http://www.hiphopdx.com/index/news/id.3 ... m-with-nasnoiseredux wrote: I never knew about this? There was a Nas & Common bootleg that made its way into stores called Uncommonly Nasty. I don't know if it was just mashups or something. I'd be interested in hearing it though.
hey thanks man. Means a lot that you'd take the time considering it isn't even your genre of choice. Just having dudes reading and responding to these little write-ups is nice, as it pushes me to keep doing them, which in turn pushes me to go back and focus on albums that I haven't in a while. It also keeps me actually appreciating this CD collection as it grows. It's nice.Ack wrote:Yeah, so I just read back through 30 pages of this thread so I could read through noise's reviews. You do some great work, noise, and I like the format you've adopted over time for these. I look forward to reading more about this thread. I've really only ever had a cursory experience with hip hop, and there's a lot I don't know about the genre, but your reviews help provide both an artistic and historical context that helps establish their place within the medium.
No, that makes sense. Your reviews don't focus on the body of work of an individual in its entirety, it's based on where that individual was at the time. It's about contextual relevance and seeing where the music came from as opposed to comparing it with where it went to. In the process, we learn about the state of hip hop in general when the work was recorded but specifically of what that artist and his surrounding web of relationships was like, where was the artist coming from, where was his head at so to speak. What inspiration was there that had developed since previous works, and what new directions developed as a result for artists and fans alike. I also like how you view the genre not solely as a person recording lyrics to music but as a means for reaching out to their listeners, to challenge the audience and form a dialogue with them as these artists communicate the ongoing issues and tribulations in their lives while also building their craft.noiseredux wrote:hey thanks man. Means a lot that you'd take the time considering it isn't even your genre of choice. Just having dudes reading and responding to these little write-ups is nice, as it pushes me to keep doing them, which in turn pushes me to go back and focus on albums that I haven't in a while. It also keeps me actually appreciating this CD collection as it grows. It's nice.Ack wrote:Yeah, so I just read back through 30 pages of this thread so I could read through noise's reviews. You do some great work, noise, and I like the format you've adopted over time for these. I look forward to reading more about this thread. I've really only ever had a cursory experience with hip hop, and there's a lot I don't know about the genre, but your reviews help provide both an artistic and historical context that helps establish their place within the medium.
Anyway, I'm also glad that you picked up on the contextual part. It does matter to me. And as I write each one, I tend to try to put myself back into the ears of the release date, and pretend that music released after each record has not come out yet. Meaning, I think y'know Carter 3 should be compared to the albums before it, but not to Carter 4. (Though Carter 4 can be compared to 3... if that makes sense?).
I picked up that Uncommonly Nasty last week. It's rather disappointing to be honest. Statik Selektah and Soul Supreme provide instrumentals and while there's a few strong beats, some of them aren't even matched with the acapellas correctly, like they're marginally off beat. Plus the Nas Ether acapella is censored (although Gay-Z makes it through lol).noiseredux wrote:Yeah I'm pretty much the same. The new one got good reviews. I'll hear it at some point. Resurrection is a super classic though. I've loved that album since 94. Amazing. But really, I thought Can I Borrow A Dollar? was ok, and this one was mostly really good. Be was actually great. But yeah... most of the others I pretty much just ignored. I think I always figure I'll hear them someday.Frag Mortuus wrote:I really love Common....except when I don't.noiseredux wrote:....Common....
I can listen to some albums over and over, but then some I can't stand. I haven't heard his newest that dropped recently, but I'm excited for it because the one review I read said it was a dark album for Common. Which makes me want to hear it.
I never knew about this? There was a Nas & Common bootleg that made its way into stores called Uncommonly Nasty. I don't know if it was just mashups or something. I'd be interested in hearing it though.Also, what ever happened to Nas.Com that I heard about a while ago? It was supposed to be a collaboration between Nas and Common.
thanks to this post, I re-bought Blowout Comb, and listening for the first time in 15+ years, I'm just floored. This album not only holds up, it's fucking wayyy better than I remember. Which is saying a lot cuz I was a big fan of it when it came out and thought it was better than Reachin'. This is just... unreal. Wow. Thanks for reminding me to grab this.alexis524 wrote: I'd also love a review on DP's Blowout Comb. That's another under-rated classic. May the 4th Movement, Black Ego, and Blowing Down are what I think are the albums stand-outs. I display the CD artwork proudly in my office still to this day.
word. I was the opposite. Though I was eating up all hip hop, my favorite sub-genre has always been "jazz rap." You know Midnight Marauders is my fav record. It's just that whole scene clicked with me, so I had all of those albums that sort of reveled in that sound.stickem wrote:Never was a fan of alt rap back when they came out. May have to revisit dp now that my taste has varied some.
Hell all these old East coast rappers you're reviewing I missed out on as well. I just didn't get there vibe back then, I was strictly West coast and down south rap. I remember buying the first wu cd and hated it cause they kept interrupting songs with all these skits. Plus it didn't bang enough in my car with a system. Lolnoiseredux wrote:word. I was the opposite. Though I was eating up all hip hop, my favorite sub-genre has always been "jazz rap." You know Midnight Marauders is my fav record. It's just that whole scene clicked with me, so I had all of those albums that sort of reveled in that sound.stickem wrote:Never was a fan of alt rap back when they came out. May have to revisit dp now that my taste has varied some.
