My Gut Reaction: Eminem - Revival (December 15, 2017)

If you’re reading this post, that means I made it: one new post a day for the entire month of February. Obviously, this will be followed up by another break on my part, but not of the “lengthy hiatus” variety: I just need to recharge my batteries and plot my next move. I also have a bunch of emails to respond to regarding Reader Reviews and whatnot, so if you’ve sent me something during the past few months, I will respond to you, and I apologize for the delay: I just kept putting off reading the messages in order to focus on this project. While you wait for some more new content, I suggest you catch up on the rest of the month of February, listen to some of the projects discussed, and leave some goddamn motherfucking comments, as this blog lives and dies based on audience participation, and I assume you two want me to keep writing, correct?

So for the final write-up of the month, let’s discuss the career of Marshall Mathers.

My Gut Reaction: Canibus - Mind Control (June 21, 2005)

With his reign as one of the three hip hop Cameo Kings winding down as the 1990s came to a close, Germaine “Canibus” Williams has had a tough time navigating our chosen genre. His career appears, on its surface, to be as haphazard and happenstance as life itself, with many of his creative and business choices seemingly made without any of his own personal input. Even the major decisions he does make, such as joining the military after the release of his fourth album, Mic Club: The Curriculum, or signing with Wyclef Jean’s camp for his debut, Can-I-Bus, concluded with very little impact caused by his own hand, such as getting kicked out of the military for smoking weed (um, his rap name is Canibus, what was everyone expecting), or getting kicked out of Wyclef’s crew and subsequently fighting with him.

The sixth Canibus album, Mind Control, is yet another project on which Germaine had no hand in its fate. Click through to learn more.

My Gut Reaction: LL Cool J - Authentic (April 30, 2013)

Lip Sync Battle’s James Todd Smith, who performs under the alias “LL Cool J” so as to avoid both process servers and his in-laws, has been an institution within our chosen genre damn near since its inception, and he’s made his mark over the course of his thirty-five year career. He’s been nominated to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, he’s the first rapper to be honored at the Kennedy Center Honors, he’s been nominated for multiple acting awards (including an Emmy and a bunch of NAACP Image awards), he’s hosted the Grammy awards ceremony five years in a row, and he even has a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. None of this would have been possible without rap, a fact he is fully cognizant of, and he periodically returns to the game in between acting jobs to sharpen his skills, put on some of the new blood, and to generally remind everyone of his first love, which is a tangible product that can be purchased in the form of thirteen studio albums and two greatest hits collections.

Yep, we’re going back to the LL Cool J reverse chronological review well today.

Something Different: Beyonce - Dangerously In Love (June 23, 2003)

So here’s the deal, folks: I’m fully prepared for today’s post to be ignored, dismissed, and likely trashed in the comments. But I don’t give a fuck: there is something about the ascension of Beyoncé Knowles that has fascinated me throughout her career, something more interesting than her actual musical output, and after completing her husband Jay-Z’s discography again earlier this month (at least until he drops something else, which, well, who knows if/when that’ll happen), I found myself thinking about her own body of work, both as a member of the group Destiny’s Child and as a solo artist. There’s an evolution that happened with her music: she hit a point where the love songs took on more raw and poignant feeling, and where she celebrated her independence with far more confidence and audacity than she ever did on her former crew’s “Independent Women” (both parts). I think there’s a fascinating parallel between her own work and that of Shawn Carter, and I’m not just referring to the whole Lemonade / 4:44 cheating thing, and I wanted to discover for myself whether that was the case, or if I was just imagining shit.

So, because this is my blog blah blah blah, today’s post will explore Beyoncé’s debut solo album Dangerously In Love. Tomorrow we’ll get back into some more rap shit, but today’s as good a day as any for me to start yet another project I may not ever finish.

Group Home - A Tear For The Ghetto (June 1, 1999)

In 1995, the duo Group Home, made up of rappers Lil’ Dap and Melachi the Nutcracker, released their debut album Livin’ Proof. Production was handled primarily by DJ Premier, who was helping out his Gang Star Foundation squires (in fact, both Dap and Melachi had made their respective debuts on Gang Starr projects): his beats on the project elevated it to essential listening, and both artists sounded pretty good over Preemo’s classic boom bap, even if they weren’t really the best rappers on their own. Four years later, they released a follow-up, A Tear For The Ghetto, on Replay Records, and in an effort to prove their worth as men or some shit, they only managed to secure one instrumental from Preemo, outsourcing for the majority of the studio sessions: not so coincidentally, A Tear For The Ghetto tanked (it’s not like Livin’ Proof sold a million copies or anything, but it was incredibly well-received), stalling Group Home’s career for many years, so much so that you two may have forgotten that they were even a thing before you read today’s post.

