Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire - Lost in Translation (2011)

I'll be honest with you, folks.  I'm having a hell of a time figuring out where to start with this one.  I guess the cover art(?) is as good a place as any to kick this off.  It features a fairly voluptuous, blue-haired woman, throwing back a .40, while sitting on the toilet.  Meanwhile, our protagonist, Mr. Muthafuckin' (don't forget the Muthafuckin') eXquire,  is in the background bent over the bathtub, presumably vomiting.  If the cover piques your interest, the first track you're treated to is "Triple F," eXquire's preemptive warning to those who would try to leach off the income his music career will inevitably land him.  For a guy who was working in a parking garage this time two years ago, he shows impressive confidence in his ability to build his rapping into a real career.  Oh, and "Triple F" features the word "fuck" approximately eighty times in three and a half minutes.

If you're even semi-familiar with New York underground hip-hop, you'll immediately recognize a few of the beats eXquire uses here.  He recycles a number of old El-P beats, notably "Vein" and "Pigeon" off of The Cold Vein on "Chicken Spot Rock" and "Build-a-Bitch," respectively.  Esoteric, Jake One, and Necro beats also make appearances.  Some of the mixing, specifically early in the album, sounds pretty muddy.  I can't tell if it's intentional, or not.  It would fit the whole mystique that eXquire seems to be aiming for, but the production values are noticeably better on tracks towards the end.  I can't really give eXquire too much credit for the beats, though.  It was a very good selection, but most of them were almost directly ripped from other tracks.

Using classic, recognizable beats can be a double-edged sword.  Yeah, you get to ensure that your tape is going to have great beats, but you're also going to inevitably draw comparisons to the original track, as Fashawn learned when he released Ode to Illmatic a few years back.  eXquire manages to separate himself from the original tracks by dramatically shifting the tone and subject matter.  For example, as I mentioned above, "Chicken Spot Rock" uses a beat originally from Cannibal Ox's "Vein." "Vein," is a track about how stereotypical portrayals of blacks can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, and how people need to embrace what makes them unique and transcend those stereotypes before they are destroyed by them.  eXquire transformed it into an ode to fried chicken and liquor (I'm going to go ahead and assume/hope the irony there is intentional).  The result is that you have two tracks with the same beat, but the intent is so different that it's impossible to really compare them against one another.

Seeing a guy throw a nod to the underground scene with his beats is refreshing, and was a definite treat for an El-P fan, such as myself, but what really makes Lost in Translation is eXquire, himself.  I can't tell how much of eXquire is real, and how much is just stage persona, but I really don't care.  Even if it's all an act, it's believable.  He doesn't have any delusions of being a thug, he's just a struggling guy from the hood with an affinity for chicken, malt liquor, and good head.  The general unimpressiveness of his life makes it seem that much more real.  If it wasn't so funny, it might even be depressing.  What does he have to gain by writing a track about urinating in public?  It doesn't make him seem any more hardcore, it certainly doesn't make his life seem glamorous.  It's the same type of uncomfortable honesty that propelled Danny Brown to fame.

Most of the tracks that will end up being remembered from Lost in Translation will be the ones with eXquire flaunting his over the top hood ruggedness.  Spread throughout, though are tracks with a very different tone; a softer, more introspective tone.  Tracks like "I Should Be Sleeping," "Weight of Water," and "Nuthin Even Matters (Regrets)" show a level of desperation and guilt not even hinted at in the other tracks.  I feel like "Build-a-Bitch" was supposed to have a similarly serious tone.  The track ultimately falls flat, though.  He is clearly uncomfortable on it, and it ends up being one of the funnier tracks on a tape fully of chuckle-worthy tracks, as a result.

 As a whole, the first half of the tape far outclasses the second half.  Much of the energy found at the beginning of the album disappears after "Lou Ferigno's Mad." Both of the skits are barely smirk-worthy the first time you hear them, and become something you'll find yourself skipping on subsequent listens.  "Lovesponge" represents the low point, though.  It's a track that was supposed to be jokingly misogynistic, but ends up just being uncomfortable. "Galactus Redux" provides a much needed injection of energy, but has eXquire adopting a harder tone, which is unbecoming for him.

The final track, however, makes waiting through the previous six well worth it.  Like many of you reading this, it's the track that first brought Mr. Muthafuckin' eXquire to my attention.  "The Last Huzzah!" is an inarguably great track.  eXquire's affinity for El-P beats paid off for him in spectacular fashion. He score an El-P feature, and with El-P comes fellow underground notables, Das Racist, Danny Brown, and Despot.  El-P drops what might be the best verse of 2011 and Danny Brown sounds as good as he ever has.  While eXquire's verse doesn't necessarily stand out among the crowd, he didn't exactly feel like he didn't fit among such company.  I can only hope that more collaborations between this group will come in the future.

Ultimately, the highs of Lost in Translation, far overshadow the lows.  It's a tape that could have done with having a few tracks left of the floor, but you can't really fault a guy for experimenting a bit on a free mixtape.  Were this a studio album, I might be a little less inclined to give tracks like "Lovesponge" a pass, but for free?  I'm glad to see a guy with a burgeoning career step out of his comfort zone a bit.  It gives me faith that he's going to keep expanding his repertoire and not get stale like so many rappers do after their first handful of releases.

Best Tracks: "Huzzah!", "Chicken Spot Rock", "I Should Be Sleepin", "Nuthin Really Matters (Regrets)", "The Last Huzzah"

Overall: 82/100

Top 50 Albums of the 2000's #1-10

#10 The Minstrel Show - Little Brother (2005)

BET has been propagating ignorant shit for quite a while now, but it wasn't until the release of this album that they openly admitted it.  They famously refused to play the first single "Lovin It" because they deemed it "too intelligent"  to be shown on BET.  It's unfortunate that this album got embroiled in so much controversy (there was another incident with Source) because it's a fantastic album.  The skits never get old, the production is outstanding, even the tracks that aren't particularly good are at least worth a chuckle.  This is an album that is just plain fun to listen to.  I love the variety show concept, too; even if the tracks don't exactly adhere to it strictly.

#9 Game Theory - The Roots (2006)

The Roots sound notably more aggressive and focused here than they had on their previous handful of releases.  Whereas Phrenology, at times, felt like just experimentation for the sake of experimentation, Game Theory is concise and direct.  Honestly, with the energy The Roots brought to the table, this record could have been completely empty of substance and I'd still probably love it.  Quite the contrary, though.  This arguably the most serious Roots album to date, taking on topics like violence in the media and the Iraq war as well as issues within the music industry and black community of which The Roots are a part.

#8 Be - Common (2005)

If there has ever been a better example of quality over quantity than Be, I haven't heard it (other than the obvious one...).  It comes in at just 11 tracks and a shade over 40 minutes, but there isn't a skippable moment throughout the entire thing.  It feels like a coming of age of sorts for Common.  He'd crossed into his 30s, he had just joined up with GOOD Music and he was coming off of the lukewarm Electric Circus.  I think Com stepped a little too far out of his comfort zone with Electric Circus and Be marks him getting back into his own skin and feeling comfortable there.

#7 The College Dropout - Kanye West (2004)

The thing that makes this album so great is how relatable the content is.  Kanye doesn't try to act like he's hard, he doesn't try to act like he's better than you, he's just rapping about average, lower-middle class problems.  While he still manages to pull some pretty big features, this isn't Kanye the super-star egomaniac, yet.  This Kanye is still very human  He's got a job in the mall, his teachers are questioning his life choices... he still has people around him that tell him "no" every once in a while.  At the same time, it still carries Kanye's signature top-shelf production and technically average rapping.

