I guess I see what you are all saying, but maybe its that the beats that are on here are SO up my alley that I just love it. Maybe If I liked the less "hard" spacey stuff that he does more then I would feel the way ya'll do.
I'm just enjoying this shit so much more than anything I've popped in for a pretty long time.
Killer Mike and El-P
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axel foley
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so do you like this more than c4c, alaska? because your review of that was pretty glowingALASKA wrote:this album is amazing.
it is the first rap album in a long time that I would recommend to anyone as a shining example of what a rap album could be with no hesitation. if they didnt like it then they just dont like rap.
I do.
I really liked c4c it clicked with my sensibilities as far as the sort of underground abstract style that shit is a gem, and i think it is a nice convergence point for all of el's previous work. but i think even El would agree that he isnt for everyone, but this album works on a much broader spectrum, and works masterfully across the spectrum. I feel that this album has a better chance of reaching a broader audience and does so in the hardest way possible, by working within the sort of genre specific guidelines (if that makes sense). So while EL's album works on so many levels for the rap fan I have become, Mike's album works on every level for the rap fan i have always been.
I also feel that I have certain groups of friends that are hardcore hip hop fans that dont get or appreciate el, that will go ape shit for this one. It is really interesting to see EL's production style working on this level, Mike cuts through it amazingly, in a way that I dont think a lot of rappers can. He has a voice that is powerful enough to exist with the beat, and enough styles to exist within the beat. Plus the content is edgy as fuck. It is what I always imagined rap music to sound like in 2012, back when I imagined what rap music would sound like in 1988.
I really liked c4c it clicked with my sensibilities as far as the sort of underground abstract style that shit is a gem, and i think it is a nice convergence point for all of el's previous work. but i think even El would agree that he isnt for everyone, but this album works on a much broader spectrum, and works masterfully across the spectrum. I feel that this album has a better chance of reaching a broader audience and does so in the hardest way possible, by working within the sort of genre specific guidelines (if that makes sense). So while EL's album works on so many levels for the rap fan I have become, Mike's album works on every level for the rap fan i have always been.
I also feel that I have certain groups of friends that are hardcore hip hop fans that dont get or appreciate el, that will go ape shit for this one. It is really interesting to see EL's production style working on this level, Mike cuts through it amazingly, in a way that I dont think a lot of rappers can. He has a voice that is powerful enough to exist with the beat, and enough styles to exist within the beat. Plus the content is edgy as fuck. It is what I always imagined rap music to sound like in 2012, back when I imagined what rap music would sound like in 1988.
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Brougham33
- Posts: 9571
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^^^^^
Well said.
Dig this review:
http://potholesinmyblog.com/killer-mike-r-a-p-music/
and
8.6 from pitchfork
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/165 ... rap-music/
[quote]Does a rapper need to make a truly great album before he's considered one of the best alive? It's a question with no objective answer. Some rappers are phenomenal with verses and punchlines but have no knack for hooks or song structure. Some can do all of those things but lack personality. Some never get the production budget they deserve; many do and just have the worst ear for beats. Some fail to capitalize on their buzz, and others are completely incapable of making themselves relevant. And yet, none of that explains why Killer Mike has been able to consistently make some of the most visceral and intellectually potent hip-hop of the past decade and a half without having a true classic under his belt.
On the unimpeachable R.A.P. Music, Mike hooks up with 2012 MVP frontrunner El-P and Adult Swim subsidiary Williams Street to create what's described on the title track as "what my people need and the opposite of bullshit." It's the 2012 equivalent to Ice Cube and the Bomb Squad's similarly inspired bicoastal union on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. Limiting himself to one producer, legends-only guest spots, and a real sense that he'd better make this one count, Killer Mike rises to the occasion.
But while this record is sure to please longtime fans, it also works as a compelling introduction. As in the past, R.A.P. Music takes a stand politically without going off the grid into conspiracy theorizing or sounding so circumspect that you'd think Mike himself was running for public office. On "Reagan", he calls out the government for spending billions of taxpayer dollars invading foreign land as "a hobby paid for by the oil lobby." To him, the "War on Drugs" is mostly an excuse for crooked cops to illegally search and seize young black men. But if you happen to be a phony rapper that's dumb enough to spit that "fiction sold by conglomerates" in Mike's neighborhood, you can expect to leave without your chain and dignity. None of this is contradictory to anyone with a lick of sense, but there's a tangible thrill in hearing someone tell it like it is with such conviction.
