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March 5th, 2010Uncategorized
01. World War III
02. Paranoid
03. Fly With Me
04. Poison Ivy
05. Hey Baby
06. Before The Storm
(feat Miley Cyrus)
07. What Did I Do To Your Heart
08. Much Better
09. Black Keys
10. Don't Charge Me For The Crime
(feat Common)
11. Turn Right
12. Don't Speak
13. Keep It Real (Bonus Track) -
October 17th, 2009Uncategorized
DJ Food Stamp - Intro
This Way feat. Kanye West
Live On Stage (remix) feat. Talib Kweli
No Retreat feat. B-Real
No Retreat (Kutmasta Kurt Remix)
Certified Official
Love And War (Stamp Blend)
Marathon
Evidence And Mr. Eon - E=MC2 (Remix)
Work The Angles
Ill boogie feat. Rakaa Iriscience And Babu - On Deadly Ground
Worst Comes To Worst (Remix) feat. Havoc & Guru
Global Dynamics
Defari feat. Dilated Peoples - Behold My Life
High And The Mighty feat. Evidence & Defari - Top Prospect
Babu feat. Rakaa Iriscience - Ends To Means
Rework The Angles feat. AG, Defari & Xzibit
Basics feat. Defari
Peanut Butter Wolf feat. Babu - Casio
Boulevard Connection feat. Rakaa Iriscience, Last Emperor, Maylay Sparks & Babu - Copenhagen (Claimin Respect)
Swollen Members feat. Dilated Peoples - Counterparts
The Platform
Rasco feat. Defari & Dilated Peoples - Major League
Third Degree feat. Defari
Back Again
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July 26th, 2009Uncategorized
1. FREE
I appreciate the fact that Freeway avoided including a rap album intro, opting to start Philadelphia Freeway off with an actual song. Sadly, I was pretty bored with this option. Not that an intro would have ever been preferable, mind you.
2. WHAT WE DO (FEAT JAY-Z & BEANIE SIGEL)
Beardy completely dominates this Roc-A-Fella posse cut, outshining both his boss and his contemporary, as it should be, since it is a Freeway song, after all. Shawn's reference to Freeway's beard also made me laugh out loud. This is actually the best Roc-A-Fella posse cut to come out of the camp, and its accompanying The Wire-inspired clip (with a few of the actual actors from the show) only adds to the proceedings. I'd bet that Memphis Bleek cries himself to sleep every night, wondering why Shawn didn't let him jump on (read: ruin) this track.
3. ALL MY LIFE (FEAT NATE DOGG)
Overall, I liked this track, but some of Beardy's lines are funny for all of the wrong reasons. Otherwise, not bad.
4. FLIPSIDE (FEAT PEEDI CRAKK)
I first heard this Just Blaze banger while playing Def Jam: Fight For NY. The beat pretty much rocks, and it also proves that Justin creates better beats for everyone who isn't named Jay-Z. That said, the clean edit is the one which appears in the game, and this song is decidedly not clean. Then again, most of the songs I review are decidedly not clean, so there you go.
5. ON MY OWN (FEAT NELLY)
I'm not a fan of Nelly as a rapper. He has a couple of okay songs (both of which are produced by The Neptunes), and his videos contain some decent imagery much of the time (I can think of one scene in particular in the clip for some recent Nelly track featuring Ciara and Jermaine Dupri), but for the most part, I couldn't care less. Thankfully, he only appears on the hook, doing his sing-songy shimmy-shimmy-cocoa-puff thing, and the song itself is not ruined because of it. This actually isn't bad.
6. WE GET AROUND (FEAT SNOOP DOGG)
This isn't bad, either, although a collaboration between Free and Snoop doesn't exactly feel like the natural order of things. The hook is all sorts of awful, though: I suppose some of you may consider that a small price to pay to hear Calvin Broadus sound entirely comfortable over a Just Blaze beat, but that's on you two.
7. DON'T CROSS THE LINE (FEAT FAITH EVANS)
Meh.
