Murs-athon pt. 15 - The Final Adventure

Followers of the Murs catalogue should know by now that from 2004 onwards, every two years there had been a ten track collaborative record between Murs himself and producer 9th Wonder released to the public - they weren't always the main focus of the man's career (Sweet Lord, for example, was pretty much released as a promotional tool for his solo major label debut Murs For President), but they were always something the underground hip-hop audience could look forward to when they entered a new year that ended with an even number. 

So when in 2012, the pair announced they were to release their last collaborative piece, the hip-hop world was very sad. I think. Of course, it's entirely plausible that no-one actually cared, as the reception to their previous project together Fornever had been lukewarm at best, even though I enjoyed it personally. A lot of people were even saying that Murs had entered a rough spot in his career - even though it's difficult to believe that people could hate the wonderful Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation, some still did, and it's fair to say that Murs wasn't feeling the poor reviews on his work at all. Therefore, he must have decided to re-invent himself a bit to appease to a potential new audience, and this meant that the series of albums with 9th Wonder was to be concluded. And so, on November 13th of 2012, Nicholas Carter and Patrick Douthit released The Final Adventure on the latter's own Jamla Records - and I'm sure the title alone struck fear into the hearts of underground heads everywhere. 

Like with all of their previous albums, The Final Adventure is produced in its entirety by 9th Wonder, and aside from a guest appearance on the opening song by Rapsody (a very early-stage career move from her), all the tracks' vocals are handled by Murs. The CD art for this album isn't great if I'm being honest, with a couple of kids walking though one of those LA viaducts I always associate with The Terminator 2, but what does excite me is a) the song "Whatuptho" - not because of the title, but because I've actually already heard the song, and it's great - and b) the generally positive reception on this project - from what I'm seeing people took a lot more kindly to this than some of the other Murs projects released beforehand, and that's always a good sign. Am I excited about this album, then? Yes. Very excited. 

Oh, and before I start this review, I want to say that I'm thinking of doing a Murs-athon Series 2, where I cover all of the collaborative albums with other vocalists that appear in his catalogue, since I've been enjoying his solo work so much. Please let me know if that's something you would like to see, and if there's anything else you feel deserves an introduction on the blog, then feel free to drop it in the comments. 

Anyhow, let's get this one going!

All songs are produced by 9th Wonder.

1. Get Together (feat. Rapsody)

Over an engaging and very tight 9th instrumental, Rapsody takes up a large portion of screen time discussing her admiration for Murs, and also the lyrical prowess that she herself has, and it's pretty bloody great - she's got a powerful voice, great flow and excellent lyrics that made for a highly intriguing performance - that reference to Dr. House made me laugh too. The sooner I check out her work, the better, it seems. Murs pops up again at the end (after dropping a bit of spoken word at the start) to deliver a passionate and braggadocios verse that I was just completely in love with - "what up tho? You know I had to say it". This was a brilliant way to start up the album, and the short length only added to the intense atmosphere. Great track. 

2. Whatuptho

This is the one song on the album that I have already heard, and I can safely say that it is a classic Murs joint. The beat from 9th Wonder is poignant and celebratory, and I love it, and Murs does it justice by dropping three verses full of fantastically quotable lines, and a chorus that will stick in your head for days after you first hear the song. A personal favourite line would be the one where he shouts out "green tea drinkers", since that covers yours truly, but I'd have to say the best lyric on here would be "Ain't no difference between a gangbanger and Malcolm X - the same anger / just misdirected, now neighbourhoods infected / so I gotta speak the truth, by the youth I've been selected". That is just one of the best lyrics Murs has ever spit. Yeah, this song is brilliant, and perfectly justifies the weight of its title. 

3. Funeral For A Killer

Holy shit I did not expect that. So, I don't know if anyone's seen Murs' podcast Best Rapper In L.A., but it's something I have found loads of interest in listening to, and a podcast I have become very familiar with throughout the months since I started this Murs-athon. What I did not know was that the intro music used for every episode of that podcast is actually taken from the instrumental of this song. And what's super weird is that the music did not feel like it fit this song at all - maybe it's the fact that I'm used to it in the podcast, but to me it definitely sounds more like a little introduction piece than something that could fill out a whole song, especially one with lyrics as powerful as this. Still, I enjoyed this a lot, as Murs' lyrics that talk about how he still gets upset at a friend's death despite them being a killer in real life are pretty powerful, and the hook was dark too. Unfortunately, the instrumental on this one meant that I couldn't really have the proper first listen that I would have liked. 

4. Baby Girl (Holding Hands)

The instrumental found on this track kinda reminded me of some of the more unorthodox beats we heard on Murray's Revenge, only it's just not really as good. Yeah, I wasn't entirely sure about this beat - there were elements I enjoyed, but I had to really concentrate to pick them out, and with a dope beat you shouldn't really have to do that. Still, you could say the same about the vocals - I really didn't care for the hook on here, provided by an uncredited Khrysis, and the lyrical content from Murs about falling in love with a girl whilst in third grade was, I don't know, corny, and also slightly uncomfortable. The song isn't bad, since Murs' passionate delivery is still there - this is way better than anything on Sweet Lord for example - but I'm still not entirely convinced by this song. 

5. Walk Like A Woman

Presumably, this six-minute plus track is going to serve as a sequel or companion piece to the brilliant song "Walk Like a Man" from earlier in Murs' career - let's see if it delivers. Oh right - it fucking didn't. This song was six minutes long, but unfortunately it never really clicked with me fully at any point. There was a beat switch in the middle of this one, but going from one bland soul-sample beat into another midway through just to continue on the same basic lyrical tangent isn't going to make the song much more interesting, Murs, dammit!! Honestly, I might have enjoyed this tale of Murs' journey to marriage a bit more if he didn't give it such a name - aside from having a beat switch this is the polar opposite of "Walk Like a Man", and not exactly in a good way either. Sorry, Murs, but I didn't feel this too much. 

6. Tale of Two Cities

Thankfully, this song picked the quality up, and then not only put it back to a good level but lifted it right up into "brilliant" territory - I loved this song. The track drops the lovey-dovey content of the previous couple of songs, and instead talks about gang violence in Los Angeles, and different paths the people could take in order to solve it and bring it to a stop. 9th Wonder's instrumental was powerful, especially the little harmonica hits in there, and Murs' lyricism was profound and insightful - "the future's in our reach, find solutions to the beef / get every shooter in the streets to ride for universal peace". All I can say is "phew" - I thought this album was going to a dark place for a second there. 

7. Dance With Me

Well that song title doesn't look promising. Thankfully, this song was brilliant - Murs' lyrics were really powerful and hit hard, and the instrumental enhanced them in the best way. This song wasn't a corny diatribe of Murs asking some random girl he'd met to "dance" like I thought it would be - instead it was an interesting account of a girl he was friends with whom he kind of had feelings for, but didn't know whether it was a good idea to start a relationship. Eventually they did, it tumbled down, and then they weren't really friends anymore. Sure, the content doesn't scream "L.A. hardcore rapper", but I still found it really interesting, and I loved the beat as well. Honestly, this was one of my favourite tracks on the whole record. 

8. Better Way

This was also a very interesting track, one only slightly hindered by the presence of a repetitive hook that really did not need to be recited twice at the very end. On this song, Murs discusses religion, and how even though he was bought up a Christian he doesn't necessarily entirely believe in the existence of God now. The beat on here was pretty great, and I found Murs' lyrics very relatable - my parents are both pretty much atheist, but sometimes things happen and I'm just not entirely convinced that there's nothing out there. I definitely don't believe in the whole nativity scene, nor the Adam and Eve story, but sometimes I am swayed by theories of re-incarnation - it just seems crazy to me that there is literally nothing after you die. Whatever, I'm going off on one now. Point is, the song is great. There we go.

9. Wherever You Are

Murs spits a one verse wonder over a dramatic and slightly depressing beat, that seems to discuss him meeting a woman, and then becoming confused when she introduces him to eMail. The powerful ending to the track is slightly tainted by the ridiculousness of some of the lyrics in the middle - I mean, why the hell are you focusing on your incompetence with the internet when you're supposed to be discussing love? Still, I did find this song very entertaining, and 9th did a great job once again. Nice stuff.

10. It's Over

Well, that was my fucking favourite song on the whole album. The instrumental on this song was absolute perfection, and Murs absolutely destroyed it with a passionate and heartfelt performance that included three different verses discussing completely different subject matters, with one common theme - the situation is now over. The first verse talks to an ex-girlfriend who would not stop trying to contact him even though the relationship was long finished, and the second verse is about someone who keeps trying to leech off of Murs and his fame, forgetting that he should be making a name for himself just like Murs did all those years ago. The third and final verse that ends the song on an abrupt note is all about Murs' relationship with 9th Wonder, and it's this verse that hits the most, or at least it would if the pair hadn't teamed up twice more for full-length albums - yes, the saga of Murs and 9th does continue, so don't worry about that. However, even if this was the last song they had released I couldn't have been hurt - this is seriously one of the dopest Murs songs in existence. 

I'll admit something - by the time we reached track 5, I was getting quite worried about this album. I loved the first two songs, and I kinda liked track three despite the issues I had with the beat (which was more my fault for listening to that podcast before this album). However, tracks 4 and 5 didn't move me in the way that I would have liked, and both of these songs were standing around the 6/10 area to me - honestly I would give "Walk Like a Woman" more of a 5, which is a pretty damned low rating for a Murs song. However, as soon as we reached the second half this suddenly became a great, consistent, excellent album. The last five songs are not only diverse and musically interesting, but also feature incredibly passionate vocal performances from Murs - one thing I did notice about this project was the fact that Murs sounded very excited to be working on it. In fact, I would say that this was his best rapping performance on an album since Murray's Revenge - and that's pretty high praise. There wasn't any song on here that was quite as good as "Animal Style", "Walk Like a Man" or "God's Work", but nonetheless as an album it worked together really well, and I think I'll probably enjoy those two songs I was questionable about more on future listens, knowing that the album really picks up in the second half. God, I was getting worried about this thing. Thankfully, it turned out to be just what I wanted from Murs - a dope and unique selection of instrumentals covered with relatable lyrics spoken with a passionate delivery that was even more emphasised than usual on this album right here. It would have been a tough thing to accept that Murs and 9th Wonder were ending their streak, but at the same time this project serves as a fitting end to their legacy, blending the sounds of all the albums that made them great, and ignoring the corny, uninspired bullshit that was Sweet Lord (and yes, I still hate that album). I'm very happy with this project, and I'll enjoy spending time with it up until I get to the next Murs solo effort, released three years later. See ya!