#6 Madvillainy - Madvillain (2004)

At the time of this release, Madlib and MF DOOM were arguably the most prominent producer and MC in the underground scene, and yes, it is as blunted out as you would expect from these two.  It's one of those album that you're either going to get and love, or absolutely miss the point and despise.  A quick glance at the Metacritic page shows the most common user rating is 10.  The second most common? 0.  You'll either applaud Madlib's crate digging and DOOM's free-form verses, or find them mind-numbingly boring and self indulgent.

#5 Supreme Clientele - Ghostface Killah (2000)

While most of the Wu was going through a slump, Ghostface was doing exactly what he does best; be consistently top notch.  In 2000, Wu's old sound was starting to feel a little played, and Ghost took the responsibility of updating it for the new millennium.  Ghost's wordplay has never been better,and that's saying something.  It's got all the Ghostism's (a word I just made up for words/phrases that Ghostface makes up) that that any listener could ever want.  Just to show that this is still a Wu album, though, there is an excessive amount of time dedicated to skits.  I guess some things never change.

#4 Blazing Arrow - Blackalicious (2002)

The quintessential Summer album, it's jazzy, upbeat and, above all else, fun.  Gift of Gab is a gymnast on the mic, effortlessly switching between flows, without ever sacrificing an internal rhyme to do so.  Gab steals the show here, for sure, but Chief Xcel holds up his end of the album, as well.  Features by Hi-Tek, ?uestlove and Cut Chemist ensure that this is an album that has a ton of replay value, and the multitude of producers don't cripple the cohesiveness of the album in the slightest.

#3 The Cold Vein - Cannibal Ox (2001)

I could see this pick stirring up a little controversy.  It doesn't seem like there is much of a middle ground with Cannibal Ox, you either love them or absolutely hate them.  Obviously, I'm a member of the former group.  The lyrics are abstract to the point of borderline incoherence, at times; if you try to break the songs down line by line, you'll drive yourself insane.  After several listens, the message begins to clarify itself,  and this is one the most vivid, personal, passionate portraits of urban poverty ever created.  El-P has yet to surpass the beats he created for this album, as well.  The dark, ominous production serves as a perfect backdrop to Vaste and Vordul's rhymes, ensuring their isn't an ounce of hope to be felt anywhere near The Cold Vein.

#2 Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 (2000)

Anybody who knows me predominantly as Banjo, knows that this is my all time favorite hip-hop album.  It's a concept album about a distant future in which our protagonist, Deltron Zero, is a rogue hacker/mech warrior/rap battler and it follows his adventures on his way to the Intergalactic Rap Battle Competition. Along the way he has to avoid the forces of the evil Big Brother oligarchy that rules the year 3030.  Dan, The Automator's production suits Del tha Funkee Homosapien's delivery perfectly.  His haunting, futuristic beats combined with Del's propensity to draw out vowel sounds give the whole album a feeling like it's coming from a very distant place.  Well... that and all the robots, aliens and magic.  Beneath it all is a fair amount of social commentary, though.  Specifically in regards to the nature of government, race relations and corporate greed.

#1 Like Water for Chocolate - Common (2000)

And here we are, the best hip-hop album to be released from 2000-2009.  I honestly, don't even really know where to start here.  How Common isn't universally hailed as a top 10 MC dead or alive is completely baffling to me and Like Water for Chocolate shows why he deserves that spot better than any of his other albums, which is impressive, considering he has arguably the best discography in hip-hop.  Within this one album, Com shows that he can story tell with the best of em, has the ability to use all the multi's and internal rhymes that all you technical rap fans out there love so much, as well as put more soul and emotion into his tracks than pretty much anybody else in the game.  Not to mention, some of these tracks are damn catchy.  He even managed to pull off that rare feat of having an actually funny skit in a rap album (with MC Lyte's help).  Besides Common's overall flawlessness on here, J. Dilla and ?uestlove did a fantastic job producing a well constructed, cohesive album.  Only one track stands out as not really fitting the mold, but considering it's my favorite track DJ Premier has ever produced, I'm willing to let is slide.  The most common criticism I hear about this album is that it is boring.  Seriously, if you find this album boring, you're not actually listening.

Feel free to gripe at me in the comment section if you disagree with any of my choices for this list, or any of my commentaries on the albums.  If you want to rain praises on me, I guess that's alright, too.  Got an album or two that you think deserved a spot, but didn't get mentioned?  Let me know, there are far, far more than 50 great albums from this era, and I'm not going to try and act like I've heard all of them.  Hopefully, I helped some of you find some good albums that you hadn't heard before.

Top 50 Albums of the 2000's: Albums That Didn't Quite Make It

Before I reveal the top 10, I'd like to acknowledge some of the other great albums from this era, that could have very easily found a spot in the top 50, but fell just short and why I elected not to include them. (These aren't in any particular order)

Take Me to Your Leader - King Gheedora (2003) / Vaudeville Villain - Viktor Vaughn (2003)

Both of these are MF DOOM alter-egos and honestly, the biggest thing holding both of them back was that I already had several DOOM projects on the list.  These two got left off, as opposed to The Mouse and Mask or MM..Food mostly due to production.   This is especially true for Villain.

The Hunt For the Gingerbread Man (2007) / Scars & Memories (2005) / The Downfall of Ibylis: A Ghetto Opera (2002) - MF Grimm

All of these were on the list in earlier drafts at different points, and they all ended up off mostly because of my inability to choose between them.  Gingerbread Man has one of my favorite concepts ever, and Scars & Memories is one of the most personal albums you'll ever hear.

You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having - Atmosphere (2006) / Movies for the Blind - Cage (2002)

These fell off as a result of having another album by their respective artists appearing in the 40-50 range.  Rather than clog up the bottom of the list with multiple albums from the same rappers, I decided to give a bit more variety.  AKA, me trying to please everybody.

Desire - Pharoahe Monch (2007)

I'll be honest, I just forgot this one until I was already well into posting the final list.  I deserves a spot (probably in the mid-late 30's) and I feel bad for leaving it off.

The Lost Tapes - Nas (2002)

This is my favorite Nas release aside from Illmatic, but the fact that it's tracks that got left on the floor from his old (pre-00's) albums and the fact that it's not actually an album kept me from putting it on the list.  It would have definitely gotten a top 10 spot, had I included it.

Evolution Fight - CYNE (2005)

This album is a personal favorite of mine and was one of the last ones cut from the final draft.  The rapping is not outstanding and the production can't quite cover enough ground to make the top 50 push (like it did for Fantastic Vol 2).  This was also a casualty of me trying to bring a bit more variety to the list, other than having it be all soft, alternative type stuff.

Fantastic Damage - El-P (2002)

This was on several early drafts of the list, but ultimately got left off because, at the time I was making the final draft, I hadn't heard it in ages and didn't have it on my iPod anymore, so I didn't feel comfortable ranking it.  Def Jux got plenty of representation on the final list, regardless.

Accepted Eclectic - Aceyalone (2001)

Had this been a bit more cohesive album, it might have made the top 20 on the back of Acey's technical abilites.  Acey's rhymes are on point, but it feels more like  just a collection of songs than an actual album.  The production is pretty uninteresting, too.

Demon Days - Gorillaz (2005) / Gorillaz - Gorillaz (2001)

It probably would have been Demon Dayz that I included, had I decided to include a Gorillaz album.  They're both great albums, but kind of fall in the gray area between hip-hop and rock, so I didn't feel it would be appropriate to include them on a list of hip-hop albums.

Stankonia - OutKast (2000)

It has a few all time great hip-hop tracks, but it's too marred in inconsistency.  A lot of this album feels like filler, unfortunate considering it's 23 tracks.  If this had been cut down to like 15 tracks, it would have definitely had a place on the list.  Probably a top 20 place.

