The Hip Hop Mortuary

Even as a 90's baby, (yes a 90's baby) I can still confidently say I grew up on A Tribe Called Quest. When most kids my age were falling out of love with Nickleback and Eminem, I was bumping Award Tour out of my mom's car... on the weekends. One of the most nostalgic moments of my present childhood was going to a record store that actually held The Low End Theory or Midnight Marauders and paying full price for both of them (remember I'm a 90's baby). Once I copped those albums I would play them inside out, back to front, and cover to cover until I knew the song better than Phife and Q-Tip. Needless to say, I'm a fan! Shortly after exploring the Tribe discography, I decided to investigate Q-Tip's short-lived solo career (until now anyway). As a huge jazz rap and abstract hip-hop head, I was somewhat dissappointed with the debut. So here's hoping to a better go-round the second (err..third) time around (Hear, Hear.)

1. Johnny Is Dead
If there's one thing that I really enjoy about Q-Tip it has to be his beautiful flow (no homo not even necessary). This isn't a bad song per se' but I couldn't really get into it because of the choppy flow equipped here. Everything else is pretty average too, the instrumental didn't really catch my ear and the hook is very ehhh... But it's a rap intro (fingers crossed).

2. Won't Trade
Had me nodding my head for the whole 2:41. The lyricism is pretty sick, and the whole song flows really well together. It's a concept track based on basketball (I think), and even though I'm not a fan of songs like these, I'll admit that this track is pretty hot. And I can't even imagine how many crates of records Q must have dug through before finding the vocal sample for this track.

3. Gettin' Up
Q-Tip's what 38? When he was 20 and making tracks like Electric Relaxation for the ladies it was cool. Not as a 40 year old though. "We can be like Martin and Coretta"... ehh. A cute sentiment, but your trying way too hard homie. This was an easy skip for me.

4. Official
Mess of a song. Choppy flow again, a vocal sample that doesn't fit the rhythm at all, and too much singing (I've never been a fan of Kamaal the singer). I had a hard time listening to this track.

5. You
This is more of the beats I was expecting to hear. Not a bad song, not much more than singing though. I'm not complaining though, I was feeling this track after a few listens.

6. We Fight/Love
A soft instrumental complements Tip's great storytelling, and Raphael Saadiq stops in for the hook. This is definitely a song for the grown-ups, so I wasn't really feeling it, but it's got potential... I've got potential to enjoy it soon!

7. Manwomanboggie
On this song he tries to explore man and woman's evolution. I don't know that this instrumental was the ideal platform for such an exploration. Wasn't really feeling this track.

8. Move
Double-sided song, the first half of the song is a dance track: "Here they come yo, here they come". A song clearly targeted for the ladies, but the second half of the track is a deeply introspective song. The instrumental sounds Renaissance-esque (like 15th century Europe), and is accented by some amazing story-telling. On some old school Tip ish. I'm disappointed these songs weren't separated, because the second half is amazing.

9. Dance On Glass
You know what? Props Q, he rocked the shit accapella for more than a minute and killed it! This song is put together very strangely, but is definitely worth a listen. I don't know about the singing at the start though.

10. Life Is Better
Life would be better if Q-Tip didn't make songs like this. Maybe it's just me but this seemed like a half-assed hip hop ode. Just me... I have a snaking suspicion John was feeling this track.

11. Believe
I wanted to love this song, but I just couldn't. The beat is magnificent, but the message that ties the song together is somewhat lacking.

12. Shaka
Another poignant production, and this is a great way to finish up this album. No matter how the material before it sounds, this song will leave you wanting more Q-Tip.

And that will conclude this album. To tell the truth, I was somewhat dissapointed. The album itself was to be expected. Lately Q-Tip among numerous other rappers has begun singing more than rhyming. This album is somewhat similar to his second LP Kamaal the Abstract, in terms of singing. But this is Q's finest produced album to date. Considering he produced or co-produced almost the whole album, that is quite an achievement. There's something here for everyone, so check it! "Here they come yo, here they come...."

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 73.

You can find a download here

The day Jurassic 5 got together as a group was the day Hip Hop was finally saved. In an era where the West Coast was dominated by gangsta and all that, these Los-Angeles based brothers brought back the vibes of the old Native Tongues maintaining a strictly underground attitude, rising to the scene with groups such Dilated Peoples, Defari and Cali Agents, using East Coast-oriented beats and fresh rhymes reminiscin’ about the Old School. Unfortunately “Feedback” was not only the first album that the group recorder without Dj/producer Cut Chemist, which had left the group earlier in 2006, it was the last album that Chali 2na, Akil, Zaakir, Mark 7even and Dj Nu-Mark recorded together at all, before splittin for unknown reasons. What’s left was an album that continued the work J5 had done before, maybe less satisfying than its two (three with the J5 Ep) predecessors, full of mid-80’s Hip Hop references and fresh rhymes from each component.

What’s Hot

1. Back 4 U – Great intro, features a very catchy piano loop over a hard beat, one by one J5 makes sure everyone noticed that they’re back. They forgot to mention it was the last time. Sigh.

2. Radio – Okay. This one will tack you back directly to 1985, if you love Run Dmc’s first album, if you ever wore a kangol and sported a heavy radio on your shoulders, this one’s for you. It’s a tribute to the originators, everyone mentions the moment when Hip Hop crossed their heart for the first time, when ghetto blasters and gold chains were a must. Aaahh, that good ol’ times…

5. In The House – Bpm’s goes up and up, here we turn completely into funk mode. Sounds good as an old Coolio cut, “Smokin' Stix”, it’s a party-vibe track with a lot of 70’s flavor in it.

6. Baby Please – We go uptempo here, this cut is about serious business. Does that woman wants you for your money? Save your funds, while you can!

9. Get It Together – The best beat on the entire album. Period.

10. Future Sound – Another great cut, Akil and Soup trade verses over a very good beat. This one’s sounds good even if 2Na doesn’t speak a word….

15. Canto De Ossanha – Every classic J5 album got his instrumental to close out things. This makes no exception, by the way this is the best instrumental cut put together by Nu Mark.

What’s Not
3. Brown Girl – Not a typical J5 cut, the chorus is simply horrendous.

4. Gotta Understand – The beat is so-so, and the Curtis Mayfield vocal loop is too perseverant.

7. Work It Out feat. Dave Matthews Band– This cut is not really bad at all, but once you listen to it, it’ll leave a commercial taste in your mouth. That’s too soft, too radio oriented, not J5 style. I know that they collaborated with people such as Nelly Furtado, but that was a completely different vibe.

Bottom Line

A very good album, anyway it does not sees the greatness that “Quality Control” and “Power In Numbers” contained. There are two or three missteps that bring the overall quality down, Chali 2Na is not that much present with that monsta voice that bless any drum roll possible, anyway the beats, even without Cut Chemist, are very creative and the overall concept is still different from anything your ears is accustomed to.

0-20: Terrible listening experience

21-40: Maybe one good song

41-60: A few good songs

61-80: Half are good songs, half are weak

81-100: Great listening experience, almost all are great songs

I give this album a 85. The fact that it’s not Jurassic 5 best album doesn’t mean that it is not good. It could've been done better, okay, but it's still way above average.

You can find a link here