Rap and Hip-Hop music reviews

This is the best album by Outkast. That alone is reason enough to make it an automatic purchase. But not only is it the best album by the best hip-hop duo ever, it is one in a handful of the most important rap albums made in the last 15 years. The lyrics, beats, and overall vibe of the album transcends music as a whole. It's an experience, if you will, that can connect to the core of every human, no matter what your race, religion, financial status, or walk of life. In the mist of this, however, Outkast stays true to who they are and their dirty south roots. Both rappers were at their peaks, musically, at this point in their lives and each brought different and amazing skill sets to the table to combine and create this masterpiece. Big Boi never wavers, always bringing the truest and purest street speak to your ears, keeping the thug in the album and the streets the object of everything he says. And Andre brings the creativity and the style to the album, meshing with Big Boi in a symbiotic cacophony of musical favors and styles. And not to dis Big Boi, but Andre may actually be the most underrated rap artist in the history of the genre. If I'm making the starting line up for a hip-hop all-star team it would go something like this: Jay-Z, 2Pac, Nas, Chuck D, and Andre 3000 (with the Wu Tang Clan and Biggie coming off the bench). That's how much I think of Andre. He reaches out and demands your attention with every word he speaks, telling you exactly how it is and how he sees the world, with a flow almost poetry-like in nature. When we look back 100 years from now, in this era of hip-hop, people will see this album and hear the lyrics of Andre (as well as Big Boi) and realize what true hip-hop was and meant at that point in history. With so much crap being produced over the last few years in rap, particularly in commercial hip-hop, this album is breath of fresh air that will always remain relevant and never become dated. It is a true testament to the greatness of hip-hop as hip-hop is supposed to be. This is the best cd I own.

Best Tracks:

Rosa Parks
Aquemini
Slump
Da Art of Storytellin' (1 and 2)
Liberation
Chonkyfire

This album represents the pinnacle of Outkast's musical careers. I have been a 'kast fan for over a decade and have listened to almost everything they have ever done, so believe me when I say it, this is their best work. Aquemini is an absolute masterpiece. Every album since has been a dissapointment to me. I wish they would have retired after Aquemini and let it be their legacy to the hip hop world. I hate how commercialized they've become.

Great Outkast album. I can see why this got the 5 Mics in The Source. This is a classic as well as ATLiens. If you don't like Outkast now, you might like this one and any of their old material.

TOP TRACKS:
Return Of The G
Rosa Parks
Skew It On The Bar-B
Da Art Of Story Tellin Parts 1 and 2

CCM Magazine rated this as one of the Top 100 Christian Albums Ever in a book they released. (#14 if you're scoring at home). It's nicknamed the "grunge" album and while there are clearly hints of the influence of Nirvana et al. here and there, it's more as accent: DC is still a pop group first and foremost. This also marks the first time that rapper Toby McKeehan tried his hand at vocals. There are some wretched missteps here that keep this from being a spotless release, but it probably is their finest effort overall at trying to reach out to a mainstream audience while hanging onto their Christian base. They were able to get a minor Top 40 hit with "Between You and me". (Though it's not one of the better songs here in all honesty...)

HIGHLIGHTS:
Crusty guitar blasts lead off "So Help Me God" announcing instantly that DCT's members had been listening to stuff other than hip-hop. The title track overcomes its often goofy lyrics ("I saw a man with tattoo on his big fat belly/It wiggled around like marmalade jelly..") thanks to a snappy guitar riff that propels it (though the guy who compared it to the second coming of Hendrix is seriously smoking something), use of "quiet/loud" grunge dynamics, and its singalong "What will people think/when they hear that I'm a Jesus freak?" hook. "What If I Stumble?" ponders the impact the group has on its audience of mostly teens and its emerging status as one face of Christian rock to those outside the Church. ("What if I stumble?/What if I fall?/What if I lose my step and I make fools of us all?") "What Have We Become?" questions individual believers presentations of Jesus to the world at large. ("A preacher shuns his brother/Cause his bride's a different color/And this is not acceptable/His papa taught him so..")

LOWS:
"Day by Day" is an attempt to update the Godspell tune for the modern age, but hearing someone sing "Thee" against rock guitar just sounds quaint at best. It's definitely not the bold move into relevancy I'm sure they wanted. Skits "Mrs. Morgan" [the elderly next door neighbor complaining about the noise from the drummer's practicing] and "Jesus Freak (Reprise)" [a mock operatic version of the title tune] fare about as well as most skits do. You might get a brief chuckle at first or second hearing but they quickly become automatic skip button activators.

