Acey, like the rest of the Freestyle Fellowship, seems to be an acquired taste among some heads. Some just aren't having none of the Project Blowed type flavor - hey, it's all good, there are some artists that I just don't like (Mobb Deep anyone?), but even I'm swayed by the occassional outstanding effort. Well...Aceyalone critics, please take a look/listen at "Faces." Dope jazz beats and strong lyrics make up one of the best songs I've heard from him since "Feet Upon the Table". "Guidelines" was supposed to have been on the big Project Blowed LP, but didn't make it. "Frontline" is more of that "acquired" type of FF flavor (you can hear the critics sharpen them knives in anticipation).
Their latest indie single had some flav, but I don't know what Geffen is chasing after with their current line up of artists. Only the Roots seem to warrant real attention whereas All City and Sauce Money just don't have the potential to do much unless they go crossover. This new single by All City is marginal mix show filler with "Move On You" getting points for production but losing it for some bullsh*t playa lyrics.
While a "better" song that "Keep It Bubblin" (which is on the "Money Talks" soundtrack, I just found "A Child is Born" boring. Sure, it's good to hear Puba, Sadat and Jamar kick sh*t with one another, but that beat needed a swift kick in the ass to get heads nodding.
Surprise, it's the Artifacts! Of course, unless you're deaf, you'll probably pick up on this fact pretty fast. If Tame and El are on some label evasion sh*t, they're not doing the best job of being subtle about it, but all legalities aside, it's a tight 12". Side A has the 'Nuts on production and I'm not sure who does the B, but it's nice as well. In fact, both sides are rather better, or at least -as good - as whatever ended up on their album. Does their unfettering from the shackles of Big Beat/Atlantic equate to better songs? Not necessarily, but I wouldn't get salted at hearing more from 'em. 212-358-7890.
Like "Firm Biz" (see below), "Calm Down" deserves a gas face for its bite of "Love Come Down" on the hook, but it's so goddamn hilarious that I can't hate on it too bad. I mean, to hear CNN singing, "Music makes this thug...calm down" is better comedy than Martin Lawrence tore up. "Capone Bone" is a surprisingly likable playas anthem...but alas, you won't see either song, or this 12", available on the album or commercially. Escobar's presence on the B-side pretty much killed any chance of commercial release since Columbia/Sony won't grant Penalty permission to put the song out.
The first time I heard this, I thought it was just a'ight, but listening to it again...I admit - sh*t's kind of hot. Of course the former Smif N' Wessun isn't bringing much new sh*t to the mic, but after the flat BCC album, anything that feels remotely dope is an improvement. Sean C gets credit for the frantic track.
A surprisingly good single from an otherwise unknown artist. They're out of the Bay Area, which might surprise some since they have a NY vibe going on. Lyrics challenge, beats are more subtle, but not bland - something new for them ears.
What, again? Now in its third incarnation, "Blue Flowers" gets the Dreamworks treatment which means very little. All they added was another Automator remix which ain't bad, but the Prince Paul remix is still where it's at.
This rotating collection of MCs (with Mr. Eon forming the core nucleus) doesn't rhyme about spanking the monkey this time around, but it still has 'nuff flavor to warrant a pick up. All three songs kick a good NY flav, but "Know a Little Nigg*" gets my nod as the hottest of the trio. 212-965-1862.
Not a bad follow-up, but disappointing nonetheless. The "Naughty Dread" remix sounds like some funkafied crossover remake and I wasn't feeling it. "On Wit Da Show" was better...sparking off with some electrofunkiness, but it still didn't feel as strong as the original.
A mixed single with some so-so stuff and the occasional gem. The "Burnin Hot" remix is just that...points scored for the bumping track and ODB sample on the hook. "Problems" could have been less crossover-obvious and the more hardcore remix doesn't do enough to make up the difference. The B-side, "Provoke..." does feature Chino XL...also cameos the nowhere-to-be-seen-now Supherb but the track needs some work since the guitar loop that runs through it is too understated to be effective.
The worst N.E. 12" I've ever heard. As much as I like these guys, both songs are so rife with cliches about money earnin' and bullet burnin' that I just got turned off listening to it. Charlmagne's beats were ok, "Paperchase" was especially nice, but I just feel like this single's whole steelo is far below their potential.
Not one of the album's better songs, though it's certainly one of the more commercial joints on there. And that's the whole story. It's an ok OK song, but far from their most impressive material - just a safe choice and "something for the radio".
Better beats than rhymes, but the Outfit EP caught my attention. The jazzy production is done well and is the main strenth on this four cut project. The lyrics aren't horrible, but nor are they particularly stand-out. I do recommend folks take a listen though.
