Happy New Year!

As we reach the end of yet another year, I want to thank each and every one of you two for sticking with the site, even when you complained about the direction things were going in.  I'll be the first one to say that there won't be much changing in 2011: however, I've been wanting to incorporate some stuff into the blog that didn't really pan out this year, so we'll see where that goes.

Regardless of what you may think, I do take time to look at each request, and I wish I could honor every single one.  To a point: I really really really don't want to listen to Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III right now.  But I've been slowly adding some of those requests to my mythical pile of shit to write-up (some of which I found in my crates that people don't think I really have), so please tune in during the new year to find out if I've chosen your favorites.

Here's a sneak peek: on January 1, I plan on running a write-up for the very album that I've been apparently avoiding for a while now, the one that kinda-sorta gave this blog its very name.  I think you two can figure out what I'm talking about.  Some of you may have been waiting for that one for quite some time, so make sure to check it out.  

After that post, however, I'm going to take a week or two off from posting, just so I can get some fucking rest.  This will also give you some time to catch up on some of my older stuff (especially my early, poorly-written reviews from 2007 that I've been trying to clean up) and to click on some of the Amazon links to order some shit and help out the site financially (hint, hint).

Enjoy the year-end festivities, try not to get too drunk, and we'll see you around the corner.  As always, if you have requests, feel free to leave a comment: if you wish to submit a Reader Review, hit me at the e-mail address in the sidebar.

-Max

My Gut Reaction / Something Different: Ski Beatz - 24 Hour Karate School Japan (October 20, 2010)

Producer Ski Beatz spent the majority of 2010 trying to finally release his 24 Hour Karate School compilation, meeting obstacles every step of the way, including record label reluctance (even though Ski's artist collective worked in conjunction with former Roc-A-Fella showrunner Damon Dash) that resulted in release dates appearing and disappearing from the calendar.  But Ski's biggest issue was with his artists themselves, specifically Dante "Mos Def" Smith, who recorded a number of tracks for the project (and shot a lot of videos, both behind-the-scenes clips for blogs and actual music videos) and still elected to pull out of 24 Hour Karate School at the eleventh hour.  This decision changed the course of the album, altering it from what it might have been to the final product I reviewed earlier this year, one which was still pretty good, all things considered, but one which didn't really live up to the standards that Dante's earlier-released verses (all of which were unleashed by Ski himself for free shortly after the album hit stores) promised.  Then again, any casual hip hop fan could have figured that shit out when they realized that Jim Jones was a featured guest.

However, while undergoing this very public struggle (everything a rapper or a producer does in the United States seems to be done in the public eye, thanks to never-ending blog coverage that only rivals TMZ when it comes to promoting the most inane shit), Ski Beatz quietly assembled a companion project for the Japanese hip hop audience, conveniently named 24 Hour Karate School Japan.  Now that's a move you didn't see coming, right?  (Unless you've already read about this project on another site, in which case, feel free to get a snack before starting with the actual write-up.) 

Dame Dash's vanity label DD172, which released the original 24 Hour Karate School with help from Def Jam Records, teamed up with the Japanese hip hop label R-Rated Records to craft this album, which features some of the best rappers from the Far East (I'm assuming, anyway, since I don't follow Japanese hip hop that often, thanks to the language barrier)  over the exact same production Ski gave his American counterparts.  Yep, that's right: the exact same beats he gave the likes of Curren$y, Camp Lo, and Jay Electronica on the original project were also given to some of Japan's finest emcees, almost as an insurance policy in the event that Def Jam flaked and failed to release the first album, so as to make sure that the music was heard somehow.

Even more interesting is the fact that 24 Hour Karate School Japan is actually readily available in the United States, thanks to Amazon.  Sure, you could spend fifty or sixty bucks to actually have the compact disc shipped to you (and get rewarded with a bonus track for your effort), but why bother when you can get the album for less than ten bucks by downloading it legally?  For those of you keeping score, this would be the only reason I'm writing up 24 Hour Karate School Japan: this blog doesn't make me nearly as much money to justify purchasing Japanese imports on a regular basis.

Okay, let's see what we've got.

1. AMERURAN DREAM (INFUMIAI KUMIAI)

24 Hour Karate School Japan kicks off at an unrelenting pace, as the instrumental to the discarded title track from the original project (which featured Mos Def and is easily found online via a quick Google search) is utilized by the group Infumiai Kumiai for a posse cut that transcends language barriers and just sounds dope, even though I'll be the first to admit that each artist on here could be bragging about fucking my mother, for all I know. It's good to hear that Ski's beat (and its nice little homage to A Tribe Called Quest's “Oh My God”) doesn't sound diluted or altered to match his collaborators: if anything, the rappers modify their own flows to keep up with him, which is the way it should be. Nice!

2. GO (SEEDA)

This song, on the other hand, was a muddled mess. Over the same beat as the American version of “Go” (as originally performed by Curren$y and Jim Jones), Seeda mixes his native tongue with random English phrases, causing this track to sound like an aural interpretation of the seventh level of hell. It doesn't help that Ski's beat (which didn't sound that great to begin with) comes across as fucking excruciating within this context. The rhymes themselves sound alright (Seeda is apparently classified as a “gangsta-slash-conscious” rapper: yes, they do have gangsta rap in Japan), but the forced conviction behind them make it extraordinarily difficult to power through them. As a result, there is absolutely no reason for anybody of any nationality to ever listen to this particularly shitty song again.

3. NIHONJIN RAPPER SOSENKYO (HANNYA)

According to Discogs, the title translates literally to “general election of Japanese rappers”, but Hannya, a solo artist who has worked with Kool G Rap in the past, is the only guy to appear, so I assume this was meant to be a musical version of his own personal political platform. Hannya uses his Guru-esque monotone to ride all over the same instrumental Ski gave The Cool Kids and Stalley for “Do It Big”, but it isn't the best fit for him, as the beat is a bit too busy to support that type of voice work. This song was alright, but “Do It Big” was never one of my favorite tracks (I think The Cool Kids are overrated, although to be honest, I've never paid that much attention to them, so my opinion is pretty much based on their lackluster performance on a single song, which may or may not be very fair), and “Nihonjin Rapper Sousenkyo” follows suit. Hannya would probably sound better over a much slower, far more dramatic beat anyway. Oh well.

4. 24 BARS TO KILL (ANARCHY, RINO LATINA II, KAN, & MACCHO)

The beat for “Prowler 2”, which originally featured Jean Grae, Jay Electronica, and Joell Ortiz (alongside Mos Def, depending on which version you're familiar with) is used again for “24 Bars To Kill”, proving that nearly any group of emcees, regardless of nationality, will sound fucking great over it. The bluesy boom bap just sounds really goddamn perfect for posses to record to, as Anarchy, Rino Latina II, Kan, and Maccho come across as what the Wu-Tang Clan would sound like, had they been from Japan instead of Staten Island. This was pretty fucking nice.

5. JAPANESE TOKKOTAI BANCHO (TETRAD THE GANG OF FOUR)

Remember how awkward Camp Lo sounded on “Back Uptown”? Ski gives the same instrumental to this quartet, who actually do the beat justice. Perhaps the experimental staccato simply works better for rap artists who aren't lyrically stuck in the 1970s (in no way is that meant as a dis toward Camp Lo). This sounds so good, I wouldn't be surprised if Ski gave this to Tetrad The Gang of Four first, and then allowed Geechie Suede and Sonny Cheeba to lace it after running out of other beats for them to use for the original 24 Hour Karate School.