8. LIFE (FEAT BEANIE SIGEL)
I just listened to this track, and I can't remember a thing about it, save for the fact that Sigel does, in fact, make an appearance.
9. FULL EFFECT (FEAT YOUNG GUNZ)
I really liked this track. Justin's beat goes a long way toward making the Roc-A-Fella seat fillers sound good, and Beardy comes across as a thoroughly engaging emcee. Which is all you can ask for, really.
10. TURN OUT THE LIGHT (FREEWEST) (FEAT KANYE WEST)
Kanye West's beat sounds similar to the stuff that he gave to every other Roc-A-Fella artist that wasn't named Jay-Z. Which is to say, it's alright, but it's not real.
11. VICTIM OF THE GHETTO (FEAT RELL)
Decent, but nothing special.
12. YOU DON'T KNOW (IN THE GHETTO) (FEAT OMILLIO SPARKS)
Two songs in a row with the word “ghetto” in the title? That's usually not a good sign, and Beardy doesn't say or do anything to persuade me otherwise.
13. ALRIGHT (FEAT ALLEN ANTHONY)
Justin Blaze creates a beat that sounds like one of those 1980s songs I tried to avoid (because I'm a New Wave guy, through and through), but, honestly, I liked this shit a lot. Its sound brings back a pleasant form of nostalgia, and both Free's lyrics and Allen Anthony's singing mesh well with the music. Good show.
14. HEAR THE SONG
There wasn't anything objectionable about this song, but the only comment that I can make without re-listening and re-forgetting the song itself is this: what is with Freeway's obsession with selecting Kanye West instrumentals that sound like leftovers from The Blueprint? Free sounds great over the harder stuff, so filling Philadelphia Freeway with mostly soulful beats has officially mystified me.
The following tracks are considered Philadelphia Freeway's bonus songs.
15. YOU GOT ME (FEAT MARIAH CAREY & JAY-Z)
Raise your hand if you feel thatMariah CareyMrs. Nick Cannon has been irrelevant since that “Heartbreaker” song she did with Hova. Okay, put them down: you're wrong, anyway. Mariah had a pretty good minor comeback with both versions of “We Belong Together”. Oh, this song? It sucks balls. Why do you ask?
16. LINE 'EM UP (FEAT YOUNG CHRIS)
Wasn't bad at all, until Young Inexperienced Chris spit his guest verse, which brought my IQ down by a couple hundred points. Now I'm not even sure I can dress myself, let alone finish a rev
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July 23rd, 2009Uncategorized
1. INTRO
I wasn't impressed with this mostly instrumental intro.
2. YA DON'T STOP
Although the “hook” (really just a few vocal samples) sounds incomplete, this song is still pretty fun. The lyrics don't really go much father than “I like to fuck, drink beer, and smoke some shit, and if you get in my way, I'll kill you, or at least throw my crumpled-up Taco Bell wrapper at you” (except a tad bit more charming than that), so consider yourself forewarned.
3. PROPS OVER HERE
The first in a two-part series stressing the importance of “getting props” for your hard work and dedication. The instrumental is simple, and it engages the listener to such a degree that you won't actually mind that Fashion is the only rapper on here that sounds like me may actually have a future in the craft.
4. HELLRAISER
Somehow the energy level manages to rise to even higher, um, heights (until the end of this track, in which a smooth instrumental abruptly appears and plays out until the next song starts). The hook is grade school horseshit, and it even gets repeated as part of a verse at one point (I guess the Beatnuts needed to fill some dead air), but the song as a whole isn't that bad.
5. ARE YOU READY (FEAT GRAND PUBA & DJ SINISTER)
I liked this track, but nothing really stood out to me. Which is odd, considering the guests involved.
6. SUPERBAD (FEAT DJ SINISTER)
Not a terrible song (far from it), but the title alone made me want to watch the Michael Cera – Jonah Hill Superbad. You know, the intentionally funny use of that title.
7. STRAIGHT JACKET
I found this to be boring as shit. Folks don't usually look to the Beatnuts for subdued production. The Ol' Dirty Bastard vocal sample was a decent touch, but it doesn't tip the scales one way or another.
