delivery. But tracks like "Visionary" show soulfulness and wisdom. Median steps when it counts. A lot of artists waste 9th Wonder beats with banal rhymes, but Median is adept at matching the emotional pitch of the instrumental. He actually pays attention to the feel of the track. The result is an EP that has more moods than the average full-length LP.
|
 |
Quasimoto
The Further Adventures Of Lord Quas
|
Let me state the apparently not-so-obvious: Quasimoto is overrated. When Madlib first "invented" Quasimoto, he himself thought it wasn't worth releasing. The pitch shift is intended to cover up Lib's, um, shall we say, lack of charisma. The first Quasimoto album, The Unseen, was better than this one. But Madlib still pushes the envelope and does things differently. He flips samples with the best, and that gets my respect. But his raps -- pitch-shifted or not -- I can do without.
|
 |
Platinum Pied Pipers
Triple P
|
Epitomizing the forefront of Detroit neo-syrup soul, 3P go down easy like mixed drinks. This is chillout club music for recently showered bohos. No thinking required. This is white collar on a $24,000 annual salary. Don't expect any revelations... just some now sounds for the not-so-way-out youth of today.
|
 |
Slum Village
Slum Village
|
Who would have thought Slum Village would be the most influential group of 2005? From Little Brother and 9th Wonder to Jneiro Jarel, Nicolay, and a slew of Carolina artists, the syrupy sounds and snappy snares have a lot of people hooked. The irony here is that independent hip hop -- once obsessed with "realness" -- is now comfortably shifting to meet the growing demand for yuppie-oriented hip hop. But far from resting on popped collars, SV seems focused harder than ever on delivering endless variations on the Dilla/S.V. sound. |
 |
O.C.
Smoke & Mirrors
|
Few hip hop heads question O.C.'s status as one of 1994's certified classic artists. And few question the fact that O.C. has slowly fallen from the graces of hip hop's bygone heyday. With this album, O.C. attempts to reconcile the contradictions of a thoughtful emcee caught in the hustle. Gone are the usual DITCisms (read: thugisms); there doesn't appear to be any DITC involvement whatsoever. O.C.'s move to the Hieroglyphics camp is a clear indication he is serious about reinventing himself. The results are mixed, but he recaptures some glory on tracks like "You Made Me" and "Gone".
|
 |
Jneiro Jarel
Three Pieces
|
If you download music through peer networks, you learn to expect that a certain percentage of mp3s will be incorrectly labeled. How was I to know that "Slum Village - Do Yo Thang" was actually Jneiro Jarel "Do Yo Thang"? I mean, Slum Village does have a new track called "Do Our Thing" on this year's Prequel to a Classic. Jarel attempts to distinguish himself from Slum Village (and the current crop of SV clones) by throwing in a few out-there noises, riffs, and beats. But that attempt to be a little different from the formula actually draws more attention to the similarities. Stylistic lamentations aside, Jneiro does capture the spirit of hip hop's current attempt to stay fresh and reinvigorate the SV blueprint.
|
 |
Colossus
West Oaktown
|
Colossus is possibly the greatest coffeehouse jazz-rap artist in the world. In other words, he couldn't play a catchy lick to save his damn life. Supposedly this guy worked with Roy Ayers; and that makes sense, seeing how Roy Ayers has been in creative decline for 25 years. But that doesn't mean Colossus isn't worth a listen. Colossus is different: he's got the mellow, non-catchy jazz thing down. And he raps. And if that's your bag, give him a listen.
|
 |
AZ
A.W.O.L.
|
AZ is a living time capsule. His style is an amalgamation of all Queens-based rap artists from the late 1980s through the mid-1990s (Kool G. Rap, Mobb Deep, Nas, etc). AZ offers endless variations and permutations on a classic sound. True, it may sound a little dated and provincial. Of course, when your province is Queens, NYC... provincial gets the job done.
|
Posted by Eric on December 22, 2005 11:37 AM
Man what an eclectic underground hip-hop list. I have this AZ joint and I at first wanted to love it. But the fact is, the style is a little outdated. It sounds 80s and 90s. And like Talib, he tries to squeeze too many syllables into too few bars.
 
Oh nice, thanks for stopping by, Lynne. I couldn't bring myself to review singles this year (too much effort, not enough good singles). But I do feel there were a lot of good albums. Right now I'm working on a redesign of the Stink Zone. And hopefully I will find more time for the Stink Zone this year.
u should do a review on a South Affican hiphop artist could PROVERB, the album is could *The Book Of Proverb*.
Erid Nord, you are so cool.
peace,
David Ray
WAS UP I'M A SEXY COLOMBIAN GIRL..
COLOMBIA THE BEST COUNTRY...THE BEST
COCAINE TO THIS FUCKING HAUSE
i am looking for a north and south station to introduce my music to the world
Royalty Free Beats For One Dollar
At
upbeat.tk
I WANT TO BRING THIS GROUP TO YOUR ATTENTION OUT OF KANSAS CITY NAMED HEET MOB. THEIR SIGNED TO SLAMJAMZ, CHUCK D'S LABEL, (OF PUBLIC ENEMY OF COURSE). YO THEY NICE.. DOPE BEATS, HOT RHYMES, THEY EVEN GOT A R&B ARTIST ON THEIR ROSTER THATS KILLIN IT. SHOW THESE BROS SOME PROPS, CAUSE THEY WHAT HIP-HOP'S BEEN MISSIN FOR A MINUTE NOW.
dadadas
yohg man.... hip hop ako
greetings.
My name is majeed and I represent Brimstone127. They recently dropped ELEVATOR MUSIC which features KRS ONE, Mr. Long (Black Sheep), Dug Infinite, Busy Bee and much more.
I am seeing if you are interested in reviewing the album.
Please let me know what the procedure is to do this.
Thanks.
Majeed
786.338.3544
www.brimstone127.com
myspace.com/brimstone127online
PS - Do you need a hard copy of the album or could you review a online version?
That you searched for all about glass pipes glass pipe.
|
|
|
|