Prince Paul - A Prince Among Thieves (February 23, 1999)

What follows is a write-up for Prince Paul’s A Prince Among Thieves that I wrote over three years ago. I know this because I had to edit one of the sentences within the body of the post itself that dared to make a reference to time. I had been waiting for the opportunity to run this one, and I had big plans which I won't reveal here just in case I end up using them later, but in wanting to make sure I did the project justice, I kept putting it off until I just wasn’t writing anything for two years. This was supposed to run earlier this month, but I discovered that, by pure chance, today is the nineteen-year anniversary of the album’s release, so I held it back to celebrate a milestone that nobody will likely care about, but should. Feel free to refer to this review next year, when Paul is celebrating twenty years of A Prince Among Thieves, as it’ll still sound exactly the same and the notes below will still apply.

Unless Paul uses the milestone as an excuse to re-release the project with extra bonus material. I certainly would be open to that, anyway.

ScHoolboy Q - Blank Face LP (July 8, 2016)

Since 2011, Quincy “ScHoolboy Q” Hanley has released four full-length albums, all of which were met with varying degrees of critical acclaim. This seems downright quaint in this day and age, when rappers are more concerned with gaming streams and chasing the money by releasing as much product in as short a time period as possible, thereby increasing the likelihood that they will become irrelevant even faster than usual due to overexposure and a lack of quality control. This isn’t a concern of Quincy’s: he tends to take his time with crafting projects, and limits his own guest appearances on other people’s albums to folks he actually likes. He wants all of the money, obviously, but doesn’t want to do the chasing: he feels the money should pursue him. That’s my interpretation as to why his fourth album (and second for a major label), Blank Face LP, features seventeen tracks, but doesn’t have a deluxe edition or a Target-exclusive version with additional tracks: Q wanted to ensure that every listener had access to the same set of songs.

Kendrick Lamar - DAMN. (April 14, 2017)

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The Brothers Thornton: Pusha T - King Push - Darkest Before Dawn: The Prelude (December 18, 2015) + My Gut Reaction: No Malice - Let The Dead Bury The Dead (August 18, 2017)

Terrence “Pusha T” Thornton has been threatening to release an album entitled King Push ever since his debut solo full-length, My Name Is My Name, hit store and digital shelves in 2013. The first song on My Name Is My Name is even called “King Push”. Clearly this is a title he’s been in love with for a long time. But it seems that title may not like him back, since I’m writing these words five years later and there still hasn’t been any movement on the Pusha front. One would think that being named president of G.O.O.D. Music would give him the confidence he needs to push his own project to the forefront, but allegedly King Push is supposed to be produced in its entirety by label founder Kanye West, and between the two of them, every song on King Push has been scrapped in favor of something “better”, so I wouldn’t expect something from the man anytime soon.

Which is just as well: Pusha T has a bunch of EDM and dubstep club joints to guest-rap on.

Timbaland & Magoo - Under Construction Part II (November 18, 2003)

Especially observant readers will recall that Missy Elliott released an album entitled Under Construction in 2002. This is because I wrote about it just yesterday, you dorks. One year later, a sequel was released, conveniently entitled Under Construction Part II: this will be the subject of today’s post. This continuation is notable for its creative direction, one which just wouldn’t fly with any major studio: Under Construction Part II reduces the protagonist’s role to that of a mere cameo, while the focus shifts to two different characters, one of whom was in the background of nearly every scene in Under Construction, while the other is a brand new entrant to the series, and the narrative chooses to follow this pair instead.

Which means Under Construction Part II should be considered more of a spinoff, not a direct sequel. But Timbaland likes to court possible lawsuits from consumer advocacy groups for false advertising: given how loosey-goosey he is with clearing his samples, it’s not like he doesn’t have several lawyers on retainer.

