Hip Hop/Rap Fanatics Unite!

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DOC was more involved with writing lyrics for them.

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Heavy D & The Boyz
Nuttin' But Love
1994, Looking back, Nuttin' But Love feels so out of place for 1994. Sure Hev got producers like Pete Rock, Easy Mo Bee, The Trackmasters and Erik Sermon to help contemporize his sound - but his flow feels firmly rooted in a much earlier sound. Heavy D was of course always an interesting figure in that he rubbed elbows with a veritable Who's Who of hip hop, yet stuck to upbeat house party dance tracks, love songs and insisted that even guests on his records "don't curse." In many ways he was a squeaky clean version of the crowd that he ran with, but he got much respect from his peers. This respect is actually audible on the opening skit in which many luminaries leave voicemail messages praising Hev. Clocking in at five minutes, this feels a little awkward, but it is interesting to hear what everyone has to say at least once. The record itself is fun though. Even if it sounds dated earlier than its '94 credit, it's the sort of album you could put on at a party and not worry about anyone getting offended. The singles - "Black Coffee," "Got Me Waiting," and the title track - are all sure to bring out some nostalgia. The remix to "Got Me Waiting" is actually maybe even better. Elsewhere recognizable (and maybe overused) samples like "Love Hangover" will keep heads nodding. Not a classic album by any means, and not even one necessary for your collection. But an enjoyable one in the right setting I suppose.


Insane Clown Posse
Carnival Of Carnage
1992, ICP's debut album really isn't anything to write home about. The record definitely has an ametuer sound to it. And given that the group was still transitioning out of their Inner City Posse days and into the whole Clown thing, they really haven't built their mythos here yet. The beats here are generally derivative of early NWA productions. And the rapping (which is primarily done by Violent J) is competent, yet his delivery remains basic and uninteresting. Really this record comes across a bit like a demo. It's not exactly boring, but the group does very little to set themselves apart. So yeah, I guess it is pretty boring. Detroit celebs Esham and Kid Rock both stop by to make appearances, but again - nothing that really stands out. If you're a huge fan of the group, you might at least find this album interesting as it's the only one to include original third member John Kickjazz. Otherwise, I'd say avoiding Carnival Of Carnage won't find you missing out on much.

Jay-Z
Vol. 3... Life And Times Of S. Carter
1999, The third in Jay's "Lifetime Trilogy" is at least better than its predecessor. Which still isn't saying a whole lot. Still nothing here (save for maybe "Big Pimpin'") can come close to the quality of material found on his debut. But at least this album is more consistently good then Hard Knock Life was. There are plenty of tracks here to consider for your own Jay-Z's Deep Cuts Mixtape... "So Ghetto" kicks things off with an excellent beat produced by DJ Premier; "Dope Man" goes for a bit of a somber vibe that could have fit in with Reasonable Doubt era Hov; "Snoopy Track" featuring Juvenile finds Jay taking a shot at a young 50 Cent in retaliation for "How To Rob;" and "There's Been A Murder" is interesting in concept where Jay attempts to murder his own public image. But on the flip, there's also way too much filler here. Luckily much of it is just mediocre, though "Things That You Do" featuring Mariah Carey might just be the worst track of Jay's career. I'm not sure if Swizz Beats intended for the flutes to sound like they were being played by someone who had never played the flute, but he succeeded. More than anything this album's downfalls seem to be the moments when Jay panders to the radio. Those are the tracks that come off as shallow and uninspired, though there's far more interesting stuff peppered throughout. But like the other albums he'd released since his debut, this one is unfortunately hit or miss.

[Luke]

Insane Clown Posse
Carnival Of Carnage
1992, ICP's debut album really isn't anything to write home about.

Please. Pretty please do write home about this.

[stickem]

you know listening to old rap it's funny what holds up today and what sounds wack as fuck. carnival of carnage was the 1 icp cd where they were actually trying to sound like every other early 90's rap group. listening to it today it sounds like crap and doesn't hold up good at all. the day you reviewed it "no sleep to brooklyn" came on the radio and the shit could still hold up today. alot of that old shit i loved back in the day, i listen to today and think, dam that just sucks lol.

