Review That Album

I'm ready to review something fuckers...

I'm not sure who's available for my next request...

Wanduras wrote:

I'm ready to review something fuckers...

I'm not sure who's available for my next request...

Sounds like somebody needs a thread update....

Albums/Mixtapes reviewed:
Dj Rapid Ric - WhutItDew (3.5 stars rating by Half)
The Game - Red Wars(?) (2 stars by gametheory)
K-Rino - Fear No Evil (3.75 stars by T.Myers)
Dom Kennedy - II: From The Westside With Love (3 stars by Half)
Da UnderDawgz - The 1st One Is For Pimp (2.75 stars by thelundquist)
The Legendary Traxster - The Return Of Gangsta Music (3.5 stars by Half)
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Golden Era (3.25 stars by Half)
Guilty Simpson X Oh No - Ghettodes (??? by SRP)
Triple Darkness - Last Dayz (3.5 stars by T. Myers)
Lil Wayne - Sorry 4 The Wait (3 stars by Cise)
R.A. The Rugged Man - Die, Rugged Man, Die (4 stars by A Guest)
Blue Sky Black Death - Noir (3.5 stars by Wanduras)
Seagram - Souls On Ice (4.5 stars by Half)
MVP - Clout (4 stars by lundquist)
Z-Ro - 5200 (??? by T.Myers)
Seven Star - Alternate Invention (3 stars by Half)
Seagram - Reality Check (3.5-4 stars by SRP)
C-Money & SLC - Street Certified (3.5 stars by SRP)
C-Money & SLC - Street Certified (4 stars by lounge)
Eyedea & Abilities - First Born (4.5 stars by Wanduras)
Femi Kuti - Shoki Shoki (4 stars by Cise)
D.Black - Ali'Yah (4 stars by Half)


Albums/Mixtapes that still need to be reviewed:
Jehst - The Dragon Of An Ordinary Family (gametheory)
Killarmy - Dirty Weaponry (Slang said he'd get around to this)
Psychoward - www.psychoward.com (Half)
Cyrus Malachi - Ancient Future (lundquist)
Cyrus Malachi - Ancient Future (SRP)
The Cinematic Orchestra - Every Day (Cise)
Vanilla Ice - Extremely Live 1991 (Dopplegang.com)

Posters not reviewing anything as of this post:
A Guest
Wanduras
Lounge
T. Myers
Shaun/Anonymous/Highsmith (not sure if these guys actually want to participate...hopefully they do though)

Anyone else down? Esco? Linker? Xcel? ctrx? KRob? Norf? Myes? KJ? Wayne? D.Powell? parker? Yogi? B.Shaw? PKT?

Thanks Halfy! Linker should cut you a check for all the work you do...lol.

Yo Terry, I would like you to review 88 Keys - The Death of Adam. I'm sending you the link, check your PM.

Will do.

Wanduras wrote:

Thanks Halfy! Linker should cut you a check for all the work you do...lol.

Yo Terry, I would like you to review 88 Keys - The Death of Adam. I'm sending you the link, check your PM.

I'll ask you to review something once I review the Psychoward joint...

Psychoward - www.psychoward.com First Impressions

What was in the water in 1997? You had Company Flow dropping Funcrusher Plus, Jedi Mind Tricks coming out with Psycho-Social, Mood releasing Doom, and apparently the same year, Psychoward dropped this gem. All these albums feature some really atmospheric and eerie beats, I suppose to counter what was going on in the mainstream at the time? I just thought it was strange how all these albums take similar approaches to their production. Each put their own spin on it at the same time though, and this is no exception. I love the beats on this. The beats on some tracks like "Fo Really" and "PWMF Pt. II" sound like they were made by DJ Krush...and you know I'm down with that. The MCs are nice too, and they each have different styles and flows, making for an engaging listen on almost every track. I don't know a lot about the history of the crew or its members, but it seems like they only released this album. A shame, because I really would like to hear more from these guys. I just love the style of hip hop on this album. The only complaint is that some tracks drag on a bit too long without going anywhere, like "Anything Goes". I give this 4.25 stars for now. Thanks for the rec SRP, this sounds like something that will be getting a lot of plays from me.

Wanduras, please review The Sun Rises In The East by Jeru The Damaja.

Lol...I knew that was coming.

