WK1 - Kanye West - VH1 Storytellers (5.5)

Released - 1/5/09

Label - Island Def Jam

BLURB - Very quietly, Kanye West released his fifth full length album this past week, a CD/DVD encapsulating his performance on VH1 Storytellers. The original airing of the show was well over a month ago and largely featured West's fourth release, '808's and Heartbreaks.' While this release does feature some unique and raw performances, ultimately it's a pretty lackluster representation of one of the greatest artists of the decade.

Rating - 5.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - Well here's the good: there is a full pit orchestra accompanying West for the duration of his Storyteller's set. So instead of just programming instruments and musicians into his production studio laptop, we actually get to see and hear West with a full, dynamic band. What's also good is the energy Kanye musters up for some of the songs, namely 'Touch the Sky' off his second album, 'Late Registration.' Here we see the performer that we've grown so accustomed to. You can hear and (if you have the DVD) see Kanye's amazing stage presence. He boldly commands the stage and the audience in a way that very few performers can claim. Everything was on point here. There were nice little alterations to the song's verses and choruses, an impressive parade of background vocals, and once again - the pit orchestra (w/ electric guitars) added a very unique flavor. Unfortunately, this was probably one of the few highlights from the CD.

What is also unfortunate, is the placement of Kanye's stories and narrative ad-libs. During 'Touch the Sky,' West (mid-song) arrogantly boasts how he feels terrible that he can not personally witness his own performances:

"I am so disappointed that I cannot see me perform...except for on playback. My greatest pain in life, is I will never be able to see me perform. So you are welcome to know a pleasure that I will never have."

Think what you will. Personally, I love when Kanye says crazy shit like this. If I was as talented as him I'd be the same way. Cocky, conceited and arrogant. Kanye West will go down as one of the greatest artists of the decade...it's a fact. So whenever he has a mic in his hand he's likely to remind us of this. My problem is that he goes on this personal diatribe for about six minutes right in the middle of the best song and performance of the show. This transforms the song into a 9:54 short story which I now cannot listen to without skipping forward.

'Flashing Lights' is also another highlight from the Storyteller's performance. This was one of Kanye's most overplayed songs when it came out, but for some reason I still feel it's underrated. A real testament to the song. The string section of the orchestra is featured on this track, and sounds amazing. Once again the energy and momentum are quickly halted as Kanye moves into another personal story. I'm seeing a theme here.

Here's my problem...I think I bit off a little more than I can chew on this one. In buying this album I really didn't factor in the Storyteller's premise of telling stories. Since it was a CD/DVD I figured that the CD would be all music (editing out the narrated sections) and the DVD would be the unaltered, unedited performance. Wrong.

Here's what else I didn't like. Song selection. Keep in mind that I'm going off of the CD (not the DVD) but in a program that showcases the career of Kanye West and how he got to where he is...how does he not perform any songs from "The College Dropout?" That album revolutionized aspects of hip hop and introduced Kanye into the mainstream. How can you not even have one song from that album? It doesn't stop there, as the album has only one track from "Late Registration" and three from "Graduation." So obviously the goal of this performance was to really market and sell "808's and Heartbreaks." Here's my beef. This whole album was made with auto-tone, a drum machine and a keyboard. This repertoire of songs isn't necessarily designed to be performed live and with an orchestra. You can make the argument that of '808's and Heartbreaks,' the only song that would fit this performance style would be 'Love Lockdown' with it's massive percussion sections, pianos and strings. Yet it's nowhere to be found.

The majority of the live auto-tune tracks sound terrible live. Again, this is a great tool in the production studio, but when used live is hard to predict exactly what sound(s) you will get out of it. 'Heartless' is probably the best of the live auto-tune tracks, but that is not to be viewed as a compliment. The old "best trailer in the trailer park" axiom surfaces here. Ironically, I actually do like 'Heartless' in the sense that the performance really darkened the song, musically. Heavy, distorted electric guitars are present throughout the song and give it a real 'metal' feel. Also, Kanye sounds and feels pissed off for the whole song. So even if the auto-tune makes it sound less than superb, the music and Kanye's persona sort of redeem the song, bringing it back to life.

At the end of the day, this album is something that I would really advise against purchasing. And this is coming from a tried and true, dedicated Kanye West fan. It's nice to hear Kanye's personal trials and tribulations weaved throughout his performances...but when I want to throw some Kanye on and blast the iPod, it's not going to be his VH1 Storyteller's performance. If anything, the DVD portion of this album may be worth seeing, but if you're looking for a collection of great live tracks from Kanye, you'll have to look elsewhere.

Tracks
1.) See You in My Nightmares

2.) Robocop

3.) Flashing Lights

4.) Amazing

5.) Touch the Sky

6.) Say You Will

7.) Good Life

8.) Heartless / Pinoccchio's Story

9.) Stronger

WK33 - Chiddy Bang - The Swelly Express (Mixtape) (7.5)

Released - October 2009

Label - Unsigned

BLURB - What an awesome mix tape. Thank you Mr. Tom Ruhf for the recommendation! 'The Swelly Express' was created from Chidera Anamege and Xaphoon Jones as story based mix tape detailing the two's frequent bus trips to New York City from Philadelphia. The album elaborates on the struggles and journeys experienced for two young kids trying to get a hip hop record deal. While a little rough around the edges, this is some good stuff. The production reminds me of early Kanye in that there is great instrumentation and is very sample-heavy. They flaunt their new school vibe with samples from both Passion Pit and MGMT, two of the more recent ground breaking indie acts. Don't know what will come of Chiddy Bang, but it's a great first step...and people are listening.

Rating - 7.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - What's great about 'The Swelly Express' is the pure creativity and originality. It's one thing to just throw some tracks on a mixtape and promote it. But these former Drexel students found a clever way to add some humor and story telling throughout the 18-track mix tape. You can tell they had a good time doing it. In between the majority of the songs are these little skits between Chiddy Bang, producers, bus drivers, label executives, taxi drivers, managers and everyone in between. The only thing is that after hearing this record so many times you just want to listen to the music and not have to deal with the skits.