Missy Elliott - Under Construction (November 12, 2002)

It’s been three fucking years since Missy “I Dropped the ‘Misdemeanor’ As It Wasn’t On-Brand Anymore” Elliott made her surprise appearance during Katy Perry’s halftime show at Super Bowl XLIX. At the time, you two likely saw one of two types of responses to her performance: “Holy shit, we need a new Missy Elliott album ASAP” (which was my reaction), or “Who is this?” (the more popular take, sadly). One thing you didn’t see is anyone claiming that she sucked: everyone likes at least three Missy Elliott songs, even if you’re too young to know who Missy Elliott is.

Sadly, the waves of press her cameo initiated didn’t translate into a new album, although it wasn't because of a lack of trying: Melissa dropped a handful of singles and cameo appearances. So we sit here, three years later, wondering just what went wrong. But we already know the answer: the musical landscape is far different today than it was back in the late 1990s and early 2000s, back when Missy and her partner-in-crime, producer Timbaland, changed the way radio sounded multiple times during the height of their respective careers. Regardless of how you personally feel about Missy and Timbaland as artists, you have to admit that is quite the feat: you can’t do what Missy and Timbo did multiple times and still have it be considered accidental.

My Gut Reaction: Earl Sweatshirt - I Don't Like Shit, I Don't Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt (March 23, 2015)

So did Thebe “Earl Sweatshirt” Kgositsile bail from Tyler, the Creator’s Odd Future movement or what? At the time of the release of the guy’s second full-length album, I Don’t Like Shit, I Don’t Go Outside: An Album by Earl Sweatshirt, it sure seemed that way: upon its surprise announcement in March of 2015, many fans noted a significant lack of involvement from most of Earl’s Odd Future crew, a collective of rappers, producers, and singer-slash-rapper Frank Ocean from California that banded together in the face of the music industry and caused them to blink first. There’s never been a real answer given, but I don’t think it should matter: if we’re going to run with the “Odd Future is the new Wu-Tang Clan” comparison that everyone insists on using, that would make Tyler the leader, the RZA of the situation, and at this point in the careers of his charges, he was a lot more hands-off, so it makes sense that Earl Sweatshirt would venture out on his own without the safety net.

De La Soul - Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump (August 8, 2000)

Four years after the release of their fourth full-length album, Stakes Is High, the rap trio De La Soul, made up of Posdnuos, Dave, and Maseo, announced an ambitious follow-up project to be distributed by their label, Tommy Boy Records. It was to be a trilogy entitled Art Official Intelligence, and all three discs were to be released separately, but within the span of a year. Both De La and Tommy Boy were all-in on the concept: the group talked it up in the press, while the label even made plans to distribute a box-set version of the first entry in the series, Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump, with two additional, empty slots for fans to collect every disc into.

I’m writing this intro in 2018, and to date, part three still hasn’t seen a release of any sort, De La Soul is no longer signed to Tommy Boy Records, and Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump is generally considered to be a low point in the group’s career. This doesn’t mean it’ll never happen, of course, but it’s been eighteen goddamn years: at this point I fully expect for Pos, Dave, and Maseo to turn in the finale to whatever label they’re currently signed to, stare into the heavens with smiles on their faces, and quietly pass away, their souls finally freed from serving their sentence on Earth.

A Tribe Called Quest - We Got It From Here... Thank You 4 Your Service (November 11, 2016)

On November 13, 2015, A Tribe Called Quest performed on television for the first time in many years. Although the crew had gotten together for a handful of stage shows to help support Kanye West's Yeezus tour a couple of years prior, their appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon wasn't considered to be anything resembling a reunion, as producer-slash-rapper Q-Tip was busy with his solo career, as was rapper Phife Dawg, producer Ali Shaheed Muhammad, and rapper-slash-chef Jarobi White.

Tribe’s performance aired the same evening as the attacks in Paris, France, where three suicide bombings killed one hundred and thirty people and injured over four hundred more. Taking this as a sign that the future isn’t promised for anyone, A Tribe Called Quest quietly reunited for real, and even decided to record an album in secret.

Unfortunately, Phife Dawg passed away from complications due to diabetes four months later.

Kanye West - The Life of Pablo (February 14, 2016)

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My Gut Reaction: Busta Rhymes - It Ain't Safe No More... (November 26, 2002)

Trevor Smith’s career has been somewhat interesting to follow. The artist, who performs as Busta Rhymes because of a nickname given to him by Chuck D of Public Enemy, has been in this rap shit for seemingly one hundred and thirty years, evolving from a member of Leaders Of The New School to the dude who killed every guest appearance he made in the late 1990s to a solo artist to someone whose last full-length album was released exclusively on Google Play. He’s gone from being the closest our chosen genre has to a Tex Avery cartoon character to a roided-out drunk who assaults people that look at him funny. It’s a sad situation, one that hasn’t been rectified by his continued alliance with Q-Tip and A Tribe Called Quest (he made multiple appearances on their final album, We Got It From Here… Thank You 4 Your Service), and who the fuck knows when he’ll manage to convince whatever label he’s still on to release a new project. How did he get to this point?