Typical Cats - Typical Cats (2001)

Qwel is a guy that could have had several albums appear in the 35-50 range.  The first Typical Cats album is my personal favorite project he's been a part of.  Bland production held it off the final list, but Qwel goes HAM on this and puts on a clinic for punchline rappers.

There are plenty more that could have made the final list (I almost just decided to make it a top 100, instead), but those are a few that were cut within the last couple drafts of the final list, just to give you all a little insight into my thought process while I was compiling this.  All of them are great albums, despite my criticisms and are definitely worth a spin or two if you haven't heard them.

Top 50 Hip-Hop Albums of the 2000's #11-20

#20 Food & Liquor - Lupe Fiasco (2006)

Lupe's debut was more anticipated than any in recent memory, he was supposed to be hip-hop's savior, the guy that finally crossed technical ability with widespread appeal.  He never really lived up to the hype, but he came damn close here.  He's witty, clever and hungry on this album and he's clearly aware of the hype that was surrounding him.  Excruciatingly bland hooks kept this album from being as successful as it could have been.

#19 Below the Heavens - Blu and Exile (2007)

Blu and Exile are a perfect example of two artists that know how to bring out the best in each other.  Exile's beats serve as a perfect backdrop to Blu's intensely personal rhymes and Blu's delivery in no way is overbearing, which allows Exile's beats to shine.  As such, it's an album that functions well for both easy listening and holds up just as well to the more scrutinizing ear.

#18 The Listening - Little Brother (2003)

9th Wonder in his prime was one of the best producers in hip-hop.  He can chop soul samples with the best of them and has a great ear for drums.  The production really makes this album, but Phonte and Big Pooh aren't slouches either.  They're not going to revolutionize the rap game by any means, but they both bring wit and fun to the table, which is more than you can say for a lot of MCs.

#17 Disposable Arts - Masta Ace (2001)

This was Masta Ace's comeback album after a fairly long hiatus and it's absolutely dripping with frustration for the direction hip-hop had gone since his last release.  This is a double edged sword.  Ace sounds more inspired on this record than in any of his previous efforts, but at the same time, he tends to harp on that one topic too much, and it takes away from the concept this album was supposed to have.  Regardless of how well he adhered to his concept, Ace's rhymes were on point cover to cover and the beats are serviceable.

#16 Phrenology - The Roots (2002)

This album catches a little flack for trying to pander too hard to a broader fan base because of the stark variety in the sound of a lot of the tracks.  I can't really argue with that; it's an album lacking cohesion, for sure.  Instead of looking at it as pandering to the masses, I prefer to look at it as The Roots simply showing off their diversity.  Black Thought gets plenty of opportunity to shine, but really it's the band's album.  They got to show off their skills in a way that they hadn't in any of the Root's previous releases and the result is a mish-mash of rock, hip-hop and neo-soul.

#15 Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... Pt 2 - Raekwon (2009)

Is it as good as the original?  No, but sequels rarely are, and that doesn't stop it from being Raekwon's second best album by a wide margin.  It picks up right where Rae and Papa Wu left off in the original.  If someone were to tell me that this is the best Wu album since the first Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, I wouldn't put up much of an argument.  It's truly a great throwback to their mid-90s glory years.  Could've used more Ghost, though.  Although, really, what album couldn't use more Ghost?

#14 Late Registration - Kanye West (2005)

Kanye did exactly what needs to be done in a sophomore followup to a successful debut; take what worked and build upon it.  The production is more grandiose, the features are bigger, the themes are similar.  Really, the only thing that holds it from surpassing it's predecessor (foreshadowing!?!?!) is Kanye's ego.  He's not nearly as likable and relateable as he was on his debut.

#13 Stillmatic - Nas (2001)

For whatever reason, Jay-Z felt in necessary to call out Nas on The Blueprint.  By doing so, he put the spotlight back onto Nas, who's career was all but over.  Nas responded by releasing Stillmatic.  The Jay-Z diss tracks are what made this album notable to the general populace, but  getting past Ether this is actually a great return to form for Nas.  He finally got past trying to clone Illmatic (despite what the title would lead you to believe) and reinvented his sound for the new millenium.  The production is lacking at times, but lyrically it's one of Nas' best.

#12 Donuts - J. Dilla (2006)

By 2006, it was widely known that J. Dilla was severely ill.  Almost all of Donuts was recorded from a hospital bed and it was released just 3 days before his death.  It's gone on to be considered the preeminant instrumental hip-hop album.  Dilla's use of vocal samples here is what really makes this album stand out among other instrumentals.  It's an album that I like a little more every time I hear it.  The first listen feels erratic and messy, but the tenth you come to appreciate the variety and Dilla's ability to leave an impact with such short tracks.

#11 Masters of the Universe - Binary Star (2000)

Everything I said about One Be Lo's solo album, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. still applies here.  The difference is now there are two MC's.  That's what makes this album great, the way Be Lo and Senim Silla play off of each other; their styles are so comparable and their voices are so similar that at times it is hard to tell which of them is rapping.  They're perfectly symbiotic with one another in a way that you won't find in any other group.

Top 50 Albums of the 2000's #21-30

#30 The Ecstatic - Mos Def (2009)

Mos manged to find time in his busy acting schedule to throw together one of the best albums of 2009.  After a couple of releases that were just OK, Mos get's back to his roots a little bit here and the result was a very solid effort.  Note Mos, you're not THAT good of a singer, more rapping = more success for you.

#29 Quality - Talib Kweli (2002)

One of the albums that most exemplified what the Soulquarians were all about in the late 90's and early 00's.  It's emotionally honest, spiritually driven and smooth.  Kweli seems to legitimately think he has the ability to change the world with his music.  It's one of my favorite albums from a production standpoint, as well.  Pre-superstar status Kanye, in particular does a great job.

#28 The Blueprint - Jay-Z (2001)

Speaking of pre-superstar Kanye, I really hope Jay-Z calls him every day and thanks him for saving his career and Kanye in turn thanks Jay for giving him a career.  Coming off of the disastrous failure that was The Dynasty, Jay needed to deliver on his subsequent album.  He responded by bringing in Kanye and Just Blaze, who were nobodies at the time, but are now probably two of the top 5 most popular in the game.  Jay-Z sticks to his standard fare for the most part, namely how awesome and rich he is.  Honestly, he get's outshone by the production, but he's not bad by any means.  Oh, and Jay didn't like Nas very much in 2001, either.

#27 The Fix - Scarface (2002)

I swear, I didn't mean for there to be this much early Kanye production in this portion, it just happened.  If this album had just stopped after the first 8 tracks, it would probably be in the top 10.  The Neptunes seem to have an uncanny ability to show up where they aren't needed, though and that's where I usually turn off this album.  Somehow, or another, Scarface managed to get Nas and Jay-Z to appear on the same album in 2002, with Nas delivering arguably the best verse on the album.  Scarface is the progenitor of drug game rapping, he shows here that he's still one of the best at it.  (or at least he was in 2002)

#26 Fishscale - Ghostface Killah (2006)

With albums like this, I don't understand why Ghostface isn't universally considered one of, if not the best storyteller in hip-hop.  He gives some of the most vivid, graphic descriptions of the world around him that you will ever hear.  I don't think I would call this a concept album per se, so much as a themed album.  Surprise!  The theme is cocaine... Who didn't see that coming?

#25 The Best Part - J-Live (2001)

If this album had been released when it was supposed to have been (1997), J-Live would probably be one of the most universally respected MCs around.  Unfortunately, record label problems kept delaying the release further and further, eventually culminating in an independent release, with little fanfare, 5 years past its time.  J-Live muses for well over an hour on what it means to be an MC and the impact hip-hop has on communities.  He shows diverse flow and brilliant lyrics, throughout.  J-Live is truly one of the more tragic stories in hip-hop.

