tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-230912382024-03-13T02:11:24.953-07:00Pop Culture NomadRandomly covering everything from hip-hop to television to literature ... but mostly hip-hopAdam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-52603995148213466352007-12-28T13:02:00.000-08:002007-12-28T13:10:20.040-08:00Rap Album of the Year: Wu-Tang's 8 DiagramsNothing perplexed me more in the world of music this year than the reaction to the new Wu-Tang Clan album, <i>8 Diagrams</i>. 2007 has been undoubtedly the busiest of my life, which explains my lengthy absence from posting on this site, but also explains why I actually heard the new Wu record before I read anything about it (rare in this day and age, especially for a pop culture addict like myself). I listened to it the night I purchased it and then listened to it again and then again, and then one more time, so that I was going to sleep at 3 a.m. when I had to be up at the crack of dawn. I couldn't help myself. I felt like I was digesting a true masterpiece – am album that people will be talking about 10 and 20 years from now. <br /><br />Then I went online the next to day to read what I assumed would be the dozens of glowing reviews, expecting an army of genuflecting critics kneeling before the alter of the Clan. Instead, what I found was a lot of harsh criticism, half-hearted praise, and, above all else, lukewarm responses galore. <br /><br />What on earth? <br /><br />And so it is that the new Wu-Tang Clan album has brought me out of my recent hiatus, both to defend its honor as well as to proclaim it my Hip-Hop Album of the Year. (Note: I stop short of calling it the overall album of the year, although it is in my top five. I just liked the 2007 efforts by The National and Wilco too much to give the Shaolin Soldiers the top spot.)<br /><br />Granted, it wasn’t a banner year in rap, but I still feel like I’m alone on an island in regard to this choice. Until the flurry of fourth quarter releases, I was content to give the title to Kanye, along with everybody else. I loved <i>Graduation</i> and honestly didn’t expect anyone from the trio of Wu, Ghost, and Lupe to strip Mr. West of the honor of Hip-Hop Album of the Year. But then I had my all-night Wu-Tang listening party and the decision was pretty much made. <br /><br />But just to be sure, I’ve given this record another 12 or 200 spins, broken it down piece by piece, reassembled it. I’ve listened to it on trains, planes, and in automobiles. Over speakers and through headphones. I’ve given it every chance to fail, for my ears to hear the mediocrity I keep reading about. It’s not happening. <br /><br />Perhaps I’m just showing my age. The Wu’s epic reign over rap music in the 1990s coincided with the height of my hip-hop appreciation, when the only sounds playing in my 1983 Volvo and in my college dorm room where the beats and rhymes of rap. And while I flirted with the No Limit craze and always appreciated Redman and certainly got excited about Jay-Z and Eminem and the Alkoholics and a bunch of other great stuff from the back half of that decade, it was always about Wu-Tang for me. At 29, maybe I just represent the target market for the 2007 version of the Wu. It is entirely possible that I’m just getting old. <br /><br />However, I think it is more than that. Because while I certainly fall somewhere in the general description of a “hipster” rap fan, I don’t quite glean my opinion from the hordes of snobby blogs and pretentious music websites like so many other hipsters out there. And I also don’t necessarily think that Ghostface is the greatest musical artist alive, which I believe is important. <br /><br />You see, the Ghostface fascination has reached a point where he can do no wrong. From his genuine classics like <i>Ironman</i> and <i>Supreme Clientele</i> to his albums that were more scattered-but-still-treated-like-classics such as 2004’s <i>The Pretty Toney Album</i> and 2006’s doubleheader of <i>Fishscale</i> and <i>More Fish</i> (don’t get me wrong, I loved them all, but they weren’t as good as everyone made them out to be) to his cameo on <i>30 Rock</i> to his children’s book (okay, I made that last one up), Ghost can do no wrong in the eyes of the hipsters and the critics. <br /><br />So when he and Raekwon came out and launched a war against the RZA and tried to discredit <i>8 Diagrams</i> while alternatively pushing Ghost’s new <i>The Big Doe Rehab</i> as the “real” Wu-Tang album, I think that a huge segment of the music critic population was influenced. To put it bluntly, they let their love of Ghostface blind them to the actual merits of <i>8 Diagrams</i>, trusting his opinion over their own. They never gave this RZA masterpiece a chance. Never <i>really</i> listened, the way I did that first night (and probably never would have, had I too been aware of what Ghost was saying). <br /><br />Because when you really listen to <i>8 Diagrams</i>, what you hear is an incredible hip-hop album. RZA has arranged a collection of songs more varied and creative and atmospheric than anything else that came out this year. I’m not sure he could ever top <i>Enter the Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)</i> or his work on GZA’s <i>Liquid Swords</i>, but he gives those albums a pretty good run for their. His production work is just off the charts, which is saying something considering how impressed I was with Kanye’s work on the boards on <i>Graduation</i>. I’ll go as far as to say that if the RZA were to be the sole producer on a 50 Cent album, he could single-handedly restore Fifty’s credibility with just one record. He’s that smart and talented and aware of what he’s doing. <br /><br />As for the rapping, you can’t ask for much more than an album full of dense lyrics from the whole Wu crew, bar after bar crammed onto hyperkenetic and foreboding tracks with few rote choruses and almost no real hooks at all. If you like radio rap or club jams, this probably isn’t the album for you, but if you love grimy rap, stripped of all its pretense and nonsense, I don’t see how you could NOT love <i>8 Diagrams</i>. <br /><br />To prove my thesis (which is impossible, because ultimately, the appreciation of music is about individual taste, but whatever), I’m going track by track, breaking down every beat and every verse. Maybe I have it all wrong and maybe I’m just too old to get it anymore, but I defy someone to set aside the Ghostface drama, listen to this album, and tell me its not awesome. <br /><br />Anyway, here are the tracks:<br /><br /><b>1. Campfire</b>. The kung-fu movie dialogue intro speaks to the way one should digest music in this day and age: “We must be patient.” This is followed with a gorgeous singing intro which leads to a rattling and rumbling beat and an immediate Method Man verse. This is the Method Man we haven’t heard in years, the one that I watched on season three of <i>The Wire</i> and wished would someday rap with the same passion he was displaying in his acting. And here he is (the “trying to bring the sexy back” line aside). The rest of the song packs in a crisp Ghost verse, a vicious 16 bars from Cappadonna (I loved that we only had to wait two and a half minutes into the album to hear from the Clan’s “unofficial” member), and more kung-fu dialogue. It’s all pretty simple and straightforward, but it screams “Wu-Tang” and sets the mood perfectly.<br /><br /><b>Beat: A-</b><br /><b>Method Man verse: B+</b> (docked a few points for the “sexy back” line, which I just didn’t like)<br /><b>Ghostface verse: A</b><br /><b>Cappadonna verse: A-</b><br /><b>Overall: A-</b><br /><br /><br /><b>2. Take it Back</b>. This is probably the biggest throwback track on the album and what it lacks in obvious creativity, it makes up for in simplicity. The beat just bounces along and stays out of the way, giving guys like Rae, Ghost, and Deck the chance to shine on the strength of their verses alone. Ghost in particularly absolutely murders this song and Deck goes back to his familiar role of “scene stealer” among the bigger names, providing a verse that will be worth listening to for years to come.<br /><br /><b>Beat: B+</b><br /><b>Raekwon verse: A-</b> <br /><b>Deck verse: A</b><br /><b>Ghostface verse: A</b><br /><b>U-God verse: B</b><br /><b>Meth and U-God Chorus: B-</b><br /><b>Overall: A-</b><br /><br /><br /><b>3. Get Them Out Ya Way Pa</b>. The beat on this is almost impossibly slick. It just glides along with a pulsing bass line and sets up the aggressive call-and-response chorus, mixing in the occasional cymbal, guitar lick, and sprinkles of what sound like wind chimes. This is RZA giving a master’s course in the power of a subtle arrangement. No one is particularly good on the mic as Meth loses some of his momentum, U-God is only slightly above average, and Masta Killa is the star of the song (not typically a good sign). <br /><br /><b>Beat: A</b><br /><b>Meth verse: B</b> <br /><b>U-God verse: B+</b><br /><b>Masta Killa verse: B+</b><br /><b>Rae and Ghost Chorus: A-</b><br /><b>Overall: B+</b><br /><br /><br /><b>4. Rushing Elephants</b>. This is when things really start heating up on the album. This track is on every playlist I have working right now, from my writing mixes to the random CD’s I pop into my car on the way to work (no, I don’t have an iPod hookup). The first 45 seconds are pure magic: the little horns and Rae’s “yeah, yeah, yeah” leading into the colliding drums and bass and then the sharpest Raekwon verse in almost a decade (although he came surprisingly close on last year’s Ill Bill mixtape). Then no chorus and bam, the first GZA appearance on the record and it’s a good one. Who cares what the rest of the song even includes? (For the record though, it is RZA’s best verse on the album and another solid Masta Killa contribution.) <br /><br /><b>Beat: A</b><br /><b>Raekwon verse: A</b> <br /><b>GZA verse: A-</b><br /><b>RZA verse: A</b><br /><b>Masta Killa verse: A-</b><br /><b>Overall: A</b><br /><br /><br /><b>5. Unpredictable</b>. Here is one song where I pretty much know right off the top that I like it more than everyone else. And that is because it reminds me of my favorite stuff from Deck’s first solo album and also because RZA manages to accomplish the rare feat of successfully working in an electric guitar over the clanging and uber-aggressive track. (I would argue that it is the best use of electric guitar in a rap song since Kanye layered them into Freeway’s “Turn Out The Lights.”) It’s not my favorite RZA beat, mainly because it tends to overwhelm the rapping, but between the extra-long Deck banger and the psychedelic RZA/Dexter Wiggins chorus/bridge/ramble, I just love this song. It feels like a cross between the background music for a Bourne chase scene and something that might have existed if rap were around back when everyone was doing LSD. <br /><br /><b>Beat: B+</b><br /><b>Deck verse: A</b> <br /><b>RZA verse: B+</b><br /><b>RZA/Wiggins Chorus: A-</b><br /><b>Overall: A-</b><br /><br /><br /><b>6. The Heart Gently Weeps</b>. This is the one song that all the critics are fawning over and it is easy to see why. Between the outstanding RZA track that (as you know by now) is the first to legally sample a Beatles song and the transcendent Ghostface verse about a shootout with the vengeful nephew of a guy that died from the drugs Ghost once sold to him, there is plenty to get the critics in a lather. There isn’t much I can add to the thousands of words that have already been written about this song, other than to say that while Ghost clearly steals the show (it is ironic, by the way, that Ghost is better here and on virtually all of his <i>8 Diagrams</i> cuts than he is on his own album), Raekwon and Method Man both turn in underrated performances. I’m not sure how I feel about the fairly creepy Erykah Badu chorus. <br /><br /><b>Beat: A</b><br /><b>Raekwon verse: A</b> <br /><b>Ghostface verse: A</b><br /><b>Meth verse: A</b><br /><b>Erykah Badu Chorus: B</b><br /><b>Overall: A</b><br /><br /><br /><b>7. Wolves </b>. While it might not be the best track on the album from a technical standpoint, “Wolves” is my favorite song on this record. I love the George Clinton ramblings that recall 2Pac’s “U Can’t See Me,” the tiny little ODB sample 20 seconds in, the best U-God verse of all time, the eerie “oohs” in the background, the awesome lead-in and sparse mix that RZA throws on the beat at the beginning of Masta Killa’s verse and, well, pretty much everything on this song. Download this, throw it in a random mix, and tell me its not one of the best rap songs you’ve heard this year. <br /><br /><b>Beat: A</b><br /><b>U-God verse: A</b> <br /><b>Meth verse: A-</b><br /><b>Masta Killa verse: A</b><br /><b>George Clinton Chorus: A</b><br /><b>Overall: A</b><br /><br /><br /><b>8. Gun Will Go </b>. I used the word “slick” to define the beat of “Get Them Out Ya Way Pa,” but it is even more appropriate here. RZA shows ridiculous restraint, laying down a simple track for the verses and then incorporating a creepy violin during the rich, lush Sunny Valentine chorus. This arrangement certainly makes Rae sound good on the opening stanza, but it really brings Method Man to the forefront. I feel comfortable saying that this is the best Meth has sounded since about 1995. Seriously. And then, once again, RZA fiddles with the beat for the Masta Killa verse, this time complicating and distorting it with what sound like horns but could also be an alarm clock for all I know. It sort of buries the lyrics, but this is a good thing, because it makes an otherwise forgettable 16 bars infinitely more memorable. I know I keep raving about this, but RZA’s piecing together of this album is one of the top 20 all-time production efforts, in my opinion. Hand Mathematics or 4th Disciple or one of those other Wu apprentices the same basic concept and the same rappers and this song sucks balls. Instead, it’s a near-masterpiece. Now <i>that</i> is talent. <br /><br /><b>Beat: A</b><br /><b>Raekwon verse: A-</b> <br /><b>Meth verse: A</b><br /><b>Masta Killa verse: A-</b><br /><b>Sunny Valentine Chorus: A</b><br /><b>Overall: A</b><br /><br /><br /><b>9. Sunlight </b>. I will admit that this could be argued as a bit of a weak spot on the album, mainly because it feels too indulgent on RZA’s part. It sounds like a RZA song that would come from a solo record. That doesn’t change the fact that it is still arranged nicely and features a pretty solid lyrical effort, but it is just a letdown from the momentum of the previous four tracks and something that doesn’t really belong on a Wu album. This track and “Life Changes” are probably the sole reason why <i>8 Diagrams</i> places #4 on my list of 2007 albums list, rather than #1 or #2. It doesn’t have as many misteps as Kanye’s, Lupe, or Jay-Z, but since The National and Wilco made virtually no mistakes, they get the nod. <br /><br /><b>Beat: B</b><br /><b>RZA verse: B+</b> <br /><b>Overall: B</b><br /><br /><br /><b>10. Stick Me For My Riches </b>. I was ready to anoint this as an all-time classic Wu cut until my brother told me he didn’t even like it a little bit. That gave me pause. But I shook that off and am back to loving this song. Gerald Alston provides a perfect intro (it just builds and builds), Method Man is a house of fire here, and both Deck (sounding more like Freddie Foxx than himself – are we sure that’s him?) and GZA give their usual reliably tight verses. I will concede that the southern rap-sounding double time beat isn’t RZA’s most dominant on the album, but it is still solid in every way, especially because it set him up for his own very simple, but very effective choppy verse four minutes in. <br /><br /><b>Beat: A-</b><br /><b>Meth verse: A</b> <br /><b>Deck verse: A</b><br /><b>RZA verse: A-</b><br /><b>GZA verse: A-</b><br /><b>Gerald Alston Chorus: A</b><br /><b>Overall: A</b><br /><br /><br /><b>11. Starter </b>. Here’s how I know this album is amazing – because even when Wu lowers itself to the obligatory sex track that plagues nearly every rap album of the 21st Century, the song is still pretty awesome. RZA comes through with a gurgling track full of punctuating horns and a driving beat that allows all comers to throw out tight and compelling verses. The lyrics aren’t anything terribly amazing, but they all sound fantastic. Even the Streetlife cameo is pretty awesome, which is saying something. <br /><br /><b>Beat: A</b><br /><b>Streetlife verse: A-</b> <br /><b>GZA verse: A</b><br /><b>Deck verse: A-</b><br /><b>U-God verse: A-</b><br /><b>Sunny Valentine Chorus: A-</b><br /><b>Overall: A-</b><br /><br /><br /><b>12. Windmill </b>. I love this song. It is all sped up and frantic with that little wail in the background that make Rae and Ghost sound so at home (too bad Ghost isn’t on this one, he would have destroyed it). Once again, RZA gave his Wu members a better track to work with than anything they could go get from outside help. It doesn’t hurt a bit to have a killer GZA contribution right in the middle of it all. Oh, and this is probably the best Deck has sounded in years – probably since his guest spot on Gang Starr’s “Above the Clouds.” <br /><br /><b>Beat: A-</b><br /><b>Raekwon verse: A</b><br /><b>GZA verse: A</b><br /><b>Masta Killa verse: B+</b><br /><b>Deck verse: A</b><br /><b>Meth verse: B+</b><br /><b>Cappadonna verse: A-</b><br /><b>Overall: A-</b><br /><br /><br /><b>13. Weak Spot </b>. Another vintage kung-fu intro that leads right into vintage Wu-Tang. This song is dark and dense and immediately identifiable as a Wu banger. You wouldn’t even need to hear the RZA verse to know that he made it. It isn’t transcendent in any way or anything too terribly new, but it is just flawless Wu-Tang. People who love these guys likely love this song. Rae brings it, GZA brings it, and it’s all smothered in a stomping beat and martial art sound bites. If only it was the final song on the album. <br /><br /><b>Beat: A</b><br /><b>RZA verse: B</b> <br /><b>Raekwon verse: A</b><br /><b>GZA verse: A-</b><br /><b>Overall: A-</b><br /><br /><br /><b>14. Life Changes </b>. I believe this is the weakest song on the album. The Freda Payne sample is pretty much a straight rip and drop in and over half the verses are lazy and boring. I think that this mediocre tribute to ODB is one of the reasons that people are kind of down on the album, which is a little ludicrous. It is, after all, just one song. But I understand that it is disappointing. Other than GZA and Deck (whose verse was too short, but seemed truly heartfelt), nobody sounds like they put much time into this at all. It’s also weird that Ghost isn’t on here. Overall, there is no doubt that this should have been so much better. <br /><br /><b>Beat: B-</b><br /><b>Meth verse: B-</b> <br /><b>Raekwon verse: B</b><br /><b>GZA verse: A</b><br /><b>Masta Killa verse: B-</b><br /><b>Deck verse: A-</b><br /><b>U-God verse: B-</b><br /><b>RZA verse: C</b><br /><b>Freda Payne Sample/Chorus: B-</b><br /><b>Overall: B-</b><br /><br /><br />All told, this is an album with few flaws and a ton of highlights. I wish there was more GZA on the first half and Ghost on the second half and that they had done more with the ODB tribute, but overall, I have few complaints. My standards for this record were extremely high and it somehow lived up to my expectations and then some. RZA raised his game to another level in terms of arrangement, Method Man sounds like he got ahold of a time machine, Raekwon is on point throughout, and really every guy in the Clan performs at a high level. The album is a model of restraint as it opted to forgo radio-friendly singles and club bangers and Akon and T-Pain verses and instead went in the direction of a complete album full of diverse songs threaded together with mood and atmosphere. <br /><br />Add it all up and it is enough to get the Wu past Kanye and into the top spot on my list of 2007 rap albums. I just wonder why no one else sees it that way.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-48612097277331259972007-09-14T23:14:00.000-07:002007-09-14T23:33:10.489-07:0050 vs. KanyeWhen it comes to music, I've been out of the loop for a while. I didn't even realize there was a new Rogue Wave album and it took me over a week to finally listen to Ben Harper's new one. In fact, other than the latest Rilo Kiley offering, I can't remember the last time a new album become a key part of my day. Obviously, this is one of the many costs of working 60-hour weeks. <br /><br />Luckily, the big 50 Cent and Kanye West duel popped up this week to ease me out of my slumber. <br /><br />These are two artists that I've been following closely for pretty much this entire decade; 50 when he was the most feared and relentless underground rapper I can ever remember and Kanye when he was the masterful and anonymous sound behind some of Jay-Z's best work ever ("Kanye, you did it again; you're a genius!"). They both burst onto the scene as mainstream solo artists in a way that struck people as "out of nowhere," when really it was more of a "long time coming" kind of thing. They each dropped a debut that was met with both critical acclaim and massive commercial success. They quickly became known for their particular brands of charisma, their eccentric behavior, their massive egos, and their iconic videos and anthems. And while Kanye continued to expand his producer image behind the scenes (seriously, who has a bigger imprint in popular music right now?), 50 turned himself into a brand name that would make even P Diddy feel lazy. Trust me, the these two fellows are more similar than they are different. <br /><br />However, this week of simultaneous 9/11 releases saw these two artists go in completely different directions. It's not just that <i>Graduation</i> is amazing while <i>Curtis</i> is dog poop (even though that is true), but rather that Kanye continued his trend of self-revelation and experimentation and commitment to the art form, while 50 Cent just recycled the same old formula and burned it onto a bunch of compact discs. <br /><br />I'll start with 50's release. <i>Curtis</i> probably isn't bad as everyone is saying. There are a few "bangers" (as the kids are saying these days) on there and a lot of the production is technically solid. It's certainly a better collection of rap songs than we got on <i>The Massacre</i>, but that's not saying much. The problem is that it is just a copy of a copy of a copy. More specifically, it is a copy of a copy of <i>Get Rich Or Die Tryin'</i>. This is a problem. Where were all the soul samples that 50 was supposedly going to incorporate into this album? For that matter, where was the outstanding reported title of <i>Before I Self Destruct</i>? It is obvious that 50 has no hunger and probably no time to spend in the studio, because he just mailed this thing in. I will never turn on 50 like so many have and I'll always maintain that he was once great, but he's certainly not anymore. As an artist, he relies on passion and anger and whatever fueled his creative drive. In that way, he's like a less talented Eminem - massive success hasn't done either of them many favors as rappers. And that is why <i>Curtis</i> is unmemorable and disappointing and totally expected all at once. We all know that the old 50 is gone and is never coming back. And you know what? Good for him that he's not so full of pain and anger anymore. But bad for us. <br /><br />Meanwhile, it seems that success only breads contempt for Kanye West. Contempt for the industry, the world, whatever. Over the course of three albums he has remade himself from a happy-go-lucky braggart into a egomaniac and then into an isolationist. But unlike 50, Kanye's journey has pushed him creatively. Every album tries more crazy things and features better songs and showcases even more exceptional composition skills. The man knows how to put a rap album together, that is for sure. And maybe I turned into a bit of a homer where rap is concerned after my time in Chicago, but I could honestly drop every single hip-hop artist that isn't from Chicago from my iTunes catalog and not suffer in the least. Give me Kanye and Common and Lupe and Rhymefest and I'm all good. <br /><br />All told, I couldn't be happier to see Kanye bring the goods yet again ... although a small part of me wishes it had been Public Enemy #1 50 Cent that performed the trick.