8. LET OFF A COUPLE
Short and sweet, although Juju's verse ends abruptly, right when you're getting into it.
9. RIK'S JOINT (FEAT MISS JONES)
I thought the female vocals were a nice touch. However, I still didn't like this crap, so the crew's love for their many fans is rendered moot by a pointless track.
10. FRIED CHICKEN (FEAT V.I.C.)
At first, the blunted beat recalls some early DJ Muggs-type shit, and the three rappers rhyme about a bunch of nothing, albeit commendably (Fashion and Juju especially). Then you realize that the beat remains stagnant for the full length of the song, and it drives you fucking nuts. Although if I were stoned right now, I probably would crave some actual fried chicken, so that's cool.
11. YEAH YOU GET PROPS
Part 2 of a two-part series describing the historical significance of “getting props” and retaining said props. You'll probably want to skip this and, instead, watch that months-old last season finale of Entourage that you've been putting off because all of last season was entirely underwhelming. Or maybe that's just me.
12. GET FUNKY
Welcome back to the world of entertainment, fellas. The Beatnuts give up on there needless quest to “get props” and decide to create a song that is wholly satisfying, which, coincidentally, earns them props anyway. Who knew that was how that worked?
13. HIT ME WITH THAT
Of the two members of the crew that remain, I've always regarded Juju as the more talented (okay, that may be pushing it...let's just say, consistent) behind the mic, and this song may be one of the reasons why. This track would rock even without the Method Man sample in the hook: this is just pure, unadulterated hip hop especially for fans of our chosen genre.
14. 2-3 BREAK (FEAT GAB)
The idea of this song is pretty fucking awesome. The individual members of the crew all rhyme to their own beat. However, Gab jumps onto Juju's verse, and Psycho Les threatens to crash this car into an oncoming train with his terrible lyrics. Well, at least the thought was admirable. (And yes, I realize that nobody buys Beatnuts albums for the lyricism, but do you remember my comments about Ras Kass and his hot lyrics but poor production, and how that combination does not make for a good product? It works both ways.)
15. LICK THE PUSSY
For a sex rap, this is about as boring as how Paris Hilton looked in her sex tape. Do people really find the idea of banging a blond chick who shows no interest whatsoever in the events transpiring in or around her mouth even remotely sexy? Clearly they do, because her praying mantis-looking ass is still making money. Sigh.
16. SANDWICHES
A really good beat punctuates this corny (but good) one-verse wonder from Psycho Les. I knew he had it in him.
17. PSYCHO DWARF
Ending your album with one of the better tracks from your debut EP is pretty cool, if you even have a debut EP to draw from. Even if it does end with a loud burp.
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July 22nd, 2009Uncategorized
1. INTRO
This is the kind of rap album intro that critics hail as “organic” and “innovative”, thus validating the artistry attempted, but people who listen to music for entertainment purposes hate this pretentious shit. Max falls into the latter category.
2. GASOLINE DREAMS (FEAT KHUJO)
A high-energy, and, yet, incredibly weak, way to start off Stankonia. I always thought the song was decent and forgettable in the past, but I realize today that this is a master class in misdirection: it's all loud noises and shouting, diverting audiences from the fact that all three rappers sound off.
3. I'M COOL (INTERLUDE)
…
4. SO FRESH, SO CLEAN (FEAT SLEEPY BROWN & RICO WADE)
At least Stankonia seems to pick up steam early on. Single number three was an interesting choice, as there was nothing like it on the radio at that point in time. This track remains cooler than sipping a milkshake in a snowstorm. There's a remix for this song featuring Snoop Dogg (featured on the soundtrack to Calvin's horror flick Bones) readily available on the Interweb: that version is hardly worth the price of admission. (While writing this part of the review, I also discovered that there's a Fatboy Slim remix of this song that was commercially released. Has anybody ever heard that version? Let me know if it's worth my time.)
5. MS. JACKSON
This second single also sounded absolutely nothing like anything else on the radio at the time. Hell, it didn't even sound remotely related to Stankonia's first single. It's altogether pleasant, and the inclusion of the wedding march hidden behind Big Boi's final verse was a nice touch. However, while it is a good song, it's not essential Outkast. Yeah, I said it.