Expectations: Matched

Best Track: "It's Over"

Worst Track: "Walk Like a Woman"

Make sure to view some of my other Murs write-ups over here!

OutKast - Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

Well, I didn't realize second year of college would be this time consuming! Please forgive me if I'm not being too consistent with the reviews at the moment - I've got a ton of work to do! Anyway, since I spent the last post heavily criticizing Lil Wayne's debut album, I thought I'd show the South some much deserved love in this post. Enjoy!

In the mid 1990s, hip-hop wasn't exactly the most welcoming culture to get into. Sure, the music was pretty fantastic most of the time, but if you weren't an African American man hailing from either New York or Los Angeles, you would probably have a pretty damned difficult time getting the listeners and your peers to take you seriously. And for two teenage rappers hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, this was a big problem. 

Andre "Andre 3000" Benjamin and Antwan "Big Boi" Patton were two young and developing Southern MC's who were actually rivals whilst at high school together - this all changed when their teacher obviously implemented an alphabetical seating plan, forcing the pair to work together, and discover that their styles actually meshed really damn well. They quickly formed a rapping duo that went by the rather uninspired name of The Misfits - thankfully this was soon changed to the much more interesting OutKast - and their promising demos allowed them to sign with LaFace records in order to release their music to a wider audience. Their breakthrough occurred when they were invited to appear on their new label's compilation album A La Face Family Christmas, and did so in the form of the song "Player's Ball", which quickly became a hit among fans of hip-hop who weren't averse to two Southerners weighing in on the East and West dominated field. The track's success meant that LaFace had to of course quickly commission a full album from the duo, and so the pair teamed up with production group Organized Noize to create the first album in the much loved OutKast catalogue - the ridiculously titled Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik. Now that's a mouthful. 

As I just stated, the album was produced in its entirety by Organized Noize, who consisted of Sleepy Brown, Rico Wade and Ray Murray, the former of whom also showed up on the album multiple times to lend hook vocals, with mostly successful results - well, the guy did go on to contribute to a lot more of their music in the future, so they must have seen his vocals as having some use. Other than him, the only guest appearances were by the foul foursome that is Goodie Mob, back then spelling their title as "The Goody Mob" if the liner notes of this album are anything to go by. Khujo, T-Mo, Cee-Lo and Big Gipp (couldn't he have ended his name with an "o" sound too?) all pop up on here for a verse each over the course of two different songs, but other than them it was up to our two host MC's to hold things down. So let's give them a formal introduction.

Big Boi is the chap on the left of this (truly horrible) album cover, and he is generally seen as the more level-headed member of the duo. Some see this as a negative, as he perhaps never got as experimental as his partner in rhyme, nor was he always as clever lyrically, but I see it as more of a good thing that he was there to keep OutKast from entirely spiraling out of control during the Stankonia era - no, that inevitability was eventually realised around the time Speakerboxxx/The Love Below was released in 2003, but that's a story for another day. And surely everyone knows about that other chap - Andre 3000, even if they weren't aware that his moniker was simply "Dre" until about the year 2000. The man was truly a special kind of rapper, with a vocal delivery and experimental side that had never been seen before in the genre, and also an undeniable skill when it came to writing some of the most clever verses hip-hop had ever seen. This guy was truly the definition of weird & wonderful. Back in 1994, however, the pair of them were both just young chaps from Atlanta who thought that because they'd chatted a girl up at a bar once that month that they were certified players who had the right to spend half of the album bragging about themselves and their expertise at everything. 

Just kidding. The album's pretty great, actually. 

Every song is produced by Organized Noize.

1. Peaches (Intro)

As long as the rap album intro doesn't stretch over the minute mark then I can tolerate it just fine. This one has nice music too, which is always a bonus. 

2. Myintrotoletuknow

I guess the pair weren't content with joining together all of the words in their album title - no, they had to do it with their opening song too. This might have annoyed me if the song was pretentious or annoying, but actually it's anything but - this song absolutely positively rocks, and is a brilliant way to introduce 'Kast to the listening public. Over a hardcore instrumental that gives off a very gritty but also triumphant vibe, the two get to ripping it up and letting you know what's up, and while I really like the way Big Boi opens things up on here, it's Andre who stands out, with one of the most phenomenal verses he's spit over the course of his career. There are so many quotables it's impossible to list, but I do especially like "you won't be getting away this time, I'm real as hell, so what's up". And who the hell would have expected the line "I rip shit with pimp shit, I'm slingin' it from the South, talk bad about the A-town, I'll bust you in your f!&%in' mouth" to come from Andre 3000 of all people? Then again, this whole song is completely detached from OutKast's later music - in the best way possible, that is. I love this track.

3. Ain't No Thang

And shockingly, this song is actually even better than the first one. "Ain't No Thang" is a standout in OutKast's discography for having a lot of references to gun violence, and how the pair of them are going to commit it upon you, the (most likely) innocent listener. Now, I've never particularly loved the glorification of violence in hip-hop music (which is one of the reasons I can't really stand most of the music from G-Unit), but when it's once in a blue moon the effects can be truly powerful. And that's the case with this song, arguably my favourite from this whole entire album. The instrumental on here contrasts with that of the last by being quite skeletal and bleak-sounding, but still being absolutely incredible in every way. I mean, have you heard that bass? It's so great, and the echoey drums just add to the menacing soundscape presented here. On their first album, OutKast's song structures do admittedly feel a bit amateur, with this one having four verses (two each), all of which are separated by a chorus, but when the beats, rhymes and chorus are this good? It's a blessing that it lasts so long. And trust me, while they're not insightful or very meaningful, these bars are still dope as hell. One of my favourite songs ever, full stop. 

4. Welcome to Atlanta (Interlude)

Unlike the intro, which felt fairly justified in its placement, this interlude didn't help with the album experience in any way, like it was clearly supposed to. This will become a recurring theme. 

5. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik

One thing that I've noticed that I'm sure no-one else has is that OutKast have quite a large number of title tracks in their catalogue - the only album that doesn't incorporate the album title into a song name would be Speakerboxxx. One other thing this song taught me was that the title is actually pronounced "Southern Playalistic Cadillac Music", not "Southern Playa Listic-erdillac Music" like I once thought. The title track on here was also one of the singles released for the album, and it's yet another fantastic song, even if it's more radio-friendly atmosphere makes me enjoy it slightly less than the previous two actual songs. I mean, the beat on here feels like a straight rip-off of that on "Player's Ball", but still, at least it had the sense to rip off something dope. Big Boi starts the song off with an infamous "it's the M-I-Crooked Letter" (which he would use again in their song "ATLiens"), and the song continues on a good note from there, with great rhymes ("time to drop these 'bows like Dusty Rhodes, then I yell, "Ho" / and knock 'em up off they feet like a Southern hustler 'posed to do!") and an incredibly catchy chorus too. Nice stuff.

6. Call of Da Wild (feat. The Goody Mob)

Goodie Mob appear twice on this album, but on both songs only two members show up for verses - here it's Khujo and T-Mo, with the other two popping up on a later cut. However, Cee-Lo provides a chorus for us on here anyway, and it's one that's grown on me immensely. When I first heard the track, I thought the chorus kind of ruined it, but now I enjoy it a hell of a lot more. Andre begins this song with a fantastic verse that runs on for a while but is incredibly impressive nonetheless, and then T-Mo comes through with a manically aggressive and potent performance that might be my favourite on the whole track. Unfortunately, Big Boi and Khujo don't mesh with the beat quite as well as the two others, but it's not like they're bad - it's just that Andre and T-Mo where that good. Oh, and this menacing beat is one of the dopest on the album too. And ever think you'd hear the words "horrid" and "hatemonger" on the same Southern aggressive posse cut? Because I didn't, and here it is. 

7. Player's Ball (Original)

OutKast's very first single, and while they would improve with the lead singles on some of their later releases, this is still a pretty damn good track. This is presumably labelled as the original either because the remix was the one that appeared in the video, and they wanted people to make sure they knew what version they were getting, or because there's a "reprise" of the song later on. The instrumental on here is chilled out and yet keeps up a certain energy throughout the track, and Andre and Big both absolutely kill this beat with some brilliant flows and some subtle hints to the Christmas period in there, since that is what the song was made for in the first place. Oh, and the Sleepy Brown hook? Absolutely brilliant. Kind of like the song. "It's beginning to look a lot like, what?!"

8. Claimin' True

After that jolly, upbeat track, OutKast evidently needed something to appeal to the folks from the streets, and so this is a song all about keepin' it real, and being honest about your street pedigree. Oh, and it's pretty fantastic too. The instrumental on this thing is one of the more melancholy on the album, and if most rappers tried their hand at it I would probably find the song bland. Thankfully, Andre and Big Boi both ride this beat perfectly, with some brilliant lines and flows that stand as some of the best on the LP. Big Boi's hook is also one of the catchiest in OutKast's catalogue. Sure, the instrumental on here isn't one of my favourites, but everything else about this track bangs.

9. Club Donkey Ass (Interlude)

I mean, I know it's supposed to set up the next track, but did we really need to hear this skit? No? Then why the fuck put it on here??

10. Funky Ride

Upon my first listen of this album, I was disappointed to find that this track features no contributions from Dre or Big Boi at all - instead, it's a six-and-a-half minute behemoth of a croon-fest performed by a group called Society Of Soul, who also did the hook on the title track here I believe. On my first few listens I found this a bit of an overlong dud, but over time it's grown on me to the point where I look forward to it on every listen. Those melodies are just nice, man. Who said I only listen to rap music?

11. Flim Flam (Interlude)

This interlude is a little bit more interesting than the previous two on here, but that's really not saying much if we're being honest. 

12. Git Up, Git Out (feat. The Goody Mob)

The third and final single released for this album also happens to be the longest in OutKast's entire career, at well over seven minutes. Damn! Still, it's a testament to this song's greatness that this track never gets boring - quite the opposite in fact, as all four verses on this track are some of the best I've heard from this era. Cee-Lo Green provides an indelible (I always wanted to use that word) chorus that sticks in your head like the cocaine you just sniffed before reading this write-up, and follows it up with a rapped verse that I wasn't aware the man known for some often nasally singing and not much else was capable of. If it wasn't for Dre closing this one off in the best way, I would state that Cee-Lo's verse was the strongest here. Big Gipp (what a name!) and Big Boi predictably kill it too, and my God is this instrumental great. So great, apparently, that Big Boi practically nicked it for his later track "West Savannah" on OutKast's Aquemini. C'mon, y'all telling me you don't hear that? This is easily one of the dopest songs here, and one of the best motivational hip-hop tracks in history. "You need to get up, get out and get something / how will you make it if you never even try?"