Half wrote:

I'm bending the rules a bit here, but I was requested to review an album by a user that would like their identity concealed because they aren't interested in reviewing "this week"...well, okay then. I would put this in the chatbox thread, but I would like Cise to review "Every Day" by The Cinematic Orchestra, so I'm putting the review here. Don't worry I'll be putting up a Psychoward review pretty soon, probably tomorrow morning.

This was quite a sensational album. Certainly a mindtrip of sorts. This is one of the most unique albums I've listened to in quite a while. Jazzy, gloomy soundscapes dominate this album which is filled with quite a bit of unpredictability. Standout songs are All That You Give, Evolution, Man With The Movie Camera, and Horizon. I'll certainly check out the other 2 albums by this group in time. Overall I'd give this a 4.75.

Now I had to do quite a bit of thinking as to what album I want someone to review. Half I'd like you to review one of my favorite albums:

Casiopea - Eyes Of The Mind

Cise wrote:

Half wrote:

I'm bending the rules a bit here, but I was requested to review an album by a user that would like their identity concealed because they aren't interested in reviewing "this week"...well, okay then. I would put this in the chatbox thread, but I would like Cise to review "Every Day" by The Cinematic Orchestra, so I'm putting the review here. Don't worry I'll be putting up a Psychoward review pretty soon, probably tomorrow morning.

This was quite a sensational album. Certainly a mindtrip of sorts. This is one of the most unique albums I've listened to in quite a while. Jazzy, gloomy soundscapes dominate this album which is filled with quite a bit of unpredictability. Standout songs are All That You Give, Evolution, Man With The Movie Camera, and Horizon. I'll certainly check out the other 2 albums by this group in time. Overall I'd give this a 4.75.

Now I had to do quite a bit of thinking as to what album I want someone to review. Half I'd like you to review one of my favorite albums:

Casiopea - Eyes Of The Mind

Glad you really liked it man. Sounds like you got the re-release of the album. The OG ended with Everyday, the re-release added two tracks including Horizon. I'll have to check those out b/c I just have the OG version. I do like the album a lot though, it's probably in the 4.5 star area for me. I'll get on that Casiopea ASAP.

Half wrote:

Cise wrote:

Half wrote:

I'm bending the rules a bit here, but I was requested to review an album by a user that would like their identity concealed because they aren't interested in reviewing "this week"...well, okay then. I would put this in the chatbox thread, but I would like Cise to review "Every Day" by The Cinematic Orchestra, so I'm putting the review here. Don't worry I'll be putting up a Psychoward review pretty soon, probably tomorrow morning.

This was quite a sensational album. Certainly a mindtrip of sorts. This is one of the most unique albums I've listened to in quite a while. Jazzy, gloomy soundscapes dominate this album which is filled with quite a bit of unpredictability. Standout songs are All That You Give, Evolution, Man With The Movie Camera, and Horizon. I'll certainly check out the other 2 albums by this group in time. Overall I'd give this a 4.75.

Now I had to do quite a bit of thinking as to what album I want someone to review. Half I'd like you to review one of my favorite albums:

Casiopea - Eyes Of The Mind

Glad you really liked it man. Sounds like you got the re-release of the album. The OG ended with Everyday, the re-release added two tracks including Horizon. I'll have to check those out b/c I just have the OG version. I do like the album a lot though, it's probably in the 4.5 star area for me. I'll get on that Casiopea ASAP.

Casiopea - Eyes of the Mind (First Impressions)

The experience I had while listening to this album really messed with my mind. First of all I have to mention that I'm in a pretty good mood today. I can't explain why, but I just feel great right now. Eyes of the Mind just helped to maintain that mood. According to my iTunes, the music on Eyes of the Mind is jazz fusion. I do have some other jazz fusion albums but I don't really have anything like this. I'll get this out of the way now, a lot of this sounded like elevator music to me. The opening tracks were really light, harmless instrumentals that were somehow predictable even though I hadn't heard them before. I swear that I've heard "Take Me" in the background of Local on the 8s on The Weather Channel once. Furthermore, the album just has a really quiet feel to it. I feel like a lot of it was meant to be in the background. However, I didn't feel like skipping a track at any time; I was strangely enthralled by it.
I guess I just would describe this album as a perfect stress-relief solution. I was pretty much grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. Once "Black Joke" started playing, the music got much more interesting. Tracks started to become a bit more experimental and seemed to develop as opposed to just gliding along like the tracks that started off the album did. Many of the songs also reminded me of video game music, even though they didn't sound like video game music. For some reason I kept thinking of games like Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart while listening to this. The background music in those games was certainly influenced by this style of music. Even more interesting was what happened after the last track faded away. For some reason the next thing that played on my iTunes was "I" by Meshuggah, a 21 minute experimental metal track. I strongly believe that listening to this Casiopea album enhanced the experience of listening to "I". The track just opened up to me much more than it usually did. I could hear some similarities between the track and some of the music on Eyes of the Mind. I love "I" to death now. I'm giving Eyes of the Mind 4 stars because of its effect on my mood, its unique place in my music library, and that it for some reason made a track I used to just like into a track I now love. This is probably the most irrational review you'll see from me in this thread, but fuck it.