6. SNAPPIN' & TRAPPIN' (FEAT KILLER MIKE & J-SWEET)
The outro is entirely unnecessary, but this collaboration between Big Boi and Killer Mike (who would later win a Grammy alongside Outkast for “The Whole World”, a track which only appears on the duo's greatest hits compilation) is infectious otherwise. Andre 3000 is nowhere to be found, though: I assume he drew the short straw.
7. D.F. (INTERLUDE)
…
8. SPAGHETTI JUNCTION
The beat only barely evokes the feeling of starring in a Sergio Leone classic spaghetti western, but it's still pretty dope. The back and forth between Dre and Big Boi reminds me of how they sounded on their debut album, the one with the long title that I don't feel like spellchecking right now. Anyway, this song is pretty good.
9. KIM & COOKIE (INTERLUDE)
Already there are too many fucking interludes on Stankonia.
10. I'LL CALL BEFORE I COME (FEAT GANGSTA BOO & ECO)
This song is silly, but ultimately unnecessary. This track was recorded before Gangsta Boo (formerly of the Academy Award-winning group Three Six Mafia (I love the fact that the crew will always be known for that now)) found Christ and stopped rapping about fucking and fighting, at least until she realizes that she won't make any money rhyming about the Lord.
11. B.O.B. (FEAT THE MORRIS BROWN COLLEGE GOSPEL CHOIR)
The first single, which was originally given the unfortunate title “Bombs Over Baghdad” before it was amended (by the label? by the United States government?). I seem to remember reading about a twelve-minute version of this track: whatever happened to that song? This is still really good, and incredibly musically ambitious for a rap song, but you can easily get sick of it if you heard it every single day.
12. XPLOSION (FEAT B-REAL)
I loved this song upon Stankonia's original release, thanks to the unadulterated hip hop and the left-of-center guest spot it provided. Today, it's still really good, and B-Real (from Cypress Hill) actually sounds fantastic, but the song is overshadowed by the classics that Stankonia produced. The hook is pretty weak, though. A marked improvement over the last time Outkast and B-Real worked together, on Tash's “Smokefest 1999” from his Rap Life.
13. GOOD HAIR (INTERLUDE)
That's also the name of a documentary Chris Rock directed (that should be released to theaters later this year) that supposed to be pretty good. Also, Chris Rock used "B.O.B." in his directorial debut, Head Of State, in which his psychic powers predicted the first African-American president of the United States. I include that tidbit just so you don't think I went off on a tangent while completely ignoring this boring-ass skit.
14. WE LUV DEEZ HOEZ (FEAT BACKBONE & BIG GIPP)
This sounds as if it were recorded as a joke. If you look past the corny musical backdrop and the hook, Big Boi's rhymes, at least, are decent, Backbone sounds terrible, and Big Gipp (from Goodie Mob) stumbles through admirably.
15. HUMBLE MUMBLE (FEAT ERYKAH BADU)
This track, which I'm sure is beloved by Outkast stans the world over, is run into the ground by Erykah's singing, which makes this song sound as if it's reaching for too much. The message in the hook is a good one, though, and the beat switch when Andre starts rapping is an unexpected plus.
16. DRINKIN' AGAIN (INTERLUDE)
…
17. ?
This is really more of an interlude than a song, but it's appealing in the same way that A Tribe Called Quest's “What?”, an obvious influence, was. “What could make a n---a figure he ought to be a pimp 'cuz he don't like love?”, indeed. It's a valid question.
18. RED VELVET
Can't say that I remember anything about this one. Oh well.
19. CRUISIN' IN THE ATL (INTERLUDE)
…
20. GANGSTA SHIT (FEAT SLIMM CALHOUN, T-MO, & C-BONE)
This is actually my favorite song on Stankonia. The slow groove literally drives your car for you while you cruise around the ATL (or wherever you happen to live). A lot has been said about Andre's verse (which begins “'Outkast' with a 'k'/Yeah, them n----z are hard”), but everybody involved with this posse cut pulls it off. The chorus is repeated at least three times too many, though. I believe there may be a remix of this song on someone's compilation album, but I don't have any more information than that.
