Rest in Peace... 2Pac

Tupac Amaru "2Pac" Shakur
June 16, 1971 - September 13, 1996

Thirteen years... Rest in Peace.

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3 (September 8, 2009)

Jay-Z - The Blueprint 3

And here's Jay-Z's latest album, the third in a series, The Blueprint 3.

Jay-Z was set to drop his second sequel to 2001's The Blueprint eight years to the date the original released (and eight years to the date of the attack on the Twin Towers). However, around the beginning of September, Jay's new album leaked the internet and was downloaded and discussed the interbutts. Possibly feeling the heat, Jay and Roc Nation/Atlantic decided to push the date up to the earliest release date possible, yesterday, hoping to catch the misinformed off guard ("well, since it is out...").

Jay-Z's eleventh album is the first to be released under Roc Nation, after he chose to leave Def Jam and Roc-A-Fella. The hype for this album has lasted pretty long, especially for an album not named Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 or Detox. Back in January 2008, former Roc-A-Fella-signed DJ, DJ Clue, released a mixtape featuring a Jay-Z track titled "Ain't I", which Clue stated was off The Blueprint 3 (which Jay-Z firmly denied). Then rumors started up that Timbaland was producing the whole album, then Kanye West was producing the whole album. Then during Kanye's Glow in the Dark Tour, Hova himself came out on stage to perform "Jockin' Jay-Z (Dope Boy Fresh)", a Kanye-produced track that utilized a Run DMC sample ("I see you jockin' JC, 'cause he got a Mercedes and you know about his ladies"). Then another Kanye-produced song came out ("Brooklyn Go Hard", which featured Santogold), this one was released on the soundtrack for the film Notorious. The final of the trilogy of Kanye West produced supposed Blueprint 3 tracks would be "History" (my favorite out of the three), a song Jay-Z recorded after being on inspired by then-President-elect Barack Obama. He even got to perform the song at the Neighborhood Ball on Inauguration Night.

However, it wasn't until June of this year that the first ACTUAL song from The Blueprint 3 leaked/was released. "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)" was dropped as the "street single" for TB3, with the first single, at that time it was supposed to be "Off That" featuring Drake, coming out in July. The first single was released in July, but "Off That" was replaced for the Kanye West & No I.D.-produced "Run This Town", featuring the previously mentioned producer (not No I.D.) and Rihanna. From there on, the album slowly leaked like molasses, until early September the whole jar fell to the floor.

And here we are... oh, and Only Built 4 Cuban Linx 2 is tomorrow.

1. What We Talkin' About (feat. Luke Steele)
Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.
First thing I noticed, Kanye (and No I.D.)'s production is not what you'd expect, especially for a Jay-Z album. Luke Steele, of The Sleepy Jackson and Empire of the Sun, has a really unneccessary chorus, as he could've easily been replaced by Uncredited Studio Singer #53 (he is the best USS after all, well, since USS #28 crushed his larynx in that lawn mowing accident). Oh, and Jay-Z's live freestyle that sparked the completely uninteresting Game/Jay beef (even though Jay hasn't even acknowledged the beef's existence) are here, too. Overall, though, this is a decent song, lackluster intro, though.

2. Thank You
Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.
Kanye and No I.D. channel some Dr. Dre here. The beat is really good and Jay actually sounds good on here. Jay thanks his fans on here. The lyric that stood out the most to me was "I was gonna kill a couple rappers/but they did it to themselves/I was gonna do it with the flow/but they did it with they sales/I was gonna 9/11 them/but they didn't need the help/and they did a good job/them boys is talented as hell", while I admit I do like that block, I must say I feel the phrase "9/11 them" was... oh... I don't know... unneccessary. Plus, there's actually a lot more 9/11 references in that verse. But, hey, at least he didn't call him and his co-horts "nine Bin Ladens" (looking at you, Raekwon).

3. D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)
Produced by No I.D.
If you have been at all paying attention to hip-hop during the summer, you've heard this song. You've formulated your opinions and you'll probably skip a review of it because you'd rather read about the songs you may or may not heard yet... but, too bad. I'm the boss 'round these parts. One thing I don't like, Jay-Z tells rappers to get aggressive in their songs, but throughout the song he has a flow that is anything but aggressive. One thing I do like, No I.D.'s beat. Let's hope he gets some more work soon. Also, I find it hilarious that this song was released in June and T-Pain is JUST NOW dissing Jay-Z.

4. Run This Town (feat. Kanye West & Rihanna)
Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.
When this song first dropped, I really was a fan. Despite Jay's annoying "WASSUP?" and "JEAH"s, this song is still really good. Rihanna sounds good on the hook, and this is coming from someone who does not fancy himself a Rihanna fan. But the best part of the song (not including Kanye and No I.D.'s beat) is Kanye's verse. Kanye murders Jay on his own shit. Also, the video's pretty good, too.

5. Empire State of Mind (feat. Alicia Keys)
Produced by Al Shux
This song is awesome. My favorite song from the album. Al Shux (who)'s beat is good and Alicia Keys's chorus is good. It just makes me wanna toss on my Yankees hat ("I made the Yankee hat more famous than the Yankee game") and insult some Sox fans... myself being a Sox fan. When I first listened to the song, the accent Jay put on at the end of some of his words kind of annoyed me. Now, however, I'm used to it. So I got over that... you can, too.

6. Real As It Gets (feat. Young Jeezy)
Produced by The Inkredibles
Ugh. The beat's boring and Young Jeezy does nothing but annoy me The only good thing I can say is at least Jeezy didn't ruin a good song, like he did to Kanye's "Amazing". However, I can only say this because this isn't a good song.

7. On to the Next One (feat. Swizz Beatz)
Produced by Swizz Beatz
I don't understand why Swizz Beatz continues to get feature credits. NOTHING he's done vocal-wise has ever been of importance. "Hov on that new shit, n---as like how come/N---as want my old shit, buy my old album", this makes little to no sense, since The Blueprint 3 is a sequel to The Blueprint... surely, there'd be some continuity in the sound, right? As for the song quality, this would classify as a SKIP.

8. Off That (feat. Drake)
Produced by Timbaland
What was supposed to be the first single. I listened to the leak when it's came out and I admittedly didn't like it. After a couple more listens, I could at least stand it. Here? It's still not my favorite Jay song, or Jay/Timbo collaboration for that matter, but it could be worse. A lot worse. I do have to admit, I like lines directed at Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh. "This ain't black vs. white, my n---a, we off that/please tell Bill O'Reilly to fall back/tell Rush Limbaugh to get off my balls/it's 2010, not 1864".

9. A Star is Born (feat. J. Cole)
Produced by Kanye West & No I.D.
Jay provides to time to give the first Roc Nation artist not named Shawn Carter some time to show off. J. Cole (who's dropped two mixtapes so far, The Come Up and The Warm Up, I downloaded the latter). In Jay's three verses, he drops more names than The Game on any given Sunday. Jay even mentions Eminem's guest appearance on "Renegade", calling it "fucking awesome". J. Cole's only verse is pretty good. Overall, chalk it up to "good".

10. Venus vs. Mars
Produced by Timbaland
Timbo provides a minimalist beat for Jay laces the song with some simple, yet awesome lyrics. The chorus sucks, though. A lot.

11. Already Home (feat. Kid Cudi)
Produced by Kanye West
Kid Cudi, who's album drops next week, drops by for the chorus, which sounds pretty good. Kanye's production is the best he has on the album. Jay's lyrics are good, making this a pretty good track, rivaling "Empire State of Mind" as the best track on the album.

12. Hate (feat. Kanye West)
Produced by Kanye West
Kanye gives Jay something that really wouldn't have sounded out of place on Yeezy's 808s & Heartbreak. I seem to be in the minority here, in the fact that I actually enjoy this song. While it's not the best song these two can put out ("Diamonds of Sierra Leone (Remix)" comes to mind) and while I have to admit that The Ye & Jay Connection's lyrics aren't what up to the standard they could be, for some reason I enjoy the song. You probably don't...