Dope on plastic. The Rasco cut is definitely on that brusin' tip, just like "The Unassisted" and doesn't disappoint his growing fan base. PNB laces the track with a simple and familiar Barry White sample. His work on "The Undercover" is much more interesting...flipping lab sounds through every channel available. Lyrically, I was tempted to hate on Encore for what I thought were rather banal, "I'm a dope dealer" type of lyrics until I realized he was analogizing hip hop with the drug game. Super deep? Nope...confusing more than anything else, but still rewarding once you get past what you THINK the song's about.
I quoteth James Tai: "positive meets negative." Indeed, Positive K pairing with MOP didn't really strike me as being a match-made-in-heaven, even if both artists are from the BK borough. Still, it's a good single with a nice little funk/soul loop that makes for a much better Pos K song that what I've heard from him in ages. Unfortunately, MOP is the only mar, with their ostentatious hook being annoying (as usual). Alas, this is not an example of "good combination" - bring back LG instead. 212-967-8201.
Welcome the New Jack Swing back! Yo, I like this song regardless of who's on it or who produced it...it's short (2:20) but sweet. One for the mix show, no diggety.
Rawkus and Fondle 'Em are giving one another a pretty decent run for the money when it comes to being the best indie label of the moment. Of course, Rawkus' access to Rupert Murdoch's deep pockets surely gives 'em a slight edge, but regardless, the product is dope. Latest example is Reflection Eternal aka Talib Kweli and DJ Hi-Tek. "Fortified Live" blew up with the Ruffneck's in LA when Babu threw it down in the mix and for good reason: sh*t's hot. Mos Def and Mr. Mann (Bush Babees) round out the trio and both the beat and rhymes sizzle. Personally, I'm feeling the B-side, which, like Mos Def's "If You Can Huh?", is a little more down-tempo but introspectively smooth as silk. I'm really digging on it...and Kweli has definite skills as an MC. More understated that Mos, but with a knack for expression all the same. A great single. 212-358-7890.
A recommendation from a friend of mine, this is strictly LA underground. "Run the Depth" didn't get sh*t started right...boring drum pattern and unimpressive rhymes. It's not until "Degrees" that I really felt Self Scientific...dark bassline and some moog keys plus much better lyrics by the Self Sci. Worth checking for. 213-752-1841.
Dr. Octogon's younger brother flexes on the A with big bro and teams up with Co Flow on the B. Both sides require that you actually like the partner since they largely color the flavor of song. In other words, "Space Cadillacs" sounds a lot like a Dr. Octogon song. "Nightwork" sounds a lot like a Co Flow song. And that's really where many opinions will turn. 212-358-7890.
Hello, "I"m Still #1"! Again. Maybe the Smith Bros, Redman and Shadez of Brooklyn should all get together and do a KRS tribute. Actually, this isn't THAT bad of a song, even if you've heard the beat before. Many times. But why did they need to get the Chipmunks to do the "Smith brothers" chorus?
The main two songs are ok, but neither are better than their older material. However, I thought the "Ten Mack Commandments" was hilarious...a send-up of Biggie's "Ten Crack Commandments" with a close imitation of the original Primo beat. Peep: "Number 4, know you heard this before, never tell lies without an alibi." Comedy ya'll.
This 12" puts a NYC duo on the A-side and a Bay Area rhymer on the B - not like it comes out that obvious though. E40 and Mobb Deep are one thing, but these two could have been from the same borough and I wouldn't have been the wiser. Both sides are decent, some what generic indie stylized hip hop. Lots of braggadocio posturing but neither has the presence to carry it through convincingly. Worth a listen. 415-731-0080.
Given that I follow the Wu family about as closely as I follow professional bowling (read: I don't), I have no idea who composes the Wu All Stars. I do have an idea that this is a kind of hot single though...I wish they had dumped the lame R&B hook, but the song itself does an apt job of metaphorizing b-ball into hip hop, or was that the other way around? No fouls here.
Without Pete Rock, you couldn't sell it. Or could you? ADOR is fairly simplistic as a rhymer, not bad, but not impressive either...it's really the Soul Brother #1 who keeps sh*t a little hotter than lukewarm.
One for the dance floors and commercial radio. Wackmasterz on the boards. You need to know anything else?
The video is much better than the song itself, which, even if it is a parody, isn't very fun to listen to in terms of its really boring beats. The real Puff may not be very original, but at the least he knows how to make sh*t sound sweet. Request this one on the Box, not your radio station.