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-32102340243945055492007-05-23T22:22:00.000-07:002007-05-23T22:31:51.260-07:00Thoughts on the Season Finale of LostThe two-hour season three finale of <i>Lost</i> was absolutely incredible. Twists, turns, promises fulfilled, great acting, some absurdly pleasing action hero moments, and several ticking clock plots. But for all that - for Charlie's heroic death and Jack and Juliette's kiss to the "I love you" proclamation to Hurley running a dude over in a van to Walt appearing before Locke as a vision - for ALL THAT, I can only fixate on the images of Jack, drunk and drugged out and completely lost in L.A.<br /><br />In what appears to be a very clever flash forward device (and there were plenty of clues, not the least of which was the RAZR phone), Jack is back from the island and miserable. He is beyond sad, wants to kill himself, and can barely get through the day. To me, it is one of the most haunting things I've seen on a TV show and it left me hoping (begging) that the whole thing was an alternate universe or a Desmond vision or some other <i>Lost</i>-like creation that can be altered and fixed. Because I can take unsolved mysteries and characters dying, but I'm not sure I can deal with known futures devoid of hope. How do you root for these characters if you know things turn out so devastatingly bad for them?<br /><br />Many seem to think that this finale signals a new trend for the show and that they will begin to show flash forwards off life after the island. I really hope that is not the case. Because a character devoid of hope, with a foretold future of tragedy, is the saddest character of all. And above all, <i>Lost</i> is a show about characters. <br /><br />Amazing stuff. But haunting, rough stuff as well. <br /><br />Now we wait for January 2008 to see if Jack's dad is somehow alive (which would prove some sort of alternate universe theory) and not just the result of the rantings of a shattered soul. I'm crossing my fingers, even if it means suspending my reality.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-71306671876219824292007-05-23T18:00:00.000-07:002007-05-23T18:04:36.672-07:00Album Review: Boxer by The NationalWalking down a deserted (but perpetually shimmering) Michigan Avenue in Chicago the other night, listening to The National's fourth full-length album in my iPod, it dawned on me that I <i>had</i> to review this, and that it would continue a trend of only reviewing music that I love. I promise to rectify this by finding a truly crap album and crushing it sometime in the next month. Until then, bask in the positivity, people. <br /><br />The first thing that strikes me about <i>Boxer</i> is that it sounds a lot like my other favorite albums of 2007, yet remains wholly original. Lead singer Matt Berninger sounds a bit like Andrew Bird, both in style (baritone, slightly monotonous voice) and substance (non sequiturs, clever imagery, and an extensive vocabulary), which is an absolute compliment. Bird's <i>Armchair Apocrypha</i> was probably my favorite 2007 release until Elliott Smith's <i>New Moon</i>. And if the vocals sound like Bird, the overall feel and mood of the album call to mind a more subtle and contained version of the Arcade Fire release <i>Neon Bible</i>. Again, this is a good thing. <br /><br />The problem with comparing one artist to another is that it implies a derivative quality to the work; that the band is somewhere between an inspired cherry-picker with great taste and a rogue musical pickpocket. Know that resorting to such comparisons is the fault of the reviewer and not the band. Explaining all of the positive ways that an album matches other great works is the lazy man's method for expressing admiration. And tonight I'm feeling a bit lazy. But now, on to the album.<br /><br /><i>Boxer</i> starts out with a bang, as the track "Fake Empire" works its way from a simple, subdued little song into an orchestral gem that climbs higher and higher and then just ends, without any ostentatious outros or distorted samples loaded with feedback and reverb. It is followed by the most pure "rock" song on the album, the quick, smart "Mistaken For Strangers." At the tale end of this "wow, they sound like they could be from Montreal" indie rock anthem, The National slows things down just a bit, fading out of the second track and easing into "Brainy," giving the listener time to absorb the first salvo and settle into the experience. Rarely has the first quarter of an album shown such care in regard to pacing. It is as if the three members of this Brooklyn band know some secret to engaging the brain's alpha frequencies. <br /><br />If there is one criticism of <i>Boxer</i>, it is that the middle of the album lags just a bit. "Squalor Victoria," "Green Gloves," and "Start a War" are the only songs that feel like work the first couple of times through. That said, even from this tiny negative comes a positive, as "Green Gloves" became one of my favorite tracks on repeat listens. The first time through it bleeds into the background, but by lap number four, it actually stands out as a beautiful song with soaring instrumentals and perhaps the most melodic chorus on the album. Likewise, "Start a War" grows on the listener and seems to get better with each passing bus ride and jog through the park. These are among the most subtle tracks on the album and for that reason, they were overshadowed the first few times by more powerful and melodic songs such as "Slow Show" and "Apartment Story." In fact, "Slow Show" probably gets the nod as my favorite song on the album. It is a rich, escalating tour de force. The repeating line "You know I've dreamed about you for 29 years before I saw you" is one of the best on the album and the anchor of a fabulously good and decidedly mature (i.e., not cheesy) love song. <br /><br />After slowly building for nine tracks, the album finishes with a quiet flurry. "Racing Like a Pro" shows some of Berninger's strongest writing, offering clear, intelligent commentary and showcasing some of his most insightful (if still cleverly spun) storytelling to date. "Ada" is a brilliant song and is certainly aided by Sufjan Stevens' guest appearance on piano. And "Gospel" might very well be the best song on the album. <br /><br />I've already heard some listeners bemoan the lack of simmering anger that was a hallmark of previous tracks by The National (most of them from 2005's breakout critical darling <i>Alligator</i>), but to me, this more subtle expression of joy, pain, boredom, claustrophobia (multiple songs are contained to basically one room) is far more rewarding. Rather than spell everything out with wild vocal inflections or searing lyrics, The National opted to weave together a tight tapestry of music, within which they could embed their stories and philosophy. On <i>Boxer</i>, they let the audience do its share of the heavy lifting in a way that is not dissimilar to a well-written television show or film. <br /><br />This is not to say that listening to this album is hard work, because it's not. <i>The Boxer</i> is a smooth listen and an atmospheric experience (you simply have to find a deserted main street in a big city and give this a spin) and - bottom line - a really great album. It should be Exhibit A on how to make really smart, meaningful music that still sounds terrific.<br /><br />Once again, I've got a new favorite album for 2007. I expect this one to hold on to the title for a while. Especially once I get to reviewing some real pieces of crap.<br /><br />The Score: 9.3Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-59884362661179019042007-05-09T12:34:00.000-07:002007-05-09T12:47:41.984-07:00Album Review: New Moon by Elliott SmithWhen I first heard about <i>new Moon</i>, the "new" double-disc, posthumous Elliott Smith release titled, I was extremely apprehensive. I suppose you could blame the estates of everyone from 2Pac to Jeff Buckley for the fact that music from the grave has became an uncomfortable proposition. <br /><br />Too many posthumous releases are ragtag affairs; full of bits and pieces and sketches of songs that are slapped together by music engineers and producers and weaved into albums. Not surprisingly, they often aren't very good. In fact, the best releases are often those that simply never came out in time, such as Biggie's <i>Life After Death</i> (totally finished and just weeks away from hitting stores when he died), 2Pac's <i>Makaveli: The 7 Day Theory</i> (almost completely finished), and Elliott Smith's own <i>From a Basement on a Hill</i> (in later, if fitful, stages of completion) were all albums that came from the artist's own imagination. And when you compare those Pac and Biggie works with the abominations that came later, it is obvious why another Smith release might terrify me. <br /><br />The possibility of <i>New Moon</i> being total crap was one fear, certainly. The other worry was that the album would be overwrought with meaning. My only problem with fully enjoying <i>A Basement</i> is that I couldn't separate the songs from the context. I kept searching for clues that would resolve Smith's awful death. Was it a suicide, or was he murdered? The L.A. coroners couldn't figure out, and neither can we. His last work-in-progress provided a peak into his mind; a mind that had been increasingly drug-addled and depressed in recent years but seemed to be finding some hope at the very end of his life. With all of that investigative work to be done, it was hard too just absorb the music. Furthermore, the details and circumstances surrounding Smith's death - indeed, the tragedy of him as a figure - lent the album an almost overwhelming dose of gravitas. Frankly, I wasn't ready to go down that path again. <br /><br />Have a painted a clear enough picture? I was concerned. I was not eager to buy this. <i>New Moon</i> gave me feelings of trepidation. <br /><br />For all of these reasons, I am both pleased and surprised to tell you that this is my favorite release so far in 2007. Granted, there haven't been a ton of masterpieces to challenge for that title, but I loved the new ones from Bright Eyes, Arcade Fire, and Andrew Bird, and also enjoyed recent efforts from The Shins, Peter Bjorn and John, and Panda Bear. (And also, I must confess, Redman.) So there is enough good new music that I still feel like that statement means something. <br /><br />Normally when I review an album, I drill down and tackle it almost song-by-song, but in this case, my feelings toward <i>New Moon</i> are more macro. That doesn't mean there aren't great individual songs, of course. "Angel in the Snow" gets things off to a great start and immediately brings to the forefront Smith's intimate recording style. By all accounts, he played extremely close to the microphone, which allowed him to sing quietly and make room for his chord progressions and the tiny little imperfections that came with them. Everything about a good Elliott Smith song is authentic and organic and that doesn't even account for the genius in the writing, bur rather comes about almost strictly from the brilliant technique that is on full display here. <br /><br />Favorites abound. There is "High Times," which flashes Smith's energy and righteous anger. and "New Monkey," which shows his versatility as a songwriter and reveals frustrations over the way he (and indie music) was often portrayed. "Looking Over My Shoulder," "Whatever (Folk Song in C)," and "All Cleaned Out" put on display his almost irreconcilable wisdom and perspective. There are the brief glimpses of optimism ("First Timer"), the aching sadness on songs like "Georgia, Georgia," where he muses "oh man, what a plan, suicide," and, of course, those beautiful melodies that can't help but make you think of the Beatles. <br /><br />Again though, drilling down on individual songs seems to miss the point. In fact, many of these gems have been floating around for years. I had seven of the 24 songs in my iTunes collection already, "Miss Misery" and "Pretty Mary K" are merely alternate versions, and "Thirteen" is a cover that Smith often played at life shows. So listening to this album in search of novelty or fresh tracks gets away from what makes it great. <br /><br /><i>New Moon</i> is a fantastic album because it is comprised of 24 full, real, and terrific songs. It is adhesive and forms a narrative, and authentically feels like a release from the 1994-1997 period of time from which these songs were culled. And ultimately, that is the beauty of the record. It doesn't feel like a <i>new</i> Elliott Smith album at all. Instead, it is as if my collection of Smith albums suddenly has another classic imbedded in it. Right alongside masterpieces like his self-titled second album and <i>Either/Or</i> and <i>XO</i> is another classic. <br /><br />So maybe calling it the best album of 2007 is a misnomer. It is more like the best album of 1996, preserved in a time capsule until today. Either way, it is fantastic stuff.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-58461655838620081462007-04-20T00:42:00.000-07:002007-04-20T00:54:59.042-07:00The View = G-UnitA recent spin of the new Young Buck album got me thinking about the downfall of G Unit. Then, while I was thinking about that, my wife Jen was watching The View. Then it dawned on me. G Unit and The View are virtually the same. Hear me out ...<br /><br />Rosie O'Donnell is 50 Cent. They are both larger than life (literally and figuratively, although 50's literal largeness is of the more desirable variety), opinionated, wildly popular yet also hated by many, and, of course, they are both totally crazy. They also highjack group projects to engage in individual rants and feuds. Rosie steals huge chunks of time on The View to spout her Google Education philosophies about the war or politics or whatever comes into her brain, and she used the show as a vehicle to war with Donald Trump. 50 does the same thing on pretty much every G-Unit album. They both have redeeming qualities (Rosie is actually a very good parent, Jen tells me, while 50 has an unbelievable work ethic), have had mixed success with their pop culture endeavors, and I'm pretty sure Larry David would be friends with both of them (since various episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm tell us that he is loved by lesbians and also that fictional rapper Crazy Eye Killa - had to be based at least in part on 50 - is "his caucasian").<br /><br />Barbara Walters is Eminem. Both are way past their primes and the change happened overnight. One minute they were relevant and among the best at their respective professions, the next they were total has-beens. Eminem suddenly started making farting noises in all his songs and recycling the same beat over and over, while Walters got her 19th face lift and began mumbling on the air. The View is Walters' pet project, much like G-Unit was Eminem's first major group signed to Shady Records. Rosie is making Walters a lot of money and improving ratings, but bringing great embarrassment along with it and pissing her off with philosophical differences. Likewise, 50 made Eminem loads of cash, but has embroiled him in countless annoying feuds in the process.<br /><br />Joy Behar is Lloyd Banks. Not much substance, just a bunch of witty punchlines. Totally willing to play the second banana role at all times. Also, both seems to like the color blue. Okay, I made that last one up.<br /><br />Elizabeth Hasselbeck is Young Buck. Elizabeth is the lone conservative and also the only supporting member of The View to have random pop culture fame before the show (<i>Survivor</i>). Young Buck is the lone southern member of G-Unit and made a name for himself as a part of Cash Money before hooking up with 50. They also both have former names. Elizabeth used to be Elizabeth Filarski and Young Buck was David Brown before obeying the well-known rule in rap that says you can never, under any circumstances, use your real name as your rap name. (Making Kanye West's successful career even more surprising. It also surprising in light of the fact that he is TOTALLY INSANE.)<br /><br />Star Jones is The Game. Both got kicked out of the group and both seem to be doing better on their own, against all odds. They are also equally fond of name-dropping, wearing expensive jewelry, and getting involved in legal disputes (although Jones does it as a lawyer and the Game as a defendant). Once Tracy Morgan impersonates The Game to great comedic effect, this pairing will be bulletproof.<br /><br />Every guest host is Tony Yayo. The filler person just occupying space.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-78666690123825011002006-12-21T21:23:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:53:30.191-07:00The Regional Report: West Coast Up and ComersIt was a monster November/December combo for hip-hop, with leaked albums springing up everywhere, the Game emerging triumphantly from his Aftermath feud(s), Jay-Z returning with a legendary seven-city, 26-hour tour and not-so legendary album, Snoop releasing a keeper, Nas declaring that Hip Hop is dead, Ghostface putting out a second album in '06, and the Clipse making hipster hip-hop fans drool with the release of <i>Hell Hath No Fury</i>. There's been a lot to keep track of. <br /><br />So you can forgive me for taking a break from the Regional Report's "up-and-comers" theme. It's hard to stay focused on the next breakout star when Jay-Z is flying around in a plane that has his face painted on it, and putting on concerts in Atlanta at seven in the morning. The tail end of 2006 was all about the heavy hitters.<br /><br />However, the first quarter of 2007 stands to serve as a breakout campaign for new hip-hop stars across the country, and nowhere does the youth movement seem to be picking up more steam than in sunny Southern California. "New West" is the catch phrase in L.A. as a bumper crop of stars look to make their mark early and often in the year to come. <br /><br />The dynamic for emerging rappers on the West Coast is different from other regions of the country. Artists in Chicago are grappling with the challenge of maintaining Kanye's aesthetic while sidestepping his rather large shadow. Those in <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/14/094648.php">New York</a> are trying to bring the birthplace of hip-hop back to the forefront while competing for airtime against veteran heavyweights like Jay-Z and Nas. In the South the new guys are finding it tough to get a piece of the limelight, with fairly new stars like Young Jeezy and Chamillionaire (not to mention "King" T.I.) already in place. In the <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/26/081443.php">Mid-Atlantic</a>, some incredibly talented artists are simply trying to put cities not named Virginia Beach and Philadelphia on the hip-hop map. Everywhere you look, there are substantial challenges. <br /><br />Then there is the West Coast. Always one of the powers in hip-hop, L.A. has been in rough shape for the better part of the last decade. Dr. Dre continues to loom over the rap industry, but he's become less regional and more national with each passing year. He hardly qualifies. Snoop's <i>Tha Blue Carpet Treatment</i> is probably his best release since <i>Doggystyle</i> in 1993, but even Snoop is more of an MTV star than a West Coast gangsta rapper. That pretty much leaves the Game to hold down the entire fort, which he is actually <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/11/13/083644.php">doing an admirable job of</a>. More important to would-be stars in the L.A. area is the fact that the Game's success has put the whole region back on the map. Game will be the first to tell you that he's saved the West Coast and brought it back to prominence. <br /><br />Now the West is once again in the mix. The momentum exists and it is up to the new wave to cash in. Nature abhors a vacuum, so you'd better believe that there is room for a host of new stars to break though and into the forefront, which is probably why almost every artist coming out of L.A. these days is quick to yell out "New West!" at a show or on a mixtape. No one wants to be associated with the dog days that have made up the better part of this decade. They don't necessarily want to be associated with Game either, but that's only because he's a one-man army who doesn't know how to play nice. These newcomers simply want to occupy spots that are destined to be filled. <br /><br />It all means that there is a ton of opportunity out West, which works out nice, because there's also a ton of talent. <br /><br /><b>Primary Challenger - Bishop Lamont</b>. It wasn't easy to pick between Bishop and Glasses Malone, but in the end, I went with the better long-term option. Arguably already the best rapper to ever come out of Carson, California, Bishop Lamont is poised to become mega star. Why? Let me count the ways. <br /><br />For starters, he's looming as Dr. Dre's newest protege and unless you haven't been paying attention to the drama surrounding the Game over the past year, you know that there's a vacancy for that particular lead chair. Considering the success of artists ranging from Snoop Dogg to Eminem to 50 to Game, being Dr. Dre's running mate is the rap equivalent to being tabbed by Martin Scorsese to be his new go-to actor (see: Robert DeNiro 1973-1995, Leo DiCaprio 2002-current). So he's got that going for him. <br /><br />(I love the story of how this came to be, by the way. Apparently, Bishop was supposed to meet Kanye West with demo in hand at the "Dreams" video shoot, but Kanye was a no-show. Bummed out and ready to head home, Bishop saw Dr. Dre come out of a trailer so he walked right up and handed him his mixtape <i>Who Do I Have to Kill to Get a Record Deal?</i>. A few days later he was driving around listening to Power 106 when all of a sudden Dre was on the air talking about how excited he is to work with a new artist named Bishop Lamont. Great stuff.)