Urban-Reviews.com - Hip-Hop

DMX
Year of the Dog...Again

4 out of 5 discs

DMX has had his share of the limelight in the past. His breakout album It’s Dark and Hell Is Hot debuted at Number One on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Amazingly, EVERY album that followed charted at the top spot on the charts. His fan base has remained unshaken for the most part, even with his many run-ins and court cases. And even though his latest album only charted #2, Year of the Dog...Again is a solid effort from Darkman X.

He starts off the album with a hard-hitting intro and then falls right into “We In Here,” a traditional DMX beat with Swizz Beatz providing the production as he does for most of the album. He gets the blood pumping and the adrenaline going with the extremely hyper “I Run Sh!t.” Busta Rhymes provides an assist on “Come Thru (Move),” while Jadakiss shows up for “It’s Personal.” DMX gives the fellas an anthem with the song “Baby Motha” where he tells about all the drama that guys have to put up with. Amerie gives her signature sound to “Dog Love,” while Bloodline’s own Bizarre Royale couples his unique delivery with the rocked out beat on “Wrong or Right (I’m Tired).” Swizz does like the chorus says on “Give Them What They Want” while newcomer Kashmir drops his vocals on “Walk These Dogs.”

The last 5 tracks are what I call his “reflection songs” where DMX talks about personal battles and God for the majority of the songs. “Blown Away” featuring Jinx is a mellow track that gives realistic details of pain and struggle, while “Goodbye” is a song about saying goodbye today since you don’t know what the future holds for anybody. “Life Be My Song” gives more personal reflection of what it's like for DMX. "The Prayer VI" is an interlude of a prayer from DMX that he’s featured on all six of his albums. He closes with “Lord Give Me A Sign,” a song that DMX interestingly chose for the album’s first single.

Year of the Dog...Again is an rollercoaster of emotion to say the least. It starts off hard and angst and ends with personal and spiritual reflections. DMX is one of the few that can even get away with such a broad array of songs like this. But one thing that can be said is that DMX has not fallen off with his latest effort even though his last couple albums have been questionable. Year of the Dog...Again is not just good enough for DMX fans but rather rap fans in general.

3 out of 5 discs

Jurassic 5
Feedback

Jurassic 5 consist of Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even, DJ Nu-Mark, Chali 2na (Cut Chemist is reportedly no longer with the group in order to pursue solo aspirations). The crew has been rockin' on the hip-hop scene since 1999 with a signature sound that the crew's fan base has come to appreciate over the years. Put on Quality Control or Power In Numbers and you hear a unique intermingling of turntable wizardry, well thought lyrics, and synchronized choruses. Having four rapping emcees would normally complicate songs, but Jurassic 5 pulls it off every time. But with the musical influence of Cut Chemist missing from their latest album Feedback, the crew resorts to Dj Nu-Mark for a few tracks as well as other producers. Unfortunately for them, this proves to be almost disastrous for the project.

They start off nicely with "Back 4 U," a lead off track that puts you back in the same groove of their previous work. "Radio" flashes back to the early days of hip-hop with synthesized beats and simple lyrics. "Brown Girl" sounds a little too 'mainstream' for the group. "Gotta Understand" is tolerable, while "In The House" goes back to the funky rap sound of "Radio." "Baby Please" samples the music of Al Green and sounds forced at times. "Work It Out" features a sappy Dave Matthews Band on the chorus as well as the accompanying musical background. "Where We At" is close to some of their original work, with a taste of some more eclectic styling here and there. "Get It Together" has some odd whistling and early rock riff that distracts from the rapping from the crew. "Future Sound" is too mundane overall, while "Red Hot" is only okay since the music again deflects from the always entertaining lyricism from the four emcees. "Turn It Out" is entertaining, "End Up Like This" has some odd person chanting on the chorus, and "Canto de Ossanha" is simply a worldly instrumental stuck at the end of the album.

Thankfully, the lyricism on Feedback saves this album from being a complete dud. But it certainly doesn't live up to any of their previous work nor does it demonstrate a positive outlook on future projects. Hopefully Cut Chemist will come back in the future to get the crew back on track or the remaining members of Jurassic 5 find a way to still put out a quality product...for their sake and ours.

Rick Ross
Port of Miami

3 out of 5 discs

Rick Ross has accomplished so much in the last few months. He captured the attention of the entire hip-hop community with the infectious single “Hustlin.” With the instant fanfare behind that song, the ringtone went on to sell Platinum, making him the first artist to accomplish that task before the accompanying album is even released. Then once Port of Miami was released, he shocked industry insiders buy blowing out all other albums and debuting number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart. This Cinderella story sounds great, until you actually sit down and listen to the album!

Port of Miami starts off extremely strong, with the powerful second single “Push It,” the thumping “Blow,” the certified single of the year “Hustlin’,” and the surprisingly good collaboration with Akon for “Cross That Line.” But then things take a dramatic turn from that point on. “I’m Bad” has a corny beat behind it, but does show that Rick Ross can rhyme at a fast pace if he wants to. “Boss” is bizarre, “For Da Low” is a Jazze Pha production that does nothing for Ross, “Where My Money” has an outright annoying chorus, and the singing by Mario Winans on “Get Away” was a major mistake to say the least.