13. True Dat (Interlude)

Big Rube provides the first of many spoken word poetry pieces over his career. This one is backed up by less poignant music than his later ones, though, giving it a nicer, more light-hearted atmosphere. 

14. Crumblin' Erb

Now, I don't want to sound like a cynic, but unless an album is actually perfect, I probably will try to pick out a weakest song somewhere. That's just the critic in me. And for Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, this is the song that earns that title for me. I'm sorry, OK? This track is still pretty great, mind - not only is the song title hilarious as hell, but the instrumental is pleasant to listen to, and the subject matter about stopping the violence and chilling out instead are great to hear, even from people who threatened to "wet (me) up like cereal" and "put the .357 to (my) forehead" just earlier on in the album. My main problem with this one is Sleepy Brown's chorus - it's not bad, but it's a bit too soft and not catchy enough to make up for that. Still, the worst of a brilliant bunch isn't necessarily a bad place to be. 

15. Hootie Hoo

Production-wise, this is a complete departure from the other work of Organized Noize on this project, and while all those other beats have been dope as hell, this is still easily one of the greatest here. This instrumental is bass-heavy, cold, dark and unbelievably menacing - I mean, it's like OutKast are rapping to you whilst holding you at knife-point in a dark Atlanta alleyway (if such a thing exists - I've never visited before). I absolutely love this beat, both during Big Boi's first verse when it's just the bass and ominous hi-hat hits, and when the dusty drum loop finally comes in during the first chorus. I can understand why some see this as too skeletal, but I personally think it's perfection, and a classic beat for sure. Oh, and the rhymes? They're pretty great too. While Big Boi masters his flow with perfection, Andre focuses on telling a story about accidentally getting someone pregnant and ignoring it, which is... nice. Still, his storytelling abilities are undeniably great here, and the reciting of the chorus is just the cherry on top. Classic stuff.

16. D.E.E.P.

While "Ain't No Thang" is without doubt my most played song from this LP, "D.E.E.P." is probably the best track objectively, and the one I tend to be most impressed by when listening to it. First of all, this aggressive, pulsating beat is one of the most potent on the whole record, and sounds gritty yet perfectly aged - and I'll admit now that "Hootie Hoo"'s beat didn't age very well at all. Then, we have the rhymes - this is another song where both MC's get two full verses each, separated by a hook every time, and once again it works, despite that formula often getting monotonous with other team ups. Of course, the main reason why everybody remembers this one is because of that utterly brilliant third verse, where Andre takes the issues of racial profiling and spits it back in the bigots' faces - it's truly one of the greatest verses in hip-hop history, and if you haven't heard it, you'd better check it out. And check the whole song while you're at it - it's easily one of the best cuts here. 

17. Player's Ball (Reprise)

OutKast ends the album with a Sleepy Brown solo version of the project's big single. This is actually a pretty interesting way to close things up, and it sounds nice too, which is always a bonus. 

Jesus, OutKast were good. Even at their least creative, the pair were able to put together a masterpiece of Southern hip-hop, one that has grown on me with every listen and continues to grown on me as I give it praise here. Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik is a fantastic record, full of unique and head noddin' beats, insanely catchy choruses, and most importantly, two of the best rappers to ever grace the genre showing off their chemistry to a high end. I mean, was there a single verse on here from the duo that even got close to being weak? Let's talk about the production first, since I always do that - it's bloody phenomenal. There are really two types of instrumental on here - the softer, richer ones that appear on cuts including the title track, "Player's Ball" and "Git Up, Git Out", that are always brilliantly layered and enhance whatever the rappers over them happen to be talking about, and then the grittier, darker, percussion heavy instrumentals that appear on "Ain't No Thang", "Call of Da Wild" and "D.E.E.P.", which I actually prefer, and provide a menacing atmosphere for OutKast to spit more aggressive and direct lyrics to the listener. There isn't a single beat on here that gets even close to being weak, and it's the same for the verses. Big Boi's flow on this album is always incredible, switching between fast and slow like a schizophrenic snake that's just found his way onto a field of kangaroos, and while Andre isn't as interesting flow-wise a lot of the time, he makes up for it with a monumentous amount of quotable lyrics and brilliant subject matter choices - the guy really was a legendary MC, and still is judging by some of the guest verses we've heard since 2010. In fact, if I had to pick I'd say Andre was the slightly better rapper on this album, but then again I'm sure most people would agree. And before I finish up, can I just say how brilliant these hooks are? Aside from the one on "Crumblin' Erb", which I had my slight issues with, every chorus is unbelievably catchy and memorable, helping the project's replay value out a ton (where the skits certainly don't). Sure, this album isn't OutKast's most thoughtful album, or most experimental, or best, but it's still a bloody great debut - the fact that they would improve on it time and time again is just testament to this group's incredible skill. This is one of the dopest debut albums ever released. True dat.

Best Tracks: Myintrotoletuknow, Ain't No Thang, Southernplayalisticadillacmuzik, Player's Ball, Git Up Git Out, Hootie Hoo, D.E.E.P.

Worst Tracks: Crumblin' Erb

More on the work of Big Boi and Andre 3000 to come!

The Lil Wayne Discography, pt.1 - Tha Block Is Hot

Okay, okay. I know some of you may be thinking to yourselves right now – why do this? Why put yourself through the miserable and tiresome exercise that the Lil Wayne discography is sure to be? Is this something to do with the whole Superbowl debacle that’s going on right now? Are you going mental? And to you I answer: no. I am doing this for two reasons. One, because it will either be surprisingly good or terribly bad, which will make for fun writing either way. And two, because I have always kind of maintained in conversations and in my own head that Lil Wayne is pretty overrated. Sure, I’ve heard good bars from him, but his delivery makes me cringe, and a lot of his content seems to be about the most generic bullshit there is. And yes, there are a couple of dope hit songs he’s got, like “Six Foot Seven Foot” and “Love Me”, but even on these admitted bangers, he isn’t necessarily the main star of the show (okay, maybe he IS on the former of those, but whatever). For every good bar or piece of wordplay, there’s always something terrible going alongside it, most of the time being an awfully stale sex punchline – and I think we all know about some of Wayne’s godawful reaches when it comes to likening things to that activity his fans so desperately want to hear about (in his mind, that is). And don’t get me started on this man’s autotune – imagine how much better the chorus of The Game’s “My Life” would be if he had got someone who could actually sing to do it?

Still, for all the flaws I’ve picked out in his big hits and guest appearances, there’s something I must admit – I never actually have taken the time to sit down and listen to a whole entire Lil Wayne album, much less his whole catalogue. So, since I’m back at college now and I have to spend lots of time sat in a library with access to a computer, I’m going to run through his whole ass discography – well, just the studio albums that is. Maybe we’ll save the ton of mixtapes he’s put out over the years for later. I aim to discover if Lil Wayne really does deserve the constant praise that he gets, and if he deserves more accolade from me. And so, ladies and gentlemen of the Beats, Rhymes & Reviews audience, I present to you the first write-up in my [name to be thought about – it’s hard to think of something as catchy as Murs-athon, you know!] – a review of Wayne’s debut album, Tha Block Is Hot. I can’t front – that is a dope title.

I’m sure there are people out there who don’t realise this, but Lil Wayne a/k/a Tunechi a/k/a Young Mula a/k/a Weezy (I could go on) has actually been around since the late ‘90s, even though he didn’t get really big until around 2008 with the release of one of his most recognisable projects, Tha Carter III. Of course, a lot of rappers started long before they hit the big time, but here’s the thing – Wayne was big back then too. I’m sure we all know that he was signed to Cash Money, and was part of the group Hot Boyz, along with Juvenile, Mannie Fresh, B.G., Birdman and a bunch of other people who haven’t been relevant for twenty years. However, what I didn’t know until recently was that his debut effort, that of the horrible cover art known as Tha Block Is Hot, charted at no. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. That’s pretty crazy stuff. And speaking of his debut effort, here’s a review for that now. Nice transition, huh?

Looking at the tracklist of this album, I’m struck by a couple of thoughts. The first is that this album looks quite long. 17 tracks for 70 minutes of music, without any skits at all to break up the monotony, besides an intro which I pretty much could have predicted would be there. This isn’t worrying exactly, but if I don’t end up enjoying the sound of this album then that could be a big problem. And I do kind of know what to expect here, mind – this is a late ‘90s Southern hip-hop album, so it’ll probably have club ready beats that sound a bit cheap but still bump nonetheless, and lyrics that revolve around bragging, sex, bragging and violence. You know, nice stuff. The features on here consist of quite a few members of the Cash Money Millionares collective – that’s B.G., Juvenile, Big Tymers and Turk – and also some guy called Papa Reu, whom I haven’t ever heard before. A good thing, or a bad? You decide. Oh, and the beats on this album are all done by Mannie Fresh, who did pretty much all of the stuff for this collective – overworking can be a good thing of course, but I hope that the guy had some good ideas after all of the stuff he’d already put out.

I’m kinda just droning on now, but the effect of that isn’t necessarily bad – I actually find myself rather excited to start this thing up now. So, let’s get going then. Lil Wayne. Tha Block Is Hot. Here we go.

All songs are produced by Mannie Fresh.

1. Intro (feat. Big Tymers)

Well, this was a rap album intro, featuring Birdman and Mannie Fresh hyping up our host over a fairly triumphant instrumental that I didn’t mind too much. Still, if you could refer back to the first seven words of this paragraph, that would be much appreciated.

2. Tha Block Is Hot

The lead single and most popular song on this album. On this song, Wayne drops three verses over a haunting beat from Mannie Fresh, and the results are pretty great, if overlong. The opening verse is incredibly engaging on here, with Lil Wayne comin’ out swinging with descriptions of the dark and harsh conditions of the location where he lived at the time. Oh, and there’s quite a bit of violence on here too, but anyone looking at this confrontational cover and not expecting that probably needs their eyes checked out. The chorus on here was catchy, the beat was dope, and I actually enjoyed Wayne’s performance a lot too. The third verse probably could have been cut, though, as the song felt like it was dragging by that point. Fact – this song is where the first ever example of a “skrrt!” ad-lib was found. Well, I didn’t say it was a fun fact.