6. MY CITY (GAZZILA)

Since “Arials” (which featured Curren$y, Stalley, Whosane, Terri Walker, and, surprise surprise, Mos Def, although in a limited capacity) failed to make the final cut of 24 Hour Karate School, “My City” may actually sound to you like a brand new song. (I don't understand how, though, since I believe the only people still reading this write-up are the two of you who (a) picked up the original project, and (b) are computer literate, meaning that you could find the “lost” songs fairly easily.) The instrumental is pleasant enough, but I'm not sold that Gazzila was the best outfit for the day: his verses sound alright, but the corny hook, performed in English, makes Kool Keith choruses sound sane. Still, kudos to Ski for going green and recycling all of these beats, eh?

7. HEAVEN’S DOOR (RYUZO & B.I.G. JOE)

I can only assume that Ryuzo and B.I.G. Joe are using the jazzy “Nothing But Us” beat for a mediation on death or as an ode to fallen comrades: remember, there's this whole “language barrier” thing that I'm working through. The artists pepper their verses with enough English words so as to not completely lose the American audience that may only seek this out because of this very write-up, but the bars performed in their native language sound the most natural (obviously) against the Ski backdrop, which sounds a lot better than it did when it was supporting the rhymes of Curren$y and Smoke DZA. This was pleasant enough.

8. RUNNIN’ (BARAGAKI & ZEUS)

Ski's attempt at theme music for an 1970s Saturday morning superhero cartoon series that never existed, originally handed over to Wiz Khalifa and Curren$y (for “Scaling The Building), finds its way into the clutches of Baragaki and Zeus, who both sound okay, as they praise Ski himself and talk some shit (I'm assuming). “Runnin'” doesn't fare much better than its predecessor did, but it sounds decent enough, as the music really carries the artists over the threshold and into their marital bed for some deep-dick cuddling.

9. REMEMBER SHADOWMEN (KGE THE SHADOWMEN)

This is the rare song that dilutes the potency of its predecessor, but not because it is so mind-blowingly transcendent or anything. Instead, this song just exposes the fact that most rap songs are not collaborative efforts: typically, an instrumental is crafted first, and then sold to the highest bidder, who then writes about whatever the fuck they want, usually without any input from the original producer. Most of your favorite songs feature instrumentals that could have gone to absolutely anybody. As such, Stalley's “S.T.A.L.L.E.Y.”, which originally felt like the man's personal theme music, now comes across as an incredibly average song by KGE The Shadowmen. True, this song still sounds okay, save for the awkward hook, but it sounds powerful for all of the wrong reasons. I almost feel the need to retroactively adjust the original review of Stalley's track from 24 Hour Karate School, since now it sounds just so fucking generic. If I were Stalley, I would be really pissed at Ski for giving the beat to a second group of artists. Their quick homage to Camp Lo's “Luchini (This Is It)” was unexpected, though.

10. ROC RATED (ANARCHY, LA BONO, & RYUZO)

During my write-up for 24 Hour Karate School, I stated that “I Got Mines” sounded like a companion piece to “Prowler 2”. “Roc Rated” serves the same function for “24 Bars To Kill”, and not just because Anarchy appears on both tracks. This guitar-driven, highly-caffeinated instrumental sounds much better without Nicole Wray's chorus, which didn't even sound all that bad to begin with, which is a testament to Ski's ability to wrangle the best out of his collaborators when he so chooses. “Roc Rated” and “24 Bars To Kill” should be added to your Ski Beatz 24 Hour Karate School playlist immediately. No, I'm not joking.

11. MCW (MUCHA CUCHA WARU) (TWIGY & DABO)

Rugz D Bewler's “Super Bad” is repurposed for this song, which sounds exactly how a rip-off of Lil' Wayne's “A Milli” would in Japan, funnily enough. I've always liked the way Ski adds or subtracts elements from his instrumental every eight bars or so. However, this track is only alright: it isn't bad by any means, but the calm line readings of Twigy and Dabo don't mesh as nicely with the simple, gimmicky musical backdrop.

12. FOLLOW ME (SMITH-CN)

Uses the “Not Like Me” beat and warrants an overall “meh”. It is what it is.

13. HEY TAXI (ISSUGI & S.L.A.C.K.)

Since the album version of “Taxi” ended up being an instrumental-only affair, this is one of the few efforts on 24 Hour Karate School Japan to not sound like a retread. (True, the original version of “Taxi” was supposed to contain a Mos Def performance, but that ended up being deleted, as did all of Dante's performances, in case I haven't mentioned that fact enough today.) Issugi and S.L.A.C.K. take Ski's driving music and turn it into an aimless ride through downtown Tokyo, and I mean that in the best possible way. Mos Def's version sounds much better, but I'm just glad that someone was officially able to capitalize on this aurally pleasing instrumental. And with that, I'm done.

Physical copies of 24 Hour Karate School Japan contain a bonus track, a remix of “24 Bars To Kill” that features completely different artists. Picking this up off of iTunes or Amazon is one thing, but I'm not in a financial position anymore to drop fifty-plus bucks on an import just to get an additional song. So I'll leave it to the readers: if any of you live in Japan and own a physical copy of 24 Hour Karate School Japan, let me know if the extra song is any good by leaving me a comment below.

THE LAST WORD: Obviously, Ski Beatz's 24 Hour Karate School Japan isn't for all tastes. Just as there are many people who (incredibly fucking stupidly, in my opinion) avoid foreign films because they hate to read subtitles, there will be American hip hop heads who refuse to listen to music that originated outside of their comfort zone. While this project isn't perfect, it does serve as an effective gateway into Japanese hip hop culture, aided and abetted by Ski's original 24 Hour Karate School instrumentals, which act as a bridge between two separate audiences. For the most part, the artists involved with the Japanese chapter of the academy adhere to a similar curriculum as their American counterparts, and they certainly talk as much shit as some of your favorite artists do. Aside from the language barrier, 24 Hour Karate School Japan could easily blend into the rest of your iTunes playlist: the acts involved don't sound as abrasive as you may have feared, if your only exposure to Japanese culture thus far has been anime, Gojira, and the first volume of Quentin Tarantino's Kill Bill. Ski Beatz allows listeners to have a unique look into a parallel universe that we can visit while still currently enjoying our current lifestyle, which is rare in hip hop, mainly because most rappers would become apoplectic if they discovered that their producer sold the same beat to an entirely different artist. 24 Hour Karate School Japan comes with a built-in handicap: the instrumentals you're probably already familiar with help ease the transition into an entirely new world, and as a result, this curious experiment actually works.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:

Ski Beatz – 24 Hour Karate School

My Gut Reaction: Ghostface Killah - Apollo Kids (December 14, 2010)

Def Jam Records fulfilled its annual tradition of releasing tax write-offs in the month of December by appeasing the fans of aging veterans Redman and Sheek Louch, but the one project that I was most interested in was Ghostface Killah's ninth solo album, Apollo Kids (named after one of his more interesting singles from his magnum opus, Supreme Clientele).  As I was certain that his ridiculously-titled previous disc, the R&B-tinged Ghostdini: Wizard of Poetry In Emerald City, was the final one required by his original contract,  I was shocked to discover that not only was Dennis Coles still on the payroll of The House That Russell Built, but he was apparently there by choice, as he has lined up at least three more projects for the future.

Although the album cover art looks pretty awful (I'm not expecting Kanye levels of creativity here, but I do look for appealing design, which the Apollo Kids cover contains none of: hell, whoever created the piece failed to double-check Ghost's "logo", which should read GFK and not just GK), the most important component of the cover is in the lower right hand corner.  Yes, I'm talking about the Wu-Tang logo.  Apollo Kids features the most Wu-Tang Clan involvement of any Ghostface Killah album since the disappointing The Big Doe Rehab (the shitty compilation GhostDeini The Great doesn't count), although that doesn't mean that any of the Wu Elements appear behind the boards: as is his standard, Pretty Toney has elected to save his money and hire lesser-known talent to score his finely-crafted tales, instead of getting a ringer such as The RZA or True Master involved for what isn't really a guaranteed banger anymore.  In fact, everyone from the Clan makes an appearance, save for the aforementioned Prince Rakeem, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa, all of whom must have had a doctor's appointment or a haircut scheduled that day. 

