Public Enemy
Yo! Bum Rush The Show
1987, Def Jam
Picture it: Def Jam Recordings, 1987. The label is riding high on several fun party jam singles released from the Beastie Boys' debut the previous year. LL Cool J has just released his Bigger And Deffer album which spawns the huge hit single ballad "I Need Love." Though Simmons and Rubin had released Slayer's Reign In Blood, on the hip hop front nothing could have really prepared listeners for what was about to drop on Yo! Bum Rush The Show. While Cool James certainly had lyrical chops exhibited on tracks like "I'm Bad," Chuck D was basically the anti-LL. Forget the sensitivity of "I Need Love." Chuck wanted to tell you about a so-called "Sophisticated Bitch." And while Flava Flav may have been the group's theatrical hype man, he was miles away from the frat-boy silliness of the Beasties. There's no time to party when you're concerned with having "Too Much Posse." Public Enemy's debut isn't perfect. But it is a fully formed mission statement. This was a group with a defined personality. Nothing sounded like PE before PE, and this goes for their debut single, appropriately titled "Public Enemy #1" with its long droning notes. Chuck D and secret weapon Hank Shocklee developed the Bomb Squad sound on this record, kicking things off with "You're Gonna Get Yours" featuring skittering layers of sounds and Terminator X scratching cars skidding out. As if the crunchy guitars of "Sophisticated Bitch" weren't heavy enough, PE got Vernon Reid to come in and do a face-scorching solo. While the record has its moments of minimalism, it is largely influenced more by musique concrete than the old two turntables and a mic. While it's not the masterpiece that the string of follow-ups would be, Yo! Bum Rush The Show is required listening for those interested in just how game-changing a debut album can be.


Cypress Hill
Cypress Hill
1991, Ruffhouse
Cypress Hill's self-titled debut was a surprise hit thanks to the inclusion of "How I Could Just Kill A Man" in the movie Juice. And for good reason. Cypress Hill is an exceptionally confident record. In fairness the group had spent nearly three years working on it, so perhaps it shouldn't be shocking that they had enough time to really perfect their sound. But that's the point. Like 'em or not, they sounded very different from anything else in 1991. Off the bat absolutely nobody sounded like B-Real's nasally assault on your eardrums. But somehow it worked when weighted by Sen Dog's booming low end. But the real star of this album is DJ Muggs. He created a well defined niche that when you hear it can only be described as Cypress Hill's own. The funky bass grooves, the obnoxious horns. Opener "Pigs" is a brilliant nursery rhyme style take on the classic "Fuck The Police" track, but things don't stay so light-hearted. Dig the tracklist as it progresses from there: "How I Could Just Kill A Man," "Hand On The Pump," Hole In The Head." It's violent stuff. The record isn't perhaps as flawless as early adopters make it out to be. Sen Dog is severely under-used for instance. Mugg's interludes here fit the mood, but don't add much to the sequencing. And there is a tendency to be a little monotonous with the upbeat drum breaks during some patches. Yet much of that is outweighed by the good merits. Mugg's fantastic samples are a high point, be it "Duke Of Earl" or the same track that A Tribe Called Quest sampled on "Vibes And Stuff." And there's also those moments when the group slow themselves down enough to actually feel as stoney as they often talk. "Stones Is The Way Of The Walk" and "Latin Lingo" are two high points with lower than average BPM's for this record. Somehow taking it slow seems to actually accentuate the hyper-intensity of some of these tracks. Plus, I always love when rappers are sure enough of themselves to release albums without relying on guest-shots, so props there. While I don't fully feel that this is the classic that it's often referred to as, I do think it's an impressive debut of one of the more unique groups to ever gain a sustained level of attention in the mainstream.



Three 6 Mafia
Da Unbreakables
2003, Hypnotize Minds
The sixth (or seventh, or like 20th depending on how you count them) Three 6 Mafia album is one of those albums of theirs that completely defines the sound of their post-horrorcore work. In a way it's almost a stereotypical Three 6 album with it's creepy club bangers and the hopping from sex, drugs and violence themed tracks. There are only a handful of songs here that I'd call absolutely great. "Bin Laden" is a definite stand-out for instance with its gloomy beat and the sound of crickets (seriously, crickets) on the chorus that just add to the scary nocturnal atmosphere. While a bulk of the album has a bit of a same-ness to it all, that's not necessarily a bad thing. For one thing there's not a single track I'd say was bad. Basically everything here is damn good. Those few great songs however do much to make the really good stuff feel lesser. But all in all it's a solid record that would serve as a fantastic soundtrack to a night of debauchery. And while the 19 tracks may feel a bit long, remember that this is the sort of album meant to be thrown on in the background at a party and allowed to simmer for a long while.

