O Eight Rewind

Preface: I was asked to write this article on 2008′s top three albums, from my perspective (as I’ve covered mostly hip-hop, I narrowed it to hip-hop albums). However, my third spot ended up a tie, so you’re getting a little more for your money. On we go…

2008 saw its share of trends and transition in hip-hop. We heard rappers singing into vocoders, raps over techno beats, a resurgence in electro, and the hipster trend became ever more prominent. While there was definitely a sense that the pendulum is swinging back toward digital, some of the year’s best mimicked the Golden Age’s live sound samples. And as I saw it, the year’s very best, didn’t even make it on to the radio.

Elzhi – The Preface
Released August 12, 2008
2008 Elzhi / Zhifi Music

Elzhi is responsible for one of the most ambitious albums of the year, as many of the tracks’ content is extremely left field. Black Milk is commissioned for the production of most of the tracks. Truthfully, Elzhi’s the only impressive lyricist to ever have been part of Slum Village. Musically, this album couldn’t be much more representative of Detroit if J Dilla oversaw every aspect from beginning to end. As good as that might feel to so many of us, like more than one album on this list, it may be that this album is a little too far behind the current trends of hip-hop to be commercially viable. And Elzhi’s representing for Detroit better than anyone in recent memory. With tracks like “Colors” and “Guessing Game,” he may come off as pretentious, but lyrically he’s not only showing off a higher caliber than we’re used to, but he’s taking risks and showing creativity that is not often approached in hip-hop anymore. Interestingly, fellow Slum Village member T3 produced standout track “Save Ya.” It’s not hard to figure that T3 learned a few tricks from the late, great Jay Dee. Other standout tracks include, “Motown 25,” “Brag Swag,” “D.E.M.O.N.S.,” and “Talking In My Sleep,” among others (Really. No, REALLY. AMONG OTHERS. EVERY SONG ON THIS ALBUM IS AT LEAST PRETTY DECENT. Peep it.).

GZA/Genius – Pro Tools
Released August 19, 2008
2008 Dcide Records

“Pro Tools” seems like a fairly appropriate title for any GZA album, for those who are familiar with this particular emcee’s body of work. GZA’s latest album came on the heels of a Liquid Swords tour that was impressive, even so many years later. His beef with 50 Cent was responsible for probably the most recognized track from the album, “Paper Plate.” In an interview, he basically described how paper plates are disposable, temporary. In comparing 50 with GZA, it’s probably a pretty apt comparison, to this point. GZA’s ability to bring unexpected rhymes and rhyme schemes, combined with his ability to play with words and stretch words and phrases as he chooses, all while doing it in a way that isn’t difficult to understand and keeps his audience captivated is unparalleled. While the album is mostly missing RZA beats (save for “Paper Plate”), he manages to reach back and utilize very traditional Wu-Tang sounds. The overall sound is updated, but probably drags a little behind what most of hip-hop is doing. Overall, a very impressive album, just as we’d all expect from one of hip-hop’s most respected emcees. Besides “Paper Plate,” “Alphabets” and “Columbian Ties” stand out.

Murs – Murs For President
Released September 30, 2008
2008 Warner Bros. Records Inc. for the U.S. and WEA International Inc. for the world outside the U.S.

I wonder if Murs ever expected to be in the position he’s in. After years of flourishing on the underground backpack scene, he’s gone major without compromising much. While major dollars and major marketing didn’t lead to major radio play, the album was lauded by critics. In fact, the album tanked. Still, Murs joins a trend of a rise of prominence of conscious hip-hop and if he can earn endorsements from hip-hop stars (perfectly conceivable), there’s no reason this album can’t set the stage for a much greater impact in the near future. Unfortunately, while all the beats are catchy and enough of them are plenty interesting, there’s no real musical commitment to any particular style, and perhaps that musical purgatory is what sent this album to commercial hell. Murs is a talented emcee with a positive message, a breath of fresh air into hip-hop. Standout tracks include “I’m Innocent,” “Can It Be (Half A Million Dollars And 18 Months Later),” and “Sooo Comfortable.”

