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Reviews
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Tha Liks
X.O. Experience 7/01 3.5 |
Tha Liks (formerly Tha Alkaholiks) have been putting in work for years. They first appeared on King Tee's "Tha Triflin" album. That appearance landed them (and their main man Xzibit) a record deal at LOUD. This is their 5th album for the hip hop label who also houses Mobb Deep & The Wu. With such heavyweights on the label, you would think that Tha Liks would get more exposure. Nope. Tha Liks are the west coast version of The Beatnuts in my opinion. Both crews bring that true element of hip hop back to the fore front: having a good time. Tha Liks' in-house producer, E-Swift got some help from some of his industry friends/fans on this outing (Neptunes, Rockwilder, etc). Personally, I think E Swift is a hidden talent. Tha Liks have remained consistent throughout their career. Each album was better than the previous album. Likwidation, their previous album, was damn near classic status in my opinion. Anyway, the new album is your typical Likwit Crew party: superior, fun filled lyrics over tight production. Standout tracks include "Best U Can", the lead single which features the Neptunes. "Bullyfoot" with Busta Ryhmes is a-ight. Busta better bring it on his next album. "Promote Violins" with Kurupt is kind of surprising. You can see that tha Liks are trying to expand their fan base. Unlike others who try that and totally forget their core fans, tha Liks remain true. If you like The Beatnuts, you'll enjoy Tha Liks. | |
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O.C.
No picture
Bon Appetit 7/01 3 |
His first album "Word...Life" was dubbed a classic. His second album "Jewelz" spawned underground classics "M.U.G." and "Win the G", both of which introduced and featured Bumpy Knucks aka Freddie Foxxx. On album number three, O.C. the last member of the D.I.T.C. crew, continues with the raw, underground lyricism that gets him compared to some of the greats. The only time I have a problem with O.C. is when he actually tries to make a radio record. They sound completely contrived and out of place on his albums. Thank goodness they are in limited supply on this album. Stand out cuts include "Get it Dirty" with Party Arty and D Flow, "Respect the Drop", "Weed & Drinks" with AG and "Love is LIfe" with Jay Z on the hook (hidden track). Overall, O.C. is truly a gifted lyricist in need of better production. Can somebody call a Dr. or a Premier physician? | ||
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Afu Ra
The Body of the Life Force 08/00 4 |
Let me
lay just the foundation: Executive
Produced by DJ Premier with production handled by himself, True
Mathematics (from the Wu) and DJ Muggs.
With a lineup like that, how could you go wrong?
I was thoroughly impressed with this debut.
Afu Ra is what Jeru the Damaja should have been over a Premo track.
He comes with the conscious lyrics and an ill flow.
His style is influenced by Jeru, but does not suffer from wack word
play as Jeru did. With Premo
in his corner, Afu got some help from some heavyweights.
GZA shows up on "Big Acts, LIttle Acts".
Masta Killa appears on "Mortal Kombat".
CoCo Brovas drop a verse on "D&D Soundclash", which
is one of the many bangers on this album.
M.O.P. show up on "Warfare".
And surprisingly, Ky-Mani Marley drops in on "Equality",
another reggae influenced banger.
This album is a must have if you're a fan of Gangstarr and
underground hip hop with some sense. Afu Ra goes against the grain of today’s gangster ethic in
hip hop and drops a gem. It’s
a rare find, but CDNow.com and digilot.com have it.
