okayplayer
10-17-2005, 04:04 AM
I just wanted to post some albums that I have picked up recently and have been impressed with, and maybe some quick thoughts. I don't really post or visit OOT much, except on weekends occasionally, but I had been meaning to post about these (sorry if some of these albums have been reviewed or talked about recently).
DangerDoom: The Mouse and the Mask - MF Doom and Danger Mouse (from The Grey Album fame) come together for a their own Madvillainy. Doom is his usual off the wall, what-the-hell-did-he-just-say self, with his sick flow and Danger Mouse provides some very interesting beats. I am getting a little tiresome of the Adult Swim interludes/skits (I'm not a big AS fan).
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having - this is already talked about in another thread, but it's a great album.
Cage: Hell's Winter - I'll be the first to admit, I'm not really a big Cage or Weathermen fan, but the album is good. And he's clean now, so it's not your typical drug talking sht. Lyrically, Cage is VERY good; possibly the most slept-on white boy other than Brother Ali. He enlists some very good producers: El-P, RJD2, DJ Shadow and Blockhead (I'm not a huge fan, but he comes nice here).
Blackalicious: The Craft - This is a great album, one of my favorites this year. Gift of Gab's flow is just sick, and he brings it with this album. Chief Xcel really stepped up his game on this one. Only misstep is Egosonic Wardrums, which isn't really bad (it's actually kind of catchy), but it's not up to par with the rest of the album.
Little Brother: The Minstrel Show - LB's sophomore album is another great one (if you haven't heard the Listening, PICK IT UP!!!). I have been a fan ever since The Listening, and have followed Big Pooh and Phonte through each of their respective projects (Sleepers and Foreign Exchange, respectively), and 9th Wonder's beats have been EVERYWHERE this last year, and to be honest, I was actually starting to get a little tired of the 9th Wonder/Justus League sound, but The Mistrel Show is still a very good album. Hiding Place with Elzhi (he is possibly the top lyricist around) is fantastic.
I'm sure everyone has Common and Kanye, so I won't list them, but I do want to add one more, which came out a while ago and most people haven't heard about it:
Charizma (/Peanut Butter Wolf) : Big Shots - PBW is (well, now was) one of the most slept on producers (he's now concentrating on running his label (Stones Throw)), and he combines here with a great San Jose lyricist who unfortunately found the same fate as Big L. Actually, Charizma and Big L are somewhat similar in their rhyming (both very dope) style. This album was made a long time ago, and it finally found light on shelves a (couple?) year ago. This album gives me that feel-good early 90s hip hop vibe.
DangerDoom: The Mouse and the Mask - MF Doom and Danger Mouse (from The Grey Album fame) come together for a their own Madvillainy. Doom is his usual off the wall, what-the-hell-did-he-just-say self, with his sick flow and Danger Mouse provides some very interesting beats. I am getting a little tiresome of the Adult Swim interludes/skits (I'm not a big AS fan).
Atmosphere - You Can't Imagine How Much Fun We're Having - this is already talked about in another thread, but it's a great album.
Cage: Hell's Winter - I'll be the first to admit, I'm not really a big Cage or Weathermen fan, but the album is good. And he's clean now, so it's not your typical drug talking sht. Lyrically, Cage is VERY good; possibly the most slept-on white boy other than Brother Ali. He enlists some very good producers: El-P, RJD2, DJ Shadow and Blockhead (I'm not a huge fan, but he comes nice here).
Blackalicious: The Craft - This is a great album, one of my favorites this year. Gift of Gab's flow is just sick, and he brings it with this album. Chief Xcel really stepped up his game on this one. Only misstep is Egosonic Wardrums, which isn't really bad (it's actually kind of catchy), but it's not up to par with the rest of the album.
Little Brother: The Minstrel Show - LB's sophomore album is another great one (if you haven't heard the Listening, PICK IT UP!!!). I have been a fan ever since The Listening, and have followed Big Pooh and Phonte through each of their respective projects (Sleepers and Foreign Exchange, respectively), and 9th Wonder's beats have been EVERYWHERE this last year, and to be honest, I was actually starting to get a little tired of the 9th Wonder/Justus League sound, but The Mistrel Show is still a very good album. Hiding Place with Elzhi (he is possibly the top lyricist around) is fantastic.
I'm sure everyone has Common and Kanye, so I won't list them, but I do want to add one more, which came out a while ago and most people haven't heard about it:
Charizma (/Peanut Butter Wolf) : Big Shots - PBW is (well, now was) one of the most slept on producers (he's now concentrating on running his label (Stones Throw)), and he combines here with a great San Jose lyricist who unfortunately found the same fate as Big L. Actually, Charizma and Big L are somewhat similar in their rhyming (both very dope) style. This album was made a long time ago, and it finally found light on shelves a (couple?) year ago. This album gives me that feel-good early 90s hip hop vibe.