3/5
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
March 18, 2011
Lupe Fiasco - Lasers (Review)
3/5
Labels:
Lupe Fiasco,
Review
November 22, 2010
Kanye West - My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (Review)
1) Dark Fantasy
Not sure what the point of that Nicki Minaj intro was, but fuck it, it didn't take away from the song, so it's acceptable. You know what did take away from the song, though?? Kanye not spitting the rest of his 2nd BET Hip-Hop Awards cypher verse on the 2nd verse. Yes, I'm aware Dark Fantasy was probably recorded long before that G.O.O.D. Music cypher was even taped, but I'm sure Kanye knew which we'd be exposed to first. Look, all I'm saying is that 2nd cypher verse was ill as fuck, and I would've liked to hear more of it on the album.
I know that complaint above may seem like nitpicking, but Dark Fantasy was pretty flawless, and that's all I could come up with to detest. The beat is fresh as hell, the sample was dope, and Kanye rips it. Win, win, win. Awesome note to start the album out on. Let's move forward.
2) Gorgeous (feat. KiD CuDi & Raekwon)
If you told me beforehand that KiD CuDi was gonna be featured on the worst track of Kanye's album, I would've said "well, duh." Fortunately for CuDi, he isn't the reason this song fails to connect with being good.
OK, OK, I won't say Gorgeous is that bad of a song, but it just doesn't fit; it's too lifeless and boring. Reason: the beat! For about 4 minutes and 30 seconds, this beat sucks the life out of Kanye's–otherwise awesome–verses like a nagging, overbearing wife to a weak-minded husband. It's like Ye sampled Charlie Brown's teacher and had it playing in a loop until Raekwon starting spitting. It was damn near a waste of Raekwon feature. Unacceptable, especially following the strength of the Dark Fantasy.
3) POWER
I could write something new for Power, but I love my initial reaction to it back in May. Come relive it with me, won't you?
4) All Of The Lights (Interlude)
Why was this its own track?? This space could've been taken by a dope G.O.O.D. Friday song to help fill up this short ass album.
5) All Of The Lights
I don't know what the hell Kanye was talking about in that first verse, but outside of that, this is a pretty dope record. The beat is on point and I think Rihanna fit in nicely on the hook. It would've been nice to get a 3rd verse instead of roughly 2 minutes of instrumentation and hooks, but that's Kanye for you. I'll take it.
(Side note: Who was that chick that came on randomly about 3 minutes in?? I seriously have no idea who that was.)
6) Monster (feat. Rick Ross, Jay-Z & Nicki Minaj)
Monster was the very first of the G.O.O.D. Friday joints, and after all this time I still don't know what the purpose of Rick Ross' feature was. It doesn't hurt the song at all, but you have 3 strong verses from Kanye, Jay-Z, and Nicki Minaj...and then there's Rick's verse. Just odd.
Fortunately the pointlessness of Rick's verse doesn't ruin this monster of a record. Honestly, Monster was average when I first heard it, but it's really grown on me. Like I stated above, Kanye, Hov, and Nicki absolutely destroy this track. What more can you ask from a Hip-Hop record than that?? Exactly.
7) So Appalled (feat. RZA, Jay-Z, Pusha T, Swizz Beatz & CyHi Da Prynce)
So Appalled is another hardcore Hip-Hop joint. Hard beat, hard rhymes (Outside of Yeezy saying "we get O's like Cheerios." That was pretty corny.), Hip-Hip purest like myself can't do anything but gush over such records.
The only (minor) complaint I can muster for So Appalled is the fact that CyHi's verse was last. I feel like the song could've ended on a iller note, but he wasn't bad, so I'll take it. I'm just glad RZA didn't spit a verse. RZA doesn't get enough credit for how bad a rapper he is. If I told people to name some of the wackest rappers of all-time I'd get a lot of Soulja Boys, Birdmans, and Gucci Manes, but RZA definitely belong in that group. You don't believe me?? Go back and listen to some RZA solo shit. Spoiler alert: it's awful.
8) Devil In A Dress (feat. Rick Ross)
On Kanye's interview with Sway after his movie "Runaway" premiered, he said, "A hacker, man, they can't give you what I'ma give you, once it's the whole product." He was right, because I was shocked as hell when Ross just started rapping out of nowhere on Devil In A Dress. When I got the album, I didn't bother looking at the track list, I just played it, so I had no idea it was coming, and might I say it was quite the pleasant surprise. Ross totally makes up for that meaningless few bars he spit to start off Monster by Barry Bondsing Devil In A Dress. Ricky really takes the song to another level.
As far as the rest of the song goes, it's pure love. The beat is extraordinary and Kanye was clever and concise with the lyrics. Simply put: Devil In A Dress is strong as fuck!
9) Runaway (feat. Pusha T)
I could've really gone without the last 3 minutes of the final version of Runaway. The final product was just long for the sake of being long, and probably should've faded out around the 6 minute mark. I'd rather listen to somebody else take a piss than the last 3 minutes of Runaway. It's awful and excruciatingly annoying .
Other than that, I couldn't be any happier with the final product. Dope beat, dope lyrics, dope hook, dope sample (I'm so happy he brought the "look atcha" sample back), dope ass record.
10) Hell Of A Life
I wonder which pornstar inspired this song?? I'd like to thank her (and hopefully not him) for whatever she did that brought this incredible song about. I can't even come up with a minor complaint for Hell Of A Life. Nothing. As far as I'm concerned, it's flawless. I LOVE this fucking song!
Oh, and yes ladies, I fuck with the lights on ;-).
11) Blame Game (feat. John Legend & Chris Rock)
First off, Chris Rock is a fuckin' fool! Unlike Runaway, Blame Game has an extended ending I'm more than willing to listen to every time I hear the song. That was just hilarious and awesome on so many levels.
Speaking of being awesome, the rest of Blame Game wasn't too shabby itself. The instrumental was excellent, John Legend was perfect for the hook, and Kanye absolutely slits this track's throat and both wrists. Amazing, beautiful, timeless. No complaints.
12) Lost In The World (feat. Bon Iver)
I don't think I've ever been more satisfied with a 4-plus minute Hip-Hop record with only one verse than I am with Lost In The World. Honestly, I didn't even notice there was only one verse until after I heard it about 5 times. The song is just so well put together and full, that it really doesn't matter that it lacked lyrics. You have to hand it to Kanye, this record is ill.
13) Who Will Survive In America
Damn, I would've liked to end things with a song. This was all well and good, but I wasn't ready for Kanye's Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy to end, and this just tricked me into thinking there would be more.
Plus, I can't get over buddy saying, "All I want is a good home, and a wife, and a children..." A children?? He doesn't know who will survive in America, but we all know he didn't survive in English class.
Favorite Song:
Hell Of A Life (Prod. by Kanye West & Mike Caren)
Least Favorite Song:
Gorgeous (feat. KiD CuDi & Raekwon) (Prod. by Kanye West, No I.D.)
Overall:
Okay, let's talk about the flaws first.
Number 1: This album was entirely too short. Eleven songs isn't good enough, especially when you're dropping hot shit every week since August 27th. That's right, there were more G.O.O.D. Fridays (12) than songs on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy (11). And the what makes it really crazy is the fact that 3 of the tracks were G.O.O.D. Friday songs anyway. Might as well had thrown a few more on there to fill out the album. Do you think anyone would've complained if Lord, Lord, Lord or Chain Heavy or Take One For The Team were on the album?? I think not.
The only other real negatives come from the lackluster second track Gorgeous and the final 3 minutes of Runaway. Both were unnecessary and useless. I guess you could also say the lack of rap verses from Kanye was a problem, but honestly, I didn't even notice it until last night. Besides, it hurt Kanye's aspirations to become the best rapper of all-time, like he said he wanted to be, more than it hurt the album.