There was enough spleen vented on the Grind mixtapes to last until the next decade; on R.A.P., there's more heart and soul, both musically and spiritually. In a recent interview with Pitchfork.tv, Mike seemed particularly fond of the scene he sets during "Untitled", wherein the women closest to him in life are placed within an epic historical scale: "Will my woman be Corretta take my name and cherish it?/ Or will she Jackie O drop the Kennedy, remarry it/ My sister say it's necessary on some Cleopatra shit/ My grandmamma said 'no, never that, it's sacrilege.'" It's part of a deep respect for family that runs throughout R.A.P. Music, whether it's to his cop father during the "fuck the police" narrative "Don't Die", or his wife amidst astonishing Southernplayalistic pimp shit on "Southern Fried". He dedicates the last verse to her ("I married a Trina/ Pretty as a singer/ Fine as a stripper"), informing all other girls that if you want a piece of Killer Mike, you gotta service his woman too. It's actually kinda heartwarming.
Let's take a moment and talk about the actual rapping on R.A.P. Music. Dear lord, the rapping on this thing. When he first started appearing on dirtier OutKast tracks like "Snappin' & Trappin'", Mike might've been seen as the devil on Big Boi's shoulder opposite Andr
Well said.
Dig this review:
http://potholesinmyblog.com/killer-mike-r-a-p-music/
and
8.6 from pitchfork
http://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/165 ... rap-music/
[quote]Does a rapper need to make a truly great album before he's considered one of the best alive? It's a question with no objective answer. Some rappers are phenomenal with verses and punchlines but have no knack for hooks or song structure. Some can do all of those things but lack personality. Some never get the production budget they deserve; many do and just have the worst ear for beats. Some fail to capitalize on their buzz, and others are completely incapable of making themselves relevant. And yet, none of that explains why Killer Mike has been able to consistently make some of the most visceral and intellectually potent hip-hop of the past decade and a half without having a true classic under his belt.
On the unimpeachable R.A.P. Music, Mike hooks up with 2012 MVP frontrunner El-P and Adult Swim subsidiary Williams Street to create what's described on the title track as "what my people need and the opposite of bullshit." It's the 2012 equivalent to Ice Cube and the Bomb Squad's similarly inspired bicoastal union on AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted. Limiting himself to one producer, legends-only guest spots, and a real sense that he'd better make this one count, Killer Mike rises to the occasion.
But while this record is sure to please longtime fans, it also works as a compelling introduction. As in the past, R.A.P. Music takes a stand politically without going off the grid into conspiracy theorizing or sounding so circumspect that you'd think Mike himself was running for public office. On "Reagan", he calls out the government for spending billions of taxpayer dollars invading foreign land as "a hobby paid for by the oil lobby." To him, the "War on Drugs" is mostly an excuse for crooked cops to illegally search and seize young black men. But if you happen to be a phony rapper that's dumb enough to spit that "fiction sold by conglomerates" in Mike's neighborhood, you can expect to leave without your chain and dignity. None of this is contradictory to anyone with a lick of sense, but there's a tangible thrill in hearing someone tell it like it is with such conviction.
There was enough spleen vented on the Grind mixtapes to last until the next decade; on R.A.P., there's more heart and soul, both musically and spiritually. In a recent interview with Pitchfork.tv, Mike seemed particularly fond of the scene he sets during "Untitled", wherein the women closest to him in life are placed within an epic historical scale: "Will my woman be Corretta take my name and cherish it?/ Or will she Jackie O drop the Kennedy, remarry it/ My sister say it's necessary on some Cleopatra shit/ My grandmamma said 'no, never that, it's sacrilege.'" It's part of a deep respect for family that runs throughout R.A.P. Music, whether it's to his cop father during the "fuck the police" narrative "Don't Die", or his wife amidst astonishing Southernplayalistic pimp shit on "Southern Fried". He dedicates the last verse to her ("I married a Trina/ Pretty as a singer/ Fine as a stripper"), informing all other girls that if you want a piece of Killer Mike, you gotta service his woman too. It's actually kinda heartwarming.
