Album Reviews

Mobb Deep: Hell on Earth

2007-04-20T05:12:00Z

An Overly Under Rated Hip Hop Classic

Some people will just never get it. Hip hop is not suppose to be perfect. It is suppose to break rules and channel emotions to the rest of the world who may or may not be familiar with life in the PJ's. Yes, this is a nihilistic record and the subject material may be monotonous at times. However, you don't need to make a groundbreaking record to be great. P and Hav come across tough on their albums only because being a punk where they are from will get you bodied (killed). I wish everyone could rap as happy as Will Smith but we can't. We need artists like Mobb Deep to reflect the dark realities of street life so the gangsta government and mainstream media can't brainwash the masses. Violence has fueled hip hop like it does Hollywood.

With that being said, this album is dope from tracks 1-14. It is the overlooked gem in the Mobb Collection. The beats put me to a place i've never been before...HELL! What lyrics lack in subject matter make up for in delivery and wordplay. "Drop A Gem On Em," sports a chilling female vocal sample in which P spits venemous barbs at a certain legendary emcee (battling is an essential component of this culture). The title track and "Godfather Part III" were great choices for singles, due to their irresistibly haunting instumentals and catchy hooks. The crown jewel for me was "Extortion" which would make an Alfred Hitchcock movie look like the Mr. Rogers theme song. Method Man spits one of my all-time favorite quotable verses. Be sure to peep Raekwon the Chef on the equally eerie "Nighttime Vulture's".

So how does this sound after 10 years? Just as 180 degrees hell bent from the mainstream and as fresh since it dropped. The static in the music displayed Havoc's creative crate digging abilities while Prodigy's imagery puts you right in the darkest corners of Queens. The easily offended and pop jocker will want to stay as far away from this trip to hell as possible. However, hip hop fiends will want to overdose on this one. Hell never sounded so good!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Jeru the Damaja: The Sun Rises in the East

2007-04-20T05:11:00Z

You Can't Stop The Prophet

Jeru is an emcee's emcee. Impeccable breath control, commanding vocal tone, extensive vocab matched by few, not to mention he drops more knowledge than a MENSA convention. His disjointed flow perfectly complements Primo's minimalist production. It came to no surprise that hip hop heads were buzzing when they heard Dirty Rotten was hooking up with Primo, after a jaw dropping verse over a riot inducing Charles Mingus bassline, on Gangstarr's, "I'm The Man." Fans who dismissed Jeru as a braggart got a rude awakening with "The Sun Rises In The East."

When "Come Clean," dropped in 1993, it literally washed away the fraudulence in rap. It was a badge of honor for hip hop purists to recite every rhyme. AND what about that beat. Water dripping into jugs, hammers banging on pipes, and an Onyx sample were the sole instruments. It was the most bizarre yet greatest sonic perfection I have ever heard. "Come Clean," single-handedly set off a long list of collaborations for Primo's resume. Another incredible track is "D. Original" as Primo strikes an off-key piano chord that unbelievably turned out to be pure musical joy.

The whole album is all killer and no filler. "You Can't Stop The Prophet" is a metaphorical dream where the prophet battles hatred, jealousy, and envy - lead by mr. ignorance in a superhero-esque story. "Da Bitchez," might be mistooken as mysoginyst by new jacks when it is a cautionary song separating gold diggers from the rest of the flock, over an extremely dope horn loop. "Mental Stamina," with Afu-Ra flexes lyrical kung-fu over a wonderful battle-esque atmosphere. "Ain't The Devil Happy," talks about the struggles of the inner-city youth and "Jungle Music," talks about how black heritage scares people through hip hops influence on white America.

"The Sun Rises In The East," is so good that it also turns out to be sad. Now I can take groups like Main Source, Pete and C.L., and EPMD breaking up. But when Jeru split from Primo, due to creative differences, it was a shot to the heart. The prophet took a big step back musically after the split. In a day and age when real lyrics don't seem to matter anymore, you can tell that New York completely lost it's sound and no one held the realness down harder in 94' than ru and primo. The duo released another good record in "Wrath of the Math," but it lacked the sheer brilliance of their debut. It's a shame hip hop of this caliber is too far and too few between. Cop this...you won't regret it!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Jeru the Damaja: Wrath of the Math

2007-04-20T05:09:00Z

The Prophet Strikes Again!

