While you two are waiting to see what the first post will be in August, I'm going to address something that I'm (admittedly) incredibly late in discussing. Flo Rida's second single from R.O.O.T.S., "Sugar", is still a relatively huge hit in the clubs, as I witnessed over the weekend. (I'd include a link to its official video, but I really don't want to encourage that kind of behavior.) While I have a relatively low opinion of this song in general, I can't fault Flo for creating radio-friendly hits one right after another.
But I can fault his producer, DJ Montay.
The track itself features female vocalist Wynter Gordon (who you will never hear from again, except for maybe on the next Flo Rida album) re-doing the hook from Eiffel 65's trashy Euro-dance hit "Blue (Da Ba Dee)" from ten fucking years ago. Back in 1999, I thought the song sucked, and in hearing this today, I'm concerned for today's youth, as they're being exposed to this garbage without any sort of context.
However, when I first heard "Sugar", another song entered my mind, one that is much better. Wynter Gordon really only rips off the title, which is probably why I haven't read anybody else draw the following comparison, but Flo's song features a simile that wouldn't pop in anybody's mind unless thay were familiar with Echo & The Bunnymen.
That song is the shit. So if Flo Rida inadvertently drives his many fans into the waiting arms of Ian McCulloch and company, I suppose I can't really be angry.
If, however, Flo's followers look for this shit on iTunes, then I would prepare myself for the inevitable zombie onslaught.
Okay, yesterday's Reader Review will be the last one for a while. I've essentially cleared out all of the submissions I've received so far (with the exception of a couple, which I'm still waiting for responses and revisions for), so I'm asking my readers for some of your own fresh insights into some of your favorite hip hop albums. Round Four has just opened up, so reserve your spot now by shooting me an e-mail at the address in the top right. They may not be published immediately, but they will appear on the blog.The reason they won't be published immediately is because August will be yet another stunt blog month for Hip Hop Isn't Dead. I meant to turn July into such a month, but I figured that it would be better for me to actually publish the reviews I asked for prior to May's write-ups, so I pushed it back a bit. So, you two are charged with helping me create some content for the blog for after August, when I'll probably be extremely tired and will want to give up on rap music for a while. I look forward to reading your views, whether they be for something I already wrote about or an album I've never touched.Be sure to tell your friends. And leave comments! Your feedback helps determine the shape and future of HHID.-Max
(Almost immediately following his take on Liquid Swords, which I swear I only posted last week, Banksta returns with his write-up for B-Real's other group, Psycho Realm, and their debut album, conveniently titled The Psycho Realm. I'm not personally familiar with this album, so I'll let him take it from here.)
As you may remember from reading my Liquid Swords review, I was a huge Cypress Hill soldier back in the days. I still really like B-Real, even though he thinks 3 multiplied by 4 equals 7, but back in the day I was checking for as much of his work as possible, even from outside of the Cypress Hill confines.
His primary side project was this.
I think some kind of introduction to Psycho Realm is in order. From what I remember, the group was founded by brothers Joaquin (Sick Jacken/Jacken/Uncle Fester) and Gustavo (Mr. Duke/Big Duke/Duke) Gonzalez, and in 1993 B-Real heard their show, which he loved so much that he wanted to join the group. Charming. The three-member group was signed to Sony and released their first album, The Psycho Realm, in 1997, which was chock full of socio-political commentary on the state of the world today, with the three artists leaning toward a darker world view more often than not. I always considered Psycho Realm as the West Coast's Gravediggaz, since they share many common things in their history (if you want to read more about them, check out my first Reader Review for their second album, The Pick, The Sickle And The Shovel, or Max's write-ups). At first, Psycho Realm may look like a spin-off from much more successful group (Cypress Hill, of course), but it's a completely different project. Both groups consist of a star (B-Real here) and his two rhyming partners (Jacken and Duke), with one more guy on production (Eric Bobo was part of the Psycho Ward, a production team consisting of him and Psycho Realm). Lyrically, B-Real forgets about his usual topics (smoking weed, killing hundred people in less than five minutes, smoking weed, chilling in his lowrider, and smoking weed) and assimilates into the new environment very well.
Sadly, just like with Gravediggaz, the most famous guy in the group would leave (Cypress Hill was calling), leaving his two rhyming partners alone, and while they could have continued making more music, one of them would find himself unable to rhyme (Duke was shot in 1999 and was paralyzed from the neck down). (While this tale correlates with what happened with The Rza and the Gravediggaz, at least the second Psycho Realm album didn't turn into a pseudo-Cypress Hill project. Banksta oversimplifies what happened, though: Sick Jacken and Duke were dropped by Sony because of their lyrical content, and B-Real was unable to legally follow them to their new home because he was obligated to Cypress Hill, which is why he only made a few appearances on their follow-up.)
While I found more comparisons with Gravediggaz than anyone deems necessary, and both groups (on their first albums) come off as morbid and demented, Gravediggaz was more of a dark humour, while Psycho Realm are dead serious. Last time I heard this album, it was... huh, I can't remember..
Let's see if it has changed any.
1. PSYCHO CITY BLOCKS / PSYCHO INTERLUDE
B-Real handles only hook duties here, in order to properly introduce Sick Jacken and Mr. Duke. The interlude at the end of this track (a recurring theme on this album) is enjoyable, thanks to the climax and its instrumental. I believe this was a single, which is an understandable choice, because this is probably the only track here that could even fit on a radio station's playlist.
2. SHOWDOWN
B-Real doesn't impress me much on here, but his flow is less high-pitched and nasal than on, say, Black Sunday, which may make him more accessible for a general audience. Duke's lyrics are more complicated that Jacken's, but the latter comes off better, because Gustavo has a horrible delivery, although it is not visible that much on this particular song. Maybe it comes off as a part of his “psycho” image, but the quality suffers. The beat is really good, too.
3. THE BIG PAYBACK
I never cared for it. Not that it's bad by any means: the beat is solid, but nothing special.
4. PREMONITIONS
This is really just a short B-Real solo song. The beat sounds Latin-inspired and sad, and the mixing of the song with interludes works well. Side note: unlike Legend Of The Mask & The Assassin, the DJ Muggs collaborative album with Sick Jacken, every song on The Psycho Realm is performed in English.
5. INTERLUDE / STONE GARDEN / INTERLUDE
This was the first Psycho Realm song I ever paid attention to, and it might have also been the first single. The musical background here is both depressing and magnificent, and Sick Jacken outraps everyone else here, even though he rhymes about dying on the street and smoking weed within the span of four lines. This shit is just awesome.
6. TEMPORARY INSANITY
Conceptually the most “insane” track here, and I like the chorus and B-Real's verse. This review may sound like a lovefest so far, but the quality of The Psycho Realm is really good, and although each beat resides in the same climate, they all manage to sound distinct.
7. DOORS INTRO / CONFESSIONS OF A DRUG ADDICT
This was pretty awesome, too. The vivid imagery on this one is just unbeatable, and everyone does a great job on here. However, I have to state that Duke's spitting still sucks balls.
8. WHO ARE YOU INTERLUDE / BULLETS
This is my favourite interlude on here. The punchlines take this song to another level, but then again, I could say that for every other song on The Psycho Realm.
9. LOVE LETTERS INTRO / LOVE FROM THE SICK SIDE
The beat is decent, and B-Real's verse is not bad, but Mr. Duke completely ruins the whole song , coming off as a guy who never heard of the concept “rhyming to the beat”.
10. R. U. EXPERIENCED / OUTRO
Joaquin sounds impressive, and the message presented here is good. Gustavo still doesn't give a fuck about the simple rules of rap, but the song is good enough to make me forget about him.
11. PSYCLONES
Nice title. This track features a faster-paced beat, one which forces everyone to keep up. Even Duke manages to sound like an actual rapper. Color me impressed.
12. LOST CITIES
Gustavo also doesn't sound that bad over this slow, melancholic beat, which compliments the lyrics perfectly.
13. LA CONECTA INTRO / LA CONECTA (PT 1.)
The two last tracks are a story divided into two parts (and an intro), with Psycho Realm acting as fictional characters. B-Real is the only guy creative enough to give his character a completely different name than his own, as his Sonny kicks off a pretty good track.
14. LA CONECTA (PT. 2) / GOIN' IN CIRCLES OUTRO
And we're out. This was a really good way to end such an album.
FINAL THOUGHTS: The Psycho Realm is very depressing listen. Sick Jacken, Mr. Duke and B-Real spit on such topics as warring between neighborhoods, drug addiction, crime, and death, but without glorifying anything. The production on here is impressive and much more entertaining (if I may call this disc), than some of the work by Cypress Hill's DJ Muggs. You've probably heard of B-Real and already formed an opinion on him, but it's good to hear him rhyming about something other than marijuana, especially since he sounds fully immersed within the crew. Sick Jacken is talented and solid (I strongly recommend Legend of the Mask & the Assassin, as he's stepped his game up tremendously), but for some of you may find yourselves annoyed with him. Some of Mr. Duke's written lyrics are actually really fucking good, but his delivery is horrible, for reasons unknown to me. The Psycho Realm's booklet also contains the lyrics, and I recommend listening to this album while following along with the them, as your experience will be a better one if you understand exactly what's going on. All in all, this album is brilliant, even with Duke's uneven contributions.
BUY OR BURN? This may be blasphemy, but if you had to choose between this album and, say, The Infamous or Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers), you should go with this one. Every hip hop fan in the world knows about those two discs, but not everyone is familiar with Psycho Realm. Support real hip hop.
BEST TRACKS: “Stone Garden”; “Confessions Of A Drug Addict”; “R. U. Experienced”; “Temporary Insanity”; “Bullets”; “Lost Cities”; "Bullets"; "La Conecta (Pt. 2)"
- Banksta
(Huh. I may need to track this one down. Be sure to leave your questions, comments, and concerns below, and if you're interested, here is a link to the Cypress Hill reviews I've written thus far. Not truly related to Psycho Realm, I know, but it'll do.)