21. TOILET TISHA (FEAT ROSALYN HEARD & SLEEPY BROWN)
Meh.
22. SLUM BEAUTIFUL (FEAT CEE-LO)
A pretty sweet ode to the female half of the population. Cee-Lo's contribution is especially touching. It leaves you wishing that the musical backdrop were a bit more appealing, though.
23. PRE-NUMP (INTERLUDE)
…
24. STANKONIA (STANKLOVE)(FEAT BIG RUBE & SLEEPY BROWN)
Big Boi must be an awfully good sport to allow Stankonia to end with this bizarre and polarizing final track. I can't imagine that anybody has ever heard this song more than the once, and I'm including the artists themselves in that sentiment.
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July 21st, 2009Uncategorized
1. THE JUMP OFF
Noreaga sounds about as giddy as a crackhead who just sold his Blu-Ray disc player for ten bucks, with another rock to be procured just around the corner. Not surprisingly, this rap album intro is about as worthless as Monopoly money.
2. BANNED FROM TV (FEAT CAM'RON, NATURE, BIG PUNISHER, JADAKISS, & STYLES P)
There's a lot of nostalgic love for this Swizz Beats-produced posse cut, whose participants were selected with the aid of folded-up squares of paper and a comically oversized magician's hat. (White gloves were optional, but recommended.) The reality is that this song is rather fucking stupid. I liked Cameron's verse, and Pun sounded as good as he always did, but as a whole, this “monumental” track is underwhelming. But then again, I didn't like the song that much back in 1998, either, back when all of these rappers were fresh out of the box and "mattered" (except for Nature, who, to my knowledge, nobody ever really gave two shits about).
3. I LOVE MY LIFE (FEAT CARL THOMAS)
This song is altogether pleasant, even though I'm not usually a fan of random collaborations between rappers and R&B singers that probably never shared the same room while recording the track. It appears much too early in N.O.R.E.'s tracklisting, though: you're supposed to reflect on your success after bragging about all the shit you have for at least seven tracks, Victor. Maybe he was just thankful that he wasn't the one in the cell while Capone was building a solo career.
4. N.O.R.E.
The Trackmasters-produced first single, which, had anybody at the label had the foresight as to how game-changing the second single would be, would have probably been quietly deleted from the album. This song has a weird sound and never becomes as catchy as it believes itself to be. Clever as ever, Noreaga changed the meaning of the title's acronym for the radio: it went from “N----z On the Run Eatin'” to “Now we On the Run Eatin'”. It didn't really help.
5. HED INTERLUDE
Groan...
6. HED (FEAT NATURE)
Just the mere fact that I just wrote that a Noreaga song entitled “Hed” (for a song about enjoying blowjobs, that title is even less subtle that N*E*R*D's “Brain”) features another guy (Nature, in a choral cameo that easily could have been deleted) makes me chuckle. The aural mess that make up the “drums” on here are horrible, but the melody that plays in the background is actually quite good. Unlike the rest of this song.
7. IT'S NOT A GAME (FEAT MAZE & MUSOLINI)
Noreaga's middle verse starts off approaching a somewhat serious topic (how to handle an argument between friends without choosing sides), but then, predictably, turns into random Noreaga-type shit. (We get it, man: you love blowjobs. So does every guy in the fucking world, whether they're straight or gay. You're not in the minority: you don't need to shout it from the rooftops. I love blowjobs too, but I don't write about that in every write-up.) The weed carriers are of no consequence, but SPK's piano-driven beat is a good one.
8. FIESTA (FEAT KID CAPRI)
I thought this song was really fucking awful back in the day, and it would always provoke my use of the 'skip' button. However, even though it still sucks today, I'm surprised at how much this one crappy song foreshadows Noreaga's excursions into reggaeton. Huh.