Pick this one up ASAP!!! |
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Beanie Sigel
The Reason 06/01 3 |
Everybody and they mama was calling Beanie Sigel the second coming of Biggie. Even I thought he was going to bring it. On his debut, The Truth, Beanie offered a glimmer of hope into that dream. On his sophmore album, The Reason, he offers nothing new. Beanie Mack is a decent lyricist. In fact he reminds me a little of Scarface in his delivery and his honesty on the mic, but no Scarface is he. This album basically picks up right where the last one left off and continues in a straight line. He remakes and takes old hip hop songs/hooks (“So What Cha Saying”, “Gangsta Gangsta”), but doesn't build upon them or add any new twists. His lead single (“Beanie Mack B****”) uses the "Murder Was the Case" hook and is kind of tired if you ask me. He just takes the beats and changes up the words to involve gun play or flipping keys of coke. Honestly, he almost got shuffled to the back of the deck with this album. His one saving grace is his mic presence. He delivers his lyrics in such a way (on some songs) to make the listener hang on to his every word. While Memphis Bleek (Jay Z Wannabe Jr.) took it up a notch on his sophmore album, Beanie just kind of laid low and released a sleeper. Maybe I'm being too harsh but I truly feel he has more to say. Especially when you consider his unique wordplay and flow on the track "Adrenaline!" from The Roots' Things Fall Apart album. Anyway, before I sweep him under the rug of "destined to be great but couldn't live up to it" MC's, I'll give him another chance on the solo tip. Pick this up if you like thugs on the mic. | ||
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D12
Devil's Night 06/01 3.5 |
Let me just say this. Even though I think he gets much more exposure because of his skin color, Eminem is one of the great ones. There is no denying that. With him fronting the group, D12 drops a decent debut. 4 tracks were produced by Dre ("Nasty Mind," "Ain't Nuttin' but Music," "Fight Music," "Revelation"). Dr. Dre almost always represent on his tracks. "Nuttin But Music" is the funniest of the tracks where the group throws disses at everybody from Britney Spears to Nsync to Eminem himself to Whitney Houston to....you get the picture, damn near everybody. All in all, I consider this album as like a bonus CD to the Marshall Mathers LP. That's not a bad thing, but if you were to take out Eminem, you would toss D12 into the pit of obscurity. None of the other members should even consider doing a solo album. Not saying that they're completely wack, but none of them standout as a lyricist. As a collective though, they're tolerable. Tracks to check for include the lead single Purple Pills, Pistol Pistol, That's How..., and Girls (the scathing diss track to Fred Durst, Everlast, DJ Lethal & Dilated Peoples in that on-going saga). Em sounds pretty mad and threatens violence (yawn, so what else is new). These rappers better be able to back up all of this trash they're talking on record. I would have given this release a 4 if it was solely based on tracks, but hip hop is about the music, the lyrics, the flow and mic control. Anyway, this album is a decent buy. Pick it up if you don't think you'll get tired of hearing a bunch of guys try to rap like Eminem over some pretty tight beats. | ||
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KRS One
Sneak Attack 05/01 3.5 |
While
some people can't stand KRS One for one reason or another (Evil Mike) , I
am and always will be a fan of the teacher.
Yes he gets too preachy sometimes, but hip hop needs that.
KRSOne takes all of the ugliness that has become hip hop, flips it
right side up and forces it to take a look at itself and what it has
become. Lyrically, KRS can
still flip it anyway he wants and will crush most MC's.
Musically, he needs help. It
is even more apparent on this endeavor.
Kris needs to leave the producing to those who look up to him (Premo,
Showbiz, Diamond, etc.). On
this album, he and his brother DJ Kenny Parker handle a bulk of the
production. This leads to a
somewhat sleepy combination. His
last album "I Got Next" was slept on by a lot of folks, but
quietly, nearly reached platinum status because of the beats and the
lyrics. Don't expect much in
the way of music on this album. There
are some banging beats on the album, but nothing spectacular.
Someone of his calibur should have at least one spectacular cut on
the album. While the cuts
lack that punch that I was looking for, KRS more than makes up in the
lyrical, self improvement department.
KRS has a message for everybody:
the down trodden ("Get Your Self Up"), the prideful
("False Pride"), those lacking self esteem ("I Will Make
It") and any MC that might wanna step ("Krush Them" &
"Shutupyaface"). Also,
for some hip hop history, peep the "Hip hop Knowledge" cut where
KRS traces the history of his entry into hip hop up until the present.
KRS One still matters. If
you're a true fan, you'll enjoy it, it you're Evil Mike, you'll use his CD
as a frisbee or a cup coaster. |
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Gorillaz
Gorillaz 06/01 3 |
What's
funny about this album is that its more alternative rock than hip hop.
Who knew? I was up late one night looking at videos and this
japanese anime music video came on and as I was watching, I recognized one
of the voices as none other than Del the funkyhomosapien.
You may or may not know that I'm a big fan of Del and try to
support him when I can. He's
one of the few underground West Coast artists that is not so far out there
and you can understand what he's talking about.
Del has lyrics for dat a**. Anyway,
to my dismay, Del is only on that one song off of the entire CD
("Clint Eastwood"), but fortunately, the CD doesn't suffer.
Dan "the Automator" Nakamura, best known for his work
with Kool Keith produced a bulk of the tracks with this guy I've never
heard of from England. While
most of the tracks are rock influenced, all of them have a heavy hip hop
bottom. Granted, you have to be really
open-minded to enjoy this CD, but it stands on its own.
I would have enjoyed the CD even more if there was more Del.
I really thought this whole "virtual band" idea was a
great gimmick. I'm sure I'd
be the only one to really enjoy these, but here are a few of the stand out
tracks: "5/4 Five Four", "Clint Eastwood" and
"Man Research". It
got a 3 because I'm more hip hop than rock and it didn't have enough of an
MC presence. Come over and check this one out for yourself, then buy it if
it suits you. Also, check out their interactive web site: www.Gorillaz.com |
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