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| Raekwon- Immobilarity | ||||||||||||||||||||
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I really had my hopes up that this would be the album that would restore my faith in the greatness that was once the Wu-Tang Clan. Sadly this is the last straw for fans of the Wu like you and me, we shouldn?t have to put up with this. ?Cuban linx..? was a classic album so obviously its gonna be hard to follow that up, but a decent effort isn?t even show here, its just poor. Now the main problem with the Wu lately has been the lack of RZA, and with his very few appearences a drop in quality and that?s putting it lightly. Where Rza was once dominant over a Wu-tang album he merely just signs on as ?Executive producer? these days and he doesn?t even do that here. Raekwon holds his own, hes still coming out with the same stuff lyrically as he always has but there are 2 things missing from this album. First off its good production, Rza may be lacking but Raekwons choice of producers have just come with cheap sounding beats and basic mediocrity, only a handful of tracks make me listen to them the whole way through. Second, its Ghostface, the tag team partnership is sorely missed here, the 2 bond when they collaborate on a track and carrying most of the album on his own is something new to Rae and while he tries his best it just don?t work. The album builds up with an intro that is reminiscent of the plan in ?Striving for perfection? a beautiful layered beat accompanies Rae here so why the hell didn?t he rhyme over it?. ?Yae Yo? starts the album nicely but unfortunately this is where problems begin, it?s a nice fast paced track that should have set a standard for what?s to come but it just slowly goes downhill from here. ?100 rounds? and ?Friday? have a west coast feel to them but it?s a vibe that Rae cannot adapt to as he sounds awkward and out of time. The same thing can be said about ?Heart to heart? which sounds more like a freestyle over a beat used a thousand times before. Things are not looking good so far are they?Embarrassing is the only word that can sum up ?All I got is you part 2?, while this could have been a heartfelt tribute to his mother it comes off corny as fuck. Bub could have brought some real soul to this with the right music and made a credible follow up to Ghosts Vivid account on the original but this is really bad. The best track of the album is without a doubt the DJ premier-esque sounding ?Sneakers? where Raekwon does a GZA ?labels? type thing (But not as clever) with the brands of footwear he?s feeling. Then there?s ?Live from New york? the first single which is not amazing but stands out here. ?Real life? with its tripping beat and low key pianos definitely provides perfect material for Raekwon to perform at his best, even close to a Cuban linx.. type track. I always thought Raekwon was the greedy one, the one who wanted all the best beats to lay his verses upon but with the absence of RZA it seems he has picked any old cheap and nasty backdrop to lay his verses upon. The Wu are also painfully absent from this album, while the absence of Ghostface is understandable with his recent incarceration we only get mediocre appearences from Masta Killa on ?The table? which is still one of the better tracks and Method Man on ?Fuck them? . So while it?s a test to see if an emcee can hold his own without a slew of cameos cluttering up an album its something Raekwon could pulled off if only he had at least had good production to go with it. - PHIL | |||||||||||||||||||
| Dr. Dre - The Chronic 2001 | ||||||||||||||||||||
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If you haven't heard of Dr. Dre, don't call yourself a rap/Hip Hop fan. I first got into Dre's material when he was part of NWA. Though, the material he did in the World Class Wrekkin' Crew was done before NWA, I got into it after hearing his NWA related joints. The very much publicized leaving of Dre from NWA, and his beef with basically the NWA frontman, Eazy-E got Dre quite a bit more exposure, and with the creation of Death Row, Dr. Dre rose to new heights. He brought out Snoop, and released one of the best rap LP's I've heard; 'The Chronic.' The beats on the LP were just plain dope, and the assortment of guests and great tracks combined to create something brilliant. Obviously, after releasing such a brilliant LP (which has been praised since its release) everyone was eager to hear a follow-up. But, we didn't, we heard quite a few Dre guest appearances, a fair few solo tracks, and quite a bit of production. But no new LP. In 1996, Dre left the label which (in my opinion) he'd been responsible for the