Hip Hop music is mainly shown to the public in video format. One might blame MTV, BET, or Hype Williams for artists blinging their way across tv screens, rather than putting substance into music. Since there is a market for it, there is no stopping a majority of commercial artists from making dough while flashing cash catering to a saturated watered down sound. It's unfair to critique some artists in the mass media cause they do have some talent, but in 1996, artists dumbed their sound down to a lazier audience. Die hard hip hop fans were fed up with the direction the music was heading and needed a savior. Swimming against hip hops ignorant current of money, cash, hoes came Jeru Da Damaja with "Wrath of the Math."

Once again, "The Frustrated N*****," has Primo backing him, so expect some incredible beats with some crazy turntable techniques. Songs that stood out for me is the stripped down, rhythmic bass of "Ya Playin' Yaself." Everytime I hear a wack song on the radio, that single slaps the bad taste out my mouth. I love the line, "You only call yourself a player cause you be playin' yourself." "Me of the Papes," has a great jazzy piano loop where dirty rotten talks about how money hungry girls are becoming. "Back in the days Biz said it was the Vapors, now I realize it's the papers," vents an angry Jeru towards the glamours and glitz.

My biggest complaint is that Jeru spends a little too much time criticizing mainstream hip hops demise. What could have been a masterpiece turns out to be one big glob of disrespect. However, he does it creatively with the hardcore parody on, "The B.S.," and on the name-drop dissin' "One Day." Over Primo's melancholy violins, Jeru faults Puffy for kidnapping hip hop and gets it back from Suge Knight on a trip to L.A. Could you also imagine what this record would be like if Primo shoveled Group Home's "Livin' Proof" beats over to Jeru. DAMN!
It should come to no surprise that the Source gave this record a mediocre 3 mics. Think about it? God forbid a big magazine for praising a record that challenges others to step their games up. As long as big hip hop publishers have a Puffy or a 50 Cent in their pocket, their gonna make a lot more money. Thank god I don't work for a big magazine breathin' down my neck telling me to change my opinions on music.

Anyhow, this isn't as compelling as "Sun Rises In The East," because it sounds more like a sequel to the debut records classic tracks. However, this would be the last notable work in Jeru's collection before the heartbreaking split with Primo, ensuring it's timeless quality!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Quasimoto: The Unseen

2007-04-20T05:07:00Z

A Masterpiece In Musical Madness

One of the many reasons why I feel hip hop music is dissed so much is because people physically don't know how to listen to it. They don't know how to decipher the slang, what to look for, and how the music is produced. Hip hop may be as close a lifestyle as someone gets to the slums that is as alien to middle class America as those green guys on Mars. Well, the business side of the art has killed the sound of hip hop with all these sampling laws which stifles creativity immensely. Some of hip hops most critically acclaimed records have contained dozens of samples to create a new infectious sound like 3 Feet High, Pauls Boutique, It Takes A Nation, etc... The Golden Age may be over, but hip hop is not and Lord Quas (A figment of Madlibs imagination) proves this with one of the most creative hip hop records in years.

First and foremost, the record doesn't take itself seriously as most modern day contemporaries. Lord Quas has a somewhat uninspired high pitched voice that sounds annoyingly delightful. There are only a few tracks which eclipse the three minute mark with unexpected breaks and skits in between. "The Unseen" just shatters rules of song structure. It's fragmented... but doesn't lose its stride with the listener like Quasimoto's second album.
The thing I love about this record is the jazzy ambience creating a lush atmosphere of beautiful music. Independent labels, like Stones Throw, probably didn't have as much controversy clearing these samples as a major label would have. Madlibs collection of records is unparallel to any other. He scratches a Posdunous vocal on "Microphone Mathematics," masterfully. He searches for records in a store in the middle of a song with a collage of jazz breaks on "Return of the Loop Digga." On top of that, he finds a killer flute sample which has crate diggers scratching their heads where the sample came from on "Real Eyes." You get the sense that he's bragging with his insane music collection on the title track. Not only that but madlib is giving props to jazz legends never name dropped before on wax. The creativity is mind blowing, to say the least.

Overall, true school hip hop fans will have a huge appreciation for "The Unseen." The timing of the samples are concise and skilled, the vocals are simplistic yet hilarious, and it is a surprisingly unpredictable yet entertaining listen. Warning, every listen may grow on you more and more until it gets addicting. So enjoy and let the beat conductors sampling genius take over!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Nas: Illmatic

2007-04-20T05:06:00Z

The Stuff Legends Are Made of

The term classic is criminally overused in hip hop culture. It is very common for a fan to refer to a great album as a classic but it is a term that critics don't take lightly. It is easy to find a great record...but a MASTERPIECE is something much tougher to find (especially in a genre where rap fans are so fickled by the next hot thing). Perhaps no other album in the genre deserves the title more than the debut album by Nas.