Highlights: Black Joke, Magic Ray, Space Road

Half wrote:

Cise wrote:

Half wrote:

I'm bending the rules a bit here, but I was requested to review an album by a user that would like their identity concealed because they aren't interested in reviewing "this week"...well, okay then. I would put this in the chatbox thread, but I would like Cise to review "Every Day" by The Cinematic Orchestra, so I'm putting the review here. Don't worry I'll be putting up a Psychoward review pretty soon, probably tomorrow morning.

This was quite a sensational album. Certainly a mindtrip of sorts. This is one of the most unique albums I've listened to in quite a while. Jazzy, gloomy soundscapes dominate this album which is filled with quite a bit of unpredictability. Standout songs are All That You Give, Evolution, Man With The Movie Camera, and Horizon. I'll certainly check out the other 2 albums by this group in time. Overall I'd give this a 4.75.

Now I had to do quite a bit of thinking as to what album I want someone to review. Half I'd like you to review one of my favorite albums:

Casiopea - Eyes Of The Mind

Glad you really liked it man. Sounds like you got the re-release of the album. The OG ended with Everyday, the re-release added two tracks including Horizon. I'll have to check those out b/c I just have the OG version. I do like the album a lot though, it's probably in the 4.5 star area for me. I'll get on that Casiopea ASAP.

Well I did get the version you got but I went to youtube for the bonus tracks. Have you went through their other albums? I'll get to both of them eventually but I would like to know where to go next.

Half wrote:

Casiopea - Eyes of the Mind (First Impressions)

The experience I had while listening to this album really messed with my mind. First of all I have to mention that I'm in a pretty good mood today. I can't explain why, but I just feel great right now. Eyes of the Mind just helped to maintain that mood. According to my iTunes, the music on Eyes of the Mind is jazz fusion. I do have some other jazz fusion albums but I don't really have anything like this. I'll get this out of the way now, a lot of this sounded like elevator music to me. The opening tracks were really light, harmless instrumentals that were somehow predictable even though I hadn't heard them before. I swear that I've heard "Take Me" in the background of Local on the 8s on The Weather Channel once. Furthermore, the album just has a really quiet feel to it. I feel like a lot of it was meant to be in the background. However, I didn't feel like skipping a track at any time; I was strangely enthralled by it.
I guess I just would describe this album as a perfect stress-relief solution. I was pretty much grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. Once "Black Joke" started playing, the music got much more interesting. Tracks started to become a bit more experimental and seemed to develop as opposed to just gliding along like the tracks that started off the album did. Many of the songs also reminded me of video game music, even though they didn't sound like video game music. For some reason I kept thinking of games like Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart while listening to this. The background music in those games was certainly influenced by this style of music. Even more interesting was what happened after the last track faded away. For some reason the next thing that played on my iTunes was "I" by Meshuggah, a 21 minute experimental metal track. I strongly believe that listening to this Casiopea album enhanced the experience of listening to "I". The track just opened up to me much more than it usually did. I could hear some similarities between the track and some of the music on Eyes of the Mind. I love "I" to death now. I'm giving Eyes of the Mind 4 stars because of its effect on my mood, its unique place in my music library, and that it for some reason made a track I used to just like into a track I now love. This is probably the most irrational review you'll see from me in this thread, but fuck it.

Highlights: Black Joke, Magic Ray, Space Road

I'm glad I had you review this album. I was strongly debating between this and another album. I'll probably have you review the other one down the line.

As soon as I heard this song from this group I was hooked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIK1Vn6Va3w

This group and its incarnations has put out well over 35 albums. I haven't even gotten halfway thought their collection yet.

Interesting that you being up video games as their main keyboard player, Minoru Mukaiya, has produced music for several video games. So perhaps some of his work might sound a bit familiar.