success of. He left Death Row and created the label, Aftermath. Soon after the label was formed, a reasonably good compilation was dropped, containing tracks from artists on the label. People still wanted a Dre solo. Well, since then, we've consistently heard rumours of Dre's LP dropping the next month, or the next week, or next year, however, it hasn't been true until now. On the 16th of November, 1999, the sequel to 'The Chronic' will drop. Does it match up to all the hype, over 6 years worth of it ? The hype for the actual release started around late June. That's when 'What's The Difference' (the original version featuring Hittman, not Xzibit) started floating around radio shows, mixtapes and bootleg 12"s. Almost everyone I spoke to about it, loved it, now though the original version isn't on here, a newer, in my opinion, better version is. Xzibit was added, Hittman was removed, and the beat was tweaked a bit. A nice improvement. Then, the best Hip Hop website on the net (www.tha-real.com of course) leaked the cut 'Forgot About Dre' featuring Eminem. This track wet people's appetites more than ever before, Dre and Eminem spit some real nice, fast paced rhymes. 'Forgot About Dre' has also been slightly altered, but, it's present here for your listening pleasure. Around early/mid September, the first official single dropped. 'Still Dre.' The track had Dre and Snoop collaborating over a real nice beat, but, though it was dope, the real stir about it that was created was that Jay-Z had co-written the lyrics. Either way, it turned out really dope, and with the 12" being on clear green vinyl, well, it's a nice addition. Also, though it isn't sold everywhere, 'Fuck You' and 'Xxplosive' were released on a 12". 'Fuck You' is pretty ill, but the gem on that 12" was 'Xxplosive,' a big posse cut with some dope rhymes, well worth purchasing. 'Xxplosive' is the updated version of 'Pimpin' which was cut from the LP, but the beat was re-used for the posse cut that replaced it. On my first listen of this LP, I must admit, I was disappointed, it could be that my mind was wandering, I don't know, but I discovered how much I loved it the second time I heard it. The assortment of guests isn't anything like the majority of LPs with very many guests. Know why ? Well, it's because this LP is dope. You have guesting on the LP; Snoop Dogg, Eminem, Hittman, Devin The Dude, Nate Dogg, Six Two, Xzibit, Defari, Knoc Turn'al, Time Bomb, King T, MC Ren, Kokane, Kurupt and Mary J. Blige along with comedian Eddie Griffith and others. '2001's highlights are non-stop. You have the previously circulated tracks on here, along with ill collaborations like 'Some LA Niggaz' which features King T, MC Ren, Defari, Xzibit, Knoc Turn'al, Time Bomb, and Kokane. I mean, shit, look at the line up. King T, MC Ren, Xzibit and Defari. No disrespect to the other emcees on the track, but, those lot on one track ! Basically, it's a dope posse cut over a nice beat with a sung hook. You also have gems like 'Big Ego's,' 'Bitch Niggaz' and 'The Next Episode.' All are amazing, 'Big Ego's' features a really dope beat, with some real nice rhymes by Dre and Hittman, plus, a hook which after you've heard it about three times, you find yourself uncontrollably chanting along with it. 'Bitch Niggaz' features Snoop Dogg, Hittman and Six two, and, yet another dope beat. The rhymes are nice, with some comical lines scattered throughout the verses. And, arguably my favourite of the three I just mentioned is 'The Next Episode.' The beat on the cut has a very recognizable sample, and is just plain and simply dope. Nate Dogg sings his heart out, Dre and Snoop drop some nice rhymes and Kurupt shouts a bit, haha, basically an ill track. The LP also has its fair share of comedic skits. Eddie Griffith provides some humerous comments, and Jake Sneed adds a generic sex interlude, which is amusing, entitled 'Pause 4 Porno.' I could inform you more about each track, but there's no real need, I think you get the point. The last track that I will talk about is 'The Message,' a pretty touching track featuring Mary J. Blige. This track is a really well rhymed dedication to his brother, Tariq. Along with a selection of well created beats, Mary J. Blige adds some soul-full singing. This LP is not a lyrical masterpiece. There also isn't an overwhelming amount of depth, however, the tracks here are enjoyable and fun to listen to, creating a selection of hip hop tracks which will require the volume being increased and the pleasure being made bigger. I would have liked to have seen Ice Cube on here, as what was originally planned, and maybe a couple of tracks with Daz rhyming, but it's still a very impressive LP without them. To sum things up. This is my favourite LP that I've reviewed over the past 18 months. I haven't given anything a 9/10 until this. So you should realise that this LP is ill. Some people may need to listen to the LP more than once to fully appreciate it (I know I did), but, once you give it a chance. You'll be hooked. Definitely pick this LP up. - Hugz Boss | |||||||||||||||||||