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you know listening to old rap it's funny what holds up today and what sounds wack as fuck. carnival of carnage was the 1 icp cd where they were actually trying to sound like every other early 90's rap group. listening to it today it sounds like crap and doesn't hold up good at all. the day you reviewed it "no sleep to brooklyn" came on the radio and the shit could still hold up today. alot of that old shit i loved back in the day, i listen to today and think, dam that just sucks lol.

you nailed it. I remember liking some tracks off Carnival Of Carnage way way back then. But it's pretty awful today. Sounds so generic. But yeah, "No Sleep" is still gold all these years later.

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KMD
Mr. Hood
1991, The first KMD album feels rather quaint. Sure there's material here that touches on more serious social issues, but the presentation is rather bright and upbeat. The group was definitely inspired by the likes of De La Soul and the rest of the Native Tongues movement to say the least. In fact much of the sampling here feels like it owes plenty of dues to De La's work with Prince Paul. In fairness KMD did at least have their own style when it came to skits which were built upon cutting up various spoken word sources to create original dialogues. There's a handful of standouts here such as "Humrush" with its slow and catchy piano, "Who Me?" which honestly could have been a hit single rubbing elbows with anything coming out of the Native Tongues camp at the time and "Peachfuzz" which had a fantastic exotica feel. But overall the record feels a bit too derivative and naive. The material here is good, but the majority of it feels like it's missing some personality and the skits can get to be a little overdone. Ultimately this is a record that will serve more as a cool piece of history for MF Doom fanatics, but will probably remain overlooked by casual fans.


Kendrick Lamar
Section.80
2011, This record feels like it came out of nowhere. Sure we all know now that Kendrick had been putting in years honing his skills under the name K. Dot before delivering this impressive album. Section.80 wears its Compton influences proudly, but also shakes them up immensely. It creates a feeling of something that is both old and familiar but new and alien at the same time. To put it lightly, it's awesome. Kendrick hits the ground running with "Fuck Your Ethnicity" and this intensity is peppered throughout the album on tracks like "ADHD," "Ronald Reagan Era" and Hiii Power." He also displays an ability to switch to more subdued work like the jazz-sampling "Hol' Up," as well as his more sensitive side on tracks like "No Makeup" or "Tammy's Song" - both of which display a goosebump-causing knack for storytelling. For an independent record that seems to have been very much controlled by its creator, there is an awesome focus here. This is a record that hints at brilliance often - and even achieves it sporadically. It's a record that any fan of Kendrick's work should be familiar with. [Section.80 received a shady retail release as a bonus disc of an unlicensed DVD called The Come-Up: Bloody Barz.]


Ghostface Killah
12 Reasons To Die
2013, Ghostface shows no signs of slowing down. Here he hooks up with Adrian Younge's band to create a stunning concept album that plays out like an Italian Giallo - both in story and in soundtrack. Fans of the work of Ennio Morricone or Goblin should definitely be seeking out this album. Ironically, wearing this influences on their sleeves causes 12 Reasons To Die to have a a sound that is a lot closer to early Wu-Tang than anything that the RZA has been producing in years. It's also nice hearing the outside guests being kept to almost entirely Wu-Tang fam. Masta Killa, U-God, Inspectah Deck and Cappadonna all show up here to play various roles in Ghost's screenplay. The story itself can be a little tough to make sense of - something about the Deluca crime family killing Toney Starks and putting his remains inside twelve records which are then played to resurrect him as the Ghostface Killah. It's silly, sure. But it's fun and just b-movie enough in subject matter to fit the mood perfectly. There are a lot of excellent Ghostface albums, and this one is high on the list. [It should also be noted that the deluxe edition features the instrumental version of the album in its entirety on a second disc.]