After listening to his sixth album, It Ain’t Safe No More…, I have a theory.

J-Zone and Celph Titled are... The Bo$$ Hog Barbarian$ - Every Hog Has Its Day (March 14, 2006)

Today marks the eleven-year anniversary of the blog. I've missed a couple of these during my lengthy hiatus, so I wanted to make sure I acknowledged it this time around. Okay, that's over with, let's move on.

These days, producer-slash-sometimes rapper J-Zone is best known for successfully reinventing himself within not just our chosen genre, but transcending them, as well, having used his early experiences in the rap game, releasing critically-acclaimed but low-selling independent albums on his own label (Old Maid Entertainment) and touring with them to no avail, as inspiration for his autobiography, Root for the Villain: Rap, Bullshit, and a Celebration of Failure (released in 2011), which generated renewed interest in his music. Since then, he’s released two additional rap albums, but for the most part has moved on to other ventures, teaching himself to play the drums (he performed the drum work live on his last two albums), which has led to his current role as the drummer in his funk duo, The Du-Rites, alongside Pablo Martin of the Tom Tom Club.

Today’s post does not touch on the current J-Zone, however. There are no live drums or reflections on his past, aside from general complaints that his output doesn’t sound like his earlier work, something all rappers have dealt with at some point in their careers. No, the subject of today’s post is an album entitled Every Hog Has Its Day, and it’s a satirical take on the ignorant rap music that Zone and his partner-in-rhyme-for-this-one-project-only, underground stalwart Celph Titled, enjoy unironically.

Salt 'N Pepa - A Salt With A Deadly Pepa (July 26, 1988)

I found today’s write-up in a long-abandoned binder that I used to keep blog ideas in. Did you know that I once wanted to devote a post to being a A&R just to invite conversation about who everyone would want to sign to their fantasy labels? Or that I had originally planned to stop doing this shit once my writer’s block had passed, and I could finally get back to my screenplays and fiction? How about that time I tried to convert the hatred I had over some unknown project (probably a Canibus album, I’m assuming) into a renewable source of energy? Anyway, all of this is to say that the content below was all written several years ago, which is not an indictment of Salt-N-Pepa nor their second album, A Salt With a Deadly Pepa: I just couldn’t find a way to fit it onto the blog before, and now I just don’t give a shit, I’ll run what I want to run. That is all.

The Beatnuts - Milk Me (August 31, 2004)

The Beatnuts are a team that have released six albums and two EPs commercially. There are a handful of other projects, but it isn’t very easy to find their instrumental contribution to the Hydra series, so for the sake of this paragraph we’ll stick with the above. Somehow, the duo of Psycho Les and Juju have inspired three greatest hits projects. Three. None of which include any songs from their last two full-length albums. So we’re really talking about four albums and two EPs that have generated enough interest to fully finance and market three separate greatest hits compilations.

Yep, that means The Beatnuts are masters at getting out of contractual obligations, forcing their former labels to make do with the materials they have.

Erick Sermon - Def Squad Presents Erick Onasis (June 27, 2000)

In 1999, producer-slash-rapper Erick Sermon had just released Out Of Business, which was purported to be the final album by his legendary duo EPMD, which he formed with his longtime friend-turned-foe-turned-friend Parrish “PMD” Smith (and DJ Scratch, lest we all forget). Unlike all five of their previous projects, Out of Business failed to sell enough units to earn them another gold plaque, but Erick and Parrish enjoyed their elder statesmen roles, helping discover new acts while boosting the careers of their protégées Redman, Keith Murray, and EPMD., and the music reflected this.

Fast forward one year later. The relationship with Def Jam is terminated: neither Sermon nor PMD would ever release a project on that iconic imprint again in their careers. PMD is off spinning his wheels in the underground (a story for someone else to tell, as he isn’t the focus of today’s post), while the artist known as the Green-Eyed Bandit is recording for Dreamworks Records under an alias.

What the fuck happened?