Mac Miller - Blue Slide Park (2011)

Somehow or another, Pittsburgh native, Mac Miller managed to become phenomenon in 2011.  Even before the release of his debut album, Blue Slide Park, there wasn’t a party playlist in all of North Dakota that didn’t have a Mac Miller son or two on it, as far as I could tell.  Coming off of the popularity of his mixtapes, Blue Slide Park became the first independently released debut album to hit #1 since Doggfood in 1995.

The production is predominantly handled by Pittsburgh beat maker, I.D. Labs.  Likely, as a bi-product of Mac trying to paint himself as weed rapper, the production is largely very slow and mellow.  Aside from a few bright spots, namely “Party on Fifth Ave” and “Under the Weather,” the beats are bland and forgettable.  I had a hard time listening to the whole album in one sitting, the blandness of the production makes it difficult to pay attention to for than a few songs at a time.

Mac Miller brings absolutely nothing to the table with his vocals.  He’s like an amalgamation of all the worst characteristics of all your favorite rappers and by no means a combination of UGK and John Lennon as he claims on “Smile Back.”  The message of the album seems to be that he likes to party, smoke weed and have sex; which is exactly what he rapped about on every one of his mix tapes.  There’s enough rappers like that out right now, we don’t need another Wiz Khalifa.  I’m not trying to say that you have to tackle major social issues in order to make a good album, but you have to have charisma.  Mac’s delivery is almost painful.  He sounds like he’s got emphysema, which may or may not be intentional, given his desperately trying to convince us that he smokes incredible amounts of marijuana.

Blue Slide Park is a bad album.  There just isn’t a time that would be appropriate for playing it.  It’s too mellow for parties, too shallow for individual listening and too bland for smoking to.  The worst part is this was Mac Miller’s attempt to establish himself as an artist.  The cover and first couple tracks lead you to believe that it’s going to be a deep, introspectively focused album, but after the title track, the whole concept just goes out the window in favor of sex, drugs and partying.  Whatever, Mac was trying to accomplish with Blue Slide Park, he utterly failed.  I’m upset that I turned down A Kingdom for Keflings to listen to this.

Best Tracks: Blue Slide Park, Party on 5th Ave, Under the Weather

Overall: 22/100

Live.Love.A$AP - A$AP Rocky (2011)

A$AP Rocky inexplicably became a millionaire in 2011; before he had a single official release, Sony signed him to a $3,000,000 deal, the biggest ever for an artist who hasn’t released a single album (Drake got about 2 Million).  A$AP owes this predominantly to online hip-hop forums, who went abuzz when he released his song “Peso” in August.  Of course, by signing that big of a deal, the expectations for A$AP’s first release were tremendous.  October’s Live.Love.A$AP was that release.
The production is handled by a whole host of producers, the most prominent being Clams Casino, who does five of the sixteen tracks.  Although I’m not a huge fan of some the effects used throughout the album, I was pleasantly surprised with the production.  Clams Casino and Spaceghostpurrp are the only producers to make an appearance I had heard of before this album, leaving six producers that I had never heard to do the other ten tracks.  Often times when there are as many producers working on an album as there are on Live.Love.A$AP, it destroys the aesthetic of the album as styles clash from track to track.  Thankfully, this isn’t the case with Live.Love.A$AP.  The beats are consistently top level, and maintain the same chill, ambient vibe throughout.  They border on, but never cross into monotony territory, perhaps a credit to having so many producers on the album.

Having good beats and production values is all well and good, but a major label didn’t invest seven figures in any of these producers; A$AP came into this tape with a lot of hype to live up to.  He responded by giving us sixteen tracks of sex, drugs and braggadocio.  In short, he’s Wiz Khalifa…  Maybe that’s a little harsh, A$AP Rocky is a  better MC than Wiz Khalifa.  He’s more along the lines of a Hodgy Beats sans any depth of subject matter.  Lyrically, A$AP is no more than above average, he’s far outclassed by other up-and-comers such as Kendrick Lamar and Big KRIT.  What A$AP Rocky brings to the table is versatility.  Despite the relative sameness of pacing in the beats on Live.Love.A$AP, he changes up his flow on almost every song, a practice that has earned him some scorn for being a biter.  There may be some legitimacy to those criticisms, but I’m more inclined to just look at it as a young rapper who is still trying to figure out his sound.

