Hip Hop/RAP Discussion Thread

[Ryan]

Anyone thoughts on MMLP 2?

 

[PHX]

Meant to post mine a few days ago when I listened to it a few times over. A up and down album for me because it has songs that I love and that totally fit Em like Bad Guy which is a fucking amazing story tell being a sequal to Stan, So much better, Evil Twin, Rhyme Or Reason. Then there is tracks that I can't stand like Monster and Asshole (Really don't like the beat at all and hook makes me cringe) and songs that are awkward like Better Than I Was where he is like singing the whole track. Was let down by the Kendrick/Em track that I tried to make myself like but just can't get into it. Maybe it'll grow on me idk but yeah album I guess is solid just felt if it stuck to being a true extension of MMLP it could have been truly amazing.

 

[PHX]

Been hearing more about Troy Ave lately so went ahead and listened to his New York City: The Album and it is one of my favorite projects of the year. Nice to hear a NY artist actually sound like a NY artist. Guy is def influenced by 50 cent though you can tell when listening to him that fif was his favorite rapper and biggest influence to rap.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Been bangin' this quite a bit as of late.

[video=youtube;zu7hYbw0x3Y]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zu7hYbw0x3Y[/video]

It takes a lot of time but happens so fast
to realize your future is someone else's past.

 

[PHX]

Did you listen to MMLP2 KIF?

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Naw, I haven't got around to it. I'll give it a look.

So far thoughts.

Bad Guy was a great opening track. It gave me a feeling of songs like Criminal and Remember Me. It's a nice ode to the original but I can think of a few ways where it could have easily been a skit to get shit started. Good start though with a lot of emotion.

Rhyme or Reason, enjoy really at first. He just explodes but he kinds slows down lyrically later and even seems off beat but considering what he was workin' with I can give him a slight pass yet it just sounds like it goes downhill. I wouldn't have minded just a couple verses on this beat instead of going too far with it.

So Much Better, awesome chorus and fun bridges. Quality verses with actual points and stories being fuckin' told. Lovin' this shit. Classic outro too.

Survival, lives up it's name but I always felt this tried to be HARD. I still love the emotion that Em put into this. It's a decent track for the album but is a much better stand alone single.

Legacy, this sure is a goosebump givin', good timin' on this album for this track. Also like the touch he did for his voice on the verses to add even more feel to it. Honestly I'm already enjoyin' this more than The Eminem Show.

Asshole, what the fuck is this? He's lettin' the beat kill him, he is being an asshole. I don't like this.

Already stated my thoughts Bezerk and Rap God in this thread so I'm not goin' to go into them so half way smoke session, I guess.

Back at it.

Brainless, decent track. Didn't get too much into this but I dug most of the lyrics in the verses. The beat didn't draw me in much either, drove me more away than anything else however it ain't Asshole bad so it's at least listenable.

Stronger than I was, too much singin' on this. It has a good message behind it but it's not explained entirely like I would want. It leads to a powerful verse later on though. I think being that this is RAP though, this whole song could have been on that level with a shorter more concise chorus that says the same thing that this long ass singin' sessions DO. Jesus.

Monster, not really hatin' this but it's choatic as fuck. Rihanna isn't upsettin' and the chorus at least kind of starts with that Alicia Keys "I'm FROM NEW YORK...." oh you don't get it? You should. Empire State of Mind. However, the beat on the verses and the overall verses don't have the emotion Jay-Z brought to that. Eh, I don't see myself playin' this that much. Just sporadic and chaotic, whatever. Also endin' with 50 is just depressin'.

 

[PHX]

I'm probably going to do a full review on it soon as the thoughts I gave on it were just small thoughts off top.

I'm pretty sure you're going to hate Monster as much as I did. Made me cringe hearing Em rap on some flo rida type beat. After more listens Bad Guy, Evil Twin and So Much Better are my top 3 tracks still.

 

[Ryan]

I definitely wasn't a fan of The Monster but let's be honest they needed that real radio friendly track. Just today I was sitting in class and the girl behind me was listening to The Monster on loop for the entire 80 minute lecture. I was practically going insane by the end of the class.

 

[PHX]

There is a way to do it though and that shouldn't be the way for Eminem to do it when the guy even on his worst album's will still got multiple time platinum so he doesn't need to try that hard to get radio play. His radio friendly single hits usually consist of him being silly which in reality can be corny but it's him. Monster just felt very very forced which my main issue with it.

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Fuck radio friendly, we need more The Way I Am kind of stuff hittin' these mediocre radio stations.

 

[Crippler]

[video=youtube;NN3aM1bv-3A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN3aM1bv-3A[/video]

Q FUCKIN' TIP!

 

[Ryan]

Fuck radio friendly, we need more The Way I Am kind of stuff hittin' these mediocre radio stations.

Not gonna hear me argue that point. I'm all for tracks like The Way I Am or Who Knew. I'd have loved to see a single like The Real Slim Shady that's outside of the norm for the radio. MMLP is the album that made Eminem though, so I don't know if we can really compare the two although it's tough given this is a "sequel" (I think it's more of a spiritual successor). After listening to the album almost completely, I think the only thing that's let us down are the beats. Eminem's rapping is as razor sharp on this album as it's ever been. If you compare his rapping on this album to MMLP or TES, it's every bit as good. The one thing that's missing is Dr. Dre production or even Eminem production. His sound that we all came to love is absent here almost entirely. I think Bad Guy has a real Eminem vibe - you gotta love how it's a sequel to Stan - as does So Much Better and even Love Game does. Love Game has some of that classic Slim Shady humor but I think the album could've been better produced as a whole. I've said it before, I don't like Rick Rubin and I don't think he did a good job. As far as Love Game goes, I think we all wanted to see Em and K.Dot go in on a vicious track, not a humorous one, but I'm sure we'll see future collaborations; maybe on Kendrick's next album.

[video=youtube;NN3aM1bv-3A]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN3aM1bv-3A[/video]

Q FUCKIN' TIP!

Did Q Tip produce that? I like that beat but it doesn't work with Wayne or Busta. Perfect for Q Tip and Ye.

Why does Birdman have to add that stupid ass ad-lib to the beginning of every song. He is without a shadow of a doubt one of the worst rappers on the scene. I have no idea how he's garnered such success.

 

[Deezy]

I'm just going to say that album still sucked, all the lyrical genius can't stop bad production and terrible song concepts, this was Canibus debut album bad. He should've just named the album something different, because I hear MMLP2 I expect MMLP2, where's the crazy callabos with people like RBX and Sticky Fingaz? Where is my damned dream song of Em, Rakim and D.O.C? Why can't anyone put that together?

 

[Ryan]

I'm just going to say that album still sucked, all the lyrical genius can't stop bad production and terrible song concepts, this was Canibus debut album bad. He should've just named the album something different, because I hear MMLP2 I expect MMLP2, where's the crazy callabos with people like RBX and Sticky Fingaz? Where is my damned dream song of Em, Rakim and D.O.C? Why can't anyone put that together?

I gotta agree with you that production is crucial. It kills the who mood of an otherwise lyrically brilliant song when it has a beat like Rap God.

 

[Crippler]

[video=youtube;ABYryBGTaCE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABYryBGTaCE#t=337[/video]

At it again