| Nas - Nastradamus | ||||||||||||||||||||
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?I am? was received well this year despite most of its being the biggest load of bullshit this emcee has ever put out. Not many people could see that this was plain crap, now its his second album within a year, the third if you count all the bootlegged tracks out there and if this don?t convince you Nas has fallen off then nothing will. Maybe some of you reading this think I am the wrong person to review this album as it seems Nas conveys such a negative image upon me. The truth is I am hoping he will show talent, not waiting for him to fall off, the day he spits lines that once again inspire emcees to pick up a mic will be hip hops greatest day, if that day ever comes. The title of this album is misleading as Nas does little to try and predict as his namesake did so why ?Nastradamous?? cos it sounds good? no!. The title track is the lead single off here and basically its horrible. Nas comes with some verses that would suit the standards of other emcees out there but this is Nas, the lyricist who once blew me and many other fans away with his verses. The music for this track has been used by EPMD before and it just sounds cheap and nasty here, add to this the singing Nas does for the hook and undoubtedly this is his worst single so far. Maybe that single was made to sell units? The rest of the album is good right? No!. ?The life we choose? starts the album off and it doesn?t really play a great intro to the album at all. While the track is OK, its not exactly got ya mouth watering for what is to lie ahead. The same thing happens with ?Some of us have angels? while it?s a nice track to listen to it won?t have you hitting that rewind button. The album only really kicks off by track number 6 when we hit the only DJ Premier produced track on the album. ?Come get up? is probably the worst offering this producer and emcee have come up with so far, its not rubbish but when you bring tracks like ?NY State of mind 1 & 2? ?Memory Lane? and the awesome ?Nas is like? into the equation this registers as a negative. We hit the best track of the album midway when Nas is joined by the suspect Peter Gunz sound-a-like Neshawn. Both emcees bring nice verses over a very chilling beat made up of drum rolls and choir wails. While Newshawn proves he can shine Nas gives us the best verse on the album when he becomes a prison cell, while it?s a clever idea it could have been more subliminal in what Nas was relating to and not so obvious in his verse. It seems the 3 track hat trick is completed with ?Shoot em up?, the Havoc produced beat is nice and although Nas?s lyrics portray negativity you can?t complain its straight up dope!. Could Nas have got more commercial than some of the crap that was on ?I am?? yes he could. While emcees like Biggie Smalls and Jay-Z could pull off commercial sounding tracks with a level of credibility, Nas just struggles. Take the Timbaland produced ?You owe me? which features Ginuwine, the beat is terrible and Nas just makes you cringe. He can regain some of that cred with the new version of ?Project window? with Ron Isley, this is an example of how Nas can vividly depict scenarios over a softer sounding backdrop. ?Africa? is sampled for ?New world order? and while it brings a level of optimism in its message there?s something just not right there. The worst track here has to be ?Big girl? where he resorts back to the bone like double type flow he did well on ?Big things? but just seems to do nothing but falter here, and yes he fucking sings again. I took 2 weeks of repeatedly listening to this album, looking for something constructive in here, undoubtedly I found it difficult to find it. Nas has gone too far, while half this album is looking to satisfy the commercial audience not even the hardcore tracks are worthy of more than a few listens. Even the Mobb Deep and Bravehearts featured tracks (?family? and ?Quiet Niggaz? respectively)leave you wanting something more than the boring production and ignorant rhymes displayed on either track. It saddens me to see such a talented individual slip to the point of no return, who could have predicted that? Not Nas for sure. - PHIL UPDATED EVERY WEEK SO CHECK BACK!
 
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