Plain and simple, Illmatic is the most fearless, shocking, and literally unbelievable record I have ever listened to. It's the Michael Jordan of rap because every so-called great record that drops gets compared to it. There are no moments of vulnerablity. At only twenty years of age, nobody to this day has yet to match his lyrical wizadry with chilling imagery such as, "I never sleep, 'cause sleep it the cousin of death"; "I rap in front of more n****** than on the slave ships"; "I switched my motto -- instead of sayin f*** tommorrow/ that buck that bought a bottle could've struck the lotto." Reguardless of age, it was just DOPE.

You have to realize that Nas came onto the scene as a man-child in a broken land. People lost faith, "'Cause yeah we were beginners in the hood as five-percenters/ But somethin' must of got in us 'cause we all turned to sinners." So when Nas boasts that he loves "committin' sins," you start to believe him. The poetry is so heartfelt and intense. His letter to a locked up thug is brilliant on "One Love", "shorty's laugh was cold blooded as he spoke so foul/ only twelve trying to tell me that he liked my style/ then i rose, wiping the blunts ash from my clothes/ then froze only to blow the herb smoke through my nose." Timeless!

As far as singles go, "The World is Yours," stands as one of my all-time favorites. It is five minutes of rapperfection. The song is so lyrical that Nas doubles and triples up on metaphoars to give listeners different meanings. I remember when the source magazines jaws dropped at the release of "Halftime" in 1992. Nas snatched up all the quotables and highlights when it dropped on the Zebra Soundtrack. The same thing followed when "It Ain't Hard To Tell" dropped. The album just encapsulates hip hop history in it's purest form.

Overall, forty minutes is all the album needed. One remarkable guest appearance from AZ and a dream team line-up of producers put it over the top. Nas didn't think he was god, he just thought he was better and wanted people to know that for the future. However, the next day came and the man who was so ahead of his time would be forever shadowed by the MASTERPIECE in which Illmatic personified!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Group Home: Livin Proof

2007-04-20T05:05:00Z

Beats That Will Make Your Dome Split!

Let me be perfectly blunt. If you are freestyling in a circle of fierce lyricists and the boombox isn't playing a "Livin' Proof" instrumental, then you are in the wrong cipher. "Livin' Proof" is an undeniable record that is essential for any aspiring producer. Personally, I feel that it contains the most consistently dope beats from start to finish. Hell, even the intro was too ILL to be a mere forty seconds.

The singles, from the title track to "Superstar," still sound wicked today as they did when they first dropped. Primo's ability to cut and paste vocal samples with skilled scratching techniques is unparallel to any other. Just check my personal favorite, "Suspended In Time." The melodic beat is irresistible with a brilliantly sampled [Inspectah Deck meets Das EFX] chorus. "Don't talk the talk if you can't walk the walk,"; "The crew bringing the ruckus no doubt" - Chorus. Like that reviewer T to the Triple XXX would say...COMBUSTIBLE! "Inna Citi Life" is another example of how only Primo could flip a simple drum pattern and still come out on top.

However, no other song on "Livin' Proof" captures DJ Premier's breakout moment better than on "Tha Realness." The tinkling pianos with the strings are deceptively creepy. The bassline sends chills to make your hair stand up. I can't stress how on point that Prodigy sample was. Needless to say, I couldn't and still can't stop playing that joint.

Unfortunately, I don't need to talk about Lil Dap and Melanchi's lyrical abilities. It's not that they aren't good at their craft, it's just that they really don't grab your attention at all. I still love them because they represent the real hip hop. If Primo handed these beats to Jeru, I guarantee this would be more addictive to me than Bobby Brown on PCP. Just remember to have a chiropractor ready to massage your body for serious neck trauma, after listening to this.

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Young Joc: New Joc City

2007-04-20T05:05:00Z

"You Might Have Fooled The Rest, But You Can't Fool Me"

Let's face it. Our culture has made a mockery of itself. Hip hop has been replaced by greed, glamourz, and glitz. Dollar signs have taken place over blood, sweat, and talent. If this were 1992 Yo! MTV raps would not play Yung Jocs record, he would receive no mic checks in the source, and his record would thankfully fly under the radar. But this is not 1992. This is the "Bling Era" of 2006 and label reps are roaming the streets to find someone who sounds just as clone-ish as the next man. Hooray for hip-pop.

