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At
my initial glance, I thought the title and the amount of
tracks were a cocky move on the part of the Boy Wonder. My
intuition was confirmed as the Ja Rule/Ashanti-esque “Don’t
Worry” played. I gladly conceded as the rest of the Album of
the Year took me on a “from the bottom” vigorous journey,
through all the luxuries, woos and woes being from “the
bottom” provides. Not following or mimicking some of the
currents sounds, the production team did an excellent job on
this Album of the Year.
With an east coast story telling influence, the play on words
had those listening with me doing so with intensity. With one
young lady asking, “Is this stuff true?” Not knowing if I was
listening to the artist’s true struggle or his love for the
struggle. I answered, “If this is not his story, his ability
to tell the hip-hop story is well done.” The interludes or
commercials were not needed because of the depth the messages
brought across. Deep, yes…except for the Intro “I Hate
Hip-Hop”. All of us in the hip-hop generation have been there
time and time again, but like abused lovers we can’t let go.
Because the vocalist lacks the ability to bring the same
amount of passion as the lyricist, if you’re not listening
closely, the dirty nail word play can be missed. A perfect
example of this happens on track seven, “Love”. The vocalist
softens the grime, and the straight to the “think tank”
message is conveyed.
This is not a fun, club-banging CD, although tracks eleven,
seventeen and twenty-one will give club night the proper jump
off. Track twelve, “Pretty little girls”, comes in as a breath
of fresh air to women who are bombarded by the “pop and tease”
state of mind. Tracks eighteen and twenty-three, “Grab Your
Guns” and “Are You Ready for War”, are the most emotional of
the whole set. If you ever wondered why hip-hop heads return
the orgasmic love they have for the struggle, listen to those
two tracks very closely. If you enjoy going back to “each one
teach one” hip-hop, Album of the Year has you covered. For the
Christian hip-hop heads, Album of the Year would be a great
addition to your music collection. *****(Four stars)
Ladessa@seaspotmediagroup.com
Ratings
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What the #%&* is that?
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Don’t quit your day job.
-
It’s aight, but…
-Hot
album, go cop it.
-Classic,
‘nuff said.
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