13. Reminder
Produced by Timbaland
This isn't bad... not very good, either. Let's just say "meh" and move on.

14. So Ambitious (feat. Pharrell)
Produced by The Neptunes
Admitedly, I am not a fan of Jay and Neptunes/Pharrell collaborations, but something about this makes it more enjoyable than other collaboration. I like the beat. And Pharrell doesn't bother me too much. In fact, I'd actually say his chorus is... good.

15. Young Forever (feat. Mr Hudson)
Produced by Kanye West
I'm also in the minority on this song, too. Most people don't like this song, the typical complaint being Mr Hudson's chorus and the fact that the song samples and interpolates "Forever Young" by Alphaville. On first listen, I was unsure about the song. And then every other listen I began to like it more and more, going from "very, very meh" to "decent", and now, to "good". I'd also place this as one of my favorite tracks from the album. Good ender, in my opinion

Conclusion: The Blueprint 3 is a good album. It's nowhere near the garbage that some people claim it is. Nor does it live up to the original Blueprint album. It's better than the second, though. My main problem lies within the fact that the album is supposed to be a continuation of The Blueprint, but it sounds nothing like the acclaimed album, thanks to Kanye West's production, Jay-Z's heavy reliance on guest artists (even if 8 out of the 12 guests only appear for the choruses), and the fact that the album has more of a pop influence than other Jay-Z albums. Overall, I think the album is worth a purchase (I'd suggest Best Buy, $9.99 if you get it soon).

And below is an alternative cover that I personally like better and use for iTunes and my iPod...

Video Music Box: Raekwon - House of Flying Daggers

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdG3fgBZZbI

For the second Video Music Box, here is Raekwon's video for "House of Flying Daggers", which features Inspectah Deck, Ghostface Killah, and Method Man. It is produced by the late J Dilla.

Directed by Eric Sasso and Brian Wendelken for Chain Gang Productions, the video is an animated effort. It features an intro by RZA that isn't in the song. The story begins with RZA explaining the events.There was a massacre at Shaolin, that was apparently the work of one thousand warriors. A legendary assassin known as The Hunter was seen there. But then RZA drops the bomb... The Hunter had nothing to do with it... and it was only five.

Cue the song. The song... fuck the song is awesome. I remember when ?uestlove leaked it on Twitter and Raekwon followed up the next day, dropping a CD quality version.

Anyway, the video shows the five (Raekwon, Deck, Ghost, Meth, and GZA) just kicking the shit out of warriors, but in between, it shows their fighting style. For exampe, Inspectah Deck is "Scorpion style" which means he can apparently kick your fucking brain out of your skull and onto the ground. Raekwon is "Toad style", meaning he can punch you under the chin and watch blood fly out the back of your head. Oh, and he can block and unneccessarily long katana using just his forearm. Yeah... GZA (why doesn't he have a verse on this song?) would be "Centipede style", meaning he could repeatedly pound your face. Next up would be Ghostface who is "Snake style", with the ability TO FUCKING PUSH YOUR SPINAL CORD OUT OF YOUR BODY BY POKING YOU WITH TWO FINGERS. WHAT?! Method Man is "Lizard style", meaning he can climb up walls or something. They don't give him much to do here.

After killing tons of warriors, The Hunter shows back up. As he begins being engulfed in a blue light that pulls up his solder's dead bodies, a black cloaked figure begins to move behind him. It sneaks up on him and snaps his neck, revealing that the black cloaked figure is actually one Ol' Dirty Bastard. The video ends by closing up on the Wu-Tang symbol on a door.

To be honest, this video is amazing. You definitely need to watch this above, and then get it for you iPod.

Random Thought...

As I try and figure out which album to review next, I figured I'd post a random thought here.

A couple days ago, I listened to Jay-Z's Kingdom Come for the first time in over a year or so. I gotta say, three years reserved from it's release, that album isn't as bad as it's said to be. Yeah...

Random Thought numero dos, I'm gonna cop the The Blueprint 3 leak, primarily since Jay said he didn't have a problem with it.

Nas - It Was Written (July 2, 1996)

Nas - It Was Written

Template change. Since I'm sick and I can't get to sleep, I figure I'll finish this review.

Nas was in a little bit of a pickle. I mean, he just dropped arguably the greatest hip-hop album of all time. How the hell would you follow that up?

Nas decided to go in a more mainstream direction for his sophmore album, getting the Trackmasters to have production credits in more than half the album. He also decided to change his manager, leaving MC Serch in the dust for Steve "My Only Claim to Fame is that Puff Daddy Hit Me in the Head with a Champagne Bottle" Stoute. He convinced Lauryn Hill of the Fugees to be featured on his first single, since she (and Wyclef and Pras) were still riding an insane wave of popularity, thanks to The Score.

He tapped only two producers from Illmatic, bringing back DJ Premier and L.E.S., both getting one song to themselves (L.E.S. would co-produce a song with the Trackmasters). Nas tapped fellow Queensbridgians Mobb Deep, getting Havoc to produce and appear on two songs, with Havoc's partner-in-crime Prodigy appearing on the second of those two. Nas also got Live Squad, Lo Ground, and General Sound to all produce one track. However, even with all those producers, the biggest production credits would belong to one, Andre Young.

The West Coast doctor, who was busy producing tracks for Death Row artists, collaborated with the East Coast MC, making Nasir the first East Coast MC to appear have a song produced by Dr. Dre.

When It Was Written dropped, it was sold more than Illmatic, but wasn't received as well as Illmatic, but then, how could it be?

1. Album Intro
Produced by Nas & Trackmasters
Nas's sophmore attempt begins with the most pretentious intro this side of Wu-Tang Clan's "Wu-Revolution". It then cuts to an intro similar to "The Genesis" off of Illmatic, where AZ blabbers and Nas appears to not even notice his Queensbridge counterpart.

2. The Message
Produced by Trackmasters
For the most mainstream producers not named "The Hitmen", the Trackmasters provided a beat that doesn't sound at all remotely like it was meant for the radio, which Poke and Tone are known for. And as such, their beat is pretty simple. Simple drum beat, a crash every now and then, and repeating strings. Simplicity can be good, you know. Nas's rhymes are on point making this a damn good song to reintroduce us to Nasir Jones.

3. Street Dreams
Produced by Trackmasters
The second single. If you fancy yourself a fan of Tupac Shakur, you'll notice pretty early that Nas samples the same song as 2Pac's "All Eyez on Me" off the self-titled album. If you fancy yourself a fan of "Street Dreams," you already know there's a remix of this track, featuring R. Kelly. If you fancy yourself a fan of good hip-hop songs, you'll probably think of this as a "Meh." track and skip onto the next track...

4. I Gave You Power
Produced by DJ Premier
The lone DJ Premier production... and it's REALLY good. Premo's beat is awesome, and Nas's lyrics are good. The gimmick of this track would be that Nas is rhyming in the viewpoint as a gun. And while it may sound as though it might not come off well, it really does.

5. Watch Dem N---as (feat. Foxy Brown)
Produced by Trackmasters
SKIP.

6. Take It in Blood
Produced by Live Squad, Lo Ground, & General Sound
I don't know the producers, but their beat is good and simple. Nas's lyrics are on point (like every album he's put out not named Nastradamus). This song is pretty good

7. Nas is Coming (feat. Dr. Dre)
Produced by Dr. Dre
The intro that takes us into the track lasts too long. Once it gets into the song, I notice that the chorus sucks. Dr. Dre's beat is actually pretty boring and totally unlike the good Doctor that we know and love. His appearance on this track is pretty much a non-factor here. Nas sounds good, but the problem is, is this whole collaboration needed to be perfect. We have the best producer on the West and (one of) the best MC(s) on the East collaborating. But Dre uncharacteristically faltered to come up with a good beat. If you need to hear a good Dre/Nas, I'd point you in the direction of "Hustlers" featuring The Game from Nas's Hip Hop is Dead, or the "East Coast/West Coast Killas" track, credited to Group Therapy (Dr. Dre, B-Real, and B-Real from the West, Nas and KRS-One from the East), off of Dr. Dre's Aftermath compilation/teaser CD.