Is Live.Love.A$AP a mixtape that is going to shake the foundations of hip-hop?  Not at all.  Did it live up to the $3,000,000 hype associated with it?  Not in this reviewers opinion.  I feel as though A$AP Rocky is nothing more than a label trying to find the next OFWGKTA to cash in on the hipster market.  Live.Love.A$AP is definitely worth a spin, though, if for no other reason than we’re probably going to be hearing a lot more A$AP Rocky in the near future.  Personally, I’m very interested to see what kind of studio album he releases because, as he is now,  A$AP Rocky has absolutely no mainstream appeal and there’s no way Sony is going to let their $3,000,000 investment go to waste.

Best Tracks: Palace, Peso, Keep it G, Demons, Out of This World

Overall: 79/10

Big Boi - Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty (2010)

“The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.”  In hip hop, words are often flipped, skewed and spun to mean different things.  And so it applies to this quote.  In terms of hip hop groups, the parts are often greater than the sum.  Lauren Hill is more than The Fugees, Cee-Lo is more than Goodie Mob and Scarface is more than Geto Boys.  But does it apply to Big Boi and OutKast with Sir Lucious Left Foot: The Son of Chico Dusty?  Yes.

To say it was a rocky road for Big Boi to get the album out is a huge understatement.  Label problems that would give AZ nightmares ensued, and he was forced to approach Def Jam for distribution.  Fast forward to July 2010 and the album finally sees the light of day, taking over 3 years and a label jump to get there.  So what did we get?

Production is a mish mash of live instruments, vocal manipulators, a good amount of quality singing and interesting samples.  Running under all of that are strong bass lines, frenzied drum patterns and pure energy.  Big Boi gets help from some big names alongside the ever present Organized Noize crew, with Salaam Remi, Scott Storch and Lil Jon amongst others, on the boards.  This album never lets up, there’s no chance to pause, no gap in the line to take a breath, just 14 tracks that come at you over and over, forcing you to keep up or get run over.

Big Boi’s prowess on the mic is absolute and even with a large roster of guest rappers, he is never out-rapped.  He brings the laughs all over the album and manages to relay his funny antics without coming off far-fetched or corny.  You never feel the need to say “Boy, stop!” because he’s genuinely an entertaining MC.  That’s his main strength, incredibly likeable and always spirited.

A couple of issues.  The album is so upbeat, so animated, that you have no arc from intro to end.  It plateaus from start to finish, there’s no build up, no cool down and no ebb and flow in between.  You may find yourself saying ‘more of the same’ about the tracks, thanks to the near identical tempo of nearly every song.  This album only has one speed and it’s 6th gear fast, shifting down only once or twice before taking off again.

Another problem, which has no real bearing on Big Boi, is the exclusion of the songs “Lookin’ for Ya” and “Royal Flush” from the official release.  With guest verses from Andre 3000 and Raekwon, they not only fit right in with the other tracks but would have served to enhance the album tenfold.  The reason they were left off is a business one but that’s really not worth talking about, since both songs were leaked by Big Boi himself and are easily available online.  I suggest you add them to your digital copy of this album manually, in a sort of middle finger gesture to the spiteful record label.

Highs:  General Patton, Shutterbugg, Daddy Fat Sax, Shine Blockas, some of the most hilarious skits on any album and the general sense of fun and joy the album gives.

Lows:  The singing on Follow Us can be irritating.  Yelawolf’s verse on You Ain’t No DJ.  More of Big Boi or the gut-busting end skit and Yelawolf completely scrapped would’ve been great.