This album really does lift you mood. Watching some of their videos on youtube you can't help but smile when you see them really getting into the music. I guess its something only a fellow musician could appreciate or maybe I'm just out of left field.

I appreciate the review man. I knew you would give it a fair shot.

Cyrus Malachi - Ancient Future:

This was an interesting listen. Excellent symbolism and metaphysical lyricism throughout that the production complimented perfectly. The majority of the concepts are well thought-out and creative, and every verse is expertly written, but at 20 tracks, Cyrus' monotonous flow begins to wear thin towards the end. The features are all excellent and do a admirable job of breaking up the monotony. However the last third of the album could have used some of that monotony breaking. There wasn't really a standout track to me (they were all very good), but there was one track that got on my nerves a bit (Animal Circus) only because of differing opinions that I have on some of what he said. Objectively the track is solid. My only other complaint is his accent, British accents and hip-hop just don't mix for me, so I give it a 3.75/5.

Cise wrote:

Half wrote:

Cise wrote:

Half wrote:

I'm bending the rules a bit here, but I was requested to review an album by a user that would like their identity concealed because they aren't interested in reviewing "this week"...well, okay then. I would put this in the chatbox thread, but I would like Cise to review "Every Day" by The Cinematic Orchestra, so I'm putting the review here. Don't worry I'll be putting up a Psychoward review pretty soon, probably tomorrow morning.

This was quite a sensational album. Certainly a mindtrip of sorts. This is one of the most unique albums I've listened to in quite a while. Jazzy, gloomy soundscapes dominate this album which is filled with quite a bit of unpredictability. Standout songs are All That You Give, Evolution, Man With The Movie Camera, and Horizon. I'll certainly check out the other 2 albums by this group in time. Overall I'd give this a 4.75.

Now I had to do quite a bit of thinking as to what album I want someone to review. Half I'd like you to review one of my favorite albums:

Casiopea - Eyes Of The Mind

Glad you really liked it man. Sounds like you got the re-release of the album. The OG ended with Everyday, the re-release added two tracks including Horizon. I'll have to check those out b/c I just have the OG version. I do like the album a lot though, it's probably in the 4.5 star area for me. I'll get on that Casiopea ASAP.

Well I did get the version you got but I went to youtube for the bonus tracks. Have you went through their other albums? I'll get to both of them eventually but I would like to know where to go next.

Well I've only heard Every Day and Ma Fleur. Ma Fleur is pretty good, although not on the same level as Every Day in my opinion. You should check it out though. I'm actually about to check out their first album, don't know why I haven't yet. And I'll probably go on youtube for the tracks too, hopefully there are some quality rips on there.

Cise wrote:

Half wrote:

Casiopea - Eyes of the Mind (First Impressions)

The experience I had while listening to this album really messed with my mind. First of all I have to mention that I'm in a pretty good mood today. I can't explain why, but I just feel great right now. Eyes of the Mind just helped to maintain that mood. According to my iTunes, the music on Eyes of the Mind is jazz fusion. I do have some other jazz fusion albums but I don't really have anything like this. I'll get this out of the way now, a lot of this sounded like elevator music to me. The opening tracks were really light, harmless instrumentals that were somehow predictable even though I hadn't heard them before. I swear that I've heard "Take Me" in the background of Local on the 8s on The Weather Channel once. Furthermore, the album just has a really quiet feel to it. I feel like a lot of it was meant to be in the background. However, I didn't feel like skipping a track at any time; I was strangely enthralled by it.
I guess I just would describe this album as a perfect stress-relief solution. I was pretty much grinning from ear to ear the whole way through. Once "Black Joke" started playing, the music got much more interesting. Tracks started to become a bit more experimental and seemed to develop as opposed to just gliding along like the tracks that started off the album did. Many of the songs also reminded me of video game music, even though they didn't sound like video game music. For some reason I kept thinking of games like Super Mario Bros. and Mario Kart while listening to this. The background music in those games was certainly influenced by this style of music. Even more interesting was what happened after the last track faded away. For some reason the next thing that played on my iTunes was "I" by Meshuggah, a 21 minute experimental metal track. I strongly believe that listening to this Casiopea album enhanced the experience of listening to "I". The track just opened up to me much more than it usually did. I could hear some similarities between the track and some of the music on Eyes of the Mind. I love "I" to death now. I'm giving Eyes of the Mind 4 stars because of its effect on my mood, its unique place in my music library, and that it for some reason made a track I used to just like into a track I now love. This is probably the most irrational review you'll see from me in this thread, but fuck it.

