Music Reviews

“The illest shit you heard in your life…well, maybe not.” For the most part, this quote from the Reef the Lost Cauze solo track, “This is Where the Fun Stops,” summarizes the entire sophomore effort, Black Snow, of German DJ/producer team, Snowgoons. I get the impression that these guys think they are the best producers in hip-hop. Maybe it’s from their redundant attempts to have the most epic sounding hip-hop production of all time. I also view the ridiculously long list of featured emcees with the same perspective. Something about this album makes me believe all these dudes think they actually are the “illest shit you heard in your life.”

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As complicated as it is to release a solid debut album, one may argue that it is equally as challenging for an artists second offering not to be dubbed a sophomore slump. Is there then more pressure to release a sophomore effort that captivates the original fans, but at the same time tries to get new fans who may have past over the first time around? The thing I love most about hip-hop is the amount of debating that can take place over the most mundane details such as these. In this case, there might not be as many debates over which of their first two full length albums are better, but Time Machine fans need not be disappointed after they spin their second album, Life Is Expensive.

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Most freebees usually end up acquainting themselves with a trash can after one listen. But, damn. Not only is Blueprint’s Blueprint vs. Funkadelic a keeper, the album is a top-notch piece of work guaranteed to provide listeners with more than just a few spins. I have already played it through a number of times (it’s a short listen) and, truthfully, this may be my favorite work of the year. The lyrics from Blueprint are some of the nicest I have ever heard from him and, oh…did I mention dude also produces the entire project? Well, he does, and in doing so he uses only the freshest of P-Funk samples.

In my mind, there is nothing better than hip-hop that is not reliant on contributors. When an artist can write dope lyrics and make equally as dope beats, there really is no significance in featuring any outside emcees and/or producers. The entire album is handled by Blueprint and, honestly, it should not be any other way. Blueprint spits on “Too Funkadelic”: “Every time I drop the rhymes are twice as raw, beats twice as dirty as the time before.” Let us know what you think. Why the hell shouldn’t you? It’s free. Download it here.

-Lee Reed

Atmosphere’s newest project, When Life Gives You Lemons, You Paint That Shit Gold, has a different sound than their previous LP’s. The storytelling lyrics are similar to what we have heard before from Slug, but the production from Ant is what gives this Atmosphere album a twist. Through the fifteen tracks on When Life…, Ant proves to his listeners how versatile he is behind the boards. The refreshing beats from Ant compliment Slug’s narratives nicely, resulting in a steady and cohesive album from beginning to end.

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I never thought this album would have added up for me. First off, anyone teaming up with Vast Aire would most likely foil in comparison to what was done with Megallah on the Cannibal Ox LP. And secondly, fourteen tracks with eleven different producers can sometimes lead to an incoherent mess of an album. Turns out my assumptions have been proved wrong by Vast and his new teammate, Karniege, who form together as Mighty Joseph to put out the solid effort, Empire State. Truth be told, not since The Cold Vein have I heard another emcee compliment and contrast Vast’s style as nicely as Karniege, and to be even more honest, I haven’t heard an album produced as well as this one in a long time.

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After speaking with Wordsworth at Cincinnati’s yearly celebration of the Hip-Hop elements, Scribble Jam, I spent eight months waiting to hear the highly promising project from his newly formed group, EMC. This album, The Show, has finally arrived and along for the ride with Words is his longtime partner-in-rhyme, Punchline, along with Stricklin, and legendary Juice Crew member, Masta Ace. Sounds great, right? Well, keep in mind the Hip-Hop “super-groups” of the past that have failed to deliver consistent and cohesive works while praying this curse does not fall upon these great emcees.

EMC collectively serves up a concept album, making it near impossible to avoid comparison to the previous Masta Ace classics, Disposable Arts and A Long Hot Summer; especially considering all of EMC made considerable contributions to these albums. The Show starts off with the piano-laced “Who We Be,” a fine introductory and biographical brush-up on the different members of the group. The album doesn’t hesitate to jump right into concept mode and it sounds as if it may stick the landing by going right into another sure shot, “Leak It Out.” In this song, EMC provides us with top-notch lyrics from all four emcees and arguably the best verse of the album, courtesy of Punchline.

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Disclaimer: This is the first time I have listened to a full album by Atmosphere, so by no means am I an expert on them, nor am I necessarily the ideal person to review this product. I do consider myself a fan tho. I have seen them live several times and try to see them whenever they come through my neck of the woods.

That being said, I would say that the feel of this album is more of a high quality mixtape than a full blown release. It reminds me of something you would cop from their merch table at a show. That in no way is a slight to this product. It has a very personal feel to it. It’s almost as if this album is a few pages from Slug’s diary set to music. So enough of the preamble … lets get to the music.

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iTunes released their “Best of 2007″ Editor’s selections and named Sean Price’s “Jesus Price Supastar” LP one of the top 10 Rap Albums of 2007. Sean Price joined the ranks of 50 Cent, Nas, Kanye West, Talib Kweli, Little Brother, Common T.I., Prodigy and Young Jeezy, as other artists given this prestigious accolade.

Sean Price is readying three new albums for 2008 including the return of Heltah Skeltah “D.I.R.T.” (Da Incredible Rap Team), a group project with Guilty Simpson, “Random Axe,” entirely produced by Black Milk and his third and final solo project “Mic Tyson” all set to be released on Duck Down Records. [Read the full story]