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albums : 2002
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Who says hip hop is actually getting any better or worse? As with every year, it seems easy to find lots of mediocre hip hop... but quite difficult to find material that stands out, as both something new... yet also classic. The styles of independent and underground artists couldn't be much more distinct from major label and radio-oriented rap. Underground artists are still obsessed with authenticity and righteousness, while big-name artists focus on giving the people what they want. Fortunately, the inane debate over the terms "hip hop" and "rap" seems to have subsided. Something tells me a new generation of pioneers will bridge the gap and unite the forces of good and evil.
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| PROPHETIX High Risk |
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First off, this is a very solid album. I don't feel like I gotta front to relate to Eddie Meeks and Mello Melanin. John Doe's beats lay a solid foundation, assisted by other producers such as MF Doom and Cheapshot. But the question must be asked... is there anything new here? Forget comparisons with other hip hop groups... this is firmly middle-of-the-road hip hop. The difference is that Prophetix do middle-of-the-road thang better than most. And they are extremely consistent. One of the hallmarks of all hip hop -- independent AND major label -- is the inability of most artists to make a full album's worth of dope material. Prophetix make the full-length format sound easy. Real easy. Oh yeah... and they're from Atlanta. |
| EMANON Anon & On |
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So many good things to say about Aloe and Exile. It's all so friendly and open, and warmhearted. To be fair, there is some mild aggresiveness on "Nature Of The Beast" (with a title like that... you hope so) and "What You Live For," which seems to be Aloe's take on the phenomenon of "envious enemies conspiring to comeback." Fortunately, Emanon has a full repertoirse and isn't afraid to put the nuances of his personality on the line. "What Can I Do" reveals Aloe to be one of the most socially conscious and mature emcees in all of hip hop. But Emanon never lets the serious contemplation get the audience down and soon we are whisked away by "Blind Love," which reminds me of some Japan-only tracks put out by various members of the Pharcyde (Imani and Booty Brown) utilizing the retro production savvy of Spaceboy Boogie X. Exile fits in somewhere in the company of Spaceboy, PUTS (Thes One and Double K) or even RJD2-quality craftings. And before you know it, there's a party with Dr. Oop on "Detour." Finally, we get taken out Innernational style with DJ Day collaboration "A Day In Exile." |
| DR. OOP Mad Hue Man Disease |
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Brightest of the modern doctors, holy poet, Seventh Day Inventist... the artist usually known as Dr. Oop (and Droop Capone) has the distinction of being one of hip hop's most obscure master-lyricists. In an industry where popularity and commercial success is usually accompanied by a narrow worldview, Mr. Verbal Sunshine gives listeners a full spectrum of life experience. Standout tracks include the moving "One Life" and "1998." "1998" is the standout instrumental, thanks to a very dominant synth bass hook. Overt hooks are somewhat absent on MHD. Of course, on a track with the lyrical strength of "9.2.5" or "It All Stays The Same," it doesn't necessarily matter. Many of the beats on MHD are inspired, but anyone who has heard Dr. Dread Kacynzski's debut 12" (prod. Thes One of People Under The Stairs) probably has wondered what might happen if Mr. Unabomber Jr. here was paired up with a producer like Madlib, Dr. Dre, or the Neptunes. ;)
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| ATMOSPHERE God Loves Ugly |
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I've always been a firm believer that when someone says they are ugly, you tell them to shut up and get a grip. The whole world is ugly. And I guess that's why so many hip hop kids out there can relate to Atmosphere. Did I say "hip hop kids"?? Sorry, I meant like... all kids. Atmosphere is just so damn popular and so hard not to like, that I feel bad telling you that I have many criticisms of Slug and Ant. But don't worry, this album is here cuz it can pass some of the strictest and most finicky tests.
What is it that gives Atmosphere such mass appeal and consumption? How did they sell-out, show after show this year. A million dollar bill seems not far off for Slug, in particular. But the real secret is that Slug works really well with the tracks provided by Ant. Slug rhymes IN the track, not on top of it, or beside it, or around it. It's got nice pace, you get in with the track and it carries you like a train. Slug's favorite subject, of course, is relationships with women. I guess it's better than not caring about women, or talking about just everyday type of bullshit and vague antagonism. Standout tracks are plentiful here, as Atmosphere actually does switch it up a little and there are definite super-catchy hooks and melodies, like the funky breakdown on "Modern Man's Hustle." It's like the Beastie Boys finally grew up. It's like Eminem without pandering to the radio. It's what happens when someone with mass appeal knowledge uses it to deliver straight, incompromised hip hop to the underground masses.
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| PEOPLE UNDER THE STAIRS O.S.T. |
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The bottom line is that PUTS have the dopest beats in the game right now. I'm not saying every beat Thes One and Double K make is an instant classic like the Neptunes. What I'm saying is that when Thes and Double K are ON... they are unbeatable. And of course that carries so much weight in a hip hop review. It's all about "Who's the best?" ...no?