<br /><br />Even better news is that this right-hand man position looks like it will provide some immediate results. There have been countless artists that have signed with Interscope and Aftermath only to collect dust while waiting for a chance to shine, but the word is that Lamont's first album, <i>The Reformation</i> will release during the first quarter of next year. According to an interview he did for West Coast Rydaz, Bishop will be getting beats from virtually every big name in the production biz, including Just Blaze, Pete Rock, DJ Quick, Battlecat, Dre, Scott Storch, J Dilla, DJ Premier, and Salaam Remi. Not only that, but he figures to be the top gun on Dre's <i>Detox</i> if and when that actually happens. <i>Plus</i> he's already got a follow-up project in the works titled <i>The Possible Impossible</i> that will feature all beats from Dre and Storch. He's also aiming to work with artists such as Chris Martin, Korn, Mike Shinoda, and the White Stripes in order to expand hip-hop. 2007 could be Bishop's year, regardless of newcomer status or West Coast location. <br /><br />The best thing he has going for him, of course, is skill. His flow still needs a little bit of work, but a few sessions in the studio with Dre and Eminem should take care of that. Otherwise, he is a ready-made star. He has the voice, style, and smarts to be a mainstay. My favorite thing about Bishop is that he features witty wordplay and clever rhymes that one would typically associate with an underground, or "backpack" rapper, yet he maintains an authentic West Coast sound that glides smoothly from gangsta rap to G-Funk and back again. He himself described his sound as backpack rap ... but with guns and drugs stuffed inside of the backpack. In other words, he's smart and witty and can rap about topics as diverse as The Doors, Todd McFarlane's "Spawn" comic books, Nintendo's "Duck Hunt," and Hercules, but he's also not afraid to throw on a huge G-Funk beat and boast about white tees and '64 Impalas. <br /><br />The only word of caution regarding Bishop is the story of the one Dre protege that got away: Hitman. You might remember Hitman from Dre's <i>Chronic 2001</i>. Just as Bishop is expected to be the new young gun on Dre's next release, Hitman was that guy the last time around, appearing on over a quarter of the tracks on that classic release. He too was expected to be a huge star, but it never happened. In fact, Game even brought this up when he went at Bishop in the recent G-Unit centric diss track, "100 Bars (The Funeral)" (I'm gunning for Bishop/I'm the king of this L.A. s***/tell me homie is you blood or crip/is you thug or b****/cause the Essey's say they don't ever see holmes run around L.A./fake ass ghostwriter get your little flow tighter/before I put you in the trunk of this f****** lowrider/you ain't nuthin' but Hitman in quicksand"). That said, it is probably more noteworthy that Game even felt compelled to go at Bishop on a diss track, when most of the world doesn't even know who he is yet. <br /><br />Armed with savvy, a sense of humor, the best production team on the planet (including local guys like J Wells and Diverse that he's bringing along with him), and talent to spare (not to mention a sweet logo comprised of a bishop chess piece and a giant L), Bishop appears to be a mortal lock to blow up huge. Which means that the Game better get a few more diss tracks ready to roll. <br /><br />Listen to: "I Am a Soldier," "Up and Down," "It's Bishop," "Let's Get it Poppin'," and "I'm a Warrior."<br /><br /><br /><b>Secondary Challenger - Glasses Malone</b>. This should probably be 1B to Bishop's 1A as the two seem to be rising to stardom hand-in-hand. Their goal is to take the New West movement to the top of the industry and make L.A. the new Atlanta, with a spirit of cooperation and regional dominance leading to national prominence. And right now, Glasses Malone might be in the best position to be the T.I. in that analogy. Formerly a member of the Game's Black Wall Street crew, Glasses moved on when it became obvious that Game was probably never going to get around to bringing anyone up behind him (the unwritten rule in rap). Then, when Game had a falling out with his Piru Blood older brother Big Face, G. Malone became the newest beneficiary of Face's connections.<br /><br />After releasing the acclaimed mixtape <i>White Lightenin' (Sticks)</i>, Glasses quickly became a household name in Los Angeles rap circles and before long, he was commanding a $1.7 million deal with Sony that included his own imprint, Blu Division. In a short span he has become the de facto leader of the New West movement and the most immediate threat to challenge Game for West Coast supremacy. <br /><br />In fact, Malone's first LP is coming out in just two months, as <i>The Beach Cruiser</i> is expected to drop on February 20th. Sony has such high hopes for the record that they've asked Glasses to leave behind the local L.A. producers - at least for the time being - and make a national album. Production is expected from the likes of Blaze, Pharrell, DJ Toomp, and Cool and Dre. While collaborations with a host of eclectic and Southern producers sounds like a risky proposition, there is already evidence that the pairings will work. The track "F*** Wit Me" has became a local sensation and while it is a club jam above all else, it maintains a West Coast feel despite getting production from Southern mainstay Mannie Fresh. <br /><br />The only downside to G. Malone is that his voice sounds a whole lot like the Game's. He has the same raspy sound and his delivery has a similar pace and rhythm. I think he is actually a much better lyricist than Game, but he doesn't emote quite as well. So it's kind of a toss up on who is actually better. The problem for Glasses? Game's already out there. In the legal world (and maybe other worlds for all I know), they call this the "first mover problem." Will millions of hip-hop fans be willing to embrace another cocky West Coast artist that sounds just like the Game? That hiccup, plus Bishop's superior long-term label situation gives Lamont the slight edge going forward. That said, expect big things from both.<br /><br />Listen to: "F*** Wit Me," "Take a Fade," "I'm Bout a Dolla," and "Two Hunned."<br /><br /><br /><b>Darkhorse - Lil Eazy E</b>. In almost every walk of life, you eventually get to put the "legacy" factor to the test. Whether it is college admissions, politics, or the NBA, carrying the last name of those that came before has always been a tried-and-true method for getting opportunities that others only dream of. But hip-hop is a young industry, so we're not yet sure of the roles that nepotism and legacy interests will play. We're about to find out. Lil Eazy E is the most prominent of a host of rising stars that can claim famous fathers in the rap world. Cory Gunz (son of Peter) and Sun God (Ghostface's lad) are emerging in the East, while Dr. Dre's son Curtis Young (more on him in a minute) and Lil Eazy E are making waves out West. <br /><br />Lil Eazy appears to be the most talented of the group and could become a massive star. He's got the same nasally flow that his dad brought to the forefront as a member of N.W.A. and as a controversial solo artist. Not only that, but the Lil version of Eazy E seems to possess the same taste for battle, already engaging in a publicized feud with the Game throughout most of 2006. The best thing about Lil Eazy E is that he routinely outshines the other artists on tracks featuring multiple rappers. He buries G-Unit's Spider Loc on the song "Two Step" and has outperformed the likes of Ice Cube, Bizzy Bone, and even some recycled Biggie and 2Pac (on "Us Against the World"). Granted, that's not like coming out on top against the likes of Nas and Ghostface, but it counts for something. Based on the quality of his recent mixtape <i>This Ain't a Game</i>, we should expect good things on his upcoming <i>The Prince of Compton</i> LP.<br /><br />Listen to: "Us Against the World," "Two Step," "Life of a G," and "That Fire."<br /><br /><br /><b>Others to Watch - Ca$his, Spider Loc, Hood Surgeon, Eastwood, Crooked I, and 40 Glocc</b>.<br /><br />Ca$his is an intriguing guy to watch for a variety of reasons. For starters, he's on Aftermath, which always raises an eyebrow. However, unlike many G-Unit and Interscope signees of late, Ca$his appears to actually have some talent. He's got his own sound and a pretty polished flow and is getting some serious run on mixtapes. He is featured heavily on <i>Eminem Presents the Re-up</i> and while he can't quite hang with the likes of Stat Quo and Obie Trice at this point, he avails himself pretty well. Needless to say, he's certainly the top gun out of Orange County right now. <br /><br />Spider Loc represents 50 Cent's best effort to replace the Game with a West Coast G-Unit affiliate. Sounds pretty good on paper, but the result is not so great. Spider sounds like a Tone Loc retread (is that where he got the name?) and thus far has produced very few memorable tracks or verses (the best probably being his guest appearance on Lloyd Banks' <i>Rotten Apple</i> bonus track "Life"). I can't imagine him being a major part of the West Coast rebirth, let alone righting the G-Unit ship.<br /><br />Hood Surgeon is also known as Curtis Young, son of Andre Young, aka Dr. Dre. So he's got the pedigree. However, as mentioned above, we have yet to see how this whole legacy thing plays out. Hood Surgeon is taking a unique approach (by choice or by necessity?) to his rap career, building from the ground up. He is the founder and CEO of So Hood Records and has a pretty solid mixtape floating around titled <i>The Autopsy</i>. He claims to be going at this alone, yet everything about him seems derivative of Dre, from his themes to his name to his "monster" sound as a producer. It will be interesting to see if the general public gives him a chance. <br /><br />Eastwood is a talented artist that was formerly a member of Death Row, where he sat on the shelf for years before being liberated by Game, who signed him to Black Wall Street and made him part of the group M.O.B. which combines Eastwood with rappers Problem (hailing from Compton) and Techneic (a Mac 10 protege) and looks to position itself as a new age Dogg Pound. But can Eastwood really fill the Snoop Dogg role in that scenario? I doubt it.<br /><br />Crooked I is another rapper that got put on ice for a few years at Death Row but now looks to emerge as a West Coast force. The Long Beach artist is known in certain circles as a talented ghostwriter with some real ability. He recently floated a song called "Say Dr. Dre" that appears to be a track originally destined for Dre's <i>Detox</i> album, since all Crooked I's verses are delivered as if he himself were Dre. The message seems to be, "Hey, this is yet another hit I wrote but since it might not see the light of day, I'll go ahead and throw it out there." The only problem? Dre's not much of a rapper, but I would have definitely preferred this track coming from the good Doctor, regardless of who wrote it. That doesn't bode well for Crooked I. <br /><br />Finally, 40 Glocc is one of the best true rappers in the West, but he appears to be cut from more of the "veteran underground artist" mold rather than the up-and-comer type that will likely break big. That said, he's pretty damn good. His song "Finer Thangzzz" was a true highlight on DJ Exclusive's <i>Dretox</i> mixtape and 40 Glocc has handled beats from the likes of Rick Rock, Dre, Havoc, and the Alchemist. So I'm not going to rule out a rise to prominence.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-68176429726958252282006-12-21T13:16:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:05.823-07:00Album Review: Kingdom Come by Jay-Z<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAT3Z8vNqi4uuXeABzoegiLMREatZfa7MNIRnUP7hrcRJ8QKbmqyTrUggUNXZVuuK6-u7QW7r7e05qTueDRNXKcS6ndRQA3TpudHKKy13_9BWH-o55knkhtAUTI3WltKXfQPf/s1600-h/B000JJSRUM.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_V37410206_.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeAT3Z8vNqi4uuXeABzoegiLMREatZfa7MNIRnUP7hrcRJ8QKbmqyTrUggUNXZVuuK6-u7QW7r7e05qTueDRNXKcS6ndRQA3TpudHKKy13_9BWH-o55knkhtAUTI3WltKXfQPf/s320/B000JJSRUM.01._AA240_SCLZZZZZZZ_V37410206_.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5011093165631622754" /></a><br />Jay-Z’s comeback album has been out for almost a full month now – even longer if you count the “Internet Release” (also know as album leak). And for the most part, it has been knocked down and then kicked and then covered with dirt by most Internet music sites. <br /><br />I acknowledge that <i>Kingdom Come</i> was disappointing, but was it worthy of such vitriol? I don’t think so. In fact, I was careful to let this one soak in before rushing to judgment (like I did with the first <a href=“http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/29/140608.php”>three leaked tracks off the album</a>) and I’ve come to the conclusion that <i>Kingdom Come</i> is much better than it is getting credit for. Maybe not a classic, but not a piece of crap either. <br /><br />Of course, when confronting a strong opposition, one must try to determine where the proverbial fork in the road takes place. Why do so many critics my age hate this album (Tom Breihan from <i>The Village Voice</i>, Byron Crawford from <i>XXL</i>, and Pitchfork, to name a few), when I like it? I’ve got a few possible theories on this, each of which will be examined on a sliding scale that ranges from “no chance” to “sounds good to me” (with “doubtful,” “maybe,” and “likely” as the middle options). Here we go.<br /><br /><b>Theory #1 – Subject Matter.</b> One of the biggest criticisms of the album is that Jay-Z’s content isn’t what it used to be. It seems that all the rapping about being a CEO and the bragging about possessions and trips and celeb friends isn’t going over so well. I understand that, but my question is … since when? This is America, land of capitalism and home of the “anyone can make it” dream. Now that Jay has “made it” why wouldn’t he talk about it? This is his life now and it wouldn’t make any sense to rap about hugging the block or cooking crack in a dank duplex. I mean, seriously. Plus, this complaint is disingenuous. Brag rapping has been loved and respected for years in hip hop and just this year, the Clipse received heaps of critical love despite spending well over half their album (which I loved, by the way) rapping about all the stuff they have. So to criticize Jay-Z for boasting is hypocritical. <br /><br />Besides, few can brag like Jigga. In the (admittedly overwrought) Just Blaze stadium epic “Oh My God” Jay-Z pretty much lays it out there. (“Coming through roofless/ yeah, your boy ruthless/ like Ice Cub was/ turn the whole city on, I’m the new plug/ So if this is your first time hearing this/ you are about to experience/ someone so cold/ a journey seldom seen/ the American Dream/ from the bottom to the top of the globe/ they call me Hov.”)<br /><br />Not only that, but honing in on the brag raps fails to look at the whole package. While it might have been nice to see Jay use a more narrative structure for his new CEO status (maybe some sort of running gangster movie theme, like all the old Pain N Da Ass skits), he makes up for it by throwing in a few other interesting topics. He discusses everything from his ascension to the corporate world to the push and pull of being a born hustler (in “Prelude”), from a feud with Cam’ron (“Dig a Hole”) to Hurricane Katrina (“Minority Report”), and from far-reaching Biblical themes to the end of his career (and life). It’s far from a terrible mix, topically and thematically. And the Hurricane Katrina commentary, in particular, is extremely powerful (“Sure I ponied up a mil/ but I didn’t give my time/ so in reality, I didn’t give a dime/ or a damn/ just put my money in the hands/ of the same people that left my people stranded.”) <br /><br />Strength of Theory #1 – Doubtful. <br /><br /><br /><b>Theory #2 – Lyrical Skill.</b> I’ll be the first to admit that this album doesn’t have the usual plethora of Press Rewind moments from One Take Jay, and he probably does spend too much time using the whisper voice (the one from “Allure”). That said, it also isn’t fair to measure him by his own extremely high bar. Compared to most of the stuff coming out in 2006, Hova is still an elite lyricist. He may not be hungry like he was on <i>Reasonable Doubt</i> or at the height of his game like on <i>The Blueprint</i>, which explains some of the repetitive lines and lazy rhymes, but he’s still Jay. Which means you are going to get a lot of effortless verses that fuse intelligence and wit in bold, brash, decisive strokes. <br /><br />From clever little lines like “Guess who’s back/ Since this is a New Era I got a new hat” (“Prelude”) and “Kingpin of the ink pen/ monster of the double entendre” (“Do U Wanna Ride”) to classically complex Jay-Z (“Think I’m in the office, I’m off the grind?/ That’s how kids become orphans, ya lost your mind?/ I keep my enemies close/ I give ‘em enough rope/ they put themselves in the air/ I just kick away the chair” – that last part perfectly describes Sacha Baron Cohen’s style of comedy in <i>Borat</i>, by the way), he still has “it.” <br /><br />If those aren’t good enough examples, there is always this gem from “Beach Chair,” which layers pop culture, with soul-baring questions, all while employing multiple meanings of a word (for which I am a total sucker): “Not afraid of dyin’/ I’m afraid of not tryin’/ every day, hit every wave like I’m Hawaiian/ I don’t surf the net/ no I ain’t never been on MySpace/ too busy lettin’ my voice vibrate/ carvin’ out my space.” <br /><br />Of course, gems like that are offset by some meandering efforts, like the up-and-comer bashing on “Trouble” and the excessive spelling on the horrendous Neptunes-produced “Anything.” So I can see the complaint. <br /><br />Strength of Theory #2 – Maybe. <br /><br /><br /><b>Theory #3 – Beats.</b> One complaint I can get behind is that Jay-Z didn’t exactly load up with the best beats for <i>Kingdom Come</i>. When I sort my iTunes music by producer, I can’t help but notice that many of the best producers’ finest beats have been for Jay. Kanye West and Just Blaze are the primary examples of this, but even guys like DJ Premier, the Neptunes, Eminem, Rick Rock, and Dr. Dre (“The Watcher”) have busted out some career-best type performances when providing a track for Jay-Z. <br /><br />Um, not this time. Just Blaze has three entries on the album: “Kingdom Come” is arguably a great beat, but “Oh My God” and “Show Me What You Got” are just average. Dre provided three cuts, but only “Trouble” (the Dre quality without the Dre genericness) is a standout and it turns out that Snoop got the best of the Dr. Dre Fall 2006 Collection. The Neptunes track is horrible. The beats for “Hollywood” and “I Made It” are not good. When the Chris Martin-produced (complete with expected alt-pop distortion) “Beach Chair” is a standout, you know you have some problems. <br /><br />However, it really isn’t what is on the album that is the issue, it is what’s NOT on <i>Kingdom Come</i> that is most noticeable. Timbaland is arguably one of the hottest producers in the music industry right now (check out tracks ranging from Nelly Furtado’s “Promiscuous” to Justin Timberlake’s “Sexy/Back” to Snoop’s “Get a Light” to Young Jeezy’s “3 A.M.”) and has collaborated with Jay in the past (12 Jay-Z tracks on eight albums, by my count) … so where is he? DJ Premier, anyone? Just one Kanye West song? (Although, it should be noted that “Do U Wanna Ride” is a good one – a subtler version of Kanye.) Even 9th Wonder or Bink would have been a welcomed addition at this point. <br /><br />Strength of Theory #3 – Likely. <br /><br /><br /><b>Theory #4 – He’s Too Old.</b> People have been taking cracks at “30 Something” and insinuating that Jay-Z is too old to make a good hip hop record. This seems insane on a few levels. For starters, he just turned 37, which means that he was 34 when he put out a certifiable classic in the form of <i>The Black Album</i>. Is 37 <i>that</i> much older than 34? It’s not like he turned 35 and started aging in dog years. Not only that, but there are plenty of hip hop stars picking up steam in their 30’s. Nas’ new one is a heater and he’s 33. Ghostface was rap’s critical darling for ’06 and he’s 36. Hell, Snoop Dogg is as old as dirt and he just put out his best album in 13 years. Yes, Jay’s new record was built for an “adult audience.” No, he’s not too old to be good. <br /><br />Strength of Theory #4 – No Chance. <br /><br /><br /><b>Theory #5 – Backlash.</b>. Let’s face it, we live in a society that loves to bring people down. This is the pop culture universe that built 50 Cent up and then tore him down in the span of 12 months. And that’s just the obvious hip hop example. There was Leo after <i>Titanic</i> (it took him over five years and a half dozen incredible roles to get all the way back). It started happening with Dwayne Wade during the NBA Finals last year when people started complaining about all the calls he got. It just happened this week regarding SNL’s new digital short “A Special Box,” which should have been enjoyed by all as a truly funny sketch, but was instead beat down lest we get too excited ala the “Narnia Rap.” It’s happening with <i>Lost</i>. It will probably happen with Sacha Baron Cohen if it hasn’t already. And so on and so forth. <br /><br />Therefore, it comes as no surprise that Jay-Z would get the same treatment. After all, he’s everywhere these days. Running Def Jam, owning the Nets, dating Beyonce, appearing on Budweiser commercials, doing the Hanger Tour, popping into the booth on <i>Monday Night Football</i>, you name it. Naturally, people are going to push back. Jay even saw this coming, rapping on Trouble that it’s “just a matter of time before the steady hate/ starts to overflow and then the levee breaks.” <br /><br />Of course, people won’t stay down on him forever, which means that his next album is already money in the bank. The same critics slamming him now will be frothing at the mouth to redeem him by the time the 10th disc rolls around. <br /><br />Strength of Theory #5 – Sounds good to me. <br /><br /><br /><b>The Verdict</b>. Based on my irrefutable methodology (that’s sarcasm, people), it seems that Jigga’s album is getting the cold shoulder mainly because of natural backlash, followed by shaky beats, and <i>possibly</i> a letdown on the lyricism front. Which means that people are crushing this thing for reasons that have little to do with Jay-Z. Nice. <br /><br />Like I said at the top, I am somewhat fond of <i>Kingdom Come</i>. It’s certainly not a classic, thanks in large part to a rough patch in the middle of the album (tracks 7-10). And the beats could certainly have been better. Still, this is the one of the best rappers ever putting in solid work. No complaints here. In fact, among Jay-Z albums (excluding the R. Kelly fiascos, of course), I put it right in the middle:<br /><br />1. <i>The Blueprint</i><br />2. <i>Reasonable Doubt</i><br />3. <i>The Black Album</i><br />4. <i>Hard Knock Life</i><br /><b>5. <i>Kingdom Come</i></b><br />6. <i>Vol. 1</i><br />7. <i>Vol. 2</i><br />8. <i>The Dynasty</i><br />9. <i>The Blueprint 2</i>*<br /><br />(* Note: I am referring to the double disc album that was originally released, not the nicely salvaged <i>The Blueprint 2.1</i> re-release.)