The Roots – Rising Down
Released April 29, 2009
2008 The Island Def Jam Music Group

The Roots have acheived a status in hip-hop that is without precedent. As a group that has never acquiesced to any particular mainstream trend, they create their own lane on a regular basis. No… that’s an understatement. Every album they put out is something completely different from anything they’ve done, and completely different from anything anyone else has done. That isn’t to say that they have a whole lot of hip-hop acts following in their footsteps, but their audience is vast, international, and dedicated. Rising Down represents a darker form of hip-hop than past takes. Over time, it becomes more and more apparent that hip-hop’s most famous drummer (and most famous afro), Ahmir ?uestlove Thompson is very much the backbone of hip-hop’s premiere band. He takes on a good deal of production duties for this album, and increasingly appears as a producer and/or performer on other artists’ tracks. This is possibly the most political and easily one of the most abstract albums by the Mighty Roots Crew. If you’re ready, the standout tracks, as I see them, are, the title track, “Rising Down,” “I Will Not Apologize,” “Singing Man,” and “The Show.”

Honorable Mention:
9th Wonder and Buckshot – The Formula
Black Milk – Tronic
Devin The Dude – Landing Gear
The Game – LAX
Ice Cube – Raw Footage
Madvillain – Madvillainy 2

Here’s to hoping for a little better in ’09.

Illa J – Yancey Boys

The Spin: Illa J – Yancey Boys
Release: November 4, 2008
2008 Delicious Vinyl, LLC
[rate 3]

Illa J’s Yancey Boys is a somewhat unexpectedly, relatively disappointing debut for the younger of the Yancey Boys. The only real consolation to this album is the musical production of James “J Dilla” Yancey. In fact, the vast majority of people that this album will appeal to at all, even if only briefly, are those whom have an interest in the work of the senior Yancey.

When analyzing Dilla’s career, it is significant to note that there were basically three phrases. In the early ’90s, Dilla became prominent with his brand of jazzy hip-hop beats used by popular acts of the time like The Pharcyde and A Tribe Called Quest. This was followed by his unique Neo-Soul beats used by artists and groups like Erykah Badu, Common, and The Roots. These beats are marked by soulful, ethereal vintage keyboard sounds, active synthesized bass lines, and simple but effective drums.  They almost single handedly (D’Angelo also played a significant role) carved out a new sub-genre in popular music.  In the late ’90s and early 2000s, he opted for a more experimental approach, making greater use of samples in more creative ways and conversely making songs where melodies and harmonies were completely constructed with synthesizers. The two latter stages garnered him the most critical acclaim, and the last stage particularly resonated amongst the most devout hip-hop enthusiasts and a broader range of artists.

It is interesting to note that John “Illa J” Yancey opts on this album for beats that sound more like pre-Ruff Draft (around when phase three initiated). Instead of choosing beats that would have a more mainstream appeal in the current hip-hop climate, Illa J takes a risk and uses more soulful, atmospheric beats. We certainly hope that the Yancey family will continue to ensure that the expansive vault of Dilla beats will continue to be brought to the listening audience’s attention. That being said, Illa J does not bring a lot of creativity to his lyrics. His rhymes are often monosyllabic and easily predicted. There is a lack, if not a void of internal rhyme, alliteration, metaphors, etc. The content of his lyrics is nothing short of what you might expect to hear from a Souljah Boy Tell ‘Em track. In short, Illa J is not the lyricist that you look to for inspiration. Another big problem lies in Illa’s singing. It’s not necessarily that Illa J is a bad singer, but it often seems that his vocals are not as confident as one would like to be. His melismatic runs, while well-orchestrated, are not executed with sufficient effectiveness.  Basically, while he seems to have learned enough from Dilla on how to record and arrange vocals, it just seems that he didn’t put enough time and thought and rehearsal into his own.

If this were an instrumental album, it would almost certainly get five stars, but Illa J’s lyrics and vocals are not just mediocre, they’re distracting. He does a good job of producing the vocals during his raps, but the lyrics are simplistic, predictable, and not substantive. It is worth stating that a great number of artists that Dilla worked with had quite a bit to say and did very well at saying it. Illa J is content with talking about his jewelry, sex, and his legacy. Any number of mediocre hip-hop artists from “The A” would’ve made the same album from these beats, only a little more deftly. Simply, Illa is not as ill as his predecessor, and he’s riding very, very long coattails. While this might allow him some time to catch his stride, he simply isn’t there yet.

To sum up this album as simply as possible, you’ll bob your head some, yawn, get slightly frustrated, and wish for the instrumental version. It gets three stars, with a huge debt to the late great J Dilla. R.I.P.

Images courtesy of www.myspace.com/illajmusic