100 Calorie Gut Reaction: Jay-Z - "D.O.A. (Death Of Autotune)"

I assume he won't be throwing that sign up anytime soon, with his leaving Def Jam and all.

Anyway, I'm kind of cheating with this post, because I listened to "D.O.A." when it first dropped. I even Twittered about Hova's first single from The Blueprint 3: I said I didn't really like it, and that maybe it was more of a grower than a show-er. But since I hadn't really listened to it again until now, with the official video dropping, now is as good a time to revisit this as any.

Chicago veteran producer No I.D. (a huge influence on the other famous producer from Chi-Town who abuses Autotune on a regular basis) provides a Janko Nilovic sample for Shawn to cruise over (hey, Ivan, Hip Hop Is Read is actually mentioned on The Blueprint 3's Wikipedia page), which I have to admit he does effortlessly (the man even makes it a point to mention the producer's name no less than three times, from what I can recall - I can't even remember Common saying the dude's name that many times on a track). The song has definitely grown on me, but it's still not one of Hova's best works.

A lot has been written about how every blogger on the planet has talked shit about the overuse and abuse of Autotune, but that nobody really noticed until Jay-Z decided to speak. Because when Hova speaks, people listen. I don't necessarily believe that to be true, but the man has gotten some press for this track, so who am I to judge? My beef with this song is that it actually isn't as incendiary as everyone wants you to believe: Jigga's not saying "fuck Autotune" or anything like that. The closest he gets is stating that rappers are singing and "T-Pain-ing too much", but curiously, declines to name names. "The mixtape Weezy" gets a pass, even though Lil' Wayne is one of the biggest contributors to the pandemic, but Jay's boy Kanye, of 808's & Heartbreak fame, isn't mentioned at all.) He commands that rappers get "violent", but fails to do so himself.

As I mentioned above, the song has grown on me, but it's still not that great. Royce da 5'9" stabbed the shit out of the beatfor his "Redemption" track: hopefully No I.D. is on the short list to send some heat Ryan Montgomery's way.

Here's the video for "D.O.A." Is it bad that Hova kind of looks like Q-Tip if you squint and aren't really paying attention?



-Max

R.I.P...

Not really hip hop-related news, but the man has worked alongside many rappers, including Bart Simpson. And regardless of his many many many personal issues, most of which are disturbing as shit, the man's early music remains timeless.







Rest in peace.

-Max

My Gut Reaction: U-God - Dopium (June 23, 2009)

U-God's last solo album, Mr. Xcitement, was fucking awful.

That's all I feel that needs to be said about it.

However, this post is about Lamont Hawkins and his third attempt to earn some respect in the hip hop game, in the form of Dopium. When the project was announced, U-God promised collaborations with fellow members of the Wu-Tang Clan (on the mic only, not behind the boards - methinks Babygrande, his new label, didn't front enough of an advance for the man to afford a Tru Master, 4th Disciple, or Bronze Nazareth beat, let alone one from Prince Rakeem) and with other big names in hip hop. I'm not sure that Jim Jones is technically a "big name", but the man has sold more records than U-God himself, so I guess he met that particular qualification.

When this project leaked last week, I received more than a few notes from readers recommending that I check Dopium out, because it actually wasn't that bad. Cool cover art notwithstanding, I'm not convinced that Dopium will be that good. However, I'm the guy who still loves 8 Diagrams today, so I may be wrong.

And yes, 8 Diagrams is a good album. You two just need to listen to it again with an open mind.

1. TRAIN TRUSSLE (FEAT GHOSTFACE KILLAH & SCOTTY WOTTY)
Kind of weird that the first voice you hear on a U-God album is that of Ghostface Killah, isn't it? My guess is that Golden Arms wanted to immediately cleanse the listener's mind of the Mr. Xcitement residue, so he elected to pass the baton in an effort to show that his hatchet with the Clan was buried. (Well, with most of the crew, anyway: The Rza still doesn't make an appearance.) The beat (by Teddy Ted and J. Serbe, names which just don't roll off of the tongue) sounds decent, if a bit repetitive, and Ghost sounds as good as he usually does. U-God even makes an appearance, as well. The most interesting component of this track is Scotty Wotty's verse, as the man manages to somehow sound both talented and annoying as shit, oftentimes within the span of three words in a sentence. This isn't bad otherwise, and it is definitely a better intro than anybody could have expected.

2. GOD IS LOVE (FEAT CAPPADONNA & KILLAH PRIEST)
Cappadonna says the word "atonement" before kicking his opening verse, validating my theory that the gypsy cab driver is still on his The Yin & The Yang Apology Tour. This is not how Wu-Tang music should sound, though: I've always preferred the aggressive, violent drums over the more soulful tracks the group's put out. Cappa's hook is fucking awful, but his verse isn't bad, and U-God doesn't fuck anything up (that's thinly veiled praise right there). Killah Priest sounds out of his element, but I'm more surprised that he's appearing on a Wu member's solo album in the first place, as this barely ever happens, so that counts for something.

3. STOMP DA ROACH (FEAT GZA/GENIUS & SCOTTY WOTTY)
Scotty Wotty's presence is most definitely not required on here. What is U-God doing with his cereal that he has to constantly clear roaches out of his Fruit Loops box? Maybe he needs one of those containers Kristen Bell gave to Jason Segal in Forgetting Sarah Marshall. As far as I'm concerned, The Gza steals this song outright, but (and it's very hard for me to write this, mind you) U-God's verse is actually really good. Not "Supa Ninjaz" good, but nevertheless.

4. LIPTON (FEAT MIKE LADD)
Credit where credit is due: the production on Dopium is light years ahead of Mr. Xcitement. The fuck is this shit, though? Baby Uey sounded alright, but once the hook kicked in, my eyes glazed over and my mind started pulling memories of much better rap songs from its hard drive. (Did I just imply that I was a robot?) Also, I'm not the biggest fan of Lipton tea. Next!

5. COKE (FEAT RAEKWON & SLAINE FROM LA COKA NOSTRA)
Rae's narcoleptic flow is making me not look forward to Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2. Sure, I'm going to buy it anyway (damn my collector's gene!), but the man clearly is in need of one of those Mountain Dews specially formulated for online gamers and/or nerds to stay awake for months at a time. When U-God outshines you on a song, you've fucked up. That doesn't actually happen on here, but Uey sounds alright. Slaine knocks this shit completely out of the park, although considering he's from a crew called La Coka Nostra, that shouldn't be altogether surprising.