(Here's something completely different. Instead of re-reviewing Ghostface Killah's sophomore opus Supreme Clientele, Greg tracked down the rare Canadian version (rare outside of Canada, I assume) of the album, which features an altered tracklisting, rare songs, and other bizarre traits that will probably lead you to purchase the slightly more accessible U.S. version. But you should read his review anyway.)
As most diehard Wu-Tang fans will no doubt be aware, Ghostface Killah's sophomore release, Supreme Clientele, was delayed numerous times and went through several incarnations before finally debuting in January of 2000. Early track listings included such songs as "Cobra Clutch," a Mathematics-produced track that wound up on 1998's Wu-Tang Killa Bees Present The Swarm, and "Iron Vacation," a Wu-Tang tribute song that was recorded in anticipation of Ghostface's upcoming prison sentence for attempted robbery (gee, I wonder why this album was delayed). At any rate, the album was released in two versions: one for the U.S. and Europe, and in an odd turn, a separate, alternate release for Canada.
There is evidence to suggest that the Canadian release is actually an earlier version of the album, as it contains two songs that were lost in the sample wars. Or perhaps Ghostface has a soft spot for Canucks. Whatever the case, the Goateed Spock version of Supreme Clientele is an interesting listen.
Let's begin!
1. NUTMEG (FEAT RZA)
Yes, you read correctly. All of the Iron Man cartoon interludes are absent from this version of Supreme Clientele, meaning that you can listen to Ghost and Rza destroy this track without having to sit through the obligatory rap album intro. Nice.
2. ONE
An early tracklisting for this album listed this song as the introductory song, which may explain why Ghost yells, "Yo! New Ghostface!" and such in the beginning. This track is unchanged from the U.S. version, meaning it's still awesome.
3. SATURDAY NIGHT
Here's where things get kooky. At the end of "Saturday Night," the program is interrupted to bring the listener "one of the illest verses of all time." The song then jumps to Ghost's verse from Wu-Tang Forever's "Impossible." (Heaven forbid we forget that Ghost snagged a Hip Hop Quotable in The Source.) After this verse, we get a slightly longer, slightly more militant version of the "Iron's Theme" intermission, bringing the track time to about five minutes.
4. IN THE RAIN (WISE) (FEAT THE DRAMATICS)
The song that was replaced by "The Grain" on the U.S. version. Ghost takes The Dramatics song "In The Rain," and more or less raps over the whole song, a habit that would come to a head on The Pretty Toney Album. Given this song's subject matter, the preceding "Impossible" verse makes more sense, but that still doesn't make this song as satisfying as Ghost and Rza killing a breakbeat.
5. MIGHTY HEALTHY
Sounds like this was mixed differently than the U.S. version. Other than that, it's still "Mighty Healthy," so it still demands your undivided attention.
6. APOLLO KIDS (FEAT RAEKWON)
Ghost and Chef attack the track, as per usual (rather, it was usual, before Raekwon decided to shoot up before each studio session). The song morphs right into the "Clyde Smith" (Curtis Jackson-baiting) skit, so we get a lot of Raekwon on track six.
7. BUCK 50 (FEAT METHOD MAN, CAPPADONNA, & REDMAN)
The centerpiece of the album. This track lasts nine minutes on the Canadian version because it is immediately followed by "Stroke of Death” (featuring Solomon Childs and The Rza). Although it's a shame that one can't skip right to this ear-splittingly awesome track, no one in his right mind would want to skip "Buck 50" anyway, so I guess it works out. Following "Stroke of Death" is the second marathon skit, "Woodrow the Basehead," which sucks.
8. STAY TRUE (FEAT 60 SECOND ASSASSIN)
After the nine minute suite that is the Canadian "Buck 50" is "Stay True" (also known as “Deck's Beat”, for reasons that will become clear in the next sentence), which is 1:39 long. Crazy sequencing aside, Ghost takes Inspectah Deck's "Elevation" beat and actually does something with it.
9. GHOST DEINI (G-DINI) (FEAT SUPERB)
Featuring the original beat (which was also used for “Bastards” by former Wu-affiliates Ruthless Bastards), which, while simpler than the U.S. version, kicks more ass.
10. MALCOLM
Same as the U.S. version. Not bad for a "message" song.
11. WE MADE IT (FEAT SUPERB, CHIP BANKS, & HELL RAZAH)
I always thought Rza should have given Carlos "6 July" Brody some credit on Digital Bullet's "Show You Love," which is essentially a more basic, digitized version of this beat. Both songs are pretty good. After this song we are treated with another lengthy skit, "Who Would You Fuck?", which, like all of the skits on this album, sucks.
12. CHILD'S PLAY
Unlike the U.S. Version, the Canadian version of “Child's Play” features no beat change, making this one of the more grating songs on the album. On top of that, it's a full minute longer than the U.S. version, featuring more of Ghostface reminiscing at the end of the track.
13. CHERCHEZ LA GHOST (FEAT U-GOD & MADAM MAJESTIC)
The main problem with "Cherchez La Ghost" and every subsequent radio-friendly Ghostface song is that they only create frustration. The Ghostface fans who buy his albums for songs like "Mighty Healthy" and "Stroke of Death" get frustrated by the poppy diversions, and the people out there who actually buy the albums for the radio-ready singles (those people exist?) get frustrated by every other song. In the context of the album, this song sticks out like a green hat with an orange bill. The only thing it has going for it is that it adds to the overall weirdness of an already strange album.
14. WU-BANGA 101 (FEAT GZA/GENIUS, RAEKWON, CAPPADONNA, & MASTA KILLA)
Pretty good closer. This version is missing Ghostface's second verse, fading out after Masta Killa. The track then fades into "Iron's Theme (Conclusion)", which raps up the album.
FINAL THOUGHTS: With different sequencing, alternate songs, seven fewer tracks, and a slightly longer running time, the Canadian version of Supreme Clientele is a peculiar listen, but it's still more or less the same album. This is, of course, a good thing, as Ghost's sophomore effort is better than any of his fellow clansmen (except the Gza's, technically, but we'd all like to forget Words from the Genius. Why has no one remixed that album?)
BUY OR BURN? If you don't have the regular version of Supreme Clientele, go buy it now and worry about this later. This version is strictly for the curious, but if you happen across it, you may as well buy this one, too.
BEST TRACKS: “One”; “Mighty Healthy”; “Stroke Of Death” (hidden track); “Ghost Deini (G-Dini)”; “Buck 50”
- Greg
(Questions? Comments? Leave them in the space below. And here's a link to my original write up for (the U.S. Version of) Supreme Clientele. Read it for the introductory paragraphs alone.)
(I realize that I wrote about Handsome Boy Modeling School's So...How's Your Girl? last week, but to be honest, CJD's Reader Review is what inspired me to bump it to the top of the pile. Read on to hear a second opinion on Dan and Paul's collaborative effort.)
Handsome Boy Modeling School's So...How's Your Girl? is one of two albums I credit with sparking my interest in hip hop. The other is Enter the Wu-Tang: 36 Chambers, but I think everyone will agree that enough has been said of that album on this website already.
Now I should clarify something: I was familiar with hip hop before, but by saying these albums sparked my interest, I really mean that they made me interested in the music in much more than just a superficial way. I became an active fan of the genre, and I wanted to consume as much as I could. I have been collecting music since I was 12 or so (that was 12 years ago, how old do you think I am now?), and I was getting extremely bored with the antiseptic rock and (particularly) the 80's fetish that is rampant in our modern world. (You mean like how I keep referring to New Wave music in random spurts?) It seems that nobody younger than 30 listens to the original stuff any more: has everyone forgotten how good Talking Heads, Gang of Four, Magazine, PiL, Wire and all those other bands were? Sorry, I'm going off on a tangent.
Anyhow, I borrowed Handsome Boy Modeling School's debut from a friend back in 2001, around the same time as I borrowed Wu-Tang's. I was pleasantly surprised by the wit and musical invention going on in these albums, so I went out and bought both. With Wu-Tang, it should be obvious how many artists I was introduced to (although I wish U-God had not been one of them): Handsome Boy Modeling School mainly introduced me to Prince Paul, Dan the Automator (though I was somewhat aware of him due to the Gorillaz self-titled debut), Del tha Funkee Homosapien (also kind of knew about him already because of the Gorillaz), Cibo Matto, Brand Nubian, J-Live, DJ Shadow (again, already somewhat aware of him- many, many name checks from Radiohead), De La Soul, Kid Koala (Gorillaz- I'm seeing a theme here) and El-P.
Contextually, the album may have changed a bit. It's been a while since I listened to it straight through, and I know a hell of a lot more now than I did then. Songs may have lost their luster, or I might be less surprised by what I find, so I'll include commentary on what I heard then, and how it sounds now.
And after all that I didn't even include any information about the album. Shucks.
1. ROCK AND ROLL (COULD NEVER HIP HOP LIKE THIS)
Speaking as an Irishman (bet you didn't see that coming), there are just not enough Irish accents in hip hop. And I mean proper Irish accents, not like House of Pain. So, the track... yeah. Good intro to the album, starts off with a bang (and no pretentiousness (apart from the title boast, of course), which is always a plus) and puts a Stetsasonic sample to good use. Ever so slightly overstays its welcome, however.
2. MAGNETIZING (FEAT DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN)
This would have been approximately the third song I had ever heard Del perform on (the other two being "Clint Eastwood" and "Rock the House" by Gorillaz). Back in the day, this would have been one of the songs I would have listened to without being blown away, but while still enjoying it enough not to skip it. Nowadays, not so much. Del commits himself acceptably and comes out of it with his reputation intact. The enemy is the beat: it's pretty dull. Slight atmospheric vibes stung by Michael-Crichton-thriller-esque piano don't hold one's attention for...what the fuck?...over six minutes? Why?
3. METAPHYSICAL (FEAT MIHO HATORI & MIKE D)
Ah, this is like having a bucket of cold perfume thrown in your face after the previous track. The beat is just nice. I liked this when I first heard it, and I still do now despite myself. Miho Hatori's nonsensical pseudo-scientific chatter will either amuse or infuriate: I go with the former, but I understand that most may not. Mike D, however, will simply infuriate. Was he paid to be in the booth for this? I imagine Ad-Rock and MCA were standing outside, watching him and shaking their heads.
