Honestly, i think the production is solid. The biggest issue with these tracks is Tyler essentially running out of things to say and repeating edgy humor and the lengths of the songs themselves. I truly believe if Clipse had access to this production with the right inspiration, they could have made a Hell Hath No Fury 2 and make it a phenomenal coke rap album. Instead we got an album for perennial bully victims.
A solid underground album from J-Zone, one of hip hop's forgotten multi-talented producer-rappers. His character here is clear; a down-trodden, womanizing, anti-conscious rap backpacker that has no intention on being a contributing member to society. Perhaps some of the humor may be juvenile but he does sprinkle in some lessons and consequences for degenerate actions. Even if the lessons are as obvious as "Don't have unprotected sex" and "Don't fuck underaged girls." I think ... read more
Wu in its purest form.. Rae, Ghost, Method and ODB have their own quirks that make their solo music have unique flavors mixed in with that Wu-element. RZA pretty much represents Wu-Tang the brand. But GZA, nah, he's Wu-tang, the essence. A master swordsman. A poor righteous teacher. A devil slayer. Not a single bar wasted. Not a single detail overlooked. Fittingly, RZA gave him the soundtrack of a warrior. No gloss, no flash here. Straight grit and grime and New York winter vibes here. 4th ... read more
T.I may have coined the term Trap music but Jeezy was the first trap music REVOLUTION. A whole movement with insane hype. Definitely THE soundtrack to any blue collar worker caught up in the grind. Bombastic, brash anthems all over this joint. The production is still bumping and the choruses here sound like affirmations and motivation chants that double as catchy earworms. A hip hop essential.
In another universe, this would be considered an essential trap or southern hip hop album of the 2000s. This embodies everything anyone should ask for; unwavering confident deliveries, booming beats, aggressive flows. Even some of the lesser musical moments (some weak choruses here and there, some overextended runtimes) are approached with undeniable swagger.
My last review and some of the comments related to it may have ruffled some feathers. So why not reach across the aisle and see what the OTHER said has for us?
Mr. Barman spits what is essentially verbose perverted incel nerd rap. He's someone you guys might think is terminally online. Except this is in the year 2000. And produced entirely by Prince Paul. So you get 18 minutes of outlandish one liners abour sex and nerd stereotypes over dope production. An EP is the perfect length for this ... read more
"The imams, the rabbis, and the pope incidentally
Couldn't stop my boat, God from quoin' quotes from the senseis"
The worst thing the Jay Elec verse did (besides not be mixed well or a "hoax" line without any additional clear context) is introduce Noname fans and a bunch of younger, suburban and confused rap fans to a bunch of terms that they have no grasp of. No, the verse isn't calling for war against Jews. "infidels" and "sons of Yakub" do not refer ... read more
Satirical, witty, down-to-earth and soulful just like their debut album. If The Listening didnt convince y'all that Phonte could get busy on the mic, this album will. He drops two of the most vulnerable verses of all time in Slow It Down and All For You. He also does a satrical R.Kelly/Ron Isley debut in Cheatin' then trades bars with an elite Detroit lyricist in Elzhi the song after. Truly a master of his craft.
late 90s Madlib is interesting to say the least. Before he established a name for himself, he had his own little circle of rapper friends like Wildchild, Medaphor aka MED (you heard him twice on Madvillainy) and Dudley Perkins aka Declaime. One of the earliest fully Madlib produced joints here, it's a cozy little EP with Declaime being the main artist on the mic.
How's the music? Well, it's pretty short and it's solid. Lib is definitely the star of the EP as his production, while not at its ... read more
2pac at his most unhinged and paranoid. And it's fucking awesome. He knew he was tangling with dark forces, both outside and within. He was never a stranger to the latter group of demons, and he was always socially aware. But this time, he was feeling heat from the industry as well. It's a shame he died before this album came out.
Scores
Bomb First (My Second Reply) *9*
Hail Mary ***10***
Toss It Up **9.5**
To Live and Die in ... read more
This album is just...okay. Like the middle section is full of skips but it starts out all right and ends really strong. I dont have a problem with what he's saying per se, it's just some of the execution for me left a lot to be desired. It's not as horrible as people make it out to be, but there isnt peak Drake anywhere here.
Funny how my last review was Slick Rick's debut, because this album is definitely one of its children, along with the likes of Slaughtahouse by Masta Ace and Muddy Waters by Redman.