6. MAGNUM FORCE (FEAT SHEEK LOUCH & JIM JONES)
I've always felt that Sheek (from The Lox) sounded good because, after constantly being overshadowed by teammates Jadakiss and Styles P. lyrically, he's had to work that much harder. That line of thinking ends here. Sheek sounds pretty bad, Jim Jones (why the fuck is he on here?) is an awful as always, and U-God is dragged into hell alongside them. You read that right: Lucky Hands is the best thing about this song.

7. HIPS
I knew it couldn't last. This song is really fucking stupid, so much so that it may encourage girls with fat asses (and who doesn't love girls with fat asses?) to work out and diet more just so they won't be lusted over by U-God the sexual predator. I'll be honest: this type of song was exactly what I was expecting when Dopium was announced.

8. WU-TANG (FEAT METHOD MAN)
I appreciate that the title is as unambiguous as possible. More proof that U-God has embraced his past as a member of the hip hop Beatles. The hook is asinine, going for a Southern-style dialect when the beat is clearly aiming for vintage Wu-Tang b-team supply. This probably should have included more members of the Clan, but even though (or especially because) Meth has the upper hand here, this sounds really fucking good.

9. DOPIUM
With that title, I was expecting a more upbeat track (unless producers Teddy Ted and J. Serbe were deliberately shooting for music one would hear in a dopium den during the reign of Jack the Rapper). Instead, what you get is U-God justifying your purchase of his album and thanking his followers in an indirect manner. While he probably could have listed his fan individually, the sentiment is still there, and the man isn't bad lyrically.

10. RIMS POKIN' OUT (FEAT LEATHAFASE)
I was hoping for an actual verse from Leathafase (who apparently changed his name from Leathaface, unless the label was too cheap to hire a proofreader), who is by far the only one of Uey's weed carriers that can hold his own on the mic, but instead we get a hook that could have been performed by any random ninth grader plucked from English Lit class. Pass.

11. NEW CLASSIC (FEAT LARGE PROFESSOR)
Featuring Large Professor? Can it be true? Fuck no it can't: his voice shouts the word "Classic!" a bunch of times over his beat, but I highly doubt he was anywhere near the studio while this was recorded. (It reminds me of that track on Extra P's 1st Class where he shouts the phrases "No question!" and "Word!" a bunch of times as part of the instrumental.) U-God finally gets some name-brand production, and he manages to not fuck it up royally. Color me impressed. The beat is much better than the rhymes, though.

The final three tracks on Dopium are bonus tracks which are fucking European dance remixes of "Stomp Da Roach", "Dopium", and "Hips". No, seriously, that's what they are. All three of them sound awful. I'm not sure what audience the record label was shooting for: nobody dances to the Wu at the club. As far as I'm concerned, "New Classic" is the final track on Dopium, and I guarantee that you'll feel the same way. The mixes are so bad that I won't even bother naming the remixers responsible for these individual travesties.

THE LAST WORD: The good thing about hip hop (and most entertainment mediums, now that I think about it) is that all it takes is a new project to change public perception. Dopium is easily U-God's best solo album ever. That said, Lamont is still the worst rapper in a nine-member group where one of the guys is dead and is still a better artist than he'll ever be; he's just gotten smarter about surrounding himself with talent, both on the mic and behind the boards. A lot of the songs on Dopium aren't very good; in fact, the ecstasy-fueld road trip into raveland at the end of the album is poor enough to warrant that nobody actually purchase this album ever. (I choose to believe that even U-God is puzzled as to why three of his songs were remixed.) But I would be lying if I said that this wasn't very entertaining in spots. So congratulations, U-God, you proved me wrong: maybe there is a valid reason that you're a part of the Wu-Tang Clan, and not just because The Rza lost a bet. But you're only as good as your next album, so it's time to get to work, motherfucker.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
More Wu-Tang Clan posts to peruse during your downtime at work.

Video Music Box: Reflection Eternal - "Back Again"

At the risk of appearing as though I want to imitate the other hip hop blogs out there, I felt it necessary to point out that Talib Kweli and producer DJ Hi-Tek have reunited. While this is no "Fortified Live", it's nice to see these two working together again. And apparently their new project drops this fall.

If you like the track, support the artist by purchasing the track from iTunes.

-Max

100 Calorie Gut Reaction: Royce da 5'9" - "D.O.A. (Redemption)"

The short version of the tale is that Ryan Montgomery, in full-on Royce da 5'9" Hulked-out mode, recorded a freestyle alongside his Slaughterhouse brethren (Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and resident angry young man who takes shots at veteran artists a la Canibus, Joe Budden) over the No I.D. beat for Jay-Z's "D.O.A. (Death Of Autotune)", but his verse was actually taken from a different freestyle he recorded a while back. Now, while most people would never notice and probably wouldn't give a fuck anyway, hip hop fans are (apparently) a fickle lot, and Royce quickly recorded "D.O.A. (Redemption)" as an "apology" to his fans. Although he doesn't really spend a lot of time sounding like he's sorry. (He's already spent the better part of the last decade making up for recording a song alongside pop tart Willa Ford.)

Instead, Ryan spends nearly four-and-a-half minutes proving why he's one of my favorite artists who has been deserving of a much larger fanbase ever since he recorded alongside the white boy from Detroit who turned into the biggest rapper in the free world. (No, not Kid Rock.) The man simply rips the beat to shreds with a potent mix of humor, violent posturing, and good old-fashioned shit talking. The good thing about the Internet is that a rapper's every conscious thought can be recorded for posterity and released to the masses with a very brief turnaround time, which explains Royce's references to his boy Joell's recent mixtape (the one where the man covers a ton of classic hip hop songs), Drake, and the Charles Hamilton-slash-J Dilla controversy (I'm pretty sure the man just reneged on his own promise to leave Sonic's dumb ass alone with that "throwing [his body] in a coffin" line). Shit, I was half-expecting Ryan to discuss the protests in Iran and the Jon & Kate impending divorce.