4. LOOK AT THIS FACE (OH MY GOD THEY'RE GORGEOUS)
The first of two instrumental/skit tracks using samples from the short-lived TV show Get A Life, which provides Handsome Boy Modeling School with its handle. Quick, painless and fun. Little known fact: the Automator must put a classical piece over a hip hop beat at least once a day or he will die.
5. WATERWORLD (FEAT ENCORE)
There are sounds in the background which are like when people imitate water drops with their cheeks, kind of like Alan Ruck in Ferris Bueller's Day Off. That's what dominates my thoughts every time I hear this, because it sounds weird and disgusting, with all that saliva flying everywhere. The song suffers from similar problems as “Magnetizing”, but is shorter (by less than a minute) and the beat is ever so slightly more propulsive. I do love Encore's line: “My scripts consist of H2O: hip hop and oxygen”. It's science.
6. ONCE AGAIN (HERE TO KICK ONE FOR YOU) (FEAT GRAND PUBA AND SADAT X)
Brilliant use of the Three Dog Night song “Old Fashioned Love Song” and solid performances from the Brand Nubian representatives adds up to something special. This song wasn't one of my favourites initially, as it suffered from being positioned straight after the far less bouncy “Waterworld”. Not that this is a party track or anything: it just has a good groove. Over time it burned its way slowly into my mind.
7. THE TRUTH (FEAT J-LIVE AND RÓISÍN MURPHY)
The first track I really loved. This is, in my experience, probably the most overplayed song on the whole album. One of those songs people hear everywhere and don't realise where it comes from. (Around my way, in any case.) Which doesn't make it bad, it just taints it somewhat in retrospect. I'll never like it again as much as I did the first time. Rapping schoolteacher J-Live turns in a loquacious performance which would put Curtis Jackson to shame (do you think he knows what 'ceteris paribus' means?). What was that I was saying about Irish accents earlier? Ms. Murphy (of Moloko fame) grew up not far away from me, we're practically neighbours, though you wouldn't be able to tell from her voice.
8. HOLY CALAMITY (BEAR WITNESS II) (FEAT DJ QUEST & DJ SHADOW)
Best track on the album, hands down. Just listen to it. I would argue it is a rare case of the sequel surpassing the original.
9. CALLING THE BIZ (FEAT BIZ MARKIE)
Pointless. But it is funny to hear Biz Markie sing in a Bee Gees voice once. And then never again.
10. THE PROJECTS (P JAYS) (FEAT DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN & DAVE FROM DE LA SOUL)
Probably my second favourite. Love that bass and harmonica combination. Trugoy and Del have fun with the concept, discussing their problems with living in the 'hood, but the image of Del in a La-Z-Boy in a thong is not appealing in any way. Funny story: back when I first heard this it took me until the second chorus to figure out that when they said "P Jays" they meant "projects". I swear I've grown since then.
11. SUNSHINE (FEAT FATHER GUIDO SARDUCCI, JOSH HADEN, MONEY MARK, PAULA FRAZER, & SEAN LENNON)
Am I wrong? The sample at the beginning seems to suggest a song that never turns up. I feel like it was knocked unconscious, tied up with duct tape, stuffed in the janitor's closet and replaced by this, the most boring song in the whole world. It sounds like something Air would toss off before they get to making real music. And how does it take so many people to make such crap? Unbelievably, they actually chose to release this as a single. (Conversely, I love “Sunshine” and didn't like “Holy Calamity (Bear Witness II)” all that much. And so it goes.)
12. MODELING SUCKS
The second instrumental/skit. Better than the first, and as a bonus, the Automator has survived yet another day.
13. TORCH SONG TRILOGY (FEAT SENSATIONAL)
I find the sample (from a film? TV show? Not really sure) at the beginning oddly comic, but I have no idea where it comes from. I liked this, and still do. Sensational appears to be well wasted, but does a decent job with a beat which sounds like the cousin of the “Magnetizing” and “Waterworld” brothers. Fortunately, it's the slightly cooler cousin whom those two look up to. Paul and Automator finally learn that (with very few exceptions) an understated beat with a solo MC usually means the song should not go on for more than four minutes.
14. THE RUNWAY SONG (FEAT KID KOALA)
Weird. I always wonder if I'm playing this at the right RPM. Then I remember that it's a CD, and I wonder if they were. Not a bad track, but some of Kid Koala's scratching seems to get lost in a slightly muddy mix a couple of minutes in. I don't know who to blame for this, so I'll just blame everybody.
15. MEGATON B-BOY 2000 (FEAT ALEC EMPIRE & EL-P)
This is messy as hell, but I have a soft spot for noisy, shouty stuff like this. The beat reminds me slightly of Mr. Oizo's “Flat Beat”, just played through some slashed speakers or something. It might sound weird, but I bought Fantastic Damage by El-P on the basis of this. While I don't really see why I decided to do that any more, I'm glad I did because that album is good.
16. FATHER SPEAKS (FEAT FATHER GUIDO SARDUCCI)
A decent way to end the album, as it makes it sounds like there was actually some sort of concept the whole time. The shame of this is that they really ran with the whole 'modeling school' theme for White People, the desperately inferior sophomore effort. For now, Guido's “improvisation” should raise at least a smirk, but you've probably stopped listening to the album by now anyway.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Has the album held up? I know that no matter how much I tell myself it has, it isn't really as brilliant as I once thought. Most of the artists that appear here have done better things on their own, but despite some dodgy moments (which will always turn up on collaboration albums) the album as a whole hangs together pretty well; you can tell these people were enjoying themselves while making it. Also, the list of artists on here and the variety of songs means that this should be a good introduction to hip hop for those that have no frame of reference.
BUY OR BURN? You should definitely buy this. Then, you should recommend to a friend who is skeptical and/or ignorant of hip hop that he/she borrow it and listen to it. Who knows, maybe they'll buy it and do the same. And so on. Then, through your action, you will be spreading hip hop throughout the world. Which sort of makes you a prophet.
BEST TRACKS: “Rock And Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)”, “Look At This Face (Oh My God They're Gorgeous)”, “Once Again (Here To Kick One For You)”, “The Truth”, “Holy Calamity (Bear Witness II)”, “The Projects (P Jays)”, “Modeling Sucks”
-CJD
(Be sure to leave your comments below. Here's a link to my original post, if you're so inclined.)
(Since it took me forever to get to Cannibal Ox's The Cold Vein, it makes sense that I also haven't yet gotten to El-P's first crew, Company Flow. Their debut full-length, Funcrusher Plus, is considered an underground hip hop classic. While you two may have to wait a bit longer for my take, Alec J. Weatherwood has been kind enough to provide his views. Enjoy!)
The inlay of Funcrusher Plus, the first full-length project from Brooklyn trio Company Flow (made up of El-P, Bigg Jus, and Mr. Len, the latter of whom is a deejay and all of whom trade off on production duties), famously features the slogan “Independent as Fuck”. In the little CD booklet, the guest rappers are credited as appearing courtesy of “themselves”. You can probably already deduct that there would be no Trackmasters productions on this 1997 release, and that was probably for the better. When Funcrusher Plus came out, I unsuspectingly bought it and enjoyed its not-giving-a-shit vibe. Now, being older and having had more alcoholic beverages, I will attempt to objectively review this album.
1. BAD TOUCH EXAMPLE
The audio clips that set off Funcrusher Plus are really fucking creepy and, um, unique. Fortunately, what follows is a great introduction to the murky Company Flow sound. Bigg Jus terrorizes the low-key beat with lines like “Hardcore like Kool G Rap music made for concert piano”. El-P is no slouch either; his supersonics leave you “mute like Maggie Simpson”. Also, the two emcees start a trend: they use a shitload of words, of which about 90% are intelligible and 50% comprehensible.
2. 8 STEPS TO PERFECTION
This shit sounds like it was recorded at the old attic where I used to make music with the “help” of some speakers from the Stone Age. Grungy. Still, it fits the overall aesthetic. If you like songs with an actual song structure, you should probably stop listening to this album right now.
3. COLLUDE/INTRUDE (FEAT J. TREDS)
El-P stumbles over his words halfway through his first verse: little wonder because he uses a fuckload of them. I just realized that the reason these “songs” remain continuously interesting is because the beats are really damn good, and original, too. Guest J. Treds (of Indelible MCs fame – yeah, I'm not familiar either) does a pretty good job using a somewhat simplified version of El-P’s style.
4. BLIND
An actual hook! And a pretty good one at that. Too bad the beat isn’t very interesting; it would have been better left for Cannibal Ox to consume a few years later. I had to chuckle at El-P’s “I see through pussy like the Invisible Woman” line, though. Bigg Jus veers off a little too much in “No order fool coherency Clinton speak Egyptian” (or something) abstraction.
5. SILENCE
Bigg Jus gets a solo shot. Yeah, that’s all I’m gonna say.
6. LEGENDS
There is a dominant theme to be deciphered through the torrent of words the two gentlemen see fit to launch at us: it is their hatred of all things commercial. They started a very unfortunate trend with this, causing the majority of underground rap albums to sound like emo-rock whinefests. However, Company Flow was fucking good. So I’ll let it pass. Oh, and this is El-P’s solo shot.
7. HELP WANTED
An interlude! Well, it’s definitely disorienting. And probably supposed to convey a message, too, but I'll just skip this one.
8. POPULATION CONTROL
An absolute and undisputed underground classic. A menacing El-P production substantiates his claim that he is “vastly crapaphobic”, and Bigg Jus concludes his verse by amusingly claiming that he “secretly teach[es] background vocals in R&B clinics”. Also, listen closely and you’ll hear R.A. the Rugged Man rambling by way of hook.