Maybe all of Ghost's work on the Wu-Massacre debacle earlier this year made him appreciate the input his fellow group members can offer.  Regardless, it remains to be seen whether Apollo Kids is just another nail in the Wu coffin, or if it could possibly be the aural equivalent of an adrenaline shot through Uma Thurman's heart.  Also, the title Apollo Kids would seem to be a better fit for an album by a group of Ghostface Killahs, and not just a single guy, but whatever.

1. PURIFIED THOUGHTS (FEAT. GZA/GENIUS & KILLAH PRIEST)

When the music first appeared, I thought that Apollo Kids was going to kick off as though it was a continuation of a previous project, but then I realized that Frank Dukes uses the Them Two “Am I A Good Man” sample to fuel his instrumental, which fucking bangs. The combination of Ghost, Killah Priest, and the GZA hasn't been utilized since GZA's “4th Chamber” on Liquid Swords (back in 1995 – fuck, I feel old), so, as expected, they all sound a bit long in the tooth, but this shit still knocked regardless, even though GZA's verse hardly registers in your subconscious and Ghost sounds like Cappadonna in both vocal tone and flow. Maybe he had caught a cold or something? It's weird for me to say that Killah Priest had the best verse on any Wu-Tang posse cut, but here we are. (Although he did rock shit on Ol Dirty Bastard's “Snakes”, so there is a set precedent, I guess.)

2. SUPERSTAR (FEAT. BUSTA RHYMES)

Shroom's beat on here is actually pretty hot, coming across as a blaxploitation upgrade of “Cherchez LaGhost”, and Pretty Toney glides over it like a car with its brake line severed. Busta even sounds reigned in: although he says nothing of note, he still turns in a good performance. My only complaint about “Superstar” isn't even really much of a complaint: the female vocals land on the corny side of the fence. But then again, they usually do: if you look at the man's back catalog, there are at least three other songs that follow a similar blueprint and achieve similar results. I liked it, but I can't bring myself to like like it.

3. BLACK TEQUILA (FEAT. CAPPADONNA & TRIFE)

Beat-wise, Ghostface is three for three: Frank Dukes returns to supply a hard instrumental custom-built for the Theodore Unit to get sloppy blackout drunk to. Cappadonna's middle verse seems to be filled with more gibberish than usual: clearly, his late nights driving a gypsy cab through New York City has muddled his thought process and affected his self-edit function. Anyway, Ghost and his boy Trife Diesel sound great, with Trife taking the crown even with an egregious mispronunciation of the Greek word “gyro”, done solely to connect a rhyme. Oh well, this was still pretty nice.

4. DRAMA (FEAT. JOELL ORTIZ & THE GAME)

Fuck, I spoke too soon: Sean C and LV's beat on “Drama” is only alright. Our host spits the first verse and graciously walks away, allowing for his guests to handle most of the heavy labor, and by “heavy labor”, I mean that Slaughterhouse's Joell Ortiz sounds fucking fantastic (I wouldn't be surprised to learn that the beat originally his to use, as he appears to be very familiar with the ins and outs of it) and The Game manages to get in a few interesting bars while sounding boring as fuck. He only drops a small number of names, so that earns him a few points: however, one of those names is that of Rachael Ray, which takes him back down to negative seventy-three. Remember when Game's fourth album was supposed to drop this year? Yeah, neither does anybody else.

5. 2GETHA BABY

Aside from the fact that the final moments of the track sound creepy, as though Ghost has slipped something into the woman's drink, “2getha Baby”, the first single from Apollo Kids, was a nice return to form after the mostly forgettable “Drama”, with Tony Starks following the blueprint from The Pretty Toney Album to a tee. Sure, this song is mostly about hooking up with chicks, and both Michelle Obama and Madonna are referenced (oh Ghostface, whatever would we do without you?), but it still comes together in the end, and Ghost sounds as engaged as ever.

6. STARKOLOGY

There isn't much to this song, which is just three separate freestyle sessions wearing their parents' clothes, but it still clicks in a way that only Ghostface Killah could manage. He claims that his “verses [are] like leaving the gas on”, and I'm inclined to agree, since his witty bars actually cause sparks to fly out of your speakers. (Yes, that last sentence doesn't make sense, and it isn't even scientifically sound, but neither are a lot of Tony's bars, and I still enjoy them.) Also, the out-of-nowhere sample from the Tears For Fears song “Shout” was fucking hilarious in its randomness, but then again, I'm an unabashed fan of 1980s music, so of course I would focus on that shit.

7. IN THA PARK (FEAT. BLACK THOUGHT)

When I first read about this collaboration, I'm pretty sure I heard excited shouting from the rooftops across America: it isn't very often that Black Thought (of Def Jam labelmates The Roots) consents to lend a guest verse to an artist outside of his immediate camp, and since he's never gotten his due as a dope emcee, the combination of Jimmy Fallon's co-worker and the most consistent rapper in the Wu-Tang Clan should have been fucking epic. The key phrase in that last sentence is “should have been”, as Frank Dukes completely fucks up absolutely everything by crafting a beat that sounds less like music and more like a fucking hazard alarm signaling a radiation leak. The instrumental comes off as though its primary inspiration was the work Megahertz put into producing Puff Daddy's “Bad Boy 4 Life”, and I mean that as a fucking insult, even though I kind of like the Puffy track. And I was looking forward to this shit, too! Oh well, at least the verses from the two artists, who both show love to the early days of hip hop (unlike what Ol' Dirty Bastard and Coolio did on the former's similarly-named “The Park”), sounded great. Can someone please remix this with a better beat? Pretty please?

8. HOW YOU LIKE ME BABY

On the original tracklist for Apollo Kids, this song was supposed to be an iTunes-exclusive bonus track, and it was supposed to feature a guest verse from labelmate Fabolous, but I guess he got lost in the wash, like so many left socks. Pete Rock turns in one of his simpler instrumentals, but it still motivates our host, as he spits two verses that rival his early work in terms of quality. I'm not happy with the fact that Apollo Kids features two separate tracks that contain the word “baby” in the title, but whatever, I didn't program the album or anything. This doesn't hit as hard as his previous collaboration with Peter, Fishscale's “Be Easy”, but don't let that stop you from enjoying it anyway.

9. HANDCUFFIN' THEM HOES (FEAT. JIM JONES)

Even if you erased the useless Jim Jones and his ridiculous ad-libs from this track, it would still sound horrible. Yes, I just inferred that Jimmy didn't ruin this shitty song: Ghost and his producer, Chino Maurice, did that just fine all by themselves. Still, once again, this is a terrible song. Just skip past it: you'll thank me later. Preferably with cash and/or gift cards.

10. STREET BULLIES (FEAT. SHAWN WIGS, SHEEK LOUCH, & SUN GOD)

After the recent announcement of a Wu-Tang Clan / D-Block collaboration album (which is really just a Ghostface Killah / Sheek Louch (from The Lox) joint project), it's impossible to hear “Street Bullies” as anything but a dry run. If this is what that disc is going to sound like, then maybe they should pool their respective budgets together and purchase some better beats. Also, Ghost should conveniently forget to invite Shawn Wigs to the studio that day, as he adds nothing to these proceedings. Ghost and Sheek sound okay, and Ghost's kid Sun God doesn't embarrass himself, but this should have been much better. Sigh.

11. GHETTO (FEAT. RAEKWON, CAPPADONNA, & U-GOD)

I suppose Ghostface Killah deserves a medal or some other adequate compensation for coercing a decent performance out of motherfucking U-God, even going so far as to sacrifice his boy Chef Raekwon to the temptation of deep slumber for the cause. Anthony Acid's beat is kind of boring, but everyone that isn't named Corey Woods manages to make up for it, thanks to an amazing amount of focus present from the remaining three artists. This could have been much better, but I had pretty low expectations when I first heard that Golden Arms was dropping by, so the fact that he doesn't suck somehow renders this track successful.

