Listened to both once so far. Some quality stuff on the Rapsody album. I'm more into AmeriKKKas Most Wanted than I thought I would be though, there are a few good tracks.
These two albums work well as an opposites topic of sorts - Eve is the antithesis of AMW really.
AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted is a nasty little shit of an album, but it's hard not to warm to it in some ways. The amped up, sirens blaring Bomb Squad production is right up my alley, didn't know they were involved and didn't expect it to sound this good. Cube sounds off like an automatic shotgun and I can't pretend not to like the Public Enemy meets NWA sound. The Product could easily be PE if your ears squint. The Bomb is a banger. The title track hits hard too. There's good and bad on there but the bad is mostly the yikes lyricism/themes. Gangster's Fairytale is Slick Rick channeling Andrew Dice Clay. The slowed/relaxed flow of Dead Homiez doesn't suit Cube at all for me - he's best when bouncing off/smashing through walls. Worst track: the irredeemable You Can't Fade Me. [7] for me overall I think.
Thoughts on Eve later. It's definitely one of the best hip hop albums of the past few years.
Amerikkkas Most Wanted was a firm favourite of mine back in the day, absolutely loved it - it was part of the soundtrack to the end of my high school years. I last listened to it maybe 5 years ago or so? This time around I still really enjoyed it, maybe because i could remember most of the lyrics and it gave me a big blast of nostalgia - but mostly because I love the Bomb Squad production on it.
There are so many great tracks on it and it's Cube at his viscous, angry best - telling stories about how hard it is for young black men in America, but also leavening the anger with humour and a bit of almost whimsy. There are some problematic lyrics (mentioned by Face) but I've always seen Cube as playing characters - he's expressing what some young black men in those positions might think of actually doing. But that's not to say that there isn't a pretty nasty current of misogyny in there, which is my biggest issue with the album as a whole.
On the whole though, loved it and will return to it again.
Eve really is a great album, I've played it through four or five times this week. It's an old adage but it's a 'proper record', rather than a collection of tracks (despite each individual track having a separate focus). Fantastic sound too, I like her lots. [8.5]
That's that done. Overall, it's a bit of a meh for me. Some really great tracks on there, but there was just too much average hip-hop/R&B tracks that, weirdly, sounded like off of the 90s. She's a brilliant MC, but I wasn't a fan of most of the production. Glad I listened to it though.
I dug the production tbh, but I think we're coming at the same opinion from different angles. The tracks had to just kind of sit there for her words to sit on top of. The track that samples in the air tonight is a good example, not ground breaking, a touch of the puffy's about it. Chuck a drum loop over a famous tune. But man, those lyrics, she drops some amazing stuff in there. There's a few lines where the combo of clever wordplay/flows and message hit just right that just wreck me.
Also, lets take a moment to appreciate Nina. Blood on the Leaves still outshines all the attempts at using it, even when they're good.
I want to like him but I haven't heard a full LP worth liking him for. Seems like a wasted talent to an extent, plenty of reminders of his particular skillset on other people's tracks but quality control for his own efforts isn't his strong suit. Haven't heard this one though, so maybe I'm talking out my hat.
I listened to that, didn't mind it. My memory is terrible for specifics but I remember some odd stuff on there. Is he an anti vaxxer now, maybe? I might be mixing it up with another album.
ELE1 is interesting. Same era as miseducation, but aged poorly with production just very much of the era. Some alright stuff, but the main problem is the concept. Y2k was a funny old thing.
It's 20+ years too early in concept.
Will listen again today, but yeah, not amazing.
Do love busta on a guest track. But he's always had some dodgy moments lyrics wise. Misogyny occasionally ott even for hip hop pops up for instance.