The best song and beat can be found on the track, 'Now U Know.' The chorus features a well placed, '...and if you don't know, now you know' Notorius B.I.G. sample that really fits the song well. The production is very smooth and upbeat with cool little riffs and synthesizers throughout the track. The emceeing is very upbeat and has an indefinable swagger to it. You can feel the confidence on the track, and that is something that is great to see from an up and coming act.

'Get Up in the Morning' is the lead song on the mix tape and is also filled with the same swagger. While serving as the prologue to the entire story line to the record, it also readies the listener for Chiddy Bang's playful style of rapping, which is very easy going, laid back, yet confident. The duo is also not afraid to flaunt their Philly roots either as they make references to Phillies slugger Ryan Howard. It may be just me, but if you can find a way to work in Philadelphia baseball players, you've got my attention.

And now we move into some of the big samples, the first of which being 'Truth.' This song samples and features a chorus from Passion Pit's 'Better Things.' Of all the songs this track is the most danceable and has a huge amount of energy. This track also shows the group's versatility as they clearly can take care of the 'laid-back, chill out' jams, but they can also throw in some club music too. In the skit directly after this track, a fake 'label executive' tries to describe this song and says, 'I heard Truth, it's really cool, it's like rap but it's not rap, and it just blows my mind.' While simultaneously making fun of the executive they also indirectly illustrate just how great that song is. It is like rap, and it is not like rap. Through the Passion Pit sample Chiddy Bang is able to fuse underground hip hop, pop, indie and dance music into 'Truth,' making for a really amazing interpretation of where music is currently at.

The next huge sample comes by Chiddy Bang's sample of MGMT's 'Kids,' aptly titled 'The Opposite of Adults.' The music is based off of the main riff from 'Kids' but isn't nearly as tight as 'Truth.' The verses aren't as polished as the rest of the album, but it's not that far of a departure. Don't really know why I don't like this song that much, but to me it just has this feel of a couple kids in the basement hanging out and rhyming. Like maybe once they came up with the MGMT sample, they didn't really put a lot of effort into the rest of the song, I don't know.

All things considered, this is a fun record that combines the worlds of indie hip hop and indie pop. It is definitely refreshing and if you are just looking for some good music to hang out and party to, this will probably suit you well. If you want to pick up the mix tape you can get it here. Enjoy.

Tracks

1.) Get Up in the Morning

2.) Never

3.) Danger Zone

4.) Fresh Like Us

5.) Now U Know (feat. Jordan Brown)

6.) Welcome to Major Label Inc (Skit)

7.) Truth (feat. Passion Pit)

8.) Meet Mike Hoffman (Skit)

9.) Pro's Freestyle 1.0

10.) Awesome (Skit)

11.) Dream Chasin'

12.) Silver Screen

13.) Slow Down (feat. Black Thought & elDee the Don)

14.) Decline

15.) Call (Skit)

16.) The Opposite of Adults (KIDS)

17.) Voicemail (Skit)

18.) All Things Go

WK31 - Wale - Attention Deficit (6.5)

Released - 11/10/09

Label - Allido / Interscope Records

BLURB - There's been alot of underground hype with Wale as he's been slowly building a following in the Washington D.C. area. I realized that this wasn't just some local phenomenon when I tried buying the record and it was sold out at two different Best Buys in New York. After listening to the album over the last several weeks, I'm still trying to figure out what all the buzz was about. Its a good record, not great though. I was thinking I was going to get something epic with 'Attention Deficit' but I didn't. No Kanye, Lupe or Common-esque material - just a fairly modest debut.

Rating - 6.5 Out of 10

FULL STORY - What I will say is that there is some really good productions on here. Nearly every track features full bands and actual instrumentation, which is a definite plus. A fair share of samples are used, but they are blended nicely with the actual music.

The best track on the album is 'Mirrors.' Without a doubt. Sounding like something that would appear on a Roots record, 'Mirrors' features several guitar riffs and has a very gritty, classic feel to it. The track features Bun B and is legendarily produced by Mark Ronson (Amy Winehouse, Lily Allen, Maroon 5). Ronson dials in a nice horn section and some wah-guitar, while Wale spews rhymes explaining his originality.

It's no surprise that my second favorite track from the album is also produced by Ronson. This guy is great at bolstering an artist's sound and expanding the musical landscape. Here Ronson brings in big string sections and places an emphasis on the chorus and background vocals with Melanie Fiona. The song is very smooth and feels like it could be a great summer hit. There are a couple other tracks on the record that are just a little too cheesy and geared at the pop radio market and have been featured singles. This blows my mind. 'Beautiful Bliss' is the perfect combination of hip-hop, r&b and pop, and the way Wale, J. Cole and Melanie Fiona gel together is just right. How this became the second last track on the album and hasn't been made a single is curious. That's bad A&R.

'Shades' features Wale's most substantive lyrics. The rest of the material on 'Attention Deficit' is kind of geared to this, 'oh look at me, I'm original, I'm better than you' mentality. This is all well and good, but let's get some other concepts and hear something with depth. Well, we get that with 'Shades.' Wale, brilliantly, depicts his childhood growing up and viewing the ways different shades of African Americans were treated. This is the depth that we're all looking for. I think this is a must listen and could be a gateway for Wale to push forward with. He's pushed the door open, just has to walk through it now.

"They say black is beautiful, but ask them beautiful light girls if it's black they attract to usually. What if Barack's skin was all black? Truthfully, would he be a candidate or just a blackened community. We as black dudes tend to lack unity and them black girls aren't on the tube usually. Right now at 23 I ain't mad at them reds no more, but had gone cold. Blindfolded by my own insecurity, was holding me back to reds. I ain't know how to act. They would get the cold shoulder and know it was an act - a defense mechanism, what I thought that I lacked...confidence."