Now, let's discuss the possible disaster that Kanye avoided. Avoided disaster #1: Soulja Boy making the album. He threatened us with the idea, but Soulja was ultimately left off the project. Thank goodness. That would've been a error worse than Rick Ross and Big Boi having Gucci Mane on their albums. Crisis avoided. Avoided disaster #2: Not letting RZA rap on So Appalled. Again, RZA is an terrible, terrible rapper. Avoided disaster #3: Leaving See Me Now off the album, despite the Beyonce feature. That song was just boring, I'm sorry.
Aight, now here's the moment you've all been waiting for.
Back in July when I reviewed Rick Ross' Teflon Don, I said only one man had a chance to top him for Album Of The Year, and that was Kanye West. Unfortunately for Ross, that's exactly what Kanye did. My Beautiful Dark Fantasy is quite frankly the best album to come of in 2010. I can't give it a perfect rating, but I can give it the next best thing:
4.75/5
Labels:
Kanye West,
Review
July 24, 2010
Rick Ross - Teflon Don (Review)
1) I'm Not A Star
First and foremost, shout out to everybody that was a "rockstar" in 2007, but will now say they're "not a star" because they like this song. I know y'all out there.
Anyway, what a marvelous way to start the album. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League kills the beat (as expected) and the lyrics were perfect for it. No negatives, only positives, the momentum has been set.
2) Free Mason (feat. Jay-Z & John Legend)
In a perfect world that Jay-Z verse would put the kibosh to all the retarded "Jay-Z worships the devil" rumors. Unfortunately it won't, but that verse was so masterful in its composition that it doesn't even matter. Forget a 2 bar quotable, the entire verse was a quotable in itself. Applause for Hov.
Don't sleep on Ross' verse though, it went quite hard as well. Obviously it wasn't on Jay's level, but it didn't have to be, it was still one of his best.
The hook was fine, and the beat was too, but the verses were what took this from being a good song to being a great song. John Legend getting back to his soulfulness was a nice touch as well.
(Side note: Rick Ross is claiming to not write now too?? When will this end??)
3) Tears Of Joy (feat. Cee-Lo)
The Black Panther intro (not sure if it was Bobby Seale or Huey P. Newton, I've heard it was both and I'm not gonna claim to know) was fine the first listen or 2, but after that it's annoying having to fast forward 60 seconds to get to the actual song. He did the same thing with Mafia Music 2 (I'm wondering how/why that didn't make the album), and it's like damn, this couldn't just be an interlude before the song?? And that's not to mention it has nothing to do with the song it delays. Rick Ross, stop attaching long ass intros to good ass songs, please.
(Side note: I know I'm not the only person who laughed at Rick Ross, of all people, putting this anti-law enforcement speech at the beginning of one of his songs. Maybe he really has forgotten he was on the opposite end of the crime spectrum once upon a time.)
On the other side of that obnoxiously long intro is the incredible Tears Of Joy. An A+ track from No I.D. sets the mood and Ross and Cee-Lo Green take turns making sweet, sweet love to it. What else can I say besides thank you to everyone involved because this song is a pleasure to listen to. Yes, it is that good, though I'm sure it won't be the background music to any VladTV interviews.
4) Maybach Music III (feat. T.I., Jadakiss, & Erykah Badu)
"Beautiful" is the best word to describe the production by J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League on Maybach Music III. I'm sure making music is easy when your production is this outstanding. And that's no knock against Ricky, credit to him for putting them to work on such classicness.
Anyway, I could attempt to find something wrong with Maybach Music III, but what's the use? I could listen to this song 100 times in a row and find no fault with it. All positives, from Ross to T.I. to Jadakiss to Erica Badu in providing lyrics. They all did great jobs, not only not messing up this blessing of an instrumental, but also enhancing it. The sound and feel of this record is simply incredible.
5) Live Fast, Die Young (feat. Kanye West)
If Rick Ross' goal on Live Fast, Die Young was to let Kanye outshine him, then this was a great beat selection. If his goal was to keep the classic momentum going, then it was a terrible choice because this track was literally tailor-made by Kanye West (and No I.D.) for Kanye West. Rick doesn't even rap on these type of beats, so he might as well had not shown up at all.
Now, I'm not saying Live Fast, Die Young is a poor song overall, but it was a rare poor beat decision by Ross because this track highlights none of his strength and leave him sounding like Charlie Brown's teacher. I can hardly remember what he was talking about in either verse, but I could give you a few quotables from Kanye's. Bottom line, Ye knocked it out of the park and Ross popped up to the catcher.
It's all good though, straight A's and a B+ so far isn't too shabby.
6) Super High (feat. Ne-Yo)
Ricky gets things back on track with the smooth sounds of Super High. This song has been out for months and it's no military secret that is dope so we can just move on to track 7.
(Side note: Thank goodness this is a music review and not a video review, because the Super High video is stupid as shit. Stacy Dash is in it, so that was good, but am I to believe that Winnebago of a bike Ross was on actually hawked down a Lamborghini?? Negro please.)
7) No. 1 (feat. Trey Songz & Diddy)
Do you realize we're 7 songs in and there has been 10 different featured artists, 6 of whom have rapped or sung a verse?? Though this album has been magnificent thus far, that figure is a tad high.
Anyhow, the beat to No. 1 sounds an awful lot like the one of Hello, Good Morning (also produced by Danja), but it's still a heater. Personally, I wouldn't have paid for it, but it's not my album. Either way, the finish product is so hot it doesn't even really matter.
Ross commands the track as he did the Hello, Good Morning Remix. Trey Songz brings out the goods on his verse and the hook as well. Diddy offers a very Diddy verse, most likely via Rick Ross' pen...oh wait, he "doesn't write anymore," I meant via Rick Ross' mind. I'm not mad at Diddy for having ghostwriters, I really just wanted to make that Rick Ross joke.
No. 1 is a jammin' ass song that should probably be a single, but never will because of the existence of the aforementioned Hello, Good Morning.
8) MC Hammer (feat. Gucci Mane)
I have seen a lot of people complaining that Styles P shouldn't have been on B.M.F. for some reason, but have yet to hear a peep about Gucci Mane just being thrown onto MC Hammer. On the original version of MC Hammer, as featured on The Albert Anastasia EP, there was no Gucci Mane. On that same EP there was also a song called Blowin' Money Fast that featured Styles P. Hey, wait a second, B.M.F. and Blowin' Money Fast are the same song...in the same format! I'm blown away. Seriously though, at least SP was a part of the orginal record and not a late throw-in.
Back to the music, MC Hammer takes things back down South and gives Ross' original fan base something to bump way up loud in the car. I like the Gucci Mane-less version better, but it's a good song regardless because Gucci doesn't start "rapping" until 3 minutes and 30 seconds in, so I can just hit "next" as if it were a skit at the end of a song on Sir Lucious Left Foot. Having Gucci come on well after Ross is done spitting almost makes up for him being on the song in the first place.
9) B.M.F. (feat. Styles P)
Wait a gotdamn minute, isn't this the same beat as MC Hammer?? Hmm, both were produced by the same person, Lex Luger. Did Lex and Ross figure nobody wouldn't recognize that?? I mean, the tracks are back to back on the album. Maybe they figured they'd just flow together like one long track and we wouldn't realize they were actually 2 separate songs? Who knows. And now that I mention it, I'm Not A Star sounds very similar too, but it was produced J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League though.
Oh well, B.M.F. is more of that good down South ish that maybe folks from other regions might not dig. But me?? I dig! Jammin' ass tracks, catchy hook, decent lyrics, oh yes, I dig! It really is a shame it sounds almost exactly like MC Hammer. Southerners won't mind, but I think others will.
10) Aston Martin Music (feat. Drake & Chrisette Michele)
Aston Martin Music is another J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League production, but unfortunately this one isn't as classic as the others. It's still very good, just not as good as the others. Actually that's how I feel about this song in general. It's good, but not as good as the others in the Rick Ross "Music" collection.
Now let's get to this Drake verse: what the hell happened to it?? Did Rick Ross or Def Jam not like it and removed it? Did it not make the album deadline? Was Drake an asshole and wanted to save the verse for himself? What happened??