9. LUNE TNS
A more conventional-sounding beat, courtesy of Mr. Jus. If you’re well versed in underground NYC culture, you may recognize some of the trillions of graffiti writers that Bigg Jus shouts out. I’m not, so I don’t, something which Mr. Jus tacitly recognized by saying “for n----z who don’t understand/this obviously wasn’t made for you/so fuck you!” Thanks man, I just spent my fucking money on your CD!
10. DEFINITIVE
Company Flow definitely has a bit of a problem with hooks. For instance, on this song El-P mumbles “it’s just the chorus, it’s just the chorus”. It probably has something to do with being independent as fuck. Still, an entertaining song with scratches by the third CoFlow member, Mr. Len.
11. LENCORCISM
Hey, another interlude! Still, hearing Mr. Len get busy over a paranoid breakbeat = I’m not mad.
12. 89.9 DETRIMENTAL
Note that over the span of the last 8 “songs” there has only been one song where all members of Company Flow actually participate. The fuck? Otherwise, this is a nice radio freestyle, even though El-P’s continuing creepy references to “evil anus letting off stinkers” and “pussy rapper get the donkey cock” are beginning to get on my nerves.
13.VITAL NERVE (FEAT BMS)
BMS (who?) shows up, and probably wrote the hook, too: there is even a bridge! El-P actually drops a 16 instead of a 400-bar verse over the beat, which is the same as the radio freestyle before. Unfortunately, El-P was too close to vast amounts of Red Bull while recording, so he drops some 20 bars plus some shit-talking at the end, even though the song was just fine.
14. TRAGEDY OF WAR (IN III PARTS)
El-P and Bigg Jus reunite (that took a while) and show why they should always rap together. Even Mr. Len joins in the fun, which makes it a triple tragedy (I’m just saying, that's kind of the title). Nice steel drums, Len. This beat is extra gritty and paranoid.
15. THE FIRE IN WHICH YOU BURN (FEAT BREEZLY BREWIN' & J. TREDS)
Another undisputed underground classic. To show its insane brilliance, I will simply present a choice quote courtesy of each of the featured gentlemen:
Brewin': “Stay pleasant to the ears/just think of Lauryn Hill on phone sexing”.
J. Treds: “On the mic I've got more presence than attendance in a class of schizophrenics”.
El P: “Even when I say nothing it's a beautiful use of negative space”.
Bigg Jus: “Coming at you in a blazing orange hunting vest”. (Catch the odd one out!)
These four guys should form a group. Too bad it’ll never happen. Who remembers Breezly Brewin'? Who remembers Prince Paul's A Prince Among Thieves? Damn, I’m getting older.
16. KRAZY KINGS
Decadent underground rap. Tasty. Bigg Jus (on his own again) achieves a perfect mix between his crazy space talk and his NYC graffiti aesthetic.
17. LAST GOOD SLEEP
A banging beat serves as fitting backdrop to El-P’s deeply personal story. A bit strange after almost an hour of space Pentium II 3dfx rap, but this is still a great song, proving El-P is more than just a walking dictionary who strings together endless punchlines.
18. INFO KILL II
Features Bigg Jus and El-P proving why they are better than you over a very atmospheric El-P instrumental. El-P ends things with a monster 40 bar verse, and if you’ve gotten this far you probably like that sort of thing.
19. FUNCRUSH SCRATCH
Which reminds me, we need more deejaying on modern rap albums. Preferably with the DJ making his (or her!) own beat to scratch to. Good way to close off an album.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Funcrusher Plus is one hell of a listening experience. It would be interesting to count the number of words used (I don’t care nearly enough to actually do it) and compare them to, say, a Plies record. While this can become tedious, especially around the middle of the disc, I still admire Company Flow for having the sheer balls to push such an uncompromising product unto the minds of innocent young hip-hop lovers like myself. It’s aged pretty well and the good songs are really just like Lauryn Hill on phone sexing. Lauryn Hill back in 1997, anyway.
BUY OR BURN? For the love of music, buy this.
BEST TRACKS: "8 Steps to Perfection"; "Population Control"; "The Fire in Which You Burn"; "Krazy Kings"; "Last Good Sleep"
- Alec J. Weatherwood
(Leave your questions, comments, and concerns below. If you have something to say about your favorite album, you can also contribute by hitting me at the e-mail in the top right.)
(Skipping ahead again in Common's discography, today PeterStarkz dissects his Kanye-fied album Be. Leave some comments below, and be sure to visit the man's album reviews blog after you're done, one which you may have seen the name of multiple times within other comments sections: novablast.blogspot.com.)
The career of Common (or Lonnie Lynn) hasn’t been all that spectacular. He isn’t flashy like Jay-Z, he's not a loudmouth like his new boss, Kanye West, he's not militant or gangster like 2Pac, and he's certainly never gotten the recognition that he deserves. (The man has never gone platinum.) Common is a poet (not unlike Nas, when he isn't shaking his ass with Puff Daddy in music videos) (because Common dancing with Pharrell is any better?), and like most poets, he's just happy to be doing what he does for a living. In the year 2005, a year in which the state of Texas took over the rap game for six months, it was refreshing to hear some music that wasn’t about grillz, syrup, and some guy yelling his name (and his phone number) after every freaking verse (how did he go platinum?).
That's the reason that I like Common's sixth studio album Be. After the the disaster that was Electric Circus, an album in which Common got all André 3000 on us (I blame Erykah Badu, but then again, so does everyone else), the Chicago poet was put into a similar situation as New York emcee Nas after his Nastradamus album (I really hate that album), except without the beef with Jay-Z. Unlike Nastradamus, (which I truly believe was spawned by Satan himself), I felt that Electric Circus was alright, but not spectacular (hell, I’ll take that album over Universal Mind Control any day). Anyway, people didn’t like that Common was taking his music in a different direction (again, Erykah Badu's influence) and that his fashion sense was becoming increasingly suspect. (Anyone remember the video for “Come Close”?).
For many people, Be was a return to form for the Chicago emcee, as it received rave reviews from The Source (five mics, to be exact) (because that matters today), it became his best selling album, and it reintroduced Common into the mainstream (kind of). Common was said to have modeled this album after Illmatic (coincidence, anyone?) so that explains the short tracklisting.
Note: I did not just say that this album was on the same level as Illmatic, so fanboys, shut the hell up.
1. BE (INTRO)
I was actually surprised when I found out that Kanye produced this track (and most of the album), as this song has a nice relaxing feeling to it; this is a departure from Kanye's usual chipmunk fare (sped-up soul samples, for those who don’t know). The line about God coming back through his daughter had my friend and I arguing over whether or not God would choose a woman to go possess. (Aaah, the impact of good weed on a conversation.) Anyway, Common gets straight to the point, and it sets a really good mood for the rest of the album.
2. THE CORNER (FEAT KANYE WEST & THE LAST POETS)
This song is the closest that Common would come to creating a song for the “streets”. (Oh wait, I completely forgot about “The Bitch In Yoo".) Common rips both of the samples (from The Temptations and The Temprees) apart, and Kanye doesn’t fuck up the hook. Including The Last Poets in the song wasn't a bad idea, either.
3. GO! (FEAT JOHN MAYER & KANYE WEST)
Apart from the quirky title (why is there an exclamation point?), this is a cool song to listen to. And, it won’t get you into trouble if you listen to it with your mom (well aside from the "bathroom with your ass up" line, but I suppose even nice guys get horny). The video was creative, too.
4. FAITHFUL (FEAT BILAL & JOHN LEGEND)
This is kind of a continuation of “Go!”, as this track and the previous song complement each other very well (at least they do when I’m high, but that’s another story). This song is also produced by Kanye West, and I like the fact the he added a harmonica to the song, because without it, I don’t think this would have sounded as complete. The extended bit of singing at the end does wear thin, though.
5. TESTIFY
When I first heard this song, I regretted it immediately, like that ugly girl from last night's party that you hooked up with in a beer-goggled haze, or Lil' Wayne in general. (Okay, maybe not that much.) However, after listening to this song again (and watching the video one Saturday afternoon), I began to appreciate it more. I still hate the beat, and I personally don’t think that it flows well with the rest of the album, but I appreciate it now.
6. LOVE IS... (FEAT LUNA E)
The first song on Be that was produced by the late, great J Dilla. I feel that this song should have been sequenced right after “Faithful”, and “Testify” should have been included as a bonus track. Common's opening verse proves why he deserves mention not only as a rapper, but a gifted poet as well. This song is a personal favorite of mine.
7. CHI-CITY (FEAT KANYE WEST)
This song is alright. If it had been left off of Be, I wouldn't care one way or another, because it just doesn’t have that special...something. The beat doesn’t do anything for me, and I don’t particularly like the hook. So like a fifth grade teacher with a student in need of a bathroom break, I’ll give this song a pass. (Clever.)
8. THE FOOD (FEAT KANYE WEST)
This is the song that made me buy the album. I remember watching Chappelle’s Show (damn, I miss that show) when Common performed this song, And my first thought was, "When does the album come out?" I like the fact that they used the performance from the show (and not the version recorded in the studio, which is readily available on the Interweb), as I've always felt that this performance sounds more alive.
9. REAL PEOPLE
I really like this song. It makes me feel like I’m one of those arrogant assholes who go to those coffee shops and listen to free verse poetry. I remember seeing Common perform this song on The Late Show with David Letterman, and I think that it sounds better live than it does on Be, but that’s just my preference.
10. THEY SAY (FEAT JOHN LEGEND & KANYE WEST)
This song isn’t the greatest, but it helps to even out the album. I don’t really like hearing John Legend perform hooks, but I’ll take this song over the shit he did with my parole officer, Ricky Ross. (I’m not a bad guy, honest. I’m just a guy who makes bad choices, like buying The Massacre.)