The song also has a really great beat and a decent amount of synthesizers and we all know my thoughts on synthesizers.

Other than those three tracks this album is very, very average. I have to say I was excited when I saw Pharrell got a track on the album with 'Let it Loose.' Very excited. But I ended up getting let down...very let down. The song has this annoying looping xylophone sound that drives me crazy. It sounds like Swizz Beat's 'It's Me.' Pharrell doesn't provide a verse, but does get the chorus and the production, obviously. Maybe I had my expectations to high? When I see that I'm going to get this rising new rapper, in Wale, and Pharrell together on one song, I thought it would be amazing. My fault.

The other interesting combo appears on 'Chillin' where Wale teams up with Lady Gaga. The track revolves around a sample of the, 'Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye' song and it's terrible. It is the definition of cheesy hip hop. I'd like to know who said yes to the question, 'Hey, want to to do a song with Lady Gaga where we sample that one hey hey hey goodbye song?' Next time just say no.

Other bombs on this album include a painfully slow 'Contemplate' which samples the embattled Rihanna's 'Question Existing.' I actually have always liked this Rihanna song for some reason. It's dark and kind of out there, and this was well before Chris Brown smacked her around and pushed her to the dark side. '90210' is the third Ronson-produced track and is equally bad. This track focuses on the lifestyles of hollywood celebs and it is all too cliched. Whenever I hear '90210' it makes me think of the travesty that was Good Charlotte's 'Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous,' and that is never a good thing.

So here we are. A couple of dashes of brilliance, but Wale's 'Attention Deficit' never gets off the ground and into the musical realm I thought it could go into. He's been receiving gold stars from a large number of music critics and generally, has been very well received. I just want to see if this goes somewhere - he certainly has the potential.

Tracks

1.) Triumph

2.) Mama Told Me

3.) Mirrors

4.) Pretty Girls

5.) World Tour

6.) Let it Loose

7.) 90210

8.) Chillin'

9.) TV in the Radio

10.) Contemplate

11.) Diary

12.) Beautiful Bliss

13.) Prescription

WK25 - Green Tea - Places + Spaces (8)

Released - 8/11/09

Label - Plug

BLURB - It's amazing what one man can accomplish nowadays. Green Tea spoils his listeners with a parade of timeless grooves traversing the last three decades of music, while somehow remaining new. The DJ combines rich bass lines with strings, synth, guitars, keyboards and even a fair amount of flute play. Quite the pairing risk, but it comes off sincere and unforced. The entire album is extremely danceable, in a very laid back fashion. The only flaw is that portions can become monotonous as Green Tea's distinct feel and vibe clearly resonates throughout the entire record. Nonetheless, a great debut.

RATING - 8 out of 10

FULL STORY - R&B, electronic, disco, rock, pop and hip hop laced tones can be found in nearly each of the album's 13 tracks. Despite the fact that this formula works brilliantly, Green Tea's musical fulcrum never really bends too far. Cautious and predictable would be two adjectives one could use to describe, "Places + Spaces." Each song appears to be have been baked on the same cookie sheet, with many tracks sounding similar. But before you jump to any conclusions, let me unequivocally state that this is not a bad thing. Here's why. With DJ's, so many times the emphasis gets put on having this killer "beat." "Oh man, that beat's hot," or "did you hear that crazy beat" are often phrases the less informed used to describe songs, myself included. While having a great beat is certainly a positive and can really help drive a song, it does not alone make the song - or at least it shouldn't. It's like making a salad with only lettuce.

What Green Tea does well on this album is establish some kind of beat or groove, that while it does serve as the foundation, it is not limited to one function and gets subtly de- and re-emphasized. Green Tea accomplishes this by shifting the audiences attention to and from the beat with an infinite amount of hooks, leads and riffs. Whether it is a high synth lead, a distorted guitar, or an all together silence leaving only the rhythm of the snare hits, there is always substantive factors contributing and improving upon the beat. The use and manipulation of motifs is also something that is undervalued in music today. Green Tea admirably creates, reverses, speeds up and twists motifs, forming a satiable experience for his audience to soak up.

The other facet of this album I really enjoyed is how much it feels like a live band. "Places + Spaces" sounds unmistakably similar to Lotus's, "Nomad" one of my favorite albums of all time. Lotus is more or less a perfect fusion of rock, jazz, r&b and electronic rolled up into a jam band that is not afraid to experiment. So for a DJ to be compared to them is certainly high praise. Fans of Elliot Lipp, Lotus, Pnuma Trio and STS9 will likely become fans of this relaxing collection of electronic tracks.

Two cuts on this record feature performances by another Plug Label artist, Kero One. This emcee fits Green Tea's vibe brilliantly. His verses and phrasing are very hook friendly and can get stuck in your head instantly. This is also helped by the duo's intrinsic simplicity, as they never try to do too much and avoid flooding tracks with unneeded rhymes or cluttered sounds. 'Future Classic and 'Yes Party People' feature Kero One and are great examples of how well each accents the other.

Some of the other signature instrumental tracks on this record include 'Jazzy Joint,' 'Thinking of a Master Plan' and 'Words Left Unspoken.' If your looking for some music to kick back and relax to, these are definitely a couple must-haves. Portions may become repetitive and redundant, but everyone has a learning curve and this will remain a great starting point for Green Tea

Tracks

1.) Something Like This

2.) Maximum Joy

3.) Dew Drops in the Garden

4.) Cruise Control

5.) Jazzy Joint

6.) Future Classic

7.) Words Left Unspoken

8.) Porto Seguro

9.) Thinking of a Master Plan

10.) Yes Party People

11.) Eclectic Relaxation

12.) The Waiting Game

13.) Cruise Control 2.0

WK24 - Kid Cudi - Man on the Moon: End of Day (4)

Released - 9/15/09

Label - Universal Motown Records

BLURB - There was a ton of hype with this record. Kid Cudi's highly touted mix tapes had garnered a ton of steam. I was even lucky enough to see him live over the summer...his show was amazing with a ridiculous amount of energy. There were crazy guest appearances scheduled for this release, awesome remixes and hit singles to be found. The album even got pushed back from it's original August release date several times, just to make sure everything was set up perfectly. This should be the genre mystifying, transcendent album of the year, no? There's one thing missing on this overly marketed, much anticipated album...substance. The whole CD attempts to redefine hip-hop through this monotonous, alternative, down tempo style. It just doesn't work for me.