3. Loud Pipes (feat. Big Tymers, Juvenile & B.G.)

Why is this song so long, man? The instrumental on here sounds like it was stolen from Swizz Beatz’ hard-drive of rejects, and then tweaked to sound even louder and more obnoxious than it already was, and the rapping doesn’t help it either. Mannie Fresh delivers a fairly good performance to open the track up, and I didn’t mind B.G.’s efforts either, but unfortunately Birdman sounds completely off beat and awkward throughout his sixteen bars of bullshit, and Lil Wayne’s sing-songy flow was just straight up annoying. Also, the Juvenile hook will probably haunt me to the end of my days. Yeah, I didn’t like this that much.

4. Watcha Wanna Do

A hell of a lot better than the previous song, but nothing really worth returning to either. Wayne’s lyrics revolve around the fact that while he may look like a short little kid (because let’s face it, that’s what he was), he’ll still find ways to mess you up and possibly kill you, all the while coming up with strangely ineffective insults to call you (see “feminine punk” – I mean, what sort of name-calling is that??). The lyrics themselves aren’t terrible, but I don’t find the overall concept easy to take seriously, especially when we’ve got this instrumental behind them that goes for “aggressive and haunting” but instead lands somewhere around “fairly unsettling but ultimately dull”. The hook’s pretty fun, but otherwise this was merely eh.

5. Kisha (feat. the Hot Boys)

Nah, man. Just… nah. I honestly can’t believe these guys chose what is actually the best instrumental so far, with its intense melody and urgent sound, and turned it into this awful storytelling track where the four MCs (Wayne, Turk, Juvenile and B.G.) take turns describing sexual encounters with THE SAME DAMNED GIRL. This is just an exercise in shaming women – I mean, I’m sure these guys don’t have a few months break after their relationships end, so why should it be OK for them to talk like this? I could not stand this song, man.

6. High Beamin’ (feat. B.G.)

Over what is easily the most godawful beat we’ve heard over the entire course of this album, Lil Wayne and B.G. rap about money meanwhile forgetting that they’re supposed to be, you know, entertaining us. There’s not really much to say here – no bars of note, nothing good to mention in the beat, some terrible sing-songy flows here and there, and a horrible chorus. This is the worst song yet. Jesus, man.

7. Lights Off

From what I’m seeing, this is one of the more well regarded songs on the album. My question – why the hell is that?? On this song, it seems Wayne initially spit these murderous and violent lyrics over a completely different beat, as the one on here is soft as a bowl of melting ice cream, and about as strong. Yeah, I said it – aside from the cool drum experimentation at the end, this beat is horrid. And considering he’s widely regarded as one of the greatest of all time, I’m finding it hard to actually get any good bars out of these songs. I mean, they’re not bad or anything, but most of the lyrics on this track fail to stick with me, or make me want to highlight them here. I’m sorry, but I did not like this one at all.

8. Fuck Tha World

Looks like we’re naming our songs after 2Pac classics now. Nice work, Wayne. Nice work. Still, I have to admit that this was actually a pretty great track, even if the instrumental sounded kind of tacky if you ask me – imagine Jay-Z’s “Lucky Me” beat if it was made with a budget of £5.50. The actual rapping, however, was great, as Lil Wayne does a 1-80 on the violent and braggadocios content we’ve heard so far, and actually starts to rap about his real life struggles, including the loss of his father, being poor, and having a child at a very young age – I feel like now is a good time to note that Wayne was young when this album came out. That’s probably why most of what we’ve heard so far isn’t very good, but this is, trust me. I’ll even forgive the fact that he stole this title. Not a bad song, Weezy. Not bad at all.

9. Remember Me (feat. B.G.)

This was another instance of a song just going on for a bit longer than it should have, but all in all I didn’t mind this one. I actually liked the slightly unorthodox beat, with it’s futuristic sound effects and all, and Lil Wayne kept things entertaining with his brags and what have you that we’ve pretty much become entirely used to at this stage of the album. The chorus from B.G. (which hilariously refers to the host as “Weezy Wee”) is quite godawful, though, and as I said I feel like this would have worked better with just two verses, as it starts to get a bit headache inducing after a while. Still, I kind of enjoyed this one.

10. Respect Us (feat. Juvenile)

Well, this was weird, and by weird, I don’t mean intriguingly good, but rather – slightly unorthodox in its execution but still ultimately pretty bad. I just don’t understand why you would take this tropical-ass music, and turn it into this late ‘90s cheap sounding beat that just ends up sounding silly rather than actually something you’d want to dance to. And aside from Lil Wayne making time to enact the process of coughing up a hairball, the rest of the lyrics here are just drab and really uninteresting. I mean, you read the title – do I need to spell it out? Also, Juvenile only pops up for the hook here, and the less said about that the better. Man, this kinda sucked.

11. Drop It Like It’s Hot (feat. B.G. & Mannie Fresh)

Mannie Fresh actually did kind of a good job on his other feature here, so hopefully I can look forward to his performance on this one. Also, Wayne was indeed the person to first use this phrase in hip-hop, not the Snoop D-O-double-G like you might think. Honestly, I enjoyed this beat a lot, as it sounded like a lot more effort and, you know, money had been put into it, and I also liked the hook, which interpolated the lines from Juvenile’s “Back That Azz Up” that give this song its name. Unfortunately, not everything about this could be defended – the second of Wayne’s two verses was pretty good, but his first was weak, and goddamn what does Mannie Fresh think he’s up to on here? That verse was horrific. I’m not one to advocate for censorship, but I really think that that should have been cut. This is still one of the better songs here, but remember – that’s not a good thing. This is still quite bad.

12. Young Playa (feat. Big Tymers)

No, no, no. This song title is godawful. Wayne starts this one with some creepy laughing, before launching into an awful vocal delivery and selection of lyrics that are nothing more than dull, boastful gibberish. Why is he betting on Kobe? Why is that relevant? Funnily enough, Birdman and Mannie Fresh don’t even rap on here – they simply provide spoken interludes between each verse. Was that really worth the feature credit? I mean, really?? Also, I didn’t mention it, but this beat is really weak. Honestly, I just heard another line about something disgusting, and I can’t be prepared with this one anymore. It’s bad. Just bad.

13. Enemy Turf (feat. Juvenile)

Well, at least this song isn’t about sex. Instead, Wayne and Juvenile (who actually bothers to deliver a verse on this one) talk about how conditions are so poor in their hometowns that they feel that they’re on “enemy turf”, but make no mistake – they aren’t sad about this. It’s merely an excuse to discuss more violence, not that I mind too much, as Juvenile does sound quite convincing on here – also, he’s easily the most unique member of Cash Money from what I’m seeing, or at least the incarnation of the group at that time. Wayne does a solid job too, and I even thought the beat bopped along quite nicely. Yeah, I liked this one a lot. Well, a lot is an overstatement, but still I quite enjoyed it.

14. Not Like Me (feat. Big Tymers)

Oh great, another Big Tymers feature. Thank God it’s the last. Still, I didn’t dislike this song either – the chorus from an apparently uncredited Papa Rue notwithstanding, since I hate it. Yes, “I got so much money I know who killed Kennedy” might be the stupidest rap lyric of the ‘90s, but on the other hand the instrumental on this one was actually quite moving, and I really enjoyed all of the performances from the three artists here. Yeah, it’s not top tier stuff, but this did me fine.  

15. Come On (feat. B.G.)

Well, I guess we’ve given up on creative song titles. And creative songs. Why is this so repetitive? Did they not hear that? What the hell is this? Nothing about this song is worth mentioning – it’s not even bad, it’s just really bland and boring. Come on guys, we almost had a good run there!!

16. Up To Me

I guess Weezy finally mastered the art of creating a proper song with this one, as this track actually has a unique theme that is followed through satisfactorily, and it has a beat that doesn’t get old after a minute and a half – well, I guess we’ve got Mannie to thank for that latter point. The production on here was really nice and poignant, and Wayne uses it to rap about his deceased stepfather, and about how he’s going to carry on his ways in remembrance of him – he also uses a lot of the track to directly address his father. This is also one of the first times on the album where some lines have stuck out to me for a good reason – I really liked “but the same thing make ya laugh, make ya cry, and everybody that you love it’s like they have to die”. Yeah, this was actually a really good song – in fact, it’s my favourite so far.

17. You Want War (feat. Turk)

For the closing song on this album, Weezy finally realises that you don’t need a bullshit hook to make a good song, and decides to have this song with just three verses – two from him, and one in the middle from Turk, who must be the guy from Cash Money that no-one actually remembers. I enjoyed this a decent amount, and I loved Weezy’s flow towards the end, but there’s no way this was the best way we could have ended things. This is a song for the middle of the album at best.

Look. I know he’s well regarded. I know that he’ll probably get better from here. I’ll even acknowledge that there were a few bangers on this album. But that doesn’t change the overwhelming truth present here – this album is not good. Not only is it not good. It’s actually quite bad. Firstly, I have my big issues with the production. Most of the beats on this album are repetitive, annoying, cheap and ultimately ineffective at creating a good soundscape for whatever Wayne is trying to say. Even the best beats here don’t match up to anything Ghostface Killah or Common would have had on their albums through their career, and the worst ones are straight up god awful. Some of the more positive sounding ones are the worst here – what the hell were they even trying to do on “High Beamin'”? Or “Young Playa”? There isn’t much in the way of good production here, but to be honest the same could be said for the rapping. Almost every song here deals with the same old rubbish that a lot of mainstream hip-hop in the late 1990s and early 2000s did – violence, bragging and sex. And it’s not even tasteful – there’s no self awareness, no hint that the things talked about throughout this album aren’t actually very good. It’s all negative, and it’s all repetitive too. I know Wayne was 17 and probably thought bragging about expensive guns on a rap album was the best job in the world, but in retrospect these lyrics aren’t good. At all. Of course, Wayne did have a few personal moments on here, specifically with “Fuck tha World” and “Up to Me”, but aside from these it's slim pickings. The features on here were weak as hell too – I’m a fan of Juvenile, but even he tends to just do the hook on the songs he appears on, and everyone else just can’t be bothered to provide anything insightful or well-executed to the table apparently. And why the hell did this need to be so long? An album like this should be 11 tracks, tops. It's unfortunate that it's often the least engaging rappers who chuck the most music on each LP. Yeah, I didn’t like this album much. There were a couple of good joints, but nothing really worth returning to, and some pretty terrible moments too. I just hope to God that things improve from here, because if they don’t then I think I’ll begin to regret this album run, and very quickly…

Best Track: "Up to Me"

Worst Track: "Young Playa"

Oh, and I'm going to start scoring these albums too - I'll rank them all at the end, and also explain my reasoning if I happen to up or down a rating. 