Highlights: Black Joke, Magic Ray, Space Road

I'm glad I had you review this album. I was strongly debating between this and another album. I'll probably have you review the other one down the line.

As soon as I heard this song from this group I was hooked.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zIK1Vn6Va3w

This group and its incarnations has put out well over 35 albums. I haven't even gotten halfway thought their collection yet.

Interesting that you being up video games as their main keyboard player, Minoru Mukaiya, has produced music for several video games. So perhaps some of his work might sound a bit familiar.

This album really does lift you mood. Watching some of their videos on youtube you can't help but smile when you see them really getting into the music. I guess its something only a fellow musician could appreciate or maybe I'm just out of left field.

I appreciate the review man. I knew you would give it a fair shot.

No problem man. Definitely not something I would normally get into but it was a pretty good experience, so good request. Do you know any of the games Mukaiya has produced for? I used to be a big "gamer" not too long ago, maybe I did hear his work after all.

thelundquist wrote:

Cyrus Malachi - Ancient Future:

This was an interesting listen. Excellent symbolism and metaphysical lyricism throughout that the production complimented perfectly. The majority of the concepts are well thought-out and creative, and every verse is expertly written, but at 20 tracks, Cyrus' monotonous flow begins to wear thin towards the end. The features are all excellent and do a admirable job of breaking up the monotony. However the last third of the album could have used some of that monotony breaking. There wasn't really a standout track to me (they were all very good), but there was one track that got on my nerves a bit (Animal Circus) only because of differing opinions that I have on some of what he said. Objectively the track is solid. My only other complaint is his accent, British accents and hip-hop just don't mix for me, so I give it a 3.75/5.

Thanks for taking the time to listen and do the review. I can understand the length complaint, the album is loooong lol. But I really appreciated that aspect of it, it felt like everyone involved just put a ton of work and effort into making the album. I don't get that impression a lot nowadays. Also, the amount of tracks and the album length made me feel like I definitely got my money's worth. As for "Animal Circus", yeah he does get opinionated on that track haha. I don't agree with all his thoughts on the death of US hip hop either. It didn't really get on my nerves though, and I could see how the albums he loved really influenced how the album sounded, so it was kinda cool to me. Good to hear that you like it though. I feel like this album is something that a bunch of posters on here would enjoy... I feel like Slang in particular would like this. The production just screams RZA and Havoc, with some DITC flavor every now and then. But I think the album brought a fresh spin on those traditional sounds to the table. I just can't get enough of it right now.

Half wrote:

No problem man. Definitely not something I would normally get into but it was a pretty good experience, so good request. Do you know any of the games Mukaiya has produced for? I used to be a big "gamer" not too long ago, maybe I did hear his work after all.

The main game he did music for was Sega Rally 2 and Train Simulator.

hurry the hell up dopplegang.com, I wanna know if that Extremely Live is worth getting

Jeru the Damaja - The Sun Rises in the East

Ok, ok...this album was fuckin dope. I had always heard that this album was a classic or near classic but I just never got around to listening to it. After a few spins I can definitely see why so many people hold it in high regard. Of course all the beats were on point with Preemo at the helm but Jeru also displays that raw early 90s energy that is missing out of NY right now, IMO. Jeru sounds a little like a more polished Guilty Simpson on the mic to me. Does anybody else hear that? The shortness of the album is kinda cool to me because it is not the kind of music that makes my regular rotation so its nice that its short and sweet, makes it easier to listen to all the way through. I am sure that this album would have meant more to me had I discovered it when it came out along with everyone else but since I am kinda listening to it out of context, it doesn't quite enter the discussion of classic albums to me. I give the album a 4.0. Glad I got a chance to listen to a fan favorite.

Standout Songs:

D Original
Da Bitchez
Aint The Devil Happy

"D Original"

Good choice for best track

Wanduras wrote:

Jeru the Damaja - The Sun Rises in the East

Ok, ok...this album was fuckin dope. I had always heard that this album was a classic or near classic but I just never got around to listening to it. After a few spins I can definitely see why so many people hold it in high regard. Of course all the beats were on point with Preemo at the helm but Jeru also displays that raw early 90s energy that is missing out of NY right now, IMO. Jeru sounds a little like a more polished Guilty Simpson on the mic to me. Does anybody else hear that? The shortness of the album is kinda cool to me because it is not the kind of music that makes my regular rotation so its nice that its short and sweet, makes it easier to listen to all the way through. I am sure that this album would have meant more to me had I discovered it when it came out along with everyone else but since I am kinda listening to it out of context, it doesn't quite enter the discussion of classic albums to me. I give the album a 4.0. Glad I got a chance to listen to a fan favorite.