Let's take a moment and talk about the actual rapping on R.A.P. Music. Dear lord, the rapping on this thing. When he first started appearing on dirtier OutKast tracks like "Snappin' & Trappin'", Mike might've been seen as the devil on Big Boi's shoulder opposite Andr
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Bring Back The Tempo
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chiefbombpro
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Bring Back The Tempo
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Brougham33
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Rachel Hobozal
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Order it online my friend. www.accesshiphop.com or amazon. Gotta be patient but you'll have it in a few days. But yeah, digital sucks. I hear ya on that.Neuro wrote:i wish i could just drive up to the store and buy it, but noooooo everything is digital now or order online
i hope this album gets the recognition it deserves
Gloss continues to funnel Kia's semen into his kike mouth.
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drizzle
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i always had the impression that working strictly within his circle was something el did purposefully, is that not the case? was he really never approached by anybody else?
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo
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B. Ware tha Siniq
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My impression: I don't think he's been approached a lot by big time rappers over the years - other indy rockers and stuff like that yeah. At the same time I'm also sure he hasn't really sought that out, either. I think he is getting offers to do a lot of other stuff though (based on what he says in that most recent Beat Construction interview), but he does seem to suggest he'll stay within his circle predominantly.drizzle wrote:i always had the impression that working strictly within his circle was something el did purposefully, is that not the case? was he really never approached by anybody else?
https://soundcloud.com/jay-beware/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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drizzle
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here we need to quantify what exactly is meant by 'big time'. the 10 years since ELp solidified his rep has been the worst stretch for commercial rap in the existence of the genre, even the idea of him producing for about 97% of people who could be considered big time in that sense feels borderline laughable
but there have been talented rappers who are not in the mainstream but not part of scene that El belongs to either, thats more like what i had in mind
but there have been talented rappers who are not in the mainstream but not part of scene that El belongs to either, thats more like what i had in mind
http://www.steadybloggin.com - some of these are my thoughts yo
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B. Ware tha Siniq
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Sure. My guess is he might have guys like T.I. talking to him about beats now, and maybe other DF and Grand Hustle acts. That probably didn't occur before. It's just exposure to another audience who wouldn't have had a reason to fuck with his music before.drizzle wrote:here we need to quantify what exactly is meant by 'big time'. the 10 years since ELp solidified his rep has been the worst stretch for commercial rap in the existence of the genre, even the idea of him producing for about 97% of people who could be considered big time in that sense feels borderline laughable
but there have been talented rappers who are not in the mainstream but not part of scene that El belongs to either, thats more like what i had in mind
https://soundcloud.com/jay-beware/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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axel foley
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or order on their site, free shipping.axel foley wrote:best buy got it for 9.99. just do a check for in-store availability before you roll through.Neuro wrote:i wish i could just drive up to the store and buy it, but noooooo everything is digital now or order online
i hope this album gets the recognition it deserves
i just figured el stayed within his peoples, then adult swim did that comp with def jux outta nowhere, then adult swim had him remix a jeezy track, then for some odd reason el sent some beats to adult swim and mike ended up finding them and using them.
i'm listening to RAP Music [Clean version] for the hell of it on Spotify. Clean versions are always weird, there's always "they didn't cut that, but they did cut this" on most cleans. odd thing about this one is they censor brands. impala, forbes, gucci, etc. all censored.
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Philaflava
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I think maybe El-P preferred "staying within his circles".. 10 years ago. maybe. And I know for his own projects ( he specifically said this about ISWYD, which was 5 years ago) he discussed only working with people he would hang out with and was friends with rather than having random guests, but I don't know that he ever expressed wanting to limit his production opportunities.Maybe to the extent that he's actually interested in PRODUCTION, and not selling beats to big names? It seems like 99% of the things I've heard about El-P over the years are projections of his fans more than anything he's expressed.
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Hair of the Dog
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Being in someone's "circle" though is much different and flexible than it was 10 years ago. Now, (and I think this is perhaps the best thing about the internet age) it seems like collabs spark up via some mutual interest/respect on twitter. For that reason, Killer Mike or Danny Brown don't have to be signed to the same label as El to make something work. They just need to acknowledge each other on twitter. 10 years ago, working with El pretty much meant you were a Def Jukie 4 life yo.
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Stieflkater
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Bring Back The Tempo
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