Even before I heard the Drake verse on Paris Morton Music (or knew one existed), something just seemed to be missing from the song. Now it's clear. It also doesn't help that the Drake portion that was used sounds like some random sample from So Far Gone or Thank Me Later. Whatever, all I know is that Drake's verse went hard and it should've been on the song or the song shouldn't have been on the album. I mean, we already have 10 other featured verses so far, why not one more, especially one of this caliber?? Again, the song is good, but it could've been much better and you can't just go around putting out incomplete songs all willy nilly!
11) All The Money In The World (feat. Raphael Saadiq)
All The Money In The World is a nice note to close things out on (though I wish there were a few more songs in between it and I'm Not A Star). A lot of people think talking about money and drugs is "keeping it real" but personal songs like this is actually doing so.
Lyrically, Ross is at the top of his game on the final track of Teflon Don and makes up for a very average beat from The Olympicks. The hook was okay, but it was a poor use of Raphael Saadiq. Any run of the mill singer could've done this. If you're gonna break the glass on Saadiq, it might as well be to do something classic. This chorus is far that. Nevertheless, the strong lyrics from Ross take this from being a downer to a nice addition.
Favorite Song:
Tears Of Joy (feat. Cee-Lo) (Prod. By No I.D.)
Least Favorite Song:
Aston Martin Music (feat. Drake & Chrisette Michele) (Prod. J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League)
Overall:
Rick Ross said something powerful in the first verse of Tears Of Joy: "Biggie Smalls in the flesh, I'm living life after my death." That's exactly right, because 50 Cent killed him last year. That fact makes it even more remarkable that Ross has recovered to make it to this point. Good job by him musically, and I'm also glad he decided not to mention 50 at all on the album.
Now, before I heap the rest of the praise I have for Teflon Don, let's take a moment to go over some of its slip ups. The first problem is it's too damn short. Eleven tracks?? Come on Ricky, that's just not acceptable, especially when we know you have tracks such as Mafia Music 2 and Cigar Music laying around unused. Eleven tracks is fine for Common because of the depth and time it probably takes to create them, but it should be no problem for Ross to offer at least 13.
The other problem I had was the excessive use of features. There were 15 features spread over the course of 11 tracks (16 over 12 if you include the iTunes bonus track Audio Meth), with 9 of those artists performing a verse. It's fine to have features, but that's just too much (not to mention that one of the best featured verses isn't even included on the album!!!!). BUT I'm willing to partially overlook this flaw since the Triple C's weren't apart of that featured artists list.
The positives of Teflon Don are easily spotted. If you're musically blind (which may be the case), here are a few: phenomenal beat selection (for the most part), strong lyrics, well crafted songs, and great mood muzik.
Let's cut to the chase, Rick Ross' Teflon Don is now in pole position for Album Of The Year. At this point, the only person who can release his grips from that award is the man featured on track 5, Kanye West...or if Jay-Z wakes up tomorrow and decides he wants to drop an album before 2011 (let the records show I highly doubt the latter will happen). Kanye's Good Ass Job is tentatively set for a September 14th release, and all signs are pointing to classic status from that project, outside of an extremely odd Soulja Boy feature (let's just hope it's only a beat, or that if it's a verse, the song doesn't make the album). But for now the winner is Ross.
4.5/5
July 18, 2010
Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (Review)
1) Feel Me (Intro)
Decent sounding intro. The "damn, and that wasn't nothing but the intro" comment at the end wasn't all that necessary, and it actually makes me like it less. Sorry, I just hate when people brag about stuff that isn't that impressive.
2) Daddy Fat Sax
Great way to start things off, as far as complete songs are concerned. The production is hot, as are the verses, hook, and bridge. This actually would've served as a good intro since it's short, clocking in at just 2 minutes and 36 seconds. Oh well, doesn't make that much of a difference.
3) Turns Me On (feat. Sleepy Brown & Joi)
What was with the "niggas don't fuck with a nigga like me because a nigga like me don't fuck around" part at the beginning?? What purpose did it serve?? It was just vulgar for the sake of being vulgar, and had nothing to do with the song. I know 'Kast albums don't need a reason to do things, but it was just odd.
Anyway, Turns Me On is some good ol' OutKast shit (kind of sounds like it belonged on Idlewild). The beat, the hook, the feel, it's just so OutKast and I love it!
With that being said, it would've been nice to hear Andre 3000's voice on it. Unfortunately Jive wouldn't allow any tracks featuring 3000 to be on the album, so that could be why he's not on here, and definitely why Lookin' 4 Ya and Royal Flush didn't "make the album." Still a super dope song either way.
4) Follow Us (feat. Vonnegutt)
Nothing against Vonnegutt, but I'm not really feeling his vocals. They aren't egregious enough to ruin the song, but I just don't like his voice that much. That's just me though, you might love it, so no points off for that.
Either way, Follow Us is still a useful track. The beat and lyrics were cool (favorite bars: "With so many bosses why are they still, layin' niggas off they job? Nigga for real!"), so I can find little fault with hit, though it is no homerun.
In my opinion, the best part is the extra few bars (I think Big Rube?) spit at the end. He ripped that shit, and unlike the intro on Turns Me On, it doesn't feel odd or unnecessary.
5) Shutterbug (feat. Cutty)
Shutterbug is a nice little song and was a decent choice for a single. I don't really love any element of it, but I still like it overall and it's not all that skippable. That's always a good thing.
6) General Patton
Loud, very loud...but I like it! Dope beat and lyrics by Big and Big Rube, though it was kind of weird to hear spoken word over such a loud track.
I would've loved to hear Ludacris on here, this beat is right up his alley (think Coming 2 America from Word Of Mouf). That probably would've taken the song to the next level, and also allowed that Big Rube verse to be used elsewhere. But as is, it's still hot.
Oh, and the "David Blaine" was hilarious! I'd never try it, but it'd be funny to see done.
7) Tangerine (feat. T.I. & Khujo Goodie)
Super hot! I love Tangerine! Then again, what's not to like about it?? Awesome in all aspects and a great use of a feature (T.I. has been very vintage T.I. lately, am I the only one noticing this??). Now I'm not saying it will become a big hit record, but if it does, I would be less than surprised. Great summer record as well.
(Side note: Are they stripping to this in Atlanta yet?? If they are, it might be time to put my hate for road trip to the side.)
8) You Ain't No DJ (feat. Yelawolf)
We have an Andre 3000 sighting, I repeat, we have an Andre 3000 sighting! Unfortunately it isn't in the form of a verse or hook (thanks again Jive, smart move), but 3000 offers up some production.
You Ain't No DJ can't truly be appreciated until you hear it in a car with a system, or really anything with bass. This 3000 beat is bumpin'! I already thought the song was good, but hearing it how it was supposed to be heard, only elevates it more.
Did anybody bother telling Yelawolf the hook or what the song was about before he submitted his verse?? He mentioned DJ Toomp at some point in his first verse, but that was it. Oh well, I still enjoyed both of his verses so it's all good.
Funny skit there at the end (though the chick said "participation" instead of "precipitation" at the end lol). It's easier to overlooked the placement of skits when they're actually funny.
9) Hustle Blood (feat. Jamie Foxx)
Another hot one, and potential single for Big (I actually think I read he was shooting a video but don't quote me on that). The subject matter is a bit curious for men of their age, but that slows it down 0.0%. Foxx does his thing, and Big tears it down with 2 blazing verses. Hustle Blood gets no complaints from me.
(Side note: This song was made even more special because the Jamie Foxx feature was a surprise, I had no idea he was going to be on the album. This is why I don't like looking at tracklisting beforehand anymore, you start forming expectations for songs based on who's on them and what they're titled. I'm not saying I wouldn't have liked Hustle Blood regardless, but maybe I see someone is on a track and expect something totally different from what I get. I may feel disappointed by that. I just prefer a blank slate coming in, that is all.)