Standout Songs:

D Original
Da Bitchez
Aint The Devil Happy

Thanks for reviewing man. I'm glad you liked it but I'm kinda surprised, only a 4 for my magnum opus. You explained your rating though and that's all that matters.


Have you guys seen Slang or gametheory lately?

[quote="Half"]

Wanduras wrote:

Have you guys seen Slang or gametheory lately?

No...actually, I've never seen them...lol.

[quote="Wanduras"]

Half wrote:

Wanduras wrote:

Have you guys seen Slang or gametheory lately?

No...actually, I've never seen them...lol.

lol Wanduras...

Well I can tell you what happened..

Wu Slang has been on a short break up at Rza's mountain retreat, helping look after Ghost Dog's remaining pigeons.. He just required a little time away from everything, and a bit of silent samurai meditation, don't worry he will be back soon.

I have a theory that Game was locked in at his local library recently when he had a sudden rush to use the conveniences right on closing time. Nobody bothered to check in there before closing and locking the place up. He should be back soon also, with many newly learned theories for us, and after he has a bite of something to eat.

Hey Half,
If you are not reviewing anything, please review this:

http://bigchill.bandcamp.com/album/bigchill-chill-pill-209

Southern Rap Pro wrote:

Hey Half,
If you are not reviewing anything, please review this:

http://bigchill.bandcamp.com/album/bigchill-chill-pill-209

No prob mane

[quote="Lounge"]

Wanduras wrote:

Half wrote:

Wanduras wrote:

Have you guys seen Slang or gametheory lately?

No...actually, I've never seen them...lol.

lol Wanduras...

Well I can tell you what happened..

Wu Slang has been on a short break up at Rza's mountain retreat, helping look after Ghost Dog's remaining pigeons.. He just required a little time away from everything, and a bit of silent samurai meditation, don't worry he will be back soon.

I have a theory that Game was locked in at his local library recently when he had a sudden rush to use the conveniences right on closing time. Nobody bothered to check in there before closing and locking the place up. He should be back soon also, with many newly learned theories for us, and after he has a bite of something to eat.

Actually I heard that gametheory was arrested along with a friend and is now facing a prisoner's dilemma.

Half wrote:

Southern Rap Pro wrote:

Hey Half,
If you are not reviewing anything, please review this:

http://bigchill.bandcamp.com/album/bigchill-chill-pill-209

No prob mane

Big Chill - Chill Pill 2.09

Boring, boring, boring. I don't feel this at all. Bland beats, so-so lyrics, some re-treads of pop/r&b hits with hip hop twists, some lame choruses...I mean no offense to Big Chill, he did call this album Chill Pill for a reason. He should have called it Elephant Tranquilizer though. This release doesn't feature a lot of good tracks, although he did do some nicer stuff towards the end, putting some variety into it. His voice sounds like E-40 on half of the tracks and Killer Mike on the other half. Unfortunately, he does not have the lyrical ability of either of those guys. I guess I'll give this 2.09 stars. If you ask me, avoid this. I guess some guys on here should try it? Maybe I'm in a bad mood?

Damn, I really dig that album, but I can see I guess some of the critiques. It is a lot of retreads of familiar samples/songs but he produced it all himself and it is done well IMO. He does sound like a cross of killer mike and e-40, but I didn't think that was a bad thing.

He's no lyricist, but I dug his style and I thought Imagination was a solid track as was Anger Management and I thought both were a bit more creative that your average rap track.

Southern Rap Pro wrote:

Damn, I really dig that album, but I can see I guess some of the critiques. It is a lot of retreads of familiar samples/songs but he produced it all himself and it is done well IMO. He does sound like a cross of killer mike and e-40, but I didn't think that was a bad thing.

He's no lyricist, but I dug his style and I thought Imagination was a solid track as was Anger Management and I thought both were a bit more creative that your average rap track.

Yeah maybe I just wasn't in the Chill Pill mood...but I feel no desire to listen to any of those tracks again. And I didn't think sounding like E-40 and Killer Mike was a bad thing, I was just trying to describe his voice to anyone who might want to hear it.

I'm ready to review something again...any non hip hop recs?

Wanduras wrote:

I'm ready to review something again...any non hip hop recs?