9. 40 ISLAND (FEAT KOOL G RAP & MUSOLINI)
In contrast, I loved this song back in the day, and it remains one of my favorite Noreaga tracks, even though it is, admittedly, a blatant rip-off of an older Kool G Rap song (but at least he included the song's original players, both on the mic and behind the boards, so that was nice of him). Marley Marl's beat is dramatic as fuck, and although G Rap is the only guy that sounds comfortable over it (naturally, as it was his song before), Noreaga and his chief potholder do alright for themselves.
10. THE WAY WE LIVE (FEAT CHICO DEBARGE)
Sure, the fact that Chico DeBarge is making an appearance on a Noreaga album (the man who created the catchphrase “Thugged Out!”) is amusing, but you can't help but feel bad for the guy. It definitely doesn't help that the man sings a chorus that rips off the hook from Atlantic Starr's “Secret Lovers”. Hmm.
11. ANIMAL THUG INTERLUDE
This is actually really fucking racist.
12. THE CHANGE
Beat-wise, Kurt Gowdy's production sounds like a leftover from The War Report. And probably because of that fact, I found myself liking this track, save for the corny-as-hell chorus.
13. SUPERTHUG (FEAT TAMMY LUCAS & PHARRELL WILLIAMS)
Beat-wise, this Neptunes-produced track sounds absolutely nothing like anything Noreaga had done up to this point. This is frequently touted as the track that broke Pharrell and Chad through to the mainstream, and hearing N.O.R.E.'s second single today is still an amusing experience, as it sounds kind of like a primer for their sound: Neptunes Club Banger 101, as it were. Still, it sounds really good, and is preferable to the shit that Pharrell passes off as “Neptunes” production when it's really work that he has done by himself. For my money, Noreaga is in the top five when it comes to the best rappers to ever work with the Neptunes. It shouldn't be a surprise to learn that the Neptunes influence grew exponentially over the rest of Noreaga's catalog.
14. DA STORY (FEAT MAZE)
I've decided that whenever Noreaga channels his past self who appeared on The War Report, his lyrics are far more tolerable. The presence of his bored weed carrier on the hook is a detriment, though.
15. MATHEMATICS (ESTA LOCA)
I'm not sure about my two readers, but if my kid's first words were “What What!”, I would be more than a little bit concerned. If my kid released a song that was as convoluted as this shit, I would assume that they just didn't have any sense.
16. THE ASSIGNMENT (FEAT BUSTA RHYMES, SPLIFF STAR, & MAZE)
If this song were released today, you could tag it as a Kanye West production and nobody would question it (except maybe Kanye himself). (Instead, it was created by Nashiem Myrick, of Puff Daddy's Hitmen (he's the guy who creates the cinematic moody beats) and J. Waxx Garfield, who later worked with Gza/Genius and Cormega.) Sure, this track would have had much more of an impact had Nore and Busta left their respective weed carriers in the car, but the song itself is still pretty decent. Not only does Busta dismiss Noreaga's potholder by failing to mention his name in the hook (although he makes damn sure to name-drop Spliff Star), Nore also pushes poor Maze out of the way to spit a second verse. Hi-larious!
17. BODY IN THE TRUNK (FEAT NAS)
Dame Grease's beat is distracting, which isn't a good thing, considering that Nas and Nore are trying to tell a fucking story. It shouldn't surprise anybody to discover that Nas outshines his host on so many levels that I've lost count, but Noreaga doesn't entirely suck on here, which is a plus.
18. ONE LOVE
Oddly, this is not a song, but an overly long interlude featuring Noreaga on the phone with an incarcerated Capone. The sentiment is sweet, and from a marketing standpoint, I understand the importance of keeping the Capone-N-Noreaga brand alive, but there's no reason this needed to go on forever.
19. OUTRO (FEAT EVE BRENNER)
At least Noreaga thanks me for listening to the entire album. Not many artists go out of their way to do that, and I appreciate it.