#24 S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. - One Be Lo (2005)

If someone were to ask me to suggest them one album that exemplifies underground hip-hop, S.O.N.O.G.R.A.M. might be the one I'd choose.  Lo-Fi production throughout with plenty of crate digging, tracks about doing hip-hop just for the sake of hip-hop, tracks about the shallowness of the record industry and a healthy portion of philosophy thrown in for good measure, I can't think of a more prototypical underground album.

#23 The Marshal Mathers LP - Eminem (2000)

This is without a doubt, the most ubiquitous album that I can remember, any genre.  You literally couldn't not hear this album 2000, my grandma has probably heard this album in it's entirety.  That alone makes this the most important hip-hop album of the past 20 years, bar none.  It turned hip-hop into something that wasn't just a "black thing," brought it into the suburbs.  Being as popular as it was, it's kind of surprising how good of an album it actually is.  Maybe I'm just cynical, but I don't expect an album that sells 15 million copies to be as witty and emotional as MMLP is.  The controversy that came with that openness only managed to fuel the sales.

#22 Train of Thought - Reflection Eternal (2000)

Talib Kweli created one of the greatest masterpieces of lyricism in hip-hop history in 2000, and he knew it.  If he wasn't so preachy and cocky about it, this could be a lot higher.  Hi-Tek brings out plenty of deep basslines for Kweli to riff over and gives the whole record a very Neosoul-esque sound.  Again, very Soulquarians standard.

#21 Fantastic Vol. 2 - Slum Village (2000)

This album is remembered for J. Dilla's production almost exclusively, with good reason.  Dilla's beats are unquestionably fantastic here.  However, I feel the rapping is under-appreciated because the beats are so good.  Slum Village's MCs have an unwarranted reputation for being poor lyricists.  Granted, they're not Talib Kweli, by any means but, as a group they play off each other very well and do a great job letting the beats set the tone.  Nobody wouldn't have been overshadowed by Dilla on this album, the MCs of Slum Village simply know their role and perform it admirably.

Top 50 Albums of the 2000's #31-40

#40 The Cool - Lupe Fiasco (2007)

Supposedly there's a concept in here somewhere.  Unfortunately, nobody but Lupe has ever been able to find/explain it. It is a great collection of tracks, but probably would have been better served without the heaping serving of crazy.  That's  Lupe though, it's part of what makes him interesting.

#39 The Preface - Elzhi (2008)

Not sure how El rationalized calling this "The Preface" when he'd already been around for over 10 years at the time.  It's a slightly deeper look at Elzhi than what we got to here in his Slum Village days, though.  That's not to say there aren't still plenty of playful gimmick tracks.

#38 The Black Album - Jay-Z (2003)

This marks the first time Jay-Z pulled the "this is my last album" card in order to generate hype for an album.  He pulled in an all-star cast of producers.  Really, this is the album that started the whole Jay-Z: great or greatest debate.

#37 MM..Food - MF DOOM (2004)

2003-2005 was the golden age of DOOM.  In two years, he managed to put out more good albums than all but the very best in hip-hop have in their whole careers.  Typical of DOOM, it's got plenty of low-brow humor and clever wordplay.  This album would be a lot higher if it weren't for the 7 straight minutes of sound collage in the middle of it.

#36 The Renaissance - Q-Tip (2008)

What this album really has going for it is that it comes from an older MC, but he's not harping about how hip-hop has changed for the worse since he started.  This is an album that feels like an actual, logical progression for Q-Tip after his A Tribe Called Quest days, picking up right where The Love Movement left off.  It would have been really easy for him to gripe about why hip-hop sucks now, as so many of the 80s and 90s veterans have.  If I were to describe it in one word, it'd be "warm."

#35 A Long Hot Summer - Masta Ace (2004)

...and on the opposite end of the spectrum, is Masta Ace, who spends half an album condemning the rap industry.  Getting past that, this is a refreshingly mature look at urban life.  Masta Ace comes off as somebody who has been around the block more than a few times and is content now just to sit on his stoop and watch what's going on around him.

#34 I-Phantom - Mr Lif (2002)

Mr Lif delivers a concept album that I think a lot of people will be able to relate to here.  Not so much the part about getting killed and being resurrected (Jesus?), but the overarching theme of the precarious balance between striving for success and maintaining your identity.

#33 God's Son - Nas (2002)

If Nas had scrounged together some decent beats, this album would be easily in the top 10, unfortunately, that wasn't the case.  Being a legend and all, Nas still managed to give us one of the most deeply emotional albums that you'll ever hear in hip-hop.  His mother had just died and it had recently come out that his baby mama had an affair with his biggest rival (Jay-Z). It's easy to see where all this self examination stems from.

#32 Nia - Blackalicious (2000)

Blackalicious ushered in the new decade with this jazzy, soulful contribution.  Gift of Gab shows why he's considered one of the most versatile MCs in the game.  He puts on a veritable clinic on how to switch up your flow to suit a beat.

#31 The Unseen - Quasimoto (2000)

There has never been a more ringing endorsement for chronic drug use than Madlib.  He's been one of the sharpest, most interesting producers in hip-hop for over 10 years and he credits it to massive consumption of shrooms and chain-smoking of blunts.  Quasimoto is Madlib's alter-ego, a yellow, anthropoid hippo thing; never seen without a brick in one hand and joint in the other.  The Unseen is Madlib at his best,  the samples are obscure, the chopping is unorthodox and the transitions are weird.   Quas' lyrics are delivered in the most indifferent, lazy tone imaginable, almost to the point of just sounding like someone just recorded him rambling and put a beat behind it.  There is nothing even close to orthodox going on here, but somehow or another, it works.

Top 50 Albums of the 2000's #41-50

#50 In the Ruff - Diamond District (2009)

I personally have never heard this album, but LuxDel came groveling for me to include it, so here you go.  I tell ya, girl’s got no shame…

#49 Bayani – Blue Scholars (2007)

Emotionally and politically charged, this is Blue Scholars at the top of their game.  Geo’s delivery might rub some people the wrong way, but I honestly can’t see anyone else delivering his lyrics in a more fitting manner.

#48 Hell’s Winter – Cage (2005)

Disturbing, distressing and all around depressing.  It’s a much deeper and more interesting look at Cage than any of his other efforts have provided.  El-P and Camu Tao did a hell of a job on the production, too.

#47 Labor Days – Aesop Rock (2001)

It’s abstract, it’s confusing, it’s Aesop Rock at his finest.  Somewhere in this mess is a concept album about working class people.  Finding it is the fun part.

#46 Both Sides of the Brain – Del tha Funkee Homosapien (2000)

After disappearing for almost 5 years, Del came back with a vengeance in 2000.  He’s never been more of a cynical wise-ass than he is here.

#45 God Loves Ugly – Atmosphere (2002)

This album is about as bitter and angry as hip-hop gets.  It may not be as fun of a listen as subsequent Atmosphere albums, but I’m a sucker for emotion, and this album is oozing with it.

#44 Pick a Bigger Weapon – The Coup (2006)

The Coup have been the quintessential political hip-hop act for years and with albums like this, it’s easy to see why.  This album has all the system hatred you could ever want.  Of course, it wouldn’t be The Coup without a funky bass line or two, too.

#43 The Eminem Show – Eminem (2002)

Oh, Eminem, what happened to you?  You used to be so raw and edgy.  This is an album born of controversy, and Em spills it all on how he feels about his role in hip-hop and culture.