<br /><br />The Score: 7.9Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-88325148244192511522006-12-20T15:42:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:53:30.192-07:00Big Month for PapooseBrooklyn rapper Papoose is a bit of an enigma. One the one hand, he has a pretty good pedigree which includes the 2005 Justo mixtape artist award and a recently inked $1.5 million deal with Violator. On the other hand, I've combed through about 150 Papoose songs looking for some classics and I have yet to find anything truly memorable. Other than the notorious "Alphabetical Slaughter" track, which tries to take Saigon's "Letter P" to the next level, Pap has been incredibly, consistently mediocre. Track after track after track. <br /><br />Fortunately for Papoose, the tide seems to be turning in December, and just in time for the upcoming release of his LP <i>Nacirema Dream</i>. First, he launched an immediate and passionate (if not terribly artful) response to the NYPD police shooting of Sean Bell with "50 Shots," an angry political track that harkens back to the days of Public Enemy. The song itself isn't all that great, but that's not the point. I wish they had continued with the Sam Cooke "A Change Gonna Come" sample rather than just using it for the intro and fake bridge, but whatever. This song isn't important because of the lame beat or even Pap's clumsy rhyming, but rather because he calls <i>everyone</i> out and basically spells out the problem with the whole incident, even explaining some of the legal nuances ("the law states a cop is not permitted to shoot at a moving car/it doesn't make a difference if its coming straight at him"). All in all, it speaks highly of Papoose as an individual and at least gives him a leg up in the substance department. <br /><br />More good news for Pap comes on the style side with his recently dropped verse over Nas' "Black Republicans" beat. It seems like everyone is rapping over this track these days and for the most part, none of them are touching Jay-Z's and Nas' original versus (with the exception of Sean Price, who is always potent). And that includes Young Hot Rod of G-Unit, who joins Papoose on this particular effort. But while this L.E.S. cut hasn't been a breeding ground for hot verses (unlike, say, Just Blaze's "Show Me What You Got" which led to some fantastic freestyles), it certainly served as a staging ground for Pap. He still uses his put-the-accent-on-the-last-syllable style and starts out with his familiar drab flow and trying-just-a-bit-too-hard metaphors ("I take my time/ya'll be Russian like the Soviet Union"), but about halfway through the track, he just goes nuts. Papoose launches into a double-time explosion that leaves the listener dizzy. ("I smoke the bubonic/ tonic/ exotic/ melodic/ brollic/ bionic/ psychotic/ ironic/ hypnotic kind of chronic/ on every project/ my object /is to make the product the hardest/ smartest/ calmest/ modest/ honest/ oddest/New York is accomplice [this word isn't clear]/ I abolish/ demolish/ astonish/ promise no college/ Harvard is garbage/ acknowledge its home to fathers and martyrs/ sick of these offices often causing the coughing and walking/ so I decided to comment and got responses from Congress/ this is retarded/ this nonsense.") He keeps going at that pace, if you can believe it. <br /><br />Honestly, this is like nothing I've ever heard. I know Twista, Busta Rhymes, and Mystikal were faster, but Papoose's ability to spin a powerful statement into such a complex rhymes scheme is pretty amazing. The only guy that I've heard layer up that effectively is Eminem. <br /><br />All told, this may be just what Papoose needed. He's known as a bright guy with a relentless work ethic and razor sharp lyrics, but up to this point, he's lacked flair and polish in his delivery (not to mention his hooks and choice of beats). The road to hip hop greatness is littered with would-be lyricists, from Sauce Money to Ali Vegas to Cannibus, so it was always going to take something more to launch Pap to superstardom. Perhaps this new combination of political fire and verbal dexterity is just what he needed.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-74280022334686375622006-12-20T10:15:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:05.823-07:00Album Review: Hip Hop is Dead by Nas<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbb-w4IiHoSqjAd7vPLpToBCdyek-wFmJcgnTMq4XO-gBdq1fTC6efI14Gr87dgUCbcQQmZHIPZsL5e0_q71RvGfaDKVVpWeWMJ7nD5yXCrcdOZxWNK2rhXka-y_q95gVlT53/s1600-h/14sann.190.jpg"><img style="float:right; margin:0 0 10px 10px;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilbb-w4IiHoSqjAd7vPLpToBCdyek-wFmJcgnTMq4XO-gBdq1fTC6efI14Gr87dgUCbcQQmZHIPZsL5e0_q71RvGfaDKVVpWeWMJ7nD5yXCrcdOZxWNK2rhXka-y_q95gVlT53/s320/14sann.190.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5010675961098423890" /></a><br />Just about every “year in review” article and recap has already been turned in, which means you won’t find Nas on many top 10 lists for 2006. This is a shame, because Nasty Nas has undoubtedly turned in one of the finest hip hop efforts of the year with his grimy, gritty <i>Hip Hop is Dead</i>. <br /><br />This is not to say that Nas has submitted a classic. As the fall rolled along, I started to get my hopes up that this would be the case. Between a general upturn in rap (thanks to the Game, the Clipse, Lupe Fiasco, and Ghostface Killah, among others) and the sterling efforts of Nas himself, it felt like he had all the momentum necessary to absolutely knock this one out of the park. With a memorable guest spot on “Why You Hate the Game” from the Game’s <i>Doctor’s Advocate</i>, the ridiculously good pre-release mixtape <i>The N … The Resurrection of Hip Hop</i>, and a handful of terrific leaked tracks including “Hustlers” (previously known as “QB True G”), there was ample evidence that Nas would once again reach the heights of <i>Illmatic</i>. <br /><br />Alas, while <i>Hip Hop is Dead</i> is an outstanding rap album, it doesn’t quite merit a “classic” tag. The irony here is that it is Nas’ relentless dedication to traditionalism that holds him back. There is no doubt Nas wanted to make a statement about the hip hop industry on this and one need only to check the title to know how he feels about the genre. This might explain why the album is so straightforward, almost entirely devoid of gimmicks and tricks. For the purist in me, it is a breath of fresh air and harkens back to a bygone era when hip hop was simply constructed on clean beats and skillful rapping about crime, politics, and the hustle. Unfortunately, there is another part of me that is spoiled by some of the chances that other artists have taken in recent years. The result is that I am left feeling like <i>Hip Hop is Dead</i> is “this close” to being perfect. <br /><br />The album gets off to a blistering start with “Money Over Bullshit.” L.E.S. hooks Nas up with a menacing beat as a throbbing bass line is augmented with haunting keyboards and a downright creepy whistle. The vocals are trademark Nas; complex rhyme schemes detailing a fairly simple story, which is basically the rise to the top (“from nine-blaster to I don’t have to blast mine/they blast my, black nine/you flat line/my cash climb”). The third song on the track, “Carry on Tradition” makes good use of a decent Scott Storch beat and combines with the outstanding Salaam Remi throwback track “Where Are They Now” to form an instant hip hop history lesson. <br /><br />The will.i.am title track and the Jay-Z collaboration “Black Republicans” have both been heard far and wide over the past month but still pack punch in the middle of the album, lending the weight that a popular single often provides and serving as an anchor for the surrounding pieces. <br /><br />The back half of the album sees a bit of a change of pace, as two Kanye West songs set the tone for a more reflective, soulful stretch of music. However, in what can only be described as an upset of massive proportions, Kanye is matched by a journeyman producer named Mark Batson, who lends Nas a smooth, basic beat for “Hold Down the Block,” one of the album’s best tracks. This is followed by “Can’t Forget About You,” a kind of throwback song featuring a cacophony of horns, Nat King Cole melodies, and other big band sounds that don’t quite work. It’s an ambitious effort from Nas and will.i.am, but the verdict is still out on whether it is any good.<br /><br />The back half of the album isn’t as strong as the front. The Kanye tracks aren’t the standouts I hoped for, the Chris Webber-produced (yes, that Chris Webber) “Blunt Ashes” is rather boring, and in all honesty, I wish the Snoop-assisted “Play on Playa” would have been left on the cutting room floor. Fortunately, “Hustlers” makes up for any and all of that. I’m prone to hyperbole, so I don’t want to get carried away, but this Nas-Game-Dre collaboration might be the best rap song of the year. With lines like “the Jordan’s sportin’/come off the dice game with a fortune walkin’/you a walkin’ coffin/the musket, I tucked it/you bluff it, I bust it” you get the sense that Nas has been saving his best rhymes for the chance to drop them on a escalating, menacing Dre track. <br /><br />All told, this album may not be perfect, but it’s good enough. Most importantly, it is proof that Nas himself is wrong. Hip hop is very much alive. <br /><br />Score: 8.3Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-39586258457505904882006-12-20T09:58:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:55:21.572-07:00Where Are the Dropkick Murphys?I took a look at the <a href="http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/goldenglobes/2006-12-14-gg-nominee-list_x.htm">Golden Globe nominations</a> today and couldn't help but notice that there is a glaring omission from the category of "Best Original Song." That would be "I'm Shipping Off to Boston" by the Dropkick Murphys, from <i>The Departed</i>. <br /><br />This loud, violent rock song replete with chanting and bagpipes was one of the most memorable songs I've heard in a movie in a long time. Who can say they saw <i>The Departed</i> and didn't feel a shiver go down their neck during the scene when everyone is racing to the shipping yard with "I'm a sailor peg!/And I've lost my leg!" screaming in the background. Mandolins and huge guitars and yelling and those magical bagpipes and it created some of the most haunting music to ever hit the big screen. <br /><br />That song epitomized the Boston setting, the violence of the movie, the tension of that eerie late night car ride when everyone is trying to figure out which side they are going to take before the bullets start flying. <br /><br />How in the hell is that not being nominated for a Golden Globe?Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-70826479673875745662006-12-20T08:55:00.001-08:002007-04-20T00:54:59.042-07:00A Special Box<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/1dmVU08zVpA' name='movie'></param><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/1dmVU08zVpA'></embed></object></p><p>Granted, "A Special Box" was more of a Justin Timberlake skit than anything, but give Sandberg credit for coming through with another hit via SNL's digital short series. <br /><br />Timberlake is the star here, but Sandberg is the perfect counterpart and seems to be the only actor currently working for SNL with any sort of star potential. <br /><br />By the way, I know that many of the snarky Internet columnists and bloggers are making an effort to difuse this one, which is probably attributable to the Narnia mania from last year. There is nothing the pop culture illuminati does better than hating something that becomes too successful, so the backlash is probably to be expected. That said, this is genuinely funny, even if the concept isn't all that novel. Timberlake swinging from the basketball hoop, the Color Me Badd outfits, the step-by-step process for creating the box ... it all seems to work. <br /><br />Anyway, here's a nod to Timberlake for constantly being able to surprise us with his versatile talents (get ready for more of that with the upcoming release of <i>Alpha Dog</i>) and good humor (see: those classic episodes of <i>Punk'D</i>). But also give a nod to Sandberg, who has been a driving force behind the two funniest things SNL has done in years (and had a solid cameo in the other video hit - the Natalie Portman gangsta rap). </p></div>Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1165982940882734942006-12-12T19:59:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:28.544-07:00Track Review: Mos Def's "Undeniable"I recently got my hands on a copy of Mos Def's new album, which wasn't nearly as exciting as it would have been back in about 2002 or so. The <i>New Danger</i> was horrible and he really hasn't been all that good since he did <i>Black Star</i> with Talib Kweli. I really like his acting, I think he's a very positive and important rapper, and he seems like a great guy, but the recent albums have sucked. That's just the way it is. <br /><br />However, when I saw that the track "Undeniable" had been nominated for a Grammy for best hip-hop record and was rumored to be a Kanye production, I had a whole new reason to give <i>Tru3 Magic</i> a spin. Imagine my disappointment then when I hit play only to discover that this is a song that has already been done before.<br /><br />Now, I understand that this sort of thing happens all the time in hip-hop. Sampling is a staple element of the genre, dating back to when rap music consisted of an MC making various pronouncements while a DJ played existing records. The music came from sampling, so it makes sense that it plays a prominent role. I have absolutely nothing against the practice. I am also fine with various forms of imitation (Game and his Black Wall Street producers imitating Dre on <i>Doctor's Advocate</i> is one example), "borrowing" (like when Lupe used Kanye's "Diamonds" beat for "Conflict Diamonds" and then Kanye turned around and used Lupe's theme on "Diamonds From Sierra Leone"), and even blatant copying (see: Khari rapping on an Erick Sermon track that he would "walk through hell with gasoline drawers on" only to have both Mullyman and Young Jeezy use the same line on mixtapes this year). <br /><br />The one thing I'm not ready to endorse is a blatant rip-off being nominated for a freaking Grammy. <br /><br />"Undeniable" is a track that makes no bones about sampling, which is fine. From the "no matter how hard you try, you can't stop us now" chorus to the sparse, synthesized guitar pluck, Mos Def takes all of the best elements of the Temptations track "Message From a Black Man" and spins it into a modern, bluesy rap song. For a true aficionado of soul music, "Undeniable" probably feels like something caught between an homage and an act of highway robbery, but the overall effect for most critics is that Mos Def is incorporating both message and mood while offering a nod to important music of the past. It doesn't hurt his cause that he sings on the song and says things like "always be cool" and "always be you." I'm sure the folks tabbing Grammy nominees love that stuff. Me? I'd pay a pretty large sum for the assurance that Mos Def would never sing again.<br /><br />But I digress. Because the problem here isn't that he sings or mails in the lyrics or spends the last 70 seconds just yelling out random comments or even that he made a fairly obvious remake of a Temptations song. The problem is that we <i>already have</i> a remake of "A Message From a Black Man." Ill Bill of the group Non Phixion featured a song titled "Unstoppable" on his 2004 release <i>What's Wrong With Bill?</i> and if you give it a listen you will hear the same chorus, the same beat (albeit a little faster), the same everything from "Undeniable" ... except that the Ill Bill version is probably better. "Unstoppable" isn't even one of the best tracks from that album, but Ill Bill's tenacious, angry flow is the update to "Message From a Black Man" that the song demanded, even if it wound be being a Message From a White Man. For that matter, even the use of the "no matter how hard you try" riff in the Rage Against the Machine song "Renegades of Funk" felt more appropriate than this pop-infused mess that Mos Def is slinging. (By the way, would you believe that this isn't even the worst transgression of production laziness on <i>Tru3 Magic</i>? Mos also raps over a Juvenile track for one song and then butchers a glorious GZA track on another.)<br /><br />I doubt many people responsible for handing out Grammy's know who Ill Bill is so I guess I can't blame them for being complete suckers, but take one listen to "Unstoppable" and then switch over to Mos Def's "Undeniable" and you tell me which track is better. I can already tell you which one is more original. <br /><br />What is undeniable is that this song is a total rip-off. <br /><br />The Score: 6.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1164697493596840852006-11-27T23:04:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:28.545-07:00Track Review: "The Re-Up" by Eminem featuring 50 CentEminem's new Shady/Aftermath compilation <i>Eminem Presents the Re-Up</i> is the latest hip-hop release to make an early "debut" on the net, which means that I've been spending the past few hours weeding out the crap from the quality. Considering we've got 22 tracks and that they run the gamut from recycled beats to relative genius, it took some work. <br /><br />There are several quality songs on the album, most notably all of the stuff that Stat Quo is featured on (especially "Get Low" and "Tryin to Win"). Obviously, this is a good sign for the Aftermath's Atlanta rep and should serve to raise expectations for the long-awaited <i>Statlanta</i>. Another general observation is that most of the stuff I really liked on this release came from all the producers other than Eminem. Other than the remix to "Ski Mask Way" (which actually improves upon the overlooked Disco D original from <i>The Massacre</i>), Eminem doesn't really produce any true gems here, with the stellar cuts come courtesy of Alchemist, Dre, and Witt and Pep. Which sort of confirms my suspicion that Eminem isn't all that great of a producer and that he's been recycling his best song - Jay-Z's "Moment of Clarity" - for the past three years. But whatever. <br /><br />One of the Dre tracks on the album is the title track, which isn't great as much as it is important. Why? Because "The Re-Up" announces the return of the Old 50 Cent. You know, the pre-Candy Shop 50, the "I'm not a marksman while sparkin' so I spray random" 50. There's no way to know whether this version is here to say or whether he will return to his quest of becoming the biggest R&B star on the planet, but I did an auditory double take the first time I heard this song. <br /><br />The whole thing start off in rather innocuous fashion. A pretty mellow beat box kicks off the track before a throbbing base and typical Dre synth merge with a rather strange "boom, boom, cha" chant. The whole effect gives some sense of atmosphere and we are clued in that this is to be a "hard" track, especially when Eminem tries to launch into that aggressive style that used to be his whole persona but now feels like a role he's playing. He has a few typical Eminem rapid-fire rhymes that are on par with his verse from Obie Trice's "We All Die Someday" (probably his last great guest appearance), but certainly doesn't blow the lid off it. <br /><br />By the time the song was 1:45 in, I was ready to chalk it up as a total loss, and I'll be honest, I definitely wasn't expecting Ferrari 50 to save the day. But boy does he ever. He launches right into a kiss my ass revelry that includes the lines "the clean parts/the s***** parts/my bullet wounds, my beauty marks/the fifth will tear your ass apart" and that just glides over the beat, suddenly making the previously boring track sound haunting and menacing. I hit rewind four times before moving on.<br /><br />After a brief trip to Genericville (although it still sounds good), the beat changes up and splices in the instrumental from "In Da Club," which is both a little surprising but also kind of nice, like getting a phone call from an old friend. And the change of pace is perfect, because 50 switches his flow up right along with the beat. Not only that, but he pulls off his greatest coup on the track within this mini interlude as he combats all of the vitriol and recent success of the Game with just a few bars, rhyming: "I carried Game's style for nine months and gave birth to it/now I feel like a proud father watching him do it." 50 really only has one card to play with Game and that is that he, in effect, "made him." I'm not sure I agree with the sentiment, especially since Game seems better now without 50, but the argument sure was presented beautifully. Less is more and all that. <br /><br />After the brief segue into 50's favorite pastime of dissing Game, the beat is flipped back to the throbbing bassline, which 50 greets with manic energy and hammers home ("Every day is Dre day, front and cause a melee/turn a town upside down/with a frown upside down/I smile and do something foul/and watch my money pile/I'm f****** with straight stacks/I'm kicking you straight facts/I hit you where they bag it punk and bring me mine right back").<br /><br />All told, it's my favorite 45 seconds of 50 Cent since he obliterated Ja Rule on "Back Down." And I have to tell you, it makes this song one to remember. We can only hope this version of 50 Cent (he also provides some memorable lyrics two tracks later on "Jimmy Crack Corn") is here to stay. <br /><br />Track Score: 8/10.<br />50's Verse: 9.5/10Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1164074920292917522006-11-20T18:07:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:28.545-07:00Track Review: Common's "I Have a Dream"Rap songs from soundtracks usually blow. There are notable exceptions, sure, but as far as general rules go, this one is pretty safe. Another personal hip-hop rule of mine is that will.i.am songs rarely wind up in my "favorites" folder on iTunes. <br /><br />Imagine my surprise then that the first will.i.am track of recent vintage that I really like comes in the form of a soundtrack cut. This unlikely triumph is "I Have a Dream," the newest song from Common, the guy that put Chicago on the map long before Kayne, Lupe, Rhymefest, and Kidz N The Hall made the Windy City an industry hotspot. <br /><br />"I Have a Dream" comes from the upcoming film <i>Freedom Writers</i>, which at first glance appears to be nothing but the latest Great White Hope movie about a fresh-faced teacher (Hillary Swank) braving the trials and tribulations of the inner city in an effort to reach the disadvantaged youth of America. It turns out this movie might actually be more likely to reinvent the genre than imitate films like <i>Dangerous Minds</i> and <i>Sunset Park</i>. Based the book <i>The Freedom Writers Diary</i>, which tells the true story of author Erin Gruwell and the way she taught her students to use writing in order to inspire change, there is at least an outside chance that this movie will be pretty good.<br /><br />The track "I Have a Dream" has all the makings of the "inspirational part of the movie where everyone rallies and starts to make a difference" theme song, but strictly as a hip-hop release, it holds up pretty well. Will.i.am displays an alarming level of subtlety (I did a double-take on the production credit) and his only blatant showoff stunt is the intercut of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech, which is obvious and a little cheesy, but certainly thematic. The beat itself moves along with a nice pace and simple keyboards stand out and create a very melodic sound. The chorus isn't great, with will.i.am crooning something pretty generic over the same beat as the verse. All in all, the production here is somewhere between "cheesy" and "average," but honestly, I can live with that when a member of the Black Eyed Peas is involved. <br /><br />It is Common that makes this track something worth listening to. Will.i.am's fingerprints are all over the chorus and the MLK vocals, but the producer's greatest gift to this song is staying out of Common's way for 32 bars. The guy who invented social conscious rap as a genre is electrifying here, easily moving within the beat while delivering complex lines loaded with commentary and snappy rhyme schemes. Starting with the opening lines of "In search of brighter days/I write through the maze of the madness/struggle is my address/where pain and crack lives," Common quickly establishes an environment and then pushes through to discuss how his own dreams persist. <br /><br />In the second verse, one of the industry's leaders questions the role of hip-hop as a community influence and in the process demands more out of himself. If this sounds familiar, that is probably because it is. Common has gone down this road before, most notably on "The Light" off his 2000 release <i>Like Water for Chocolate</i>. However, that doesn't change the message or the flawless way it is delivered this time around. This 16 is damn near perfect. <br /><br />This song as a whole certainly isn't perfect. It is a little too sunny, a little too "Hollywood Movie" (which makes sense, considering its purpose). And the beat isn't great and, well, neither is the chorus. But you know what? Common is. And will.i.am stays out of the way long enough to let the legendary rapper shine, which is all anyone really needs to do. <br /><br />The Score: 8.5/10.