True, people are sick and tired of reviewers who moans and groans. But there is too much music out there that makes us grow bitter towards raps direction. We're being cheated and we deserve better. I remember when going to the clubs was special. "The Choice Is Yours;" "DWYCK;" "They Want EFX;" "Hip Hop Junkies;" and "Rampage;" were singles that made you get funkier than underarms at a sly stone concert. Today we get, "It's Goin' Down," which is catchy, but the lyrics are so monotonous and predictable that it puts you to sleep. The song is accompanied by a dance that only mad people do. It reminds me of Damon Wayans character, "The Gread Adventures of Handi-Man," from his In Living Color Days when he's retardedly flying through the sky, fists clenched in the air with a quirky grimace on his face. By the way, What a TERRIBLE host at the BET Awards. On the song "It's Him," Yung Joc describes himself as a pimp, hustler, drug dealer, and killer. How cliche is that?

Honestly, there are a handful of artists I love from the south that brought a conscious, spiritual, and artistic expression to hip hop. Groups such as The Geto Boys, Outkast, Goodie Mob, Little Brother, and the Cunninlynguists are too few and too far between in our mainstream culture. But Joc's album takes no risks, is far too easy to follow, and his flow is too droning. It does have it's moments like on the radio friendly, "I Know You See It," but that is about it. His attempts at social commentary is commendable but underwhelming on "Picture Perfect." Since Diddy touched it, people will buy into it because Diddy is one hell of a business man. I just don't understand how he is a celebrity for not putting out anything seminal, since his days working with Biggie. Go figure. New Joc City is worth one listen, maybe...but there are bigger and better hip hop records out there.

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

A Tribe Called Quest: Midnight Marauders

2007-04-20T05:03:00Z

Don't Say Nine Trey 'Cause This Is For Eternity

And that's exactly what 'Midnight Marauders' is...an album for eternity! Hundreds of years from now, this album will still resonate through the ears of its listeners. How many groups do you know (especially hip hop) can make back to back to back classic records in a span of three - four years? As a matter of fact, how many records do you know where you can play the whole thing without reachin' for the skip button? The Tribe just had a way of connecting with their fanbase and they continued to uplift their legacy with their greatest offering yet.

Once again, Phife and Tip are a two headed monster tearin' the frame out of some smooth like butter beats that will keep heads bouncin'. What makes A Tribe Called Quest's third record one of my all-time personal favorites are all the little things that real rap listeners notice. Maybe it's the xylaphones sprinkled in on "Award Tour", Ali Shaheed Muhammods masterfully cut sample of Rakim on "We Can Get Down", or Q-Tips descriptive tale of New York nightlife on "Midnight". Whatever the reason, the beats and rhymes effortlessly go hand in hand. Hell, Phife is so confident in his mic skills that he boasts, "I'm Jordan with the mic/ Wanna gamble"?

You may never hear such a cohesive album like 'Midnight Marauders' again. Even the computerized voice drops knowledge, bridging the gaps between songs. The subject matter was diversified to keep people on their toes. Q-Tip educates on the controversial usage of the N-word with quips such as, "You know the word dummy/ other people in the community think its crummy/ But I don't, 'cause the youth we em-brace adversity it goes right with the race/...and bein' that we use it as a term of endearment/". Phife tells his version of freaky tales on the hypnotic "8 Million Stories". Large Professor (the only outsider on the production tip) produced one beat which amazingly fit perfectly with the tribe vibe on "Keep It Rollin'". Who could forget that chant of "yeah, yeah now check the method"? In spite of the superb quality of songwriting and musicality, the unquestionable standout is "Electric Relaxation". The song is a crowning achievement of hip hop in its purest form. Ali hooks up a beat for the hip hop hall of fame as Tip and Phife give a monumental performance.

In conclusion, 'Midnight Marauders' was a masterpiece from the brilliant sequencing to the who' who in hip hop album cover. There were actually three album covers of different rap stars in the background with the black cover being the rarest. You have to wonder if ATCQ was mocking the inside of the cover, standing by the clock because of the timelessness of their music they put out. They even teased their listeners by bringing the computerized voice in, after "The Chase" saying it concludes the program when there was still two incredible songs to follow. Whatever the case, never say the year 'cause this one is for eternity!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Kool Keith: Dr. Octagon

2007-04-20T05:03:00Z

Some Earth People Will Feel Alienated...