#42 A Piece of Strange – Cunninlyguists (2006)

Despite arguably the least clever name in hip-hop, Cunninlyguists managed to put out a string of pretty solid albums in the 00′s.  Kno is at his best here on beats.  He even manages to make Immortal Technique sound alright.

#41 The Mouse and the Mask – DangerDOOM (2005)

A collaboration between MF DOOM, Danger Mouse and a block of late night comedy cartoons somehow manged to end up as one of the best albums of the decade.  It’s stupid and juvenile, but it’s also fun; and in the end, isn’t that the point of making music?

Nas - Life is Good (2012)

Nas is the best example I can think of of how having a great debut album can both make and ruin a career.  Nas’ debut, Illmatic, is not only his crowning achievement, but arguably the greatest hip-hop album ever recorded.  That’s something to put on a résumé; there aren’t many who can claim such an achievement.  However, having such a highly regarded album in his discography has, unfortunately, meant that many of his subsequent albums have been widely considered disappointments at the time of release, regardless of quality.  His second album, It Was Written, for example, received very mixed reviews, but is commonly regarded as a classic now. His 2001 album, Stillmatic, was similarly maligned by critics during its time, but has since been embraced as a classic.  More recently, Nas seems to have escaped from Illmatic’s shadow, somewhat.  Whether it be due to Nas’ greater consistency on the mic, or a growing population of listeners looking to hear and rain praises upon any and all things “non-commercial,” Nas’ more recent efforts have been largely well received.  That includes Grammy nominations for both Hip-Hop is Dead and Untitled.  I wasn’t surprised to see Life is Good be released to similar accolades.  That being said, Life is Good is better than anything Nas has released since God’s Son in 2002.

Any Nas album is going to begin and end with the vocals.  Nas is almost universally considered to be a top 5 MC of all time.  One Nas’ biggest struggles, however has been finding topics that he really seems to care enough about to write passionate verses.  He has historically been his best when facing some sort of adversity in his life or career.  Illmatic was his debut, It Was Written had him facing the prospect of following up such a widely acclaimed album as Illmatic, Stillmatic was motivated by his feud with Jay-Z and God’s Son was motivated by the death of his mother.  Since God’s Son, Nas has been dabbling in politically motivated tracks, mafioso type stuff and, of course, a fair amount (like an entire album’s worth) of tracks about the good ole days of hip-hop.  Frankly, most of it sounded kind of half-hearted.  As I said above, Life is Good is Nas’ best release since God’s Son, so what is motivating Nas this time, around?  A few things, it turns out.  The most prominent one is his extremely messy, not to mention extremely public divorce from singer, Kelis (of “Milkshake” fame).  He pays homage to this on the album cover, which features Nas sitting with a dress that is unmistakably similar to Kelis’ wedding dress.  One of the standout tracks of the album, “Daughters” has Nas musing about the responsibilities of fatherhood and how his celebrity status has effected his ability to be a father.  It comes in the wake of another public incident in Nas’ life, in which his 17 year old daughter posted a picture on Twitter of  her condom-filled jewelry box that she keeps on her nightstand.  For those of you who aren’t interested in hearing about Nas’ lady troubles, rest assured, there is plenty more here to keep you interested.  This is still Nas, so of course he can’t resist staying completely away from talking about the past.  He appropriately dedicates “Loco-Motive,” a track that sounds like it was ripped straight out of 1996, to his “trapped in the 90′s niggas.”

In a refreshing change of pace for Nas, Life is Good  happens to feature actually interesting production, compliments of No I.D. and Salaam Remi.  I might go so far as to say these are the best beats we’ve heard Nas over since Illmatic if it weren’t for the few inexplicable missteps.  ”Reach Out,” while featuring Nas at his best, treads dangerously close to 80′s boy band territory.  ”Summer On Smash” is kind of catchy, but dedicates far too much time to hooks, leaving us with probably a minute worth of verses in an over 4 minute song.  ”You Wouldn’t Understand” sounds like a pop track that got released 20 years too late.  Those missteps are easily overshadowed by a cornucopia of interesting, if not necessarily innovative beats.  ”Accident Murderers” makes better use of the organ than any track I’ve heard since “Pigeon” off of Cannibal Ox’s The Cold Vein.  ”Loco-Motive,” “Cherry Wine,” and “Nasty” all stand out as having better beats than almost anything we’ve heard Nas over lately, as well.

I can’t see Life is Good ever being considered to be in the same echelon as Illmatic, or even Stillmatic and It Was Written, but that’s not to say it isn’t still a very good album, deserving of all the acclaim it has gotten.  It’s definitely an album of the year candidate.  The only real flaw is that it tries too hard at times to pander to mainstream listeners.  Tracks like “Summer On Smash” not only don’t live up to the high standards that I’ve come to hold Nas to, but seem out of place in the album as a whole, somewhat derailing the ambiance that tracks leading up to it establish.  Not to harp on “Summer On Smash” in particular, but it’s presence is all the more baffling due to it not being released as a single.  I could understand if it was just a track made to get radio play, but that’s not the case.  In the long run, people tend to forget about such tracks though, this is going to be remembered as an album borne of heartache and adversity.  It’s unfortunate for Nas that he seems to need that in order to produce good music.  Whether coming out with a good album is worth everything that has happened to him over the last couple years is something only he can decide.  At least he’ll probably get another Grammy nomination.

Best Tracks: No Introduction, Loco-Motive, Accident Murderers, Cherry Wine, Nasty (iTunes bonus track)

Overall: 87/100

Danny Brown - XXX (2011)

There probably wasn’t an album or mixtape to come out in 2011 that was as polarizing as XXX by Danny Brown.  Between Danny’s yelping bleat of a voice, abrasive content and… unusual style, there is plenty here for traditional hip-hop fans to hate.  Whether you like it or not, though, Danny Brown is going to make you experience his world.

Danny steals the show on this album, but the production shouldn’t be underestimated, either.  The beats were handled by a mish-mash of relatively unknown young producers and they provide a great backdrop for Danny’s tales of drug and excess.  SKYWLKR’s beats, specifically, really bring out the best in Danny.  The grimy electronic samples on tracks like “Bruiser Brigade”  immediately remind the listener of drug fueled depravity in a poorly lit, trashy club.  There is enough variety in the production to give XXX a lot of replay value, as well.  Featuring electronic samples, as well as brass, pianos and the traditional drum machines, pretty much everybody is going to be able to find at least a beat or two that they really like.

While the beats are interesting and do a great job setting the tone of the album, Danny himself is what makes XXX.  From the first track, we’re introduced to the concept as well as our anti-hero protagonist.  It’s a (hopefully) dramatized version of Danny himself.  He’s a melting pot of anger, depression, debauchery, and insanity.  He’s on the brink of successful music career and the pressure to succeed has pushed him consume any kind of mind altering substance he can get his hands on.  Tracks like “Die Like a Rockstar” show that he’s fully aware that his lifestyle is destructive, but establish that he really doesn’t care.  Danny spends the majority of the album riding the line between hardcore gangsta and sketchy crackhead, using pitching changes to tilt his persona one way or another as he sees fit.  As the album progresses, he tones down the sexual explicitness and sheds his persona that he establishes for the first 12 tracks and we’re introduced to a little bit deeper look at Danny’s life.  ”DNA” and “Scrap or Die” tell of the hardships he went through before his rap career, from having drug-addicted parents to living in poverty and stealing to survive.  He shows a maturity at the end of the album that isn’t there in the beginning.  It almost sounds like a completely different album.  It’s nice to have a little bit of change of pace, but the transition was too sudden and too drastic, in my opinion, especially for a concept that was working extremely well.