“Hit U From The Back” is somewhat okay, but again the chorus is not well refined. “White House” goes right back to the drug dealing tales and "Pots and Pans" follows the same formula. Lyfe Jennings does little to help "It's My Time," and Lloyd's singing also hinders "Street Life" even though it still wouldn't be good if he was replaced or taken off the song. Rick Ross does give us the remix for "Hustlin'" featuring guest vocals from the seemingly unbreakable duo of Jay-Z and Young Jeezy. He closes the album with the mediocre "It Ain't A Problem" with the Carol City Cartel, the unimpressive "I'm A G" featuring Lil Wayne and Brisco, and the decent lyrics and production on "Prayer."

With repetitive storylines and a drawn out lyrical flow, Rick Ross has a lot of growth to go through before he reaches his dreams of being at the top of the game. Until that time, he'll need to focus on staying relevant and learning from all the mistakes he made with Port of Miami.

4 out of 5 discs

Pharrell
In My Mind

Pharrell Willams has been in the presence of greatness throughout his recent years in the music biz. Providing provocative yet unique singles for everybody from Jay-Z to Snoop Dogg to Babyface to Usher, the super producer has been singled out as one of the most preferred beat makers in the game. After a few personal ventures with his partner Chad for the Neptunes, Pharrell is ready to go for self with In My Mind. I must admit it took a couple listens for me to get into this album, but In My Mind is worthwhile if you're a long-time fan of Pharrell.

A lot of the experimental production and effortless lyrics can leave you in an odd space on your first listen. But after awhile, the individuality of Pharrell and his quest to sound like no other rapper/singer out there is what makes him ingenious. Now I still don't like the super Pop sound of the Gwen Stefani assisted "Can I Have It Like That," but this is the exact type of song that gets the much-needed publicity and airplay that every artist desires. "How Does It Feel" practically wakes the dead with its frenzied drum kicks and dynamic delivery from Pharrell. "Raspy Sh!t" is nothing to write home about with an uncomplicated beat that never breaks up or gets switched with a better beat. "Best Friend" is a head nod waiting to happen with a more streamline sound that we are more accustom to. "You Can Do It Too" is less conventional for Pharrell but seems very polished nonetheless. Slim Thug pops up for the respectable "Keep It Playa," while Snoop Dogg returns the favor to Pharrell on "That Girl."

"Angel" features falsetto singing from Pharrell that we have come to tolerate on his earlier work. "Young Girl" is a ready-made single that features Jay-Z pulling up the rear before the song switches within the same track to more humorous vocals from Pharrell on "I Really Like You." Pharrell slows the tempo down for the mellowed out "Take It Off" and "Stay With Me" featuring Pusha T from Clipse. What appears to be a guaranteed single from the album, he pairs up with Nelly for the rambunctious song "Baby." Pharrell gets spiritual for "Our Father" but keeps the song upbeat instead of subdued like one would anticipate. He closes with "Number One" with Kanye West and a meaningless bonus track called "Show You How We Hustle" featuring Lauren (no, not Lauryn Hill).

All in all, In My Mind is exactly what many probably expected to hear but were still pleasantly surprised at the final product overall. You saw how Pharrell didn't overstretch his boundaries, but rather made a solid album by using tolerable beats and basic rhymes for the most part. There weren't a lot of rock 'n roll elements and outrageous beats like previous Neptunes albums. And he didn't rehash or rework any beats from other projects from what I could gather. In My Mind gives us a wide-ranging perspective on the work of the unpredictable musical architect in all of his diverse forms.

Outkast
Idlewild

3.5 out of 5 discs

In one of the biggest moves in hip-hop history, Outkast sets out to make themselves even more unique than any other rappers by putting together a major motion picture with not only serious acting but with a musical backdrop. The movie itself features names like Cicely Tyson, Ving Rhames, Terrence Howard, Patti Labelle, Ben Vereen, Macy Gray, Paula Jai Parker, Malinda Williams, Faizon Love, and others. The unofficial soundtrack to the movie (most songs aren't in the movie) showcases just as many cameos alongside Andre 3000 and Big Boi. So really, this is truly another Outkast release like Stankonia or ATLiens only its somewhat tied to their movie. Like other projects, Idlewild gives us yet another unique side to the duo.

The debut singles "Mighty O" and "Morris Brown" are about as eclectic as they get. "Mighty O" features Andre 3000 and Big Boi sharing the mic over a eccentric beat while "Morris Brown" comprises of Big Boi rhyming in overdrive as he attempts to keep up with the marching band accompaniment. This sounds like a lot already, but that's a flash in the pan compared to the rest of the album. Believe it or not, the stuttering beat on "In Your Dreams" with Big Boi and Killer Mike rapping and Janelle Monae and Sleepy Brown providing the hook actually comes off rather polished. "Greatest Show On Earth" by Macy Gray is a little trippy to say the least. Equally trippy is "Mutron Angel" but the singing as well as the point to the song make up for the spaced out track. "PJ & Rooster" is a song straight from the movie, while "When I Look In Your Eyes" showcases the piano-heavy style of the Roaring 20s. Andre does more singing than anything on this album, with numbers such as "Dyin' To Live," "Life Is Like A Musical," and the bouncy "Idlewild Blues." Sleepy Brown and Scar show up on three tracks together, including the aforementioned "Morris Brown," the melodic "Peaches," and "The Train" (all featuring Big Boi doing the rapping). Snoop Dogg and Lil Wayne make a huge impression on "Hollywood Divorce" while Janelle Monae makes up for her amateurish work on Got Purp? Vol. 2 with her impressive period singing on "Call The Law."

The album is also sprinkled with skits and short tracks to keep the flow continuous between tracks. If you thought the duo had done every possible thing with their previous work, you will certainly be shocked with the final cut of Idlewild....the "soundtrack" as well as the movie.