But that's because Keith is an alien himself. When a collective of hip hop enthusiasts from the Ego Trip staff ranked Kool Keith as the number 19th greatest emcee of all-time (one ahead of Tupac) in there book of lists, they were not taking it lightly. He wasn't your standard A-B rhymer. He was shattering rules of rhyme structure since his glory days with the Ultramagnetic Mcs. He always possessed an unorthodoxed off-beat flow, passionate vocal tone, and boasts so brazen they stunned his listener into silence. Who would have thought that the leader of that group would turn into a perverse alien who happened to have his record drop from another planet to turn from thermal nuclear residue to Earth in compact format (read the album cover notes to understand where i'm comin' from).

Dr. Octagon is a groundbreaking release that is best enjoyed after countless listens. The best records are the ones you have to go back over and decipher new meanings. Never one to waste a rhyme, Keith opens up with "3000" on some bugged out wordplay, "Channels and handles Automator's on the panels/ turnin knobs you slobs suckers like Baskin Robs/carvel don't tell your whole crew is ice cream fudge/rappers that budge makin moves step in grooves/and ride the pace like at thirty-three dark shades/ now you seein me/ rap moves on to the year three thousand". Just a few bars of his breathless liners doesn't do the space alien gynocologist much justice. You could spend your whole summer vacation trying to get a grasp on these otherworldly phrases.

Even with the off the wall lyricism, the album wouldn't be the nearly enjoyable experience if it wasn't for Dan Automators genius turntable techniques and sci-fi horror backdrops. Just peep "Halfsharkhalfalligatorman" (long winded title!) and the incredible "Blue Flowers" for proof! The album is just filled with surprises at every corner. However, no other song on Dr. Octagon captivated me more than "Girl, Let Me Touch You". To this day, it stands as one of my personal all-time favorite non-singles on any hip hop record. Automators production is effortlessly hypnotic, Keith's persona is as abstact as ever, and no matter what mood I was in...the song would just set things straight.

In conclusion, Dr. Octagon is a stone cold classic. I don't care how many non-believers this record sparked. So what if he's different. His individuality separates Keith from the rest. How many emcees have the ability to go as far to credit "Kelly Wootang" on drums and "Curt Kobane" on vocals (you should be buggin' out with those references). Besides, too many hip hop records take themselves way too seriously with yet far too many more gimmicks. Kool Keith doesn't care. He wouldn't take sides, regarding the Tupac Biggie beef. He would rather diss both of them and be done with it (Pluckin' Cards ring a bell)? Keith would put out some good material after this, but after "Sex Styles", there was far too much B.S. Hell, even DJ Shadow got in on one cut and this was the same year he put out the timeless, "Endtroducin'". Grab this record anyway you can before it criminally goes out of print.

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Gangstarr: Moment of Truth

2007-04-20T05:02:00Z

Real Emcees and DJ's Are A Minority

1998 was a very hard time for hip hop. Corporate endeavors and shiny suits started taking over. The golden era passed and a new wave of new jacks flooded the scene with materialistic tales that have carried well over to the 21st century. Criminally, hip hop became the only industry to put an age limit on rappers. However, if sales reflected talent, than Gangstarr's 1998 masterpiece would have gone quadruple platinum.

Guru and Primo have never disappointed me, however, I don't know what they were smoking when they made 'Moment of Truth'. This was the album pure hip hop lovers fell in love with when the mass industry started to put numbers first, passion second. The album starts off with a bang on the single, "You Know My Steez,". Guru drops bombs over Primo's sinisterly relaxed beat. You could tell that Guru stepped his game up lyrically, especially over the sick piano keys on, "Work". The gifted ones talent is on full display with lines like, "Now I'ma start collectin props connectin plots/ networkin' like a conference 'cause the nonsense is yet to stop/ Jakes wanna shake me down, haters wanna take me down/ Break me down, CLAP all they heard was the sound/ Yo I scoped it out, I took your weak dream and choked it out/ Your girl ain't really got no a**, she just poked it out". Arguably, the best verse comes from a guest. Inspectah Deck committs verbal murder on the Asian sounding, "Above the Clouds". "JFK 2 Lax" is a personal favorite as Guru tells a heartfelt story of his run-ins with the law and proclaims he know he's a role model, where most rap artists would tell their fanbase not to follow them down the same path or something much more generic.

At 20 songs, the hits just keep on coming. To this day, I will forever be baffled why the title track never made the greatest hits cd. Guru's intropective lyrics on that are timeless and the beat is among Primo's best (nothing's seeing "Come Clean"). "What I'm Here 4" was my favorite, due to the classic piano loop which again complements the gifted one seamlessly. Krumbsnatcha nearly massacres "Make 'Em Pay" to the same effect that Inspectah Deck did with his verse. Another standout is "Next Time" with a catchy as hell horn loop where Guru knocks one dimensional emcees out the box.