8. Affirmative Action (feat. AZ, Cormega, & Foxy Brown)
Produced by Trackmasters
On his sophomore disc, Nas decides to give the members of his supergroup (featuring AZ (the only guest verse on Illmatic), Foxy Brown, and Cormega (who was dropped from the group and replaced by another MC from Queensbridge, Nature, before they released their first full-length album, titled... The Album). Over a Trackmasters-provided beat (they would go on to produce most of The Album, the only other produced being Dr. Dre). AZ, Cormega, and Nas all provide good verses... and then Foxy Brown drops by. I've never liked her and this is no exception. With Cormega providing a pretty good verse, you may ask yourself why Nas dropped him and replaced with Nature? I don't know why. I'm going to guess Cormega accidentally erased a sketch on Nas's Etch A Sketch that he had been working on for a while and Nas got pissed and dropped him.

9. The Set Up (feat. Havoc)
Produced by Havoc
Havoc, from Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues (also known as Mobb Deep) drops by and provides Nas with a pretty good beat to which he successfully rhymes over with good results. Havoc, the lesser part of Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues provides an annoying chorus, making this a meh track.

10. Black Girl Lost (feat. Jo-Jo Hailey)
Produced by L.E.S. & Trackmasters
L.E.S., who had production credits on Illmatic, drops by to co-produce a track with the album's primary producers, the Trackmasters. Jo-Jo Hailey of K-Ci & Jo-Jo provides a meh hook, but the beat is boring. As such, this would be ranked "meh".

11. Suspect
Produced by L.E.S.
Yawn.

12. Shootouts
Produced by Trackmasters
See track #11.

13. Live N---a Rap (feat. Mobb Deep)
Produced by Havoc
Havoc comes back around, bringing his Mobb Deep counterpart, Prodigy. Havoc's beat is good and he and the currently-incarcerated half of Havoc & Prodigy Play the Blues sounds good, as does Nas.

14. If I Ruled the World (Imagine That) (feat. Lauryn Hill)
Produced by Trackmasters & Rashad Smith
For a radio-ready track (this was the first single, after all), this is a pretty good song. Nas enlists the Fugees' Lauryn Hill for the chorus, which she sounds good. The ebat's pretty good, too.

Conclusion: There was no way that It Was Written wasn't going to be compared to Illmatic. Illmatic was a critically acclaimed classic, and It Was Written was his follow up. Just like Jay-Z's In My Lifetime, Vol. 1 was compared to Reasonable Doubt, It Was Written was/is compared to Illmatic. And while it's obvious that Illmatic is the better album, It Was Written is a good album on it's own. As such, it deserves money spent on it. The best part about buying it, would be that you can probably find it pretty cheap without spending much time looking for it.

Rest in Peace... DJ AM

Adam Goldstein
March 30, 1973 - August 28, 2009

Rest in Peace.

Mixtape: Kid Cudi - A Kid Named Cudi (July 17, 2008)

Kid Cudi - A Kid Named Cudi

For the first mixtape review, we delve into the official Kid Cudi mixtape.

Kid Cudi is a 25 year old artist from Cleveland. He hasn't released an album yet, but has a mixtape (this one) and has dropped two singles, one of them features both Kanye West AND Common. This early in his career, you know that he's pretty good, or did he some favors for some pretty important people.

His most known song was his debut single "Day 'n' Nite", which dropped February 2008 and became a hit over the internet. It has had remixes featuring artists such as Jim Jones, Styles P, K'naan, Collie Buddz, and others.

After "Day 'n' Nite" was released, anticipation built up for his debut mixtape, which dropped July 17th, 2008. I got into it late in the game, downloading it November 15th (according to my iTunes). I listened to it that night, wasn't so sure. I pretty much only played the catchy-as-fuck "Day 'n' Nite" and tucked the mixtape away for another day.

Fast forward to April when a friend asks me for Cudi recomendations. I take a second listen to A Kid Named Cudi... and this time it clicked. I thouroughly enjoyed it and have listened to it several times since.

With Cudi's album dropping soon, I felt it was a good idea to take another listen to this mixtape in anticipation, and to do a review on it.

Here we go...

1. Intro
A simple hip-hop intro set in a movie theater with people talking as the movie begins... then we head into the mixtape.

2. Down & Out
Produced by OutKast
To begin, Cudi swipes the beat for "Chonkyfire" from OutKast's Aquemini to great results. The first time I listened to the mixtape, I must've not been paying attention as I completely missed the fact he was on the "Chonkyfire" beat. The second listen was a quick "WHAT THE FUCK?!" moment, followed by marking out as this example of beat-jacking is amazing.

3. Is There Any Love? (feat. Wale)
Produced by Emile
Fellow hip-hop up-and-comer Wale drops by (he has an album coming out soon, and a mixtape set to be reviewed sometime). The song is a bit slow, compared to the "Chonkyfire" beat jacking beforehand. I'd also say that Wale (pronounced Wah-lay and not Whale) actually shows up his host, delivering the best verse.

4. CuDi Get
Produced by J Dilla
Cudi hops on the beat for J Dilla's "Wild" off of the Ruff Draft EP. As such, Kid Cudi sounds pretty fucking good over a Dilla beat. If he hopped on one from Donuts, though...

5. Man on the Moon (The Anthem)
Produced by NOSAJTHING
I love this song. I really like when Cudi does songs like this and "Mr. Solo Dolo", both of which are fucking amazing. I've been playing this like crazy on my iPod lately.

6. The Prayer
Produced by Plain Pat
Based around the "Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep Prayer" (that would be the prayer mentioned in the title). I like how Cudi takes a shot at Flo-Rida and his song "Low" ("If I slip away, if I die today, the last thing you remember won't be about some Apple Bottom jeans with the boots with the fur"). That's kinda ballsy on your debut mixtape. Near the end of the track, you can detect the "Day N Nite" beat, allowing the mixtape to seemlessly transition into Cudi's biggest song to date...

7. Day N Nite
Produced by Dot Da Genius
Also known as my ringtone. This song is catchy as fuck. I'll listen to it once and it'll be stuck in my head for a couple days (and nights, nice pun, rite?).

8. Embrace the Martian
Produced by Crookers
Crookers, the Italian DJ duo that made a techno remix for "Day 'n' Nite", come by to provide Cudi the beat for a pretty good song.

9. Maui Wowie
Produced by Guerilla Tek & McKlezie
Cudi steals the beat for southern group Grind Mode's "I'm So High" and pens a song to his favorite strand of weed, Maui Wowie, which apparently is in Hawaii. I wouldn't know. It's pretty catchy, but fails in comparison when you place it up against previous songs such as "Down & Out" or "Man on the Moon (The Anthem)".

10. 50 Ways to Make a Record
Produced by Emile & Plain Pat
Cudi jacks Paul Simon's "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover" and decides to pen it about making a record... instead of leaving a lover. It's slow and soft, but for some reason it kinda bores me. But then again, that could be fact I'm really fucking tired, but I wanna finish this review tonight.

11. Whenever
Produced by Andre 3000
Continuing the streak of beat-jacking, Cudi digs back into the south and pulls out Andre 3000's "Pink & Blue", off The Love Below, from the Speakerboxxx/The Love Below double album OutKast put out. Cudi's jacking produces good results

12. Pillow Talk
No idea who produces this. I don't care enough, I'm not a big fan of this.

13. Save My Soul (The CuDi Confession)
Produced by Danger Mouse
The beat-jacking continues! This time, Cudi takes Gnarls Barkley's "Save My Soul". This actually sounds pretty good. I appreciate the fact he kept Cee-Lo's chorus in his version.

14. T.G.I.F. (feat. Chip tha Ripper)
See track #12 for the producer. Chip tha Ripper would be another rapper from Cleveland, Ohio, who, according to Last.fm, has dropped plenty of mixtapes for you to enjoy, if you feel like checking him out. I don't, though, since he had a meh appearance. Overall, this song is pretty meh.

