Cypress Hill - III: Temples Of Boom - 1995 - Ruffhouse
Cypress Hills' third album marks a definite shift in their sound. And it's pretty easy to figure out why. Four months after they dropped their celebrated sophomore effort, Black Sunday another hip hop LP would blow way up. That album was Enter The Wu-Tang and its influence was indescribable. With that in mind, it's not shocking to see both U-God and RZA as guests whereas previous Cypress Hill albums were completely Soul Assassins family affairs. The other major change would be Sen Dog's lack of input in the project. Around this time he was also dabbling in outside work, and as such barely has any presence here at all. But while III feels very different sonically, it's still very much a Cypress Hill record. Though instead of the aggressive, high energy of the first two records, the production here takes a bit of a breather. This a far more subdued work. Tempos slow down a bit. The atmosphere is all dark tones. The rather incredible "Illusions" is a great example, with its lazy, eerie vibraphone motif. Elsewhere guitar samples and jazz breaks fill in more space, Eric Bobo gets to showcase his bongo work and there's even Buddhist Monks chanting. On a whole, it's maybe a step back from the urgent work of their first two records, but it's also nice to see the group experimenting a bit more out of their comfort zone.
Lil Wayne - I Am Not A Human Being - 2010 - Young Money
I Am Not A Human Being wasn't actually recorded as a studio album, but instead was a smattering of outtakes - I'm guessing from both Rebirth (in the case of the title track) as well as the still-in-progress Carter IV sessions. As such, it doesn't really sound like an album as much as a smattering of outtakes. But luckily, they're mostly all solid ones that deserve to make up a full length on their own. All three Drake duets (he's listed as being on "I'm Single," but he's so totally not on that song) are top-notch, and "Right Above It" certainly made a great single. Elsewhere he brings in Nicki Minaj to handle the chorus of "What's Wrong With Them," which definitely works and Lil Twist to do the same on "Popular," which also works. The record keeps its momentum while constantly switching gears. Opener "Gonorrhea" is hard as nails. The title track is a sort of throwback to Rick Reuben style guitar samples (not unlike Jay's "99 Problems") that I'm guess most people wished that Rebirth had sounded like. Slower tracks like "With You," "I'm Single," and "Popular" all have focused deliveries by Wayne so as never to sound boring. Then we get to the tenth track, "Bill Gates" which is a slow, epic, low-end filled scorcher that somehow sounds triumphant and depressed at the same time. If only the record had ended here, it would have been far better received. Instead, the final three tracks come across as tacked-on outtakes from We Are Young Money. It's a pretty downer way to end an otherwise solid collection.