'Moment of Truth' still sounds fresh to this day. It is one of the greatest, post golden era, hip hop records ever made. To end this review, peep the words of the Guru, "The objective, is to surely demolish/ The chances of the wack takin all the dollars/ Support the brothers who are truly gifted/ This way, the odds, could never be shifted"!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Ice Cube: Amerikkkas Most Wanted

2007-04-20T05:01:00Z

One of Six Seminal Hip Hop Records Panned By Rolling Stone

As a big fan of the book, "Ego Trip's Book of Rap Lists", there was a section where certain seminal hip hop records were bashed by Rolling Stones. Ice Cube's monumental gangsta rap debut was one of them. Critics said, "the relentless profanity grows wearisome, bombsquads production loses steam, and Cube's attitude towards women are simply despicable". However, "Amerikkka's Most Wanted" (A suberbly provacative title) is criticized for all the wrong reasons. Most critics based assumptions on shock value and profanity but Cube's message was loud and clear. He was going to shut down racist white Amerikkka with one of the most visceral and revolutionary records that I have ever heard.

Straight out the box, Ice Cube is not out to make friends with, "The N***** Ya Love To Hate". Reality is a hard thing to digest and he let people know by dropping jewels like, "When I'm shootin let's see who drop/ The police, the media, and suckers that went pop/ And mother******* that say they too black/ Put 'em overseas they be beggin to come back/ They say we promote gangs and drugs/ You wanna sweep a n***** like me up under the rug/ Kickin s*** called street knowledge/ Why more n****** in the pen than in college. It was like Huey Newton speaking from a gangsta figures perspective and collaborating with Public Enemy... he became the black CNN. Songs such as "Turn Off The Radio" could never happen on a major label again. He was saying, "Program directors and dj's ignore me/ because I simply said F*** top forty/ Top thirty, top twenty, and top ten/ Until you put more hip hop in/". Most happy songs didn't make much sense on radio (still don't) and Cube knew hip hop was a weapon that people could see in the broad.

"Amerikkka's Most Wanted" also cemented Ice Cube as one of the genres greatest storytellers. The way he freaked nursery rhymes, for the kids, on "A Gangsta's Fairtale" was unbelievable. It was informing kids to watch out for scandolous women and stds. "Once Upon A Time In The Projects" was so vivid, it brought you straight to Compton, as if Ice Cube was saying his rhymes right beside you with an angry expression on his face. "Endangered Species" is one of the most politically intense charged rap songs ever on wax. "Every cop killer goes ignored/ They'll just send another n***** to the morgue/ A point scored; they could give a f*** about us/ They rather catch us with guns, and white powder/ - If I was old, they'd probably be a friend of me/ Since I'm young, they consider me the enemy/ You should listen to me cause there's more to see/ Call my neighborhood a ghetto cause it houses minorities/".

Overall, it's easy to see why hip hop purists say hip hop today just isn't good as that old school s***. Hell, even Rolling Stones, who dismissed this record, realized the records greatness and later gave this debut a 5 out of 5 stars rating. What's more amazing is the aforementioned songs aren't even my top two favorites. The title track and "Who's The Mack" knocked me off the edge of my seat. You can find gangsta rap anywhere today but this had such a powerful message with such proper beats, that unlike its modern day contemporaries, stands the test of time. Like rapreviews.com said, "One of the most important records ever made...if someone says to you rap is simple, throw this on and dare them to write something better - - none of them ever will".

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Black Moon: Enta da Stage

2007-04-20T05:00:00Z

"Enta Da Stage" At Your Own Risk

1993 was a breakout year for hip hop. It was a time that was far from the days of rented mansions and jewels for videos and young white girls who think hip hop is about getting your "Chicken Noodle Dance" on. If you could not catch wreck lyrically, you would not be allowed to "Enta Da Stage" but would get tossed off it like PM Dawn. Nobody had to beef with anybody just to be somebody. The motto of the day was "commercial rap get the gun clapp" NOT "Get Rich or Die Trying". Yes, the glory days of the nine tray may be long gone but the memories they envoke will live with true heads forever! One such record that hit us like a phat timb boot to the grill out of nowhere was the debut magnum opus by Black Moon.