89/100

OuKast - ATLiens (1996)

This is the first of LuxDel's reviews that she wrote for the old blog, her personal favorite album, Outkast's classic 1996 effort, ATLiens.

Album intros are all at once meant to convey texture, direction and hint at what is to come.  It’s the first hit and it must be taken quickly.  With ATLiens, OutKast’s second offering, the first step is more of a face first fall into a warm abyss. You almost don’t want to escape. Neither Andre 3000 nor Big Boi make an appearance, and it’s left up to a hypnotic rendition of a well known children’s prayer in a cryptic language and a melancholic ballad about (maybe) dying, to usher in listeners to this 14 song lesson in Atlantan space invaders.

After the ’77 Seville vibe of “Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik”, ATLiens at once manages to turn a sharp corner without falling over.  Production from Organized Noize and Earthtone Ideas ricochets from the riff driven “Wailin’” to the reverb heavy “E.T. (Extraterrestrial)” then returns to a synth fiends’s paradise on “Wheelz of Steel.”  Bass heads are serviced by the insistent beat of “Elevators (Me & You)”  and the title track’s menacing mix of live bass strings and sampled drums.

Running throughout the entire album is OutKast’s ability to craft a beautiful melody.  This is their second strongest asset and is never more evident than on “Jazzy Belle”, a blunt analysis of the opposite sex that contradicts the softness of the beat.  “Decatur Psalm” and “Ova Da Wudz” have disappointing construction, but the MC skills of the duo and Dungeon Family guests make the songs enjoyable, even without a dynamic beat to hold the verses.

It’s puzzling how often Big Boi is dismissed as ‘the ugly twin’ while he’s standing next to Andre.  Big Boi is an upper echelon MC.  He holds up the end of “Mainstream” beautifully, his storytelling on “Babylon” is engaging and he rips the title track into pieces, easily outshining Andre.  Mr. Benjamin delivers, putting his all into each verse.  He’s in blackout mode on “Elevators (Me & You)”, at his most scathing on “Mainstream” and totally candid in the anti-braggadocio “Millennium.”

The last true track of the album, “13th Floor/Growing Old”, is a soft landing.  Both Big Boi and Andre reflect and speculate, and the tender piano laced beat is deceptive considering the content of their lyrics are hard hitting truths that are still fully relevant over 15 years after conception.

Topped off with some trippy artwork, it’s an album that’s received critical acclaim ad nauseam.  It constantly battles with “Aquemini” for the title of OutKast’s best and is undoubtedly a bona fide classic, coming from a year that saw the hip hop genre gain at least a dozen other classics.  It’s thoroughly southern and holds down the ‘timeless’ label easily. If you’re looking for something that knocks the speakers and sparks the thoughts, cop this.

Highs:  Elevators, 13th Floor/Growing Old, production on Wheelz of Steel and Two Dope Boyz.  Andre’s verses on Millennium and Mainstream.  Big Boi’s verses on ATLiens, Ova Da Wudz and E.T.

Lows:  Average production on Decatur Psalm and Ova Da Wudz.  The bizarre and annoying vocal sample on Wailin’.  Organized Noize’s take on Elevators with their ONP 86 mix is an unnecessary addition to the album.

94/100

More Contributors!

One of the contributors from my previous blog has decided to allow me to bring her reviews over to the new address, so I will now be featuring reviews from, not only myself, but the one and only LuxDel, as well.

Dr. Octagonecologyst - Dr. Octagon (1996)

I can confidently say that that Dr. Octagonecolgyst is the best album about a time-traveling, extraterrestrial, surgeon/gynecologist who sleeps with his nurses and patients and may also be undead that you will ever hear.  Dr. Octagon is the alter-ego of Bronx rapper, Kool Keith, who first made a name for himself in the 80′s with seminal underground group, Ultramagnetic MCs.  1996′s Dr. Octagonecologyst is Kool Keith’s first solo album.