11. IT'S YOUR WORLD, PT. 1 & 2 (FEAT BILAL, LONNIE “POPS” LYNN, & 'THE KIDS')
Well kiddies, here we are, the final track on the album, and I’m happy to report that J Dilla laces Common with what could be Be's best track. After Common gets done doing what he does best, some kids steal the mic away from him and start spewing out random careers they want to pursue. (Everything was gravy until I heard some kid (presumably 4 or 5) say that he wanted to grow up to be a duck. Yes ladies and gentleman, he said that he wanted to be a duck. I know they say kids have wild imaginations (hell, I thought I was a Power Ranger for a short period of time) but what the hell kind of job would you have if you were a duck? Besides working at Six Flags as Daffy Duck, being a duck is not an attainable dream.) Anywho, after the children relinquish the mic, Common's father proceeds to talk about life and what it means to "Be". While I liked the concept, I don’t think even he knew what the hell he was talking about.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Be marked the start of another chapter in Common's career, one in which he became more known for his role in Smokin' Aces than his music. It also marked the beginning of his musical relationship with Kanye West, who helped him prove that he still had the hunger in him to make good music.
BUY OR BURN? While this album may not be the "classic" that it’s been labeled, it's still a damn good album that is still enjoyable to this day. I'd recommend a purchase.
Best Tracks: "Go!”; “The Food”; “Love is...”; “It's Your World, Pt. 1 & 2”
- PeterStarkz
(Be sure to leave your questions, comments, and concerns below.)
(I sure seem to be taking my sweet time with the Nas catalog, so today Ace decided to skip the line and jump straight to his most recent album, the one which is currently Untitled but everyone knows by its earlier, much more controversial name, a topic which I will discuss in much more detail whenever I finally get to it. Let's see his take on the project.)
The catalog of Nas has always been a head-scratcher to the average hip hop fan. Many complain about his willingness to cross over, his bad ear for beats, his shock value titles as of late (such as Hip Hop Is Dead and...well, the album I'm writing about), and how most of his best songs remain officially unreleased. But that's neither here nor there. Before its release, the Untitled album had been one of the most awaited and controversial albums of his career. His DJ Green Lantern-assisted The N----r Tape left his fans salivating for the main course.
So was Nasir Jones able to deliver? Let's find out.
1. QUEENS GET THE MONEY
Untitled starts off with a simple and menacing beat by New Orleans rapper/producer(and artist bubbling under the radar) Jay Electronica. Nas seems to be as hungry as ever, with lines like "Queens get the money, n----s still screamin', paper chasin/while presidential candidates are planning wars with other nations". He even touches on his evolution as a rapper and how he won't ever be the same guy who recorded Illmatic: "Talkin' that 'Nas fell off with rhyming/ he rather floss with diamonds'/ they pray, 'please God, let him spit that Uzi in the army jacket lining'.”
2. YOU CAN'T STOP US NOW (FEAT EBAN THOMAS & THE LAST POETS)
This second track sounded familiar to many, as it samples a Whatnauts song (“Message From A Blackman”) that had already been used by the likes of MF Doom, Ill Bill, and, most recently, The RZA (on the similarly titled “You Can't Stop Me Now” from Digi Snacks). Nas uses the instrumental to discuss the power of his people, their history, and how they have been repressed. This is a pretty powerful track, featuring some spoken word poetry between the verses coming from The Last Poets.
3. BREATHE
This was a very laid back track. It's not as focused as the other tracks on Untitled, yet it still works.
4. MAKE THE WORLD GO ROUND (FEAT THE GAME & CHRIS BROWN)
This track gets way too much criticism for what it is. Sure, it's about material possessions, but its lyrics are top notch, and, dare I say it, (convicted domestic abuser) Chris Brown doesn't do a half bad job. The beat seems very commercial, but it fits the theme nicely. The Game doesn't disappoint either; he seems to really step up his game for Nas.
5. HERO (FEAT KERI HILSON)
Polow Da Don's beat creates a sound within the proportions of a street anthem, and Nas manages to fit it perfectly. The third verse is what makes this song, with bars that discuss his current situation and his view on it: "It's universal apartheid/ I'm hog tied/ the corporate side/ blockin' y'all from going to stores and buying it".
6. AMERICA
Nas vividly describes his come ups and the facade that is...America. The track sounds very R&B-ish and might lead more people to believe Nas can't choose a beat for shit, but for rappers such as Nas, the beat is only a backdrop for his story. Very controversial and a great listen. (I call bullshit on that statement, but longtime readers already knew I would: quit dismissing the beat as less important than the lyrics, folks! The two elements are equally important: nobody buys music to listen to just the words; if they did, spoken word albums would be multi-platinum best sellers.)
7. SLY FOX
Did I say that last track was controversial? Oh my, was I wrong. Of all targets (this one pretty deserving, if I say so myself), Nas goes after the Fox News Channel and all of their bullshittery. (That last word was my addition; I thought it both looked funny and described the channel's shenanigans perfectly.) If you're not a fan of Faux News, you'll already agree with all of the man's views, but that doesn't mean they're not true.
8. TESTIFY
A track where Nas asks if the fans who buy his music will actually stand for his point of views. (My guess is: no.) I wouldn't skip this one, but some will think the beat is too mellow . The lyrics are a stinger, though.
9. N.*.*.*.*.R. (THE SLAVE AND THE MASTER)
The theme of this album, conveniently rolled up into one song, with a great backdrop by DJ Toomp. Nas talks about life in the ghetto with vivid detail and how his people have been cheated and are no longer on top, as they were back in ancient times. "In the land of the blind, the man with one eye is the king". Indeed.
10. UNTITLED (A/K/A LOUIS FARRAKHAN)
Nas depicts himself as a revolutionary (big shock) and points out that many revolutionaries have been prosecuted and/or killed. A very powerful track.
11. FRIED CHICKEN (FEAT BUSTA RHYMES)
Nas and Busta Rhymes use fried chicken as a metaphor for women and how they love them, and yet, they are so bad for them. A very creative track, unless you tend to take things in a literal sense; in that case, you may get pissed that they seem to validating a stereotype. Features a banging instrumental by Mark Ronson.
12. PROJECT ROACH (FEAT THE LAST POETS)
Nas lives life as a roach and explains the similarities between the bugs and his people, with more spoken word poetry by the Last Poets. Good, but very short.
13. Y'ALL MY N----S
I was wrong about "N.*.*.*.*.R.": that was a powerful track, but this song pretty much epitomizes the album. The track discusses the stereotypes of a black person and what would "authenticate his n----rness". It also displays other uses of the word and how people view his race.
14. WE'RE NOT ALONE (FEAT MYKEL)
Features a very soulful hook sung by Mykel. The track continues the theme set by the rest of Untitled,and yet also finds time to talk about topics such as UFO's and global warming. (I made it sound stranger than it truly is: Nas just happens to touch on whatever's on his mind.) The spoken word outro by Nas is also pretty touching.
15. BLACK PRESIDENT
Not an ode to Barack Obama, but a song that analyzes his campaign,what can change with his presidency and what Obama himself must be feeling during the campaign. This is probably the most sincere song about Obama I've heard. This track actually means something, while other rappers started bragging about their “Black President” because it became a goddamn trend. "But on a positive side/ I think Obama provides/ hope/ and challenges minds of all races and colors to erase the hate/ so many political snakes/ we in need of a break." So true.
FINAL THOUGHTS: Untitled isn't in my top five or anything, but I'm gonna turn off every reader right here but saying that it is a classic disc in its own right. The album might not have as many classic beats as Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (an album clearly not by Nas, although he appeared on it) or the intricate lyrics of Illmatic, but it is a very mature and thoughtful album that strays far from being ignorant or being controversial for the sake of album sales. This album is sincere all the way and is one of the best (released) works in the career of Nas.
BUY OR BURN?: You should really buy this album. This was the only CD I actually bought in 2008, and that says a lot.
BEST TRACKS: “Queens Get The Money”; “Hero”; “Sly Fox”; “N.*.*.*.*.R.”; “Untitled”; “Black President”
- Ace
(Be sure to leave your comments below, and if you have something to say about your favorite album, or you just want to have as many people as possible give it a listen, be sure to hit me up at the e-mail address in the top right.)
(I came across Akinyele's debut album Vagina Diner about a year ago, and I've been meaning to get to a proper write-up for this project, but you know how life happens while you're making other plans and all that. And besides, Jaded Scenester NYC beat me to it anyway. So here's his take, and be sure to visit his blog when you're finished leaving your comments.)
Akinyele Adams is a proud son of Queens, NYC. Now known by simply by his Akinyele eponym, you probably heard him for the first time on the Main Source classic “Live At The BBQ”. Less cultured HHID-ophiles probably checked in around the Put It In Your Mouth era and think of him as the Queens answer to Uncle Luke Skyywalker, and you wouldn’t be too far from the truth. Akinyele may have the same entrepreneurial sense, owning and opening strip clubs with wild abandon, but even today, Ak can rhyme circles around most of his porno-rap contemporaries. His debut Vagina Diner dropped in July of 1993 and continues to be one of the best hip-hop records you’ll (n)ever hear.
Akinyele started rapping after hearing “Rapper's Delight”. After getting an insurance settlement from a motorcycle accident (after 20 years in this burgh, would someone explain to me how kids in the fucking projects have dirt bikes?), he recorded his first demos, eventually snagging a spot on the Main Source classic “Live At The BBQ” alongside fellow Queens up and comers Joe Fatal and Nas. While Nas seemed to get most of the shine from the track, Ak’s relationship with Main Source mastermind Large Professor ended up being a fruitful one. When Ak got his deal with Interscope, he pulled in Extra P to produce his debut. To date, it’s the only record (save for his own material) that Large Professor has produced in its entirety. I’d be interested to hear how excited Extra P was to find that the end result was released as a record called Vagina Diner. Evidently Ak found a window of tolerance post Ice-T/Body Count and his “Cop Killer” ridiculousness, as I’m pretty sure no one could get a record out called Vagina Diner in this day and age. Hell, Jadakiss had to change the title of a record called Kiss My Ass just a few months ago.