"Enta Da Stage" is the most darkest, uncompromising albums I own. Never has an emcee painted such vivid pictures which actually made me feel as if I was in the heart of Bucktown U.S.A. Where most run of the mill gangsta rappers plays the role of dracula (Bitin' and Suckin') Buckshot was realistic without being materialistic. His menacing flow and disturbingly surreal imagery send chills down my spine. You can feel the hunger in his voice. Da Beatminerz on the flip side creates a template of dark lo-fi rhythmic basslines, haunting strings, and creepy bells and chimes which whistle in and out every 4-8 bars.

"Who Got The Props" sounds as hypnotizing as it was when Headz weren't ready for it in 1992. "How Many Emcees" displays the true chemistry of Black Moon with an unforgettable Krs-One sample on the chorus. Although "I Got Cha Opin" and "Buck 'Em Down" would be revamped into stronger versions, they still hold their own. Especially, the former whose bassline would be jacked a dozen times more. I could go on about the strength of each song. Everything is a banger (even "Powaful Impak" which was proclaimed a bumpy song on a bumpin' album by Ego Trips Book of Rap Lists).

Even though "Enta Da Stage" is a stone cold classic, you should enter at your own risk. Da Beatminerz shine behind the boards and lyrically ("Son Get Wrek" is an ILL overlooked solo) but some of their lyrics can make adults cringe. Check the Evil Dee verse on "Ack Like U Want It". Lines like "Now I'm taking all you own/ Plus I'm f******' your wife/After that my man's, gonna hit your only daughter/ And leave her body floating in some bloody bath water/, (DAMN Evil, take it easy on 'em)are NOT for the feint of heart.

In conclusion, the brave and strong at stomach will rejoice. Unfortunately, the Moon never got the props they really deserved from all audiences. Their debut received 4 stars from the then credible Source which were the same ratings that the "Doggystyles" and "Midnight Marauders" of the world was receiving at the time. Like so many videos at that time, Black Moons videos repped their street corners to the fullest making you feel like they came from the most poverty stricken, crime related projects in the world. After listening to this, don't be surprised if you find yourself on the corner stompin' out wack emcee troops with your big black timb bootz. The best album from one of the greatest crews in hip hop history. Nuff Said!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

A Tribe Called Quest: The Low End Theory

2007-04-20T04:59:00Z

My Favorite Group of All-Time

Giving "The Low End-Theory" anything less than 4 stars is like scuffing at Michaelangelos "The Last Judgement" in the Sistine Chapel. I mean, I wonder if people actually got a hold of a chopped and screwed version of this masterwork. The only other reasonable explanation is the manufacturers messed up and placed a Vanilla Ice record inside the album cover. There is a reason why "The Low-End Theory" received the impossible to get 5 mics in the source. They released back to back to back classics in a span of 3-4 years, ranked #154 in Rolling Stones Greatest albums of all-time, ranked #32 in Spins greatest albums of the 1990's, received extreme critical acclaim from every major JAZZ critics poll, and is brought to the forefront as one of the greatest hip hop records ever in any hip hop discussion. Not bad for the worst group ever with foul lyrics and no roots in jazz.

So why the hell is A Tribe Called Quest so popular. In three words, "Beats, Rhymes, Life". This album is a consummate link between the jazz and hip hop generation showing that they originate from the same center, as displayed in the amazing "Excursions". It also displays the growth of a young and hungry Phife Dawg becoming a star lyricist rather than a sidekick in the shadows as exemplified in "Buggin' Out" and "Butter". "Show Business" is one of the greatest songs that attacks major labels which signs acts and crosses them over because they don't have respect for real hip hop. The videos for arguably the three greatest singles on any hip hop record, "Check The Rhime" "Jazz" and "Scenario" were so groundbreakingly fresh that their ideas are still being jacked by video makers todays. Who can forget Busta Rhymes breakthrough performance.

Overall, this album captures everything great about hip hop and what it used to be. I could quote lyrics on this album all day. I could rave about the creative use of sampling and chances Tribe took to risk ridicule or alienation. Tribe is popular because they were able to connect with their fanbase that so many bubblegum critics and so-called artists could never hold a candle to. So grab a Q-Tip and clean your ears out because "The Low-End Theory" is timeless music. As a poetic Q-Tip once said, "I love my young nation" - and it loves him back.

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Boss: Born Gangstaz

2007-04-20T04:58:00Z

The Hardest Record To Ever Drop From A Female Act

Like many hip hop heads, I considered myself a stubborn know it all. Purchasing books such as Ego Trips Book of Rap Lists covered just about all the albums I needed to know except one ("Born Gangstaz"). I never heard of Boss until my dad came back from his warehouse job with a stack of old Source Magazines in his hands. Apparently, a college student forgot to take the magazines with them and as the saying goes, "one mans mess is another mans treasure". Flipping through the pages of the magazine with the Onyx cover I came across the infamous mic report.