As well as being the solo debut of Kool Keith, Dr. Octagonecolgyst is the breakthrough album of Bay Area beat maker, Dan, the Automator, of Deltron 3030 and Gorillaz fame. Three time world DJ Champion, DJ Qbert lends his talents to several of the tracks, as well.  The album is credited with being instrumental in the revival of turntablism in the mid 90s.  Most of the beats are predominantly synth, giving the album a very spacey, futuristic ambiance.  Many of the samples are ripped from pornographic movies; appropriate given Dr. Octagon’s propensity for having sex with his patients and nurses.

Like I mentioned earlier, Dr. Octagonecologyst has one of the more… interesting concepts that you will encounter in a hip-hop album.  It’s an album that may require multiple listens, as the lyrics are very abstract and full of non-sequiters.  As it were, the album tells the tale of Dr. Octagon, the intergalactic discount surgeon of questionable credentials.  He’ll perform just about any procedure that you need him to, such as “relocating saliva glands” and treating “chimpanzee acne,” and he’ll do it for cheap… as long as you’re not bothered by horses running around the hospital or the mountains of corpses that are the result of all his botched procedures.  Dr. Octagon also likes to pretend he’s a woman and practice gynecology in order to get laid.  Whether or not Dr. Octagon is even human is debatable, as his only known relative, an uncle named Mr. Gerbik, is apparently a 208 year-old half shark-alligator half man with “skin like razor blades.”

Dr. Octagonecologyst is as important an album as it is a bizarre one.  Perhaps more than any other album, it can be credited with reviving underground hip-hop in the 90s.  G-Funk and east coast mafioso were dominating the charts at the time and the underground was stuck in a rut trying to follow suit.  Dr. Octagonecologyst reintroduced innovation to hip-hop.  In a time when everybody was trying to deal drugs and be hard, Kool Keith stood up and said “No, I’d rather be an intergalactic surgeon.”

Best Tracks: 3000, Earth People, Blue Flowers, I’m Destructive, halfsharkhalfalligatorhalfman

Overall: 94/100

Jurassic 5 - Quality Control (2000)

You may remember Jurassic 5 as a group that was “just about to get their big break” for the better part of ten years until they broke up in 2007.  While they never found the mainstream popularity that many thought they would, J5 has a respectable underground following and produced a few very good albums during their run.  Arguably their strongest release is 2000′s Quality Control.

My main issue with Quality Control is a lack of variety, mainly in the production.  Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark are both top level turntable-ists, but by the midpoint of the album, hearing nothing but turntable production gets monotonous.  The album would have better served not having tracks like “Contact,” which, although impressive, only serve to magnify the excessive amount of turntables on this album. When looked at individually, however, the beats are all very enjoyable.  The album remains jazzy and upbeat from start to finish.

The primary appeal of Jurassic 5 is their unique approach to vocals.  The group features four vocalists, all of whom get used in some fashion on almost every track.  The standard formula seems to be to have Chali 2Na and one or more of the others rap the verses, while everyone else sings background vocals and choruses.  Harmonization is a given in any J5 release.  Unfortunately, monotony shows it’s ugly face once again, this time in the lyrical themes.  The message off this album boils down to nothing but “We’re Jurassic 5, and we’re awesome.”  The only real exception to this is “Contribution,” which focuses instead on the trials and tribulations of being poor and having kids.

Chali 2Na is, without question, the strongest rapper in the group.  Mark 7even has his moments, including a very admirable performance of “Jurass Finish First,”  but as a whole, the rest of the rappers’ verses are forgettable.  Zaakir, who sounded very promising on their debut album, Jurassic 5, fails to make much of an impression on Quality Control.

Quality Control is a good album, however, the lack of variety both in production and lyrical themes prevents it from taking that next step to being a great or classic album.  Jurassic 5 was a group that had the talent to release a classic album, but was never able to take that next step before the disproportionate ability of Chali 2Na and Cut Chemist to the rest of the group resulted in a break up.