Rating - 4 out of 10

FULL STORY - Here's my take on this. Over the last few years there has been this sort of indie, hip-hop, alternative, rap counter-culture on the rise. When I grew up, not to sound racist or judgmental, and speaking in the most lamens of terms - but the white kids were listening to punk and skateboarding and the black kids were listening to hip hop and clubbing. Groups like N.E.R.D, Gym Class Heroes, Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco and such, came into great prominence and reversed everything. All of a sudden you had lots of black kids getting into skateboarding and while not entirely leaving their hip hop obsession, shifted their musical taste to a more alternative, skateboardy, nerdy feel. Meanwhile acts like 50 Cent, L'il Wayne and T-Pain were on a huge tear, dropping tons and tons of club hits. These mainstream names worked their way into suburban America, and all of a sudden every white kid named Zack was standing in line waiting to buy, 'Tha Carter III.' You can look it up - the facts are there. The majority of these huge star, hip hop artists (50 Cent, L'il Wayne, etc.) ended up having their highest sales come from purchases by suburban white males between 15-25.

How does this shift affect Kid Cudi? Well, he came into prominence as the landscape in music was changing. So he not only grew up on hip hop, but he also grew up on indie and punk, as did those that will buy his record. This creates a huge demographic of 15-25 year olds, that like all kinds of music. Where Kid Cudi gets in trouble is trying to appease not only his diverse musical background, but the diverse musical background of hundreds of thousands of potential consumers of his record. 'Man on the Moon: End of Day,' while extremely unique in it's own right, doesn't really accomplish anything. The whole album seems terribly slow and monotonous. Almost every song sounds alike - kind of slow, somewhat emotional, 'look at me' lyrics, with little or no rapping. It's really weird in the sense that this album kind of sounds like a spoken word novel. There isn't a lot of rapping, Kid Cudi doesn't sing, and yet there are these words and lyrics and lines flying all over the place without any real importance on their delivery.

Musically, the record sounds exactly like Kanye West's, '808's & Heartbreaks.' Some parts almost sound stolen. Here's what made Kanye's record great, and Kid Cudi's uninspiring. '808's & Heartbreak' was real, raw emotion mixed with Kanye's, 'fuck-you' attitude. West created a record filled with incredibly basic, yet creative beats and filled them with lyrical themes that really hadn't been explored in the hip hop realm. He didn't care. He was looking for the quickest way possible to get out all of the emotion and stress he was under while dealing with the death of his mother and countless other events that were going on in his personal life. His record was not marketed at all and literally took only a month or so to record and put out. It served as a time capsule for everything that he was feeling at that moment, musically and personally. It 'was' Kanye West at that exact moment.

Kid Cudi on the other hand, obviously heavily influenced by Kanye's musical evolution (he appeared on West's album), and the evolution of music in general, puts out a record that feels forced and uninspired. It's as if he made a product based on what people thought his product should sound like. He's trying to please too many people at the same time, while simultaneously trying to break into the music industry. Take it slow - focus on what your good at, and slowly refine your style.

'C'mon man...Day n Nite and Make Her Say are awesome,' - nameless Kid Cudi fan. I'll give you that one. Keep in mind that both of the songs are old. Both of these songs appeared on mix tapes and as unreleased leaks a while ago. Both of these songs stand out. However, both of these songs ('Make Her Say,' more so) don't gel with the record, as they have a more straight up hip hop feel. This is like waving a donut in front of a fat guy. Look at these awesome hip hop songs, they're awesome...now buy my CD. The whole album, contrary to the singles, is very melodramatic and sullen. He, almost inadvertently, forces all of the attention on to himself as opposed to the music.

The vibe that comes off from this record is so, 'Hey look at me, I'm Kid Cudi, I'm the man, everyone loves everything I do.' Meanwhile, he's really never done anything. I think this album is too ambitious for a debut. It tries to accomplish too many things at once, without really accomplishing anything. Yes, it's a new sound. Yes, it's pushing music in a new direction. Yes, it will appeal to the masses - but don't tell me how great Kid Cudi is. He just showed up two weeks ago, he's not hip hop's messiah. That's Lupe Fiasco. It's interesting to give, 'Man on the Moon' a couple of listens to try and see what is going on, but if you're like me, you'll end up just picking it apart. It's funny reading reviews for this, because every positive review states, 'if you don't like this, then you just don't get the scene.' I beg to differ. Maybe this artist, that every 15-25 year old indie, rap fan adores and has put all of their faith in, just flopped. Don't rationalize a poor effort by suggesting that, 'I don't get it.'

If you're looking for a true genre-bending artist that mixes urban music with alternative and indie, check out Kenna. He was featured in Malcolm Gladwell's book, 'Blink.' The chapter on Kenna revolves around how Kenna mixes all of these different sounds, is infinitely talented and yet has struggled to gain notoriety. His lack of success was blamed on the public's nature to be ephemeral, just giving a quick listen - then moving on. All the while, Kenna was accomplishing everything that Kid Cudi is currently attempting to accomplish...years ago.

And another thing...if you're going to work with MGMT, at least make a decent song.

Tracks

1.) In My Dreams (Cudder Anthem)

2.) Soundtrack 2 My Life

3.) Simple As...