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1163835082781116922006-11-17T23:28:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:05.824-07:00Review of Five Recent Leaked Songs from NasWhat a November it has been for leaked hip-hop tracks and albums. I can't remember anything like this. AZ's <i>The Format</i>, Snoop Dogg's <i>Tha Blue Carpet Treatment</i>, the Game's <i>Doctor's Advocate</i>, Jay-Z's <i>Kingdom Come</i>, and the Clipse's <i>Hell Hath No Fury</i> have all leaked this month, creating a ton of activity on <i>XXL</i>'s "Bangers" page and minor pandemonium on the world wide web. Why is this happening? We know that the Game leaked his own album, but what about Snoop, Jay-Z, and the Clipse? Are the labels responsible? Rogue reviewers with their advanced copies? The artists themselves? <br /><br />Theories abound about rationales and strategies, but whatever the reason for this epidemic, it makes for some fun trolling on the Internet. The plan is to get full reviews of the Jay-Z and Clipse albums up over the weekend and maybe even Snoop if there is time (although I'm already ruling out a track-by-track format considering that <i>Tha Blue Carpet Treatment</i> is a whopping 22 cuts). For now, it seems like a good time to weigh in on Nas' upcoming <i>Hip-Hop is Dead</i>, based on the handful of leaked tracks that are floating around in cyberspace. <br /><br />Note that this is not a prediction of the finished album's quality, as I was <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/29/140608.php">kind of hard on Jay-Z's first three songs</a>, but ultimately really liked <i>Kingdom Come</i> (which puts me in the minority it seems, but we'll save that for the album review). Not only that, but I'm not even sure which tracks are going to wind up on <i>Hip-Hop is Dead</i>.<br /><br /><br /><b>Hip-Hop is Dead</b>. The title track is the latest almost-great rap song that will.i.am has managed to mangle just enough to legitimately depress me. I honestly don't know how he has managed to infiltrate the upper echelon of hip-hop, but he needs to be stopped. If he wants to make millions by peddling "Fergalicious" and "Beep" to the masses, then more power to him. But please, stay off my favorite artists' albums. <br /><br />The Black Eyed Peas producer <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/11/13/083644.php">already screwed up, "Compton,"</a> a potentially great cut from the Game's <i>Doctor's Advocate</i> ("gangsta boogie!") and now he has done some damage to the title track from Nas' new album by inserting a ridiculous electric guitar riff into the chorus. My brother once noted that electric guitars rarely work in hip-hop and usually only when Kanye is involved. For every "Takeover," there are a dozen Diddy songs like "All About the Benjamins" or that hideous Robert Plant remake from <i>Godzilla</i>. Add "Hip-Hop is Dead" to that list. Which is a real shame, because the rest of the beat is pretty solid. The drums kicking in before each verse, followed by a very nice progressive bass line gives Nas' bars a solid framework, and most of will.i.am's clever little tricks (the piano twinkle, the burst of congas, the crowd chanting) work out okay. But can a song be really good with a cringe-worthy chorus?<br /><br />For Nas' part, he does his best to save the track from itself. He sounds energized and after years of trying to sound passionate about important topics, he finally stumbled upon something that truly matters to him - rap itself. Calling hip-hop his first wife, he goes on a tirade about the state of the industry and the dilution of the art. Musicians making music about music is not usually where we find great art, but in this case, Nas is following a popular axiom, which is "write what you know." It's not an attempt to inspire cultural change like "I Can" or even a social critique like that "Imagine" track he did with Pitbull, but he attacks the topic with energy and vigor and the result is some of his best rapping in years. <br /><br />Too bad will.i.am was around to taint it. Oh well, at least he didn't lace us with one of those awful sing-song choruses like he did on Busta's <i>Big Bang</i>. <br /><br />The Score: 8/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>Black Presidents</b>. This is one of those songs that just feels important. After all, Jay-Z guests on it, which seemed like an impossible scenario a few years ago, at the height of the Takeover/Ether/Super Ugly/Got Yourself a Gun era. The hatchet was buried between Jay-Z and Nas last year at a big concert spectacle, but somehow, the two of them appearing on an official track seems to mean more. The former feels like a publicity stunt done for the benefit of the audience (see: 50 and the Game) while the latter is an actual artistic collaboration with far-reaching implications. So this is kind of a big deal. <br /><br />As for the song itself, I think it holds the weight of those lofty expectations. Nas lets Jay-Z rap first over a scorching L.E.S. beat and Hova delivers 16 bars that rival anything he dropped on <i>Kingdom Come</i>, or really anything he's done since "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." With lines like "peddling over the oven/we was like brothers then/though you was nothing other than the son of my mother's friend" Jay launches into a nostalgic "what went wrong?" reflection that is 10 times more effective than his similar efforts on "Lost Ones." <br /><br />As for Nas, I think he actually gets the better of Jay here, in spite of the fact that the beginning of his verse is interrupted by that stupid "play it back" gimmick (exhausted in 50 Cent's "I'm an Animal"). He is razor sharp here, layering hood critiques with bravado and mixing it with the same autobiographical flavor that Jay-Z lends to his verse. When Nas spits out the lines "I'm standing on the roof of my building/a feeling/a whirlwind of beef I'm inhaling/just like an acrobat ready to hurl myself through the hoops and fires/sippin' 80 proof, bulletproof under my attire" you have to resist the urge to hit rewind before the song is even over. <br /><br />The Score: 10/10.<br /><br /><br /><b>Where Y'all At</b>. For years rappers have been sampling lyrics from other rap songs and using them as choruses in new tracks, but you don't often find a rapper borrowing from his own material. And you almost never find a rapper building a new chorus by sampling from one of his old <i>choruses</i>. Nas and producer Salaam Remi do so here and the net effect is extremely positive. Borrowing the "Where them gangstas at, where them dimes at" from there <i>God's Son</i> collaboration "Made You Look," Nas and Remi create a very layered effect with this one. <br /><br />The sampled chorus introduces the song and is played at low levels, as if to alert the listener that this is old Nas, not new Nas. It is not unlike a film in which a flashback scene is done in a different color scheme, thus providing a visual clue without bludgeoning the viewer over the head with text. The combination of the chorus-sampled-for-the-chorus intricacy and the lower decibel level creates a very subtle chorus that works perfectly as a bridge from one understated-but-deadly verse to another. <br /><br />I'm not sure if Nas has ever been better lyrically than he is on this song. He is packing so much imagery into such small spaces that it honestly takes multiple listens to absorb what is going on. Not only that, but his dexterity is highly advanced here, chopping up syllables and creating multiple rhyming schemes within the same lines in a way that harkens back to an up-and-coming Eminem. It's hard to find rhyming that comes better than "Fought through with Diesel jeans/lethal green/Oliver People shades when I creep through Queens/with no AK's/I'm the ambassador/Robin Hood in the Aston Mar/lotta blood gonna splash in War." <br /><br />The track isn't big and explosive, but this is as hard as it gets. In the "who is the best rapper alive" debates, I've always taken Jay-Z, but this one made me look at Nas in a new light. (Pun totally intended.)<br /><br />The Score: 10/10.<br /><br /><br />The following songs have been leaked in recent weeks but don't show up on the track listings floating around for <i>Hip-Hop is Dead</i>. So I'm not sure what to make of them, but I'll review them anyway. <br /><br /><b>Blood Diamonds</b>. In case you missed it, conflict diamonds have become a pretty hot topic these days and hip-hop has been at the forefront of the issue. Given the importance of jewelry in hip-hop culture, it is natural that the controversy surrounding the illicit diamond trades of Western Africa would reach rap music. Lupe Fiasco <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/09/13/100132.php">kicked the whole thing off</a> with his song "Conflict Diamonds," which spun the beat from Kanye West's celebration of all things diamonds into a scathing social commentary. Kanye ran with the idea and the result was the aforementioned "Diamonds From Sierra Leone." Now Nas is in the mix in a huge way. He's rumored to be finishing up the score for <i>Blood Diamonds</i>, the new Leo DiCaprio Oscar vehicle dealing with conflict diamonds. The soundtrack/score for that film may be where we ultimately find this song, as most of the track listings I've seen for <i>Hip-Hop is Dead</i> do not include "Blood Diamonds."<br /><br /><i>Entertainment Weekly</i> ran an interesting article about conflict diamonds and whether a large enough American audience exists that even cares about this issue enough to support a major feature film. I have no idea whether such an audience exists or not, but there seems to be no debating the relevance of the topic in hip-hop circles and I applaud Nas for getting involved on multiple levels. That said, this song isn't that great. Like "Black Presidents," this track is making its first appearance on the seminal mixtape <i>East Coast Slang: The Sun Still Rises in the East</i>, but unlike the former cut, this one doesn't stand out among the host of tracks from Jay-Z, the Clipse, and various New York artists. <br /><br />The beat has the racing, cinematic feel of movie music and I have no doubt that we will find a breathtaking chase scene in the film, accompanied by this track. In that way, it feels more like a movie score than part of a highly anticipated rap album. More importantly, the music doesn't fit Nas' style very well. He feels a step behind the rapid fire drums and rocketing violins and while the message is a good one (although taking more of a preachy tone than Lupe's version), it is a strain to take it all in. And the chorus is just a disaster - so simplistic it comes off as lazy. I like the thought here, but unlike birthday gifts, it's not just the thought that counts. Fortunately, I think this will be wind up on the <i>Blood Diamonds</i> soundtrack and not on Nas' new album. <br /><br />The Score: 7/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>The N</b>. This is your classic "I'm here now" brag track. From lines like "Dior, Christian pimpin'" right down to the generic horns-and-synths "monster" beat, everything about this song feels like everything we've heard a million times already, including from Nas. <br /><br />That said, it is still Nas and when he's on, he does almost any kind of rap song better than almost anyone else. So when he brags about his vintage Gucci frames or threatens to come with "a hundred guns" or to "grab your only son," it still sounds fresh and intense. <br /><br />My only real problem with this song is that he claims to have an "offensive" chain as part of his treasure trove of material goods, which is all well and good, except that he just chastised the general population for making jewelry stores crowded during Christmas season. Now, I realize that hip-hop is filled with such contradictions and it seems possible that that this song won't ever wind up on an album with "Blood Diamonds," but when I only have five new Nas tracks to listen to, I could go without the 180 degree about-face rhymes. <br /><br />In the end, Nas blazes this, but the combination of hypocrisy and redundancy (the more I think about it this is just another "Hate Me Now") is too much to overcome. The only question is whether this will be on <i>Hip-Hop is Dead</i>. XXL's listed this as a single from the album, but none of the recent track listings make any mention of it. Ah, the mystery. <br /><br />The Score: 7/10<br /><br /><br />Overall, these five tracks have gravitated toward both ends of the spectrum for me. "Where Y'All At" and "Black Presidents" are two of my favorite hip-hop songs from the entire year, while "Blood Diamonds" and "The N" just didn't really do it for me. Only "Hip-Hop is Dead" landed in the middle. At that rate, the worst case scenario is that I'm going love about six songs from <i>Hip-Hop is Dead</i>, hate five of them, and be on the fence for the other three. I can absolutely live with that. <br /><br />Even better is the possibility that the three best tracks are the only ones that will be on the actual album and that we are headed toward a work of true genius. Stay tuned.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1163365902301762642006-11-12T13:07:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:05.824-07:00Album Review: The Game's Doctor's AdvocateI can't believe its the middle of November already. Wasn't it just Labor Day? For that matter, the Fourth of July feels like just yesterday. Kind of depressing, really. However, while the early darkness and dropping temperatures are a bummer, November is a huge month for hip-hop, with a plethora of big releases looming. I couldn't be more excited for Jay-Z's <i>Kingdom Come</i> (even if the <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/29/140608.php">first three leaked tracks were a bit disappointing</a>). Nas has a new one. So does Snoop. The Clipse <i>finally</i> get to release <i>Hell Hath No Fury</i>. It's an exciting time. <br /><br />However, there might not be a more riveting album release than the Game's <i>Doctor's Advocate</i>, which is hitting shelves this Tuesday. Given all the controversy surrounding this guy, people have been eager to find out what happens after, well, Aftermath. The Terrell Owens of rap music has been a whirling dervish of anger and self destruction over the past nine months, but through it all, he's actually <a href="http://popculturenomad.blogspot.com/2006/10/game-moment-of-truth-one-of-biggest.html">made some big strides as an artist</a>. Sometimes we lose sight of creative growth in hip-hop since actions can often speak louder than words, but this has been a case of a guy getting better at this craft through sheer drive, practice, and effort. <br /><br />That said, the Game is going at this alone. There's no Dr. Dre on an album that is named after him, which strikes me as both ironic and pathetic. There's no 50 Cent, no Eminem, and really no sign of Aftermath at all, short of a Busta Rhymes appearance. <br /><br />So what kind of album can we expect? Is the Game ready to carry the load as the face of West Coast hip-hop? There might not be a more polarizing artist out there right now, as it seems that for every person that wants to see him succeed, there is another that roots for his complete and utter failure. As the Game himself expressed on his debut album <i>The Documentary</i> (on a song that 50 Cent wrote, interestingly enough) you can "Hate it or Love it." <br /><br />I've been getting ready to break this all down on the November 14th release, but much to my surprise, the wait might just be over. While <i>Doctor's Advocate</i> is still a few days away from official release, it had its "Internet debut" last week when the album was leaked by Game himself onto the web. At first it seemed that five tracks had been released, but within a day, it was clear that the whole thing was out there. How this effects record sales remains to be seen, but it has given us the chance to come up with some answers ahead of schedule. Of course, there is always the chance that the leaked version could be incomplete or different from the final album. The available tracks seem to match those on official track lists, but there are also rumors swirling that some Cool and Dre cuts are being stashed away for the "real" <i>Doctor's Advocate</i>. I've heard that as many as seven songs could be "lying in wait," so to speak. We shall see.<br /><br />For now, here is a track-by-track review of <i>Doctor's Advocate</i>, as leaked by the Game himself. And since you can't ever analyze the Game from one perspective, I've taken the liberty to break down both the "Hate it" and "Love It" elements of each song, complete with a verdict and rating. Let's get to it.<br /><br />(Several tracks are linked to <i>XXL</i>-hosted files, affording you the chance to listen for yourself.)<br /><br /><b>1. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5713">"Lookin' At You."</a></b> The introductory track has the typical epic sound of a good West Coast album and reminds me a lot of how Xzibit's <i>Restless</i> album kicked off with "Front 2 Back." <br /><br />Love It: It is so weird to hear the album open with a song that feels as if Dr. Dre is not only producing it, but also doing the rapping, especially since Game announces that he did "his second album with a Dr. Dre track" during this actual song. The Game sounds just like his former mentor on this one, which is probably a good thing, given the fact that Dre has been the driving force behind at least three classic West Coast rap albums in his life. If you are going to imitate someone, you could do worse, even if rapping isn't Dre's strong suit. The beat is from some dude named Urban EP Pope and it is pretty sweet, if a blatant rip. The Game also lends some of his cleanest bars here and sounds really good bragging and boasting about being the "messiah of gangsta rap."<br /><br />Hate It: One of the chief criticisms of The Game is his inability to write complete songs with bridges and choruses and he doesn't do much to refute those claims here, avoiding a chorus altogether and subbing in a strange ranting interlude that presumably is meant to call to mind the memorable "blind stares of a million pairs of eyes" rant from "U Can't See Me" on 2Pac's <i>All Eyes On Me</i>. Whatever the rationale, the interlude sucks. It interrupts the flow of the song and becomes increasingly disruptive and annoying on repeat listens. <br /><br />The Verdict: The interlude is awful and the blatant thievery of Dre's production style and delivery kind of bothers me, but I can't deny that the first 75 seconds of this song got me pretty excited for the rest of the album. Score: 8/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>2. "Da S***."</b> This is another track that comes right out of the West Coast Gangsta Rap tradition, full of synthesizers, ridiculous keyboards, and a pseudo chorus that fuses some half-sung words from an anonymous female singer with some half-rapping by the Game. <br /><br />Love It: The track was done by another relatively unknown producer named DJ Khalil (his most notable previous song appears to be the underrated "Lay U Down" from G-Unit's <i>Beg for Mercy</i>, although it looks like he will have a production credit on <i>Kingdom Come</i>). It sounds modern but also reminds me of the the L.A. stuff I loved in the mid 90's. Even though the chorus is fragmented at best, the song actually turns this into a positive by splicing the girl's voice into the actual versus, like when Game raps "I let the whole world known that I can't be stopped, even without Doc, I'm still ..." and a sing-song "streets of Compton" comes in to finish the thought. Hey, it works. I also like the Game's brief explanation of his odyssey from Interscope to Geffen that comes at the end of the song. He obsesses over this the entire album, but only directly expresses his confusion and frustration this one time and in the song's outro says, "One day I walked in the ... house, and all my s*** was gone." <br /><br />Hate It: The usual criticisms can be trotted out here, should you be so inclined. The beat sounds like it could have been swiped off of Dre's G4, there's no chorus to speak of, and the name-dropping that plagues all of the Game's work begins in earnest on this track with mentions of Daz, Al Green, <i>The Chronic</i>, <i>Doggystyle</i>, Dre, Rakim, Snoop, and 2Pac (not to mention <i>The Source</i>, <i>XXL</i>, Crips, Bloods, Walter Payton, and Aftermath, but I'm not going to count those as official name-drops, since they weren't about rappers or rap albums). I think mentioning other rappers, singers, and familiar pop culture set pieces is pretty common in hip-hop and that people are probably too eager to point it out when the Game does it, but that is because he does it so much. To go back to the Terrell Owens analogy, he's not the only wide receiver that yells at his quarterback and causes a scene on the sidelines, but once he became known for doing it, people started seeking it out. Kind of a "you've made your bed" situation. <br /><br />The Verdict: Neither the name-dropping habit or the flawed choruses bother me all that much, so this song ranks as one of my favorites. I'm really impressed that the Game, DJ Khalil, and an anonymous backup singer were able to throw together something that sounded so emblematic of West Coast rap, both past and present. I have a feeling this will be the most underrated song on the album when it is all said and done. The Score: 9/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>3. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=3240">"It's Okay (One Blood)."</a></b> This is the first single off the album and the song that really took people by surprise this summer. It isn't the typical club song or radio-friendly release you would expect, but I think it sent a message that the Game was approaching this second album with a certain amount of ferocity. It is a relentless track that doesn't even bother with a chorus and the Game spends an inordinate amount of time picking fights and then immediately running from them. They should probably make this song required listening in Psych 101 classes. <br /><br />Love It: This was our second glimpse at the new-and-improved Game ("300 Bars" being the first) and the moment when people first started to speculate that he could carry his own album. It has held up surprisingly well over the past five months and remains one of the strongest offerings on <i>Doctor's Advocate</i>.<br /><br />Hate It: The Game has never been more bipolar than he is here, getting into and out of feuds almost in one breath, peppering the track with shout-outs to Dre, and letting a hard-as-nails front bleed into a desperate need for attention. It is riveting, but confusing. <br /><br />The Verdict: This one has already stood the test of time. It was voted the best single of the summer on a <i>XXL</i> poll and received a healthy amount of critical acclaim. We might look back on this as the most important song of his career. The Score: 10/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>4. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5720">"Compton."</a></b> I don't mind saying that this is a strange song. It is meant to sound ominous and epic, but a cheesy "gangsta boogie" refrain pretty much dooms that effort right from the start. Why the Game choose The Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am to produce his Compton anthem is beyond me. <br /><br />Love It: The Game actually kills this track, which makes it all the more regrettable that will.i.am had to try and turn it into something "funky." The beat itself is actually pretty sweet and the highs and lows allow The Game to emote more than normal, but the chorus just sucks. If I had time, I would splice this up in Garage Band so I could just listen to the versus, which are pretty awesome. <br /><br />Hate It: You know what I hate about this song. You can throw in the fact that Game raps the word "myself" with "myself" three times in a row. I don't know when rappers started thinking it was a good idea to rhyme the same word over and over, but it isn't. <br /><br />The Verdict: Combining the throbbing baseline and thumping drums with The Game's A-game snarl was a great idea, as was titling a song "Compton." Unfortunately, there is all this other crap to contend with. The best way I can describe it is that parts of the song felt like one of those Black Eyed Peas break-dancing moves. There's a time and place for that, but this wasn't really it. Too bad, because this could have been one for the books. The Score: 8/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>5. "The Remedy."</b> Just Blaze makes his first appearance on this album and goes for the throw-back feel by blatantly sampling a Public Enemy song. The effect is not great. <br /><br />Love It: Honestly, there isn't anything to truly love here. The Game has always been good at packing a lot of imagery into a short burst - he's rap's version of a minimalist author like Brett Easton Ellis or Chuck Palahniuk. So when he bursts onto the track and hammers about 75 L.A. references into the first 16 bars, it is kind of impressive. But that's about all I can say. <br /><br />Hate It: This is probably the worst chorus I've ever heard, and I really don't care about choruses. Should Just Blaze even get paid for this beat? He completely re-imagined "Super Freak" when he made "Kingdom Come" and even "Show Me What You Got" does <i>something</i> with Public Enemy's 'Show Em What You Got," but what was done here, exactly? It sounds like the Game is just rapping over an instrumental version of that old PE track (name escapes me). I don't get it. Not only that, but you don't create an old school, nostalgic West Coast track by "sampling" a seminal East Coast song. The better "throwback" song is "Da S***," where new and old is fused together to create an authentic sound. This just sounds like a song you'd find on one of those dumb "In the Beginning" albums where Redman does Sugarhill Gang tracks and Too Short remakes, well, Too Short songs. Whatever. <br /><br />The Verdict: To me, this is the most disappointing song on the album. But maybe I only feel that way because the prospect of a Blaze retro beat had me hoping for another "No More Fun and Games." The Score: 5/10.<br /><br /><br /><b>6. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5600">"Let's Ride (Strip Club)."</a></b> I think this was supposed to be the new "How We Do" or something, but ... yikes. <br /><br />Love It: This sounds like a run-of-the-mill Scott Storch beat. Oh wait, it is. <br /><br />Hate It: I suppose there are worse tracks that could come on at a club, but we won't be confusing it for The Best of Pitbull anytime soon. <br /><br />The Verdict: Dr. Dre's absence isn't really felt on this album since the Game sort of sounds like him in half the songs and a few of the new producers did their best Andre Young impersonations. As for 50 Cent, his absence isn't really felt on this album either, but that is only because the Game generally stays away from the dance floor, this-one's-for-the-ladies stuff that has become G-Unit's modus operandi. Here though, he tries for the club banger and he fails. He needed 50 to even have a shot at pulling it off. I wish they would have just left this off the album. The Score: 5/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>7. "Too Much."</b> Coming out of a two-song lull, I worried when I saw that both Scott Storch and Nate Dogg were involved in this one. If that doesn't sound like the recipe for worthless filler, I don't know what does. <br /><br />Love It: I was pleasantly surprised with this one. Storch shows some restraint and lets a rather hypnotizing keyboard twinkle roll over a simple bass line, which allows the beat to sound fairly expensive without getting in the way. Or maybe "Let's Ride" was just so bad that this sounds good by comparison. I'm not entirely sure. The Game does the rhyming-the-same-word thing again with multiple "my hood" references, although at least this time there is a homonym in play. (Although I think he was going for a "I've got the hood on me like Abu Grab" line like Lupe Fiasco fired off, and boy does Lupe bury him on that front.) Other than that, he's pretty decent here. <br /><br />Hate it: The name dropping is pretty out of control, but you almost have to appreciate both the breadth and depth with which he employs this tactic. He manages to cram three athletes (Tracy McGrady, Ken Griffey Jr., Ben Wallace), nine hip-hop figures (Suge Knight, Kanye, Young Jeezy, Biggie, 2Pac, Nate Dogg, Snoop, Scott Storch, and Dre) and even a Wild West outlaw (Billy the Kid) into the first two versus of this thing, which is pretty incredible. The Nate Dogg chorus is typical fare, which isn't really a compliment. <br /><br />The Verdict: I kind of talked myself out of this one even as I wrote it up, but the truth is I like listening to this song. I'll hedge. The Score: 7/10.<br /><br /><br /><b>8. Wouldn't Get Far."</b> This song is a beast. It has a theme (albeit an incredibly misogynistic one), a structure, one of the best Kanye beats of the past two years, and a pretty hilarious homage to 2Pac's "It's All About You." <br /><br />Love It: Kanye's production here is just sick. He traded in the chipmunk voices for a soulful female backing, but layered in the elegant "wouldn't get far" refrain with the same frequency. The net gain is huge. The Game and Kanye seem to have really good chemistry when rapping together, and as much as I liked "Crack Music" from <i>Late Registration</i>, this is far superior.<br /><br />Hate It: The whole song makes fun of groupies and aspiring video dancers, so the gender-bashing implications are huge. Fortunately, the barbs are mostly contained to specific audiences, allowing me to enjoy the song in good conscience. <br /><br />The Verdict: My favorite song on the album. The Score: 10/10.<br /><br /><br /><b>9. "Scream On 'Em."</b> Swizz Beats produces this, probably to keep the whole "The Game raps like a New Yorker" myth alive. What did that ever mean anyway? That he's lyrical? Because he's really not all that lyrical. (Or at least he wasn't until this song, but to count that would mean that someone can see the future.) That he uses a lot of metaphors? I don't get it. But I digress.<br /><br />Love It: I actually really like this track, which puts me in the minority among the half-dozen people I've discussed the album with. I like the chanting in the background, the violent scream subbing in for a bridge, and I love the simple progression beat that lets The Game "spit hot fire, mon" (as Dave Chappelle-as-Dylan would say). Say what you want about Swizz Beats, but he might have got the best bars out of Game on the whole album. Chuck Taylor murders this track.<br /><br />Hate It: Could have done without the Swizz outro and I can understand why some people might feel like the song has some flaws. <br /><br />The Verdict: It could be that I'm still riding high from the Kanye track, but I really love this song. I thought it played to The Game's strengths while also bringing some diversity to the album, which is a pretty impressive twofer. The Score: 9/10.<br /><br /><br /><b>10. One Night</b> It sounds like Nottz was trying to produce another "Keep Me Down" (from Scarface's classic album "The Fix"), but A) The Game - although improved - is not Scarface, and B) the chorus is kind of awful on this one. <br /><br />Love It: The subtle horns spice up a very basic beat just enough that the verses flow rather nicely and The Game is well above average rapping on this as he delves back into his tumultuous 2006. <br /><br />Hate It: This really makes me want to listen to Scarface. <br /><br />The Verdict: People seem to really like this one, but I'm not that excited. It certainly isn't "cutting room floor" material, but I think Game had better tracks on DJ Exclusive's <i>Dretox</i> mixtape. The Score: 7/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>11. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5718">"Ol' English."</a></b> This isn't the best song on the album, but it is probably The Game's best rapping, maybe ever. He does a fantastic job of storytelling here and while he's offering up many familiar themes and probably making up half of it, he delivers it with real passion. It sounds like <i>he</i> believes it, at least. And as George Costanza once said, "It's not a lie if you believe it's true."<br /><br />Love It: I like Hi-Tek more than most, so while some might find the beat a bit blase, I love it. It stays out of the way, creates a mood, and that little whistle is fantastic. Make no mistake though, the Game is the star here. I really don't think he was capable of making this song last year, so this should probably be Exhibit A for his improvement as an artist. I also like the two uses of Old English, because I'm a sucker for wordplay of any sort, especially when it is done thematically. <br /><br />Hate It: What's not to like? Some will point to the conflicting accounts of Game's life story and scoff at anything resembling a biographical tale, but that is splitting hairs. If a screenwriter crafts a riveting script, do we make him vouch for every word? It's not a memoir and this guy isn't James Frey - he's making rap songs for crying out loud. <br /><br />The Verdict: This song has convinced me that the Game has staying power and that this is going to wind up being a seminal album. The Score: 10/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>12. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5716">"Doctor's Advocate."</a></b> The Game returns to that weird, high-pitched voice he used on "Start From Scratch" and the word is that this is his "drunk voice." I guess he got wasted with Dr. Dre one night and then they pumped out "Start From Scratch," so it is probably fitting if he really did go back into the studio to get hammered and wound up recording his apology/explanation to Dre.<br /><br />Love It: This is such a strange song. After an entire album of bragging and boasting and standing on his own two, The Game just melts into a puddle here. But it is so riveting at the same time. Is this the only venue he has to speak to Dre? The way he vacillates from full-on apology mode to head-strong and back again is remarkable, if not a little terrifying.<br /><br />Hate It: Many will take this as another sign of Game's instability and tell him to quit being a baby. I personally didn't care for Busta Rhymes' verse here and actually thought it was an even stranger segment. Is Busta reduced to speaking to Dre on an album as well? <br /><br />The Verdict: This stands to be one of the more critically acclaimed songs on the album given the raw emotion and intriguing backstory, not to mention the haunting Jonathan Rotem beat. However, as Randy Jackson would say, "It was just okay for me." Once was enough with Drunk Game. The Score: 8/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>13. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5806">"California Vacation."</a></b> Rotem goes back-to-back here with what I guess you could call a posse cut. The problem is that the Game's posse is Snoop and Xzibit, which means that the boring synthesizer isn't the only relic from the 20th century to appear on this song. If Game wanted to do a "we're the West Coast" song he should have buried the hatchet with Glasses Malone and Bishop LaMont, got himself a J Wells beat, and done something that sounds like it came from 2006 instead of 1996. <br /><br />Love It: I like Game's verse here and Xzibit does his usual serviceable job in a guest role (the "red and blue can make green" line is classic), but that's about it. <br /><br />Hate It: If this is the best Snoop can do, then the new album might be a disappointment (although the recently leaked track "Get a Light" gives me hope). The big problem here is that everything is just average.<br /><br />The Verdict: Pretty mediocre stuff. The Score: 7/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>14. "Bang." </b> Speaking of 1996 ... <br /><br />Love It: I'm a sucker for the Dogg Pound and Kurupt has always been a personal favorite, but I just got a DPG fix with <i>Cali Iz Active</i> so I'm not sure I needed this. The second verse is much better than the first as all three guys seem to benefit from Jelly Roll giving them that pounding piano lead-in.<br /><br />Hate It: Too much mediocrity down the stretch on this album. <br /><br />The Verdict: Yawn. The Score: 6/10.<br /><br /><br /><b>15. "Around the World."</b> Here we've got Jamie Foxx on the hook, where he continues to prove that he's a good singer, but a much better actor. Denaun Porter is one of my favorite producers, but this just seems like he scooped up a 50 Cent beat off the cutting room floor and tossed the Kanye chipmunk thing onto it and collected his check. <br /><br />Love It: I don't care for rap songs about sex, but at least Game gives the subject all of his energy and vitriol. There's no charm here, just pure intensity. If I was a woman, I'd stay the hell away from this guy. <br /><br />Hate It: Pretty much everything. <br /><br />The Verdict: The only way to describe this is that it sounds like 50 decided to loan one more track to the Game, so he gave him the one song that didn't make the cut on <i>The Massacre</i> Yeah, pretty bad. The Score: 4/10. <br /><br /><br /><b>16. <a href="http://xxlmag.com/online/?p=5722">"Why You Hate The Game."</a></b> This is presumably a nine-minute track (although the leaked version is "just" five minutes and feels plenty long) featuring Nas doing the first verse and Marsha of Floetry on the hook. The beat is by Just Blaze, who seems to be putting out a new track every other day. Does he have these things lying around? Does he ever go outside? I have many questions. <br /><br />Love It: This isn't the beat from "Song Cry" or anything, but it is still a pretty soulful track. It sounds a bit like a leftover Kanye or Just Blaze number from <i>The Blueprint</i>, but it still feels as if some time and effort was put into it, which is probably all that counts these days. Comparing the beat to Blaze's recent Jay-Z tracks, I like it a lot better than "Show Me What You Got," but not as much as "Kingdom Come." As for the actual rapping, Nas' verse is solid, but nothing special. It kind of sounds like he's following blueprints devised from his old albums; it is technically flawless, but just not that interesting. As for Game, he displays some of his growth as a lyricist, but is ultimately overshadowed by the beat, the hook, and by Nas. There are other tracks that serve as better examples of his improvement as a rapper. <br /><br />Hate It: People will be quick to point out the fact that the Game ducked yet another hook by letting Marsha sing it, but again, I'm not sure what the big deal is on that front. The bigger issue is that his habit of name-dropping crests and becomes completely out of control on this song. His first line goes "Pac is watching, Big is listening, while Pun talking to us, Jam J still spinning" and then he goes on to mention Shyne, Cam'ron, Dre (three times), Nas (twice), Jay-Z, Flava Flav, Proof, 50 Cent, Biggie (again), and Pac (again). Some of these mentions are actually used really well and the Nas stuff certainly makes sense, but that is a hell of a lot of name-dropping. 17 mentions in 32 bars is pretty ridiculous. It's like he's got some sort of Randy Ratio (the famous game plan the Vikings used in 2004 to get Randy Moss the ball) for name drops. Also, there is a stretch of the song, about four minutes in, when Blaze drops everything short of the piano and gives the Game a platform to shine vocally, and the results aren't very good. He sounds forced and in desperate need of a metronome. <br /><br />The Verdict: This comes off as a cohesive, well-done song, but when you parse it up, there isn't that much to get fired up about. I guess the biggest thing here is that The Game was able to assemble the pieces to this puzzle. It makes for a nice finishing piece and I will go ahead and take the sum into account, rather than the individual parts. Score: 9/10.<br /><br /><b>Overall</b>. The album should have been four songs shorter (my choices to get the axe: "The Remedy," "Let's Ride (Strip Club), "Bang," and "Around the World"). At 12 songs - most of them really, really good - this would have been a virtually flawless album. And it is possible that the rumors are true and that a few more gems are on the way. As it stands, <i>Doctor's Advocate</i> is still an incredibly important release and one of the better efforts in hip-hop for 2006. The Game has evolved as an artist and is one of the few rappers out there making music that winds up being this vulnerable (whether that is intended or not). The presence of stellar tracks from producing heavyweights like Kanye, Just Blaze, Swizz Beats, and Hi-Tek blends well with the surprisingly terrific efforts by upstarts like Reefa, Urban EP Pope, and DJ Khalil. The album may not be a classic but I think it might be even better than <i>The Documentary</i> and is a major accomplishment for one of the most maligned rappers in the industry. The Score: 8.3/10.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1162864030144697902006-11-06T17:36:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:28.545-07:00Track Review: "Phantom Limb" by The ShinsIt's been several years since The Shins gave us <i>Chutes Too Narrow</i>, which makes their upcoming LP <i>Wincing The Night Away</i> one of my most highly anticipated albums of 2007. And now it's the second sentence of a blog post about The Shins, which means I am required to make a Natalie Portman or Zach Braff joke here. Let's just pretend I did and move on, because the truth of the matter is that while "New Slang" and Natalie Portman became clichéd after <i>Garden State</i>, the emotional resonance of that song remains. <br /><br />It is that emotional resonance that makes The Shins' music compelling. And while these guys are no longer your favorite "unknown" band, they retain that magic that made them everyone's secret find once upon a time. <br /><br />"Phantom Limb" is everything you love about The Shins, evolved. The tambourine is there, but so is a hazy synthesizer that thickens the song and gives it a bit more of a mainstream feel. The bridge rises and crests until hitting a falsetto that I'm not entirely sure I like, but that works inside the framework of the song. The wordless chorus generates a mood that most will connect with 2001's <i>Oh, Inverted World</i>. James Mercer's words are sad and tell of a lonely guy doing depressing things in a lonely town and they would probably make you cry if the music didn't uplift even as the lyrics break down. It is an interesting case of juxtaposition, blending enthusiastic sounds (for The Shins, at least) with a melancholy story constructed on bizarre imagery (including the phantom limbs of sheep walking across snow) and acknowledged truths. <br /><br />The end result is another fantastic song from the prototypical college/indie/soundtrack band. Yes, it sounds like something you might hear on <i>The O.C.</i> or <i>Laguna Beach</i> or, of course, the next Zach Braff movie, but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. And while The Shins are surely bound for a meteoric rise in popularity after the pop culture imprint made in the "this song will change your life" scene, the heart and soul of this band is unchanged. This is still the music that changed your life, on some small level, long before Natalie Portman told you it would.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1162599369468976902006-11-03T15:57:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:54:59.042-07:00Mourning Mr. Eko (and other TV thoughts)Last week when <i>Lost</i> completed and they ran the "next week" previews, I latched onto the part they wanted me to latch onto, which was the ominous "one of the survivors won't survive" teaser. Now, they've done this before to great effect, most notably when Shannon was gatted in the jungle. So unlike many shows who find a way to weave in a minor character just in time to kill them off and therefore fulfill their promise, or still other shows that advertise a fake death as a real death (see the second episode of this season's <i>Prison Break</i>), <i>Lost</i> tends to deliver. So I was kind of nervous for the episode on Wednesday night. Then, when I noticed that there were only a few minutes left in the show and the island monster thing was pretending to be Eko's brother, I realized it was all over. <br /><br />Needless to say, I was disappointed. Why did they have to kill off Mr. Eko? Is this a David Palmer situation where the actor is heading to another show? Is it because Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje was arrested recently for disobeying a police officer? After all, this is the same show that watched Anna-Lucia and Libby get killed off just a short time after the actors, Michelle Rodriguez and Cynthia Watros, were both arrested for DUI's. Or is it simply a case where the death was needed to further the story? After all, it has been a while since we've seen that cloud-like monster and what better way to reintroduce that particular tormenter than by having it kill a favorite character. Not to mention the ominous "We're next" revelation at the end. <br /><br />I guess the point is that whatever the reason, I trust the creators of <i>Lost</i>. I was bummed out that Mr. Eko (who has the best flashbacks, by the way - they feel like movies) is off the show, but I wasn't irritated the way I was when <i>24</i> killed off Tony Almeda, because the latter felt like pure shock value. The creators of <i>24</i> have proven that they will kill off favorite characters just to get people talking, which I find dubious at best. So that's the difference. I don't think Lindelof and Cuse (the head writers) work that way, so I can live with whatever they chose to do. If an actor needs to get off the show, more power to him. If <i>Lost</i> wants to serve as the last moral place in television, I'm fine with that as well. And obviously if they are doing this to make the show better, it goes without saying that I'm down. <br /><br />But if they start killing off Sayid, Hurley, and Desmond "just to keep us guessing," I have the right to change my mind. For now, I'm still on board one hundred percent. What a great show. <br /><br />Here are some other quick thoughts:<br /><br />- The season premier of <i>The O.C.