Best Tracks: The Influence, Quality Control, Jurass Finish First, Improvise, Swing Set

Overall: 86/100

Elzhi - ELmatic (2011)

Anybody who knows hip-hop at all knows Illmatic.  The 1994 album by Nas is almost universally hailed as one of, if not the greatest hip-hop album ever made.  What MC, Elzhi, along with fellow Detroiters, Will Sessions, have done with ELmatic is taken the old beats off Illmatic, tweaked them a little bit, to bring them into the modern era and recorded his own vocals over these re-imaginings of the Illmatic beats.  A project like this is inevitably going to draw comparisons to the original, and Elzhi had big shoes to fill here.  Even Nas, himself, has never managed to escape the shadow of Illmatic.


The beats are classic, but the original DJ Premier and Large Professor versions were classics, so I don’t want to give too much credit to Will Sessions.  They were given gold and basically just polished it a little.  Live instruments are always refreshing to hear on hip-hop albums, though and they did make a few tweaks to make the aging Illmatic beats a bit more appealing to modern listeners.  The original samples are all still present, allowing ELmatic to maintain a similar vibe to the original.  The biggest problem I have is that for whatever reason, several of the tracks include extended periods of just the instrumentals playing, including over three straight minutes at the end of “One Love.”  I’ll never understand why artists include these extended instrumental portions, I’ve never met anybody who enjoys them.  I don’t mind when they’re use to segue into the next track, but that can be done in ten seconds; anything over a minute just detracts from the album.

While the beats on Illmatic are classic, the lyrics are legendary.  Elzhi has had a reputation as a great lyricist since his days with Slum Village, but when I first heard about this project, I scoffed at the idea of him being able to successfully recreate the feel and technical skill exhibited in Illmatic.  I assumed that, at best, it was going to be of a similar caliber to Fashawn’s similarly themed Ode to Illmatic mix tape, from last year.  That is to say, merely an above average tape.  I couldn’t have been more wrong.  Elzhi absolutely owns every track on here, at times rivaling and (I’m about to commit heresy here.) even surpassing Nas’s original rhymes.  Most of the tracks share a similar lyrical theme to their Illmatic equivalent, the notable exception is “It Ain’t Hard to Tell,”  which turns from a very braggadocious track into a narrative about Elzhi’s early life and rise to fame.

Remaking Illmatic was a risky move.  This could have very easily been an absolute disaster for Elzhi, especially if it had been a weaker release than Fashawn’s effort.  The gamble payed off for him, though and we’re treated to a stunning re-imagining of a legendary album, which succeeds in both paying homage to and building upon the original.  Elzhi shows off a level of lyrical ability that we have never seen from him before, making ELmatic arguably the best hip-hop release of 2011.

Best Tracks: Detroit State of Mind, Halftime, Memory Lane, Represent, It Ain’t Hard to Tell

Overall: 91/100

Common - The Dreamer/The Believer (2011)

Common is a rapper that could have retired ten years ago and still be considered one of the all time greats.  He’s got arguably more classic albums to his name than any other MC to ever do it, and he’s near universally respected because of it.  He’s one of my personal favorites, as well.  That being said, The Dreamer/The Believer is not Com’s best work, not by a long shot.  It is, however, quite possibly his best release since his 2005 classic, “Be.”

Those of you out there who know Common, know that him and producer, No I.D. have worked  together multiple times in the past, most notably on 1994′s, “Resurrection” (another one of Com’s classics).  So, these two Chicago veterans have chemistry; they understand each other, and this shows throughout the album.  The production has a very 90′s-esque feel to it, which I can only assume was the idea, since both Com and I.D. are in the twilight of their careers at this point and neither have found the success that they had together in the mid 90′s since.

Of note is the lack of guest features on the album, aside from the obligatory spot from “Pops” on the final track, all there is is Nas (who Common is releasing a collab with next year), soul artist, John Legend and poet, Maya Angelou.  The guests may be few, but they are all very well done.  Maya Angelou is a legend, and she brought out an original poem for the first track, “The Dreamer”.  Nas delivers a poignant verse on the album’s first single “Ghetto Dreams” and John Legend handles the chorus in spectacular fashion on “The Believer.”