49/100

Murs-athon pt. 14 - Yumiko: Curse Of the Merch Girl

Welp, here we are. Another reaction to a Murs album, and I can’t lie… I’m very, very sceptical about this one. Some may remember one of the more recent ones I did of these when I discussed Murs’ 2011 EP Varsity Blues 2, and while that EP as a whole was OK, with a couple of really great songs in there, there were a couple that I really didn’t fucking like, and one of those songs happened to be the track “She’s So Lost (Yumi’s Blues)”, a song in which Murs told a story of a girl who sold merchandise at band shows, and who happened to fall in love and get together with the leader of the band. When she discovered he was cheating, however, she… became very sad? The song didn’t have any kind of conclusive ending, and perhaps it was for that reason that the album in discussion today came about. Anyway, the song itself was really, really bad, and not only because of the story, which would maybe work for a comic (wink, wink), but really doesn’t when it comes to a damned hip-hop song. The music on the track was also terrible, with the verses having an inoffensive but in no way enjoyable poppy beat, and the hook incorporating some electric guitars that were about as enjoyable as a broken glass sandwich washed down with a cup of red diesel. I really disliked this track, and so inevitably Murs took its concept and fleshed it out into a whole ten track album (with five most likely useless remixes chucked on the end of that too!!), which he put out in mid-2012 to the reception of absolutely no-one, despite the excellence of his prior effort Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation, which I loved and have in rotation to this day.

Yumiko: Curse Of the Merch Girl (which is a stupid title for an album by the way) was the first so-called “concept album” in the Murs catalogue, and to help him he bought in producer Foundation, mastermind behind absolutely nothing else that you might have heard of, so that’s good. At the moment, my rating for him is about a three out of ten (since he did that “She’s So Lost” song), but hey, it can only get better from here. Oh, and since I haven’t mentioned it yet, “She’s So Lost” does show up on this album too, which leaves me with two problems. A = what’s going to happen after that (it’s track three)? And B = is this album going to have that poppy, occasionally rocky sound we heard on that song, that I myself bloody despise?

Well, I guess the only way to find out is by jumping headfirst into this project. And who knows, maybe it’ll be better than I think? Still, a whole concept album based on this concept?? I really don’t see how this is going to work.

Oh, and all of the songs are produced by Foundation, in case I didn’t make that clear before.

1.     1. Love

Well, consider me surprised, because this song was great, and honestly such a strong way to open up this album. Foundation brings us an instrumental that’s wonderfully gritty, with the chorus containing some nice little synths too which really help with the emotional progression of the track, and Murs went in on this one, describing a relationship that was also seen in “She’s So Lost”, where the man leading the band is a bit of a dickhead, and the girl is none the wiser, despite apparently being right there on tour with him. The production on here was honestly impeccable, and Murs killed it with a great delivery and an enticing story to tell. Honestly, I think I was a bit harsh in the intro paragraphs. This might not be too bad.

1.      2. She’s So Lost

This was the song that I had already heard on the Varsity Blues 2 EP, but I was pleasantly surprised anyway to find out that the shitty instrumental used on that version is nowhere to be found here, replaced by something more intense, and also a lot more hip-hop centric. It still has some godawful guitars in the hook, but still this beat is good. And one reason why it’s so good is that it very much changes the tone of this song to mark the dire situation being described as something more intense and important, and this is plainly for the best – that beat on the older version of this song really did bring it down. I’m still not hugely enthralled by this content, and the imagery painted in the second verse gets uncomfortable to hear, but still, I’m glad this version is better sonically now.

2.     3. On Your Own

Aside from Murs’ insistence to include a terrible chorus that isn’t catchy in the slightest, but instead just serves to interrupt his narrative for no apparent reason, this song was pretty great too. The instrumental from Foundation is well made and sounds great throughout the track, and Murs addressing the girl he’s told the story of in the last two songs was also very necessary. This one isn’t essential listening by any means, but it serves its purpose well next to these other two songs. I liked this one.

3.     4.  An Eye For An Eye

Naming your song after a phrase that’s been used in hip-hop about 274,000 times before? Interesting. Instrumentally, this song was really good, as Foundation provides an instrumental that DMX might have rhymed over in the late ‘90s, had he not fallen for the terrible sound Swizz Beatz was pioneering at that time. The dark pianos and the slow pace make for a dark and haunting atmosphere, which leads to my problem here – these lyrics don’t match it at all. Murs talks to the listener about the pain one might feel when their heart has been broken, and while this is all very sad, why exactly did it warrant this excellently creepy beat? It makes no sense to me. Yeah, this track should have been good, but unfortunately the lack of communication between lyrics and beat pull it down a notch for me. Also, the hook is terrible.

4.    5. God’s Gone Crazy

      Well, I certainly wasn’t expecting this. What I was expecting from this album was fairly uninteresting storytelling over bad, commercial beats, and what did I get on this song? Easily one of the best Murs tracks I have ever heard. Not only was the instrumental on here incredible, with a generally creepy air put in by the electronic sound effects, but Murs’ lyrics were easily some of his best yet so far. Murs kind of abandons the concept of the album for this track, instead talking about how crazy it is that people cause hurt and death so often purely because of religion – something that Murs rightfully states here as not being provable anyway. The song isn’t anti-religious at all, but instead encourages peace, but in a way that’s incredibly clever and insightful, not annoying and pretentious. I think one line sums this one up pretty well – “Murdering in the name of your god is still murder”. What an incredible track.

5.     6.   Mr. M

Uhh… I guess Murs really has given up on the (admittedly terrible) concept this album had, as this track is all about the devil himself, who Murs personifies as “Mr. M” for some reason that probably makes sense to the people in his office block. I didn’t care for the beat here at first, as it sounded too bouncy and honestly a little silly, but as the song went on I found my interest increasing, and I thought Murs’ “everything bad that happens is because of the devil!!” subject matter to be fairly well executed, even though it’s a recycled topic. Also, we got some record scratching here, which is always appreciated, even if the scratches are horribly placed.

6.     7.  Falling In Flames

Murs actually seems to return to the concept of the album here, all the while offering an explanation for the last song and why it was placed on this album – because the guy who he’s talking about fell for the temptation the devil instigated in him, silly! This one is about a guy who effectively sold his soul (as they say) for fame, and it’s quite a harrowing tale with an interesting connection back to Yumi, who hasn’t even been mentioned since, like, track three. I mean, what’s up with that? The instrumental here was dope as hell, and Murs killed the lyrics. I really liked this one. Nice video, too.

1.   8. Loki & Puck

Murs starts off by telling us that this one is about to change things up into some “hood shit“, and the results are pretty great. Foundation provides a more rock influenced instrumental here, but thankfully it’s easily fast enough to keep things going, without the song getting boring at any point. Meanwhile, Murs continues the tale of this album by recounting Yumiko’s next activities – leading on two gang members who were quite well-known in the hood, and in the end shooting them both while they were all in a car together. Well, damn. This song was honestly really entertaining, and with a bit more variation in the beat it could be even better.

2.   9. Piece Now

So… I guess Yumi came back to kill Dom and his bandmate? That’s the only thing I can discern from this storytelling track, but then again I’ll probably need more listens of this album to really understand this whole story. This track was short and sweet, and that instrumental was nice as hell. Not necessarily a massive standout, but still pretty great nonetheless. Oh, and the “here’s a little story that must be told” scratch at the end reminded me very much of Common’s song “Book Of Life”, since it’s the exact same sample. That’s dope too!

10. The Only One / Final

Well, I’m not entirely sure what the name for this one is, since streaming and the CD give it different titles, but still, I’ll put them both up there just to avoid confusion. After some terribly grating synths start things up, the full beat comes on, and… I really don’t like it. The synths themselves are bad enough, but having them play a truly horrible melody as well is just the nail in the coffin – this is quite easily the weakest beat on the album. A shame, as even though the first few lines seemed a bit corny, Murs’ delivery on this one was really heartfelt, and I actually really dug most of his performance here. This definitely wasn’t the most potent way he could have ended the album, but it’s OK nonetheless. Oh, and that extended outro music was pretty cool too. 

As I stated in the intro paragraphs, there are five extra remixes stuffed onto the end of some versions of this album, but I'll probably check those out later - and I don't think I require much more to convince me that this album is dope anyway. 

Well, consider me surprised. This album not only surpassed my incredibly low expectations, but it's also made it's way up to position of being one of my favourite Murs albums ever. Honestly, I don't know how this thing doesn't get more props - the beats are sick, the rapping is excellent, and the consistency is there in spades too. The beats on here are less sample based, and sound more modern than some of the stuff Murs has rhymed over on his previous few efforts, and that's a good thing, as these instrumentals are honestly perfect for Murs' voice. Some of the darker beats are my favourites, but even the more light-hearted ones work, and this overall just sounds more inventive and interesting than some of his later albums with 9th Wonder (although the beats don't quite match the ones on Love & Rockets Vol 1: The Transformation in my opinion). Then we come to Murs, who manages to engage throughout this thing with a great storyline that he executes well, and doesn't bore us with either, sometimes going slightly off topic to relate something, and throwing in little twists and things to keep things moving along. And, while his lyrics themselves occasionally swerve into corny territory, a lot of the time they contain very quotable bars and excellent subject matter - this man is overall very dope, even at this later stage in his career. My one gripe with the project would be the underwhelming hooks that appeared on a lot of these songs - most of the time Murs' hooks just sound like four regular bars that happen to be repeated a lot, and more often than not they serve to interrupt, rather than add to the song in a positive way. Still, aside from that, this was a really intriguing concept album, and I'm really, really happy that I liked it so much. It's crazy how the song from Varsity Blues 2 was significantly worse than anything that actually appeared on here - including the version of that song with a new beat. I'd definitely recommend a listen here - it's another project in a catalogue that continuously proves to be one of the more underrated and consistent in the game.

Expectations: Exceeded

Best Track: "God's Gone Crazy"

Worst Track: "The Only One"

Catch up on the ever-growing Murs-athon over here!

Jay-Z - Blueprint 2.1

Well, it's back to college tomorrow, and as I said in that announcement I posted a couple of weeks ago, I am going to be doing much less in the way of reviews, and more reaction series for different discographies that I have yet to explore. Just thought I'd better remind everyone of that, and also offer up one final piece before I go back, since the write-ups aren't going to be as frequent from now on. 