</i> might have been the most ridiculous hour of television since <i>Paradise Hotel</i> went off the air. Ryan as a cage fighter, Summer as a hippie, a comic book slide show presentation that was almost unbearable to sit through, and even one of those "I'm seeing Marissa's ghost" moments that I was begging them not to throw in there. Just a trainwreck from start to finish. The good news? I heard from someone that saw the first four episodes that the premier was one of the worst episodes in the show's history but that the next three are among the best. So there's still hope. But boy, the summer of 2003 feels like a long, long time ago.<br /><br />- <i>Jericho</i> sucks. I will cover this in more detail when the "New TV Show Power Rankings" gets fired back up (now a monthly feature instead of weekly), but the show has become unwatchable. There is very little action and when there is, it is dreadfully over the top. The lack of action is replaced with boring scenes relying upon actors that are mediocre at best. I think the show is trying for a juxtaposition of the epic (the world teetering on the brink of elimination) and the ordinary. Thus, the painfully adolescent teen working through his issues, the shrew selfishly hoarding supplies in her store, the hick taking in the D.C. city girl, the family stuff, and so on. The problem is that because the actors are average and the writing is poor, it is just boring and cheesy. This show got off to a strong start in the ratings and CBS ordered a full season, but I'm telling you, <i>Jericho</i> sucks. <br /><br />- Is Isiah Thomas running NBC these days? They just announced a budget cut of $750 million which means that most of their good new shoes are going down. To make matters worse, they finally gave <i>Friday Night Lights</i> some promotional help and then they go and put in <i>Studio 60's</i> time slot across from <i>Monday Night Football</i>. It was like they were trying to kill off two shoes at once. Amazing. (By the way, Minka Kelly is the next Rachel Bilson. You heard it here first.)<br /><br />That should do for now.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1162513975406354272006-11-02T16:15:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:53:30.192-07:00Pitbull's <i>El Mariel</i>: Worth your $9.99<br /><br />The other day a buddy of mine called me his "rap clearinghouse." There's so much music out there and he likes so little of it that he had given up on hip-hop for about three years. Then a few weeks ago I started bugging him to listen to Rhymefest and Lupe Fiasco (since we are living in Chicago, it felt almost like his duty) and now he's got about 86 dudes in Taiwan cranking "Get Down" and "I Gotcha." Good times all around. <br /><br />Well, Pitbull's new album <i>El Mariel</i> is the latest album I've insisted he check out. I know that Miami's hip-hop scene isn't for everyone, but this is a beast. Nearly every song is worth repeat listens, the production level is very high, and Pitbull himself is finally fulfilling the promise of that Nas track he jumped on a few years ago. <br /><br />The track "Hey You Girl" is my new favorite "club jam" rap song, incorporating a crazy sample from The B-52's "Rock Lobster." I'm not sure if I like the sample, the fact that it sounds like it could be the background music from a Bond video game, or how stupid people are going to look trying to dance to it (only the truly rhythmic should hit the floor for this one), or all of the above, but I can't get enough of it. In addition to "Hey You Girl," there are at least five other tracks that rank somewhere in the neighborhood of "awesome." Plus, while I don't have the production credits on this yet, I am pretty sure that there are multiple tracks by my favorite Southern producer, DJ Toomp. There is quite a bit to be excited about here. <br /><br />There's a lot of new hip-hop music out there demanding your attention - from the leaked Game album to Jay-Z's comeback tour to the return of Nas, Snoop, and the Clipse - so this bad boy could easily slip through the cracks. Don't let it happen. This joins T.I.'s <i>King</i>, Lil Wayne's <i>Tha Carter 2</i>, and Chamillionare's <i>The Sound of Revenge</i> as one of the best albums to come out of the South in the last two years.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1162276483289398492006-10-30T22:33:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:53:30.192-07:00The Game: Moment of TruthOne of the biggest and strangest figures in hip-hop is heading for a crucial moment of truth when The Game's <i>Doctor's Advocate</i> finally hits shelves on November 14. Can The Game survive without 50 Cent's song writing skills and catchy hooks? Is it true that Dr. Dre is no longer involved in the album? And, last but not least, can The Game actually rap? I mean, at all? <br /><br />Before getting into these questions, lets set up the recent back story. Pretty much everyone knows that The Game was originally signed to Shady/Aftermath as a part of G-Unit. After his debut album <i>The Documentary</i> went multi-platinum and seemed to establish The Game and G-Unit as a synergistic force to be reckoned with, things almost immediately went to crap. 50 Cent grew upset with what he felt to be The Game's disloyal behavior (for not backing him on various industry beefs) and then for the fact that The Game was taking all the credit for his megahits like "Westside Story" and "How We Do," despite the fact that 50 wrote and performed the hooks on those songs. <br /><br />Words were exchanged and then shots were fired (outside of Hot 97 in New York) and things escalated rapidly as 50 kicked The Game out of G-Unit. Shortly thereafter, the two made up at an unbelievably corny press conference. The truce was about as legitimate as the peace between the Five Families in <i>The Godfather</i> and just days later, there were reports that The Game was dissing 50 and G-Unit during live shows, which prompted 50 to make industry-related threats (namely that The Game would never have another hit). The Game then went on stage during New York's Summer Jam concert and launched what amounted to all-out war with his "G-Unot" campaign. <br /><br />About 1,900 diss tracks followed, most notably The Game's "300 Bars," a 15-minute tour de force that served to transform him as a rapper almost over night. <br /><br />But you probably know most of that. It's not a secret that the feud between The Game and G-Unit persists, nor is it terribly interesting at this point. Of far greater intrigue is the role that Dr. Dre plays in all of this. Considering that Dre signed both 50 (via Eminem) and The Game, there is no doubt that he was stuck in the middle of all this. People have been watching and waiting and asking and wondering where he comes down on dispute. And for months, it has been assumed (mostly because The Game has asserted it) that Dre would be a major part of The Game's second album. Now, with the release date looming, it seems the opposite is true. No Dr. Dre. <br /><br />My best guess is that after 50 and Game had that ridiculous makeup press conference, Dre told them both to end it right there and then, but that The Game just kept on going. This blatant disobedience probably irked Dre on a personal level, but more importantly, necessitated the moving of Game from Interscope (where he would be contractually obligated to release the album under the G-Unit imprint) to sister label Geffin. <br /><br />All of this has added up to The Game being somewhat set adrift. He still appears to have had an enormous production budget for the new album, so don't shed too many tears for him, but there is no denying that the deck was stacked against him to some degree. No 50 Cent hooks and no Dre beats creates a pretty big deficit. <br /><br />However, it also creates a pretty big opportunity. Because if The Game can repeat anything close to the success of <i>The Documentary</i> (critically and commercially), he will be doing it on his own. <br /><br />You see, The Game's debut album was a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it was the biggest West Coast album in years and sold millions of copies while momentarily holding off the South's complete takeover of Hip-Hop. On the other hand, the album was the ultimate conundrum. Here you had a rapper that most critics agreed couldn't really rap all that well, sitting on a potentially classic album. How was that possible? The answer seemed to be: an album can become a classic <i>in spite</i> of the artist, rather than <i>because</i> of the artist ... provided you put enough money into production. <i>The Documentary</i> was laden with ridiculous beats from the very finest producers in the industry. It was sleek and well-crafted and it felt expensive and glitzy, the same way that a film like "Mission Impossible: 3" feels expensive and glitzy. The commercial and critical success enjoyed by <i>The Documentary</i> was the latest and greatest statement that hip-hop control had moved from the preeminent rappers (aided by Jay-Z's then retirement) to the super producers. Dr. Dre, Just Blaze, Kanye West, Mannie Fresh, Lil' Jon ... these are the people pushing gold and platinum albums now, and they are doing it from behind the boards instead of from behind the mic. <br /><br />To say that <i>The Documentary</i> was a classic is a bit of a stretch, but to say that it was one of the most intriguing albums in years is not. And this all goes back to the fact that The Game wasn't all that great rapping on it. He was clumsy at times, he got upstaged by an already-lazy and commercial 50 Cent on the tracks they shared, and his lyrics were average at best in all but a few instances. Once 50 booted him out of G-Unit and thereby compromised The Game's relationships with Dr. Dre and Eminem, there were immediate doubts about the viability of The Game as an artist. After all, not only did 50 Cent do most of the heavy lifting on The Game's best tracks from <i>The Documentary</i>, The Game himself is an incredibly destructive person, currently trying to keep pace with Mel Gibson for inflammatory DUI arrests. <br /><br />In short, what we had in the wake of The Game/50 Cent split was an artist who thought he was much better than he was, who was getting into heaps of trouble, and who apparently no longer had Dr. Dre in his corner. Suffice to say, more than a few people were looking ahead to <i>The Doctor's Advocate</i> with a certain amount of skepticism. <br /><br />Then, the craziest things started to happen. First, The Game put out the aforementioned "300 Bars," which was one of the most shocking diss tracks of all time. Not because of the content, but because the artist blew the roof off of his previous ceiling. Honestly, it sounded like a different guy was rapping ... almost as if West Coast upstart and Game-sound-a-like (same raspy voice and halting delivery) Glasses Malone had subbed in for him. Then came a variety of mixtape tracks hinting at a new and improved Game. Then, finally, the proof that The Game had come into his own as a rapper arrived when he released "One Blood" over the summer. <br /><br />A relentless Junior Reed Sample produced by Black Wall Street's Reefa, the beat on "One Blood" afforded The Game the opportunity to spit and snarl the same vicious lines he's been hammering out every day in his G-Unit disses, but to do it on a cohesive song. "One Blood" also mitigated one of The Game's biggest weakness by just doing away with a chorus altogether and rolling the sample over a few bars before letting Chuck Taylor get back to his relentless ways. The result was a pretty tremendous song, and taken in conjunction with some of the finer mixtape efforts, it gave rise to the possibility that The Game simply <i>made</i> himself into a good rapper. Practice makes perfect and you've gotta want it and all that. He literally spent every single day rapping and it shows. <br /><br />In many ways, "One Blood" embodies everything about The Game at this stage in his career. It has the markings of a Dr. Dre track (including a half-dozen shout outs to Dre in the intro), but since Dr. Dre has seemingly abandoned The Game over his protege's refusal to stop beefing with 50 Cent, The Game simply got together with one of his cronies - Reefa - and they hammered the beat out themselves. It has the aggressive tone of all those mixtape tracks he's released in the past six months. It goes from dissing other rappers to claiming he's not dissing rappers, all within the same 16 bars, which seems to reflect his bizarre, almost bipolar persona. It has no hook. It features excessive, almost comical name-dropping. Everything about The Game is right here in this song. <br /><br />Throw in "Let's Ride (Strip Club)", a typical Scott Storch club banger and you can already get a sense that The Game has the makings of a real album. Maybe even something on par with <i>The Documentary</i>. And since he's doing it all by himself this time, that would have to rank as one of the biggest upsets of the year. <br /><br />Stay tuned.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1162136136996031702006-10-29T07:33:00.000-08:002007-04-20T00:53:30.192-07:00Checking in on Jay-Z's Kingdom ComeAnother track from Jay-Z's highly anticipated coming-out-of-retirement album <i>Kingdom Come</i> leaked yesterday, bringing us up to three total. Given that <i>The Black Album</i> featured 13 songs (not counting the Just Blaze-produced intro), we're almost a quarter of the way into this thing. <br /><br />Which means now might be a good time to take stock in what we have.<br /><br />The first song to leak was the title track, a Just Blaze number that brazenly samples from Rick James' "Super Freak." This in and of itself is a major story, considering that one of the biggest rap-pop hits of all time, MC Hammer's "U Can't Touch This" sampled the same track. In addition to making Hammer millions of dollars that he would infamously lose in the blink of an eye, that song also became a blight on hip-hop - the kind of derivative, sellout music that submerged the artistic and cultural implications of rap in favor of a stack of cash. In other words, producing a song that sounds anything like "U Can't Touch This" would be tantamount to career suicide. <br /><br />Yet Blaze pulls it off, obscuring the loop enough to make it sound like something else entirely. The most interesting thing about this beat is that the super producer just did it for fun, experimenting to see if there was a way to make one of the most recognizable songs in pop music sound new and unique. When he stumbled upon something that he felt worked, he put it on his MySpace page as the background music. Within hours, the word had spread and his page was generating thousands of hits. Another highly respected producer, ?uestlove of The Roots, learned of Blaze's feat and made arrangements for the track to find its way into Jay-Z's hands. <br /><br />Which is where Hova comes in. The song (and album) title apparently come from a Superman comic book. The thinking here is that hip-hop is in need of saving and Jay-Z is the superhero to do it. With lines like "up in the office you might know him as Clark, but just when you thought the whole world fell apart, take off the blazer and loosen up the tie, then step into the booth, Superman is alive," the "Presidential MC" is definitely taking the superhero role to heart. He also makes a reference to being "Peter Parker" and "Bruce Wayne" and tells us that when we need him to "just throw our Roc signs in the air." The chorus builds on this by saying that he's the "King of New York" but that his reign extends beyond New York: "Not only NYC, I'm hip-hop's savior, so after this flow you might owe me a favor."<br /><br />The song has all the components to be a monster. The now-legendary Blaze flip of "Super Freak," the comic book imagery, the superhero comparisons, and the simple fact that it is the first track off of Jay-Z's new album. It all adds up to something pretty special. You can imagine how disappointing it is then, that "Kingdom Come" is ultimately an average song. <br /><br />For all the technical skill that Blaze displayed in devising the track, it doesn't sound big and expensive like so many lead singles need to in this day and age. It doesn't really have club appeal, but it's not a street burner either. To be honest, it comes across as a little boring. And while Jay-Z's lyrics are colorful and fun, they are a far cry from his best. Even setting aside the fact that Jay-Z is at his very best when telling stories of his life ("D'Evils," "Where I'm From," "Moment of Clarity"), this isn't Hova at his boastful best. It's like his heart isn't in it. <br /><br />The worst news? "Kingdom Come" is by far the best track of the trio. <br /><br />The second song to leak was "Show Me What You Got," the track that is <i>everywhere</i> right now. You might have seen it at halftime of the Bears-Cardinals game on Monday Night Football, but if you missed it then, you've probably seen the video (staring Danica Patrick) on MTV or the Budweiser commercial version. The song is supposed to harken back to Public Enemy's "Show Em Watcha Got" and it features the horns from that very track. The problem? They are the same horns used on the Wreckx 'N Effects abomination "Rump Shaker." Suffice to say, this isn't one of Just Blaze's best creations.<br /><br />As for the lyrics on "Show Me What You Got," they feel rushed and all too familiar. Jay-Z makes multiple reference to being the Michael Jordan of rap ("In the zone like the homie 2-3" and "I am the Mike Jordan of recording") then discusses women and his latest favorite champagne (something called Ace of Spades). It's not what I'd call original material. Everything feels washed out and recycled and frankly, it just isn't very good.<br /><br />The latest leaked track is called "Lost Ones" and is produced by Dr. Dre. It borrows the chorus from Lauren Hill's old track dissing Wyclef and in this one, Jay-Z discusses the unraveling of the relationships surrounding Rocafella Records, the death of his nephew, and his breakup with Beyonce. On paper, it sounded like it could be one for the books. Instead, it is one for the trash can. The best way to describe it is with one word: Lazy. I haven't heard Jay throw this many poor versus on a song since <i>The Blueprint 2</i> when he embraced his Jigga Man side and had Timbaland produce half the tracks. Even Dre's beat is lazy; just a piano loop that you can hear on half of the "heartfelt" rap songs from the late 90's. <br /><br />Anyway, we've heard a quarter of the album that is supposed to "save hip-hop" and so far it isn't much to get excited about. I had to go back and listen to <i>Reasonable Doubt</i> just to get the taste out of my mouth. <br /><br />Here's to hoping that the rest of the album gets a lot better. Of course, even if it doesn't, it is still Jay-Z, so it will better than pretty much anything else out there.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1161815513395201352006-10-25T15:30:00.000-07:002007-04-20T00:53:30.193-07:00Hip-Hop Regional Report: The Mid-Atlantic's Rising StarsWelcome to the second edition of the "Hip Hop Regional Report." This week I am continuing to look at the "Next" rappers in hip-hop. The artists from various cities, boroughs, ports, and provinces around the county that appear to be on the verge of breaking through to stardom. Last week the focus was on <a href="http://blogcritics.org/archives/2006/10/14/094648.php">up-and-coming New York City rappers</a>. This time around the spotlight shines on a region that is an underrated rising power in hip-hop: the Mid-Atlantic states of New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Maryland (including D.C., of course). <br /><br /><br /><b><u>Mid-Atlantic Region</u>.</b><br /><br /><b>Primary Challenger - Serius Jones.</b> There really isn't a surefire hit coming out of the region, but there are some terrific sleeper prospects. For the lead position, I'll go with the guy doing his best Saigon impression. Much like "Sai-gitty" has super producer Just Blaze behind him, Jones is working almost exclusively with Needlz, another red hot producer. Jones, a native of Engelwood, New Jersey, gained some modicum of fame last year when he won the Fight Klub freestyle competition with a devastating assortment of punch lines. He's known for being extremely clever and humorous, but is able to temper that with some strong reality-based songs. He sounds a bit like Mysonne, a flash-in-the-pan that signed with Violator back in the late '90's. Here's to hoping that things work out a little better for Jones. Perhaps a better comparison is to Rhymefest, the Chicago product that manages to mix brag raps, humor, and social consciousness with relative ease. I personally am rooting for J-One-S based solely on the fact that he penned a pretty hilarious article for AllHipHop.com titled "The Anatomy of a Sucker Emcee." Plus, he put out one of the better mix tapes in the last few years with <i>King Me</i>.<br /><br />Listen to: "Up Top," "Serius," "Grind Mode," and "Life in the City."<br /><br /><br /><b>Secondary Challenger - Bossman.</b> Baltimore still doesn't have a national face in the hip-hop industry despite the fact that fabulous HBO show <i>The Wire</i> is referenced in just about every other rap song these days. That could change if Bossman is able to carry over the success of his local club hits like "Hand Clap" and "Oh: The B-More Anthem" onto his major label debut with Virgin, which is expected to come out next year. Bossman hails from Northeast "Bodymore, Murderland" and is one of the rare emcees that can change his style for virtually any beat (although Baltimore club music purists might argue that Bossman's slowed-down tracks are cheating a bit on that front). Don't be surprised if Bossman becomes a huge star. Of course, don't be surprised if he disappears into obscurity (like fellow Baltimore rappers Comp and B. Rich) either. It's not easy trying to put an entire city on the map. (See: just about everyone on this list.)<br /><br />Listen to: "Hand Clap," "A-Yo," "Feet," and "Oh."<br /><br /><br /><b>Darkhorse - Wiz Khalifa.</b> Bossman and Wiz Khalifa are really pretty interchangeable, but we'll call Khalifa the darkhorse of the two because of the fact that he's from Pittsburgh, which is an even more remote hip-hop outpost than Baltimore. If anyone emerges out of the Steel City to become a national force in hip-hop, that will probably rank as a major upset. That said, this guy just oozes talent. Only 18-years old, he already has the right monicker ("Prince of the City"), the proper nickname for his home state ("Pistolvania"), and one of the better mixtapes to come out in the last two years (appropriately combining the two in the title, "Prince of the City: Welcome to Pistolvania"). He sounds a little like Cam'ron but with more bite and already comes across as a polished rapper with years of experience. He has a real knack for rhyming multiple words in the same bar and is one of the best I've heard at the sharp, staccato style of rhyming in complex bursts ("I got a hot rhyme, yours cool, not mine, 1-900 only time he got a hot line"). Throw in some of the talented producers coming out of Pittsburgh right now (DJ Huggy, Juliano, and Nicolay) and the pieces might be in place for a star to emerge from a previously untapped landscape. <br /><br />Listen to: "Lay Em Down," "Damn Thing," "Thrown," and "Pittsburgh Sound."<br /><br /><br /><b>Others to Watch - Nickelus F, G.A.G.E., Tabi Bonney, and Wale!.