Every part of The Dreamer/The Believer screams “positive hip-hop.”  Common has always been known for having a positive message to his music, but TD/TB takes it to a whole ‘nother level.  From the title of the album, to the music videos, to the production, to the lyrics, Common all but slaps you in the face with his positive message.  Quite frankly, it’s too much.  I’m all for positive hip-hop, but at least try to be subtle about it.  I don’t know whether the whole White House controversy got to him, or what, but Common leaves little to the imagination on this album.  He often comes across as more preachy and pretentious than positive.  The one outlyer in all this is “Sweet,” which takes an inexplicably harder tone, features Common doing braggadocio and for some reason takes shots at singer/rappers. *cough* Drake *cough*  While “Sweet” doesn't exactly fit in with the tone of the album, it does a fantastic job breaking up what could have potentially been an album that all just ran together into one unmemorable blob.

All and all, The Dreamer/The Believer isn't Common’s best, but it is still a good effort from a great MC and great producer.  It’s obvious that Common had a message that he wanted to get across with this album, but it’s unfortunate that he sacrificed wordplay to do so.  If nothing else, he at least makes FOX News look stupid for calling him a gangster rapper.

Best Tracks: The Dreamer, Ghetto Dreams, Blue Sky, Sweet, Celebrate, The Believer

Overall: 83/100

Blue Scholars - Cinemetropolis (2011)

Blue Scholars have come a long way since their last full length LP, 2007′s “Bayani.”  The concept behind Cinemetropolis is supposed to be a celebration of films, or something.  At least, that’s what Geo has said in interviews.  The titles of all the songs (excluding the first and last) are the names of film actors/actresses, directors and producers, with each song supposedly celebrating something about that particular person’s essence.  It’s a concept so abstract, that if Geo hadn’t explicitly told us, nobody would’ve ever gotten it.  The tracks all have little to nothing to do with films or cinema, focusing instead on the typical Blue Scholars subjects: politics, Seattle, etc.

Geologic has clearly developed as an MC over the past 5 years, he no longer has the monotone delivery that he was heavily criticized for on the group’s first releases, which sacrificed inflection for the sake of ensuring that his political charged lyrics were absolutely understandable.  The change takes some getting used to if you’re used to Geo’s old delivery.  The message seems somehow less powerful because of it; he’s lost some of his “poet turned rapper” vibe, trading it it for a more traditional delivery and flow.  It’s hard to fault a guy for becoming more diverse in flow and delivery, though.

Gone are the days of the booming drum machines, sampled guitar riffs and piano that characterized Sabzi’s early productions.  They’ve been replaced by synth beats.  From almost any other producer, I would be applauding the way the beats run into each other and the overall melodiousness of them, but I’ve come to expect more from Sabzi.  Instead of the slow, relaxed melodies typical of him, we’re given several beats that sound like they belong on a post “Late Registration” Kanye album.  Poppy.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, the Blue Scholars have changed.  The music is still good, but they’ve lost what made them unique.  Having beats that sound like Kanye’s wouldn’t be a bad thing… if this was a Kanye album.  I don’t listen to Blue Scholars for grandiose production with a traditional rapper, though.  I know, I can’t expect artists to never change their sound.  It has to happen, but I think Cinemetropolis was a step in the wrong direction for Blue Scholars.  Unfortunately, they won’t see it that way when it’s their most successful album yet.  Get ready to start hearing them on the radio soon, I guess…

Best Tracks: Cinemetropolis, Lalo Schifrin, Anna Karina, Slick Watts, Rani Mukerji

Overall: 77/100

CYNE - Evolution Fight (2005)

If I were to describe Evolution Fight in one word, it would be “cohesive.”   It almost plays like one, 45 minute song more than an album.  From start to finish, this album is seamless, and that’s a real credit to the production of Speck and Enoch.  However, some listeners may find the beats somewhat monotonous, as almost every song  is very slow and laid back; very Nujabes-esque.  There are a few exceptions scattered throughout  which serve to break up this monotony a bit, but Evolution Fight isn’t an album that will be immediately enjoyed by everybody.  There aren’t any real stand out tracks that you’ll find stuck in your head for days, or even any that are particularly memorable at all.