12. TROUBLEMAKERS (FEAT. RAEKWON, REDMAN, & METHOD MAN)

Ghostface saves the best track for last, revealing what is probably a Wu-Massacre leftover with a demanding Jake One beat and winning verses from everyone involved, including an Red Bull-assisted Raekwon and the “eleventh member of the Wu-Tang” Reggie Noble, who spits bars that sound better than the entirety of Reggie. If Wu-Massacre sounded more like this one song, that project wouldn't have sucked so goddamn much. A side note to our host: your songs sound infinitely better when all of the artists involved give a good goddamn. I'm just saying.

THE LAST WORD: It has its ups and downs (whoever allowed Jim Jones within five hundred feet of the studio sessions should be drawn and quartered), but Apollo Kids is ultimately the best Ghostface Killah album since Fishscale. No, I'm not fucking kidding: Pretty Toney runs alongside all of his invited guests with the mobility of his younger self, adapting to the rhythms and attempting to appeal to the younger demographic while marketing himself to the fans who have stuck by the Wu-Tang Clan since Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers). The involvement of the rest of the Wu is also a huge help, and I'm left hoping that not only will he continue to use them in key roles on future projects, but that he will be able to convince The RZA, Masta Killa, and Inspectah Deck to return his fucking phone calls. For the most part, Ghost's ear for beats is as consistent as ever, and his ability to go haywire over nearly any type of musical accompaniment remains as potent as ever. Apollo Kids runs a bit too short for my tastes, but that's only because I liked it so fucking much that I didn't want it to end. Thanks, Ghostface Killah and Def Jam Records, for turning a tax write-off into an enjoyable Christmas miracle.  And thank you, Amazon, for selling this for only five bucks, although I don't know if this is a promotional price or anything, so catch it while you can.  It's well worth it.

-Max

RELATED POSTS:

Just between you and me, I don't think I've mentioned the Wu-Tang Clan enough on my blog.

100 Calorie Gut Reactions: Keeping Up WIth Kanye Edition (Part 2)

This is the time of year when My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy, Kanye West's fifth album, will pop up on critics' "Best Of" lists, if not topping them altogether.  (I don't do best-of lists, but I'm sure my write-up on the project will lead readers to believe that it was my favorite album of 2010.  For the record, it wasn't: it was just the best album I've heard recently, but it was the most complete album hip hop had to offer this year.)  So I figured that now was the best time to discuss the remainder of 'Ye's free G.O.O.D. Friday tracks.

After My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy dropped on the Monday before Thanksgiving (in the United States, anyway), the well of free music dried up, with Kanye all but evaporating from his own Twitter feed.  Presumably, this was because all of the self-promotion had reached its zenith, and all that was left was for people to actually buy the fucking album.  However, 'Ye had originally promised to keep the G.O.O.D. Friday series going through Christmas, so something must have changed his mind.  (My money's on the fact that a song, probably incomplete, from his joint album with Jay-Z, Watch The Throne, leaked the same week My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy hit stores.  He had threatened to quit handing out freebies when unfinished album tracks hit the Interweb before, so maybe this time he felt no need for empty threats.)

Luckily, there are a number of G.O.O.D. Friday tracks that I hadn't yet gotten an opportunity to write about, including one that was produced by hip hop legend Pete Rock that every blogger seemed to love (and every rapper seemed to already have a prepared freestyle over...*cough* Rah Digga *cough*).  So at least I should finish what I started before the year is over.

CHRISTIAN DIOR DENIM FLOW (FEAT. JOHN LEGEND, KID CUDI, PUSHA T, LLOYD BANKS, & RYAN LESLIE)

This was the song 'Ye promised to drop the same day that my original post went up. Using a more traditional barometer, this doesn't sound anywhere close to what a cohesive posse cut should be, but when you view it through Kanye's rose-colored lenses, it makes a bit more sense, even though it still doesn't entirely work. 'Ye's distorted vocals consist almost exclusively of the names of various different models, which is supposed to be somehow impressive but ends up making our host sound even more egocentric than usual, which is weird, since his contribution is one of those “these are the women I want to fuck”-type of lists that rappers occasionally come up with when they're feeling randy and really really really want a handjob. His beat, however, is pretty goddamn interesting, especially when it changes course around the halfway mark. I enjoyed John Legend's vocals and the verses from Pusha T, Ryan Leslie (who is better known to me as an R&B singer, but still comes across as credible on here), and even G-Unit's Lloyd Banks didn't annoy me as much as he should have. Kid CuDi sucks the life out of the room with his performance, though, so it's probably for the best that the song pretty much ends after he finishes. For those of you who care about this sort of thing, Kanye quickly released an “extended” version of “Christian Dior Denim Flow” that allowed for a few more bars from Ryan Leslie, but is otherwise exactly the same: you may as well track down that particular version instead of the original, if possible.

DON'T STOP! (CHILD REBEL SOLDIER)

The story goes that Kanye West was doing a Q&A after a screening of his short film-slash-music video “Runaway”, and he announced that he hadn't forgotten about the long-rumored Child Rebel Soldier supergroup (made up of himself, Lupe Fiasco, and Pharrell Williams of The Neptunes). (I swear they were called “Child Rebel Soldiers”, which would make more sense, but whatever.)That following Friday, this song dropped. Unlike the crew's debut, “Us Placers” (which was performed over Thom Yorke's “The Eraser” and was quite good), “Don't Stop!” doesn't even pretend to be socially conscious, as all three artists spit carefully crafted bullshit, with 'Ye hogging most of the airtime, since this is ostensibly his song and all. This track may appeal to fans of the more lyrical side of 'Ye, but it doesn't truly whet the appetite for a full-length album from these three.

TAKE ONE FOR THE TEAM (FEAT. KERI HILSON, PUSHA T, & CYHI DA PRYNCE)

I get the feeling that most of Kanye's fans dismiss this song as a lesser effort, but I found it to be fucking hilarious. The instrumental is 'Ye's interpretation of a Timbaland beat, right down to the keys the beatbox used as percussion, and, to a lesser extent, the presence of Keri Hilson, who sounds alright but completely fails to get the actual title of the song right in her hook. This ode to “taking one for the team”, opting for a less attractive alternative for the greater good, is simply funny, especially our host's angry tirade against women who overuse the cucumber melon-scented body sprays and lotions from Bath & Body Works, a brand that I don't recall ever hearing discussed in a rap song prior to today. (Oddly specific rants tend to work for me, though. That's why I like Aziz Ansari's stand up act; not-so-coincidentally, he is also a good friend of Kanye's.) True, this isn't really a good song or anything, but I found it entertaining enough.

DON'T LOOK DOWN (FEAT. MOS DEF, LUPE FIASCO, & BIG SEAN)

I guess this could be seen, subject matter-wise, as a spiritual cousin to “Runaway”, as each rapper who gets a verse (The Mighty Mos only handles the hook) discusses a failing relationship (with Big Sean, a G.O.O.D. Music signee who has never impressed me before, taking the crown overall). The comparison becomes even more apparent when Kanye molds the middle third of “Don't Look Down” into yet another symphonic reconstruction of a dying robot's final moments, but the instrumental is a bit too experimental for that same trick to work twice (although did it really work on the nine-minute version of “Runaway”? I don't think it did). The verses were alright, but the song as a whole didn't connect with me. Also, Dante uses the word “aerials” during his chorus, which is also the name of a song from 24 Hour Karate School that didn't make the final cut, a move that Mos Def was partially responsible for when he neglected to grant Ski Beatz permission to use his vocals and signed with Kanye's label instead. It's almost as though he was trying to taunt Ski through this song. Was that shit really necessary? Apparently, yes.