Well fuck all that. There is just something so pure about this album. Everything is so natural. Nothing seems forced. Some of the beats, like "The Dig" and "The Heat" show the PUTS to be adventurous. "The Hang Loose" and "Keepin It Live" certify their status as feelgood parrrty people. But always, in the back of the track or the front... somewhere you can sense the b-boy. Sometimes he's chillin... other times he's in full effect. |
| JUICE 100% Juice |
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J-U-ice is a world-renowned freestyle battle emcee who can serve it with the best of them. As always, accusations of recording inadequacies abound and people feel the need to judge him by his studio record, which is not nearly on par with his freestyle record. This compilation of recordings from a wide swath of his studio material, sprinkled with various incredible freestyles doesn't necessarily address questions of studio prowess by having no real theme or timeframe. Juice is a relic of the pre-indepence hip hop days (circa 1994-1997) when many indpendent and underground hip hop artists were forced to live deep in the trenches by the major label dominance of the industry. Before the internet revolution... Before the hip-hopification of the magazine market... Before the Def-Juxification of east coast indie-hop... Before Skribble Jam... emcees didn't have an entire industry behind them and they lived on the sort of buzz that lingered after an incredible freestyle battle. This compilation is basically the diary of a very dope MC, written over the last 6+ years.
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| EDAN Primitive Plus |
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God dammit... I can't believe I'm reviewing this album. Mostly it is totally unoriginal material, posing as some sort of futuristic post-modern hip hop. I mean, look at the cover with its silly robot in the 1970s-style driveway. It's kinda cool wondering how they got ahold of that cool-looking robot, but otherwise it's kind of this weird future-meets-the-past thing with not much content or even character, really. Edan seems like a nice kid. But the homage thing comes off as insincere. Still, the rhymes are clever and inventive, and the beats pay mad respect, yo. I especially dig the parodies of legends such as Kool Keith and Big Daddy Kane. Get a life. If I had to guess what the title means, it seems pretty obvious that "Primitive Plus" is code for "Faithful Rehash". Sorry, kid. |
| MURS & SLUG Felt: A Tribute To Christina Ricci |
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This is really up on the list for one main reason, and that's the amazing "Hot Bars" where Slug says he's listening to Ghostface, which is like so cool. It's just so sunny and you can imagine yourself driving around sunny West Los Angeles with Slug and MURS, looking at all the pretty girls and posing for the camera. Charmed lives. |
| AESOP ROCK Daylight |
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The flagship track on Aesop Rock's latest EP is totally on the feel-good 80's movie soundtrack tip, but it's hard not to like. It has taken me a long time to warm up on Aesop. It always seemed like there was this disconnect between his vocals and the track... as if it didn't matter whether there was music or not. Aesop would rip it with, or without. But these tracks are their own-netherworldly identities, reflecting the darker, more somber and moody feel that has pervaded the underground thanks to the entire Fondle Em extended roster, including Company Flow, the Juggaknots, Cage, and Necro. The difference is that Aesop, for all the antsy angst, seems remarkably well adjusted and a little more balanced. He gets all angry and mad, but the poetic insights and new-school rap flows are always there to channel those pesky discontents into verbal sculptures. His lyric is that of the disciplined graf artist who throws up wildstyles on a few can fully decipher. The only problem with this EP is that Aesop and the beats are only in top form for the first three songs. By "Nickel Plated Pockets," the party is basically wrapping up. But skip ahead -- if you don't have time -- and make sure you catch the last track, "Maintenance," which seems to resurrect the spirit of the first three songs. I guess that's the main problem: once I've heard how good Aesop can be, it's kinda hard listening to his mediocre material. Maybe he should just be a little more picky. Or maybe not... everyone's got their formula. Aesop's just a little more wildstyle than most. |
| SANKOFA Obese America |
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Unfortunately, this is a hard one to track down. And though I heard this was a really dope album, I've only been able to listen to it through snippets on the internet. How frustrating. Even an international writer of fortune must sometimes resort to deperate tactics. Check out the new school "Beat Jack O Lanter." Or what about the ILL jungle bass line on "Wimera St. remix," which trades off between open-mic poetry sensibities and futuristic post-hiphop. And I have no idea where to find this record... so don't ask me! |
| RJD2 Dead Ringer |
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Just like the title, it is hard to separate fact from fiction. New-school and old-school sentiments coexist without too much tension. There is freedom here to explore a number of different approaches and styles. With only three cameos -- Copywrite, Jakki Da Motamouth, Blueprint -- expectations are different for a mostly instrumental album. RJ takes full advantage of this and winds up somewhere around DJ Shadow, DJ Krush, DJ Vadim, and core producers such as Pete Rock, and of course fellow Ohio artists such as Five Deez and Lone Catalysts. And there's no denying the apparent influence of the current international funk revival lead by various producers, collectors, DJs and crate diggers. But R is on a little adventure like Mark Twain. He tries a little of everything: club jams, basement jams, cinematic themes, atmospheric meditations, deep funk, and laid-back outings. There's always a real sense of careful craftsmanship. These instrumentals are very balanced, R relies on the relationship between tracks, rather than on a single track or a hook, or even a real solid, catchy pop-oriented melody. This balance is as much a strength as it is a weakness. Every track is solid... there's not a bad track. But no particular sentiment emerges from the mix. It's all very adjusted, and idiosyncracies are lacking. The highlight for me is definitely "Final Frontier" featuring Blueprint, because the track is anchored in the personality of the emcee, not in the environment of the instrumental. Ultimately, RJD2 has done as much to put out a good album, as he has done for expanding the repertoire of today's adventurous, and multi-faceted school of progressive hip hop producers. |
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