Title aside, Vagina Diner features Akinyele in full rhyme animal mode. He ramps up his style of accentuating his rhymes by dropping his pitch at the end of his lines, an affectation that is as much of a signature to Ak as David Foster Wallace and his annotations or Max and his beloved italics. If said drops are distracting to you, you’d best look elsewhere, as those shits are dropping like a pigeon on a Taco Bell binge on Vagina Diner. Personally, one of the best things about Vagina Diner is the fact that the lyrics are printed in the booklet. Not because Ak is some proto-backpacker getting his Twista on, but because I love the idea of some design drone having to type-set lyrics like “that belly blows up it’s gonna be trouble/I have to come play like a pin and pop that bubble." Akineyle is a great MC and mad lyrical, but he has zero problem stretching a metaphor out like a Magnum on Ron Jeremy to make a point. As a testament to such lyrical wizardly, I’m going to include a lyrical gem from each of the tracks, lest you still be on the pipe and think that Lloyd Banks is some sort of paragon of punchline wizardry.
Let’s sally forth, shall we? Zagat’s says the food is great!
1. WORLDWIDE
Extra-P starts things off banging by cooking up a fat as hell track for Ak to rip the shit out of, but it’s only the first course. Vagina Diner is a damn smorgasbord of great basslines and drum loops. Here, Ak lets us know that his rhyme majesty will not be confined to Queens, or even NYC, for that matter:“I kick that shit that's known to hit/So much rap lines, you might fuck around and hang clothes on it./But yo it ain't no thing in it, your static-free rhymes that you kick /need to be kicked, ‘cause it doesn't got cling in it/Then you turn around and start singin’ it./Hard as hell need to be brought, so I'm here to start bringin’ it.”
2. OUTTA STATE
Next up, we have the now obligatory Big L/KRS-esque drug narrative. Played out today, but somewhat less so then. Ak gets his B.I.G. on like a hood Alan Greenspan, dropping science on hood economics and interstate commerce. (He must love long car drives as much as I do.) “I'm goin’ one deep, in the driver's seat/Throwin’ the vegetarian book cause I'm ready for beef/I got a three-hundred and fifty-seven, faren-degrees-heit/Of heat, better known as a burner on the street.”
3. AK HA HA! AK HOO HOO?
Here is some shit funkier than the proverbial African cab driver. We get the best of the 1990s style, distilled by Large Professor: Primo-esque “Akinyele” cut-ins, a horn line that Pete Rock would stab you with an acetate shiv for, and Xtra P cold getting dumb on the track. Production aside, I’ve listened to this track a million times since last millennium and I still have no sense as to what an “Ak Ha Ha” or an “Ak Hoo Hoo” is: I’m gambling this is Akinyele repping Theodore Geisel to the fullest. (Readers who can figure out to whom he's referring to win a free pat on the back.) Peep the finest of early 90s references: “So don't sleep, nor yet drowsing/My name itself bring more heartbeats than Robert Townsend/I hurdle over rappers like a stallion/Choreographing more fame than Debbie Allen, n---a.”
4. DEAR DIARY
Yet another nasty, nasty bassline from LP. Here Akinyele gets in touch with his inner, more modest self through the introspection one can only share via a personal journal. Match that with a cannon of a kick drum and a young Rob Swift getting busy with the scratching and you’ve got a whole lot of MCs investigating if UPS is actually hiring: “In your city, with your whole damn committee/our butt-ass rhymes are all shitty/So don't riff cause I'm in a class by myself/Make like a ventriloquist, talk that shit someplace else.”
5. BAGS PACKED
Akinyele has a love and respect for the fairer sex that only his fellow Queens compatriot Kool G Rap can only come close to approximating. The R&B loop lessens the sting, but be informed that our pal Ak does not consider sexual favors as appropriate compensation for residency at Chez Akinyele, even if you embrace the post-Cavendish Hobbesian economics Ak-afella espouses below. Check this clause from Ak's lease and take small consolation that there is a relocation package: “Before you burst, gimme my keys, stop pleadin’ for please/This ain't church, get off your fuckin’ knees/I'm not lookin’ for no blow job, you better get a real job/So we can have some dough, Hobbes/I won't front, i used to love it when we'd hump/you're not my stunt, tomorrow's the first of the month/ou don't have half the rent, I'm knockin’ cuttin’ nose flat/Girlfriend, I got your bags packed.”
6. THE BOMB
In an oddly prescient track, the ever-modest Akinyele tips his hand as the Galactacus-esque architect behind Vietnam and the first World Trade Center bombing. To think that Teddy Ted and the rest of the Awesome Two could have prevented such tragedies. Ooh child, indeed! “You can't fuck with it because I'm a little too exquisite/For y'all snake-ass lizards/Check my style right before you freestyle/My style's hostile, Teddy Ted heard it he said 'Ooooh child!'.”
7. BEAT
A quick 26 seconds of Extra P master-crafted boom bap, which is over with pretty quickly, and yet is still better than the entire Swizz Beats catalog. Funny, that.
8. CHECKMATE
LP loops up a hot horn loop and Ak gets his Bobby Fisher on while explores the mysteries of chessboxing. Peep the Menudo reference as well as my favorite allusion: the invocation of Candyman-esque hood bugbear Edward N---ahands. That is fucking classic. Rob Swift aids and abets. “Raps are fat like sumo, slammin’ like judo/I won't get abused like numbers of Menudo/I got the art down pat, pass the corduroys/This bad boy about to start to slack/Fuck how 'I could just kill a maaaan'/I'm slick and knocking brothers out with these Edward N---ahands.”
9. YOU KNOW MY STYLE
26 seconds of Akinelye reminding us that we know his style over a funky LP loop. Not especially necessary, but it could have been a skit, so let’s consider ourselves lucky, shall we?
10. I LUH HER
Here’s one that you should probably avoid throwing on at the next baby shower you attend. Like Dr. Benjamin Spock, Akinyele gives valuable insights into love, fatherhood and the complicated process of pregnancy out of wedlock. Think of this as sort of a “Having My Baby” for the project set. This little ditty incurred the wrath of The Source’s female editorial staff, but our Akinyele managed to dodge the bullet by claiming that the songs was conceptual and arguing that he ends the tune by saying not to touch her, as he still loves her. Then he and G. Rap went and recorded the follow-up, “Break A Bitch Neck”, a track that soon became an anthem for the National Organization for Women. (The following lyrics probably aren't for the feint of heart.) “This is a diary of a black man/Not making no alimony payments due to no wedding bands/So axe that talk about marriage/Miss, you must of misunderstood, I want you to have a miscarriage/I'm fed up, and sorry that I've done it/I'm ready to set her up, have my little man kick her in the stomach/Or punch my fist through that navel/Cause I'll be damned if this be the hand that rocks the cradle.”
11. EXERCISE
Not content to maintain the structure of his body’s temple purely by beating down bitches and/or wack-ass rappers, and no doubt angry at usurious long-term gym contracts, Akinyele lashes out with an anti-athletic turn, prompting a long standing beef with Melle Mel and the entire country of Brazil: “Don't throw your soccer balls this way/The name is Akinyele, not no motherfuckin’ Pele/ Baseball’s a sport I'm not with/So don't hand me no catcher's mitt, cause I ain't catchin shit!/The only time I slide and run is after the murder's done/I get ghost before the homicide come.”
12. NO EXIT
More enlightened relationship talk. Ak shows a shrewd business sense equal to his love of the Sartre-based Existentialism movement. While he would become most known for opening up strip clubs, early on, Akinyele diversified his portfolio to open a branch of The Hotel California. Ladies, should you decide to take up residence, keep up on your rules and regulations for residency: while Ak would prefer you not become pregnant and requires you to pay rent to live at his crib, don’t think that you have the latitude to leave whenever you see fit, especially if he has invested his venture capital in clothing, hair, and/or nails. “After one hit you're ready to split/What, are you test crashing cars?/'cause that's all dum dum shit/You don't flatter me trying to sign off/You best take the batteries out your watch if you want some time off.”
13. 30 DAYS
To wrap things up, Ak gets conceptual. He’s actually a clean living dude who eschews drugs and alcohol in favor of ass and titties, but in this instance, he’s been framed and has to do a short bid. For the average thug about town, this might be something to be concerned about, but there’s no need for him to come out cock diesel (kid) as he’s 6’6” and easily goes 350, but don’t think that you’re going to get over on the big homie: “And while I'm inside, I take in stride/Livin’ in prison, stool pigeons know that time don't fly/Days go by, night gets darker, but I'm a New Yorker/Whalin’ on your ass like orca/Not the Avon lady, stay up out my face/It only take a shoelace, for a nigga to catch a new case.”
FINAL THOUGHTS: Vagina Diner is currently out of print, so start trolling the Interweb and set to burning, my friend. It’s a shame, as the later Akinyele porno/stripper stuff is funny, but not nearly as good. His Ak-afella and Benny Ill personas are entertaining, but Ak is no MF Doom and the rhymes rarely hold up. Save for the classic couplet from Put It In Your Mouth, shit pales in comparison: this is the Holy Grail of Ak.
BUY OR BURN? As I said, this is out of print, so it looks like you're going to need to burn this one, unless you're a glutton for punishment and are dying to drop close to three figures from some schiesty eBay retailer. A whole record of Extra P and Ak might actually be worth laying out that cash. Ak being the hustler that he is, it's a wonder that he hasn't got the rights back or straight up bootlegged this shit at this point, but as Ak-afella is busy raking in cash right, left and center opening strip clubs all around the world, it looks like he's thrown his lot in with Yella from N.W.A and taking ass and cash over tracks. Benny Ill, indeed!
BEST TRACKS: “Ak Ha Ha!, Ak Hoo Hoo?”; “The Bomb”
-Jaded Scenester NYC
(Be sure to leave your questions, comments, and concerns below.)
As a full-blown fan of both Dan "The Automator" Nakamura and Paul "Prince Paul" Huston, you would have thought that I already reviewed their ridiculously-themed high-concept duo Handsome Boy Modeling School several years ago, but the truth is that I chose to focus on other shit. Not because this duo loses their appeal when they work together: far from it. I'm just lazy. But I'm trying to fix that now, so I'm interrupting this current string of Reader Reviews to bring you an article about the duo's first album, So...How's Your Girl?