Simply put, Royce is on fucking fire right now. If Marshall was smart, he would make some room for his old rhyme partner on Relapse 2. The world needs some more Bad Meets Evil material right now.

Royce da 5'9": "D.O.A. (Redemption)" (not a real video):



-Max

100 Calorie Gut Reaction: Q-Tip - "Renaissance Rap (Remix)" feat. Busta Rhymes, Raekwon, & Lil' Wayne

A remix for a track that was kind of hidden on Q-Tip's The Renaissance? Why the fuck not? The original "Renaissance Rap" was one of the best tracks on an album that already rocked shit anyway, so throwing a seemingly random assortment of rap artists over the same beat is the logical next step.

My Gut Reaction: Q-Tip - The Renaissance (November 4, 2008)

So, yeah, I fucked up. A Tribe Called Quest's Q-Tip released his second solo album, The Renaissance, in November of 2008 (on the same day that Barack Obama was elected President). But did I run out to buy it, the same as I would, apparently, any b-grade Wu-Tang Clan album? I most certainly did not. Some Tribe fan I am, right?

A Reader's Gut Reaction: Eminem - Relapse (May 19, 2009)

(For today's Reader Review, I'm going in a slightly different direction, with Red Magic's review of The Marshall Mathers Relapse. I'm running this as a Gut Reaction post because the disc has been out for less than a fucking month, and yet people still have the balls to deem this an instant classic. The fuck is that shit about? An album has to be in circulation for a while before it can be deemed anything other than "entertaining" or "disappointing". But I digress.)

After 4 years of eating fast food, taking drugs and hanging around at a rehab clinic, Eminem, known to the pizza boy and Mother Mathers as Marshall, returns to the music scene thereby ending his hiatus (yeah… I stole that word from Wikipedia). The man who is possibly the most-well known rapper alive is no longer the pissed off person who went diamond with The Marshall Mathers LP, nor is he trying to downgrade his ex-girlfriend Kim at any opportunity. Basically, Marshall flew to Michigan with his buddy Andre Young and decided to record some songs. Interestingly, this little outing ended up becoming two albums which are known as Relapse and Relapse 2. Also, I remember being hooked on the computer during the hours it started leaking (don’t worry, I purchased it) and to be honest I wasn’t that impressed, especially by “We Made You.”

The reason for this review is my belief that Max’s critique is besmirched by his (well-founded) anger at Blackout!2’s poor interest as well as his anti-Eminem stance in the Royce Da 5’9/D-12 debate. (I can't be the only guy who feels that Royce is better than all of the members of D-12 that aren't Em combined, am I?) Nevertheless, I do enjoy his reviews and wanted to congratulate him seeing as his blog is one of the few I enjoy, especially since other critics, let us not mention names (okay, lets; The Source) have fallen short.

Personally, I blame Eminem and Coolio for shoving me towards hip hop. I even remember ice skating in Scotland in 1995 and nodding my head to “Gangsta's Paradise” (You two can do with that image what you will.) . Additionally, Eminem’s lyricism on “Stan” was insane and essentially turned me away from my parents feeble attempts to make me like The Beatles (hey, what's wrong with The Beatles?) and towards U.S. hip hop. Hence, it was pretty obvious that I would purchase Relapse.

Before I start, I would like to state my distaste for the following rappers:

Jay-Z.

That is all.

1. DR. WEST (SKIT)
The one thing that is annoying about hip hop is skits. I do like Dominic West as an actor, but his cameo role in this is not necessary. Pass.

2. 3 A.M.
I remember when this leaked I thought it was absolute bullshit and considered deleting every Eminem song on my iTunes playlist. My girlfriend (a big Eminem fan, like myself) exclaimed it was “amateuristic” and at the time I agreed. (Not entirely sure that's a word, but that's fine.) 2 weeks and a catalogue of whisky’s later, it’s still not worth a listen and is arguably the poorest start to an Eminem album.

3. MY MOM
The lump of shit which is called "3. A.M." is followed by the 2nd best song on the album. The hook is hilarious and although I agree with Max that Young merely sells Marshall his “What’s The Difference” beat with some extras, it’s still pretty awesome. Also, it seems Eminem is actually enjoying himself and goofing around whilst acknowledging that fans are tired of him complaining about his upbringing. His verse “I ain’t playing go find you a white crayon and colour a fuckin’ zebra” makes me laugh every time.

4. INSANE
This song sounds like a The Slim Shady LP leftover track. It’s good, especially the blasting start reminds me of “Brain Damage,” and his verse about being old enough to pee is pretty funny. On the other hand stealing lyrics (or “sampling”) a 1980’s rap band is not exactly breathtaking and this is not better than any song of his first album.

5. BAGPIPES FROM BAGHDAD
As a Scotsman I have a weak spot for this. Marshall’s accent in the intro reminds me of drunk Glaswegians trying to get a free beer at the pub and the lyricism is dope. Furthermore, mimicking the beat at the end is pretty amusing.

6. HELLO
The chorus is utter garbage and like “3 A.M.”, his accent is seriously annoying. Also, repeating his name on every albums is totally unnecessary. If I didn’t know his name, I wouldn’t have bought his fucking album.

7. TONYA (SKIT)
Why would anyone want to listen to this?

8. SAME SONG & DANCE
I was hoping this song would sample Aerosmith’s “Same Old Song & Dance” but, sadly, it does not. However, as a fan of Dawaun Parker (go and listen to Bishop Lamont’s “Grow Up”), I really like his production with Andre on this. Marshall’s first verse is poor but he shakes himself awake and gains muscle the longer the song goes on.

9. WE MADE YOU
You probably know this, and yes, like the rest of the world, I hate the song, but I still chuckle at Joseph Khan’s video. Eminem’s mocking of Sarah Palin and Amy Winehouse is pretty lame, though, and was it really necessary to mention Elvis again? Running out of ideas, Slim Shady?

10. MEDICINE BALL
This song is atrociously bad and probably would have been the worst song if Curtis hadn’t made an appearance on another song. Next.

11. PAUL (SKIT)
Thanks for wasting nineteen seconds of my life, Marshall.

12. STAY WIDE AWAKE
Dr. Dre once again gives Marshall a strong beat which is ruined by the blabbing about absolutely nothing. Oh, and likening yourself to Mozart? Who the hell do you think you are? Lil Wayne? (I’m joking).