Readers of the blog might well know that in my last post I did a review for Jay-Z's 7th studio album, The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse, a double album that had more than a few flashes of brilliance, but was bogged down in some filler that appeared to have had less effort put into it than the bread and butter that Jay snacked on between recordings. But it wasn't just me who thought that - the critics all came down harshly on Hov's new body of work, claiming that it had no right to be a double album, and wasn't a worthy follow up to the classic that it borrowed its name from. Some even said that the album signified Jay losing his reign over the genre of rap music, and Jay's ego inevitably was not going to stand for such criticism. 

Since he was the head of the label and could do whatever the fuck he wanted, Jay decided that in order to get back at critics who named the album too long and too rushed, he would chop the album up, take out the nice pieces, and leave behind the offal that was songs like "As One" and "What They Gonna Do". How long he spent doing this, or if he was involved with the sequencing of this new tracklist at all, is anyone's guess, but the point is that this re-release entitled Blueprint 2.1 earned it's place on store shelves on April 8th of 2003, five months after the original album had been put out. And immediately there was a problem.

Whoever sequenced this thing did a fucking awful job.

So, for those who don't know, here's the tracklist, excluding the bonus tracks (which I'll get to later). 

1. A Dream (feat. Faith Evans & Notorious B.I.G.)

2. Hovi Baby

3. The Watcher 2 (feat. Dr. Dre, Rakim & Truth Hurts)

4. 03' Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Beyoncé Knowles)

5. Excuse Me Miss

6. All Around The World (feat. LaToiya Williams)

7. Guns & Roses (feat. Lenny Kravitz)

8. U Don't Know Remix (feat. M.O.P.)

9. Meet The Parents

10. Some How Some Way (feat. Beanie Sigel & Scarface)

11. The Bounce (feat. Kanye West)

12. What They Gonna Do Part II

So, let's start with some of the positives here. They did retain all of the first five songs from the first disc, which is a good thing, as I honestly think those are easily some of the most entertaining and well-written songs on the project. It's actually cool that he could admit that he started with some of his best material to draw you into the original double discer, and I'm very pleased that these songs made it into this re-release. Unfortunately, after this it becomes a complete mess. I don't know who read my last review, but if you did you'd remember that I readily dismissed "All Around The World", and best believe three days later I still do - that song really is just the most generic bullshit imaginable. Thankfully, they do keep "The Bounce", and actually credit Kanye this time round, so that's great. I don't know why they put that one in amongst all of the second disc picks, though, as all the other ones from the first disc are towards the start. In fact, "The Bounce" is the only song here that breaks the order that otherwise remains the same as the way these tracks appeared on the original album. 

Looking at the picks for the second disc, I'm inclined to believe that it was a bit of a rush job. They've picked all of tracks 2 to 5 from that album, as well as the final bonus track, which just comes across as lazy to me. I understand Hov wanting to keep the Lenny Kravitz collab, even if the song didn't actually work, but why include the remix which should never have been on a new studio album in the first place? Are you trying to penalise yourself here, Hova? And while "Meet the Parents" was easily one of the strongest cuts from the original album, "Some How Some Way" was another that felt a bit like filler, and as a callback to a more celebrated early Jay cut. And where the fuck is "A Ballad For the Fallen Soldier"? And speaking of songs that didn't make it, what about "Poppin' Tags"? That track is great!!

It seems, then, that whoever sequenced this might not have had the same opinions as me (read: he was wrong), but as a last resort to help this project, buyers in Europe received not one, not two but five bonus tracks, three of which weren't even on the original The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse disc! The bonus songs were:

Excuse Me Miss Again

Stop

Beware... (Jay-Z Remix) (feat. Panjabi MC)

BluePrint 2

Bitches and Sisters

Excitingly, this shows that they did include the excellent diss track that was another one conspicuous by its absence on the standard Blueprint 2.1 album. Unfortunately, they also included the misogynistic rant that is "Bitches and Sisters", so we're not out of the swamp yet. But what about those other three tracks? Well, let's have a look at them, and give them the reviews I would give in a normal review post

Excuse Me Miss Again (prod. The Neptunes)

Often known as "La-La-La (Excuse Me Miss Again)", this song was originally made for the soundtrack for the movie Bad Boys II, but managed to sneak its way onto here too, probably to help the thing sell more copies. And yes, this was a single. This track is actually pretty great, and contains a far more macho and braggadocios attitude than the original "Excuse Me Miss" song - Hov's bars are memorable and catchy (the "Show You How" reference was cool too), and the instrumental, especially in the verses, is creepy and club-bangin'. Unfortunately, I'm not as keen on the hook - not only are the "la-la-la" lyrics kinda corny, but during it the instrumental switches up into something more synthy, and by default, more annoying. Still, this is a pretty great Hov single. 

Stop (prod. Swizz Beatz)

Hov takes a hot mess of a Swizz Beatz instrumental and attempts to make something out of it with some nice flows and rhymes, but unfortunately his efforts are in vein - that hook doesn't help either. This song isn't great, and honestly I'd rather listen to almost anything on the original The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse album. 

Beware...(Jay-Z Remix) (feat. Panjabi MC) (prod. Panjabi MC)

The only one out of five bonus tracks to actually get credits listed out inside the booklet - that's useful. I don't know what the fuck I just listened to, but I'm fairly sure I've heard it before in some memes as that stereotypical Indian music, which admittedly I did find funny at first. Unfortunately, this shit grew wearisome quickly, and this song remains as a funny novelty piece more than anything else. 

Well, that was weird. Anyway, it seems that, while Hova (or more likely Hova's sequencing team) tried his best, Blueprint 2.1 didn't turn out as well as it very well could have. So, ladies and gentlemen, I propose to you my very own Blueprint 2 remake - Blueprint 2.2.

1. A Dream (feat. Faith Evans) *I would remove the Notorious B.I.G. verse from this too, and leave it as a one verse wonder intro*

2. Blueprint 2

3. Hovi Baby

4. '03 Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Beyoncé Knowles)

5. Poppin' Tags (feat. Big Boi, Killer Mike & Twista)

6. The Bounce (feat. Kanye West)

7. Show You How

8. Excuse Me Miss

9. Diamond Is Forever

10. The Watcher 2 (feat. Dr. Dre, Rakim & Truth Hurts)

11. Excuse Me Miss Again

12. Meet the Parents

13. A Ballad For the Fallen Soldier

14. I Did It My Way

bonus track 15. U Don't Know (Remix) (feat. M.O.P.)

And there we have it - a classic album from Jay-Z if you ask me, sequenced to perfection with no skips, and fantastic hits and deep cuts all intertwined to create an ever so slightly commercial masterpiece. Man, that shit is good. It's just a damned shame that the shit was never released. 

Thanks for reading!

Catch up on other Hova discussions over here.

Jay-Z - The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse

When an artist releases a classic album, a flurry of positive and negative effects will come their way. On the one hand, they will have proved themselves as a great artist capable of making a great body of work, and most of the time they will also sell a lot more records too, and will get more hype around their next album since the expectations are so high. Also, they might start to get more recognition from their superiors, and be able to even work with some of them, surely any young hip-hop artist's dream. On the other hand, however, it puts a hell of a lot of pressure on said artist to follow up a piece of work widely deemed as a classic. Some (like A Tribe Called Quest and Mobb Deep) deliver with ease. Some (like Nas) don't ever quite match said classic but still maintain relevancy with some great albums. And some will drop some bullshit and drop off the face of the Earth shortly thereafter (see, sadly, quite a few members of Wu-Tang Clan). But there is another way. The way of releasing a blatant sequel to your classic album right afterwards so that you can build traction off the name of that album, and continue it's sound without having to switch things up with potentially fatal results (which could well have to happen with a completely differently titled album - see Mos Def's The New Danger and Common's Electric Circus). And this was the route that a certain Shawn Carter (known to fans of Glastonbury Festival as Jay-Z) decided to take when he was forced to follow up the absolute undisputed classic that was The Best Of Both Worlds- uhh- I mean, The Blueprint.

Jay-Z, also known as Jigga Man, also known as Hova, released his seventh studio album The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse (yes that's the title, and don't you forget it) in late 2002 in the midst of some interesting times in his life. Firstly, he was coming off of a classic solo record with The Blueprint and a bloody godawful collaborative album with R. Kelly called The Best of Both Worlds, that had supposedly been released with a subsequent world tour in mind, at least until Jigga found out that Kelly spent much of his free time pissing on underage girls, and decided to cut ties with him completely. Of course this didn't stop him once again teaming up with the bastard in two years time anyway, but that's a story for another day. The tour went ahead with just Jay and his friends, and was a success, but Hova still had something else on his mind. He had just been annihilated on record by fellow MC Nas on the song "Ether", and try as he might, he couldn't manage to record a radio freestyle that could sway the public his way again. So there was that. And on top of all of this, there were now quite a few rumours that he was actually dating the at the time fairly well-known Beyonce, who we all know would have turned into one of America's biggest superstars in just a few years time. Safe to say, there was a lot of things for Hova to be writing about during this period. 

But still, did we really need a double album? Well, apparently so, at least in Hov's mind. And so we come to The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse, Jay's first, and as of now only, double disc album. 

The idea for a double album actually came from one of Hova's many friends in the industry Young Guru, known for mixing and mastering on a plethora of mainstream releases throughout the late '90s and 2000s. According to him, it would help Jay to reach legend status since both 2Pac and The Notorious B.I.G. had double albums. He apparently forgot that there were more incredible rappers than that whom Hov should be aspiring to, but I guess Nas was a taboo name in the offices at that time. Still, the idea for a double album was in Hov's head, and not even the strongest of tweezers could pluck it out (although they clearly tried, evidenced by Hov's apparent rubbing of his head in pain on the back cover of this thing). He then decided that a double album wasn't quite ambitious enough - what he needed was a concept album, and so then came the ridiculous title, one that reflected Hov's writing: a lot of positive ("The Gift") and a lot of negative too ("The Curse"). Since this is a mainstream hip-hop release, the concept isn't followed through very clearly at all, but still, props to him for giving the fans something to look for. 

This album is long, and since I've already spent a while introducing it I can't really be bothered to list out the notable collaborators here like I often do - anyway, it's nice to switch things up now and then. No, I think it's now time for me to get into this tracklist, and see whether this album is as good (or as bad) as I remember. C'mon, let's get going!

