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Cam'ron |
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Ideally, this should be a short review. The reason
is simple....nobody should have to stomach listening to an entire Cam'ron
album that's this lethargic. From the beginning, I knew this wasn't
something I was going to enjoy. The straight singing on "He Tried To
Play Me" is absolutely idiotic to say the least. "Leave Me Alone"
has a sample that is just intolerable to the point that I practically
nosedived for the skip button. The same thing occurs on the hook for
"Living A Lie," leaving me in a weird space of mass confusion. After
shaking it off, I press the Play button only to be berated with even more
disappointment. This time it's the lyrics coming out of Cam'ron's
mouth that sound like a eighth grader wrote them on "We Make Change."
After a redundant voicemail interlude, we are force fed a song called "Wet
Wipes." Wet Wipes? WTF? "Touch It Or Not" with Lil Wayne
resorts to more of the same "Rocky"-like horn-playing cascading behind
more weak lyrics from Cam. You won't even make it to Lil Wayne's
verse before begging for the end of the song. Is that enough, or
should I continue? |
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Mobb Deep |
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Mobb Deep have been grinding since I can remember. Even in the early
days of The Infamous, they were known to the true hip-hop heads but
struggled to be acknowledged from the mainstream and had modest sales on
practically every album they put out. Now they sign their life away
for a paycheck with Blood Money, an album the puts the loyalty of
all Mobb Deep fans to the test. It's not like Mobb Deep had this
impeccable rap career that was ballin' out of control or something.
After the lackluster showings of the mediocre offerings of Infamy
and Amerikas Nightmare, Mobb Deep had hit a wall with their career.
Most other artists would have ended up back in the hood wondering what
happened to their career. Luckily for them, 50 Cent had a lifeline
for them and they became millionaires overnight according to them.
However, they'll have a tough time convincing the masses that Blood
Money is worth the paper it's printed on. The few standout tracks include "Speakin So Freely," "Daydreamin'," and "Put Em In Their Place." "Outta Control" (Remix) with 50 Cent is a good '50 Cent' song with Mobb Deep bringing up the rear with their cameo appearance. "It's Alright" with 50 Cent and Mary J. Blige lives up to the song title when it comes to judging how good this song is. Some of the worst stuff has to be "Creep" with 50 Cent, "Have A Party" with 50 Cent and Nate Dogg, and "Pearly Gates" with 50 Cent (figure out the pattern here?). Other wack joints include "Capital P, Capital H," "Backstage Pass," "Give It To Me" featuring Young Buck, "Click Click" with Tony Yayo, and "In Love With The Moulah." Mobb Deep has never been this wack before. They definitely don't need 50 Cent's expertise to put together a decent album, but I guess they need 50's checkbook to line their pockets. Who can blame them? Wouldn't you put out a wack album for a million dollars, even if it turned out to be Blood Money? |
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Gnarls Barkley |
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Ceelo Green has been trying to get anybody's attention for
some time now since leaving Goodie Mob a few years back. Ceelo
Green And His Perfect Imperfections was way outside of the norm
compared to anything on Goodie Mob's Soul Food or Still Standing.
Cee-Lo Green...Is The Soul Machine also did little for his
career despite being one of the most creative disc to come out that year.
Now he pairs up with Danger Mouse, the producer/DJ who brought us the
Grey Album (Jay-Z's lyrics from The Black Album mixed with
songs from The Beatles' White Album). The two put their
creative minds together for a smorgasbord of cuts that make up St.
Elsewhere, the debut offering from the collective known as Gnarls
Barkley. "Crazy" seems to be the world's favorite track including Paris Hilton, who is rumored to be including a cover of the song on her upcoming album! But the creative juices keep flowing well past "Crazy." "Go Go Gadget Gospel," is a melting pot of high-energy beats and inspired lyrics possibly from a higher power than Cee-lo himself. The moody backdrop on "St. Elsewhere" along with Cee-Lo's sermon-like lyrics give the song its infectious appeal. "Gone Daddy Gone" is an interesting spin on Brit Rock and Electronica fused together. "Smiley Faces" is a bebop-meets-experimental groove that continues the hypnotic fascination that is present throughout the album. "The Boogie Monster" is a little too trippy, while "Feng Shui" couples an Asian undertone with a down-tempo riff. "Just A Thought" sounds like something that would have been a jam session from the recording of Andre 3000's The Love Below. "Transformer" sounds like a sped-up Cee-lo cut from one of his solo efforts while the melodic "Who Cares" is a good contender for a second single. The album closes with the enchanting grooves of "On-line," the overly-odd "Necromancing," the hyperactive medley of "Storm Coming," and the head-nodding jam titled "The Last Time." Gnarls Barkley is like nothing else on the market....that's for sure. And St. Elsewhere is a good choice for something different yet refreshing at the same time. |
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Wordsworth |
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Wordsworth is actually not a newcomer. He's been on
the scene like a sex machine....okay, maybe not a sex machine, but a
machine nonetheless. After gaining fame on the underground with his
partner-in-rhyme Punchline as the duo Punch-N-Words, both went on to
become the pioneers of the Lyricist Lounge show on MTV. After the
fuel went out on that, he re-ignited and released Mirror Music in
2004. Although gaining some buzz in the underground, the album
didn't take off like he had hoped. Now after two years, he gets
another chance with Mirror Music with the re-release of the album along
with a 10-track bonus remix cd compiled by Halftooth Records'
in-house producer Oddisee. After hearing the newly re-upped version,
there is no reason why Wordsworth shouldn't still be in the spotlight
today. Although the original content is still intact, Mirror Music has some of the most creative storytelling this side of the world. Wordsworth lives up to his moniker with songs like the head nodding "Right Now," the self-reflecting of both "12 Months" and "Gonna Be," and "Heads High" with Kenn Starr and Oddisee. He even reunites with Punchline for "Not Fair." Although there are two bonus cuts on Disc One not present on the 2004 version, the real treat comes from the bonus remixes on Disc Two. Oddisse reworks some tracks and makes them better than the original cuts! Some include "What We Gon' Do," "Trust," "Run," and "Gotta Pay." If you are looking for true lyrics and creativity instead of the cookie-cutter formula you get on your favorite radio station, then you should be checking out the deluxe edition of Mirror Music by Wordsworth. Hopefully this will convince him to do some new material and try again at stardom. And even if it doesn't work, all of his words will be worth it. |
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(Selections From
Outside The Norm!)
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Trina |
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The Baddest Chick is back on the scene with a new release,
only this time she bares all! Okay, this isn't a skin flick, but
rather an up-close, in-your-face view of the life and times of Trina.
Representing Slip-N-Slide to the fullest, the raunchy rapper gives her
fans a behind-the-scenes look at not only her rap career in general, but
also her videos as well as a live concert performance. It is
actually three different concerts that are spliced together quite uniquely
to say the least. She performs all of her hits as well as some verses from her guest spots on other artists' work. From "Nann" to "B R Right" to "No Panties" to "Here We Go," Trina drops it like it's hot from one track to the next. Despite some of the amateurish video footage for her documentary, fans will still appreciate the offering on Live and Uncut. |
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1.5 out of 5 discs