13. OLD TIMES SAKE (FEAT DR. DRE)
The third single and like the other first two singles there is nothing good to say about it. The hook is annoyingly catchy (as in you will be humming this bullshit when eating your dinner). Eminem again uses his stupid voice and sounds even more awful than Relapse first feature, Dr. Dre, who seems either high or confused or maybe a bit of both.

14. MUST BE THE GANJA
I don’t know why, but I really like this song. Perhaps because the last four songs where worse than my Gran at karaoke. I really like the beat and I have to thank Marshall for making a hook which is worth listening to.

15. MR. MATHERS
Zzzz.....

16. DEJA VU
The beat sounds a lot like the previous song but obviously I might be suffering from déjà vu myself. Apparently this is seen by many Eminem fans as a tribute to Proof seeing as he throws the line “Oh ya there's an excuse you lose Proof so you use/There's new rules it's cool if it's helping you to get through” but to be honest the song is disappointing.

17. BEAUTIFUL
The Queens sample is totally unnecessary but this is without a doubt Relapse's most powerful single. Eminem’s attempt at a ballad pays off and his own production is surprisingly awesome. On the other hand, this song reminds me too much of “Sing For The Moment” which is probably the better track, seeing as he actually got the sampled rock band to help on the song.

18. CRACK A BOTTLE (FEAT DR. DRE & 50 CENT)
Hey folks, guess who can’t sell jack shit and has to hop onto his mentor’s ship to gain attention? Oh, how I laughed when I heard his album was going to get scrapped and re-done. As for the song, it’s awful and should have been replaced by a certain bonus track; more on that later.

19. STEVE BERMAN (SKIT)
This skit at least has a point, as it confirms Marshall’s decision to make two albums.

20. UNDERGROUND
This song is really the main reason for my review. I nearly fell of my chair when Max claimed it was his worst song (maybe he's never listened to “Fack“?). I thought this song was fucking brilliant. It’s what Marshall should have been doing throughout the whole album and it sort of reminds me of “Till I Collapse.” For me everything fits on this song, especially since Eminem uses his normal voice and spits some fiery hate. His dark humour “Cut your fucking head off and ask you where your headed off to/Get it, headed off to?” ensures that this song outshines anything he has made on Relapse. Thank you Marshall for reminding me why some (unlike me) regard you as the G.O.A.T.

The Relapse Deluxe Edition boasted two iTunes bonus tracks as well as the single versions of “We Made You” and “Crack a Bottle”. Seeing as you have heard my take on the singles, I will merely note some points on the two bonus tracks.

23. MY DARLING
I like Eminem’s self- portrayal as a “sleeping giant”, but to be honest this song is nothing special and the hook is utter tripe.

24. CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR
The beginning for some reason reminds me of Young Jeezy’s “Put On” song intro about the recession (obviously) affecting America. However, unlike that piece of garbage this is pretty sweet and should have been substituted for “Crack a Bottle”. Eminem proves he can still tell a story and rightly notes the critics diverse ratings of albums after a period of time. Shame it’s not longer though.

THE LAST WORD: Relapse is certainly an interesting album. It proves that Marshall is still an important asset to the rap game and still has some surprises up his sleeve. Although it is by no means his worst album, it hardly has the tools to match The Slim Shady LP or even Encore (I am probably the only person that likes that album). Yet there is something exceptionally different about Marshall and other rappers. His hilarious stunt with Bruno at the MTV awards, his pesky insistence to take his jokes out on egocentric celebrities, in addition to him being the only “real” white rapper (I added the quotation marks), suggest that he will be around for quite a long time and I for one have no trouble with this. As for his new album, “Careful What You Wish For” suggests only time will tell if it will be regarded as a success. Like The Notorious B.I.G. in his lifetime, Eminem is considered a “good” rapper by most hip hop bloggers, but hardly the best. Hopefully somebody will piss Marshall off in a couple of weeks (someone should go knock on Ja Rule’s motel door) and revitalize his anger towards music. However, if Relapse 2 follows the same concept as its predecessor, I will regard a burn as efficient, just like I am for this album. Steve Berman’s indication of the music business “melting the fuck down” as well as worldwide depression luring over us should be enough to make anyone wary of buying an average Eminem album. A handful of the songs are worth a slot on your iPod but it will generally disappoint.

-Red Magic

(Be sure to leave comments, and check out my original Gut Reaction post by clicking here.)

Reader Review: Madvillain (Madlib + MF DOOM) - Madvillainy (March 24, 2004)

(Here's something you probably didn't expect. For today's post, Nicolo helps HHID meet its Madlib and MF DOOM quota (I hate writing that guy's name in all caps) by discussing their project, Madvillain, and their debut album Madvillainy. I only just recently found this in my crates and want to write about this soon, but since Nicolo got to it first, he gets first crack at it. Enjoy!)

Although there are a handful of great hip hop albums that have yet to be reviewed by Max but deserve consideration and recognition here on Hip Hop Isn’t Dead, one LP stands alone to me as an album that was inexplicably overlooked in the hip hop community, yet made a large splash in a more… should I say, Pitchfork Media demographic. This is also the perfect opportunity to have another MF DOOM album reviewed on the blog.

Madvillainy is the first effort by the group Madvillain, which is made up of long-standing hip hop stalwarts DJ/Producer/MC Madlib and MC/Producer MF DOOM. Although Madlib and Doom (I have officially stopped writing the name in all caps for the rest of this review) make music on opposite ends of the country, they have oddly parallel careers. Both got their starts in obscure underground outfits (Lib in Lootpack, Doom in KMD) that never quite made it, but were taken under the wing of more successful peers (Tha Alkaholiks and 3rd Bass, respectively). Both are also extremely prolific, and have performed under more pseudonyms than you can shake a stick at. When it was first revealed that the two would make an album together, it turned a lot of heads, perhaps due to the fact that Doom, at least, was in the prime of his career.

Madvillainy was almost universally reviewed positively upon its release, but like I mentioned before, was a miss in the hip hop community. As far as I know, the album wasn’t even reviewed by the Source, XXL, etc, and on top of that, a friend of mine who is the biggest Doom fan I know is still indifferent to it to this day. I was first introduced to the album by a friend who was more of an indie rock fan than anything else, but for this review I will be taking another listen to each track from a more hip hop perspective. You may remember from my last appearance on this blog that I like to review long albums. This one is no different.

