thoughts on this album? (the future is now)

[Philaflava]

I would imagine this hasn't aged gracefully with this audience but outside of Illmatic, this might be the greatest ensemble of producers to ever lace a "debut" album. Black Helicopters and CIA Trying To Kill Me are my fav cuts.

[drizzle]

Gloss you really gotta start labeling these somehow

More on topic, I think your opening post actually opens and closes the convo - there are a few song that still hold up but a lot of the lyrics are kinda cringe-worthy in retrospect, goofy at best. But the production still sounds pretty great on most of them.

[Philaflava]

updated now listen to my show so you can criticize please. i am a glutton for punishment.

[madstadik]

Great when it dropped. Decent to me now. Obviously u cant front on the production.

[Rhyme 4 Rhyme]

Actually still see this as a classic.

[hellriser]

strange universe is best song on the album

[I Smell Like Un Kasa]

this might be the greatest ensemble of producers to ever lace a "debut" album.

This one damn sure comes close.



J Dilla
Buckwild
Large Professor
The Beatnuts
EZ Elpee
Nick Wiz
DJ Clark Kent
Sean J Period

[Philaflava]

Touche

[ardamus]

I agree, its really not that dope unless you have the double disc instrumental version. However, they all killed every track on that album. Sabac was my fav. out of the group at the time then Ill Bill.

[aeokq]

Good album, slightly overrated by hardcore underground hip hop fans (like myself). The production is really good but there are a couple of tracks that fall short. Raps are a bit heavy with the conspiracy type shit but well executed nonetheless.

[Versive]

Funny, to me, the Premo beat on here is one of the worst on the album. I still enjoy this, though it's since been ... eclipsed .... by better solo albums, namely The Grimy Awards, The Art of Dying and Electric Lucifer.

[Rhyme 4 Rhyme]

Funny, to me, the Premo beat on here is one of the worst on the album. I still enjoy this, though it's since been ... eclipsed .... by better solo albums, namely The Grimy Awards, The Art of Dying and Electric Lucifer.

All subjective, but completely disagree, on both the Preemo beat and the rank of the album. Never heard Electric Lucifer, but no way Grimy Awards or Art of Dying are on the same level as this. Along with that, Rock Stars is actually one of my favorite Preemo beats of all time.

[Versive]

Really? Rock Stars?! REALLY?!?!! Different strokes, but I feel like that was the beginning of a stretch of real generic Premo-plays-Premo type beats from him. Obviously there are exceptions along the way and maybe you're hearing something I aint but that song just felt pointless in the context of the album except that it was "the Premo joint" and the title of the track only added to that. Pure conjecture here, but it gave me the impression that Premo was like 'Oh these guys were on Matador, they're white, they have crossover appeal, I'll cut up "wild like rock stars who smash guitars" and call it a day.'

As for the solo albums, they just feel a lot more focused. From a production standpoint, Art of Dying was the best of Necro's little post-Future is Now mini-Rza-type run, and this album has aged really well as a result. Also, Electric Lucifer is not to be slept on. Goretex is a fucking madman, but he's the truth. The only Non Phixion member with that LI eccentricity to his voice and pen. And Grimy Awards just feels like a fully realized representation of what BIll does best.

I loved the Future is Now when it dropped and continue to revisit it every couple years or so, but those solo albums, so far at least, hold up better for me. I seem to recall a bunch of people on here saying that Future is Now didn't live up to the singles they put out beforehand, and I was too young at the time to consider that but it makes sense now. It feels like they already all had a foot out the door and were able to really develop their skills as solo artists.

I would not, however, argue that they are consistently better apart than they are together. It's just certain releases that really stand out.

[Versive]

Also, in terms of great production casts, The Grimy Awards has joints by:
MoSS
Pete Rock
Psycho Les
Large Professor
Ayatollah
DJ Muggs
El-P
DJ Premier

[Tired & Broke]

never noticed, but dude in the suit on the cover looks like a demoic bernie sanders.

Album is meh, but Black Helicopter is still a classic track from the underground hip-hop golden era

[Versive]

That's Dick Cheney.

[Spartan]

Thought it was Henry Kissinger.

[Rhyme 4 Rhyme]

Really? Rock Stars?! REALLY?!?!! Different strokes, but I feel like that was the beginning of a stretch of real generic Premo-plays-Premo type beats from him. Obviously there are exceptions along the way and maybe you're hearing something I aint but that song just felt pointless in the context of the album except that it was "the Premo joint" and the title of the track only added to that. Pure conjecture here, but it gave me the impression that Premo was like 'Oh these guys were on Matador, they're white, they have crossover appeal, I'll cut up "wild like rock stars who smash guitars" and call it a day.'

As for the solo albums, they just feel a lot more focused. From a production standpoint, Art of Dying was the best of Necro's little post-Future is Now mini-Rza-type run, and this album has aged really well as a result. Also, Electric Lucifer is not to be slept on. Goretex is a fucking madman, but he's the truth. The only Non Phixion member with that LI eccentricity to his voice and pen. And Grimy Awards just feels like a fully realized representation of what BIll does best.

I loved the Future is Now when it dropped and continue to revisit it every couple years or so, but those solo albums, so far at least, hold up better for me. I seem to recall a bunch of people on here saying that Future is Now didn't live up to the singles they put out beforehand, and I was too young at the time to consider that but it makes sense now. It feels like they already all had a foot out the door and were able to really develop their skills as solo artists.

I would not, however, argue that they are consistently better apart than they are together. It's just certain releases that really stand out.

Yeah, no doubt on Rock Stars. Consider it a classic Premo beat. Never thought that much about his reason for choosing the Deck line as the chorus. Just thought it sounded dope with the whole layout of the song. The intro prior to it with Howie and Premo also adds to it.

For the NP solo albums post Future is Now, I'd go What's Wrong With Bill, Arty of Dying, then Sabocalypse in that order. Consider WWWB to be a great album but indifferent on the other two. Some dope tracks off both but rarely revisit either.

As far as thoughts that the the singles released prior to the album being better than the actual album, guess that's not too surprising. I Shot Reagan, Refuse to Lose, Legacy, No Tomorrow, Sleepwalkers, 5 Boros, 4 Ws. Really can't miss with any of those. Disagree overall though on them having one foot out the door for the album. Feel that's the best consolidated output the 4 of them could have ever produced.

That's Dick Cheney.

Don't own a physical of the album but if that's the case, that's pretty dope.

[Tired & Broke]

That's Dick Cheney.

I guess all old white folk look the same to the kid.