4.) Solo Dolo (Nightmare)

5.) Heart of a Lion (Kid Cudi Theme Music)

6.) Day 'n' Nite

7.) Sky Might Fall

8.) Enter Galactic (Love Connection, Pt. 1)

9.) Cudi Zone

10.) Up Up & Away

11.) My World

12.) Hyyerr

13.) Alive (Nightmare)

14.) Make Her Say

15.) Pursuit of Happiness (Nightmare)

WK 19 - Mos Def - The Ecstatic - (10)

Released - 6/9/09

Label - Downtown Music, LLC

BLURB - Wow! This really blew me away. 'The Ecstatic' is pure hip hop with a purpose and a message...those two usually don't go hand in hand. I actually read a great deal about Mos Def in the book, 'It's Bigger Than Hip Hop: The Rise of the Post Hip Hop Generation' by M.K. Asante, and was a casual listener to Mos before this record. Yet, I never really threw myself into his visions and ideals; I would simply throw on Ms. Fat Booty when I wanted to hear a good groove. 'The Ecstatic' an is open-ended story of Mos' life in Brooklyn through varying perspectives, that unintentionally lays the blue print for what hip hop should and could be.

Rating - 10 out of 10

FULL STORY - So right out of the chute I noticed two main elements that popularize today's hip hop tracks, that were nowhere to be found on this record. Profanity and the use of the chorus. Every top hit in today's rap world is pumped with vulgarities and slurs, and is almost used as a way to market the artist and draw in an audience. It's so commonplace that these words end up losing their meaning, diminishing their importance, and distracting the listener from the music. The average listener can also be distracted by the choruses of songs. I understand their importance in today's music, but when you are conditioned to hearing that chorus or hook every 45 seconds, a song can become tired and predictable. By avoiding profanities and for the most part, choruses, Mos Def puts you in the room with him. It's just his words, thoughts and moods - and you are allowed to experience all of this with no obstacles on 'The Ecstatic.'

'Peace before everything / God before anything / Love before anything / Real before anything / Home before any place / Truth before anything...'

This is something you live your life by...and it's in a rap song? It's simple, it's to the point and it's repeated throughout, 'Priority.' The song clocks in at 1:23, and with the above phrase circling the speakers, that's all it needs. Mos generates power through simplicity here, as is the theme with this record. Sometimes it's just a really smart phrase while other times it's nearly a whole song.

'The way I feel, sometimes it's too hard to sit still. Things are so passionate, times are so real. Sometimes I try to chill, mellow down, blow a smoke. Smile on my face, but it's really no joke. You feel it in the street - that the people breath without hope. They're going through the motions, they're dimming down their focus. The focus gets clear and the light turns sharp. The eyes go teary, the mind grows weary. I speak it so clearly sometimes you don't hear me. I push it past the bass, no nations got to feel me. I feel it in my bones.'

Mos speaks his mind here on, 'Auditorium.' His lyrics are sincere and his delivery is very personable. This makes it very easy to simply listen to what he has to say. Another thing to note here is that at no time does Mos Def become preachy. 'The Ecstatic' is his, made for and by himself. His act is not forced upon the listener in any way, which results in added credibility - there is no agenda.

What also makes this record so easy to enjoy is the fact the music and beats are just as well done as the lyrics. The majority of the tracks have a very old school feel and minimalistic groove, but it always works. It never gets boring or redundant. And if you don't want to hear those classic drum beats, Mos recruits Chad Hugo of the Neptunes to lay down a very heavy, 'Twilite Speedball.' Even 'Life in Marvelous Times' (my favorite track), there is a very modern, almost a club feel to it. From the snare claps to the synth, the music sounds similar to something T-Pain would have been featured on...but actually good.

Mos Def also switches up the style on, 'Quiet Dog' with just a mere clap track. If anyone else would try to rhyme over such an under produced beat it would sound like some terrible demo that Joey in Queens made in his basement. Mos brings an incredible energy and creativity through his rhyming structures and lyrics to the song, punching it up to a new level.

'Roses' showcases the emcee's diversity and willingness to step out of the traditional hip hop mold. This song is like a blend of Lauryn Hill and Sa-Ra Creative Partners. Wandering, yet steady piano chords help to form a soulful vibe. Blackstar partner Talib Kweli predictably and perfectly, teams up with Mos for, 'History' on yet another soulful groove. A couple subtle guitar riffs and a looping sample provide all that is needed for this smooth track. 'Casa Bey,' the record's closing track has production value bursting at the seems. A full horn section, keyboard, synth and some African percussion create a powerful and meaningful ending to a powerful and meaningful album.

Diversity, intelligence and creativity are around every turn of, 'The Ecstatic.' This will go down as one of the best hip hop records of the best ten years, at least in my eyes. Real hip hop is back.

Tracks

1.) Supermagic

2.) Twilite Speedball

3.) Auditorium

4.) Wahid

5.) Priority

6.) Quiet Dog

7.) Life in Marvelous Times

8.) The Embassy

9.) No Hay Nada Mas

10.) Pistola

11.) Pretty Dancer

12.) Workers Camp

13.) Revelations

14.) Roses

15.) History

16.) Casa Bey

WK15 - Sa-Ra Creative Partners - Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love (10)

Released - 6/23/09

Label - Ubiquity Records

BLURB - A buffet of sounds, with limitless soul, r&b, jazz, hip-hop and avant garde. This is what has been lacking from music. It's weird and strange, yet simple and to the point. Not since Andre 3000's efforts on, 'The Love Below' have I heard orchestration and composition like this. With two discs, totaling twenty-three tracks there are so many choices, possibilities and options for the listener to tune in to. If you like cookie cutter smooth r&b and typical hip-hop, you'll hate 'Nuclear Evolution.' This record really pushes the limits of so many different genres in such a relaxed motion. I can't put it down.

Rating - 10 out of 10

FULL STORY - For those that don't know, Sa-Ra Creative Partners is a three man songwriting and production posse. They've written with tons of other artists and have flown under the radar appearing mostly on mix tapes. Their work and song construction is very direct and extremely well thought out. It's blatantly obvious that they do not write material for themselves and almost prefer to stay out of the spotlight. Nearly half of this record has female vocals, yet Sa-Ra is three guys. The production of their songs are tailored to be great songs and great music. If they appear on the track, fine, but if they can achieve the sound they are striving to create through other vocalists, musicians or emcees, they acknowledge that, and get themselves out of the way. It's creating the best music they can create, even if it is for another performer. Music for music's sake.