15. CuDi Spazzin'
Produced by The Neptunes
Cudi hops on N.E.R.D.'s "Spaz" to awesome results. I've said that before, haven't I? I think I have.

16. Cleveland is the Reason
Produced by Dot da Genius
Dot da Genius, the producer of "Day N Nite" drops back for a decent song. That's all I got.

17. Heaven at Nite
Produced by Ratatat
The final song. Blah, blah, it sounds good.

Conclusion: You should go find a link for this. Somewhere, there's a download for A Kid Named Cudi, and it shouldn't be hard to find. You should also cop Man on the Moon: The End of Day, dropping September 15th. I'm gonna, and you should too.

Rest in Peace... Ted Kennedy

Edward Moore Kennedy
February 22, 1932 - August 25, 2009

"And the last shall be first."

Kanye West - Late Registration (August 30, 2005)

Kanye West - Late Registration

For Kanye, following up his Grammy Award winning debut album, The College Dropout, was going to be tough. In the attempt to do so, Kanye enlisted Jon Brion, a producer who earned Grammy nominations for his scores of the films Magnolia and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, to help create cinematic beats.

Once Kanye had the cinematic production down, he called back GLC, Consequence, Common, Jamie Foxx, and Jay-Z to appear on his sophmore album. He always called upon a couple new guests, Adam Levine, Lupe Fiasco, Paul Wall, The Game, Brandy, Nas, Really Doe, and Cam'ron.

When you discuss Kanye West's album Late Registration, it's kind of hard to ignore the controversial statement that Kanye made a couple days after the album's release. Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans the day before Late Registration dropped. It caused severe damage to the city, causing the need for several fundraisers. One of them happened on September 2nd. A Concert for Hurricane Relief was aired live on NBC, featuring Kanye West (alongside Mike Myers) as a presenter. After Kanye deviated away from the skip, complaining about how the media portrayed African-Americans ("I hate the way they portray us in the media. You see a black family, it says, 'They're looting.' You see a white family, it says, 'They're looking for food.'"). After a surprised Mike Myers continued to read from the script, Kanye West delivered the controversial statement that would shock and surprise many Americans ("George Bush doesn't care about black people.") The camera quickly cut over to Chris Tucker, but the statement was still made.

But this review isn't about what Kanye said on September 2, 2005. It's about the album that dropped on August 30, 2005. Let's begin...

1. Wake Up Mr. West
DeRay Davis, best known for appearances on Nick Cannon's Wild 'N Out (you know you're not doing well when you need to credit Nick Cannon for most of your fame), drops by for another Bernie Mac-esque intro.

2. Heard 'Em Say (feat. Adam Levine)
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
I'm not a huge fan of Adam Levine on this track (or any track for that matter), but Kanye's rhymes are good enough for me to ignore his chorus. Odd note, this song makes me really tired for some reason. But then, that could be the three hours of sleep I got talking. Also, when the song gets into the last forty seconds, which are all instrumental, I typically click the skip button, leading right into...

3. Touch the Sky (feat. Lupe Fiasco)
Produced by Just Blaze
The best damn song on Late Registration. And the only track that has Kanye not receiving production credits. This beat is one of the reasons I love Just Blaze as a producer (also see: "December 4th" and "Public Service Announcement"). The song can be credited for making Lupe Fiasco's career (after this verse, Lupe dropped two awesome albums, the first of which I feel like reviewing sometime soon). God, I love this song.

4. Gold Digger (feat. Jamie Foxx)
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
Why Kanye West brings in Jamie Foxx to impersonate Ray Charles in the beginning of the song... when he samples the original throughout the song confuses me. Also, how this song got so damn popular, while "Touch the Sky" only peaked at 42 on the Billboard 100 confuses me. I'll never understand people who listen to the radio. Oh, the song. It's good. But you've heard it before, so I'll just dive out... now.

5. Skit #1
Skip.

6. Drive Slow (feat. Paul Wall & GLC)
Produced by Kanye West
I will never understand why Kanye West is such an awesome MC (yes, I said it, deal with it), but has questionable taste in hip-hop (Lil' Wayne, Paul Wall, T-Pain, Young Jeezy...). It's just weird. I know that somewhere there's a remix with T.I., that I believe was released on a special edition of his album King. GLC drops by and makes me wonder why he hasn't dropped an album yet (Love, Life, & Loyalty will not be released this year. Calling it.) Paul Wall also drops by and makes me wonder why he's released four albums to date.

7. My Way Home (feat. Common)
Produced by Kanye West
This is weird. Common comes into the studio to lay down a verse that sounds like it would fit on "Homecoming", the track from numerous Kanye mixtapes and Graduation. However, Kanye just decides to put the verse alone on the album, with no Kanye at all. Common sounds good, as always. Plus, the last 40 or so seconds where Kanye lets the sample play out is awesome.

8. Crack Music (feat. The Game)
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
Apparently, The Game actually recorded a verse for this track, along with his half of the chorus, but for some reason, Kanye decided that it didn't fit or maybe The Game didn't sit with him at lunch, I don't know, but Kanye deleted the verse, but decided to keep The Game's chorus. I wonder if the version with The Game is available on the internet, I'm guessing it is. I mean, what isn't available on the internet? He'd probably sound good over the beat.

9. Roses
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
I really like this song. But you have to admit it's kinda eery when you think about what happened to his mother.

10. Bring Me Down (feat. Brandy)
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
Brandy hasn't been relevant in forever. So why did Kanye go with her when he probably could've gotten nearly any songstress he wanted? (Mary J. Blige... just saying.)

11. Addiction
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
I don't know why I like this song so much. I just do. Don't judge me.

12. Skit #2
See track #5.

13. Diamonds From Sierra Leone (Remix) (feat. Jay-Z)
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
You can find the original towards the end of the album. After being learned on conflict diamonds, Kanye decided to remix the track, bringing along his big bro to drop a verse. Jay decides to completely the entire concept of the remix and rhyme about how awesome he and Roc-A-Fella are. Plus, he has the line "I'm not a businessman, I'm a business, man!" and that just kicks ass.

14. We Major (feat. Nas & Really Doe)
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
The longest song Kanye has this side of "Last Call". Really Doe provides the chorus, while Nas drops a scene-stealing verse. It sounds pretty good the first few minutes, but ultimately, it goes on way too long. And you'll find yourself skipping to the next track (which you'll also skip).

15. Skit #3
See track #12.

16. Hey Mama
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
You may find this song hard to listen to after what happened to his mother. One thing I'll remember about this song was a couple years back, I didn't have any money for a Mother's Day gift. Lucky for me, my mom will take the simplest gift for Mother's Day and find joy in the thought that I put time and thought into it. I remember copying this song into Word and editing some of the stuff to make it more for her and then printing it and giving it to her. Although, it wasn't much, she enjoyed it. Also, I suggest you track down the "Grammy Remix" of this track, which is a studio version of the live version that Kanye performed at the Grammys. Also, R.I.P. Donna West.

17. Celebration
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
You can skip this. You won't really be missing anything.

18. Skit #4
See track #15.

19. Gone (feat. Cam'ron & Consequence)
Produced by Kanye West
I really like this song. While I'm not the biggest fan of Cam'ron (except for Come Home with Me and Purple Haze), he really sounds good on this song. Consequence also sounds good. I've yet to hear him sound bad out of the (four or so) songs I've heard him on. For Kanye's second verse, the beat switches up, sending us into the bonus tracks...

The next two tracks are considered bonus tracks...

20. Diamonds From Sierra Leone
Produced by Kanye West & Jon Brion
Despite being the actual single, the original "Diamonds from Sierra Leone" is stuck back in the bonus tracks. This is good song, but I personally prefer the remix with Jay-Z, which you can find above.

21. Late
Produced by Kanye West
This a good song... and I'd review it further. But I wanna get to bed. So I'll leave it at that, excuse the lazyness.

Conclusion: You really should buy this album. It's definitely the best album Kanye's put it out to date, and one of the best albums of the decade. And I really mean that. This album proves why Kanye is my favorite mainstream MC of the 2000s.

Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full (July 7, 1987)

Eric B. & Rakim - Paid in Full

While I'm on my Shuffle shit, I figured I'd begin the write up for the next review...

If you ever go on forums related to hip-hop or frequent hip-hop blogs or listen hip-hop, then you've heard arguments about the greatest of all time. While I won't mention the G.O.A.T. in my opinion (*cough* Rakim), an MC by the name of Rakim is frequently brought up.

Alongside his partner in crime, Eric B., Rakim was in, arguably, the greatest producer/MC duo of all time. The two dropped a total of four albums, before breaking up in 1992 after 7 years. The two went their separate ways. Rakim took five years to drop his first solo album The 18th Letter, which was accompanied with The Book of Life, an Eric B. & Rakim greatest hits compilation. However, it should be noted that Eric B. released a less known, less successful, less acclaimed album, creatively titled Eric B.

However, before all this, and before Rakim signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath, and before Eric B. slowly fell into irrelevance, the duo dropped Paid in Full.

Today, Paid in Full is cited by many as "THE GREATEST FUCKING ALBUM YOU EVER HEARD." Placed on lists from "Top Ten Hip-Hop Albums", "Top Albums", "What? You HAVEN'T Listened to These?", it's not hard to see that Paid in Full is a fucking classic. It could be described as the most influential album this side of 2Pac's discography.

So I've pretty much given away the Conclusion, haven't I? Meh, read it anyway.

1. I Ain't No Joke
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
You know you've heard this, don't play that game. You also this song fucking rocks. Even after 22 years. Eric's cuts on the horns are awesome. Simplicity can be good, sometimes. Example: the drums. Hit-clap-hit-hit-hit-clap, repeat.

2. Eric B. Is on the Cut
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
Two tracks in an Eric B. gives us a DJ cut. Odd sequencing, but I'm not complaining, since Eric B. has always been my favorite DJ, excluding DJ Premier, though... sorry, Eric... it's not you... it's me.

3. My Melody
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
This isn't actually the original version, this would be the Marley Marl remix. You can find the original on the Paid in Full deluxe edition in your local CD store now. The beat is a slow tempo, but it's still awesome. Clocking in at about 6:50, this song is the longest track on Paid in Full, and unlike most hip-hop songs clocking around that time, it doesn't drag itself out too much. When you listen to it, Rakim's rhymes seem to fly right by as you stand (sit?) in amazement, while Marley Marl's remixed beat slaps you around for good measure.

4. I Know You Got Soul
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
This beat is just four different kinds of awesome. Rakim just rips the beat to shreds and then sits back and kicks your ass. Gaah, I love this song.

5. Move the Crowd
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
The keyboard in the beginning had my foot tapping, which brings us into an(other) amazing beat, courtesy of Eric Barrier. Rakim kills the beat, too... but you know this. Also, MC means "master of ceremonies", not "move the crowd". But it's okay, Rakim, we forgive you.

6. Paid in Full
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. decides to namedrop their agent, label, etc. in the beginning, before stepping back, allowing Rakim to just kill this shit. After Rakim spits his shit, Eric B. decides to let the beat rock (with Eric B. trademarked cuts) for a minute and a half. I can't complain. The beat just fucking owns.

7. As the Rhyme Goes On
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
"I'm the R, to the A, to the K-I-M, if I wasn't then why would I say I am?" I'm not a huge fan of Eric B.'s beat on here (I know, I'm as shocked as you are), but Rakim's rhymes propel it to a higher level. I'm gonna say that this song would be the worst song of the album, which is to say it's a damn good song.

8. Chinese Arithmetic
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
Eric B. decides to give us another DJ cut, this time over a pretty stereotypical Asian sample that Eric B. somehow turns into an awesome deejay cut. Props to you, Eric Barrier.

9. Eric B. is President
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
You've heard this. Why do you want me to review this? You know it's awesome. Can't I just say "AMAZING." and shoot some fireworks off? Yes, I can.

10. Extended Beat
Produced by Eric B. & Rakim
To send us out, Eric B. gives us an extended beat of "Move the Crowd". Sounds amazing here, as it did five tracks ago.

Conclusion: My review doesn't do this album justice. There is not a bad song on this album.Hell, I wouldn't even say there's a decent song on the album. It's all amazing. When I first began this blog, my first review was Nas's Illmatic. I said it was my favorite hip-hop album of all time, which it is. However, I'd have to say that Eric B. & Rakim's fucking MASTERPIECE here is the best hip-hop album of all-time. You need to buy this shit. I love this album so much I'd like to become a Senator just to push legislation making it illegal for any hip-hop fan to not have this album. I guess what I'm saying is... BUY, BUY, BUY.

Common - Be (May 24, 2005)

Common - Be

Told you it'd be hip-hop.

Common used to love her... and was loved by her, up until Electric Circus. Electric Circus was definitely Common's most exploratory album (even more exploratory than the shitfest that is Universal Mind Control). And as most exploration albums (Mos Def's "The New Danger" and Kanye West's "808s & Heartbreak" spring to mind), it wasn't met well. How could he come back from Like Water for Chocolate with Electric Circus?

Simple. Common had made one of the best hip-hop albums of all time (that just happened.) and wanted to explore other genres. And as such, it was not well recieved. It also can be credited for the end of the Soulquarians, a group consisting of Common, Questlove, Erykah Badu, J Dilla, D'Angelo, Mos Def, Q-Tip, James Poyser, and Talib Kweli.

With no Soulquarians to fall back on for his next album, Common enlisted the help of fellow Chicago native, Kanye West (who was also the protege of Common's main producer from the 90s, No I.D.). He also called back J Dilla from the Soulquarians to be the only producer not named West.

Be was insanely well received, gaining a perfect XXL rating from XXL. It also earned himself the Lyricist of the Year award from BET and four Grammy nominations. It peaked at #2 on the Billboard 200, despite not having very successful singles.

But what is my opinion on it? (I'm glad you asked.)

1. Be (Intro)
Produced by Kanye West
Not so much an intro, more of a one-verse wonder, with an awesome beat. I love how the bass, keyboard, piano, drums, etc. all come in one after another, allowing Common to drop a one verse that gives you an idea of what Be will sound like (yes, I realize that's what an intro's supposed to do, tell everyone else that).

2. The Corner (feat. Kanye West & The Last Poets) Produced by Kanye West
Probably the hardest song Common will make that isn't a diss towards Ice Cube. Kanye drops by (he'll do that a lot throughout this album) for the chorus. The Last Poets sound as good as a group of acclaimed black poets who arose from 1960s African American civil rights movement's black nationalist thread (yes, I jacked that from Wikipedia) can sound over a conscious hip-hop song about street corners (which is to say, pretty damn good).

3. Go! (feat. John Mayer & Kanye West)
Produced by Kanye West
Common pens a song dedicated to sexual fantasies, bringing John Mayer and Kanye West along with him. Common's guest only provide the chorus (well, Kanye produces too) for what was Common's biggest single from Be (it was also the only Billboard 100 charting single).

4. Faithful (feat. Bilal & John Legend)
Produced by Kanye West
Kinda sounds like "Go!, Pt 2" except it's not about sexual fantasies, but whatever. Sounds pretty good, even though if it's a bit long.

5. Testify
Produced by Kanye West
A quick song with tons of story. A woman manipulates a judge and jury to get her partner convicted of a crime she did. The beat stands out in the album

6. Love Is... (feat. Luna E)
Produced by J Dilla
The onl producer that's not named West drops by for his first of two contributions. Dilla's beat is pretty damn good and Common sounds awesome on this song, providing himself with his own hook. After listening to this, I wanna listen to Donuts now.
7. Chi-City (feat. Kanye West)
Produced by Kanye West
And welcome back to the Kanye West produced tracks. I like the beat and, of course, Common's rhymes. Kinda reminds me of "Southside" from Finding Forever (or should I say "Southside" reminds me of "Chi-City"?). I like how only the drums play in the beginning of Common's second verse, in which he mentions Rick James, leading into...