Overall, XXX is an album that you are either going to absolutely love or absolutely hate.  Danny’s delivery and lyrics are extremely polarizing.  If you take it too seriously, you’re going to be horrified by some of the explicitly violent or sexual (often both) things Danny says here.  I think the reason for the sudden change in pace halfway through the album is to establish that he’s not really the person that he pretends to be for the first half, though.  While I think the transition from part 1 to part 2 could have been done more smoothly, the shift was probably necessary.  It puts a relate-able human face on Danny.  It’s hard to sympathize with a character whose primary concerns are doing drugs caving girls’ faces in with his penis, but give him drug addicted parents and a rough upbringing and suddenly he’s less of a villain than a tragic, cautionary tale.  XXX is going to be remembered for the persona Danny adopts in the first half, rather than the introspection we see in the second, though.  He’s crude, he’s abrasive, he’s annoying, he’s just an overall awful person, and I loved it.

Best Tracks: XXX, Die Like a Rockstar, Monopoly, Blunt after Blunt, 30

Overall: 89/100

Ta-Ku - 24 (2011)

Perth, Australia based producer Ta-Ku had been on the outskirts of my radar for the past two years, steadily releasing quality beat tapes and instrumental EP’s, but never really making me sit up and notice him amongst the high influx of talented beat smiths flooding the internet in the last decade.  Perhaps best known for his J Dilla Tribute series, I didn't get hooked on his work until I listened to his beat tape ’24′, just over a month ago.  Yes, I'm late.

Like many beat tapes, 24 is a collaboration project.  The idea came from Ta-Ku’s friendship with Soulection co-founder Joe Kay, and the premise was simple. Create one beat, fit to be aired on Soulection Radio, in 24 hours.  What came from the experiment was 13 crazy dope beats created by Ta-Ku over 13 days.

The idea was bold and challenging.  At risk of churning out half-assed beats to stay within the timeframe, Ta-Ku instead created 13 beautifully polished tracks, with each beat displaying Ta-Ku’s ability to make a robust sound without sacrificing for the sake of timeliness.  The intricacies on tracks like Hard to Imagine and 1, 2, 3, 4 make it hard to believe they were signed, sealed and delivered in 24 hours.  I don’t know the first thing about producing, but I’ve heard enough beats to know that it’s a time-intensive art and incredibly hard to select cohesive sounds and blend them together without it sounding like sonic pollution.  So for a producer to undertake a challenge like 24, and have each and every beat come out sounding so put together and fresh, is surely a testament to Ta-Ku’s finesse with digital audio gear and mad time-management skills.  Add to this his ear for choosing smooth samples and what you come away with is a sweet little beat tape with an impressive concept that would make even the most prolific producers sweat a little bit.

While there’s no throw away beats on here, there are one or two tracks that make you think he was having an uninspired day.  The track ’Another Day’ comes off feeling dull and bland.  One thinks the title was chosen in exasperation.  ‘I Love You’ lacks any heart and veers on annoying, with the looped vocal grating on the nerves. Lastly, the ‘Donut Interlude’ with its obvious Dilla salute lacks any type of charm or beauty it should have had with its link to one of the greatest to ever touch an MPC.

Last Word:  The entire concept of creating one beat a day for 13 consecutive days, and have most of the beats come out so well-executed, truly showcases Ta-Ku’s skills and cements him in the group of newer beat smiths to watch out for.  Oh and it’s completely free!

Overall:  82/100

Gift of Gab - The Next Logical Progression (2012)

Blackalicious MC, Gift of Gab has been a mainstay of the West Coast underground scene for almost twenty years now, and even though Blackalicious hasn’t put out a release since 2005, Gab has managed to keep himself busy with a string of impressive solo albums.  The latest in that line is 2012′s The Next Logical Progression.  Although, most probably won’t consider it his best effort, Gab puts together a very respectable collection of tracks and once again shows why he’s one of the most highly respected MCs in the game.

Gab comes out of the gate guns blazing, using the first track as a sort of pre-introduction, just to make sure the listener remembers that he has inhuman breath control and lyrics for days.  Unfortunately, we also have to chalk Gift of Gab up as another in the long line of older MCs who take exception to the current state of hip-hop.  It’s become a go-to topic over the past few years; frankly it’s getting a little tiring.  Let’s be honest; if you’re listening to a Gift of Gab solo album, you probably aren’t a big fan of mainstream hip-hop to begin with, there’s no need to harp on the topic anymore.  In general, The Next Logical Progression is a very positive album, filled with feel good choruses and inspirational lyrics.  The running theme of the album is a general appreciation of life.  Although, the story didn’t break until well after recording for this album was done, Gab has had some pretty substantial health problems as of late (he’s currently awaiting a kidney transplant and has suffered from Type 1 diabetes for years), and they’ve clearly given him a new perspective on life.  Some of the narrative tracks border on corny, in “Effed Up,” for example, in a twist that nobody won’t see coming,  the girl who scorned him gets her comeuppance when Gab sees her penniless on the street. (spoiler alert?)

Fellow Oaklander, G-Koop handled the production on The Next Logical Progression, and he took it in a different direction than Gab’s previous albums.  The spacey effects are gone as are many of the soul samples.  Unlike 4th Dimensional Rocketships and Escape 2 Mars, The Next Logical Progression is more thematic than conceptual, as such, the beats had to return to Earth, so to speak.  While not particularly intricate, the beats are extremely catchy and could go a long ways towards extending Gab’s fan base.  Most of the beats feature live instrumentals, which is always refreshing in hip-hop.  There might be more piano looping than I’ve heard in a hip-hop album.  Supposedly, Gab came up with many of the beats himself; humming bass lines into a tape recorder and giving them to Koop to turn into recordable beats.  Overall, the productions fits the theme of the album very well.  None of the beats are ever going to be remembered as classics, but they provide a suitable backdrop for Gab’s rhymes.  Nobody listens to a Gift of Gab project for the production, anyway.

I know, it sounds like I’m being really heavy with my criticisms of The Next Logical Progression, but that’s because I’m comparing it to one of the best bodies of work in hip-hop.  This is, in all reality, a very good album that is definitely worth at least a spin or two.  If someone were to call Gift of Gab the most technically skilled rapper ever, I wouldn’t argue with them, and those skills are on full display here.  Ultimately, The Next Logical Progression will go down as an album that, while technically outstanding, was thematically flawed.  It was certainly a step in a new direction for Gift of Gab, but I wouldn’t exactly call it a progression.

Best Tracks: NLP, Rise, Protocol, Toxic, Market & 8th

Overall: 85/100

Del the Funky Homosapien & Parallel Thought - Attractive Sin (2012)

My my, Del has been busy these last few years.  If he manages to put out all the releases he has scheduled for 2012, he will have put out seventeen releases in four years.  To put that in perspective, he only had ten releases in the first seventeen years of his career, most of which were group collaborations.  Unfortunately, none of those seventeen (that have been released so far) have been more than just pretty good.  His 2012 collaboration with production team Parallel Thought, Attractive Sin, fits into that category.  It’s a pretty good album that, in all honesty, probably isn’t going to be remembered 5 years from now.

While it doesn’t exactly have the stiffest of competition, Attractive Sin features arguably the best production we’ve heard Del rap over since Full Circle as a member of Hieroglyphics in 2002.  I’m always a fan of brass in hip-hop and this album features plenty of it. “Ownership” and “Different Guidelines,” specifically, feature very well executed, brass driven beats.  As a whole the production is notably more jazz influenced than what we’re used to hearing on a Del album.  Unfortunately, the beats border on monotonous by the end of the album.  The album is organized so that it starts relatively upbeat and gets progressively less so as it progresses, leaving the listener waiting for a grand finale that just never comes.  Ending the album with a catchy banger, or a particularly deep, moving song, or even just a song that really showed Del flexing his lyrical muscles a little bit would have done this album a world of good.  Instead, it ends with a total throw away track in “Front Like You Know.”  In an album all but devoid of choruses, organization is of the utmost importance, and I seems like Del and PT dropped the ball here.  It’s an album that is just hard to pay attention to for the full duration.