'Spacefruit' opens the album brilliantly. This track wanders through space and open air with an uncharacteristic beat and very few lyrics. I can vision this as the opening to a movie - it works just as well opening the record. 'Spacefruit' takes off somewhere near Mars and ends up in Harlem. The second track, 'Dirty Beauty' is very chill and a great song to ride your beat up old huffy around town to. There is rapping but it is more like slow talking, to a beat. Very relaxed, with no real direction. 'I Swear' is the third track and is brilliant. There are female vocals all over the place, in the foreground, in the background, coming out of left field...all over a foundation of light jazz keyboards. The pace is slow but it works for the song. Think of this as if a producer told Corinne Bailey Rae to just relax and sing whatever came to her over a downbeat, minimal jazz-pop groove.

'Traffika' gets nice and urban for the audience. The song bashes cops constantly, but you'd never know because it's not in your face ala NWA. This is easily the most hip-hop track on the record and discusses drug trafficking and corrupt cops trying take out the new generation of intelligent, soulful urban youths.

"It's the nu-bonic plague, we gotta get away. Crooked ass cops, they comin from the blocks"

The best track to groove to is, 'Bitch Baby.' There is a really nice, old school drum beat which is countered with a very new school synth loop. This is Sa-Ra at their best. Let's take something amazing from past but then add something amazing from the present...and let's make it groove. 'Bitch Baby' is followed up by the vintage-sounding, 'Love Czars.' Another downtempo track that sounds like it is out of a history book and is also great to groove to. Right away I thought of one of my favorite groups growing up...Arrested Development. A guitar riff with the treble way up flows throughout the song, visiting both high and low registers. There aren't many lyrics with this one, but it's still great. Clocking in at nearly eight minutes, you can just hit play, kick your feet up and nod your head to the calming beat.

'Gemini's Rising,' which is more or less the song the group is pushing the most, offers vocals coming from all directions, intermingled with a bunch of futuristic sounds and effects. It's not the best song on the record, but it's easy to like, and once again, laid back. 'The Bone Song' follows this up, and no it's not about tibias and femurs. Plain and simply it's about fucking. The sex is turned on for this r&b track and features a raunchy chorus...

'Is it that I want you? Do I just want to bone you? The little things that you do, just make me wanna bone you. Girl, as long as I've known you, I've been tryin to bone you, so tell me what we gonna do...'

The award for the second coolest dance jam on the album goes to, 'Move Your Ass.' An awe-inspiring funk bass riff soars through the track at a blistering pace, with dashes of keyboards, synth and other effects. No lyrics, no raps, no background vocals...just a great, funky, experimental dance beat done to perfection. But don't worry...there are some great vocals on here too. 'My Star' features some angelic voicing, which sounds eerily similar to Corinne Bailey Rae. That is a huge compliment by the way, and further...now everybody knows my fanaticism with Corinne Bailey Rae.

The end of the record gets very funky and very experimental. 'Spaceways Theme' sounds like a futuristic jazz piano improvisation. There is also an avant guarde feel to this track. There are plenty of dissonant notes that just sound wrong and out of place, but as you listen to the song over and over again, you wouldn't change it. The next song, 'Just Like a Baby' give the audience some blues beats mixed with a very laid back funk vibe. Imagine George Clinton singing the blues in a lounge.

Embracing the auto-tune generation, Sa-Ra belts out the voice modulator for, 'Double Dutch (Co Co Pops).' This song needs to be on the radio and in clubs. It's so catchy and makes up for a lot of the energy that some of the record lacks.

The aforementioned award for coolest dance jam goes to, 'Death of a Superstar (Supernova).' I guarantee after you hear this the first time, it will be stuck in your head for a month. Very old school and disco-esque with tons of synth and great production. This is the best song on the album, and one of the better songs I've heard all year. 'Powder Bump' and 'Hanging By a String' close out the record as they should. These are two great songs that bend genres. Is it techno? Is it jazz? Is it synth-pop? Is it hip hop? Is it r&b? The answer to each question is arguably, yes. The music and production, again, is so incredibly well done that there are no lyrics, but you never even notice. There is so much going on, that with each song you inevitably get lost in them. As should be the overall theme of, 'Nuclear Evolution: The Age of Love.'

This is easily the most eclectic, modern, laid back, hip-hop, futuristic, urban, jazz, r&b record I've ever heard. That being said, I've never heard all of those categories brought together as one, before this. It's incredibly new. Get lost in it.

Tracks

1.) Spacefruit

2.) Dirty Beauty

3.) I Swear

4.) Melodee N'mynor

5.) He Say She Say

6.) Traffika

7.) Souls Brother

8.) Bitch Baby

9.) Love Czars

10.) Gemini's Rising

11.) The Bone Song

12.) White Cloud

13.) Move Your Ass

14.) Love Today

15.) Can I Get You Hi

16.) My Star

17.) Cosmic Ball

18.) Spaceways Theme

19.) Just Like a Baby

20.) Double Dutch (Co Co Pops)

21.) Death of a Star (Supernova)

22.) Powder Bump

23.) Hangin' By a String

WK8 - Black Eyed Peas - The E.N.D. (7.5)

Released - 6/9/09

Label - Interscope Records

BLURB - Wow. This is not the Black Eyed Peas, this is, 'The Will.I.Am Experience.' Will was not lying when he said this record was going to be heavily influenced by the european electronic trance culture. While visiting Cherry Lane several months ago, Will referenced his fanaticism for the Crookers (if you haven't heard of them, go buy everything they've put out) and submitted that the new BEP record would be heavily influenced by that sound. This is more or lease a 'pop / rave / electronic' type-feel. There are some massive club bangers on this album, along with some great samples. The beats and the production are out of this world on more than a handful of tracks. However, there are also several songs on here, that for no reason, made the final cut. This is poppin' but, there may be a little too much cheese for the populous to handle.