CYNE features two MCs, Cise Starr and Akin, who have drastically different approaches to rapping.  Akin’s slow, baritone rhymes are the definition of what laid back, relaxing hip-hop should be.  Much like the production, however, he would become monotonous and dull if not for Cise Starr’s much more aggressive sounding verses.  Lyrically, neither of them are going to drop many jaws, this album focuses on production first and foremost, with the rapping there to augment the soothing beats.  The rhymes focus primarily on politics and philosophy, with many Greek mythology references.

Evolution Fight is an album that has loads of replay value.  The parity of the tracks ensures that you’re not going to be skipping many tracks when listening to the album.  If you’re looking for an album to play at your next party, I’d look elsewhere.  Evolution Fight is best suited to casual, relaxed listening.

Best Tracks: Rousseau, Growing, Arrow of God, Fallen Stars (not present on all versions), Moonlight

Score: 85/100

Deltron 3030 - Deltron 3030 (2001)

Before I start adding new content, I'm going to move all my old reviews over from my old address,  just so that you won't be missing anything by only checking out the new site.  I'll see if I can get permission from the writers on the previous sit, as well, but I can't guarantee they'll all make it over.

I’ll kick off the site with a review of my personal favorite hip-hop album, Deltron 3030.  Deltron unites the talents of legendary underground MC, Del tha Funkee Homsapien with producer Dan, the Automator and the relative newcomer DJ Kid Koala.  As the title insinuates, the album takes place in the year 3030 and follows our rapper/soldier/mech pilot/hacker protagonist, Deltron Zero on his journey to compete in the Galactic Rhyme Federation Championships.  During this journey, he must avoid being captured by the oppressive government.  In reality, the plots only semi-cohesive, but it’s there.  Along the way, Del covers a myriad of topics, ranging from racism to corporations to the state of hip-hop.  Of course, being Del, he has to make sure everybody knows exactly how cool he is in relation to everybody else, as well.  While somewhat abstract, the lyrics have a clearly discernible theme, and you’re rarely left wondering what a song was supposed to be about.

Arguably even better than Del’s masterful storytelling and lyrical gymnastics is Dan, the Automator’s production.  The beats are downright weighty at times, in the best way possible.  Automator does a great job establishing the sense of the overbearing Big Brother government present in 3030 when necessary.  Many of the beats would have been equally at home on the previous Automator produced release “Dr. Octagonecologyst.”  However, he shows he capable of expanding beyond his normal fare into more upbeat production on tracks such as “Positive Contact” and “Memory Loss.”

In conclusion, Deltron 3030 is a masterfully executed album; a perfect storm of creative concept, stellar rapping and ambient production.  While the album has standout tracks, it really needs to be heard as a whole to be fully appreciated.  At 60 minutes, it’s not excessively lengthy.  For all you Gorillaz fans out there, you can thank this album for their creation.  Damon Albarn himself has said that his parts on this album are what inspired him to create the group.

Best Tracks: 3030, Mastermind, Madness, Time Keeps on Slipping, Memory Loss

Score: 96/100

An Introduction

Banjo here,

After giving it some thought, I've decided to start my blog anew on Blogger rather than on my previous Wordpress address, http://reviewhiphop.wordpress.com/.  I'm hoping to make a little scratch off of my writing, and that is much easier on Blogger.

Basically what I do here is write reviews for whatever hip-hop albums I happen to be listening to, they may be new, old, mainstream, underground... just whatever I feel like reviewing.  Once I get back into the swing of updating regularly, I'll start taking requests, as well.

For the few of you that have been following Review Hip-Hop for the past year, I hope the change doesn't discourage your continued support.  For those of you who are new, welcome! I'm glad to have your readership, and I hope you stick around.