BOTTOM LINE:
While I'm not so sure I'd rank it among the Top 100 contemporary Christian releases ever made, it probably is the finest effort by the band.

3 1/2 stars

I own all of the DC talk CDs and this one is probaly my favorite.The only missteps are:Mrs.Morgan,and the Jesus freak reprise.My favorites are :so help me God,colored people,Jesus freak,what if i stumble,between you and me,like it,love it and need it,in the light,and mind's eye.I really recommend this!

One of the best of all time. Every song is different and amazing. The recording quality is a tad rough, but that was the times. This is tied with Delirious's "World Service" for greatest Christian CD ever.

WHEN WU-TANG CLAN HIT THE SCENE IN 1993 WITH THEIR CLASSIC ALBUM "ENTER THE WU-TANG(36 CHAMBERS)" THEY BROUGHT A STYLE THAT WAS NEVER SEEN IN RAP AND IN MY OPINION THERE REALLY HASNT BEEN A UNIQUE GROUP SINCE THEY CAME INTO THE GAME. "BRING DA RUCKUS" IS THE FIRST SONG ON THE ALBUM WHICH IS AN OK SONG BUT NOT A SONG THAT I REALLY LISTEN TO. "SHAME ON A N****" IS A FUNNY SONG AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE O.D.B. AND METHOD MAN BOTH PUT DOWN NICE VERSES. "CLAN IN DA FRONT" HAD SOME NICE FLOWS TO IT. "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER" IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE EVERYONE PUT DOWN SOLID VERSES SPECIFICALLY METHOD MAN AND INSPECTAH DECK. "CAN IT BE ALL SO SIMPLE" IS INDEED MY FAVORITE TRACK ON THIS ALBUM BECAUSE RAEKWON AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH PUT DOWN SOME REALITY LINES ON THIS SONG ABOUT EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE GHETTO. "DA MYSTERY OF CHESSBOXIN" IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE EVERYONE PUT DOWN SOILD VERSES SPECIFICALLY METHOD MAN, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, AND INSPECTAH DECK. "WU-TANG CLAN AINT NOTHING TO F*** WIT" IS AN OK SONG BUT I REALLY DONT LISTEN TO IT. THE NEXT SONG IS THE CLASSIC "C.R.E.AM." ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES WHERE BOTH RAEKWON AND INSPECTAH DECK TALK ABOUT HOW THEY OVERCAME ADVERSITY AND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE CASH IN THIS WORLD AND HOW THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ADVERSITY IN LIFE ESPECIALLY IN THE GHETTO. METHOD MAN PUT DOWN ONE OF MY FAVORITE HOOKS OF ALL TIME ON THIS SONG. "METHOD MAN" IS A SONG THAT I REALLY DONT LIKE AS MUCH AS I LIKE METHOD MAN AND FEEL THAT HE IS AN UNDERRATED RAPPER I DONT LIKE THIS SONG. "PROTECT YA NECK" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS BECAUSE EVERYONE DID THERE THING ON THIS SONG ONE OF THE BEST SONGS ON THE ALBUM HANDS DOWN. "TEARZ" IS THE NEXT SONG WITH RZA AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH WASNT REALLY FEELING RZA BUT I KNOW HE IS MORE OF A PRODUCER THAN A RAPPER I REALLY FELT GHOSTFACE KILLAH ON THIS SONG. "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER PART II" IS THE LAST SONG IT IS THE SAME AS THE FIRST "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER" EXCEPT THEIR BEATS ARE DIFFERENT. I SAY THAT THE FIRST ONE HAS THE BETTER BEAT OUT OF THE 2. THIS ALBUM IS DIFFERENT FROM ALOT OF ALBUMS BECAUSE WU-TANG CLAN CAME INTO THE GAME WITH A UNIQUE STYLE THAT WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS ALBUM TO ANYONE WHO IS A FAN OF STRAIGHT UP FIERY AND HARDCORE LYRICS.