8. The Food (feat. Kanye West)
Produced by Kanye West
Instead of providing the studio version of "The Food", the first single from Be, we hear the live version from Chappelle's Show (quick question, what the fuck has Dave done in the past three years, not including Dave Chappelle's Block Party, since it was filmed in 2004?). As typical, Kanye provides the hook, having not dropped a verse yet. I have to admit, I haven't heard the studio version of this song (YouTubing after the review), but I quite like this version.

9. Real People
Produced by Kanye West
Sounds spoken word poetry up against jazz... but it's not. Yeah. It's also real quick, just 10 seconds longer than "Testify". It's also damn good... that's nice.

10. They Say (feat. John Legend & Kanye West)
Produced by Kanye West
Instead of relying on Kanye West for hooks, Common enlists John Legend for the hook on what is a really a good song. Oh, and Kanye actually drops a verse. FINALLY. I don't like the four lines where he ends with the final line being high-pitched, other than that, the only verse we get from the author of 808s & Heartbreaks is pretty good.

11. It's Your World, Pt. 1 & 2 (feat. Bilal, Lonnie "Pops" Lynn, & "The Kids")
Produced by J Dilla
J Dilla provides the final beat for Be. The legacy continues, with Common giving his father some time on the final track of the album, making it five albums in a row now. Dilla's beat is awesome and Common graces it properly. Part 2 delves into "The Kids", which are a group of children, probably kindergarten age, discussing what they would like to be. One kid provides a lulzy moment when he describes what he wants to be "... a duck." You can't write that shit. Lonnie Lynn follows it up, describing what it is to be. And we're out, children.

Conclusion: Be's sound should credited to Kanye West just as much as it is to Common (which is the reason Kanye West is a label for this review), since he produced 9 tracks out of an 11 track album (and did a good job at it) and pretty much made the sound for Be. Be is a great album, and probably the reason Common is still relevent today. I'd suggest you go pick this up. NOW.

Coming Soon
I have no idea. Just stay tuned.

Video Music Box: Jay-Z - Run This Town (feat. Kanye West & Rihanna)

Jay-Z |MTV Music

http://www.mtvmusic.com/jay_z/videos/429303/run_this_town.jhtml

Introducing the newest of the gimmick posts, Video Music Box. With it's name swiped from the TV show of the same name, I'll take a look at the newest hip-hop video drop. For it's first edition, we begin with Jay-Z's new Rihanna & Kanye West-assisted single, "Run This Town."

Directed by Anthony Mandler (who also directed the video for Jay's other Blueprint 3 single, "D.O.A. (Death of Autotune)" looks sort of post-apocalyptic, sort of underground. The premise is pretty much that Jay, Kanye, and Rihanna are the leaders of a militia. Fire's everywhere, everyone's dressed in black ("all black everything"), there's plenty of torches, black bandanas, police batons. Let me just put a quick description of this video in two words: Shit's hot.

The moment this video drops on iTunes, I'm downloading it and sticking it on my iPod. That's how damn good it is. But if that wasn't enough, I'd go so far to say "Best Video of 2009". It doesn't hurt that the song ain't to shabby, either.

Just a quick definition of Video Music Box, I do a quick review about a music video. This isn't emant to be album review length, it's just a quick post for me to not get distracted or too procrastinated and to raise up the total post count.

EDIT: The OnSmash link went down, so I embedded to what is probably one of the few reliable links, MTV.

Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse (August 11, 2009)

Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse

I know, I know, I'm late. STFY.

Slaughterhouse is a hip-hop supergroup, composed of four artists who've been fucked over by their record labels. Joe Budden (who also dropped an EP today, titled Escape Route) was dropped from Def Jam after his sophmore album was delayed continously. Crooked I was dropped by Death Row thanks to two recorded, yet unreleased albums, blocked by CEO Suge Knight. Joell Ortiz was signed to Dr. Dre's Aftermath label and parted ways after having his album continuously delayed (he released one called The Brick: Bodega Chronicles on Koch Records, though). Royce da 5'9" came up with Eminem, but when Em blew the fuck up, Royce was promptly left behind. His debut album was heavily bootlegged and barely sold anything. He wrote for Dr. Dre, but was fired after Royce's manager revealed Royce wrote for the good Doctor. He then had a falling out with Eminem and got in a beef with D12. He also turned to alcoholism. All of those turned into his second album, Death is Certain, which is an amazing album.

Now, the four have decided to come together to create a supergroup that could possibly rival Wu-Tang (however, if Wu drop U-God...).

Joe called upon Royce, Joell, Crook, and another MC called Nino Bless for a posse cut called "Slaughterhouse." After sensing that they all had something (except for Nino Bless, who was promptly forgotten about in the scheme of Slaughterhouse), the four decided to come together as one.

August 11th, the Voltron of hip-hop dropped their self-titled debut album... and here it is.

1. Sound Off
Produced by StreetRunner
Royce's first verse is awesome. Describing each Slaughterhouse member as a part of the body. I do find it weird that Royce would basically say he runs Slaughterhouse, but none of the others seem to have a problem. All members (except Joey) begin their verse with a regular flow, before delving in a Twista-esque speed flow. Joey, though, begins it with the regular flow, and then alternates between a speed flow and a regular flow, and it sounds really awkward. However, every MC sound awesome. This is a great opening track, plus StreetRunner's beat is good.

2. Lyrical Murders (feat. K-Young)
Produced by Focus
Why did Slaughterhouse feel the need for an R&B-ish hook?

3. Microphone
Produced by The Alchemist
And this is why The Alchemist is one of my favorite producers. I've already heard this beat, back when Eminem freestyled over this (along with the beats of OutKast's "Chonkyfire" and Busta Rhymes "Respect My Conglomerate"). All four of Slaugterhouse sound awesome, making this my favorite song.

4. Not Tonight
Produced by StreetRunner
When I picked up the CD at Best Buy, I remember seeing "Featuring the Hits: The One (ft. The New Royales) & Not Tonight!" or something like that. I thought it was kinda weird, because I hadn't heard "Not Tonight" up to that point. While I personally would've replaced it with "Microphone" on that, this song is pretty damn good. StreetRunner comes back with another good contribution for a song that sounds borderline radio ready. Of course, this song leads into the first single...

5. The One (feat. The New Royales)
Produced by DJ Khalil
I have played this song so many damn times since it leaked. However, it took me a while to realize that The New Royales are Slaughterhouse's featured guests this affair. I'll be honest and say I haven't heard of them, except for one song which I got pretty much because I was looking for some Jay Electronica. But that's off-topic. This isn't about The New Royales or Jay Electronica, it's about Slaughterhouse's DJ Khalil-produced single. The group seems to open up the "Rock" section in the iTunes store and find ways to cram random rock references into their songs, but, somehow, it works. Despite the fact plenty of the bands they mention suck (Nickelback, Royce? NICKELBACK?!). I like Royce's verse, despite the fact it's short. The chorus sucks, though. If that's the lead singer of The New Royales (I forgot to mention that I haven't even listened to the one song I have), then you can count me out as a fan.

6. In the Mind of Madness (Skit)
I personally like to think of the "(Skit)" as "(Skip)", with Slaughterhouse advising the listener that this track is completely skippable. Thanks, Slaughterhouse!

7. Cuckoo
Produced by DJ Khalil
DJ Khalil's beat is crazy. This song was the second track from the album to leak (the first was "The One"). I have to admit, when I first listened to the track, I really, absolutely hated this beat. Which is weird, because I kinda like the beat for "The One", which was also produced by DJ Khalil. While, it's not the best on the album, and there are definitely way too many things going at once, I'll go out on a limb and say this song's grown on me. Of course, it helps when the lyrics are fire.