THE JOY (FEAT. PETE ROCK, CURTIS MAYFIELD, JAY-Z, CHARLIE WILSON, & KID CUDI)

The old guard (represented here by producer Pete Rock, who originally gave this Curtis Mayfield “The Makings Of You”-sampled instrumental to Strong Arm Steady for their “Makings Of You” (I wonder where they got that title from) before our host offered him a lot more money for it) connects with the new blood (as portrayed by Kanye and, to a much lesser extent, Kid CuDi, who simply doesn't deserve to be on here) for a track that I initially dismissed, but now cannot get enough of, thanks to the hypnotic soul sounds masquerading as the beat. Shawn Carter, acting as the bridge between the two generations, drops an impressive verse, making one wonder exactly why Jay-Z has never worked with Pete Rock before now. (His solid verse on Jay Electronica's “Shiny Suit Theory”, which uses the same Ambassadors “Ain't Got The Love (Of One Girl On My Mind)” sample that Peter rocked on his CL Smooth collaboration “I Got A Love”, leads me to believe that Hova could thrive in that kind of jazzy environment if he so chooses.) My understanding is that this dope-as-shit song is intended for inclusion on the 'Ye/Jay joint album Watch The Throne: hopefully it makes the final cut, even as a bonus track, but maybe Yeezy could edit out some of Pete's looped ad-libs toward the end? Also, maybe we can agree to disagree on the listing of Curtis Mayfield as a guest star: just because his sample is so prevalent throughout the song doesn't mean anybody should be tricked into thinking he shared studio time with these guys.

LOOKING FOR TROUBLE (FEAT. PUSHA T, CYHI DA PRYNCE, BIG SEAN, & J. COLE)

This G.O.O.D. Music posse cut (with Jay-Z's artist J. Cole tacked on at the end for good measure) is completely underwhelming. The instrumental simply sounds boring as shit, and there is no way that any of the artists involved can overcome that great of an obstacle. It helps that all five rappers sound pretty fucking awful anyway, so you two will never have to actually suffer through this shit like I just did. I still hope that Cole scores a Kanye best for his debut album, though: when that kid is on, he's enjoyable as hell.

CHAIN HEAVY (FEAT. TALIB KWELI & CONSEQUENCE)

Originally set for inclusion on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy but downgraded to a rumored iTunes bonus track and then deleted altogether, 'Ye unleashed this Q-Tip-produced confection the Friday before his album hit stores. And it sounds really fucking good, even though all of the hyperbolic praise heaped upon Kamaal by his fans on Twitter was a little much (I remember one guy comparing the beat to something from the era of The Low End Theory: are you fucking high?). I'm still trying to figure out how M.I.A., the original rumored guest artist, would have fit in on this song, as there is nothing remotely experimental about it: the beat simply bangs, and 'Ye, Cons, and Kweli all turn in pitch-perfect performances. According to Q-Tip on his Twitter account, My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy is to be re-released (possibly around Christmas, although that should have been announced this late in the game, right?) with “Chain Heavy” as a bonus track. Is that shit really necessary? Regardless of what happens with that, I'm glad that Kanye saw fit to release this song to the fans. Now if only he would do the same for “Mama's Boyfriend”...

CHRISTMAS IN HARLEM (FEAT. TEYANA TAYLOR, CYHI DA PRYNCE, PUSHA T, BIG SEAN, VADO, CAM'RON, JIM JONES, & MUSIQ SOULCHILD)

Before we start the obvious “but Kanye is from Chicago, not New York!” argument, let me point out that the title for this holiday track, released nearly a month after Kanye apparently shut down the G.O.O.D. Friday series, can be interpreted as a reference to the guest artists on here from DipSet, who claim Harlem World as their stomping grounds (or at least Killa Cam does/did). DipSet is represented on here by Cam'Ron, Jim Jones, and Vado, who has apparently replaced Juelz Santana in the lineup (that would explain why Santana was so mad at me the other day when I wouldn't let him wash my windshield at the intersection). The beat was handled by Hit Boy, who successfully evokes the emotions of Christmas without getting too cheesy, which is to say that the beat is pretty fucking good. For the most part, Kanye plays it straight, although he can't resist tossing in some sexual innuendo (the man is a master of the unsubtle single entendre) at the end of his verse, and his boy CyHi decides to rap as Santa Claus, although it must be said that he does a pretty good job and even shows religious tolerance at the end of his performance: when was the last time you heard that in a rap song, let alone a Christmas song? (War on Christmas my ass. Fuck you, Fox News.) Apparently the one-sided beef between 'Ye and DipSet has been squashed (as it only began because of Cam'Ron's loyalty to Dame Dash and the fact that Kanye obviously chose to run with Hova, it's nice that these guys were able to put their differences aside); it's too bad that Jimmy can even make a holiday as generally happy as Christmas sound completely fucking miserable with his shitty contribution. Everyone else sounded okay, if a bit lost in the shuffle, “All Of The Lights”-style; I'm hoping a final version drops soon, as the only copy available online right now is a shitty radio rip with Funkmaster Flex dropping bombs instead of presents. Still, this was enjoyable enough.  (UPDATE: The final version is now available over on Kanye's site.)

BONUS TRACKS:

THAT'S MY BITCH (KANYE WEST & JAY-Z FEAT. ELLY JACKSON)

This album track from the Watch The Throne project leaked shortly after My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy hit stores. Kanye's current obsession with La Roux continues on here (Elly Jackson also appeared on “All Of The Lights”, although I couldn't place her in that particular lineup if you put a gun to my head), but her hook, which doesn't fit the mood of the song in the least fucking bit, helps this Q-Tip-produced concoction (which sounds good, and entirely different than “Chain Heavy”, which helps) not sound like the average rap song. This track may not be complete, since right now it sounds more like a Kanye song featuring Hova rather than a collaboration, but it sounds promising enough. Besides, Q-Tip uses the “Apache” breakbeat in his instrumental. Come on, that shit's just fucking awesome.

G.O.O.D. MUSIC CYPHER FROM THE 2010 BET HIP HOP AWARDS (FEAT. KANYE WEST, PUSHA T, BIG SEAN, CYHI DA PRYNCE, COMMON, & DJ PREMIER)

This freestyle session, which is readily available online, is interesting to hear, if only because Kanye sounds really fucking happy to be rapping alongside his friends-slash-employees. More of the focus is shifted to Big Sean, CyHi Da Prynce, and Pusha T (Common barely registers on here), and everyone sounds decent enough, as freestyle cyphers are notoriously difficult to grade, unless you're just a terrible rapper and you suck, in which case all bets are off. (These freestyle cyphers have turned into a consistently enjoyable part of the Hip Hop Awards, even if some of the lineups are suspect at best: this year's event also showcased Raekwon alongside Wiz Khalifa and Royce Da 5'9” working with Tyga. The fuck?) Kanye reuses some of his “Dark Fantasy” lines on here (although, to be fair, they were new at the time), mostly the setup for the Family Matters joke, and he even gets in some decent one-liners, probably because he had an album to promote and needed to outshine everyone else over this DJ Premier-spun loop. Since we're here, let me ask this: why the fuck didn't Common appear on My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy? And where was Mos Def? They're both signed to 'Ye's label: shouldn't they have been granted an automatic cameo?

Here's a video clip of the dirty version of the cypher, which didn't air on for obvious reasons.

-Max

(UPDATE: As of December 22, the final version of "Christmas In Harlem" has been posted on Kanye's site as a part of the G.O.O.D. Friday series, so this post has been modified slightly to reflect that.)

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Reader Review: B.o.B. - The Adventures of Bobby Ray (April 26, 2010)

(You two probably saw this coming during the Big Boi write-up. Today, Mike listens to the other important (relatively speaking) hip hop album that I didn't have an opportunity to hear, B.o.B.'s Grammy-nominated debut The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Leave some comments for him below.)