Disc One: The Gift

1. A Dream (feat. Faith Evans & Notorious B.I.G.) (prod. Kanye West)

Over a triumphant beat from a pre-solo work Kanye West that sounds absolutely astounding in my opinion, Hov drops one of his best opening verses, recounting a dream he had about The Notorious B.I.G. to someone who apparently isn't supposed to run his mouth about what Jay is telling him. The rhyme schemes, flows and vocal deliveries Jay uses here are all absolutely impeccable, and I can say without guilt that this is one of my favourite verses from him. I also love it's meaning - it's Hov reminding himself that he doesn't need to listen to the critics and people who wanna down him, and instead he should remember that he's still a legend whatever happens. It's a great opening verse, and Faith Evans' passionate delivery during the chorus enhances the song's appeal, as do the Biggie scratches. Unfortunately, the song loses a lot of its momentum when the second verse comes in, which any self-respecting listener would recognise as the first verse of The Notorious B.I.G.'s "Juicy". I mean, really fellas? This song is great and I like the outro too, but that Big verse was really not needed. 

2. Hovi Baby (prod. Just Blaze)

Jay takes a rather unorthodox instrumental from Just Blaze for this song that was actually a single, albeit one largely overshadowed by the two others (which we'll reach soon). This beat feels like it's in a time signature that switches up at various points, and it's possibly for that reason that Jay comes across as even more skilled and even more quotable than he generally is otherwise - yes, this is another fantastic track. Jay drops three verses that attempt to re-introduce him to a public that admittedly didn't have much time to miss him in the first place, and he spends them gassing himself up with bars such as "I'm so far ahead of my time I'm 'bout to start another life, look behind you: I'm 'bout to pass you twice" and "stop your run, one of the reasons they call us gangrene / the other reason: we got a gang of green" - these are just a couple of memorable and clever bars from this track. Yes, the female vocal on the chorus is a bit annoying, but it's easy to look past when everything else is so great.

3. The Watcher 2 (feat. Dr. Dre, Rakim & Truth Hurts) (prod. Dr. Dre)

Now, ain't that a line-up to go down in the history books. Of course, Hov did team up with Dre before, but still, Jay-Z and Rakim on a song produced by Dr. Dre? That's fuckin' dope. This is of course a sequel to the opening song from Dr. Dre's own album 2001, and it's weird that the sequel actually ends up bettering the OG. Dre's instrumental feels even more polished than the two beats we've heard prior, which is saying a lot, and yet it still retains the funky bounce of the original "The Watcher", which is a great thing. Hov starts things off here with a very long verse that takes shots at a certain Cam'Ron, while Dre spits a verse someone else wrote, and Rakim ends things on a high note with a fantastic contribution. The singing on here from Truth Hurts is also beautiful. Really, really great stuff. 

4. '03 Bonnie & Clyde (feat. Beyoncé Knowles) (prod. Kanye West)

The biggest hit from this whole album that was recently used in an advert for something or other on British TV - I don't remember exactly what. I do know that this is actually a pretty great song, though - yes, it's a bit of a shameless rip-off of 2Pac's "Me & My Girlfriend", but it's different enough to make it an enjoyable song in its own right, and my God is it catchy. Seriously, how can you not want to sing along to this chorus? And Hov's verses are as on point as always, as he shows compassion and true love he never had really showed before on singles, only on the sadder album cuts. This isn't as good as the previous few songs, but I still really like it. 

5. Excuse Me Miss (prod. The Neptunes)

Hov's sequencing of all three singles within the first five tracks of the first disc on this album will always puzzle me - surely at least one should go on disc two to make people more likely to chuck that one in too? Well, what do I know. This, as I sort of insinuated there, was the third single released for this album, and features prominent vocal contributions from Pharrell Williams, not that you would be able to tell from the back cover - did that guy not want credit back then? The wavy instrumental on here from The Neptunes is nice as hell, and it's nice to hear a more mature version of Jay on this song as he addresses one female throughout with some nice storytelling moments - this is clearly a far cry from "Girls, Girls, Girls", and light years from "Big Pimpin'". Still, the fact that Jay made a point of separating his rhymes from those of Biggie on the opening track seems to come up as ironic here, since the chorus blatantly rips off lines from "Big Poppa". Still, I do enjoy this single, and "gotta throw on the Scooby Doo's" will always make me laugh. 

6. What They Gonna Do (feat. Sean Paul) (prod. Timbaland)

An absolutely excellent song, and by "absolutely excellent" I mean "utterly dismal", naturally. This song sucks - Timbaland's beat barely qualifies as music, instead just consisting of weird synth stabs and annoying drums, and this chorus is one of the most painful I have ever heard. I mean, Sean Paul? Why?? Jay manages to slightly bring the track up with a stellar third verse, but unfortunately this only just about makes up for his terrible performance in the first verse. And what the hell is going on with that breakdown at the end? Seriously, this is the definition of godawful, and if you do like this song, I'd be shocked. Please let me know if you do like it, and if so, why? Or perhaps more importantly, how much did Jay-Z pay you to do so?

7. All Around The World (feat. LaToiya Williams) (prod. No I.D.)

Boring, generic piffle. A song about travelling around the world can be good, as Murs proved with "International", but unfortunately with a terribly boring beat and hook, this one really does nothing for me. I'm disappointed in No I.D., too. I mean, seriously man? You produced two of Common's best albums, and then this is what you've got for Jay-Z??

8. Poppin' Tags (feat. Big Boi, Killer Mike & Twista) (prod. Kanye West)

Another astonishingly stacked lineup, one that to a modern audience might seem even more enticing than that of "The Watcher 2". It's weird to think that Killer Mike was actually a popular rapper back then considering the impact of his 2010s work, but that's just how the ball rolls I guess. This song bangs, and considering the incredibly low quality of the previous two songs, it's nice to hear something that sounds like it actually had some effort put into it. The instrumental on here from Kanye instigates the Dirty South flow that all three guests are known for, but forces Hov to change things up like he did on "Is That Yo Bitch?" three years prior - and he does a good job, albeit not as good as the three guests. Twista brings the best verse on the song in my opinion, but Killer Mike and Big Boi both drop their fast and slightly drawly verses with perfection too, so don't worry about that. Sure, Sleepy Brown's hook isn't brilliant, but it certainly isn't bad either, and will grow on you after a few listens. Tech N9ne said on his 2008 track "Why You Ain't Call Me" that he would loved to have appeared on Hov's "Renegade", but really I think this track would have been the best fit for him. Can you imagine that?

9. Fuck All Nite (prod. The Neptunes)

Yes, that is how he spelled "night". Ugh. This mindless filler is listenable, so that's good, but I want to focus this review on one particular section of the song that I noticed to be particularly fucking stupid. The line goes: "she called me her emergency dick-in-a-glass, haha (Hehehe) / I had to laugh for a second". So, what this means is that Jay either came up with the terrible, terrible nickname that is "emergency dick in a glass", and thought it was so good that he had to highlight it with a laugh and a pause afterwards, or he was actually called this by a girl he was sleeping with. Either way, that's fucking hilarious, but not really in the way Shawn apparently intended. Anyway, as I said, this one is the most forgettable on the disc, but hey, at least it's not as terrible as "What They Gonna Do".

10. The Bounce (prod. Timbaland)

Notable for including the first actual verse from Kanye West on a major label record, even though the back cover doesn't credit him for his efforts. Hell, he doesn't even fall in the "additional vocals" - the credits in the booklet list his name nowhere on this song. Crazy stuff - imagine hiding a Ye feature like that nowadays! Well, perhaps not right now nowadays, but you know what I mean... Anyway, this is a pretty fun track - Jay's lyrics are a lot more in-depth than you would expect considering the club-ready instrumental and hook, and Kanye's verse is fairly fun as well, even though he would get a lot better in the future. Hov's opening bars do come across as a little disrespectful to the victims of the 9/11 tragedy, but on the other hand the lines "for those that think Hov fingers bling-blingin' either haven't heard the album, or they don't know English / they only know what the single is and single that out to be the meaning of what he's about" are really, really good, and reflect the generic attitude that rap is all about showing off, just because some radio singles purvey this. This song is actually great - and don't ask me what Timbo thought he was doing with "What They Gonna Do", because he kills this beat.

11. I Did It My Way (prod. Jimmy Kendrix & Big Chuck)

Jay-Z finishes off the first disc with a song that prominently samples the very recognisable Frank Sinatra tune "My Way", only it's not actually the Frank Sinatra version being sampled, but rather the less recognisable but actually original Paul Anka version. This is the only song on the first disc to be done by no-name producers, and with that in mind it's pretty impressive just how great this beat is - it's intense, and fits well with some of the lyrical content on the track. And, in typical Hova fashion, this is the most serious song on this whole disc, as he discusses numerous positives and negatives of his life at the time, with the most notable moment being where he addresses the stabbing of Lance "Un" Riviera, which Jay allegedly committed at a Q-Tip record release party (for Amplified) after Un supposedly leaked the Vol. 3 album. That part is interesting as hell, but don't let it fool you - the rest of this shit is too. The intro goes on for a bit too long, but other than that this is surprisingly great considering the strange sample choice. 

Right. On to disc two.

Disc Two: The Curse

1. Diamond Is Forever (prod. Ron Feemster & Big Chuck)

No, this song does not sample Shirley Bassey's "Diamonds Are Forever", but weirdly it would only be three years after the release of this track when Hov showed up on the remix to a Kanye West song that utilised that exact sample. Interesting, huh? Much like the last song on the first disc, this cut is produced by two much lesser known producers (one of whom is mutual between the two songs), and once again the beat is surprisingly great. This intense instrumental is the perfect way to open up the second disc, intriguing the listener into wanting to hear more, and Hov utilises the beat to talk about his current stance over the rap-game, and also the rough story of how he got to where he is now. Hell, even the chorus is pretty catchy, if the delivery is a bit stupid. Yeah, this song is great, and a nice surprise for the hip-hop fans that actually put the second disc on (because those pop fans that bought this off the strength of the singles certainly wouldn't have). 

2. Guns & Roses (feat. Lenny Kravitz) (prod. Heavy D)

Now, it's not the most ridiculous proposition to have Lenny Kravitz on your rap song - Busta Rhymes did it two years prior - but that doesn't mean this track works. At all. The instrumental on here from Heavy D (who also provides an intro) is alright, but unfortunately Hova decides to do his best impression of someone with glue in their mouth for his verses, leaving his flow sounding staticky and disjointed for a large portion of the time. The lyrics themselves are OK, but everything else isn't. Oh, and Lenny Kravitz' parts on here are pretty godawful too. An interesting experiment, and props to them for trying, but unfortunately this song doesn't really work.