8. The Phone Call (Skit)
Skip.

9. Onslaught 2 (feat. Fatman Scoop)
Produced by Emile
Fatman Scoop where the fuck has he been (idea for Where Are They Now?: Fatman Scoop). Too bad he's completely unneccessary in the track (like pretty much every damn hype man except Flava Flav (looking at you Lil' Jon)). This would be the sequel to Slaughterhouse's first song together (besides the track from Joey's album, also featuring Nino Bless). And as such, I suggest you search the interwebz for the original, since it kills this version. The beat's better. The rhymes are better. The lack of Fatman Scoop is better. Yeah, you get my point. (By the way, did I use enough parentheses for this song? (No.))

10. The Phone Call 2 (Skit)
See track 8.

11. Salute (feat. Pharoahe Monch)
Produced by Mr. Porter
Pharoahe Monch drops by to drop a chorus... umm... okay. I'll never understand why MCs other waste good MCs on the chorus (Royce in particular, what the fuck was up with Em only doing the chorus on that one track from Rock City 2.0?). However, Pharoahe's chorus is pretty good, which is a fresh change of pace, since typically hip-hop chorus suck a left nut. I don't exactly know all the details of the Royce/D12 feud, but I know it's apparently over, since Mr. Porter would be Kuniva from D12. The beat's different from most of the others on here, which allows the four to spit fire with a slow flow. However, I'm still left wishing Monch got a verse.

12. Pray (It's a Shame)
Produced by ReaLsoN
This makes four producers I've never heard of. I also don't stand the unneeded capitalization in his name... but whatever. Joey sticks to the hook and Joell's verse is surpisingly uninteresting, as he spits (moar like slobbers) with a boring flow. Royce sounds good, but the surprise comes from Crooked I, who sounds the best on here. However, this song kinda bores me (or it could be fact that I'm really fucking tired and want to get to sleep... who knows).

13. Cut You Loose
Produced by Mr. Porter
Kuniva drops back with another contribution that serves as a song for the group to discuss their problems with hip-hop. Don't take this short track review for granted, this is a damn good song. I'm just tired and want to finish this review.

14. Rain Drops (feat. Novel)
Produced by Filthy Rockwell
I only know Novel through the fact he released a mixtape based around Kanye West's 808s & Heartbreaks, which I didn't download, but I digress. The beat's not very good. Slaughterhouse sound good... blah... blah... blah... I'ma head to bed. Night, guys. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

15. Killaz (feat. Melanie Rutherford & C. Brown)
Produced by Emile
Oh, wow. The concentrated amount of shit in this one song wake me up. Fuck. This is a turrible song. Just turrible.

Conclusion: Slaughterhouse is a pretty damn good debut. While it wasn't as good as I hoped it was, it did live up to my expectations. I'm gonna guess we'll get a second album (guessing the title here... Slaughterhouse 2, catchy, amirite?) around early of next year, hopefully with some contributions by a DJ by the name of Premier. Just sayin'.

Coming Soon
Fuck, if I know. All I know is it's hip-hop (watch me switch up and review some Radiohead).

Where Are They Now?: An Introduction

And here's an introduction to a gimmick of posts that I personally like to call "Where Are They Now?". This gimmick has a very... interesting beginning.

A little while back, I was taking a piss. As I typically do while urinating, my mind randomly races about the most random things (you be quiet, you) and the chorus of Jibbs's "Chain Hang Low" popped into my mind.

And as such, I wondered where the hell Jibbs went. First thing I know, he has an insanely popular mainstream hit with "Chain Hang Low" and a relatively popular hit with "King Kong" featuring King Koopa himself, Chamillionaire (odd note, Mixtape Messiah 7 is my shit). And as such, "Where Are They Now?" by Nas came into my train of thought, which was followed by this.

Don't get it confused, Where Are They Now? isn't just about one-hit wonders, it'll also be about MCs from the earlier times that haven't been relavent in anywhere from 15 to 7 years.

Who will it begin with? Possibly Jibbs. Maybe J-Kwon. I don't know. Just expect the first post to come out soon, all zero of you.

Well, now I'm back to procrastinating finishing up this Slaughterhouse post.

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx... (August 1, 1995)

Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...

I was all set to write up a review of the Wu-Tang debut album... but then this shit happened. And to hopefully bump up my (nonexistant) views, I decided to review Raekwon's classic debut album.

Method Man is the charasmatic one. Ol' Dirty Bastard was the crazy one. GZA was the lyricist. So how did Raekwon get the honor of releasing the third solo album from a Wu-Tang member? Did he get lucky? Did RZA sign off on the wrong album? Or was the combination of Corey Woods and Dennis Coles' maifoso lyrics, combined with Robert Diggs's cinematic production set up to create one of the greatest albums in the hip-hop genre?

Well, it certainly couldn't be that last part.

For Raekwon's classic debut, RZA provided the production for all 18 tracks. Rae also enlisted Ghostface Killah (who would release his debut album a little over a year later) to appear on 14 of the 18 tracks (Ghostface would do the same for Raekwon, having him appear on 13 of the 17 tracks on Ironman).

1. Striving for Perfection (feat. Ghostface KIllah)
Produced by RZA
An album intro. Nothing special.

2. Knuckleheadz (feat. Ghostface KIllah & U-God)
Produced by RZA
I personally would've had U-God in the middle, so Raekwon gets you interested in the beginning and Ghostface can pull you out of that nap you involuntarily have whenever U-God drops a verse. What do you mean you don't know what I'm talking about? What do you mean not everyone gets bored when they listen to U-God? Stop lying, that's common sense. Oh, for the song. Damn good until U-God comes in and ruins the sozzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

3. Knowledge God
Produced by RZA
Wait, what happened? I just dozed off. Ghostface only drops by for the intro and does absolutely nothing of importance, so he's uncredited in my book. Raekwon (who is credited... just incase you forgot) spits two hot verses on the first great song of a classic album with so many.

4. Criminology (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
This shit is just amazing. RZA's simple, yet awesome beat, combined two great verses from our host and his co-host make this the second best song on the album (you'll see the best one coming soon).

5. Incarcerated Scarfaces
Produced by RZA
Meh. This isn't too bad, but then again, it isn't too good, either.

6. Rainy Dayz (feat. Ghostface Killah & Blue Raspberry)
Produced by RZA
Samples both Michael Jackson's cover of "Ain't No Sunshine" and John Woo's film The Killer. What a weird combination. This song just rocks. Rae and Ghost both sound amazing. Plus Blue Raspberry ain't so bad herself.

7. Guillotine (Swordz) (feat. Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, & GZA)
Produced by RZA
You know the beginning of Method Man's "Tical", with the teaser beat that then switches up into the actual beat? Well, RZA decides to pull that beat from Meth and give it over to Rae for the necessary Wu-posse cut. The four all sound great, which makes me wonder why Inspectah Deck can't seem to put together a good album to save his life. The other three put together great albums. What was the common link between those? (RZA.)

8. Can It Be All So Simple (Remix) (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
Of all the Wu-Tang songs to do a remix of, they pick my least favorite off the debut album. As such, I still don't like this.

9. Shark N---as (Biters) (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
A skit/interlude in which Ghostface Killah discusses his hatred for biters, with Raekwon agreeing every now and then.

10. Ice Water (feat. Ghostface Killah & Cappadonna) Produced by RZA
Oh, hey, look. Cappadonna's prety good on here. Too bad that wouldn't last. Oh, and the song's good, too. So... yeah.

11. Glaciers of Ice (feat. Ghostface Killah & Masta Killa) Produced by RZA
The beat's nice. And the dynamic duo of Raekwon and Ghostface both sound awesome. Oh, and Masta Killa drops by, too. How nice of him. Though, Blue Raspberry sounds really... really... bad in her backing vocals.

12. Verbal Intercourse (feat. Ghostface Killah & Nas) Produced by RZA
Nas has the distinction of being the first non-Wu associated member to be on a Wu-associated album. After an annoying 30-second intro, Rae, Ghost, and Nas all jump into what is my favorite track off the album. But that could be due to the fact Nas is my favorite MC. When I first listened to the album, I skipped to the track, once again, due to my Nas bias. What did I hear? A fucking amazing track with great verses from the three stars (primarily Nas).