I was originally planning to write a review of Big Boi’s debut solo album, but I've noticed that having one of the readers handle the write-up of a more recent release usually results in Max delaying his inevitable post (if he ever gets around to it at all). (For the record, I do plan on reviewing Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son Of Chico Dusty, just as soon as I can get past that loopy album title.) Therefore, I'm doing everyone (except for myself) a favor by skipping over to a different project: one of 2010's breakout successes, B.o.B.'s The Adventures of Bobby Ray. But first, a little bit of history.

Bobby Ray Simmons Jr. was born on November 15, 1988, spending a lot of his childhood in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. After realizing that he really wanted to rap for a living, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, home of hip hop acts ranging from OutKast and Goodie Mob to Young Jeezy and, um, Gucci Mane. (I apologize for mentioning the former two groups within the same sentence as the latter two names.)

Bobby Ray, newly christened as B.o.B., dropped a few mixtapes and found a bit of success, ultimately catching the ear of T.I., who signed him to his Grand Hustle imprint of Atlantic Records. Our hero then appeared on the cover of XXL’s 2009 “Freshmen” issue, alongside such notable newbies as Asher Roth, Charles Hamilton, KiD CuDi, and Wale (the first three were included to make Wale and him look better, I suppose). However, instead of immediately dropping an album as soon as he was noticed (as everyone else on that particular cover did, save for Charles Hamilton, whose career took a nosedive after committing numerous hip hop atrocities: he has yet to officially release anything to stores). B.o.B. elected to slowly build his buzz by releasing more mixtapes and turning in a fairly high-profile guest appearance on mentor T.I.'s Paper Trail. This turned out to be a smart move: while his peers essentially crashed and burned at the starting line, B.o.B.'s debut, The Adventures of Bobby Ray, was met with critical acclaim and high sales figures when it finally dropped earlier this year (of course, the "high sales figures" don't come close to comparing with what a comparable artist might have sold a decade prior, but we live in a new age).

A lot has been said about the obvious influence that OutKast's Andre 3000 has wielded on young Bobby Ray's career. Some have even gone as far as to name our hero a modern day version of Andre; I choose to believe that Andre is the modern day version of Andre, but I digress. The man certainly has an affinity for all things OutKast, as his rap name is derived from the duo's hyper-popular single “B.O.B.” from Stankonia (or, as hip hop purists prefer to call it, “Bombs Over Baghdad”). Those who insist on comparing the two also tend to justify their claims by using one, if not all, of the following statements: “Both artists hail from the South”; “They both avoid inventing a dance for every song they record”; “They tend to both rap and sing on their songs”; and “They both attempt to merge musical genres.” This article isn't really about any of those comparisons, though, since it's probably better that we look at Bobby Ray as his own man.

After the unexpected success of his debut single, “Nothin’ On You” (featuring now-popular crooner Bruno Mars), the label decided to move The Adventures of Bobby Ray's release up by one month. It probably helps that B.o.B. went out of his way to craft a debut album (whose title betrays an irritating Lupe Fiasco influence) that he thought would appeal to all possible demographics.

Let's see if he succeeded.

1. DON’T LET ME FALL

This song is pleasant enough, and the fact that it isn't a rap album intro is a huge plus. Thankfully, our protagonist’s voice adapts well enough for singing hooks. That being said, this track runs for much longer than it has to, and although Bobby Ray's flow is on point, he isn't saying anything on here that hasn't been said in a far better way before.

2. NOTHIN’ ON YOU (FEAT. BRUNO MARS)

Although this is definitely one of the biggest singles of the year, if you are able to ignore the millions of times you've already listened to it, you will realize that it is pretty high-quality, as far as hip-pop goes. There are some of you that may prefer the Lupe Fiasco version of the track; he was offered this song first, and ultimately decided against releasing it properly (although you can find it easily online). (Lupe was also offered the beat for “Airplanes” first, too, and he passed. “Nothin' On You” and “Airplanes” both later became huge hits for B.o.B. instead of seeing this as a poor business move, I choose to believe that Lupe is chasing something other than fame, although it could be argued that he isn't chasing anything at all, since his follow-up to The Cool has yet to drop.) However, Bobby Ray tries to exert energy he clearly didn't have in his verses, as he sounds as narcoleptic as Raekwon circa the early part of the decade.

3. PAST MY SHADES (FEAT. LUPE FIASCO)

Speaking of Lupe Fiasco, he makes an unsurprising guest appearance here. Not only does the chorus on this song suck, both artists sound as though they were on autopilot: nearly any other combination of two rappers could utilize this beat in a better way. What happened, Wasalu? I thought you weren't going to dumb yourself down for the masses! Or was that just something that sounded good for a song?

4. AIRPLANES (FEAT. HAYLEY WILLIAMS)

Although I can easily take an objective look at “Nothin' On You”, there's nothing in this world that can help me pretend that I can look at The Adventures of Bobby Ray's second single, “Airplanes”, as anything other than a song that I can't seem to escape, thanks to pop radio's obsession with the track (thanks to the appearance of Paramore's Hayley Williams on the hook), its prevalence as a Facebook status, and the trailer to that stupid Zac Efron movie Charlie St. Cloud. (Okay, judging by the last sentence and how hip hop radio sounds today, it should be obvious that I've held on to this write-up for quite a while. I left this sentiment in, though, not to date the review, but because I can still clearly recall a time earlier this year when what Michael wrote was absolutely true, you couldn't escape this song even if you tried, and I'm sure you two can also remember that.) All that being said, though, there isn't anything technically wrong with this song: in fact, B.o.B. even seemed to make an attempt at writing lyrics that actually meant something this time around.

5. BET I (FEAT. T.I. & PLAYBOY TRE)

This is probably the most by-the-books hip hop song on here, and it sounds decent enough, right up until Playboy Tre tackles the third verse, ruining an altogether meh track by not meeting the somewhat mediocre standards that the two bigger names set.

6. GHOST IN THE MACHINE

This song starts off extremely strong, with the simple piano arrangement working in a haunting, albeit appealing, way, but the good vibes quickly wear off once the rest of the overproduced beat envelops it. Sadly, B.o.B. is not good enough of a singer to carry an entire track, so this doesn't work as well as I would like. Also, it runs for five minutes, which is twice as long as it should have been.

7. THE KIDS (FEAT. JANELLE MONAE)

At first I thought that sampling “The Kids Don't Stand A Chance” from Vampire Weekend is a strange choice for a rapper, but then I remembered Kanye West sampling Peter Bjorn & John's “Young Folks” for a mixtape song, so I guess it isn't unheard of. The instrumental’s organic sound helps, but sadly, you guessed it, there isn't much to be found on here lyrically. Also, Janelle Monae (whose 2010 release The ArchAndroid:(Suites II and III) you should check out) is underutilized as well. (That's two Reader Reviews in a row recommending that you two check out Janelle Monae's album. That was not planned, by the way.)

8. MAGIC (FEAT. RIVERS CUOMO)

I haven’t yet given credit to B.o.B. for his attempt to please all audiences by embracing a plethora of different genres on The Adventures of Bobby Ray, mainly because I don’t feel that he's been able to make most of them work. Putting Weezer’s frontman on the hook is a weirdly inspired choice, but sadly, Cuomo simply goes through the motions, just like Weezer has ever since The Green Album came out. The song is overly radio-friendly, and the boasts throughout, such as, “I sing just like Aretha (he really doesn’t) / so 'Respect' me like I’m Caesar”, are juvenile, so there isn't much to see on here.

9. FAME

I think the readers can figure out the pros and cons of this song fairly easily. I'll help you along: “Fame” is similar to pretty much every other song on The Adventures of Bobby Ray. Discuss.

10. LOVELIER THAN YOU

I take back what I said earlier about Bobby Ray not being able to carry a song with his vocals: this was actually pretty good. However, hip hop purists will probably scoff at the sheer existence of this song.  I still liked it, though.

