Review space

From TDS

Recently released albums and a review or two, while you're at it.

Click here to check out the older reviews: 2007, 2008 (January-June)

Archive - Sorted by Artist (Working on it)

Contents 1 2008 1.1 September 1.2 August 1.3 July

2008

September

Murs - Murs For President

Preview: a tale of two halves

People Under the Stairs - Fun DMC

Preview: Different yet again, but in a good way?

Johnson and Jonson - S/T

Preview: Yeah, this Blu kid can rip

DJ Muggs + Planet Asia - Pain Language

Preview: A good break from acoustic rock and emo kids

GZA - Pro Tools

Preview: Much better than if it had been named Pro-tune

August

Elzhi - The Preface - 9.5/10

Reviewed By: DJ Radius

Usually when you have a solo debut from someone that is known for being in a group, it turns out to be kinda disappointing. Although I was well-versed in the knowledge that Elzhi can rip mics, I somehow expected him to come in with a solid, but ultimately unimpressive record. Oh was I wrong. This album is everything you could have ever wanted it to be, and for that, it gets the score you see above.

Most people admit to not listening to lyrics all that closely so if you want to hit your beats have to be on point. Elzhi's record is strong in this department with efforts that sound at home in both commercial and underground situations. There is no auto-tune and no synth-gloss (finally someone got away from that!) - instead you'll only find heavy basslines and soulful sampling.

Yes, the beats are good, but writing about those is almost a waste of time. The real star of this record is Elzhi himself and he shines very brightly. The self-proclaimed master of "patterens," this guy has a way with rhyme scheme that is almost untouched by even the best in the game right now. Let's be real...Lil Wayne sounds like he uses alot of patterns, but alot of what he says doesn't really make sense. "Brag Swag" is a great example of Elzhi's patterning abilities. He floats through the song spitting 5 and 6 patterns with ease as in: "The day that Hell snow is when El fold, poetry well told / it's entertaining, keep N__s training like the railroad / stingmen what I bring is as dope as the Kingpin / slingin OGs through me beneath the wingspan" So we had Hell snow, El Fold, well told, railroad. Then stingmen, bring in, Kingpen, slingin, wingspan. Stuff like this doesn't happen every day. He keeps this kind of mic control through all forms of topics and styles and manages to throw in a few cool concepts too. The best is definitely "guessing game" where he finishes a line with a word, but it turns out to be a different word in the end: "I'll say maybe they were OK, yes / -terday" All in all I was kinda blown away by the album. It is definitely worth a listen and worth a buy so get on it.

Murs + 9th Wonder - Sweet Lord - 7.5/10

Reviewed by DJ Radius

I had to turn off "Dreadlocks" when I played it on the radio the first time and I wondered if that's the direction Murs had decided to take with his career. If so, then fine - get paid man, I'm not mad; I just won't listen to it. Thus, it was a pleasant surprise to see that Murs had hooked up with 9th Wonder for another EP.

Maybe THIS record shoulda been named "The Formula" because they were definitely kinda on cruise control for this one. Basically 9th Wonder would lay down some kind of mid-tempo soulful beat and then Murs would rap about a female in one context or another. On the mic Murs is kinda like this review. Sloppy, but lovable. While he's not Vast Aire flowless, it would not be incorrect to say that Murs kinda plods over beats. While Vast uses vast amounts of cleverness and wit, Murs banks on the idea that you'll never really hate him because he reminds you of yourself. Sometimes the songs are funny like the payback joint "Nina Ross" and other times they are more serious like the probably dedicated "Marry me." Come to think of it the entire second half of the EP was a big love fest. Normally I'm ok with that type of thing but I've passively heard too much acoustic rock lately. I was hoping a west-coat underground rapper could get me away from that.

Overall the EP is a kind of sigh of relief for long-time Murs fans. Now we'll have to see what happens when Murs runs for president. Stay tuned for that review.

Cyne - Pretty Dark Things and Spaceship Utopia

July

Tanya Morgan - The Bridge EP - 8.5/10

reviewed by DJ Radius

Yes, Tanya Morgan is a rap group. While the name of this trio was really just a running gag from their debut album, the music that they make is far from a joke. The beats are banging and the lyrics are just as sharp and witty as they are comical.

On this effort, Tanya Morgan is coming a little harder than they did on the magnificent Moonlighting. They do manage to stay within their bounds though so that it doesn't sound like they are overdoing it. I wouldn't say that the album is really about anything in particular, but it's an EP so I'm not really looking for a strong concept. It is apparent that these three have been practicing though. Producer/MC Von Pea is still the weakest link on the mic, but even he sounds alot more practiced than on the last go around. Illyas really takes the lead on the mic, ripping up verse after verse on the album. The best example of their improved rhyming skills is the song "Filthier" where the 3 MCs discard a hook and blaze the mic with rapid fire rhymes over a funky breakbeat.

Although Von Pea is the weakest on the mic (a VERY relative evaluation), his productions sound great on the EP. The beats are highly varied and really reflect a rising star on the boards. He manages to sound up-to-date without resorting to the dreaded electro-rap style.

If this EP is any indication of the LP that is coming in a few months then we all should be lined up to get it.

Nas - Untitled - 9.0

Reviewed by DJ Radius

Even though I'm not on the air anymore, I still write reviews because I feel like I have something to say that's at least marginally important. Nas has finally created another album that won't leave you asking "wait, this is the same guy on Illmatic?"

Let's get this straight right now, this album is a bonafide 10 if it was an acapella album. As worthless as you may find my words, this album attacks the subject of race fearlessly and head on. In spite of the seriousness of the content, the flow of the album is not disrupted with preachy interludes or dumbed down raps with pop culture references (Looking at you here Common). In fact, Nas has a very strong lyrical presence on the album; probably the second best in his discography. One of the standouts is the hilarious "Fried Chicken" with Busta Rhymes. The two trade tongue in cheeck verses personifying the classic stereotype food. A song with a more serious tone is "N.I.*.*.E.R (The Slave and the Master)" which brings the subject of racial perception under attack.

Meanwhile, the year of electro-rap continues (Thanks Kanye). Every song has its lyrical strength but the beats on the album can be downright painful at times. While the message in "Hero" is great, the beat is distractingly bad. Most of the songs on the album have a kind of electronic sheen over them that makes them sound amazingly AMATEUR. While this is ok for someone like Senim Silla, it is completely unacceptable for an artist on a major label. Of course Nas isn't completely at fault for his flawed beat selection. Has anyone else been listening to the radio lately? Yeah there is some garbage on there...

All in all, this is a album that is lyrically a 10 with 7.5 beats. It's definitely worth buying in any case and hopefully someone will make a remix album.