13. Wisdom Body (feat. Ghostface Killah)
Produced by RZA
Raekwon allows Ghostface to have a solo showcase here. Ghost repay the favor to Rae, allowing him to rhyme solo on "The Faster Blade" from Ironman... and with RZA, Inspectah Deck, and Masta Killa on "Assassination Day". RZA's production here is pretty good. And it appears a line from Ghostface's verse either skips or is backmasked. But, meh, Ghost sounds pretty damn good here.

14. Spot Rusherz
Produced by RZA
It's a good song, but in terms of Raekwon solo tracks, "Knowledge God" tops it.

15. Ice Cream (feat. Ghostface Killah, Method Man, & Cappadonna)
Produced by RZA
I. LOVE. THIS. SONG.

16. Wu-Gambinos (feat. Ghostface Killah, Masta Killa, Method Man, & RZA)
Produced by RZA
RZA steps out from behind the boards and brings Method Man and Masta Killa (they were hiding behind the boards) for the second Wu posse cut. Method Man (who was assigned hook duties on the last song) spits the best verse here, but it's not like Rae, Ghost, RZA, and Masta are bad. However, in terms of Wu posse cuts on OB4CL, I prefer "Guillotine (Swordz)".

17. Heaven & Hell (feat. Ghostface KIllah)
Produced by RZA
The debut single that introduced us to Raekwon's solo career, and, of course, it features Ghostface Killah. RZA's beat on here is fucking awesome. Though, Blue Raspberry annoys me with her backing vocals. However, that doesn't distract me from the main attraction of Rae and Ghost passing the mic back and forth, making an awesome track.

And this can be listed as a bonus track...

18. North Star (Jewels) (feat. Popa Wu)
Produced by RZA
Popa Wu seems to annoy me on everything's he's on, though, even with that, Rae and RZA bring us a decent song to send us out on. The beat is nice, too. So... that's good... yeah...

Conclusion: Wait, you don't have it? Da fuck, man? DA FUCK?! Go pick this shit up. And then find an instrumental version and download that.

Coming Soon
Ghostface Killah - Ironman
Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)

Jay-Z - Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life (September 19, 1998)

Jay-Z - Vol. 2... Hard Knock Life

Review #11|Post #16

Oh, I'm sorry, is my East coast bias showing?

I seem to be flipping around through the Jay-Z discography, though my reason for skipping In My Lifetime, Vol 1. is simply that I don't have the album. Since Reasonable Doubt is already reviewed, I might as well continue the Jay discog by going to the next album I have.

Shawn Carter's second album, In My Lifetime, Vol. 1, was criticized for being too commercial and marked towards the club. Jay, facing what could've been the end of his street credibility, learned from his mistakes and tried to make most of the album what made Reasonable Doubt so great.

Most.

Jay still wanted women to shake their asses to his song in the club. And as such, it was still more radio/club-friendly then Reasonable Doubt. But it was more for the street and for the hip hop head. So radio-friendly hits combined with songs for the street.

Was it a good combination?

1. Intro: Hand It Down (feat. Memphis Bleek)
Produced by DJ Premier
DJ Premier's only contribution is a two minute intro. It features Memphis Bleek spitting. And, to be honest, he doesn't sound that bad. Just goes to show you how anyone can sound good over a DJ Premier beat.

2. Hard Knock Life (Ghetto Anthem)
Produced by The 45 King
You've heard this before, don't play that game. You know that it was Jigga's biggest charting single at that time. And should also know that this song still holds up today, despite being a little under eleven years old.

3. If I Should Die (feat. Da Ranjahz)
Produced by Swizz Beatz
Swizz's beat here sucks. And it gets annoying pretty quickly. And what the hell ever happened to Da Ranjahz? They sound decent here...

4. Ride or Die
Produced by Stevie J for The Hitmen
The only track produced by a member of The Hitmen. And with good reason. The beat is boring. The chorus sucks, too. Jay's lyrics get boring after a while.

5. N---a What, N---a Who (Originator 99) (feat. Big Jaz)
Produced by Timbaland
Back in 1989, Big Jaz had a song called "The Originators" which featured a young Jay-Z. Jaz was doing Jay a favor and giving him a chance to shine (in the same way Big L and Big Daddy Kane featured Jay on their albums). Well, now it's nearly 10 years later, and Jay's bigger than Jaz will ever be. And as a way of saying thanks, Jay allows Jaz to hop on the first Jay/Timbo collaboration. Jay even uses the quick flow he had on pre-Reasonable Doubt tracks. Both Jay and Jaz sound good, and have good chemistry with each other, too bad that nowadays, Jay is tossing in lame shots at Jaz on Ludacris tracks ("shout to Grandmaster Flash and the cash and even Jaz bum ass").

6. Money, Cash, Hoes (feat. DMX)
Produced by Swizz Beatz
Wow, you know a track is old when it was released back when DMX was relevant. At one point in time, he was a hot commodity, now he's too busy dressing up like cops and not understanding Barack Obama's name to release an album. Onto the song, once again, Swizz Beatz's beat annoys me. Primarily the keyboard thing that repeats itself. Jay and DMX sound good, though.

7. A Week Ago (feat. Too $hort)
Produced by J-Runnah
I'll never understand why MCs get other good MCs to appear on a track, and then just decide to make them do the hook. Hell, Too $hort only does half of the chorus. Was he really needed on the track? The song's good though. Jay's lyrics are on-point and J-Runnah's beat is decent enough to not annoy me.

8. Coming of Age (Da Sequel) (feat. Memphis Bleek)
Produced by Swizz Beatz
So to evoke feelings of Reasonable Doubt, Jay decides to make a sequel to the Clark Kent-produced "Coming of Age", which featured Memphis Bleek. Memphis comes back around spit on the sequel, and, as you presumably guessed, the original is much better. The two pass the mic back and forth in what is a good song... even if it's not better than the original.

9. Can I Get A... (feat. Amil & Ja Rule)
Produced by Irv Gotti & Lil' Rob
A top 20 charting single that could be called responsible for the fact Ja Rule was remotely popular. And as a result, I can't get behind this. Plus the fact that Irv & Rob's beat is really boring.

10. Paper Chase (feat. Foxy Brown)
Produced by Timbaland
This ain't no "Aint No N---a".

11. Reservoir Dogs (feat. The L.O.X., Beanie Sigel, & Sauce Money)
Produced by Erick Sermon
By this point, Sauce Money had decided to chase his dreams and quit the pizza delivery business to become an MC. However, he had to pay the rent, so he took up a job for delivery Chinese takeout. He got lucky again and delivered to the Roc-A-Fella studio and was given a guest verse. Beanie Sigel and The LOX are here, with Sigel providing his first verse as part of the Roc-A-Fella family. Jada provides the best verse out of D-Block, but Jay and Sauce have the best verses here. Oh, and Erick Sermon's on production.

12. It's Like That (feat. Kid Capri)
Produced by Kid Capri
Kid Capri's beat is simple and Jigga's lyrics are good. That combination makes this a pretty good track.

These are considered bonus tracks... I guess...

13. It's Alright (feat. Memphis Bleek)
Produced by Damon Dash & Mahogany
This was originally on the Streets is Watching soundtrack. Bleek actually sounds pretty good on here. However, if I'm looking for good songs featuring Bleek on this album, I'd pick the intro every time.

14. Money Ain't a Thang (feat. Jermaine Dupri)
Produced by Jermaine Dupri
Originally from Jermaine's solo album Life in 1472. Doesn't sound too bad, but it doesn't too good, either. It's a meh track.

Conclusion: I suggest you hit up a hip-hop downloads blog and download this. It's a decent album, but I can't suggest you go out and spend your hard earned money on this, when there are more important things in the world. Like rehab for that nasty heroin habit of your's. That's be a good thing to spend it on...

Also By Jay-Z
Reasonable Doubt (June 25, 1996)
The Blueprint (September 11, 2001)
The Black Album (November 14, 2003)

Coming Soon
Raekwon - Only Built 4 Cuban Linx...
Slaughterhouse - Slaughterhouse
Wu-Tang Clan - Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)