Sure, I forgot to ask someone at the end of my last review. Try Permutation by Amon Tobin.

On it. I have to think about my next rec.

I too am up for a non hip-hop rec. Any takers?

Cise wrote:

I too am up for a non hip-hop rec. Any takers?

Are you asking if someone wants to review something or if you want to review a non-hip hop album? I can't rec anymore but I'm not busy with a review right now.

Cise wrote:

I too am up for a non hip-hop rec. Any takers?

Lucky Boys Confusion-Throwing The Game

Aight so I'm back. Sorry for the long wait on the review. I was held captive in Bed Bath and Beyond and by my girlfriend. Anyway.....

Jehst- The Dragon of an Ordinary Family
Overall it wasn't bad. I did like a lot of the beats on here for the most part, but the dude's accent just kinda annoyed me most of the time. I really couldn't get past it. Tears in Rain is probably my favorite on here. I'd give the album a 3, but I doubt I would ever spin it again.

I'm down for another rec. I promise I'll get back sooner next time haha.

Hey Half, if your not reviewing anything, could you review Has-Lo - In Case I Don't Make It?

I'm up to review something if anyone has anything.

gametheory91 wrote:

Aight so I'm back. Sorry for the long wait on the review. I was held captive in Bed Bath and Beyond and by my girlfriend. Anyway.....

Jehst- The Dragon of an Ordinary Family
Overall it wasn't bad. I did like a lot of the beats on here for the most part, but the dude's accent just kinda annoyed me most of the time. I really couldn't get past it. Tears in Rain is probably my favorite on here. I'd give the album a 3, but I doubt I would ever spin it again.

I'm down for another rec. I promise I'll get back sooner next time haha.

Hey Half, if your not reviewing anything, could you review Has-Lo - In Case I Don't Make It?

Hey no problem man, there are no deadlines on the reviews. Thanks for listening and reviewing. I don't think the album is amazing, but I did like it. I enjoyed a lot of the production and the accent didn't really bother me, but it seems like I can listen to almost any accent. I think it's one of the better releases from this year.

I'll get right on the Has-Lo, I've heard good things about it but never got around to checking it out.

It seems like a couple of people want to review things... maybe this update will help people solve that problem.

Albums/Mixtapes reviewed:
Dj Rapid Ric - WhutItDew (3.5 stars rating by Half)
The Game - Red Wars(?) (2 stars by gametheory)
K-Rino - Fear No Evil (3.75 stars by T.Myers)
Dom Kennedy - II: From The Westside With Love (3 stars by Half)
Da UnderDawgz - The 1st One Is For Pimp (2.75 stars by thelundquist)
The Legendary Traxster - The Return Of Gangsta Music (3.5 stars by Half)
Del Tha Funkee Homosapien - Golden Era (3.25 stars by Half)
Guilty Simpson X Oh No - Ghettodes (??? by SRP)
Triple Darkness - Last Dayz (3.5 stars by T. Myers)
Lil Wayne - Sorry 4 The Wait (3 stars by Cise)
R.A. The Rugged Man - Die, Rugged Man, Die (4 stars by A Guest)
Blue Sky Black Death - Noir (3.5 stars by Wanduras)
Seagram - Souls On Ice (4.5 stars by Half)
MVP - Clout (4 stars by lundquist)
Z-Ro - 5200 (??? by T.Myers)
Seven Star - Alternate Invention (3 stars by Half)
Seagram - Reality Check (3.5-4 stars by SRP)
C-Money & SLC - Street Certified (3.5 stars by SRP)
C-Money & SLC - Street Certified (4 stars by lounge)
Eyedea & Abilities - First Born (4.5 stars by Wanduras)
Femi Kuti - Shoki Shoki (4 stars by Cise)
D.Black - Ali'Yah (4 stars by Half)
Psychoward - www.psychoward.com (4.25 stars by Half)
The Cinematic Orchestra - Every Day (4.75 stars by Cise)
Casiopea - Eyes of the Mind (4 stars by Half)
Cyrus Malachi - Ancient Future (3.75 stars by lundquist)
Jeru the Damaja - The Sun Rises In The East (4 stars by Wanduras)
Big Chill - Chill Pill 2.09 (2.09 stars by Half)
Jehst - The Dragon of an Ordinary Family (3 stars by gametheory)


Albums/Mixtapes that still need to be reviewed:
Killarmy - Dirty Weaponry (Slang said he'd get around to this)
Cyrus Malachi - Ancient Future (SRP)
Vanilla Ice - Extremely Live 1991 (Dopplegang.com)
88 Keys - The Death of Adam (T. Myers)
Lucky Boys Confusion - Throwing The Game (Cise)
Amon Tobin - Permutation (Wanduras)
Has-Lo - In Case I Don't Make It (Half)
Riff Raff - Hilton Swag (A Guest)

Posters not reviewing anything as of this post:
gametheory91
thelundquist
Lounge
Shaun/Anonymous/Highsmith (not sure if these guys actually want to participate...hopefully they do though)

Of course if anyone else wants to join in feel free.