10) Be Still (feat. Janelle Monae)
Again, was that piece at the beginning really necessary?? It had nothing to do with Be Still, or even Hustle Blood for that matter. I don't get it, but whatever.
Anyway, Be Still is a solid record. Not outstanding, not out of this world, but very solid. Don't get me wrong though, it's still a useful record, just not anything overly spectacular. After The Archandroid, my bar for Janelle Monae is extremely high, so I was expecting to be blown away. Oh well I love Janelle anyway, so hearing her was a treat regardless. Everything else was good as well.
I don't have much to say about the skit, but maybe I'd like them more if they weren't attracted to the songs?? The ones at the end aren't that bad, but I hate having skits at the beginning of songs.
11) Fo Yo Sorrows (feat. George Clinton, Too $hort & Sam Chris)
Hot! Fo Yo Sorrows leave little to be desired. Grade A production from Organized Noize, dope flow and verses from Big, great use of features, it's just a tight song. I love how Too $hort was incorporated into the record, even if it was for only 6 bars or so.
If I had to give Fo Yo Sorrows a letter grade, it would undoubtedly be an A+.
12) Night Night (feat. B.o.B & Joi)
I'm not even gonna say anything about me having to hear that skit everytime I want to hear this song.
So no B.o.B verse?? We need to start putting some kind of indicators in song titles to let us know whether a rapper is going to spit a verse or just sing the hook. When I heard B.o.B's voice I was expecting a verse, then when it never came I was disappointed. If there was something in the title or something at the beginning of the song to let me know he was only on the hook, I could've prepared myself for it. Let's work on that.
Anyway, this song is pretty good. Nothing too special, but good enough to pass. The beat is aight, the verses were hot, and the hook was ok.
13) Shine Blockas (feat. Gucci Mane)
How much better would this track have been had Gucci Mane not been involved?? 10 times? 20 times? 50 times?? I say the number can't be counted, and if Big had left the space Gucci rapped blank it would've sounded better. I don't know, the whole "I'm mentally challenged but I'm still a human being dammit!" flow doesn't do anything for me. I guess he was OK on the hook, but his verse sucked.
Other than Gucci Mane's involvement Shine Blockas is straight heat. The beat is love and Big does his thing with his verses. Put just about any competent rapper on that middle verse and it's infinity better, but overall it's still a strong record.
14) The Train Pt. 2 (Sir Lucious Left Foot Saves The Day) (feat. Sam Chris)
Here's the sequel to The Train from Idlewild. Very OutKast, very futuristic, very funky, very useful song. All aspects of a good song were covered.
Not sure what was going on with that Rumba inspiring ending, but that's just OutKast.
15) Back Up Plan
B.J. (before Jive) Royal Flush was set to be the last track because Big wanted 3000 to have the last word. Just putting it out there.
Back Up Plan is a fine way to go out regardless. I really liked the hook and it's cadence. The beat is pretty dope and Big doesn't disappoint lyrically either. I like, I like. Again, a fine note to close things out on.
Favorite Song:
Tangerine (feat. T.I. & Khujo Goodie) (Prod. by Knightheat & Big Boi)
Least Favorite Song:
Follow Us (feat. Vonnegutt) (Prod. by Salaam Remi) (Please note that it was tough for me to pick one because there is no track that I didn't like.)
Overall:
Even though we had to wait for what seemed like forever for Big Boi's first official solo effort, it was well worth it. There's very little to complain about musically with Sir Lucious Left Foot, and that's whether you're a diehard 'Kast fan, or a casual listener. I really did have to think long and hard about what I picked for my least favorite record because all 15 tracks were above par. I didn't absolutely love them all, but there was not any stinkers as well.
It sucks that Jive deprived us of Andre 3000, but that's the business I guess. You can't hold that against Big. You can still add the two 3000 tracks to your playlist if you want though, Lookin' 4 Ya would supposed to go after Hustle Blood, and we know Royal Flush was supposed to be the last track.
Jive, give us that Andre solo album and we'll be square.
4.25/5
Labels:
Andre 3000,
Big Boi,
OutKast,
Review
June 26, 2010
Drake - Thank Me Later (Review)
1) Fireworks (feat. Alicia Keys)
Fireworks stays true to the So Far Gone sound that made him famous. Smart move. Shades of Lust For Life, but nothing major. This track gets no complaints from me, its virtually flawless from beat to lyrics to hook to concept, etc. Awesome way to start things out.
2) Karaoke
I remember in late 2009 hearing that Drake was trying to work with Sade, and after hearing Karaoke, I think I know what song he had set aside for her. You can't tell me those singing portions don't sound like they were originally made specifically for Sade. I could be totally wrong, but that's what it sounds like to me.
Anyway, with or without Sade, Karaoke is still amazing. It effortlessly blends in following Fireworks, and the lyrics and beat are top notch. I would have liked to hear another rap verse, but that's an extremely minor issue. Shades of Houstatlantavegas in the arrangement (singing, more singing, rap verse) as well, but I ain't mad at that.
3) The Resistance
The So Far Gone similarities continue on The Resistance, which sounds a lot like a Trey Songz-less version of Successful. It's deeply personal and cleverly worded, just like Successful, and over a beat of similar tempo. Normally following the blueprint you set on a previous body of work this closely is a bad thing, but Drake is working it to perfection thus far.
(Heads up: if you like rap songs with 3 verses, either savor this track or turn the album off now because they become scare after this point. Fair warning.)
4) Over
We already know how I feel about Over, and if you don't, just click here.
5) Show Me A Good Time
Another hit. Show Me A Good Time is pretty much flawless. Great flow, great verses (especially the last 12 or so bars of the 2nd verse), great hook, and great beat. Kanye really laced Drake with some hot shit, and he belted it out of the ballpark like Mark McGwire in '98. He's making it really hard for me to critique so far... but I'm sure that will change sooner than later.
(Side note: This really has nothing to do with how the song sounds, but am I the only one who caught Drake's "can't get me right and not do Wayne" line in the 2nd verse?? That suggests Drake has already moved passed Lil Wayne on the "pulling pussy for the crew" latter. So when Mack Maine, Gutta Gutta or any of the other lesser Young Money guys are trying to fuck something they say "you know I know Drake" over "you know I know Lil Wayne" now??
Well I'd like to believe Lil Wayne could still pull his own hoes at this point in his career, but who knows, maybe Drake pulls more?? If Drake is indeed getting hoes for Wayne, I guess that explains why he's fuckin' beautiful hoes like Lauren London while Jae Millz and them fuckin' irregular boob job hoes like Kat Stacks.)
6) Up All Night (feat. Nicki Minaj)
And just like that we have our first critique-able song. Unlike the flawless Show Me A Good Time, Up All Night is flawed in a few areas.
First off, Drake's verse is BARELY better than Nicki Minaj's. I'm sure no one who knows anything about Hip-Hop would ever confuse Nicki with a good rapper, so if you're Drake this shouldn't have even been close. We should be saying, "damn Drake ripped that shit, why the hell was Nicki Minaj on it anyway?" Not "man, Nicki almost outspit Drake." Its like when a sports team plays down to their competition instead of up at the level we all know they're capable of. We could've had a great verse by Drake to accompany Nicki's "average for most, but hot as hell for Nicki" verse, but got some "aightness" instead.
Both verses had at least 1 overtly wack line in them too. Drake's was, "I'm busy getting rich, I don't want trouble. I made enough for to niggas, boy, stunt double." And Nicki's was, "The fuck I look like ho? I look like yes, and ya look like no." That's just bad.
Flaw number 2 is the hook. That shit was wack and sounded like some Soulja Boy backwash. You can float these out there for a mixtape, but through 5 songs he was flirting with a classic, so its disappointing to hear.
The 3rd flaw is that the song is so freakin' short. It's essentially just 2 minutes because after Nicki's verse, all we get is beat and more of that awful hook for a little less than 2 more minutes. Where is the 3rd verse?? Did you realize we're 6 tracks in and there has only been 13 Drake verses thus far?? That's about 2 verses per track. We're gonna need more than that.