Wu-Tang Clan's debut album Enter The Wu-Tang is a certified classic and was also the launchpad for several succesful solo careers. I picked up this album quite a few years ago and have to admit I was underwhelmed at first, but after several listens I gradually started to realise why there was so much hype surrounding this album. Firstly and most important the Wu-Tang Clan consists of 9 almost equally talented emcees (Though Masta Killa features in only 1 verse on their debut, and the RZA is arguably not as high calibre emcee), all with different personalities and styles. This alone makes them hands down the best hiphop group of all time in my opinion, in fact I can't think of any other groups I even like nearly as much as the Wu. There's not much point in me naming my favourite emcees as I like them all, but when you first listen to the album Method Man & ODB (R.I.P) stand out mainly for their distinct flows, but the more you listen you'll notice the lyrical genius of the GZA & Inspectah Deck, and the great storytelling abilities of Raekwon & Ghostface. As far as strictly beats & rhymes go, this album is near perfect, there is nothing instantly catchy though, so I would urge anyone buying this to give it repeated listens before judging it.

Enter The Wu-Tang is however not quite perfect, as I mentioned above the production & beats though consistent are a bit bland. I have always personally thought that the RZA is a slightly overated producer, unless you have a good sound system you will not be able to hear the heavy bass in most of these tracks and theres not always a lot else going on in the beats. When I compare this to other classics from the same era (ie, Doggystyle, The Chronic) the beats are basic, although I realise this is the sound they were going for, it does mean you probably won't like this if your looking for hooks & melodies. I believe RZA has got better as a producer as his career has moved on, but obviously this remains their best album due to the fact it came first and the emcees are all hungry and at their peak. For the production alone, this album would not quite make my top 5 hiphop albums of all time, though it is still undoubtedly a classic and easily deserving of 5 stars, it was also a landmark album, as it marked a shift back towards East Coast dominance after a poor era for NY hiphop.

Best tracks are Shame On A Nig*a, Clan In Da Front, 7th Chamber, Tearz and the classic C.R.E.A.M. All hiphop heads should already own this classic album, if not cop it now!

the year is 1993 alot of great hip hop was dropping rapidly and steadily and all that dropped had well deserved praised but this particular group called the wu-tang clan dropped their respective and critically acclaimed debut in november and the hip hop went crazy. in 1992 and even before they were dropping singles and unreleased tracks before they blow up on the hip hop scene most notably "protect ya neck". this group consists of 9 emcees who all in there own right created styles that only rappers can imitate. the rza aka the abbott came out with the single "ooh! we love you rakeem" back in 1991 but wasnt successful with tommy boy. the gza aka the genius dropped his 1st lp "words from the genius" back in 1990/1991 the album was very good not great but the co-chillin' went bankrupt after the release. odb (r.i.p.) came out with a single called "cuttin' headz" in 1992 with the rza which was later put on his debut lp in 1995 called "return to the 36 chambers: the dirty version". method man, raekwon, ghostface killah had dropped a cut in 91' called "who da f*** r u" back in 91'. inspectah deck, u-god and masta killa also had memorable momkents not just in wu history but hip hop history as well. they really were making tapes and doing shows in throughout the 1980's regular people not knowing that they been thru it all and finally about 10 years afterwards they finally drop the perhaps arguably the greatest hip hop lp ever in the history of rap and was voted one of the greatest lps in music history. that means of all genres. i remember as a kid listening to these cats with there sometimes raunchy yet gritty and witty styles best descrbed as rugged anf raw with the beats being in the same manner as their lyrics and i keep saying to myself that was the good old days right there. this definitely a top 5 banger on your list. all tracks should deserve a 10 or more on your scale.