Handsome Boy Modeling School was an experimental project originally funded by Tommy Boy Records, one which explored hip hop through a skewed, materialistic eye, with an emphasis on vanity, self-absorption, and consumerism. At least, that's what the Automator and Prince Paul wanted critics (and listeners) to believe. In reality, these two production geniuses (lauded for their work with Kool Keith and De La Soul, respectively, although they have branched out significantly) used the facade of a Handsome Boy Modeling School curriculum (as noted by the album cover) and the new personas of Nathaniel Merriweather (Dan) and Chest Rockwell (Paul) to present sixteen tracks of noteworthy collaborations with rappers (both better-known underground stalwarts and complete unknowns) and vocalists ranging from Cibo Matto's Miho Hatori to Sean Lennon. Okay, that range isn't really that much of a stretch, but you get the idea: this project was deliberately aiming for a cult audience, especially when you note that one of the guests isn't even a real person, but a recurring character from Saturday Night Live.
Dan and Paul were inspired by an episode of comedian Chris Elliott's Get A Life (a sitcom that lasted on Fox for approximately three minutes), specifically the one in which Elliott's character enrolled in the Handsome Boy Modeling School. (Convenient, huh?) This wasn't the first time Dan Nakamura turned to Chris for inspiration: the Bulk Recordings version of Dr. Octagonecologyst (his collaborative work with Kool Keith and DJ Q-Bert, and the one which led to his rise to prominence) features a scene lifted from the film Cabin Boy before the hidden track "halfsharkalligatorhalfman" begins. I had expected Dan to sample Elliott's cameraman in Groundhog Day for a future project, but I'm still waiting. As such, So...How's Your Girl? comes off as more of an Automator project with assists from Paul, who still manages to leave his trademark humor intact.
I used to work in the back office of a retail store, and since it was typically boring as shit back there, I frequently supplied my own soundtrack. Lord knows how many goofy looks I received when anybody flipped through my CD book (yes, kids, we used CDs back then) and found one labeled 'Handsome Boy Modeling School'. You would have thought that those people would have dismissed it as a goofy name for some alternative-emo-rock quartet or something, but instead, I just received questionable shakes of the head. (And yet, today people buy albums from groups called Death Cab For Cutie, Panic At The Disco, and SouljaBoyTellEm without batting an eye.) My future wife, however, actually took the time to listen to the fucking album (which is probably one of the reasons why I married her), and soon realized that not only was it hip hop, it was creative hip hop. Well, most of it is, anyway: there really isn't such a thing as a perfect album anymore.
Here's hoping that Tommy Boy Records (or whomever handles their distribution now) sees fit to celebrate the ten-year anniversary of So...How's Your Girl? with a remastered product. And yes, I said ten fucking years: did you read the date in the post's title? Yes, I feel fucking old. I'm going to go off and have a good cry.
1. ROCK 'N ROLL (COULD NEVER HIP HOP LIKE THIS)
This is a pretty good way to introduce your project. I think the video is hilarious, with Paul and Dan standing in the street holding wine glasses of increasing sizes. I'm probably not remembering that correctly, though.
2. MAGNETIZING (FEAT DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN)
Del makes the first of two appearances on the album with a song that may just be a leftover from the Deltron 3030 studio sessions (it doesn't sound happy enough to be a Gorillaz leftover, you see). It's not anything you'll want to bump in your ride, and after one listen you may not want to hear it again anyway, but it's alright.
3. METAPHYSICAL (FEAT MIHO HATORI & MIKE D)
This song is just goofy, but it's still good. I remember reading a review back in the day that compared Miho Hatori and her spoken-word claptrap to something Kool Keith would use as a verse: that's a pretty fair statement. Mike Diamond's ramblings will make you wish that Hot Sauce Committee Part 1 wasn't just pushed back (best wishes to MCA for a speedy recovery), but the total package still delivers.
4. LOOK AT THIS FACE (OH MY GOD THEY'RE GORGEOUS)
The backing music is good, but Chris Elliott's dialogue gets old after a while.
5. WATERWORLD (FEAT ENCORE)
I seem to recall Encore parlaying this guest appearance into at least two solo albums, both of which may have been critically acclaimed: I never paid any attention to the guy after this album, mainly because The Automator had nothing to do with his discs. This song is alright: it has a unique sound, as if the song were actually produced in the same location as that shitty Kevin Costner film, but Encore's rhymes are the definition of backpacker-vague.
6. ONCE AGAIN (HERE TO KICK FOR YOU) (FEAT GRAND PUBA & SADAT X)
This is just an awesome song. Kudos to Paul and Dan for turning a vocal sample from a relatively upbeat Three Dog Night song (“Old Fashioned Love Song”) into something that sounds creepy as fuck. Sadat X outshines his Brand Nubian partner on here, but the shit still rocks.
7. THE TRUTH (FEAT J-LIVE & ROISIN MURPHY)
A great change of pace. Roisin Murphy slows shit down to a crawl, with a sound that can be described as jazz bar lite with an electronica twist, not unlike one of the two female vocalists in Ladytron, but with much better pipes. It makes sense that the non-rapped portions of this track were used in promos for Mad Men about a year ago. Speaking of rapping, J-Live also impresses. I really have to find his albums in my crates. And yes, I'm fully expecting some jackass to say “You don't have any fucking crates” in the comment section.
8. HOLY CALAMITY (BEAR WITNESS II) (FEAT DJ QUEST & DJ SHADOW)
A deejay cut that's actually a sequel to what DJ Q-Bert pulled off on the Dr. Octagonecologyst album. As deejay cuts go, this is a good one, but the original “Bear Witness” is the more enthralling listen.
9. CALLING THE BIZ (FEAT BIZ MARKIE)
Prince Paul tends to go out of his way to include Biz Markie on all of his projects. Here, the Biz makes a cameo on an interlude. Entirely skippable.
10. THE PROJECTS (P JAYS) (FEAT DEL THA FUNKEE HOMOSAPIEN & TRUGOY THE DOVE)
The first single I heard from this project (the first single anybody heard, actually), but it took a while for it to grow on me. (As an Automator and Prince Paul stan, I tend to buy their albums regardless of what the first singles sound like, because I will inevitably end up liking something.) Its appearance on the soundtrack for Ocean's Eleven (the remake, obviously) clenched it for me. Now it's one of my favorite tracks on here, as the interplay between Del and Trugoy is just a joy to listen to.
11. SUNSHINE (FEAT FATHER GUIDO SARDUCCI, JOSH HADEN, MONEY MARK, PAULA FRAZIER, & SEAN LENNON)
When I first bought So...How's Your Girl?, I gravitated toward “Once Again (Here To Kick For You)” and “Sunshine”, and I still love this song today. It's just fucking peaceful (even with the odd commentary from a recurring character from Saturday Night Live), and the vocals are a great match to the relaxing beat.
12. MODELING SUCKS
The thing is, I actually watched the episode of Get A Life where Chris Elliott's character enrolls in the Handsome Boy Modeling School. And it was boring. The Automator could have mixed together Yanni breakbeats underneath this dialogue, while Paul sampled fucking Zamfir playing the pan flute, and it still would improve upon the source material. (Not to say that Chris Elliott isn't a funny guy: I usually like his work, and his daughter, now on Saturday Night Live herself, is pretty cute, but that doesn't really have anything to do with Chris himself.)
13. TORCH SONG TRILOGY (FEAT SENSATIONAL)
I liked the beat, and the scratched-in vocal sample instructing me to “set this bitch on fire” was a nice touch, but I just simply did not care for Sensational's rhymes. He comes off as inexperienced, as if he were enticed off the street into the vocal booth with the promise of a bag lunch and a Capri-Sun. He also sounds as if he stood too close to the mic when he recorded his (overly long) verse.
14. THE RUNWAY SONG (FEAT KID KOALA)
Deejay Kid Koala's contribution to So...How's Your Girl? sounds like a bunch of nothing. This would have made more sense if it were the intro to this album, although it may have caused you two to turn this shit off and move on to another disc, so I suppose there's no winning here.
15. MEGATON B-BOY (FEAT ALEC EMPIRE & EL-P)
I always thought that this song wasn't a good fit, since it sounds nothing like anything else on here. The music is loud and obnoxious, the lyrics are barely coherent (thanks to the noise), and as an overall song, it doesn't fucking work. El-P (late of Company Flow and the genius producer of Cannibal Ox's The Cold Vein) has done better work, as has Alec Empire (founding member of Atari Teenage Riot, a group name I hadn't heard for at several years before researching this album). As it's the last actual song on this album, it's very disappointing.
16. FATHER SPEAKS (FEAT FATHER GUIDO SARDUCCI)
This outro is just funny. Fans of Saturday Night Live will be more amused than the average hip hop head, though.
FINAL THOUGHTS: So...How's Your Girl? Has the usual misfires that a collaboration of this magnitude tend to suffer from, but The Automator and Prince Paul are fucking brilliant artists that are able to overcome almost any obstacle. The slower tracks definitely rate among its finest, and the deliberate focus on lesser-known rappers is a plus (although the inclusion of the El-P song derails this train towards the end). Overall, as a compilation, it works, although it occasionally comes off as intentionally quirky (see: the Get A Life-inspired interludes) and precious, somewhat like a Wes Anderson film. So if you're not really a fan of films like Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, or The Darjeeling Limited, you'll probably not care for this one, either. But if you're especially adventurous, or if you're the type that drives hundreds of miles to another city to watch an independent film that has no shot of ever seeing a release in your backwards non-art-loving city, then So...How's Your Girl? could be seen as the sonic equivalent of that experience.
BUY OR BURN? I recommend a purchase. You shouldn't seem so shocked: this is Prince Paul and The Automator we're talking about, of course. There's enough greatness on here to completely overshadow the bad.
BEST TRACKS: “Sunshine”; “Once Again (Here To Kick For You)”; “The Projects (P Jays)”; “Metaphysical”; “The Truth”
-Max
RELATED POSTS:
More Automator and Prince Paul material can be found by clicking on their respective names. Go ahead. You know you want to.