I think the 50 thing was mostly media nob-gobbling. I don't know though. I thought that album was a response to a challenge made by Bono when Kanye was opening for U2 around the Late Reg. Period. Bono didn't think rap had achieved "stadium status" and wanted to hear a hip hop album that had the bombast and epic pop quality of a big rock record.

Kanye certainly delivered, and beat Curtis's ass to boot. And if that was his sell-out album, it was oddly placed... Everything that followed has been the antithesis of commercial hip-hop.

And yeah, Graduation slays.

I straight love Graduation.

watched this:

grantland.com/hollywood-prospectus/shady-xv-eminem-in-2014/ a great read about how much.this guy sucks.even by rap standards

Eh. He's not rapping about anything worse than Eazy-E ever did. Personally he doesn't do much for me, well I dug most of the Marshall Mathers LP and that's pretty much it. However, it can't be denied the guy can rap.

She has a point though, eazy e never had the chance to grow up. Also let me be the one to deny it, guy cant rap for shit.. he is the larry bird of rap and like isiah thomas im gonna call him out, "if he was black he'd be just another good guy"

Nah. I've said this before and I'll say it again: that bit on No Love is as good as pretty much anyone out there.

Meh.. I just never liked the tone of his voice let alone his cadence and delivery not to mention the absolute lack of content bearing any kind of meaning. Than again, perhaps parody rap was never intended to have substance

Again like Eazy E? And besides, Eminem has done parody and serious more than enough to make the idea that he's 'parody rap' moot.

just watched Wu-Tang's performance on Letterman, so cringey. :( think i'm gonna avoid their new album.

Em himself already admitted he has nothing to talk about anymore on his recent single, "Guts Over Fear":

And the window is closing
And there's nowhere else that I can go with flows
And I'm frozen, cause there's no more emotion for me to pull from
Just a bunch of playful songs, that I make for fun
So, to the break of dawn, here I go recycling the same old song

Actually eazy e snuck in potent social commentary on issues like racism, poverty, and police brutality. That is why Eazy E was invited to have lunch with George Bush I at the White House.. what the fuck did Eminem ever do aside from act like an ass?

No it wasn't. It was because he donated money to the party (anti-censorship money thing) and the republican party invited Eric Wright (not Eazy) not cos he was a rapper, but rather a party donator. The whole thing was an accident and even Eazy acknowledged that.

Sure N.W.A talked about that social issues, but the Eazy Duz It album? Nah. None of the stuff Eminem has ever said had been worse than what Eazy said.

I've already said I'm not Eminem's biggest fan but I'm not blind to the fact that he can have his serious moments, whether it be White America or Stan.

didn't Ice Cube and MC Ren write all of Eazy's lyrics?

Sing for the Moment is powerful.

and "Toy Soldiers."

Meh to this thread.. enjoy the crap rap bitchez

watched it again, so i must add - the hook (especially the choreography) and Cappadonna's verse were awful, everything else was still pretty good though.

agreed, one of his few mature songs. it blows my mind how he was able to predict Proof's death.

by the way, last time i gave MMLP a spin i wasn't feeling it at all and had to turn it off four songs in. Relapse is my fav Em album.

his verse on the BET Cypher from a few years ago was hot: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_KYSyiJ3ds

think i might revisit MMLP2 this weekend.

alright so i just started listening to MMLP2. admittedly Em spits some dope verses here and there, but some of those hooks are so corny, i can't get jiggy to them. also why does every song gotta be 4-5 mins? same mistake as Born Sinner and Oxymoron. i swear these rappers just make their songs long as fuck for no particular reason.

I can't believe you said you were going to "steer clear" of the first Wu album in seven years. Are you serious? You watch a bad performance and then it's just "aw shit well they suck now! Those assholes! If they sucked they should have told me back in '93!

