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Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous
Because y'all keep talking bout a bunch of bullshit rap. Also last year was an epochal year for rap.. this year is just a batch of bitches, a bunch of bitches in bundle, a batch bundle
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too negative man. If you don't like the hip hop being discussed, then sway the discussion into something you do like instead of just dissing shit that others like. All I'm trying to do is spur conversation beyond "that group sucks" or "yeah that's good."
Danger Doom - The Mouse And The Mask - 2005 - Epitaph
Danger Mouse and MF Doom teamed up in 2005 to record this album that was sort of a vanity project for Cartoon Network's "Adult Swim" line-up of shows. As such it's full of cameos from various cartoon characters and has all the swears beeped out to resemble the MA-13 rating of the Adult Swim shows. So to some degree your enjoyment of this record may depend on how familiar you are with Space Ghost: Coast To Coast, Aqua Teen Hunger Force or The Brak Show. Thematically, the skits work out great. The ongoing answering machine messages from Master Shake who is waiting for Doom to call him back about collaborating are hilarious. The outro of Meatwad rapping Doom's "Beef Rap" is as ridiculous as it sounds. And really, even if you're not into the Cartoon Network stuff, it's still easy to enjoy this one on its own as a way over-the-top fun record. And it references plenty of other cartoons that you might remember from your younger days. Danger Mouse's beats are excellent throughout and move from sci-fi flavored Exotica ("El Chupa Nibre") to sweeping strings ("Crosshairs," "Sofa King") to 70's kitchen sink funk ("Space Ho's") to Tarantino-approved trailer music ("Old School") and everywhere in between. The guest appearances are phenomenal and feature a higher profile cast than most Doom albums Ghostface Killah and Talib Kweli in particular both knock their verses out of the park. Though this is a short album it begs for repeated listenings as lines seem to get funnier and beats more intricate with each listen.
Wu-Tang Clan - 8 Diagrams - Universal Motown - 2007
It's almost weird that this is only the fifth Wu-Tang Clan studio album. Amidst the myriad solo releases and compilations out there, it's easy to forget that it's actually quite a rarity for the core members of the Clan to all come together like Voltron. And when it does happen every five years or so, it's always a big event. 8 Diagrams was no exception, as it hit stores in December alongside Ghostface's Big Doe Rehab which is interesting considering the rather public complaints that Ghost and Rae made about the RZA's control over this album. When you hear the result though, it's kind of hard to point any fingers at the RZA, who crafted another solid album that the group should be proud of. While the cover art looks like a crappy bootleg, the music is a different story. Opener "Campire" kicks thing off in a dark and awesome fashion. The beat is slow and chugging and reminiscent of the more lo-fi work that RZA put in on The W. Meth, Ghost and Cappadonna are all in top form to start the show. Much of the first half feels pretty similar - which is a good thing. The highly publicized "The Heart Gently Weeps" serves as a bit of the centerpiece, and turning point in the record. The track of course made waves when it was announced that the Wu were able to clear a sample of The Beatles' "While My Guitar Gently Weeps." And things went even more over the top when they brought in George Harrison's own son along with the Red Hot Chili Pepper's John Fruscante as well as Erykah Badu. It really is a bit of an all-star jam session and the resulting track is really quite excellent. Though Ghostface fanatics would have already known what to expect since he flipped this beat several years prior on his own "My Guitar," a Pretty Toney Album outtake that would eventually appear as "Black Cream" on the Hidden Darts Special Edition collection. The album really starts to run wild from here, with RZA exploring his film composer side on tracks like "Sunlight." The George Clinton appearance on "Wolves" sticks out a bit as being a little too leftfield for this record, though you've got to figure that a group as large as the Wu really doesn't need outsiders in general. And as weird as "Wolves" sounds initially, it somehow seems to work after repeated listens. And so goes the magic of the Wu-Tang. They're a huge collective and volatile personalities, so it's almost amazing that they're ever able to complete a record. Yet when they do manage to do so, it's even more incredible that they can result in something this good rather than suffering from too many cooks in the kitchen.
N.E.R.D. - Fly Or Die - 2004 - Virgin
On their sophomore album, N.E.R.D. all but ditch most of the remaining shreds of the hip hop sound that had originally started this side project. The new rock sound that defined the final version of their debut kicks off Fly Or Die and then the album goes full on schizophrenic, exploring such far-reaching influences as Revolver-era Beatles, the coked-out jazz-rock of Steely Dan, and the early 2000's Warped Tour lineup. Basically the trio spent the time between In Search Of and this learning their instruments and tinkering with any musical interest they came across that they never got to touch while working with Clipse or Justin Timberlake. Fly Or Die becomes a pretty appropriate title, as listeners will find there's only two real options: love it or hate it. Fly with them, or be gone. But the title also hints at a reoccuring theme on the album - children leaving "the nest." There's lots of lyrics dealing with parent/child relationships here. On the title track Pharrell croons "Mommy, Daddy, I know that you love me" but on the next track "Jump" he's ready to get the hell out of there. "Jump" features those guys from Good Charlotte who manage to not totally mess the song up, and actually it's surprising to hear them featured on a track that goes in a bit of an 80's New Wave direction rather than their usual pop-punk. The album then segues into "Backseat Love" and "She Wants To Move," two tracks about young love (and sex) that are embarrassingly awkward. But again, much of this may be the point. The adolescent lyrics sometimes can remind you of the angsty dumbness of high school journals. In this context, it makes plenty of sense. Hell, Pharrell even makes it a point to tell his listeners "this is just for the kids." As the record progresses we into several tracks that are actually suites of shorter pieces, and this is where the real experimental stuff starts to happen. Perhaps the craziest being "Waiting For You," which comes off as a sort of folk jam that tells the story of a baby nearly drowning during a family fishing trip. It's horrifying stuff that ends with the visual of rebirth. Looking at that cover art, seeing the band hatching from an egg it perhaps becomes apparent that this is a concept album about them. If In Search Of was their birth and childhood, then Fly Or Die is their adolescence, as awkward as that may be. It's definitely not as instantly gratifying as their debut, but this album is far more interesting.