Almost no choruses means we’re treated to 40 minutes of straight Del verses.  He sounds very MF DOOM like here, spitting his verses with an endearing monotone laziness that is only enhanced by his signature drawl.  He takes advantage of all this time dedicated to verses by… rapping about how awesome he is.  Braggadocio has always been a staple of Del’s repertoire, but I can’t help but feel like he went a little overboard here.  As impressive as it is to be able to come up with enough rhyming compliments of yourself to fill 40 minutes of time, the shtick wears a bit thin after a while.  The stand out exception is “1520 Sedgwick.”  Named for the most widely accepted “birthplace” of hip-hop, Del gives his opinion of what exactly is “hip-hop,” as well as a healthy dose of hating on the media and record industry (another staple subject of Del’s).  Repetitive subject matter aside, I gotta say that Del is very impressive from a technical standpoint.  Despite the beats being, at times, very complicated, he manages to ride them all perfectly while maintaining very complicated, almost haphazard sounding, rhyme schemes.  That alone leaves me very optimistic for the upcoming Deltron 3030 sequel, Event II.

The biggest thing holding this album back from being truly good, or even great, is monotony.  I was folding clothes the first time I listened to it (i.e. not giving it my full attention) and didn’t notice the tracks switch from “Activated Sludge” (the 5th track) until I realized that I had been listening to what I though was the same song for ages only to find that I was already at the 9th track, “Blow Your Mind.”  This is a product of not only sameness in production staring in the middle of the album, but Del’s delivery.  He doesn’t add any cadence to his voice for the entirety of the album, delivering every verse in the same monotone drone.  Even Del sounds like he was bored with this by the end.  This is a great album to listen to closely to once and then relegate to background music while working or doing chores (felt like that laundry I was folding just flew by).

Best Tracks: On Momma’s House, Ownership, 1520 Sedgewick, Blow Your Mind

Overall: 77/100

Hus - Cognac Fruit (2011)

No frills, no foreplay, Cognac Fruit starts on a remix and gets straight to the point, delivering ten songs in just under 27 minutes.  You won’t get any shout outs, no drawn out intro/outro, no concept, no skits, no stems, no seeds.  This is unadulterated rapping over ravaged soul beats, aimed at listeners who like their hip hop served neat.

Hus is one half of Tha Connection, a duo out of Hempstead, NY.  Together with his partner SmooVth, they have released four true albums, each considered to be under appreciated 21st century gems.  Their style borrows heavily from a 90’s sensibility but manages to stay fresh thanks to their inclination for choosing soulful, contemporary beats.  If you want to get a feel for Hus’ origins then try Tha Connection albums Moon Water and Trapeze.

It’s a stripped down album to say the least.  There are no legendary producers and certainly no big name guests, in fact there’s only one guest, Mok Vurban.  Who?  Exactly.  This album is all Hus.  It serves to showcase Hus’ solo skills and reminds one of what solo albums actually meant, back before it was normal to have a guest on each track.  This is the common thread that runs throughout the whole album; it adheres to a 90’s mentality without stagnating in corny ‘I’m bringing the 90’s back yo!’ attitude.  You could easily picture Hus spitting over a 90’s Premo beat but the lush production pulls the album back from being a played out history lesson and instead creates a modern environment for Hus’ gritty delivery.  Yes, it’s got the boom bap drums but it’s layered with fluttering strings and jazzed out piano strokes instead of sampled loops and vocal scratching.  The bones are ’97 but the substance is thoroughly here and now.

You want a rugged NY rapper you get one.  If you want grand beats you get that too.  You just won’t get much of it.  With most songs clocking in at less than 3 minutes apiece, the shortness of the album is obvious.  Add to that the fact that three of the ten tracks are remixes from previous Tha Connection albums, you might feel like you are listening to a fan made compilation.  Short albums always have the safety of never growing tiresome but Cognac Fruit falters on the edge of being too sparse, you wonder why Hus was so thrifty, especially when you take into account that Tha Connection album Trapeze comes in with a staggering 27 songs.  Capable of building a robust album with SmooVth, but chose the short ‘n’ sweet route on his solo, it’s a bit puzzling.  What little we do get is incredible however and does make one excited for his future releases.

If you’re looking for a track list breakdown, you won’t find it on this review.  Come on now.  The album is only 27 minutes long.  No hand holding here.  Go listen to it and decide for yourself.



88/100

Atomic Farmhouse - Fortune Cookie LP (2012)

One of the members of Atomic Farmhouse described this tape to me as “Nas’s Illmatic, Notorious B.I.G’s Ready To Die, and Wu Tang Clan’s Enter the 36 Chambers running a train on MF Doom’s Operation Doomsday.”  I agreed to review this, assuming it would be another wack indie tape (I’ve had a few acts ask for reviews)and I’d be able to rip it to pieces as punishment for being so brash.  Turns out, in a pleasant surprise, that wasn’t the case.

While it’s not going to shake the foundations of hip-hop, by any means, The Fortune Cookie LP is a couple levels above what you would expect from the debut (as far as I can tell) of an unknown indie act.  The beats and general production is minimalistic, but serviceable.  It never “wow’s” the listener, but aside from a few annoying effects here and there, makes listening an easy experience.  I really enjoyed the use of vocal samples, such as at the end of “Rat Poison” and in “English Muffin.”

Braggadocio seems to be where the MCs of Atomic Farmhouse are most comfortable, specifically rubbing the fact that they have an LP in the faces of their doubters.  The attempts at deeper subject matter feel somewhat lackluster.  The lyrics don’t see a real drop off, but all of the MCs, other than MAD SYNTST, seem to have trouble flowing over the slower beats that tend to be associated with deeper songs.  ANTI, who is easily the standout MC on the faster tracks, suddenly sounds very amateurish when put over a slow beat, such as on “Nyquil” or “English Muffin.”

All in all, The Fortune Cookie LP is definitely worth a spin.  It’s a little rough around the edges at times, but it’s an independently released, debut LP, from what sounds to be a group of friends fresh out of high-school.  They have all the time in the world to hone their skills and grow as a group.  I think they have a lot of potential.  They’re definitely a group to watch for in the future.

So, does it stand up to Illmatic, Ready to Die, 36 Chambers and Operation: DOOMsday?  Of course not, but few do.  Stylistically, it isn’t even really similar to any of them, either (more like a CYNE-Lupe Fiasco hybrid) Is it a respectable effort, regardless?  Absolutely.

Also, the cover art is GOAT.

Best Tracks: Garage Sale, Dayquil, Public Massacre

Overall: 76/100

Souls of Mischief - Montezuma's Revenge (2009)

Is it just me, or do hip-hop acts seem exceptionally prone to the “sophomore slump?”  That is, releasing a great first album, followed by a lackluster second album and loss of popularity.  Oakland based group, Souls of Mischief, fell victim to this phenomenon arguably harder than anybody in the wake of their classic debut album 93 ’til Infinity (released in 1993, if you didn’t guess).  Souls’ following three albums all met a lukewarm reception and the group went on a hiatus starting in 2000 and have been busying themselves with various solo efforts and side-projects ever since.  For whatever reason, Souls decided to get back together for a fifth studio album, Montezuma’s Revenge in 2009, almost 10 years after their last group album and they even got Prince Paul (of De La Soul and Gravediggaz fame) to produce it for them.