1. INTRO
You can already hypothesize how Doom and Lib’s style will mesh from this Intro. A sullen, jazzy instrumental backs one of those comic book-style narrations that don’t quite make sense that you can hear on any given Doom album.

2. ACCORDION
Madlib’s instrumental can get boring after a couple of listens, but this is one of the more accessible songs on the album. Doom is in strong form, complementing humorous battle rhyme musings with obscure pop-culture references.

3. MEAT GRINDER
This song is just awesome. Featuring beatnik bass and the best use of sitar in a rap song since "Bonita Applebum", Doom almost sounds like he’s spitting spoken word poetry. This song also contains my personal favorite couplet from the album: “Borderline schizo, sorta fine tits though.” Hilarious.

4. BISTRO
Madlib/Quasimoto/Yesterday’s New Quintet and MF Doom/King Ghedorah/Viktor Vaughn introduce all their various alter-egos.

5. RAID (FEAT M.E.D.)
This song was the catalyst for Madvillainy in finding its place among a plethora of alternative critic’s top-ten of the year lists. The reason? Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke included this track on a Celebrity Playlist of his. The accolade paid in dividends for the group, leading to the aforementioned critical acclaim and even garnering a Doom/Yorke collaboration on Doom’s latest album, Born Like This. Yes ladies and gentlemen, Thom Yorke is now a rap producer (but only on an iTunes bonus track). Oh and the song? It’s not bad. M.E.D.’s appearance is a well-appreciated change of pace from Doom.

6. AMERICA’S MOST BLUNTED (FEAT QUASIMOTO)
Madlib is already legendary in the rap community as a producer with trippy tendencies, but this song cements him in stoner rap subculture. I’m not publicly condoning weed smoking to all you readers, but the song makes a compelling case to listen to this album with an altered state of mind. Whatever your morals are, the little tidbits (especially the segment at the end) that Madlib works into the song about marijuana are very funny.

7. SICKFIT
The first of a couple instrumentals sprinkled throughout the album.

8. RAINBOWS
Apparently Mos Def covers this song in concerts on a regular basis. This isn’t surprising to me at all: I saw Mos Def in concert last summer and only about half the songs he performed were his.

9. CURLS
This song, similarly to the majority of the album for me, took multiple listens to appreciate. It epitomizes the album, however: under two minutes long, stream-of-consciousness lyrics and sublime yet eccentric production.

10. DO NOT FIRE
Instrumental.

11. MONEY FOLDER
The small break at the beginning of the song ruins the momentum, but overall this may be the best display of Doom’s ability to carry a song on this album. Although he doesn’t get a chance on Madvillainy because the songs are so short, Doom has great bar-spitting stamina and a good flow, qualities evidenced on Operation: Doomsday and the Vaudeville Villain albums.

12. SHADOWS OF TOMORROW (FEAT QUASIMOTO)
Trippiest song on the album. Hell, Quas even shouts out Sun Ra at the end of the song.

13. OPERATION LIFESAVER A.K.A. MINT TEST
Kind of funny if you listen to it once, but in the long run it’s only worth not skipping because it’s a minute and a half long.

14. FIGARO
Maybe the most traditional hip hop song of the album. Pretty good.

15. HARDCORE HUSTLE (FEAT WILDCHILD)
Former Lootpack cohort Wildchild joins the party for this track, but the beat isn’t that great, and Doom doesn’t even appear on it. This song is just alright for me.

16. STRANGE WAYS
Madlib impresses with some boom-bap on this track. The beat outshines the rhymes on here a bit, though. The interlude at the end makes me chuckle.

17. FANCY CLOWN (FEAT VIKTOR VAUGHN)
The most story-driven and non-abstract of any of the Doom’s appearances on the album is also the most ironic. Doom appears as his alter-ego Viktor Vaughn in this track, the give-away coming when Doom essentially makes fun of himself in the lyrics. It took me a couple of listens to get the story, but other than that this is a great song.

18. EYE
A trip-hoppy song with a female vocalist that is credited as Stacy Epps. It’s not the type of song you’d expect from Madlib until you consider the J Dilla influence, which is obvious here.

19. SUPERVILLAIN THEME
Instrumental.

20. ALL CAPS
It’s fitting that Doom made a song like this at some point. Although it isn’t a fully committed effort towards the reason he spells his name in all caps or wears a mask, it is as much as you’re going to get from him. The beat draws you in nice as well. This is a solid song.

21. GREAT DAY
This is another great song. The beat is the smoothest on the whole album and Doom is consistently witty in his choice of metaphors.

22. RHINESTONE COWBOY
I think they made a video for this song. I’m not really sure why, though, this track isn’t really good enough to be a single. Nevertheless, it’s good enough way to end the album.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Quite frankly, I’m at a loss to why this album isn’t mentioned more often among the better rap releases of the last 5 years. Madvillainy embraces its experimental tendencies, but overall is a consistent, album-driven hip hop album. Maybe it’s a matter of timing that it wasn’t more popular (hell, Little Brother didn’t even get play, and bloggers love that stuff), but most importantly, this album transcends any kind of age discrimination because sounds like it could have been released in the 90’s. Incidentally, when questioning how “hip hop” this album is, there are a couple of old school rap samples throughout the album (notably Just Ice’s “Cold Getting Dumb” on “Supervillain Theme”). Don’t get me wrong, though, this is still an alternative hip hop album, but it stands as a classic in the genre, along with Deltron 3030 and Dr. Octagonecologyst.

BUY OR BURN: Buy buy buy. And get the entire album: this release wasn’t meant to listen to in terms of individual songs. It’s a complete effort.

BEST SONGS: “Accordion”; “Meat Grinder”; “America’s Most Blunted”; “Curls”; “Strange Ways”; “Fancy Clown”; “All Caps”; “Great Day”.

-Nicolo

(Questions? Comments? Do you prefer to see readers take on lesser known albums or would you rather they stick with the rivers and the lakes that you're used to? Let me know below.)