11. 5TH DIMENSION (FEAT. RICCO BARRINO)

Sadly, this is not a track sampling or featuring anybody from the actual group 5th Dimension. Ricco Barrino has a unique sound for an R&B singer, and although I’ve never heard of him before, he sounds good on the hook. Even B.o.B. sounds okay over this self-produced instrumental, even though his boasts haven't improved all that much.

12. AIRPLANES PART II (FEAT. HAYLEY WILLIAMS & EMINEM)

I remember being confused as to why the label would go with the original “Airplanes” over this sequel featuring Eminem as a single, but then I realized that, upon The Adventures of Bobby Ray's release date, Marshall's Recovery hadn't yet taken over the industry, and besides, maybe the label didn't want our host to appear to be overshadowed by a guest star right away. Regardless, this was a huge improvement over the original, with two new, better verses from B.o.B., some extra crooning from Hayley, and a verse from Eminem that makes it obvious that he actually cared about what he was saying, although it was delivered using his current scream-rapping delivery that grows tiresome fairly quickly. And with that, we've come to the end.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Although B.o.B. Presents: The Adventures of Bobby Ray (the official title of this project) is better than what most of his XXL cover peers could muster up, it's about on par with Wale's debut: they both showed potential while also exposing each respective artist's handicap. Both Bobby Ray and Wale have mastered the ability to create a strong mixtape, but have not been able to quite grasp the concept of an actual album. Hopefully a solid sophomore release will follow. Also, the Andre 3000 comparisons are ridiculous as of now, as B.o.B. is all flow and no substance (he can't even be socially conscious and spit funny one-liners separately yet, let alone merge them like 3 Stacks can). Although I was a bit hard on The Adventures of Bobby Ray, none of the beats are technically bad. Also, it’s rather short, with no skits or a rap album intro to interrupt the flow, which are huge bonuses for me. However, about half of the album ranges from par to birdie (no holes in one), with a very questionable middle portion (sub-par, if I want to keep this golf analogy going), and the guest stars fail to bring much to the table.

BUY OR BURN: A burn is more than sufficient. Nothing on here is a necessity, but none of it is true rubbish, either. Actually, as far as pop rap goes, The Adventures of Bobby Ray is about as good as you’ll find. That’s really not saying much, though.

BEST TRACKS: “Nothin’ On You”; “Lovelier Than You”; “5th Dimension”; “Airplanes Part II”

- Mike

(Questions? Comments? Concerns? List them below. I promise, I actually read them all.)

Screwball - Y2K: The Album (February 8, 2000)

After the aural debacle that was Roc Marciano's Marcberg, I decided that now was a good time to unleash this write-up, in an effort to shed some light on some thug rap shit that actually connects with its audience, and not just because the four members of Screwball actually understand how to use a microphone. 

Screwball is a Queensbridge-based quartet made up of rappers Blaq Poet, Hostyle, Solo (also known as Kyron), and the late KL, who passed away in 2008 due to complications caused by asthma.  They took their name from a late friend who was murdered prior to their formation, which is an interesting way to honor the memory of a dear friend, especially since Screwball works so well as a group name (it isn't any worse a crew moniker than Killarmy, anyway) that it's impossible to imagine these guys working under a different guise.  For the most part, Screwball consisted of four separate friends who all had varying degrees of success within our chosen genre before banding together and scoring a deal with Tommy Boy Records: Poet was best known for his early single "Beat You Down", which was a dis to KRS-One, and his cousin KL was better known as Kamakazee, who released a couple of twelve-inch singles prior to the debut group project Y2K.  Hostyle and Solo didn't work all that much prior to Y2K (Kyron apparently worked alongside Kamakazee, but I'm not entirely sure how much input he had), but they, along with Poet, moved on to solo careers, although they each continue to revolve around each other's solar systems from time to time.

Y2K was a long-awaited dedication to Queensbridge, a housing project that has somehow spawned some of the greatest rappers in history (and Nicki Minaj) (and Noreaga) (and Big Noyd), and the four pawns in Screwball tried to repay the favor by including as many QB notables as possible (except for Nas, Rakim, Tragedy Khadafi, and Q-Tip, who were all otherwise occupied, I suppose).  Production-wise, Screwball ceded duties primarily to Beatnuts affiliate Mike Heron, who handles the majority of the production on Y2K, but also sent invitations to Pete Rock, Marley Marl, Godfather Don, and DJ Premier, all of whom not only accepted, but also brought a dish.

Y2K was never destined to be a top seller, as it was marketed horribly by Tommy Boy Records: in fact, so few copies were pressed, it's relatively difficult to find one today without the use of the Interweb.  However, it was well-received by fans of the hardcore New York street sounds of the late 1990s (even though Y2K was released in early 2000), so it remains one of the hidden treasures (okay, not so hidden, since odds are that you two have probably heard of at least Blaq Poet) of the East Coast.

Okay, enough talk.

1. ALBUM INTRO

Groan...

2. THAT SHIT

Not really the best way to introduce the Screwball crew to an audience that has likely never heard of any of them. Still, they bounce off of each other's energy very well, and Mike Heron's instrumental (save for the sampled wailing) is appropriately attention-grabbing. The reason I'm nonplussed is because of the weak chorus, which relies on the gimmick of repeating the song's title: it leaves listeners feeling that all of Y2K will sound like this. It's probably best that you skip to the next track...right about...now.

3. F.A.Y.B.A.N.

Contains the best chorus that M.O.P. never wrote. DJ Premier provides a happy-go-lucky instrumental for Poet's hyper-aggressive “fuck all you bitch ass n----z” rant, and the ingredients all blend together and bake well. There were a lot of hip hop heads who used this song's refrain as a personal mission statement, and I'm sure there are still a few of you out there today still reciting this mantra on a daily basis. I do wonder why the rest of Screwball didn't contribute, though, since this is pretty much the only Screwball song that you absolutely need to hear if you only have five minutes of the rest of your life to spare.

4. TAKE IT THERE (FEAT. CAPONE)

Hostyle's Pac Man reference aside (“I'm ghost like Blinky”? That's fucking hilarious), this is actually a fairly convincing thug rap from three members of Screwball. (KL sits this song out.) Poet sounds better than everyone else, but then again, he usually does. Capone (from Capone-N-Noreaga) comes across as more accomplished on here than he does on CNN's albums, which is saying a fucking lot. Beatnuts affiliate V.I.C.'s instrumental also accurately captured the feeling of a gritty street circus, which is supposed to somehow be a compliment.

5. Y2K

As was expected after glancing at the album's title, Screwball tackle the paranoia associated with the new millennium, and instead of shouting about it and then retreating into a large pile of money like Busta Rhymes, the crew gets violently proactive, threatening to take out all adversaries that dare to stand in the way of their continued existence. The performances aren't bad, but Godfather Don's beat doesn't sound like the kind of music one would expect to hear during the Apocalypse: it's alright, but it's not real. Oh well.

6. SEEN IT ALL

Primo's other production contribution to Y2K is a majestic, sweeping affair that still mixes it up with enough of his patented boom-bap to capture the ears (and hearts) of hip hop heads. Hostyle, KL, and Poet rhyme about random events in their lives that have left them so jaded that absolutely nothing can faze them ever again, doing the beat justice, even though it kind of sounds like M.O.P. featuring Blaq Poet and nobody else and even minus M.O.P. at times. This was still much better track than I had remembered.

7. SOMEBODY'S GOT TO DO IT (FEAT. TRIPLE SEIS)

So far, one of Screwball's strengths is their beat selection: nearly every single beat on Y2K up to this point fucking knocks. Mike Heron's work on here even makes Terror Squad's Triple Seis, already a curious choice for a guest spot, sound really goddamn good. Hostyle and Solo both manage to tear shit up, as well: I'm left wondering just how long Screwball can keep up with this unrelenting pace.