</b> In my opinion, the Mid-Atlantic area of the country is producing some of the most talented artists out there - it is just a matter of whether they get the right platform to make people take notice. Hopefully the fact that Jive is <i>finally</i> releasing The Clipse's (hailing from Virginia Beach) second album, <i>Hall Hath No Fury</i> will generate some buzz for the entire region. <br /><br />Nickelus F is pure underground at this point, but the Richmond, Virginia native has arguably the best flow on this list. He sounds a lot like Saigon but might actually be a better rapper. Here's to hoping he can land a major label deal at some point. For now, head over to his MySpace page for some terrific tracks from him and his Da Burglars crew. <br /><br />G.A.G.E. already has the major label part down, as he signed with Dr. Dre and Aftermath in 2005. The Philadelphia emcee is currently working on his debut album <i>The Soundtrack To My Life</i> right now and is getting beats from the likes of Dre, Focus, Hi-Tek, and Scott Storch. The question, as it is with all Aftermath rappers, is whether this album will ever see the light of day. If there was any reason to believe the debut was actually coming anytime soon, G.A.G.E. would have been at the top of the entire Mid-Atlantic list.<br /><br />Tabi Bonney is less "up-and-coming" and more "underground" as he already has two LP's out, but emergence on a big stage is still a possibility. The D.C. artist is known for his Andre 3000-like obsession with fashion (he has is own clothing line called Bonney Runway), Q-Tip sound, and eclectic Kanye West-type song arrangements. With the general movement in hip-hop away from the "thug" aesthetic and into more artistic, alternative styles (Lupe Fiasco being a headliner of this movement, joining the likes of Pharrell and Kanye), Bonney could be the kind of artist that major labels are looking for. <br /><br />Wale! is trying to do what has been impossible until now - fuse traditional hip-hop with the authentic local go-go music that has been king in Washington D.C. for years. If you check out songs like "1 Thing About a Playa" and "Dig Dug" you see that he might be on to something.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1161028273066202692006-10-16T12:36:00.000-07:002007-04-20T00:39:30.792-07:00Week Two of the "New TV Show Power Rankings"It is time for Week Two of the "New TV Shows Power Rankings," which can't happen soon enough, with so many of the decent new shows in danger of being cancelled at any moment. <br /><br />If you've ever wondered why it is hard for a new studio show to make it in this day and age, look no further than the carnage from last Tuesday night. The brilliant <i>Friday Night Lights</i> again had a horrible showing in its 8:00 time slot, because it was going up against ratings monster <i>Dancing With the Stars</i>. Meanwhile, as predicted in this space last week, a rerun of <i>CSI</i> at 9:00 managed to bring in more viewers than the recently cancelled <i>Smith</i> had in its first three weeks.<br /><br />Whether these new shows just aren't visible enough, whether we as a nation are too lazy to tune in to anything new, or whether we all just love watching Emmitt Smith and Mario Lopez dance <i>that</i> much, it seems obvious that the populous' obsession with reality television isn't going away. So sad. <br /><br />Therefore, what follows is a an edition of the "Power Rankings" that focuses heavily on ratings performance, because, unfortunately, that is all the the networks care about and the only thing that will keep these shows around.<br /><br /><br /><b><u>The Top 10</u></b><br /><br /><b>1. <i>Heroes</i> (Last week: 2).</b> We already have a shift at the top. Both Drew (my TV expert brother and silent partner on this column) and I still like <i>Studio 60</i> more than any other new show, but the sheer success of <i>Heroes</i> - coupled with the fact that it doesn't suck - puts it at the top of the heap. There is good news abounding for NBC's hit new show. It is pulling in solid ratings, a full first season has been ordered by the network, and last week's episode ("One Giant Leap") was one of the better shows of the fall season up to this point. Our only complaint with <i>Heroes</i> so far is that the Flying Male Nurse is getting the most airtime but is the least compelling character. (How many times have we seen "Peter" trying to talk to his older brother about flying? 100?) He will probably wind up being the key to the whole mystery, but for now, we are simply getting a heavy dose of a mediocre actor who whines a lot. On the other hand we have a crazy Japanese guy, an indestructible cheerleader (who somehow is always wearing her cheerleading outfit), a mysterious single-name villain who can't be killed (at least not by bullets), and Ali Larter trying to act. That is more than enough to keep us watching.<br /><br /><b>2. <i>Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip</i> (1).</b> Last week might have been <i>Studio 60's</i> best episode yet, as the possibility of copyright infringement really brought some tension to the set and showed how complex a live show can be. The genius of Sorkin's dramas is that he puts all of these fast-talking, somewhat ridiculous characters in truly intriguing settings. The "blood and guts" of a sports news broadcast (<i>Sports Night</i>), the White House, and now a sketch comedy show ... that is interesting stuff. Not only that, but Sorkin's "talk as they walk" writing style works better here than either of his previous shows, because this one is set in Hollywood, where people actually do interact in this way. Of course, despite all of the praise we are heaping on <i>Studio 60</i>, it still drops a spot in the rankings. Why? Because the ratings suck and it is probably going to get cancelled. We finally get a smart show that respects its audience enough to avoid writing to the lowest common denominator and no one is watching it. Which is what always seems to happen when people challenge the notion that the audience isn't smart enough to follow a "real" show. Next time you get upset that network television churns out formulaic, dumbed-down comedies like <i>Two and a Half Men</i> just know that we have no one to blame but ourselves. If we don't tune in to the good stuff, how can we expect people to keep trying to make it?<br /><br /><b>3. <i>Jericho</i>(4).</b> These rankings are a mighty perverse instrument. <i>Jericho</i> seems to be getting worse, but it's stock is going up. Why? Because, like <i>Heroes</i>, the show just got a phone call from the network (in this case CBS) ordering a full 22 episodes for the first season. Now, don't get us wrong, unlike some people out there, we don't harbor any ill will for <i>Jericho</i>. The show features a decent enough premise, some mystery (the "Hawkins" character is certainly up to something secretive), and is just entertaining enough to keep you from falling asleep on your couch, which means that it is better than pretty much any new show from Fox or any new sitcom, from any network. That said, <i>Jericho</i> doesn't challenge the viewer and it doesn't feature any dynamic characters that will capture your attention once the dust/radioactive rain settles (read: The <i>Lost</i> Factor).<br /><br /><b>4. <i>Ugly Betty</i>.(8)</b> The highest riser of the week, <i>Ugly Betty</i> has a lot going for it. For starters, it became the third new show to get an order for a full season. It is also battling <i>Survivor</i> for the 8:00 time slot on Thursday nights. Anytime a "real" show detracts from a reality show is good news for everyone. Not only that, but it is actually very good. We toggled this with the baseball playoffs (while TiVo-ing <i>The Office</i> for pure television pleasure at a time of our choosing) and actually came away impressed. It is often funny, big-hearted, and relevant, sometimes all at once. <br /><br /><b>5. <i>Friday Night Lights</i>(5).</b> Even though <i>Lights</i> seems doomed for failure, we have to keep it at #5 for at least one more week. The writing and execution is just too good to put it below something formulaic and unoriginal. We refuse. We also contend that Peter Berg might very well be a genius. He is one of those guys that seems to know and understand a great deal about the world, yet he delivers it in a way that is easy to digest and is completely lacking in pretense. Is that a genius? I think it might be. The hosts of <i>The View</i> stepped up and pimped <i>Lights</i> on their show last week and wondered if perhaps a show with Friday in the title is causing confusion by being aired on a Tuesday. If this is true, then A) we as a culture truly have no hope, and B) NBC should go ahead and move this thing to Fridays and hope for the best. It can't do any worse, ratings-wise. <br /><br /><b>6. <i>Dexter</i>(9).</b> Based on quality, this show would probably rank in the top three. However, because <i>Dexter</i> is on Showtime, it gets to play by different rules and thereby has a big advantage. The writers can weave a new subplot into the second episode ("Crocodile") in the form of a new Dexter "target" (an acquitted drunk driver, which, admittedly, seems borrowed from season two of <i>Rescue Me</i>) while slow-playing the "Ice Truck" killer from the pilot. Things are tense and layered, but moving at a rich, easy pace that not only vastly improves the quality of the production, but also indicates that those in charge have confidence in their staying power. We still contend that the supporting cast is woeful, but Michael C. Hall has been very good so far. Even the narration is working, which is a stunning fact, in and of itself. (Since, you know, narration almost always sucks.) If the network shows above continue to slide, it won't be long before <i>Dexter</i> is in the top five and climbing. <br /><br /><b>7. <i>Shark</i>(6).</b> This show isn't going to reinvent the genre, but as far as "episodic legal dramas" go, this isn't half bad. James Woods continues to blow people off the screen and the stories are pretty good. I thought <i>Shark</i> was far more interesting than <i>Boston Legal</i> last week, which is a pretty good sign. All told though, we aren't real excited. Can you tell?<br /><br /><b>8. <i>The Nine</i>(3).</b> This is the biggest drop of the week and the rationale is two-fold. First, the story for episode two wasn't nearly as compelling as the pilot. The whole "say what we want and get a medal and if you don't, your life will suck" storyline is kind of tired. We've seen this a hundred times before. The fledgling love interests are boring, Scott Wolf's Kavorikian impression was transparent (but still strangely riveting), and we are pretty sure we overrated Tim Daly as an actor in last week's edition. <i>The Nine</i> needs to focus more on the odd, Stockholm Syndrom-type relationship between the the hostake taker and the bank manager's daughter. Well, that and somehow convince an additional six million people to start watching the show. How do you fail to hold the time spot after <i>Lost</i>? <br /> <br /><b>9. <i>Brothers and Sisters</i> (NR).</b> The show has some pacing issues, but it makes up for it in the fact that there are plenty of good actors and well-written dialogue. Last week's episode wasn't really our style (some sort of love triangle), but the mere fact that it is winning the ratings game - when so many new shows are not - is enough to put it in the top 10. Plus, one of the actors is named Balthazar, so they have that going for them. <br /><br /><b>10. <i>Six Degrees</i>(10).</b> I think the good people making this show know that the writing is on the wall, given the way they are absolutely flying through story arcs. The burnout photographer has already resolved things with his son, Monyahan's character has already discovered her fiance to be a philandering loser with a bad accent, and The Limo Driver has already warned The Public Defender that "people might be looking for" his pseudo-girlfriend. It is hard to see how this show can improve, with so many cats being out of the bag. We envision this moving toward melodrama and losing whatever nuance is currently making this compelling television. Of course, a few more Thursday nights like the last one and no one will ever find out either way. <i>Six Degrees</i> truly has one foot out the door right now.<br /><br /><br />Falling Out: <i>The Class</i> (7). When Drew sat down to watch the second episode as "homework" for the column, he had a revelation: "Here is what we do. We write an unbearable, moronic sitcom and plan to use a laugh track extensively. When networks are hesitant to buy it - because it sucks and all - we just point to <i>The Class</i> as proof that people love that kind of thing." Needless to say, we aren't high on <i>The Class</i>.<br /><br />Just Missed: Nothing. Maybe <i>Justice</i>, but that is a stretch. <i>Men in Trees</i>?<br /><br />On The Way: <i>Dirt</i>, <i>Mis/Guided</i>, <i>Daybreak</i>, and <i>Knights of Prosperity</i>.<br /><br />Little Chance of Ever Making This List: <i>Vanished</i>, <i>Standoff</i>, <i>Happy Hour</i>, <i>30 Rock</i> (the last 15 minutes of the pilot might have been the worst television we've ever seen), and <i>20 Good Years</i> (is the laugh track necessary?).Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23091238.post-1160776723260811942006-10-13T14:57:00.000-07:002007-04-20T00:53:30.193-07:00NYC Hip-Hop: Who's Got Next?For the most part, I can do without <i>ESPN: The Magazine</i>. It's all a little too pithy and clever for my tastes and besides, I think we can all agree that there is plenty of ESPN in our lives already. It's practically unavoidable; multiple channels, a website that takes 90 seconds to load and then starts blaring highlights at you, mobile phones, and so on. That said, I love when "The Mag" runs its "Next" issue - a series of articles highlighting the up-and-coming stars in various sports around the globe. <br /><br />There is something exciting about discovering a previously unknown talent and there is a certain thrill in seeing someone reach the next level. I think I am enjoying the LeBron James Experience so much because I've been following it since he was a sophomore in high school. <br /><br />With that in mind, it seemed like a good idea to tie that "Next" concept in with my favorite subject of all: hip-hop. <br /><br />And since I was already planning on creating a monthly "Regional Report" feature that highlights various aspects of hip-hop around the country, it seemed appropriate to just go ahead and run with all of this, all at once. What follows is the first "Regional Report" and it focuses on some of the up-and-coming rappers from New York City who may very well be the "Next" stars in hip-hop. I was going to cover the entire country, but it was starting to shape up as a 5,000-word column, so I decided to break them into regions. Be on the look out for more to come in the very near future. <br /><br /><b><u>New York City</u>.</b> New York is the birthplace of hip-hop. From Sugarhill Gang to Public Enemy to Biggie to Jay-Z and Nas, New York was always the leader in terms of cultural movement, musical trends, and industry sales. The West Coast burst on the scene with N.W.A. in the late 80's and remained a constant foil throughout the 1990's, peaking with the Biggie-2 Pac feud. My how things have changed. The South dominates hip-hop now and even a city like Chicago is rivaling NYC for rap superiority. 50 Cent's brief nexus of street/critical appeal and commercial success in 2003 looked like a big step for the Big Apple, but Curtis Jackson and the rest of G-Unit have become nothing but a well-oiled sales force since. <br /><br />Will New York ever resume its place at the top? There are rumors that Jay-Z is coming out of retirement with a new album titled <i>Kingdom Come</i> and Nas has one of the most highly anticipated albums in years on the way in the form of <i>Hip-Hop is Not Dead</i>. Even Puff Daddy, sorry, Diddy, is back in the mix, dropping his <i>Press Play</i> next week. That's a lot of firepower and combined with a recent release from Lloyd Banks and a solid offering from Method Man, this is probably the hottest the city has been in a while. <br /><br />That said, for NYC to truly reemerge as the dominant force in rap music, the city is going to need new blood to burst onto the scene. Here are the artists that seem most likely to get the job done. <br /><br /><br /><b>Primary Challenger - Saigon.</b> His major label debut <i>The Greatest Story Never Told</i> continues to be pushed back further and further to the point where I'm starting to worry that the title is going to be prophetic. That said, I can't imagine anyone that has a better shot at bringing New York rap back to the forefront than Saigon. He's got arguably the hottest producer in the industry (Just Blaze) in his corner, a distribution deal with Atlantic records, and a series of guest spots on <i>Entourage</i> that only served to boost his popularity. Saigon's combination of gritty street tales, clever punch lines, aggressive boasts, and on-screen persona have him poised to be an enormous hip-hop star. We just need that album to come out. Sometime. Anytime. <br /><br />(By the way, everyone should know this Saigon story that occurred earlier this year. He was stabbed in the head with a beer bottle in a robbery and then ran around trying to hail a cap so that he could avoid getting blood in his Benz. Unable to do so, he eventually drove himself to the hospital where he wound up getting a whopping seventy stitches.) <br /><br />Listen to: "The Letter P Freestyle," "Contraband," "Pain in My Life," and "Yup, Yup."<br /><br /><br /><b>Secondary Challenger - Papoose.</b> It was a tough call to relegate Papoose to second string. His label situation seems more secure than Saigon's as Jive/Violator recently made Papoose the "1.5 Million Dollar Man" and immediately put his debut album "Nacirema Dream" (American spelled backward) at the top of the priority list. And for good reason. Papoose has become an underground monster, churning out nearly a dozen highly regarded mixtapes in just a few years. In fact, so prolific was the Brooklyn rapper that he received the 2005 Justo Award, given to the top underground artist. Nicknamed "The Lyrical One" and compared to the late Harlem legend Big L, Papoose's only shortcoming is that he seems to lack the charisma of Saigon. He's rhymes aren't as incendiary and his style - while steady - can become a tad boring after too many spins. Expect this intelligent and confident rapper to have a long, prolific career, but I'm not sure he's going to become a megastar. He's like the NY rap version of Emeka Okafor. <br /><br />Listen to: "Brooklyn Stand Up," "Alphabetical Slaughter," "Out in New York," and "Wake Up Call."<br /><br /><br /><b>Darkhorse - Joell Ortiz.</b> This Brooklyn rapper is probably the closest thing I've heard to Big Pun since the Terror Squad star's passing. Ortiz has a very nice flow and sounds polished, even on mixtapes and freestyles, and the track "I Mean Business" from <i>NBA Live 2005</i> was a standout on a strong collection. The recent news that Ortiz has signed to Aftermath increases his chances of blowing up ... provided he ever cracks the rotation. Being signed to Aftermath appears to be a blessing and a curse - on the one hand, you have the most powerful imprint in the industry behind you (which means the best beats, best marketing, and a certain level of respect), but on the other hand, you might be waiting in line for years before you get your debut into stores. If Ortiz does get his chance, his stock may skyrocket. With his sharp punchlines, unwavering confidence, and fabulous metaphors, he could really stand out in a sea of mediocrity. <br /><br />Listen to: "Who Better Than Me," "Mean Business," "Brooklyn," and "Hold it Down."<br /><br /><br /><b>Others to Watch - Jae Millz, Cory Gunz, Stimuli, Uncle Murder, Maino, Eldorado Red, and Mazaradi Fox.</b> It is interesting to hear people speak of the bleak NYC landscape, because there is a lot of talent ready to come up. Saigon and Papoose have the buzz and support systems to pump out platinum records in the near future, but the rest of these artists can make an impact as well. <br /><br />Jae Millz made some noise this summer with the Scott Stoch-produced "My Swag" and dropped an impressive verse on the NYC Remix of Chamillionaire's "Ridin'". You might remember him as the guy that P. Diddy brought in to battle Ness on "Making the Band," but the Harlem rapper should be able to make a bigger impression than that when his Universal debut drops later this year or early next. <br /><br />If you've heard of Cory Gunz it was probably as the young sidekick of the rapping version of Shaquille O'Neal or the son of veteran rapper Peter Gunz. Now he's grown up and he's signed to Def Jam and has Jay-Z himself overseeing his debut album, so he is someone to keep an eye on. <br /><br />As recently as a year ago, Brooklyn's Stimuli was being mentioned alongside Saigon and Papoose as the next big thing to come out of New York, but he's been slow to saturate the mixtape circuit (he's <i>only</i> put out three in the past three years, which doesn't seem to cut it in this day and age) and things with his label, Virgin, have been dicey to say the least. If you heard his verse on The Clipse's "On My S***" then you know that this guy can rap. But will the masses get the chance to hear him?<br /><br />Uncle Murder is quite possibly the most unique member of this group. The Brooklyn rapper has kind of a mumbling, nasally drawl that seems more equipped for a Mannie Fresh beat. He doesn't seem to have the talent of some of the other New York prospects, but given how well the South is selling these days, maybe his out-of-town sound is the key to success. <br /><br />Maino calls himself "The King of Brooklyn," but so far he hasn't been able to emerge beyond being a sidekick to Lil' Kim or even fellow rookie Papoose. If you ask me, he's pretty average and plays up his "time spent behind bars" shtick too much. That said, he's popping up on every other Funkmaster Flex track, he had that massive underground hit "Rumors," and he's signed to a big Universal deal, so we probably shouldn't count him out. <br /><br />Eldorado Red is a Harlem emcee who grew up listening to Afrika Bambaattaa and Jazzy Jay but is now teamed up with famed West Coast producer Rick Rock. If that juxtaposition isn't enough, he got his name from the Donald Goines novel. Throw in the fact that he can really rap and that he is unabashedly in pursuit of massive amounts of money and I think we may wind up hearing from this guy.<br /><br />Finally, there is Mazarati Fox, who is arguably the biggest mystery on this New York list. We know he's from South Jamaica, Queens, just like 50 Cent, who supposedly signed him to G-Unit a few days ago. Known as "Million Dollar Fox," he's already got his first underground single out titled, "Pop My Heaters" which features - not surprisingly - Fifty himself and features several claims about Fox being someone worthy of fear. Considering the lukewarm reception that new G-Unit members Hot Rod and Spider Loc (more on them later in future editions of this column) are getting, maybe this guy will give Fifty and company a boost. On the other hand, considering that he sounds like a water-down Prodigy (of Mobb Deep), I'm not holding my breath.<br /><br />That's it for now. Be sure to weight in with any thoughts on the New York hip-hop scene and be on the lookout for future columns looking at the Mid-Atlantic, the South, the Midwest, and the West Coast.Adam Hoffhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12575786328320517798noreply@blogger.com0