My Gut Reaction: Mos Def - The Ecstatic (June 9, 2009)

The Ecstatic is rapper-slash-singer-slash-actor Mos Def's fourth solo album, but you're forgiven if you had no idea this disc was dropping until you re-read last Sunday's Best Buy sales ad. It seems that Next Day Air wasn't really the right vehicle to advertise Mos Def's return to the hip hop game, especially because, as I understand it, Dante barely appears on screen. And yet, he received a bigger credit than the guy who played Avon Barksdale on The Wire, mainly because he's Mos Def. That's the same reason many bloggers are plugging The Ecstatic as the best shit since sliced cheese.

The Ecstatic brings us The Mighty Mos on his new record label, Downtown Records, where he shares cubicle space with the likes of Gnarls Barkley, Santigold, and Carla Bruni, the current First Lady of France. This is a far cry from his previous home, Geffen Records, who used to house acts such as Gza/Genius and The Roots but are now stuck with the likes of Common (not a bad thing, unless you are prone to involuntary recall of Universal Mind Control), Snoop Dogg, and The Game. Mos surrounded himself with a small dream team of collaborators who do their best to bring out the best in their gracious host: acclaimed underground producers Madlib and Oh No (Madlib's younger brother) provide a combined six tracks out of sixteen, while Chad Hugo, Talib Kweli, and the late James "J Dilla" Yancey stop by to send best wishes.

So let's see what all the fuss is about.

1. SUPERMAGIC
I didn't care for this rap album intro masquerading as a song.

2. TWILITE SPEEDBALL
The beat sounds absolutely nothing like anything Chad Hugo (from production duo The Neptunes) ever produced for Kenna. (Remember Kenna? Because you probably should.) The song still sounds alright, though, even if Dante's rhymes sound like half-finished thoughts that could benefit from a good editor with a gaggle of red Sharpies. It helps that this comes across as alternate-universe Neptunes, even though you could still dance to this if you tried.

3. AUDITORIUM (FEAT SLICK RICK)
This is actually really fucking good. Madlib's subdued beat focuses more on (a Middle Eastern-esque) melody than the drum beat, and that decision helps you pay close attention to Mos Def (who actually sounds like he put some effort into his lyrics this time around) and Slick Rick, credited on the back cover as The Ruler, comes off as, well, the Ruler he plays on TV. This shit is nice!

4. WAHID
This also wasn't that bad. Thankfully, this Madlib invasion also isn't very long, lest the song's theme get stomped into the ground with the force of your girl's flip flops.

5. PRIORITY
This is also really short, but this time, I wanted to hear more of Dante's impressive spitting over Preservation's instrumental. SO far, The Ecstatic is perfect for listeners with short attention spans, but that may only be because Mos Def was on a deadline and needed to rush back to the set.

6. QUIET DOG BITE HARD
Meh.

7. LIFE IN MARVELOUS TIMES
Mr. Flash's beat manages to sound pretty, well, marvelous, but Dante's rhymes, curiously, come off as lazy. His flow does, anyway: maybe he just wasn't acclimated to the slower pace of the track. I liked his singing at the end, though. For fans of the beat, you get an extra minute of it at the end, so enjoy!

8. THE EMBASSY
The goofy intro doesn't really lend itself to the Middle Eastern-inspired Mr. Flash beat; in fact, it's more distracting than it should be. It takes Dante forever to step in and start rapping, though, so this "song" is really short, which is a plus, since I wasn't impressed at all.

9. NO HAY NADA MAS
Mos Def raps and sings in Spanish, mainly because he fucking can. This doesn't sound the least bit bad, though, and it's fairly brief, so I kind of dig it. I wouldn't necessarily bump this in my car, though.

10. PISTOLA
I liked Oh No's beat, especially the hurried drums that inform much of Dante's flow. Hearing the chorus performed two different ways at the exact same time was unnerving, though, not unlike watching a film by Joel Schumacher and expecting it to be good: if Mos was trying to make this song appeal to an art house crowd, he succeeded, but at what cost?

11. PRETTY DANCER
There aren't many references to Charles Darwin in hip hop today. I liked Madlib's instrumental more than the rhymes (not surprising, since I'm a fan of his...which begs the question: why the fuck have I not written more about Madlib?), but this still comes across as an altogether pleasant and complete package, especially for the final minute and a half.

12. WORKERS COMP.
"You can't break my heart, 'cause that'll just get you fired"? Huh? Dante alternates between rapping and singing pretty seamlessly, and Mr. Flash's beat helps move shit along. The way Dante sings the word "fired" is hilarious, as well.

13. REVELATIONS
Madlib's beat is fucking awesome sauce. Is it too much to ask for an entire Mos Def album with his production exclusively? He did it for Talib Kweli, you know.

14. ROSES (FEAT GEORGIA ANNE MULDROW)
Dante's ad libs are really fucking annoying, as if he's trying to channel the ghost of Jim Jones. As it takes the man almost two full minutes to drop a verse, this comes across as more of a song by Georgia Anne Muldrow featuring Mos Def. (Which it actually is: the back cover of The Ecstatic reads that this song is "by Georgia Anne Muldrow, featuring me".) Her vocals and production aren't bad, though, so this could have been a lot worse.

15. HISTORY (FEAT TALIB KWELI)
How about that, a collaboration between Mos Def and Talib Kweli (produced by the late J Dilla to boot). This is what was missing from The New Danger and True Magic. The vocal sample frustrates my listening experience, but both men sound fucking inspired. So how about another Black Star album, guys? Anyone? Bueller?

16. CASA BEY
The Ecstatic's third single would have sounded better than "Supermagic" as the album's introductory song, but I digress: this is still a pretty good way to end your album, thanks to Preservation's multifaceted work behind the boards (with an assist from our host) and Dante's vocals, which I'm already on record as saying that I like. The piano at the end was also welcome.

THE LAST WORD: Maybe the bloggers are right to champion this one. The Ecstatic is an improvement over True Magic, but thanks to its lack of cohesion (it sounds like a bunch of spare Mos Def songs stitched together), it doesn't top either Black On Both SIdes or The New Danger. (Yes, I said The New Danger.) Mos Def sounds like he's actively trying to get back to the top of his game, though, and he surrounds himself with mostly hot instrumentals, so the overall listening experience was actually pretty fucking great. Other than a couple of tracks ("Revelations" and "Auditorium" especially) that may end up in shuffle rotation on the iPod, I don't know if I'll spin The Ecstatic all that often, but this is still deserving of your time.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:
Other Mos Def write-ups can be found here.