RATING - 7.5 out of 10

FULL STORY - The premise and name of this record is, 'The Energy Never Dies.' Will Adams and the rest of the 'Peas have been notedly outspoken about the decline of the record industry. There are no longer albums...it is more or less a pick and choose culture, and that is the mentality around this record. 'The E.N.D.' is meant to be an album that is constantly changing. Whether it be additional releases, blogging, pictures, videos, etc., the album is intended to be open-ended and not your traditional album. It's an interesting premise, but for those involved in the industry, and until further notice, this is still just an album.

As I referenced earlier, this is clearly Will's baby. After a long career with the Black Eyed Peas, Will emerged as one of the premier producers and songwriter's in the industry. With a resume that includes penning hits for Common, Justin Timberlake, Talib Kweli, NAS, John Legend, Flo Rida, Nicole Scherzinger (Pussycat Dolls) and countless others, Adams is clearly his own entity. Will has even scored portions of 'Shrek 3' and was a vocal political activist, campaigning for Barack Obama's presidency. By the way, he also released his own (much underrated) record, 'Songs About Girls' in 2008. So it shouldn't come as a surprise that he took charge and direction for 'The E.N.D.'

'Boom Boom Pow,' Billboards #1 Top 100 (for what seems like months) opens the album, and deservingly so. The track is multi-toned with two clearly different grooves going on. There is the verse and the chorus which, while great, can get a bit redundant. But BEP does a great job in varying energy with a tremendous 'B' section (See Also: 'Will.I.Am Drop the Beat Now!). Apl.De.Ap has an 'average' verse, but this is clearly a Will / Fergie number. The second single, 'Imma Be' is also another two section track...and another Will / Fergie number. In my opinion this single is a cut above 'Boom Boom Pow' but there is an extremely awkward transition between the 'A' and the 'B' section that really will prevent it from becoming popular on radio. It's a very unimaginative and just plain 'weird' segway between two great beats, that has Will basically talking over a string section. But there are some really great, contagious beats that will be huge in the clubs and guaranteed to make the crowd move.

Other smashes on this record include, 'Rock That Body,' 'Missing You,' 'Party All the Time,' and 'Rockin to the Beat.' So far, the clear cut joint of choice, for me at least, is 'Rock That Body.' The track features a sample of Rob Base and DJ E-Z Rock's, 'It Takes Two,' electronic voicing and a killer beat. All of the aforementioned are completely nailed. The tempo changes, beats, verses, chorus, production...everything. It's just right. The only complaint listeners will have is the lyrics, but that being said this is the Black Eyed Peas. This is the group that brought us the line, 'My humps, my humps, my lovely lady lumps.' I don't really expect too much lyrically, I've been long conditioned to just nod my head and disregard what is being said. Another interesting song of note is, 'Meet Me Halfway.' This song features Fergie handling the choruses, in what sounds like a tune from 1988. Minimalist keys and old school synth provide the backdrop for Fergie to belt out, 'Can you meet me halfway / right at the borderline...' The verses dabble between Apl.De.Ap and Adams, in what is as close to spoken word as one can get. The song does modernize fairly quickly as some 'talk-box' effects come in to play later on. Standard protocol in today's hip hop world.

And now for the cheese...namely, 'Ring-A-Ling.' I can't listen to this song...it's endlessly annoying. What's worse is that the song has an amazing beat, which is ruined by a chorus of, 'Ding-a-ling-a-ling-lings.' This is where BEP gets into a little bit of trouble. Including songs like this, compromise the fact that this is not meant to be your 'standard' album. Au contraire, my funky friends. Songs like this are your typical album filler fare. I can definitely see this song being pressured to make the record from the label from a marketing standpoint. It gets lodged in your head and would be perfect for an AT&T commercial. Also, 'Showdown' is a pretty regrettable song, but I can see it being used for pretty much any sporting event. Don't tell me that this is a european fused, ever-changing dance record, and then include two sales jingles.

The next two singles slated for release are, 'Alive' and 'I Gotta Feeling,' and while they are nice songs, they are nothing more. No really crazy beats or production values, but they will mesh well for TV / Film synchs and radio airplay. So while these are singles, to me, they still have that filler feeling. The tracks are nice, but nothing crazy, and at the end of the day they don't really impress me or warrant a second listen.

There are also two pop-culture 'call-to-arms' tracks that don't really mesh with the atmosphere established by the impressive club vibe that was created by, 'Boom Boom Pow' and 'Rockin to the Beat.' The songs, 'One Tribe' and 'Now Generation' have good intentions, but again they don't really go anywhere or cover anything that I'm not already aware of. I also feel that these tracks were stymied by the band themselves. Will did a great job releasing culturally aware tracks for the Democratic Convention and Obama's inevitable presidency, when they needed to be released. On the record, it's as if Adams was handcuffed and there was a conversation such as, 'Hey Will - those Obama tracks were great, we should do a couple for the record.' Again, while the intentions were good, the end result was not. 'Yes We Can' and 'It's a New Day' were so politically charged and released at the proper time, that they made the songs greater than what they should have been. Likewise, the fact that, 'One Tribe' and 'Now Generation' were released within this club-feel album, really detracts from any emotion or cause the 'Peas were trying to accomplish.

So all this being said, this is great record...but you may have to skip few a songs. Be on the look out for infinite remixes to some of these ditties. I'll be loving life the next time I'm out downtown, with drink in hand, and hear 'Rock That Body' pumping through the speakers.