The saving grace for Up All Night is its incredible beat. Why not put Young Jeezy on this one?? I'm sure he could've at least made a better hook than the one currently in use. Oh well, it took 6 tracks to get to this point, so he's still doing fine overall.
7) Fancy (feat. T.I. & Swizz Beatz)
First and foremost, I wanna know who was the engineer that recorded this song, who mastered it, and how did neither notice Swizz Beatz said "nare done" instead of "nails done" in the first half of ALL of the hooks?? The damn song is 5 minutes and 19 seconds long, how does no one catch that??
Now I've gone to some popular lyric websites and they all have Swizz as saying "nail done" in the first part and then "nails done" in the 2nd, but I specifically hear the "r" sound in there which makes it sound like "nare" to me. He could be saying "Nair," as in the hair removal cream, but why would he say hair twice and nails once?? I think Swizz just fucked up and either no one had the balls to correct him or they just didn't notice. I'll pray for the latter. And sorry for dedicating so much time to this minor issue that probably only bothers me lol.
Anyway, Fancy starts off slow, but really hits its stride once T.I.'s verse starts. Tip completely takes ownership of the track until the bridge came, the beat changed, and Drake finally unleashed a 3rd verse. The bridge was a tad long, but overall this is still a very good song.
(Side note: I predict "oh you fancy, huh?" will become the next overused, and eventually fucked out, phrase in Hip-Hop. The process has already begun on Twitter.)
8) Shut It Down (feat. The-Dream)
Its rare that an unfinished version of a song sounds better than the final version, but that's exactly the case here. Have you heard of the term "addition by subtraction?" Well this album version of Shut It Down is "subtraction by addition."
What was the point of adding The-Dream's verse here?? It literally added nothing to the song. At best it was a lateral move... but in actuality that wack ass verse was a downgrade. I mean, majority of it didn't even rhyme. I'm serious, look at it and tell me where the rhymes are:
"Girl you're the greatest. And if he say you ain't, girl he's out his mind. You're the finest. And if he say you ain't, that boy done lost his mind. Hey baby, every time you come around, shut it down like computers. Hey lady, step into my heart and put you in the Louboutins."
See. The only thing he rhymed was "mind" and he rhymed that with itself, so really that doesn't even count.
Drake didn't really help things either with his effort on the 3rd verse. It was wack line after wack line. Check it:
"Shooting stars all around her. Fire. Comets. I could bring her through and shut them down, Onyx."
"You feel the hours pass, until you find somethin'. I feel like when she moves – the time doesn't"
"Yeah, baby you finer than your fine cousin."
That's just bad. Maybe this is the reason for the lack of 3rd verses on earlier tracks?? Okay, well if that's the case, I take back what I said before. We need less 3rd verses.
Well somebody must've got in Drake's ear about how wack the song had become because he comes back for a 4th verse to stretch the track to nearly 7 minutes. I appreciate the extra effort to make up for earlier missteps, but this makes the song way too long. Why not just delete the 3rd verse and replace it with the 4th?? This track is now very skippable.
9) Unforgettable (feat. Young Jeezy)
I still can't figure out if Unforgettable was really meant to be Drake's song or not. Young Jeezy dominated the track in a way that makes me think it was originally intended for Thug Motivation 103 and not Thank Me Later.
Well whoever's album it was meant for really needs to come and finish the song because it sounds majorly underdone. It's funny because it comes right after the super overdone Shut It Down.
Regardless, the hotness of this record can't be denied. The beat is sweet, the Aaliyah sample is perfect (most producers would've went back and sampled the original Isley Brother's version), and the 2.2 verses were useful. I like it...though I still would've loved to hear Jeezy on Up All Night instead.
10) Light Up (feat. Jay-Z)
I know on Shut It Down I said needed less 3rd verses from Drake after that wackness he laid down there, but now I take that back. I don't know how many more 1 verse tracks I can take. Either Drake needs to cool it with the features, or get his bars up because there are just too few verses, rapped or sung.
Besides that, Light Up is still a tad off. I don't know what it is, but it seems like it's supposed to be a little better than it actually is.
Both Drake and Jay's verses were good overall, but both had their flaws. Drake tried to force in too many of his patented "describe something, take a pause, then say the word/name/phrase" punchlines (he didn't even have room for most of the pauses), and Hov dared to spit the elementary "I don't do too much bloggin'. I just run the town, I don't do too much joggin'."
The hook is decent, and the beat is good enough. I like the song, but it was a bit underwhelming.
11) Miss Me (feat. Lil Wayne)
I could be wrong, but aren't there 3 more tracks left on the album?? Okay, so why does Miss Me sound like the end??
In my opinion, this would have been a great closer/outro, but then again, I guess that's why I'm not in the music industry now. Silly me.
Anyway, we still only get 1 verse from Drake, but it is a memorable one, to say the least. Drake not only declares he has a crush on Nicki Minaj and wants to marry her some day, but he rips it. The whole verse was fiyah. Unfortunately the same can't be said for Lil Wayne's. Maybe my standards are too high for Weezy, but I think even his biggest fans would admit for someone so lyrically gifted, his verse wasn't all that.
Wait, what am I saying?? No, they wouldn't. The biggest of Wayne's fans would tell me I'm "hatin'" and that this verse was incredible. Nevermind.
12) Cece's Interlude
For everybody to be whining about Thank Me Later being "too R&B," it sure did take a long time to get to the first full R&B song. Well I loved it. Very sexy, very sensual. If it were about a minute or so longer, it'd be a legitimate baby maker. Oh well, as it stands it's still a panty-wetter, and that's more than enough to ask for from a rapper.
Hold up, speaking of full R&B Drake songs, isn't there another one floating around somewhere??
13) Find Your Love
Ah, here it is, the other full R&B song, Find Your Love! For a second I was thinking it didn't make the album lol.
It seems weird we had to wait this long into an album to hear its 2nd single. I mean, how often do singles come from the back end of albums?? Not really a complaint though, more of an observation.
Anyway, Find Your Love had grown on me in a major way since it first hit the internets back in late April. As you might remember, when I first heard it, it struck me as an 808s & Heartbreak reject. Then I played it again. And again. And again. And again, until it was firmly planted in my brain no matter what I was doing. Now I love it. It still sounds 808s & Heartbreak-ish (that's how I guessed Kanye produced after just one listen), nevertheless it's a great song. Oddly placed on the album, but a great song nonetheless.
14) Thank Me Now
Though Thank Me Now sounds like a less hot remix of Jay-Z's Thank You on the surface, lyrically it's on point! Very clever wordplay and lyricism by Drake throughout. Makes you have to wonder where all these lines were when he was opting to lay down only 1 verse on a gang of songs.
Possibly my favorite bars on the album came in the last verse where he spit, "I'm in the world where things are taken, never given. How long they choose to love you will never be your decision." Sickness.
The downfall of Thank Me Now is the lackluster Timbaland beat. Tim is definitely one of the all-time great producers, but you'd think he'd lend something a little bit hotter to an artist who gave him a #1 single. Tim isn't the only one to blame though, Drake had to pick out and accept this track also.
Let me stop complaining, the album could've ended much on a MUCH worse note than this. I'm just happy he brought his A game lyrically.
Favorite Song:
Show Me A Good Time (Prod. By Kanye West & No I.D.)
Least Favorite Song:
Shut It Down (Prod. By Noah "40" Shebib)
Overall
This is an over excellent debut album from an artist who'll most likely be around for awhile. Hopefully it only gets better from here, and we're not looking back 5 years from now saying, "Nah, this 3rd (or 4th or 5th) Drake album still isn't as good as Thank Me Now. TMN was a classic!" My fingers are crossed already because when your fans have to go back and name assert that your first album was a classic, that probably means your albums that followed weren't as good.