Just listening to Montezuma’s Revenge, you would never guess that Souls of Mischief hadn’t all been on an album together since 2003 (Hieroglyphics’ Full Circle).  Tracks like “Fourmation” have them trading verses as effortlessly as they ever have, really a testament to the chemistry these four MC’s have built up over their careers.  Perhaps the most endearing part of the album, however, is that Souls make it plainly obvious that they aren’t shooting for mainstream success anymore.  Starting from the first track, “Won,” the listener is assured that Souls is done with gimmicks and trying to appeal to critics.  The “Mr. Freeman Skit” reaffirms that sentiment, while poking fun at a bunch of rappers who have all become completely irrelevant in the short time since this album was released.  Maybe the whole idea of old-school rappers dissing awful current rappers has become cliche, but I still laugh at the “Mr. Freeman Skit”, even after having heard it several times.

I’ve yet to hear an album come out of the Hieroglyphics camp that didn’t have at least a song or two focusing on making sure everybody knows exactly how much cooler they are than everybody else, and Montezuma’s Revenge is no different.  They do delve into some deeper subject matter, though, tackling issues such as relationships and what exactly makes something art.

Prince Paul fully delivers on the production of Montezuma’s Revenge, really touching on what had been missing from Souls’ previous few releases.  Fun.  Paul (like everybody else in the world) recognized that Souls aren’t well suited for dreary, gloomy beats and piercing social commentary.  Their strength is, and probably always will be, battle style rapping; just a simple beat with a nice bass line with the emcees just trading verses back and forth.  Don’t take that to mean that the production on Montezuma is simplistic.  Honestly it’s probably more difficult for a producer, especially one of Prince Paul’s status, to be able to just lay off and let the emcees do what they do best.  It’s not an album that’s going to be remembered for it’s groundbreaking beats by any means, but they’re beats perfectly suited for the emcees, and in my mind, that’s a way better than forcing excessive complexity in situations that don’t call for it.

You never know what you’re going to get when you get an album from a group that is almost 20 years past their peak fame.  Montezuma’s Revenge isn’t an album that’s ever going to be looked at as a classic, but it is a very solid effort from a great group and a legendary producer.  Aside from the lyrics being a little over-simplistic at times and a yawn inducing beat or two, Montezuma delivers everything a Souls of Mischief fan can could realistically hope for.

Best Tracks: Won, Tour Stories, Poets, Fourmation, For Real Y’all

Overall: 84/100

Eminem - Recovery (2010)

After a depressed and drug addicted Eminem released the lukewarm Encore in 2004, he went on hiatus for almost five years before returning with 2009′s Relapse.  Once again, the reception was less than stellar.  Recovery is Eminem’s attempt to put Encore and Relapse behind him and rekindle what it was that made him great from 1999-2002.

It’s hard for me to consider Recovery a successful album.  It definitely sounds more like Em’s older releases than did Encore or Relapse, but it does so in many of the wrong ways.  He doesn't seem to have updated his list of pop culture references since The Eminem Show, making references to Austin Powers and Mariah Carey (go figure).  The primary theme of the album seems to be apologizing for his last couple releases.

To Em’s credit, the rapping on this album is actually very good from a technical standpoint.  The rhyme schemes are extremely intricate.  The problem is what he’s saying.  All the cleverness and wit of his early releases is long gone; he doesn't even have shock value anymore.  The whole album is painfully lacking in catchy, singalong, tracks.  Unfortunately, most of the memorable lines are notable for being bad.  It’s practically devoid of any hooks whatsoever.  Eminem sings most of the ones that are present and… well, let’s just say that there is a reason Em doesn't have a singing career.

For an attempt to return to his 1999-2002 form, there was an incredible shortage of Dr. Dre and self produced tracks on Recovery.  Dre ended up with only one credit, with Em himself not being the primary producer of a single track.  Em’s Rolodex must’ve gotten a workout contacting all the producers on this album.  Marquee producers, DJ Khalil and Just Blaze got the most production credits, with four and three, respectively.  If you’re a fan of lots of soft rock samples in your hip-hop, the production on Recovery will be a treat for you.  For the other 95% of us, listening to Recovery is a long 77 minutes of dreary keyboards and awkward samples that don’t fit together in any sort of cohesive manner.

Of course, as a hip-hop snob, I would be remissed if I failed to mention the presence of Lil Wayne, Pink and Rihanna on the album.  How could any fan of 1999-2002 Eminem not feel at least a little betrayed by their presence?  Em told us that he was going to try and return back to the sound that we all know and love, and instead we get him collaborating with exactly the kind of people that he built his career making fun of.  That’s the definition of selling out; becoming what you would have once mocked.

Despite all my criticisms, Recovery is worth a spin or two.  Yeah, it falls way short of what he wanted it to be, but there is reason to be optimistic about Eminem’s future.  Unlike on Encore, Eminem shows that he is still a very technically skilled rapper.  A few more quotable hooks would’ve really served this album well, if for no other reason than to distract from the occasional painfully bad lines that end up being the most memorable.  Really, what brought this album down was the production, though.  How, as a producer, you can not provide top shelf beats for an Eminem album is beyond me, but it just seemed like the beats were phoned in.  Remember when Just Blaze used to be good?

Best Tracks: Talkin 2 Myself, Love the Way You Lie, Cinderella Man, Going Through Changes

Overall: 55/100

Kno - Death is Silent (2010)

The concern with concept albums is whether the artist decides to take a literal or abstract approach.  Death Is Silent’s concept adheres to the former.  Intensely.  It’s obvious from the mere title of the album that death and dying and all that depressing stuff will be the order.  Whether Kno thinks little of his fan’s deciphering skills, or he himself is lacking the intelligence to compile an album that challenges the listener to discover the concept on their own, is definitely up for discussion.

Kno has a beautiful ability to construct a dope backdrop.  His well-known use of obscure samples and talent with layering strings on synths on drums is unquestionable.  But this is not an instrumental album. What could have been a near perfect collection of songs is let down by his straight up average presence on the mic and frown-inducing delivery.

He is vocally outdone on almost every track that has a guest.  Examples of Kno being owned completely include Natti’s dominance on “If You Cry”, Nemo Achida’s incredible storytelling on “Loneliness” and Tonedeff’s stunning first verse effort on “I Wish I Was Dead”, easily a contender for verse of the album.  Kno’s best verses comes from the tracks “They Told Me”, where he divulges his private anxieties in plain sight and “La Petite Mort (Come Die With Me)”, a cleverly veiled ode to sex that will take a few listens and perhaps some experience in the subject to unravel.  It’s one thing to be a talented lyricist.  Which he is.  But his sappy and frail delivery wrecks the elegance of his lyrics.

Despite Kno’s tendency to say corny things, what makes this album an excellent addition to your music collection, is his capacity to create honest stories over magical beats.  Atmospheric is a word that is more and more being incorrectly used to describe crowded production, but here it totally belongs.  This has atmosphere in spades.  The production is by far the standout element and it’s Kno who is solely responsible for it.

So do his cheesy verses get a pass because he is a ‘part-time’ MC?  Well, no.  He has shown some great propensity for spitting on the CunninLynguist albums.  Maybe he was so caught up in the producing side of the album and neglected the vocal aspect?  Perhaps.  What’s obvious is if this was, say, a Tonedeff album, with the same concept and production, it would have been universally accepted as a top 3 album of 2010.  It’s a frustrating album, so agonizing close to perfection but missing the most important part of any hip hop record; top notch MC skills.

Highs:  Production on ALL tracks is amazing.  The concept runs nicely throughout, and while it is a gloomy concept, it never feels unbearably heavy and tiresome; in fact, it’s a highly energetic album from start to finish.

Lows:  Not enough Tonedeff.

87/100