Tracks

1.) Boom Boom Pow

2.) Rock That Body

3.) Meet Me Halfway

4.) Imma Be

5.) I Gotta Feeling

6.) Alive

7.) Missing You

8.) Ring-A-Ling

9.) Party All the Time

10.) Out of My Head

11.) Electric City

12.) Showdown

13.) Now Generation

14.) One Tribe

15.) Rockin to the Beat

WK5 - Eminem - Relapse (6)

Released: 5/19/09

Label: Aftermath Records

BLURB - Ah yes, the much anticipated, long overdue release by Marshall Mathers. From all accounts thus far, I am supposed to either love or hate this record. Predictably, I kind of fall somewhere in the middle. It really isn't bad, as this is one of the first rap records in a while that has a consistent flow and theme that links every track together. Despite releasing what seemed to be like half of the record as singles in the months leading up to the release, every song seems to fit nicely into the, 'Prescription Drug Abuse / I'm Fucking Crazy' theme that Eminem establishes. However, there is nothing that transcends the rap and hip-hop genre(s) on here...way too much hype. It's a shock-and-awe diary of drug abuse and psychopath behavior. I'll like this record this week and next week, and probably the week after that - but a year from now I'll forget this is on my iPod.

Rating - 6 out of 10

FULL STORY - I've always viewed Eminem as the bearded lady at the carnival. Every year or so when the traveling circus comes to town you see the bearded lady and just wonder about her life. How did this happen? Is it real? You become so intrigued and interested in their tent and want more. Upon realizing that she does indeed have a real beard, it almost validates her life. We could have all seen the bearded lady thirty or forty times in our lives, but it is always shocking and interesting because we don't see it everyday. You ask questions and for the first few weeks after the carnival ends, that's all you think about - but eventually you move on. Take Eminem. His rap is not the rap that is on radio. His lyrics shock us, because we don't regularly (or ever) discuss how we are going to kill our mothers or overdose on valium.

For the early years of his career, Eminem released albums probably every year or two and the public would go nuts. It was then and only then, that we could all go to Best Buy and for $11.99 take part in the Eminem circus. What would he say on the record? What would it sound like? How many times is he going to say fag? Is Eminem's Mom going to file another lawsuit? This is obviously why there was so much hype for 'Relapse.' We've all gotten used to the idea that every year or so, as soon as we get bored with all of the generic rap that floods the market, Eminem comes out of the shadows and throws us a bone. So after almost six years, we are finally seeing the bearded lady.

What I like most about this album is that it is, in fact, an album. There is a theme. There is a goal. Every song fits, and even the dialogues and skits don't throw off the momentum of the disc. On Eminem's first release, 'The Slim Shady LP' there was absolutely no flow. Even though, 'My Name Is' ultimately broke Eminem as an artist...that song was terrible. It was just zany pop culture satire, filled with expletives. So when you juxtapose that to a great song like, 'Guilty Conscience' not only does it further discredit, 'My Name Is' but it also discredits the record as a collection of songs. This happened again when, 'The Marshall Mathers LP' came out in 2000. 'The Way I Am' and 'Stan' were easily two of the best raps songs of the last ten years, but when they are sandwiched in between dumb, irrelevant songs like 'The Real Slim Shady' it gets frustrating for the listener. With 'The Eminem Show' and 'Encore' it was more of the same thing. A couple glimpses of brilliance, but holistically there was always a let-down. Every time you think you're getting somewhere and witnessing real substance, you're forced to wake up.

When I first listened to, 'Relapse' I got to 'My Mom', which was only the third track, and was about 5 seconds away from giving up and switching over to something, anything else. Possibly one of the most annoying songs I've ever heard. Basically it's just an anthem claiming that because Mather's Mom did drugs while he was growing up, he subsequently ended up in rehab. After one chorus, it's just like...ok...we get it. However, unlike, 'My Name Is' or 'The Real Slim Shady' this track does serve a purpose. As terrible and forgettable as the song is, I'm slightly more lenient because, 'My Mom' has a place on 'Relapse.'

The lyrical content of this entire record doesn't really appeal to me. I don't have a a drug problem and generally don't fantasize about killing and raping others. But hey - that's just me. So while this album is entirely unrelatable for me, how am I still listening? Well, as I said before, Eminem is not the rap that we hear every day. Whereas most emcees rap to the beat, Eminem generally raps around, over and through the beat. What this does is create two completely separate melodies (musical and lyrical) that weave throughout the song, which is quite enjoyable and often addictive. '3 AM' is a great example. The entire track is about killing people and choking down pills, not my forte, but for some unknown reason I can't stop listening to it. Also, contributing to the addictive nature of some of these tracks are some really great production efforts. Mixing both new and old school drum beats with some strategically placed background effects and instrumentation, in a fashion that is not overly complex, really gives Eminem alot of freedom to roam, lyrically. Dr. Dre produced the majority of this record and really did a superb job creating tracks that enhance Eminem's rhymes, rather than detract from them. 'Bagpipes From Baghdad' really sums up this process - straight, old school snare and hi hat, mixed with some screeching strings, a very catchy, middle-eastern bagpipe riff and for good measure...the outro has some brief vocal auto-tuning, a la '808's and Heartbreaks.'

So, the long and short of this is that I do like the record, for now. It's tight and well thought out. I think we'll all initially praise 'Relapse' because we haven't heard anything remotely like this in six years. I'll probably be blasting this throughout the summer, but I'll eventually move on and 'Relapse' will get buried in a cardboard box labeled 'Ryan's CD's.'

One more side note...can we please stick a fork in 50 Cent? His verse is completely regrettable on, 'Crack a Bottle.' I almost felt bad for him listening to it.

Tracks

1.) Dr. West (Skit)

2.) 3 A.M.

3.) My Mom

4.) Insane

5.) Bagpipes From Baghdad

6.) Hello

7.) Tonya (Skit)

8.) Same Song & Dance

9.) We Made You

10.) Medicine Ball

11.) Paul (Skit)

12.) Stay Wide Awake

13.) Old Time's Sake

14.) Must be the Ganja

15.) Mr. Mathers (Skit)

16.) Deja Vu

17.) Beautiful

18.) Crack a Bottle

19.) Steve Berman (Skit)

20.) Underground