Reader Review: Outkast - Aquemini (September 29, 1998)

(I'm still kind of recovering from May, so in the meantime, here's a Reader Review of a previously discussed album. SLG takes on Outkast's Aquemini from the point of view of someone who hasn't necessarily grown up around Southern hip hop. Enjoy!)

Ah, Aquemini. To be completely honest, I don’t have a funny story about this album to start off this review. I didn’t leave it out of my magical 5-album opening day haul like a douche (nice dig), I didn’t grow up listening to it: hell, I didn’t even listen to it until this year. However, I still have no problem saying that it’s my pick for the greatest southern rap album of all time. I mean, fuck, it’s just soooooooooooooo good! UGK? Geto Boys? Screw ‘em, I want some Outkast! That's not to say the competition isn’t fierce, but I’d say Aquemini is my favorite rap album from the Dirty South.

Now, just a preface about Outkast themselves. Just about everyone knows the group is made up of Big Boi and Andre 3000, but I’d say the collective knowledge often ends there (but then again, I’m an adolescent white kid at a school made up of at least 40% Asians, so I could be misreading the pulse of America). Many people seem to just think of Andre 3000 as a weird, sexually ambiguous singer-type, which is a bit unfair, considering his singing career constitutes about 1/12 of all of the group’s total album time, but that’s what happens when groups make it big, I guess. I mean, he’s an even better rapper than Big Boi! Speaking of Big Boi, a lot of people think of him as this southern-fried “piyump” alone, but he can get pretty deep and mature when he wants to, especially on Aquemini. All in all, both give a pretty gosh darn good performance, and come correct on just about every song.

I hear a lot of people debating between this LP and ‘Kast’s previous, ATLiens, as to which is their best work (some people say Stanktonia, but fuck ‘em, that disc is not even close to the former two). ATLiens is great, of course, but I think Aquemini is just more varied, and while it’s not QUITE as consistent, its peaks are much higher.

So, uhhhh, what does that leave, hmmmm…uhhh, jumpin’ like kangaroos, uhhh…oh yeah, the production! The record’s produced by Outkast themselves, Organized Noize, and David Sheats, and the work they do is so damn incredible that I have to justify not naming this odd group as my favorite production team by saying that collective production teams don’t count (and then I get to feel guilty about shafting the Bomb Squad, yay!!!). (Excited much?) Still, each song has its own unique backdrop, and the beats perfectly compliment Andre and Antwan as they take us through a couple days in their lives and talk about residue and busting nuts and shit like that.

Oh, and unlike most publications, which went solid 5 out of 5 or 10 out of 10 with this one, Rolling Stone gave this album a mere 4 out of 5. Incidentally, I can’t stand Rolling Stone.

1. HOLD ON, BE STRONG
Sure, it’s just another rap album intro, but…well…okay, it’s just another rap album intro. Next!

2. RETURN OF THE “G”
Now HERE’S what I’m talking ‘bout! I mean, Giorgio fucking Moroder? Organized Noize clearly knows their samples, and Outkast rhymes effortlessly over this track. I especially like Andre’s lines about how people think he’s just some sort of gay crackhead when he’s really just a fly mothafucka. Big Boi comes correct too, with his talk of blowing bubbles and Mel Gibson. (Huh?) And, of course, a shameless Goodie Mob plug at the end (the first of many)!

3. ROSA PARKS
Man, I can’t help but think about that crazy lawsuit that came out of this one, with Ms. Parks herself suing the boys from Atlanta with the help of Johnnie Cochran. Well, whatever the case, this song was the first single, and for good reason - it’s a fucking classic. While it’s true that Andre does way better over this beat, Big Boi’s lyricism might actually exceed his for a change, which is pretty cool. The beat is good, the rapping is great, the chorus is catchy as all hell, and the harmonica bridge is just genius. Who doesn’t like this song? (Rosa Parks, for one.)

4. SKEW IT ON THE BAR-B (FEAT RAEKWON)
An educational song about Australia? Maybe Wu-Tang really is for the children! Yeah, okay, it’s just one of those “we fucking own shit” songs with an unusual theme, with the beat taken from, of all things, Police Woman. Of course, Andre really does beat Rae on this one, despite the latter sounding surprisingly well-rested and ready for battle.

5. AQUEMINI
Jesus, is this song ever awesome: first Big Boi comes on and just totally rips shit up, then Andre shows us just how capable he is at coming up with lines bloggers are legally required to quote ("Is every n---a with dreads for the cause?/Is every n---a with gold for the falls?/No, so don't get caught up in appearance/It's Outkast Aquemini, another Black experience"). The beat starts out nice and spacey, ala ATLiens, then completely changes up with a bit of fanfare as Big Boi comes in again and rhymes about his Escalades and shit. Overall, the song fucking knocks.

6. SYNTHESIZER (FEAT GEORGE CLINTON)
Man, that’s a name you don’t expect to see in rap anywhere other than in West Coast liner notes and Del The Funky Homosapien album titles. Personally, I have no idea what Max is talking about, as this song is great (maybe he just hates drums and mini-skits on principle?) Andre in particular steps correct on this one.

7. SLUMP (FEAT BACKBONE & COOL BREEZE)
Of course, the weed carrier song; most great rap albums need one of those! Problem one with this song is the lack of Dre Benjamin. Backbone sounds really lazy and boring, which is pretty bad for the opening verse (compared to, say, Ghostface or Inspectah Deck on any Wu-Tang song they kick off, or Kurupt on Snoop's “Serial Killa”). Big Boi does well, which is to be expected, and Cool Breeze gets a distant silver medal. The song has a nice soulful beat, but that’s it, pretty much.

8. WEST SAVANNAH
Ah yes, the Southernplayasupercalifragilistic outtake song, made apparent by Big Boi’s high voice. Organized Noize’s beat is pretty darn funky fresh, and the song is the closest to an introspective, mature solo rapper type song that Outkast has. Overall, pretty damn good.