Exaggerated and cartoonish storytelling from a mind off a Detroit resident without a stable childhood. Normally such an approach doesn't lend itself to a fruitful hip hop career, but Em is a student of the game through and through. And you can tell he wants you to know that by wearing his influences on his sleeve ... read more
One of the best albums in the 80s. The first 4 tracks constitute a legendary run of storytelling and humor. the rest of the album has mostly greatness with some decent or okay moments in between. Some of the humor might hit a little juvenile but I don't think its a reflection of Slick Rick himself. There's definitely moments where he has serious lessons to give the listeners. As a storyteller, of course he's liable to embellish or exaggerated details for entertainment value. It even manifests ... read more
Mr. Scarface 10
The Pimp 7.5
Born Killer 9.5
Murder By Reason Of Insanity 8
Your Ass Got Took 8.5
Diary Of A Madman 8
Body Snatchers 8
Money And The Power 8.5
P D Roll 'Em 9
Good Girl Gone Bad 8.5
A Minute To Pray And A Second To Die 10
I'm Dead 9
Reviewing this in honor of his recent retirement and because we're about a month past its 30th anniversary. Scarface made a name for himself with the proto-horrorcore group the Geto Boys. Boasting aggressive styles and storytelling that is ... read more
In the school of hard knocks, THIS is the ultimate dissertation. Takes every aspect of hip hop that the golden era enhanced (Tribe's jazzizness, Wu-Tang's grittiness, Rakim's rhyme schemes, Kool G rap's storytelling) and culminates it into a 39 minute masterpiece that exudes timelessness despite its relative brevity.
"That means guns, sex, lies, videotape
But if I talk about Jesus, my record won't get played? HUH?" - Kanye West, 2004
Porque no los dos?
Gucci Mane - Ice Daddy (2021)
Poppin (ft. BigWalkDog) 8
Posse on Bouldercrest (ft. Pooh Shiesty & Sir Mix-A-Lot) 9.5
Shit Crazy (ft. BIG30) 9.5
Like 34 & 8 (ft. Pooh Shiesty) 10
Dboy Style 8
Trap Shit (ft. Lil Baby) 7.5
I Got It (ft. Lil Uzi Vert) 8.5
Rich Nigga Shit 8.5
Top of Shit (ft. 2 Chainz & Young Dolph) 7.5
Never Runnin Out Of Money (ft. E-40) 7
Fold Dat Money Up (ft. Project Pat) 7.5
Gucci Coming 4 You 8
Invoices 6.5
Live at the Red Carpet (ft. Peewee Longway) 7
Bust Down ... read more
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Recent Review Comments
On Juggaknots - The Juggaknots
"@AllAboutMusic incredible ending lines. Truly a unique experience."
On Maddy's review of Eazy-E - It's On (Dr. Dre) 187um Killa
"definitely an opinion from a guest in hip hop lol never try to cook again"
On Noname - Sundial
"@pizzagrande you should do more research on the Five Percenters and their use of the words "devil" and "85er". The verse was not exclusively going at Jewish people. Stop going to Genius as the end all be all, because there's a lot of knowledge and context missing.
PErhaps the verse was a bit too inflammatory but the sentiment of anger comes from him being a black Muslim and seeing certain groups work in tandem to displace his fellow Muslims and black folks around the world. We do not get to tell the oppressed how to feel about their oppressor. Point blank."
On Noname - Sundial
"i didnt agree with the Zelenskyy line. THe NOI is suspect though, I will say that. I don't necesarily agree with everything Jay Elec talks about but I know he didnt exclusively go at the JEwish community here. There were other targets. WHich is my point. We focus way too much on part of the verse"
On Noname - Sundial
"Rob is saying that we as progressives have been critical of religion as a whole and we celebrate that but when it comes down to critiques of someone who happens to be part of the Jewish faith, the criticism is met with more resistance that when Christians or Muslims get criticized. They arent met with the same amount of nuance and discussion .
It's a shame and an absolute catastrophe what Germany did because the Nazis are truly evil. WHich is why it's stupid to compare Jay Electronica to them just because he snaps on the ROthschilds. It's funny cause the Rothschilds are literally everything Noname fans and the woman herself rail against: exploitative capitalists, former slave owners, supporters of ISrael who is oppressing Muslims as we speak. This isnt a conspiracy theory neither. Yall should be allowed to criticize a family like that without getting stuck with the Nazi label just BECAUSE they happen to be Jewish and just because hateful white people view them as a scapegoat."
On Noname - Sundial
"Honestly, he probably should stop mentioning the Rothschilds. It's clear he has a personal gripe with them due to his dealings with them and people conflate that with some other shit"
On IssaRonny's review of Lil Yachty - Let's Start Here.
"How are you gonna tell someone how to rate music?"
On Rollo_P's review of Eric B. & Rakim - Paid In Full
"bottles will be thrown expeditiously at you for such a low rating"
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