WHEN WU-TANG CLAN HIT THE SCENE IN 1993 WITH THEIR CLASSIC ALBUM "ENTER THE WU-TANG(36 CHAMBERS)" THEY BROUGHT A STYLE THAT WAS NEVER SEEN IN RAP AND IN MY OPINION THERE REALLY HASNT BEEN A UNIQUE GROUP SINCE THEY CAME INTO THE GAME. "BRING DA RUCKUS" IS THE FIRST SONG ON THE ALBUM WHICH IS AN OK SONG BUT NOT A SONG THAT I REALLY LISTEN TO. "SHAME ON A N****" IS A FUNNY SONG AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE O.D.B. AND METHOD MAN BOTH PUT DOWN NICE VERSES. "CLAN IN DA FRONT" HAD SOME NICE FLOWS TO IT. "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER" IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE EVERYONE PUT DOWN SOLID VERSES SPECIFICALLY METHOD MAN AND INSPECTAH DECK. "CAN IT BE ALL SO SIMPLE" IS INDEED MY FAVORITE TRACK ON THIS ALBUM BECAUSE RAEKWON AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH PUT DOWN SOME REALITY LINES ON THIS SONG ABOUT EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE GHETTO. "DA MYSTERY OF CHESSBOXIN" IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE EVERYONE PUT DOWN SOILD VERSES SPECIFICALLY METHOD MAN, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, AND INSPECTAH DECK. "WU-TANG CLAN AINT NOTHING TO F*** WIT" IS AN OK SONG BUT I REALLY DONT LISTEN TO IT. THE NEXT SONG IS THE CLASSIC "C.R.E.AM." ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES WHERE BOTH RAEKWON AND INSPECTAH DECK TALK ABOUT HOW THEY OVERCAME ADVERSITY AND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE CASH IN THIS WORLD AND HOW THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ADVERSITY IN LIFE ESPECIALLY IN THE GHETTO. METHOD MAN PUT DOWN ONE OF MY FAVORITE HOOKS OF ALL TIME ON THIS SONG. "METHOD MAN" IS A SONG THAT I REALLY DONT LIKE AS MUCH AS I LIKE METHOD MAN AND FEEL THAT HE IS AN UNDERRATED RAPPER I DONT LIKE THIS SONG. "PROTECT YA NECK" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS BECAUSE EVERYONE DID THERE THING ON THIS SONG ONE OF THE BEST SONGS ON THE ALBUM HANDS DOWN. "TEARZ" IS THE NEXT SONG WITH RZA AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH WASNT REALLY FEELING RZA BUT I KNOW HE IS MORE OF A PRODUCER THAN A RAPPER I REALLY FELT GHOSTFACE KILLAH ON THIS SONG. "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER PART II" IS THE LAST SONG IT IS THE SAME AS THE FIRST "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER" EXCEPT THEIR BEATS ARE DIFFERENT. I SAY THAT THE FIRST ONE HAS THE BETTER BEAT OUT OF THE 2. THIS ALBUM IS DIFFERENT FROM ALOT OF ALBUMS BECAUSE WU-TANG CLAN CAME INTO THE GAME WITH A UNIQUE STYLE THAT WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS ALBUM TO ANYONE WHO IS A FAN OF STRAIGHT UP FIERY AND HARDCORE LYRICS.

Wu-Tang Clan's debut album Enter The Wu-Tang is a certified classic and was also the launchpad for several succesful solo careers. I picked up this album quite a few years ago and have to admit I was underwhelmed at first, but after several listens I gradually started to realise why there was so much hype surrounding this album. Firstly and most important the Wu-Tang Clan consists of 9 almost equally talented emcees (Though Masta Killa features in only 1 verse on their debut, and the RZA is arguably not as high calibre emcee), all with different personalities and styles. This alone makes them hands down the best hiphop group of all time in my opinion, in fact I can't think of any other groups I even like nearly as much as the Wu. There's not much point in me naming my favourite emcees as I like them all, but when you first listen to the album Method Man & ODB (R.I.P) stand out mainly for their distinct flows, but the more you listen you'll notice the lyrical genius of the GZA & Inspectah Deck, and the great storytelling abilities of Raekwon & Ghostface. As far as strictly beats & rhymes go, this album is near perfect, there is nothing instantly catchy though, so I would urge anyone buying this to give it repeated listens before judging it.

Enter The Wu-Tang is however not quite perfect, as I mentioned above the production & beats though consistent are a bit bland. I have always personally thought that the RZA is a slightly overated producer, unless you have a good sound system you will not be able to hear the heavy bass in most of these tracks and theres not always a lot else going on in the beats. When I compare this to other classics from the same era (ie, Doggystyle, The Chronic) the beats are basic, although I realise this is the sound they were going for, it does mean you probably won't like this if your looking for hooks & melodies. I believe RZA has got better as a producer as his career has moved on, but obviously this remains their best album due to the fact it came first and the emcees are all hungry and at their peak. For the production alone, this album would not quite make my top 5 hiphop albums of all time, though it is still undoubtedly a classic and easily deserving of 5 stars, it was also a landmark album, as it marked a shift back towards East Coast dominance after a poor era for NY hiphop.