Thank Me Now did flirt with perfect for awhile, but slipped up in a few areas after track 5. The biggest problem was not enough Drake verses, and too many features. In fact, of the last 9 tracks, 6 of them had features. That's too much for any album, let alone a debut.
Then there were the lack of Drake. Here is a break down of every song and how many verses each had:
Fireworks: 3 rap verses
Karaoke: 1 singing verse, 1 rap verse
The Resistance: 3 rap verses
Over: 2 rap verses
Show Me A Good Time: 2 rap verses
Up All Night: 1 rap verse, 1 featured artist verse
Fancy: 2 rap verses, 1 featured artist verse
Shut It Down: 2 singing verses, 1 rap verse, 1 featured artist verse
Unforgettable: 1 rap verse, 1 featured artist verse
Light Up: 1 rap verse, 1 featured artist verse
Miss Me: 1 rap verse, 1 featured artist verse
Cece's Interlude: 2 singing verses (1 verse if you don't consider that long silence in the middle of the song as the end of the first verse and beginning of the second)
Find Your Love: 3 singing singing verses
Thank Me Now: 2 rap verses
That's 14 songs and only 34 total verses, including 6 featured artists verses. Drake rapped a total of 20 verses, and sang a total of 8, which means we got 1.4 rap verses and 0.6 singing verses per song through 14 tracks. I'm no statistician, but that's not good. On the next album he'll need to carry more of the load.
One last thing, if somebody complains that Thank Me Now is "too R&B" or "too girly" please slap them for me, please. It's Drake's album, not DMX's. I mean seriously, what did they expect him to talk about his rough upbringing as a Jewish Canadian turned child star?? Besides, what was So Far Gone?? How could you like So Far Gone and not like Thank Me Now?? If anything, it just lets you know how many people didn't listen to So Far Gone and just jumped on the bandwagon because Drake got hot. And as Drake would so eloquently say: Damn.
4/5
June 13, 2010
Eminem - Recovery (Review)
1) Cold Wind Blows
Recovery starts out with an OK track in Cold Wind Blows. A very curious choice for an intro. I would've liked to jump this off with a bigger bang (see Kill You), but nope, this is what we get. Fine. Its not like the song is terrible or anything, just not ideal for its placement on the album.
The beat sounds like a Relapse leftover, and the hook is, in a word, wack. I've heard better hooks than this in freestyle cyphers. Lyrically Em didn't burn too many calories either, but it is nice to hear his own voice and not that weirdo accent that plagued Relapse.
(Side note: Why is he going at Michael J. Fox in the 2nd verse??)
2) Talkin' 2 Myself (feat. Kobe)
Question: If Em was essentially gonna go without an album intro, why wasn't this the first song?? I mean, this song doesn't have that "bang" I was referring to above, but it sounds more like an opening than Cold Wind Blows does. And that's not to mention it was just a better song in all aspects (beat, hook, and lyrics).
Anyway, how about the revelation in the first verse that Em actually thought about going at Lil Wayne and Kanye West, among others, for no reason?? Now, when he says "dissin'" I'm sure he means "take small jabs at" like he did every pop star at the top of the millennium, and not give them the full-on Benzino treatment. It's still pretty shocking to hear either way. And no he wouldn't have got his ass handed to him by either. Lil Wayne dick sucking was at an all-time high at the time though, so the effects would've been felt other ways besides lyrically.
Anyway, tight song. I still think it should've been track #1 though.
3) On Fire
Slim Shady?? Is that you?? By golly, I believe it is!
The beat is dark and sinister, and Slim totally sets it "on fire" with a blazing first verse. Then, after a lazy, bullshit hook, he makes fun of it at the top of the 2nd verse, as only Slim Shady could. You gotta love it! Even though this track really has no purpose, it sure is dope.
4) Won't Back Down (feat. Pink)
Overall, Won't Back Down is dope, but I'd be doing this review an injustice if I didn't call Eminem on some of the wack shit he spit on it. "Girl, shake that ass like a donkey with Parkinson's," may be the wackest shit Em has ever spit in his career. I mean, that was just pathetic. It didn't get any better a bar later when he again calls out Michael J. Fox saying, "make like Michael J. Fox is in the draws playing with an Etch-a-Sketch."
Fortunately those bars were the only downfalls of this song lyrically. The other downfall isn't even a downfall really, its more of a point of preference. I personally don't like Rock-influenced beats, so this obviously isn't my cup of tea (I felt the same way about Jay-Z's 99 Problems, in case you were wondering). I get it though, so he loses no points because of it. He just doesn't gain any either.
5) W.T.P.
When W.T.P. began, it really struck me as a filler, but once I kept listening, I found that I actually enjoyed it. I can't even find much fault with it, even though it feels like I should. The beat is hot-ish, the hook is good enough, and Em kinda rips it, outside of lines like the last one on the song ("you got more junk in your trunk than I do in my car").
There were shades of Hello from Relapse in W.T.P., and it's almost like a nicer version of it. Also, W.T.P. marks the closest Recovery gets to the "silly songs" Em routinely used as first singles for each and every one of his major label releases. Definitely not a bad thing.
6) Going Through Changes
Okay, Going Through Changes almost makes me want to take back everything I just said about W.T.P., it's that good. This track is absolutely incredible and definitely should have been directly after Won't Back Down. I'm not saying W.T.P. shouldn't have made the album, but after you hear Going Through Changes, the placement seems kinda odd. Whatever, I love this song, it's a perfect 5/5. There's nothing else really to say about it.
7) Not Afraid
Well we all know how I feel about this track, so I won't spend too much time on it. Super dope, and it fits the album even more than I thought it would when I first heard it. Also, I've warmed up to the beat as well. I mean, I didn't hate it before, but it was just aight then, and now I think it's definitely above average.
8) Seduction
It's almost weird to hear Eminem rapping about taking people's hoes, but this works. How could it not work with the pure lyricism brought to the table here?? That was simply amazing. The track was nice too, and the hook was sweet and fitting.
Now, if I didn't already know Eminem and Jay-Z were cool, I'd think he was taking jabs at him in the 2nd verse by doing that "Ah!" shit Hov does after every few words now. I'm sure all is well though, and Beyonce isn't cheating on Jay with Em lol.
9) No Love (feat. Lil Wayne)
Let me be clear about this, Lil Wayne's verse did NOT suck. BUT when compared to what Eminem spit, it did. Get it?? Aww fuck it.
Recovery is really starting to hit its stride after a somewhat pretty average start. What's not to like about this song?? They took Haddaway's gay techno song What Is Love, most famously known for the SNL skits with Chris Kattan and Will Ferrell and the movie "A Night At The Roxbury," and turned it into solid 24 karat Hip-Hop gold. The verses were both cold (Em's was obviously colder), the sample was useful, and the beat was stupid. Win, win, win.
I even liked how Wayne adlibbed parts of Em's verse. I hate when someone is "freestyling" and their homie keeps spitting their verse with them, but it sounded awesome on this record. I never thought I'd say this, but Em and Wayne have great chemistry and should definitely work together more in the future. So far, they are 2 for 2 (unfortunately for Wayne the song with Em was the only thing on Rebirth worth listening to).
10) Space Bound
And yet another exceptional all around track by Mr. Mathers. Space Bound actually something truly special because it's good to the point of being beautiful. Here's what I mean: You can attached memories to any song (ex. whenever I hear Master P's Make Em Say Ugh, I think about the 1st time I heard it as a 6th grader, just getting home from school), but only masterful ones, such as Space Bound, evoke the emotions from you. Yes, I think its THAT good.
11) Cinderella Man
The classicness just keeps coming! The title of Cinderella Man is inspired by boxer James J. Braddock, who was nicknamed "The Cinderella Man" and had a movie, by the same name, made about his life in 2005 starring Russell Crowe. Braddock overcame a severely broken hand and returned to boxing for the money during The Great Depression and ended up becoming the Heavyweight Champion of the World.