9. DA ART OF STORYTELLIN' (PART 1)
And here we go, the beginning of the six-and-a-half minute uber-epic awesome climax of the album known as the “Storytellin’” Suite. For the first part, Big Boi takes us through a day in the life of a playa, featuring a sexy groupie, a baby mama, a beeper, and Darth Vader similes, while Andre decides to take the high route and rap about a chick in a bad relationship who dies of a heroin overdose. While Big Boi clearly has the better rhymes (especially when he mentions that said groupie wants to take him out to the parking lot so she can "sick your duck": that's a brilliant way to court fellatio on the radio, and for that, Antwan, we salute you), Andre’s lyricism has really improved, and his verse is the reason this song is so damn sad (it sure as hell isn’t Ricky D’s verse on the remix). The video with the Muppets is also pretty much the best thing ever. (I'm still questioning why that video wasn't included on the official Outkast video collection.)

10. DA ART OF STORYTELLIN' (PART 2)
Oh man, if you thought the first part of the suite was good, here’s where it really gets amazing. While this is the shortest real song on the album, its amazing piano beat perfectly compliments Andre’s surprisingly awesome distorted vocals, and Big Boi surprisingly destroys the track with possibly his best verse ever. Then, the chanting comes in - oh, good Lord, the chanting. This is probably the closest I’ve ever come to a religious experience. A fucking incredible track.

11. MAMACITA (FEAT MASADA & WITCHDOCTOR)
Well, since nothing could follow the last song, Outkast decides to insert one of their worst songs into the mix. Nothing about this song is anything less than cheesy, melodramatic bullshit: Masada is awful, Andre sounds surprisingly terrible (although his lyrics are all right, I guess), Witchdoctor is pretty laughable (I still love the plug for Stouffer's lasagna), and Big Boi swoops in too late to save the song.

12. SPOTTIEOTTIEDOPALISCIOUS (FEAT SLEEPY BROWN)
In vast contrast to “Mamacita”, which was pretty much as over-the-top as Outkast could get, this song is pretty damn chill spoken word poetry. But that’s it, really.

13. Y'ALL SCARED (FEAT T-MO, BIG GIPP, & KHUJO)
And so, (three-fourths of) Goodie Mob gets their big chance to shine, and comes off pretty damn well: T-Mo kicks things off nicely, Gipp slightly underwhelms, Dre and Big Boi destroy the track just like everyone expected, and Khujo does very respectably as well. A great posse cut that shows just how linked the two groups are…but wait, where’s Cee-Lo? I love that amusing little fella!

14. NATHANIEL
Dot, dot, dot…

15. LIBERATION (FEAT CEE-LO, ERYKAH BADU, & BIG RUBE)
I knew Cee-Lo would come and make me happy! This epic song was probably the first time a lot of people realized how good of a voice Cee-Lo really had (unless, of course, you listened to the Goodie Mob albums prior to this), which is a good thing as far as I’m concerned. Then, sweet sweet Erykah impresses, and Rube does some very impressive spoken word, all over a haunting piano beat.

16. CHONKYFIRE
Every great album must end eventually, and “Chonkyfire” makes sure people stay excited at this point. A fucking awesome riff ushers us out, along with some impressive rapping from both guys, and a clip from Outkast’s acceptance speech for the Best New Artist at the 1994 Source Awards (of course, more love for Goodie Mob).

FINAL THOUGHTS: Aquemini fucking rocks, there’s no half-stepping that. It should be at least in everyone’s top two Outkast albums: it is definitely number one for me. While a couple songs in the third quarter of the album (how oddly specific) may falter a bit, it’s overall one of the very best rap albums, and anyone who disagrees with that has done enough to earn an ass whooping in my professional opinion. Now, someone pass the tissues! (I like how he essentially takes the piss out of himself before anybody that's reading this can do it for him. However, I don't know many hip hop fans that would disagree with the general assessment. In saying that, though, I'm sure somebody will prove me wrong.)

BUY OR BURN? Buy repeatedly, preferably at least 10 copies, and make some sort of collage with the extra sets of liner notes. Send me your best design, and I’ll give you a shoutout in my next review! There’s some incentive for you, right!? Well, fine, just buy one, whatever…

Best Tracks: Both “Da Art of Storytellin’” parts; “Aquemini”; “Return of the “G”“; “Liberation”; “Rosa Parks”; “Chonkyfire”

-SLG

Bonus video: "Da Art Of Storytellin' (Remix)" featuring Slick Rick:



(Questions? Comments? Concerns? Leave your thoughts below, and if you have an album that you absolutely need to write about, hit me at the e-mail address in the top right. And for those of you interested, here's a link to the original review.)

Diversionary Tactics: Exhaustion Edition

The stunt blogging is over for a while. Give me a few days to rest up, and I'll get the blog back to its regularly scheduled programming.

Here's a link to all thirty-one posts, so that you have something to look at while you're patiently waiting. And be sure to leave some comments: the future of the stunt blog is dependent on the level of interest it attracts. Also, I'm confused as to how my two readers can frequently complain that I "only" write about mainstream artists and should branch out more, but when I do, the post that still receives the most attention is Eminem's. I realize Relapse was the most anticipated album of 2009 so far, but seriously?

The Reader Reviews, which have not fallen by the wayside, as you may have feared, will also continue when I return. In fact, I'm going to open it up a bit more: if you have an album that you want to write about, send me your submission at the email on the right. There is no deadline this time, so you can take your time. However, you have to defend your choice as being one of the reasons that hip hop is not dead, and you have to attach a nickname that you wish to be called, so that you can be given proper credit. Without that, I'm going to start making shit up.

Oh, and since I received a couple of comments stating that I reviewed the Eminem album "too early" (really?), I wanted to address them: Hi! Thanks for reading. You may be new to the site, and I'm glad to have you. If you'll notice, I categorized the Relapse review as "My Gut Reaction", meaning that those were my thoughts while I was listening to the album for the very first time, as opposed to the usual reviews for albums I've had for a while. I appreciate everyone's opinions and commentary, but it is waaaay too soon to tell if that album will stand up to the test of time, especially since it's been out for less than a month.

Anyway, I have to go to sleep. See you in a few days. And in case you haven't noticed, you can also follow the blog on Twitter, although I can't guarantee anything other than occasional video posts and random commentary on stupid stuff.

-Max