"Born Gangstaz" received four mics and back in 1993 and it was a huge honor to receive four mics back then. Albums such as "Doggystyle", "Enta Da Stage", "Doggystyle", "Midnight Marauders", and "Return of the Boom Bap" received the same ratings back in those days before the Source re-rated "Doggystyle" as a five mic classic. The editors went crazy over these females mic skills, delivery, and relentless macho-regression. Reviewer Carter Harris even referred to them as "coming off as the trigga happy henchwomen from Nino Brown's New Jack City crew".

"Born Gangstaz" is a rare album because for better or worse, there are no moments of sincerity. That's right...Boss stays hard to the core 24-7. But being hard isn't enough to get you by (especially in the cutthroat days of the nine-tray). The albums opener "Deeper" is an excellent single to start things with a dope dancehall influenced interlude. Erick Sermons funky bass-heavy produced "Comin' Ta Getcha" and "2 To The Head" are certified jeep slammers. "Drive By" will make your subwoofers bottom out as "Dee" and "Boss" showcase their excellent storytelling naratives. However, the Def Jef produced "Progress By Elimination" stands tall among my all-time favorite songs. One can't help but think of MC Lytes "Paper Thin" when listening to its sonic brilliance. Ill bassline, clashing hi-hats, screaming horns, and constant change ups certainly make this one for the hip hop hall of fame if there ever was one. On top of that, Lichelle Laws shows a dangerous display of superhuman breath control, bracing delivery, and a witty structure of wordplay that runs circles around this sonic masterpiece.

Overall, "Born Gangstaz" is a criminally slept-on album that never got the promotion it deserved. According to the Source, there were thirteen bangers on this album but the CD version holds only twelve. The missing DJ Quik funk drenched "Gangsta Pu--sy" is what I have been looking everywhere for. Maybe those blessed with vinyl duckets can scoop it up. Some say the career of Boss came to an end when critics sited that Boss wasn't really mixed in the lifestyle they were displaying on wax. It's really a shame there is no follow up but "Born Gangstaz" will remind us of a time when these ladies could rock with any male emcee on the mic!

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com

Queen Latifah: All Hail the Queen

2007-04-20T04:57:00Z

Pre-Grammy Greatness From The Queen of Royal Badness

In a masculine dominated genre, not many ladies of hip hop were representing especially back in 1988-1989. Salt-N-Peppa, Sweet Tee, MC Lyte, and Roxanne Shante were a few very successful female artists. When Queen Latifah came onto the scene, she was unlike anything coming out at the time. Her mix of dancehall reggae, R and B, Jazz, House, and rappin' ability became unwordly to 1988 ears. Male or female, she may be the most versatile emcee to do it. "All Hail The Queen" is her shining moment which redefined emceeing as we know it.

The opening song "Dance For Me" is a great example of her versatility blending jazz with upbeat swing over a melodic 45 King production. When the single dropped in 1989, it got many heads buzzing. It wasn't no one hit wonder fluke because "All Hail The Queen" is packed with hit material. "Mama Gave the Soul children" proved that the Queen could even step out of her comfort zone and hang with De La Souls quirky swagger. The beat sounds as if Prince Paul sampled an old Walt Disney record. To this day dancehalls swarm when "Come Into My House" plays and it somehow never feels dated despite the fact that house songs seems a thing from the past. The slow burning "The Pro's" is an underground club banger which finds Daddy-O tapping into his reggae roots.

The Queen of Royal Badness proves why she deserves the limelight on songs like "Wrath of My Madness". Her commanding delivery is assertive and her braggadocio seems sincere and brazen at the same time. However, no other song on "All Hail The Queen" captures Queen Latifah's breakout moment better than on "Ladies First". It is considered the first feminist hip hop anthem. Monie Love and the Queen sound as one mind on this record trading righteous rhymes over a funky saxaphone melody. It even got props in the Source magazine as the 55th greatest hip hop song ever made. The album ends with two amazing reggae influenced songs in the loopy bassline of "Princess of the Posse" and the laid back jazz of "Inside Out". Without question, they were excellent choices for singles.

Back in 1989, Queen Latifah was truly bringing down the house. She never really had another record that came close to her brilliance displayed on wax here. While receiving grammys and acting awards, it is shameful that her new found fanbase has overlooked this being her best work in her collection. This is truly an excellent record that is not to be missed.

~Ashley Blanchard

blanman25@yahoo.com