... Like, are you for real? Please, louder. Say it ain't so!


I now have a copy of the album (that's right... I've got a CD + vinyl on order, and I have a simple promo to keep me going in the meantime.

Out of respect for my (second) favorite hip-hop entity, and #1 all time favorite hip-hop group, I am listening with caution. Catching the feel of some of the songs but not letting myself binge on it.

It comes out swingin' in classic Wu-Tang style, and I haven't heard a bad song yet. This album is getting shat on by Wu fans left and right, and I think that has more to do with the media hullabaloo that is making Rae, GFK, Ghost, Gza and RZA sound like some ghettofied version of the Beatlws during "Let it Be." Fuck that noise!!!

It's a dope album as far as I can tell so far, without spoiling the entire thing for myself. But shit... Wow did my heart start pounding at the kick off of "Ruckus..." Even though I've heard it before! Several tracks in, and I can't help but call bullshit on the haters. This is as Wu as any of the last three albums, so stop being fairweather fans and go buy the album!!!! On Tuesday that is.



Now maybe we can start talking top 10 lists in earnest.

listening to 21 Questions. just remembered how great some of the lines were..


"If I ain't rap cause I flip burgers at Burger King
Would you be ashamed to tell your friends you're feeling me??"

"If I fell off tomorrow would you still love me?"

"If I went back to a hoopty from a Benz
Would you poof and disappear like some of my friends?"

"Now would you leave me if your father found out I was thugging?"

"I treat you how you want to be treated, just teach me how"

:( :(

a new Chief Keef and Kanye collaboration titled "Nobody" finally drops next week, i think i've already posted the snippet before but anyway here it is: http://instagram.com/p/rx88nEyQdL/

sounds almost too good to be real.

don't forget about the new Ghostface next month...

If anything as good as '12 reasons to die' then I'll be a happy man.

yeah I have pretty high hopes. Then again, I'm such a Ghost fanatic it's hard for him to disappoint me.

I'm sorry... Did you just insinuate that there is a possibility that I would forget about the fact that a new GHOSTFACE KILLAH album is dropping?! 😏

Man, I hate to admit it, but I've been trolling the web for 2 weeks trying to track down a leak. So it's more accurate to say that I hate the fact that I've done that; admitting it isn't that bad. Kind of a relief, actually.

Anyway, I've been unable to get my hands on a proper promo, which is how I usually get my hands on music prior to the release date. And I don't want to just listen to snippets or previews or single songs. I want to hear that fucker from start to finish.

It's a little odd that its being released so soon after A Better Tomorrow. It's almost like GFK is setting himself up for a large scale comparison of his solo work to that of the Clan. To be honest, I think he his album might be more successful. It's inevitable that end of the year wrap-ups are going to make a point of discussing which album comes out "on top."

But Ghostface has earned his stripes. He's worked harder than anyone else in the Clan, and it's paid off. I am reading TONS of EXTREMELY NEGATIVE reviews of the new Wu singles, written on iTunes and YouTube by supposed long time fans. But the early response to 36 Seasons has been almost entirely positive.

This is all very troubling to me. This wu-drama has all been pretty disheartening to me, being such a loyal fan of the group for so many years. I would rather get NO ALBUM than an album that fractures the group, and is loathed by half the contributors. It's making me feel guilty for buying the thing; but I simply wouldn't be Severian if I didn't buy it, and I'd end up feeling just as guilty.

Having my Wu-loyalties divided was never part of the plan for me.

Its why groups rarely can stay together for too long or even the fanbase gets divided. Rap likes bball analogies so its like "reloading" a team with a superstar player with a different cast of role players because roll players can only win you so many championships. You have to bring in new talent in the process shifting the playing style of previous rosters around the new talent. The superstar remains the focal point and continues to win championships. Wu is a rap group that failed to realize this and kept too many of their glue guys and role players and never reloaded the roster. The solo projects have been the better supported as well as lets face it, the better product, over the past ten years or so because those are essentially different rosters around the superstars from Wu. I mean, the Big Three of Wu would be RZA, Ghostface, and GZA and indeed all those guys solo shit has been solid gold. I dig the solo shit of the other Wu dudes, but Wu together just hasn't been championship caliber for some time now..