(Skipping ahead in time with Common's discography, today FLX provides his thoughts on his fourth opus, Like Water For Chocolate. Be sure to leave your thoughts below, and you can also visit FLX himself at his MySpace site when you're finished here. Enjoy!)
Like Water For Chocolate is Common Sense's fourth and, at that point in his career, his most successful album (around 750,000 copies sold). It's the first in a one-two punch of Common albums produced by the Soulquarians, a producion team starring the Roots drummer/standout afro/tuxedo man ?uestlove, R&B singer/(guy getting blown in the “Untitled (How Does It Feel)” video)/'caine slinger D'Angelo, James Poyser and, most importantly for this album, Jay Dee. (Other people also played a role, but these guys were the main players.) Both Common and Dilla (as he would later change his moniker to) hail from the Midwest, and they had an incredible chemistry together. I had heard material from both of these guys before, from Resurrection (a part of Lonnie's No I.D.-produced period) to Jay Dee's work with the Pharcyde, Slum Village, and Janet Jackson. But I wasn't prepared for this.
To be honest, after a first quick listen in the shop, I almost didn't buy Like Water For Chocolate. Why? Because it didn't fit the formula used by other good albums: hot beats + tight rhymes = great rap album. But Like Water For Chocolate is much more. It's produced by real musicians (most of them geniuses) and you can tell that by the sound, the variations, and the feeling. It's a million miles away from standard rap albums with rhymes about living the hard life in the ghetto (while rollin' on 24s) and is produced by the 5 most sought after producers of the moment. This CD doesn't only contain hot beats, it also has great songs. It's not jut great rap music, it's great music. And it sounds cohesive as an album. If you don't know what i mean, listen to Be or Finding Forever (or Universal Mind Control?) and then listen to this. As good as Com and Kanye West sound together, Like Water For Chocolate is on a whole other level artistically.
One last thing before we get into the track by track-write up: Jay Dee was the greatest producer of all time. and to this day he is an inspiration for me as well as anybody else studying the art of rap music and hip hop. Rest in peace!
1. TIME TRAVELIN' (A TRIBUTE TO FELA) (FEAT VINIA MOJICA, ROY HARGROVE, & FEMI KUTI)
Common, along with his guests (Femi Kuti is Fela Kuti's son), takes us to the beach for the start. Sounds almost like world music, which is a logical step considering that it's a tribute to the godfather of Afrobeat music. This one has been in my car for the last 8 summers and will probably stay there for some more.
2. HEAT
That's exactly what Com and Dilla bring on here. This is one of the greatest, funkiest rap songs of all time. And it's responsible for me ultimately picking this album up, despite my previous misconception, because I instantly realized that this is the shit. I even asked the salesman behind the counter in the music shop to repeat this one, please! (There was only a pair of headphones and a glowing red skip button on the counter.)
3. COLD BLOODED (FEAT RAHZEL, BLACK THOUGHT, & ROY HARGROVE)
This is what rap music would sound like if we still listened to music on gramophones. It's as funky (maybe more so) as any super-polished Dr. Dre beat, but sounds like its polar opposite. That sentence will tell you whether or not this is something you'll be interested in.
4. DOOINIT
Compared to the first three songs, this is quite reduced musically. It's almost mellow with its sparse (save for the chorus) arrangement. Com does manage to goes berserk over the cool (and I'm talking Samuel L. Jackson in Pulp Fiction-type-cool) instrumental, though.
5. THE LIGHT
You probably already know this one, as it was the second single and brought Common his long-deserved shine. Its a beautiful song with heartfelt lyrics and a sampled chorus that's just made for this beat like white bikinis are made for Jessica Alba. (Seriously, those pictures are like five years old. Alba isn't all that anymore. Honey and Idle Hands are still guilty pleasures, though.) Like that woman, everybody loves this song and, though I'm not usually into rap love songs, I'm no exception. Maybe Max is? (I'm withholding my opinion until Like Water For Chocolate is in my review pile.)
6. FUNKY FOR YOU (FEAT BILAL & JILL SCOTT)
To describe this song, let me recite its chorus: "As long as it's funky, alright, ok!"
7. THE QUESTIONS (FEAT MOS DEF)
Despite the appearance of the then-great Mos Def (in the days of Black On Both Sides, which is my second favorite rap album) and its cool concept with Lonnie and Dante posing questions, I never really felt this song. It's not bad, and it would probably be cool background music to whatever daily household activity is your preferred one, but it's just not as John Blazin' as Mos thinks it is.
8. TIME TRAVELIN' REPRISE
Short slightly alternative (almost) instrumental version of the album's first track. I always liked it, maybe because of Femi Kuti's cool vocals. By the way, Common and Mos Def were both featured on his album Fight To Win, which you should really track down - it's great!
9. THE 6TH SENSE (FEAT BILAL)
Anybody can sound good over a DJ Premier beat, though not automatically as good as Common does on here. I wont waste too many words on it, since you all know this fantastic song. This is rap for real, something you feel.
10. A FILM CALLED (PIMP) (FEAT MC LYTE)
After a hilarious skit featuring Common the Pimp giving a female employee of his physical advice on how to maximize their profits effectively by using public exposure of her goods, we're lead into the actual song. Once again, it's not bad, but in my mind, it falls back behind the rest of the album. Maybe this and "The Questions" are just too slow, I don't know.
11. NAG CHAMPA (AFRODISIAC FOR THE WORLD)
This is one of these songs that make me believe this album is not only great rap music, but great music in general. You could swim in the melodies; Dilla plays with the beat's arrangements and Common flows on the tracks like he's on a water slide. Perfect material for your a walk through the city at night with your headphones on or in the car while riding into the sunset. The short instrumental interlude after the actual song was later used by Raekwon, by the way, but I forget what that song was called.
12. THELONIUS (FEAT SLUM VILLAGE)
This is just a rather normal rap song, which makes it a bit misplaced here. I like it much more when played solo or on Slum Village's Fantastic Vol.2 (it was included as a bonus track in later pressings) than sequenced in here. Common trades rhymes with the original line up of Slum Village (Dilla, Baatin, & T3) and and they can't hold a match, let alone a candle to him, but I suppose Dilla had to bring his crew along to the studio, lest they start chasing him around several Detroit blocks in his socks in the winter once he would have gotten back home (this album was recorded in New York).
13. PAYBACK IS A GRANDMOTHER
Over a sparse, but damn good, Godfather of Soul-sampling beat (one guess which James Brown song is being sampled), Common reverts back to his earlier storytelling days as Common Sense. On One Day It'll All Make Sense (Common's third album, which I have yet to get to), he had this trilogy of tracks describing, in detail, a theft in his house. Maybe that was a bit too much then. Here, he tells just one hilarious story of his Granny getting robbed but no spoilers here on who did it. After the song is over, there's another interlude here like before “A Song Called (Pimp)”, but I always felt it was out of place with its drama and violence, because the next song is...
14. GETO HEAVEN PART TWO (FEAT D'ANGELO)
And if you ever are in desperate need to find a rap song that you could get your baby girl in the mood to, pick this one, my friend. It's nothing but precious, with the D'Angelo-sang chorus and the extra soulful instrumental. I will admit that I love this track as well, though that might damage my street cred, but i don't give the slightest bit of a fuck.
15. A SONG FOR ASSATA (FEAT CEE-LO)
Despite “I Used To Love H.E.R.”, this is probably the greatest song Common ever made. Over a out-of-this-world instrumental by James Poyser, Com tells the story of black activist Assata Shakur. This is the dopest history lesson ever given, and Cee-Lo Green's crooning on the hook is just the extra icing on the cake. At the end of the song they even let Assata Shakur speak for herself, albeit in sampled form. Touching is the least I could say.
16. POP'S RAP III...ALL MY CHILDREN (FEAT LONNIE “POPS” LYNN)
As you can tell by the "III" in the song's title, it became a tradition on Common's that his pops did the last track in spoken word style. Sorry Pops, but this is actually the most disposable song here, despite the cool jazzy vibe. The album would just have ended on a so much higher note if it would have stopped after “A Song for Assata”.
FINAL THOUGHTS: As I wrote above, Like Water For Chocolate is a million miles away from standard rap material - after hearing this again, I even resist to call today's contemporary shit rap music. It's the finest moment for both Common and the Soulquarians, which says a lot regarding how good these musicians are or used to be. Unfortunately, Common never reached the level of this album again, not even with his Soulquarians-produced follow-up Electric Circus - although I don't think that album is as bad as people usually say. If you only know Common from his Kanye-assisted days (I won't even acknowledge that Universal Mind Control exists) (good man) and you think that shit's good, listen to this and you'll discover something beyond dope. The only bad thing i could say about this album is that its title draws inspiration from a horrible Mexican film - even the three girls I watched that with thought it was more tragically comical than romantic. As a result, not one of them wanted to have sex - which means the movie didn't meet the only goal a man could pursue by watching a romantic movie, and it failed miserably. (I actually like the movie enough, but it's based on a book that I understand is much better, even though the author's husband is the person who directed the film version. The book opinion is all secondhand info from my wife, although I didn't have the same problem that FLX had after watching it, so maybe that's why my opinion is different. You just need better female friends.)
BUY OR BURN?: Buy one for everyone you really love that is open minded enough to listen to rap songs, even if they normally prefer library jazz or Uzbekistan traditional music. This is not only stellar music starring a fantastic rapper (who really has something to say) on top of his game, it's also a complete package - even the booklet artwork is really superb and its paper has a unique natural feeling and smell (!) to it. If you ain't got enough money to be such a musical Good Samaritan, go at least cop one for yourself. If you're a good person you deserve to hear this and if you'd burn or download this, you're actually a bad person.
BEST TRACKS: If you have only 15 minutes to live, listen to "Heat", "The 6th Sense" and "A Song for Assata". If you're going to be around for a while, this album features 12 very good to incredible songs out of 16 total. Not a bad ratio, especially for a rap album.
- FLX
(Be sure to leave your comments for FLX below. Even if you have nothing to say about the album, say something anyway.)