8. YOU LOVE TO HEAR THE STORIES (FEAT. MC SHAN)

Blaq Poet teams up with old-school legend (and Snow apologist) MC Shan, relating the rise of his fellow Queensbridge rappers (such as Nas and Mobb Deep) over some surprisingly moving Pete Rock production work. While this is still a pretty entertaining song, it seems to exist merely to evoke feelings of nostalgia that aren't earned: it's like Seth Rogen making a movie with Steve Martin, with the audience expected to be excited about Martin's mere presence. Although I like both of those guys, so that's probably not the best example. Anyway, Shan sounds fucking awkward on here, which may be proof that he can't really hang with the cool kids today. But “The Bridge” is still my shit.

9. THE HEAT IS ON (FEAT. PRODIGY & GODFATHER DON)

Nope, this still isn't the Glenn Frey cover I pined for when I first wrote about this song, which also appeared on Mobb Deep's Free Agents: The Murda Mixtape (albeit in a different, “unreleased” format). Mike Heron's instrumental is actually pretty weak, which was eventually going to happen: no rap album will ever be filled with wall-to-wall banging beats, not even Illmatic. Yeah, I fucking said it. Anyway, de facto leader Blaq Poet spits alongside a coherent Cellblock P, who gives the best performance I've heard from him in fucking years. (I guess it helps that this is not a recent recording.) However, the beat sabotages the proceedings. Godfather Don also has nearly nothing to do, handling only the hook: exactly why was he invited to be on here again?

10. THE BLOCKS (FEAT. NATURE)

Sure, Nature (who replaced Cormega in supergroup The Firm) may not be your first choice for a guest star, but Screwball was actively trying to recruit their Queensbridge peers for Y2K. (As to why Capone makes an appearance and not Noreaga, ask yourself this question: if you were given a choice between trying to appeal to a street audience versus making a radio hit, who the hell would you choose?) A Kid Called Roots lends the two members of Screwball who pop up on here a guitar-driven beat that keeps things moving, but the track itself wasn't anything I could identify in a police lineup.

11. NO EXCEPTIONS (FEAT. BIG NOYD)

Rapper Noyd makes a very good point during his opening verse: he has actually rhymed alongside Rakim (on Mobb Deep's “Hoodlum”, from the soundtrack to the film of the same name). However, the way he says it seems to almost taunt Hostyle, KL, and Poet, who probably won't ever receive the same consideration, unless DJ Premier interferes or something. Noyd doesn't seem to understand that he lucked into that shit because Rakim Allah wanted to work with Mobb Deep. You'll notice that I haven't really written all that much about “No Exceptions”.

12. THE OPERATION (FEAT. NASHAWN)

“The Operation” moves things back in the right direction. Mike Heron's beat sounds like the soundtrack to planning a profitable, if predictable, heist (although it also reminds me of scenes in older movies where newspapers spin toward the audience and reveal the headline: SCREWBALL RELEASES GOOD SONG, MAX REJOICES), and everyone involved sounds, well, involved, including guest star Nashawn, who must be hating the love and appreciation that West Coast rapper Fashawn is receiving right now. If only you chose a different consonant to start your rap moniker, you might have reaped the rewards. Sorry, buddy.

13. URBAN WARFARE

Hostyle's solo shot takes place over a Mike Heron instrumental that could also introduce a remake of The Untouchables if it wasn't already busy that evening. I was pretty impressed that the beat accurately captured the titular concept, so the fact that Hostyle's lyrics were well-performed was just cherry.

14. WHO SHOT RUDY?

Quite the controversial single for Screwball at the time, for obvious reasons: they aren't talking about the little girl from The Cosby Show, after all. Hostyle and Solo tackle a fantasy sequence that other rappers didn't have the balls to do, and their attention to detail regarding the death of Rudy Giuliani is portrayed in such a distinct manner that listeners will be convinced that it actually happened. Which, I suppose, makes Screwball the hip hop equivalent of Phillip K. Dick or Phillip Roth. On a related note, Screwball should look into titling any future follow-up album Phillip. Oh, and the song sounds pretty good, too.

15. BIZ INTERLUDE (FEAT. BIZ MARKIE)

Including Biz Markie somewhere on your album is hardly ever a bad thing, as long as he's given something to do. For instance, on here he provides the human beatbox.

16. H-O-S-T-Y-L-E

Poet may be the guy positioned to be the breakout star, but Hostyle actually spits more verses on Y2K, including on this, his signature track. I hate how the word “money” is spelled out during the chorus, but aside from that, Hostyle takes what should be a corny-ass instrumental from Mike Heron and turns it into an entrance theme. This leaves me with little doubt as to why he was the other guy in Screwball to branch out and make outside cameos. His third “verse” consists of nothing but shout-outs, but I forgive him anyway.

17. COMMUNICATIONS (FEAT. PRINCE AD)

This KL solo song (Prince AD factors only on the hook) isn't bad, even though it sounds like a carbon copy of something Capone-N-Noreaga would come up with. EZ Elpee's instrumental, disembodied vocals and all, is fairly haunting (even though that clearly wasn't the intention), and it meets the lyrics halfway. This was actually pretty fucking good.

18. ZONING

Unlike this shit, which was weak. Channeling Snoop Dogg's verse from Dr. Dre's “Bitches Ain't Shit” was interesting for exactly one second. This was pretty awful, and everyone here (all four members pop up on this track) sounds as though they checked out of the hotel six days prior.

19. ATTN: A&R DEPARTMENT

After a corny, creepy-sounding gag, Poet, Hostyle, KL, and Solo take on the music industry directly, and their arguments are all clear and concise. Eddie Sancho's beat is militant with its efficiency, and the hook actually works (considering the subject matter, that's kind of shocking). Some of these complaints may help explain why the members of Screwball aren't as well known as some of their Queensbridge brethren within hip hop's context. This shit was fucking good.

20. ON THE REAL (FEAT. CORMEGA & HAVOC)

I'm a little bit confused about this track: allegedly, Nas (arguably the biggest name from QB today, and seemingly the only important new-school guy from there to not appear on Y2K) originally contributed a verse alongside KL and Solo over this simple Marley Marl production, but the Interweb doesn't seem to know if this is actually true, or if Nas simply released a similarly-titled song around the same time. Oh well. This chugged along fairly slowly, but everyone here sounded really goddamn good, ending Y2K on a high note. Predictably, Mega Montana (who might have replaced Nas on here, if that rumor is even true) murders his collaborators, chopping up their bodies and disposing of the pieces in the river, but everyone seems to be having so much fun, so who cares?

FINAL THOUGHTS: Y2K actually holds up surprisingly well a full decade removed from its release. Signing Screwball to a major label deal probably wouldn't have been my first move, but Poet, Hostyle, KL, and Solo all acquit themselves nicely when stretched out over twenty tracks (eighteen songs and two skits) that are almost consistently entertaining. None of these guys are great lyricists or anything, but the team's chemistry lends a lot of credence to the group efforts, and the tracks that feature only one or two members all sounds as though these guys could handle the pressures of a solo album with a bit more practice. The production work on here is top notch, and most of the guests bring their A-game, making Y2K one of the better hip hop contributions from Queensbridge, and probably one that most of you two haven't heard of until now. Go ahead and give this one a shot.

BUY OR BURN? I think you'll enjoy this one, especially if you appreciate late-1990s New York hip hop like I do, so you should pick it up if you can. (The links scattered throughout this post would be a good first option (hint, hint).)  The entertainment value alone helps to override some of the project's imperfections.

BEST TRACKS: “F.A.Y.B.A.N.”; “Attn: A&R Department”; “Seen It All”; “The Operation”; “Who Shot Rudy?”; “Communications”; “On The Real”; “Urban Warfare”

-Max