Masta Ace Incorporated
Slaughterhouse
1993, Here's an interesting artistic divergence. Masta Ace hooks up with a crew and records a record that is basically a study on violence. It's actually pretty interesting stuff as the lines blur between making violent music, creating a commentary on violence via music, and a sort of chick-and-egg question in regards to violence and hip hop. On some tracks Ace sounds demented and scary, on others paranoid and scared. On some tracks he seems to be parodying gangsta rap but on others embracing its sounds. Though everything here is good to great, the album does feel a bit long causing the concept to overstay its welcome a bit. But there's definite classics to recommend here like the title track or "Saturday Night Live." This album is definitely worth checking out, though its cult-classic status is perhaps debateable. On some levels it feels like an album that's a work of art that's more fun to dissect and discuss than it is to just listen to.


Nas
Nastradamus
1999, Nastradamus gets a lot of flack, but only some of it seems deserved. There's no denying the rushed nature of the project. Thanks to bootleggers much of the original record was scrapped and replaced with new material that was rushed to squeeze it in before the holiday release date. Not to mention that this was the second album Nas had released in 1999. So sure there's a slap-dash feel to it. Sure the beats often feel cheap and the vocals feel like they were recorded in a single take. But in hindsight this also lends the album a weird urgency. Nas references the fear of a Y2K bug himself on "New World," and it's almost as if this record needed to be finished before 2000 hit due to some sort of panic. Once you get past the cheap sounding beats, the lyrics begin to get a whole lot more interesting. And again the beats may have been cheap due to the label already shelling out for the I Am... sessions plus whatever material was recorded and scrapped for this record earlier in the year. This is not to say that this is a great album, nor is it even close to the majority of Nas' work. But it is worth hearing for tracks like "Project Windows" and "Family" with Mobb Deep.

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A$AP Ferg
Trap Lord
2014, It was perhaps easy to think of A$AP Mob as just Rocky's hypemen, but as time goes on it becomes more apparent that each member has plenty of personality of their own. Take Ferg for example who is undeniably "the weirdo" in the group. He's loud and spits non-sequiturs with conviction. Take the single "Shabba" (featuring Rocky) for instance with its insane chorus. "Eight gold rings like I'm Shabba Ranks/Four gold chains like I'm Shabba Ranks" and so on. It's almost surreal imagery, but makes sense considering he was a visual artist first. His background as an artist also shines through with his affinity for exploring his voice as an instrument - often switching its tone along with its cadence and tempo - reminding listeners of weirdos before him like Busta Rhymes, ODB and Missy Elliott. Though much of the tone of the album is pretty singular - sparse, slowish trap-inspired beats with plenty of low-end - it never feels boring. It's really an impressive debut with no major missteps. Highlights include the "Work" remix with Rocky, Trinidad James, French Montana and Schoolboy Q; "Lord" which teams up Ferg with A$AP Mob heroes Bone Thugs-N-Harmony; or the brilliant segue from "Make A Scene" to "Fuck Out My Face," the latter track's instrumental being the former's in reverse. And yet these are mostly just awesome tracks to highlight on paper, because ultimately everything here is well thought out. It seems clear that A$AP Mob on a whole care more about quality than quantity. As such, Trap Lord is highly recommended.

[mister j-y]

KMD Mr. Hood 1991; Masta Ace Incorporated Slaughterhouse 1993

Deep knowledge, Noise!

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KMD Mr. Hood 1991; Masta Ace Incorporated Slaughterhouse 1993

Deep knowledge, Noise!

haha thanks man. I've been a fanatic since around 92 or so. I mean, I liked hip hop even before then but I'd attribute the release of The Chronic with me really getting sucked into the genre.

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Ol' Dirty Bastard a.k.a. Dirt McGirt
Free To Be Dirty Live!
2005, Well here's some horrible exploitation. Of course the death of ODB would result in some cash-ins. And this is one of them. There's really no good reason for this album to have been released. A good live album is something that is preserving some special performance. But this is completely unnecessary. I could get over the fact that it's actually a particularly horrible live show if only there was some special archival reason that it needed to be remembered. Not so. It's apparent right from the opening track that this will be terrible, as ODB raps along to the album version (read: he raps over the recorded vocals) of "You Nasty" and seems to forget some of the words. Almost every track is presented the same way, with live vocals struggling to keep up with and be louder than the pre-recorded versions. It also means that outside of some horrible crooning adlibs, there's no real personality to the live performance since he's just attempting to karaoke his own songs.