Eminem was once the baddest man in the land of Hip-Hop, but his issues with drugs was handicapping like Braddock's broken hand. Now he's healed and is clearly on top of his game.
Cinderella Man is hot in all aspects, as were the last 5 tracks. It has elements of Till I Collapse from The Eminem Show and Mosh from Encore, but is great in its own right. He's now 6 of his last 6.
I liken this streak of absolute heat on Recovery to Ray Allen in the 1st half of game 2 of the NBA Finals. Remember how it seemed like Ray couldn't miss, and no matter what he threw at the basket was going in?? That's where I'm at with this album. It feels like Em has found his stroke and can't miss. At this point, only 11 tracks in, Recovery has officially passed Nas and Damian Marley's Distant Relative for this year's album of the year honors.
12) 25 To Life
On the surface, 25 To Life is a great song, but if you dig a little bit deeper, it's a curious choice of topics for Eminem to tackle. Obviously the song is about Hip-Hop and not a girl (original, I know), so it seems weird to me he'd want to divorce "her," especially considering all the bars so far about how Relapse sucked and these last few years were his fault because he was on drugs and fuckin' up. I just thought he was going to take the blame instead of dishing it off on Hip-Hop.
I don't know, maybe its just me, because it could also be looked at as Em being mad at Hip-Hop for making him crazy and pushing him into drugs.
Either way you want to look at it, there's no denying it's a very, very good song, despite its unoriginality. Also, I like how at the end of the last verse he took a little shot at the bullshit MTV "Hottest" MCs list that glaringly left him off last year. Hopefully MTV has banished that foolishness, or picked a smarter panel.
13) So Bad
Well we knew the hot song streak couldn't last forever. So Bad is definitely an album filler and brings all momentum to a screeching halt. The Dr. Dre beat sounds like another Relapse leftover and the rest of the song is lazily put together, at best.
The good thing is that we haven't had a song this non-hot since the first song on the album, so that's not "so bad" after all. But be clear, So Bad is the worst song on the album...and the most boring.
(Side note: What does it say about Dr. Dre that he produced 2 of the worst tracks on the album?? Is his production falling off the real reason for the Detox super delay?? I don't know. Well he did produce Space Bound as well, so I guess there is hope.)
14) Almost Famous
I'm not sure if this song is actually good, or its just sounds good after listening to the super average So Bad. I don't love it, but I do like it, and it definitely more worthy of a spot on the album than the song that precedes it.
There is one thing I don't get though. Just going by the subject matter of the song, why wouldn't they put this in front of 25 To Life instead of 2 tracks later?? He's talking about finally becoming famous AFTER he talked about divorcing the game for making him famous?? That just doesn't make any sense, unless there's some other meaning to this track that I'm not aware of.
Either way, Em still brings it lyrically, the hook is hot, and the beat isn't totally bad, though its not my taste.
15) Love The Way You Lie (feat. Rihanna)
Another all around strong record in Love The Way You Lie. Perfect use of Rihanna here on the hook. It fits her strengths perfectly, and her singing talent deficiency wasn't exposed. It's a pleasant surprise because when I saw Rihanna was gonna be on the album I really didn't know what to expect. Don't be surprised if this is the 2nd or 3rd single.
16) You're Never Over
Finally Eminem dedicates an entire song to slain friend Proof...and it only took 4 years. It's both a good song and a touching tribute. I'm sure this is the most important song on the album to Em. Great way to end things.
17) Here We Go
But wait, there's more! Eminem takes an extra 3 minutes to basically put on one final lyrical exhibit before officially bringing Recovery to a close. Though Here We Go really has no point, its still nice to get one last hooray.
Favorite Song:
Space Bound (Prod. by Jim Jonsin)
Least Favorite Song:
So Bad (Prod. By Dr. Dre)
Overall:
I must say, I was thoroughly impressed by this Recovery album. Eminem managed to evaluate all the flaws of Relapse and completely turn things around only a year later. There were no more awkward cadences or silly accents this time out, and from a production standpoint, it's his best work since The Eminem Show in 2002.
Though Recovery is less creative in its subject matter than previous releases, it is easily his most introspective album yet. As far as I'm concerned, that totally makes up (if not overcompensates) for the lack of imaginative, clever story telling Em does so well.
The flaws were far and few. There was no song on the album that completely sucked, but tracks like So Bad and Cold Wind Blows usually aren't found on classics. I feel like some of the tracks were out of order, but that is easily overlooked, especially in the day of iPods and mp3 players that allow you to arrange things to suit your preference. Also, it was a bit weird that this album not only didn't have an intro or outro, but no skits. No Ken Kaniff, no Steve Berman, no Paul Rosenberg, no nobody. All Eminem albums have skits, even Infinite had one, and it only had 11 tracks. Definitely not a fatal flaw, but I do enjoy his skits.
4.25/5
September 08, 2009
Jay-Z - Blueprint 3 (Review)
1) What We Talkin' Bout (feat. Luke Steele) (Prod. By Kanye West & No I.D.)
Great way to set the pace for what this album. The first 2 Blueprint albums (mainly the first) were soulful and Jay-Z is letting it be known he's open to new sounds off the top. A bit experimental of course, but it totally works. Incredible lyrics helped the process, but the instrumental was still top-notch, despite not being traditional Hip-Hop shit.
The only thing I didn't like is the way he came in on the second verse. I see he's gonna be trying some different flows like Eminem did on Relapse, but I'm not in love with that one. It doesn't hurt the intro at all though because he still ripped it with lyrics like: "Check out my hair, this ain't curls, these is peas. Peasy head still get paid, I'm combing through G's. Please! Me focus on naps? 'Cause I don't run rap no more, I run the map." Hov is winning so far.
2) Thank You (Prod. By Kanye West & No I.D.)
Just in case anybody thought he lost it, Jay goes ahead and shows he still has his fastball on Thank You. All three verses are magic, but the last is the most powerful. Show me a man willing to contest the illness of that verse and I'll show you a fuckin' idiot reaching for an excuse to not like Jay-Z.
Anyway, he comes back down off the experimental train on the beat, but still trots out a new flow. Unlike the one on the second verse of What We Talkin' Bout, I co-sign this one. Its like a better version of that proper English flow a lot of white backpack/battle rappers use.
I can't think of anything negative to say about this record.
3) D.O.A. (Death Of Auto-Tune) (Prod. By No I.D.)
D.O.A. has been talked about and rehashed millions of times since dropping in early June so I won't talk your ear off about it. The impact of this song alone gets it high marks. Of course its a great song (though Jay did go light on the lyrics in a few spots), but when was the last time a rapper dropped a song that was this talked about and cause this much of a stir?? Exactly.
4) Run This Town (feat. Rihanna & Kanye West) (Prod. By Kanye West & No I.D.)
I said this song wasn't first single material. I said this song wouldn't be burning up radio until September. Wrong, and wrong again. Not only is it still hanging around, but its also a top 10 record. This has nothing to do with the review, but I just wanted to put my apology to Jay out there.
Anyway, as you can also read in that post, I always liked this song. Jay went somewhat light on the lyrics again, so it isn't perfection, but Kanye did his thing, and its an overall hot song. Its somewhat of a 'tweener, but not really... if you know what I mean? Like it doesn't stand out on first listen, but you might find yourself singing it later on.
Oh, and Jay was smart to put this and D.O.A. back-to-back on the album. We get them knocked out the way early, and don't have to worry about a song we're used to hearing messing up the flow of the rest of the album.
5) Empire State Of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys) (Prod. By Al Shux)
The first thing I thought when I heard this was that I would've loved to hear Chrisette Michele sing the hook. I believe Chrisette's voice and singing style is tailor-made for this kind of hook. I understand why Jay went for the big name though, and Alicia gets back into her lane with that bridge at the end.
As far as the verses go, I like the flow Jay chose and the lyrics were back on point. I admit, I would've loved to hear the version with Nas, but at the same time, that means we would've had to lose one of these Jay-Z verses. Either way, this track is good money on all fronts.