FINAL THOUGHTS: N.O.R.E. Is the rare rap album that starts off sounding pretty awful, but picks up steam in a serious way during its second half. (Usually it's the other way around.) Noreaga sounds excited at the prospect of a solo career, even though it was kind of forced upon him,and even though most of his beats sound like shit, his own energy is infectious. While this isn't an entirely good (or even decent) album, Noreaga proves that he may be capable of big things in the future, (Obviously, that didn't pan out in real life, but N.O.R.E. gave us the possibility of potential.)
BUY OR BURN? I wouldn't recommend that you go out of your way to pick this up, since the first half is almost uniformly terrible, but the second half is intriguing enough to warrant a burn. Go in with low expectations and you may find this one entertaining.
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July 17th, 2009Uncategorized
1. CONVERSATION #1
I appreciate how they tried to make it sound like “Oh, I just finished recording the last vocal for Conversation, so let's see how the final product sounds”, although if you've never even heard of this album before today, I just gave away the ending, so whoops! Anyway, regardless of that theme, this is still a rap album intro, and everyone at this point knows how Max feels about them.
2. ROUND & ROUND
I didn't care for this song when it was released as the first single from Conversation, but hearing it today, it's pleasant as hell. The two rappers are in no way ever going to be considered as twin Rakims or anything, but they are both better rappers than producer Warren G. So of course it makes sense that Warren is the only one of the three that still has what can be considered a rap career.
3. GOOD TIMES
Shit, this sounds so good that I'm going to go hit up a barbecue right fucking now. I'll be back in a few hours or days, give or take.
4. 4 EYES 2 HEADS (FEAT GORGEOUS JUDAH RANKS)
The vocals at the very beginning are unnerving, and the hook is just weird, but looking past that, this song is really good. I believe this was also a single at some point: I recall a video being shot, even though I don't remember ever actually watching it.
5. JUMP TA THIS
Well, they can't all be winners.
6. EASTSIDE LB (FEAT WARREN G.)
The hook is a little corny, but otherwise, this song will bring your soul to a level of inner peace that isn't possible when listening to, say, Lil' Wayne. This may have been a single, too: Conversation was released back in a time when Def Jam really tried to sell the shit out of their albums prior to giving up, unlike today, when they drop their promotion after an album fails to move more than one million units in its opening week. (A somewhat related side note: is anybody else worried about how the label will treat Method Man and Redman's Blackout 2 when it's released tomorrow?)
7. SORRY I KEPT YOU (FEAT WARREN G.)
This was my favorite song on Conversation back when I first bought it. The Rakim vocal sample is a nice bonus, but the real draw here is Warren G's production work. The track still sounds just as good as I remember, by the way.
8. CONVERSATION #2
Skit...
9. JOURNEY WITH ME
Actually sounds a bit too much like “Good Times” for my liking. Because they already made that song, you see.
10. HOLLYWOOD (FEAT JAH SKILLZ & NEB LOVE)
I would have appreciated some more hardcore tracks on Conversation, it's okay, since ultraviolence isn't in the nature of theTwinz. At the time I picked this up, I was a West Coast freak and was more familiar with the laid-back Cali sound: the only East Coast act I followed religiously in 1995 was the Wu-Tang Clan, and I picked up everybody else's albums whenever I got around to them. (Oh, how the tides have turned, huh?) Anyway, this posse cut is pretty bland.
11. 1st ROUND DRAFT PICK (FEAT WARREN G.)
Sounds like an outtake from Regulate...G Funk Era, which it might actually be, since this is the most violent track on here, and that still isn't saying much. This is too melodic to ever be confused with “actual” gangsta rap, but it still sounds alright.
12. CONVERSATION #3
Skit...
13. DON'T GET IT TWISTED (FEAT NEW BIRTH)
I always skipped this song when I was younger, and today I find it to be okay, but nothing to write home about. You may want to call home, though, because your parents have missed you, and want to make sure you're doing okay, and besides, I'm pretty sure they could give a fuck if you liked “Don't Get It Twisted” or not.
14. PASS IT ON (FEAT FOESUM & WARREN G.)
I've heard more engaging weed songs in my lifetime. Which is weird to say, since weed is supposed to relax you, not make you more energetic and amped. Oh, well.