By the time Cru's LP actually gets released, there might be a (wo)man on Mars. This latest single is what? The third? Fourth single that Def Jam/Violator has put out on these cats? Ridiculous. Especially considering that most of this single is fairly bland. "Bubblin" is ok, but has a shelf-life only slightly longer than an open bottle of milk. "Live at the Tunnel" features the Lox. 'Nuff said. "Rhythm Blunt Crew" is yet another hip-hop-classics-revue, but the lyrics are so dumbed down that it takes the fun out of the song.
Surprisingly disappointing. Of the three songs that get remixed, two are way old: Das Efx's "Dedicated" and Busta's "Abandon Ship". Only the Artifact's "It's Gettin Hot" is more recent, and is the only one of the three I truly enjoyed. A lot of these songs display Spinna's older, more "recognizable" style of beat-making versus his newer stuff which is less signature.
Is it me or are EPMD sounding a lot like they did, not even they broke up, but even earlier? Provided, none of us ever considered E or P to be on the cutting edge of lyrical (or musical) progression, but their three songs since the reunion have all been safe, cool party joints but nothing slamming. "It's the Joint" is...a'ight. It works, but only that much. "You Gots 2 Chill 97" just didn't need to be made. After all this time, I would have hoped EPMD could do more than jack themselves and look for props from their past instead of dap for their new sh*t.
If there was ever a reason to instate capital punishment on artists who are currently working their way through K-Tel's Best of the '80s collection, "Firm Biz" would be sitting on Death Row right now instead of Interscope. I mean, did we really need to hear "Square Biz" redone as "Firm Biz"? But hey, even if that's not reason enough to bypass this 12" you have the overrated trio of Foxy, Escobar (Nas is dead folks, come to grips with that) and Cormega offering up not one, but two sides of bullsh*t big willie lyricism.
Please, somebody notify Jay Z that he should remove this biter from his flow. A-side is nice though.
A come-back from a group that no one (I think) is really checking for. Funkdoobiest's real rise to fame mostly came through the support and connection with the then-hot Cypress Hill/Soul Assassins. Their second album was almost completely forgettable except for the remarkable, "Rock On" which was a dope West Coast anthem that went largely ignored. Unfortunately, this new single brings nothing new to the table, nor provide an ear candy to munch on.
Even with Kool G Rap's cameo, plus a remix, the song doesn't really do much for me. The Street Opera remix is the better of the two, but neither really kicks. Nor do the Gooch's rhymes.
More run-of-the-mill sh*t from the third string Wu bench warmers.
Well, at least now Canada can say that they're as good as the US in making banal hip hop. Infinite might as well be the Canuck version of Escobar. Bleah.
A big mistake. No new mixes and "True Blue" really isn't that strong of a song for either crossover or the heads. "Toe to Toe" isn't bad, but no instrumentals...this single feels throway. What is Gee St's strategy with this? A "Brain" remix would have made much more sense.
Great names, but overall, a disappointing compilation that's supposed to feature the best of LA MCs over dope beats. Only Ras Kass' "Arch Angels" really got things cooking IMO...even the Pharcyde joint sounded kind of funkalistically flat.
Damn, Patchwerk has definitely relocated from helL.A. to Hotlanta from the songs of this single. Not to say that I don't like that southernplayalisticfunksh*t, but I'm feeling this single like air. Don't get that mixed metaphor? I don't get this single.
Good dance floor filler, especially the B-side with its thick ass bassline. I'd rather bump this than "Up Jump the Boogie".
Not a bad song, but doesn't bring anything new to the table. Not the lyrics, which get respect for picking on the wack MCs, but it's no John Blaze sh*t. Plus, that Barry White sample is getting just a tad too much play right now.
Riders of the Wu Tang flav. Only "Flambouyant" caught my attention, but regardless, most of this single is pretty much run-o-the-mill.
This Philly indie group had a decent EP out half a year back that was totally slept on. I wish I could say this new 12" will do them justice, but even a cameo by their city-mate Bahamadia can't save the Ram Squad from putting out a thoroughly mediocore pair of songs. "Strikes Back"? More like two strikes out.
The original version, which appeared on a promo sampler (and the album itself) was decent even if it does feature Shaq (but hey, how ya gonna get around that?). The Epic remix strips it way down to practically just a drum track. Yawn....
I could have done without the rather lame R&B hooks and let's face it - Michael Franti is no Rakim (or Barry White for that matter). Still, Plug One's remix at least gets the beat right. Straddles the line, but in the big picture, you don't need this.
More Wu Tang soundalikes.