6) Real As It Gets (feat. Young Jeezy) (Prod. By The Inkredibles)
I'm not mad at Jeezy for this. With that being said, I would've liked to hear Rick Ross on this record over him. Jeezy gave us about what we should've come to expect from him (lyrics that don't suck, but aren't incredible), but I think Ross would've been able to come closer to Jay's level lyrically and maybe even made him up his game even more. I would've kept Jeezy on to do the hook (I couldn't imagine Ross doing this hook) though, just let Ross do the verses.
Either way its still a good song, but it is more Jeezy than it is Jay-Z. Example: If this song wasn't on here and I just heard it on the radio for the first time, I would've assumed it was his song and not Jay's. That's not a bad thing, but its not a good thing either. Especially for the Blueprint.
Don't get it confused though, this shit is still hot.
7) On To The Next One (feat. Swizz Beatz) (Prod. By Swizz Beatz)
"Hov on that new shit, niggas like 'how come?' Niggas want my old shit. Buy my old album. Niggas stuck on stupid. I gotta keep it movin'. Niggas make the same shit, me, I make the Blueprint." Now that right there is some Blueprint shit!
On To The Next One is an exceptional record because of its versatility. You like lyrics? It has lyrics. You like banging beats? It has one. Its an all around pleaser. And an applause is in order for Swizzy for crafting such a monstrous track.
I can't think of anything bad to say about this one so I'll leave you with another powerful quotable:
"Baby I'm a boss, I don't know what they do. I don't get dropped, I drop the label."
Blueprint shit!
8) Off That (feat. Drake) (Prod. By Timbaland)
I still don't see what's wrong with this song. I think it would've been just fine as a first single and there is nothing structurally wrong with it. Mean lyrics, mean track, mean hook. I was never the best in math, but that equals a hot record to me, so stop it, this is a hot song. Its more Blueprint shit too, so people should appreciate it more. Is it the best song on the album? No. Its not even the best club song, but its still hot AND very important for Hip-Hop to hear.
9) A Star Is Born (feat. J. Cole) (Prod. By Kanye West & No I.D.)
I like to call this joint Touch The Sky Pt. 2 with Hov starring as Kanye West and J. Cole in a supporting role as Lupe Fiasco. The topic of the songs aren't exactly the same, but they are definitely of kin and the format is basically the same. I ain't mad though because its better to borrow from Late Registration than 808s & Heartbreak.
Anyway, I love the way Hov decided to attack this track, pretty much paying homage to his peers over the years (though they may have been a little bit of a shot at T.I. in the second verse). This was my first time hearing J. Cole spit, and I must say he did a fine job. He spits at just about the same level as Lupe did on Touch The Sky (maybe even a little higher) and you see where he was able about to take it after that. Good record.
10) Venus Vs. Mars (Prod. By Timbaland)
I find it hard to believe that out of all the songs Jay-Z recorded for Blueprint 3, that this was the 15th best. No one could convince me of that, not even Hov himself.
Obviously Venus Vs. Mars is the worst on the album. The whole feel of the album goes down when it comes on. I do like the direction he tried to take it in though. He gets an A for effort, but outside of the third verse, this song is about as useless as a bible at an abortion clinic.
11) Already Home (feat. KiD CuDi) (Prod. By Kanye West)
From worst to first? Coming off the worst record on the album we go right into what may be the best.
First off lets talk about the vintage Kanye beat. Where has this Kanye been the past 2 years?? If you see him, tell him his fans miss him.
KiD CuDi sounds a bit off on the hook up until the "They want me to go, I'm already gone..." part and beyond. I love that part. Don't love the beginning part so much. It works though so I'm not mad.
You already know what was poppin' on Jay-Z's end. More quotables and more Blueprint shit like the following:
"They want me to disappear, like its gonna shift for them. They say that I'm in the way, they want me to sit for them. But what the omittin' is, they don't got shit for him.
And really the fact is we not in the same bracket, not in the same league, don't shoot at the same baskets, don't pay the same taxes, hang with the same bitches. So how am I in the way? What is it I'm missin'?"
Already Home, and these lines above in particular, are so important because for some reason people have gotten the impression that older rappers like Jay-Z are somehow taking away from the young, up and coming rappers. In actuality the lack of talented up and coming rapper has more to do with it than anything. Guys like Jay-Z, Nas, and 50 Cent are bigger than New York, they have global audiences now, so again, how are they stopping young rappers from getting on?? Young rappers aren't selling out huge arenas so those guys are not in these young rapper's lane at all.
Maybe if rappers stopped trying to find excuses for them not being on, and worked on their music and getting it into the right hands, we'd have more young talent and Jay-Z and rappers of his ilk would hang it up. Until that day comes, somebody has to keep the culture alive.
Anyway, we can't forget Hov finally addressing people who say he looks like a camel:
"Now these niggas is mad. Oh, they call me a camel, but I mastered the drought. What the fuck, I'm an animal."
Classic Hova. To say this was a stand out would be an understatement.
12) Hate (feat. Kanye West) (Prod. By Kanye West)
I was worried about this track after Kanye spit, but Hov got the record going and 'Ye was able to follow suit thereafter.
The Kanye beat is damn hot and their flows are too once the tame the beat. A different, yet classic Jay-Z/Kanye collabo.
13) Reminder (Prod. By Timbaland)
Yes, yes, yes! That's what everyone needs, a Reminderrrr! Clearly everybody has forgotten the consistency and overall dominance Jay has displayed over the years. The only person whose catalog can compare to Jay's is Nas, and still Jay is on top (pause).
They say that's Cassie on the hook, but she's given no credit so who knows. I like it either way though.
And, as pointed out by my boy Joel, Hov finally throws a clean jab at someone as he rhymes, "Tell them ordinary Joes to Budden up," in the last verse. I forgot he even diss Jay, but obviously Jay didn't. And if you don't know who he was talking about there, I'll see you in "Beef 101" this Spring.
14) So Ambitious (feat. Pharrell) (Prod. By The Neptunes)
Can we get the Neptunes some new sounds for their beat machine?? I feel like I heard the base of this track at least 8 times already. Maybe more. And what was with that weird oboe sound?? This song would've been so much better without it.
Jay still brings it from a lyrical standpoint, but this song comes off like a poor man's version of Allure at the end of the day. A decent song that could've been better with more effort production-wise. I did love the hook though.
15) Young Forever (feat. Mr Hudson) (Prod. By Kanye West)
Unlike on Empire State Of Mind, Jay actually does go for the young vocalist for Young Forever. I could easily hear Akon singing this same exact hook.
Anyway, I love the feel of this record. Jay does his thing on the verses too. He also brings back that proper flow from Thank You for the first half of the second verse, though it doesn't translate as well, it still works.
The beat sounds like a lesser version of What We Talkin' Bout, but it gets the job done. It feels like he was going for another Beach Chair, but came up a tad short. Its an above average 'tweener. Not his best outro, but still a decent way to close out the album. "Just good enough" isn't Blueprint shit though.
Overall
Who said this album wasn't hot again?? Anybody who would have the audacity to say that should probably listen a little harder to track #12 because there's a strong possibility its about them.
Okay, so there's no question the album is hot, but it did have a few flaws. First off Venus Vs. Mars was completely out of place and really does damage to the quality level of the album. The positioning of it in between A Star Is Born and Already Home is weird too. So Ambitious and Young Forever were very decent songs, but they weren't Blueprint shit.We've heard songs like them before that were better in Allure and Beach Chair, but that is just a minor flaw.
As far as production, Kanye did better than I expected with his, but I still would've like to hear records from Sean C. and J.V. and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League. Sean C. and L.V. helped Jay make a classic out of American Gangster so I wasn't ready for Jay to leave them cold turkey. Jay-Z and J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League don't have a long track record, but ever since Maybach Music, I've been dying to hear some more collaborations.
The overall project exceeded my expectations by leaps and bounds so I'm going to give Blueprint 3...
4.25/5
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