New Wu Tang is up on those sites if anyone's interested.

I like this analogy I'm going all out on it..

RZA is the Magic Johnson point guard, the floor general who makes it all happen..
GZA is the bad ass small forward who can do a little bit of everything on the floor and brings the identity of the team to the floor every night.

Ghostface is the flashy shooting guard with the big ego and the big balls to make all the big game shots.

Inspectah Deck is the powerforward with enough power to be a big in under the block but enough speed and finesse to guard every position on the floor so he rocks PF just to fuck with people.

U-God is their brash center who holds it down in the post with the mean mug action and hard elbows for rebounds.

Masta Killa is his back up off the bench who could be the center on his own team but likes to beat up on the bench ninjaz from other teams.

Method Man is the flashy shooting guard off the bench.

Raekwon is the back up point who occasionally gets starting minutes when RZA gets tired from balling it up in all kinds of other teams on other leagues simultaneously as his work with the Wu.

Cappadona (who is actually one of my fav wu by the way) is the back up small forward, again like the starting PF has enough force of energy to be the center but enough fundamental skills to be a guard. He is the point-forward who can play all styles of the game, big ball under the post, pace and space as a floor spreading jump shooter, hyper trapping defense with his quickness to shut down the pick and roll, and of course, motherfucker mastered the Phil Jackson Triangle.

Nobody even knows what the fuck position ODB played, that dude just ran around the court taking on everybody.

in fairness, Ghost has a tendancy to release his albums in Nov/Dec a lot. So I'm not surprised. But this is a bit like 8 Diagrams vs. The Big Doe Rehab. And guess which one I like more?

Anyway, I'm open minded. I'm looking forward to hearing both.

@SFAD: Yeah, I've always been a Cappa fan. I think he's overly slept on.

Twelve Reasons to Die came out in like March last year??

true, but Ironman, Bulletproof Wallets, Put It On The Line, More Fish, The Big Doe Rehab, Ghostdeini The Great, Ghostini Wizard Of Poetry, Apollo Kids, Wu-Block, and now 36 Seasons all came out at the end of the year. It's just not an uncommon thing for him.

Sorry, I have to disagree with you on the Wu's “Big Three.” You're right that RZA, Ghostface & GZA are three of the core talents, but I'm afraid I'm gonna have to swap out GZA for Raekwon, putting the Genius in the still highly respectable, but not-quite pyramid topping, #4 slot.

I don't know where you're getting your facts, but as far as solo albums go, despite Loquod Swords being (essentially) the ultimate Wu solo album, the rest of GZA's solo output is decidedly less iconic, less interesting and less, ah, good.

Raekwon, on the other hand, unleashed OB4CL, which I think is neck and neck with Liquid Swords. It's better as an album, though it has fewer baller single tracks. Swords has such a distinct sound, and it comes on like a hurricane, rarely letting up on the intensity for more than the length of a sound byte. It's a sprinter, and the album's length is just a little bit too long for Gza's 100 yard dash onslaught.

OB4CL, on the other hand, is in for the long haul. It's a distance record, much more like a lo-fidelity prelude to Wu-Tang Forever, while Liquid Swords is more of a follow-up to 36 Chambers. Does that make any sense?

Plus, Raekwon's mixtapes and other lower profile releases are always gold. Always. GZA has been far less prolific, because he's a cold and calculating mothetfucker, and constant overachiever. He spends too much time staring at the chess board. Raekwon represents the Wu-Tang sound more loyally, with several of his albums just sound more or less like full Clan albums.

But I agree for the most part. RZA, Ghostface, Rae & GZA are the heartbeat of the group... Or maybe each is a different vital organ... I'm not going to get than fucking specific though. Christ, Jim I'm a doctor not a music critic!

👾

Oh, and you're giving too much credit to U-God. He kinda sucks. Better in the Clan than he is solo, most definitely. But still, probably the weakest link.

That roster was not taking any solo material into account strictly wu records

Man, I will admit one thing: there were some absolutely cringeworthy decisions about "Miracle" from the new album.

I mean, the verses go hard as hell, but .... well, I guess you'll all what know I'm talking about when you stream the whole thing or buy the album tomorrow.

But... Yikes!!!... seriously... Wow.