3. U Don't Know (Remix) (feat. M.O.P.) (prod. Just Blaze)

M.O.P. hop on the most energetic track from the original Blueprint album, and let's be real - it's a match made in Heaven. The verses from Fame and Danze both stand amongst their best, and this instrumental is just simply perfect for the energy these two always have. Apparently Blaze actually did change the mix around on this one to make the drums and the bass hit a bit harder, but I never actually can notice this in the song - can anyone else? Still, the new guests are perfect additions to the song, and Hov's brand new verse is nice too, if not as iconic as those on the original. Still, I do have a gripe - this really should have been one of the bonus tracks on here, or even remained as the b-side it originally was. A remix of a previously released song that has pretty much the same instrumental should never be part of the standard album. Come on guys, you know better! Still, as it stands this remix is pretty bloody great. 

4. Meet The Parents (prod. Just Blaze)

On this track, Jay spits a monumental story that surely stands as easily one of the best tracks of the man's career, at least post-The Blueprint. The story follows a woman called Isis who's child has just been killed, and in the midst of depression and misery, she reminisces on the birth of said child. She had been turned on many years ago by this aggressive, violent type of guy, and had managed to find a relationship with him. That one man happens to get her pregnant, and while he's present for the birth, it isn't long until he's out the door, not to see his son again for many years. However, after a long, long while, the man is out in the street when he sees this guy who looks strangely familiar. As the other guy pauses with a strange look as well, the man follows his instincts and shoots and kills the other man. Said other man happens to be the son he had all those years ago, whom's funeral was the focus at the start of the song. Jay uses this as a metaphor for how by walking out on your children, you're effectively killing them, especially if its in the cold streets of New York. The story and metaphors here are some of the most powerful and inventive in hip-hop, and Just Blaze's beat is truly astonishing too. Fantastic song. "Six shots into his kin, out of the gun / niggas be a father, you're killing your sons".

5. Some How Some Way (feat. Beanie Sigel & Scarface) (prod. Just Blaze)

A supposed sequel to "This Can't Be Life" from Jay's earlier record The Dynasty: Roc La Familia - it's pretty obvious what this track intended to instil memories of thanks to the subject matter and list of rappers being the exact same. A difference is that instead of mr. West, we now have Just Blaze behind the boards, for an instrumental that I just don't really like very much. It just feels too generic, and almost bubblegummy, if that's a word. Still, the hook is pretty good, and I'm always interested by this kind of lyrical content, but even then Jay and Beanie both sound pretty awkward during their verses when it comes to the flows they're using. This is one of those songs that I feel like I should like, but I just... don't. Sorry to the fans of this one - I understand what they wanted to do here, but it just doesn't cut it for me.

6. Some People Hate (prod. Kanye West)

Kanye shows up for a fourth and final beat, and it's another pretty great one, even if the atmosphere isn't as warm as some of his previous efforts on this album. Jay uses this one to take down the haters, which doesn't come across as particularly unique or interesting, but I can dig it - some people really do just hate unnecessarily. This is one of those songs that I can enjoy while I'm listening to it, but due to the vast amount of other content on this album, this one often gets lost in the shuffle, and I rarely ever play it on its own. Still, it's not a bad cut, and the shout out to 2Pac was funny to hear knowing who's voice we heard first on Ether.

7. Blueprint² (prod. Charlamane)

After the whole "Supa Ugly" disaster, surely audiences didn't think Hov would bow out in such an embarrassing way. And so here, as the title track to this album, we have another disstrack aimed towards a certain Nasir Jones. This diss is bloody great, as Jay spends his time on the track questioning Nas' legitimacy as a "real" hip-hop artist, and as a so-called conscious rapper. Jay paints a scene where he is the poor scrutinised man who's actually incredibly generous in real life, while Nas is a lying facade, hiding a greedy misogynist who's club records get often overlooked, despite some often dodgy subject matter. This diss isn't as iconic as "Takeover", nor as brutal as "Ether", nor as unique as Nas' response to this one "Last Real Nigga Alive", but you'd better be sure that this is very much not one to sleep on. It's an incredible diss, and that classic sample used in the beat makes it even better - who doesn't love a bit of "The Ecstasy Of Gold"?

8. Nigga Please (feat. Young Chris) (prod. The Neptunes)

I can't say "hug my nuts" was the most thrilling insult Hov could have spouted at the beginning of this song, but then again we are 19 songs in at this point. Dude must be getting tired. This song kind of fucking sucks - The Neptunes provide a synth heavy instrumental that simply grates on the ears until you're forced to go into the moldy club bathrooms before they actually fall off, which presumably wasn't the intent, and the "wah-wah" noise is just distracting in a completely unintentional way. Also, Pharrell's singing improved a lot from this era. As for the MCs? I literally don't remember a single thing Hov said, and I've listened to this song many times now. Also, Young Chris is on here, not that anybody knows who that is.

9. 2 Many Hoes (prod. Timbaland)

I guess Jay has given up on creating interesting song titles, and has instead transitioned into "dreadfully crass" names for his creations. Over a fairly catchy Timbaland instrumental, Hova makes a point of referring to the men that want to talk to him in bars as the "hoes", and he spends most of the song addressing these guys that go up to him constantly (because he's Jay-Z), therefore cramping his style when he's trying to get with women. The beat sounds good at first, but quickly starts to wear off, and Hov's subject matter should have been reserved to four bars at most, not a whole ass song. This isn't great, I must say.

10. As One (feat. Memphis Bleek, Freeway, Young Guns, Peedi Crakk, Sparks & Rell) (prod. Just Blaze)

The engineer of this project Young Guru named this song when talking about tracks they had used to fill up The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse. You can see why. This is possibly the most boring, uninspired, unexciting, generic posse cut I have ever heard. What the fuck is this, man??

11. A Ballad For the Fallen Soldier (prod. The Neptunes)

As the final song on the second disc that isn't a bonus cut, and therefore the final song on the proper album as a whole, Jay drops something a bit more melancholy, and I'm very glad he did, as after those last three songs we needed something to get the blood flowing again. This song is actually excellent as hell, as Jay likens the battles real soldiers at war face to the battles faced by young men who must go out on the streets to hustle in order to provide for their families. The verses on here are really nice, and Jay's heartfelt performance will be sure to make you forget about some of the trash we've just had to face, at least momentarily. It helps that the instrumental from The Neptunes is perfectly poignant and powerful, and the chorus sung by Mark Dorsey is catchy as hell. This is a brilliant track. At the end of the song, DJ Clue jumps in to introduce us to the bonus tracks, which is funny since Jay basically dissed him two songs earlier. 

The following three songs are listed as bonus tracks, so were presumably leftovers that they weren't confident enough with to put on the actual album, but still wanted to release with the faint hope that someone in the far reaches of Alaska might enjoy one of them.

12. Show You How (prod. Just Blaze)

After a hilarious shout of "ketchup, niggas", Jay gets to showing you how to be a winner in life his way, and it's pretty entertaining, even if Just Blaze's instrumental sounds weird as hell for some reason. This is easily the best of the three bonus tracks, and surprisingly more enjoyable than quite a few songs on the actual album.

13. Bitches & Sisters (prod. Just Blaze)

I cannot tolerate this misogynistic bullshit, no matter how great this instrumental is. Sure, "Big Pimpin'" had a bit in there, but this just seems way more direct and over the top. Jay-Z: slap yo'self. 

14. What They Gonna Do Part II (prod. Digga)

Surely they could have picked a better song to do a Part II of. I mean, come on guys. On this one, Hov's verses remain identical to the part I, and the hook is also the same, save for where Jay-Z (badly) imitates Sean Paul's part on the original song. The main new element is the beat, provided by frequent Cam'Ron collaborator Darrell "Digga" Branch", and it's honestly pretty trash, but not quite as bad as that on the original. Hell, we've got to look for the positives in everything, and here, I'd say I'd rather listen to this than the first one. 

In the first half of 2003, Jay-Z re-released this album as Blueprint 2.1, and with that project he basically cut the album down into the length of a normal album, admitting that he had filled the original album to the brim. There were a couple of new tracks, but this review is already bloody long, and I'd like to cover that venture in another post anyway. So, I think it's now time for us to get to the final thoughts. 

Jay-Z's The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse is a very long album, and as a double album it doesn't entirely succeed in keeping the listener entertained, especially when it comes to the second half of the second disc. However, I'll still give this it's props - there could quite easily be made a top 5 Jay-Z album out of these songs if he had cut it down to 14 or 15 tracks. However, like Young Guru said in that interview he did, they tried too hard to make this thing into a double discer, without considering that maybe that idea wouldn't work if they had ran out of interesting things to do at track 16, and there was only three days left until the hand in date. Therefore, there's quite a few moments on here that come across as very rushed in hindsight, and when you've got "Meet the Parents" and "2 Many Hoes" showing up a mere 4 tracks apart, it's clear that there's a severe range of quality going on here, which you don't want if you're trying to make a consistent album. I don't think anyone expected this to top the original The Blueprint, especially not after it was announced that this was to be a double album, but still, I think that for him to have been on track to make another classic, only to blow it based on some bullshit his engineer told him, is very disappointing, and slightly annoying. And while Jay attempted to rectify this mistake with that Blueprint 2.1 album I mentioned, the damage was already done, and it was an indisputable fact that The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse was a part of his catalogue. When this album is on, it's some of Jay-Z's best, most intriguing, most well-written work to date, and it showcases some fantastic rapping and also some fantastic hit making skills. And when it's off, we've got more filler than a Kardashian's breasts. Some of these songs really do sound terrible, man, with no soul whatsoever. And as for "What They Gonna Do"... I mean, it's still better than "Things That U Do", but it's close, man. It's really close. The Blueprint²: The Gift & The Curse is a very flawed album, and it's certainly nowhere near my favourite Hov album, but still, there's a lot of great material to be found here. It's a shame that more rappers didn't look at this as an example of what happens when you try too hard to fill your album up - because it's too easy to spoil a potential classic when those dollar signs start to figment in your mind. Still, this is a good album, and with some trimmage it could very well have been a great one. And I'm out. 

Best Tracks: A Dream, Hovi Baby, The Watcher 2, '03 Bonnie & Clyde, Poppin' Tags, The Bounce, I Did It My Way, Diamond Is Forever, U Don't Know (Remix), Meet the Parents, Blueprint², A Ballad For the Fallen Soldier

Worst Tracks: What They Gonna Do, All Around the World, Nigga Please, 2 Many Hoes, As One, Bitches & Sisters

Catch up on many more Jay-Z write-ups over here!