I'll join, but not until like next Sunday. I'm on vacation and don't have a bunch of time with my computer.

So, if the raincheck is accepted, I would like Lundquist to review:

Grip Grand- Brokelore

Shaun wrote:

I'll join, but not until like next Sunday. I'm on vacation and don't have a bunch of time with my computer.

So, if the raincheck is accepted, I would like Lundquist to review:

Grip Grand- Brokelore

Yeah no problem man. Thanks for joining.

Looking back I just realized that SRP asked A Guest to review that Riff Raff Hilton Swag mixtape, editing the update now.

Has-Lo - In Case I Don't Make It

"Is this an unfunny joke or a suicide note? Never know..."

If there was ever a genre called "rainy day rap" this album would be the archetype. Has-Lo, who both raps and does the production for this album, shares his personal problems and inner struggles over these 15 tracks. His flow is slow, usually monotone, and occasionally very tired sounding. I wouldn't be surprised if he recorded the vocals for "Everything Is" hungover and on a couple hours of sleep. However, his style works perfectly in the context of the album. The beats are equally as unassuming as Has-Lo is on the mic, and a lot of them make me think of Havoc beats circa Hell on Earth, but with more focus on atmosphere. Has-Lo actually rips some tracks up on this album, especially Build Jewelz and Storm Clouds, even if it doesn't sound like it right away due to his flow.

As I was listening to the album I was like "is this guy depressed?" and the track "Limbo" answered that question for me immediately. The lyrics on this album are definitely more on the "" side of things, but they are never too cheesy or melodramatic. Has-Lo really seems to be honest and sincere with his thoughts and observations on life, relationships, and religion, amongst other topics. This album has some traditional sounds and some experimental sounds, and sometimes tracks feature a good mixture of both. If you're feeling really happy you probably won't want to listen to this. But right now it's raining outside and the weekend is over, and this album seems like the perfect soundtrack. Has-Lo has a lot of talent and I can't wait to hear his next effort. 4.25 stars. Highly recommended, one of 2011's highlights for me so far.

Highlights: Storm Clouds, Build Jewelz, Forgotten Styles

Glad you liked it Half. I really like this album too. It is definitely a personal album and the beats remind me of early RZA, which is pretty much the same thing as your Havoc comparison haha.

Anyway, I need an album to review.

gametheory91 wrote:

Glad you liked it Half. I really like this album too. It is definitely a personal album and the beats remind me of early RZA, which is pretty much the same thing as your Havoc comparison haha.

Anyway, I need an album to review.

Oh, I got you man. Review Masters of Illusion - Masters of Illusion

Half wrote:

gametheory91 wrote:

Glad you liked it Half. I really like this album too. It is definitely a personal album and the beats remind me of early RZA, which is pretty much the same thing as your Havoc comparison haha.

Anyway, I need an album to review.

Oh, I got you man. Review Masters of Illusion - Masters of Illusion

Masters of Illusion = Kool Keith and Motion Man by the way.

Kool. Just DL'd it.

Sorry, the Riff Raff sucks out loud. Beats are alright, but it's nothing no one hasn't heard before. Just kinda stereotypical bullshit. Particularly "Party Like Them Whiteboys" or whatever. If you're going to jack a song concept from an artist, maybe it shouldn't be as trite as Gucci Mane, huh? Some of the guests were ok but overall it was like the shit that frat boys listen to and feels like one long ass song. 1 star.

Thought I already posted my thoughts on it.

Half wrote:

Looking back I just realized that SRP asked A Guest to review that Riff Raff Hilton Swag mixtape, editing the update now.

He asked me to review two things back to back, and I'm fairlly certain he just asked me to review that Riff Raff so I'd have to listen to something incredibly fucking wack and is trying to destroy your thread.

Riff Raff is white, you like white rappers.