Best tracks are Shame On A Nig*a, Clan In Da Front, 7th Chamber, Tearz and the classic C.R.E.A.M. All hiphop heads should already own this classic album, if not cop it now!

the year is 1993 alot of great hip hop was dropping rapidly and steadily and all that dropped had well deserved praised but this particular group called the wu-tang clan dropped their respective and critically acclaimed debut in november and the hip hop went crazy. in 1992 and even before they were dropping singles and unreleased tracks before they blow up on the hip hop scene most notably "protect ya neck". this group consists of 9 emcees who all in there own right created styles that only rappers can imitate. the rza aka the abbott came out with the single "ooh! we love you rakeem" back in 1991 but wasnt successful with tommy boy. the gza aka the genius dropped his 1st lp "words from the genius" back in 1990/1991 the album was very good not great but the co-chillin' went bankrupt after the release. odb (r.i.p.) came out with a single called "cuttin' headz" in 1992 with the rza which was later put on his debut lp in 1995 called "return to the 36 chambers: the dirty version". method man, raekwon, ghostface killah had dropped a cut in 91' called "who da f*** r u" back in 91'. inspectah deck, u-god and masta killa also had memorable momkents not just in wu history but hip hop history as well. they really were making tapes and doing shows in throughout the 1980's regular people not knowing that they been thru it all and finally about 10 years afterwards they finally drop the perhaps arguably the greatest hip hop lp ever in the history of rap and was voted one of the greatest lps in music history. that means of all genres. i remember as a kid listening to these cats with there sometimes raunchy yet gritty and witty styles best descrbed as rugged anf raw with the beats being in the same manner as their lyrics and i keep saying to myself that was the good old days right there. this definitely a top 5 banger on your list. all tracks should deserve a 10 or more on your scale.

WHEN WU-TANG CLAN HIT THE SCENE IN 1993 WITH THEIR CLASSIC ALBUM "ENTER THE WU-TANG(36 CHAMBERS)" THEY BROUGHT A STYLE THAT WAS NEVER SEEN IN RAP AND IN MY OPINION THERE REALLY HASNT BEEN A UNIQUE GROUP SINCE THEY CAME INTO THE GAME. "BRING DA RUCKUS" IS THE FIRST SONG ON THE ALBUM WHICH IS AN OK SONG BUT NOT A SONG THAT I REALLY LISTEN TO. "SHAME ON A N****" IS A FUNNY SONG AND ONE OF MY FAVORITES ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE O.D.B. AND METHOD MAN BOTH PUT DOWN NICE VERSES. "CLAN IN DA FRONT" HAD SOME NICE FLOWS TO IT. "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER" IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE EVERYONE PUT DOWN SOLID VERSES SPECIFICALLY METHOD MAN AND INSPECTAH DECK. "CAN IT BE ALL SO SIMPLE" IS INDEED MY FAVORITE TRACK ON THIS ALBUM BECAUSE RAEKWON AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH PUT DOWN SOME REALITY LINES ON THIS SONG ABOUT EVERYDAY LIFE IN THE GHETTO. "DA MYSTERY OF CHESSBOXIN" IS ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS ON THE ALBUM BECAUSE EVERYONE PUT DOWN SOILD VERSES SPECIFICALLY METHOD MAN, GHOSTFACE KILLAH, AND INSPECTAH DECK. "WU-TANG CLAN AINT NOTHING TO F*** WIT" IS AN OK SONG BUT I REALLY DONT LISTEN TO IT. THE NEXT SONG IS THE CLASSIC "C.R.E.AM." ANOTHER ONE OF MY FAVORITES WHERE BOTH RAEKWON AND INSPECTAH DECK TALK ABOUT HOW THEY OVERCAME ADVERSITY AND WHAT IT IS LIKE TO HAVE CASH IN THIS WORLD AND HOW THERE WILL ALWAYS BE ADVERSITY IN LIFE ESPECIALLY IN THE GHETTO. METHOD MAN PUT DOWN ONE OF MY FAVORITE HOOKS OF ALL TIME ON THIS SONG. "METHOD MAN" IS A SONG THAT I REALLY DONT LIKE AS MUCH AS I LIKE METHOD MAN AND FEEL THAT HE IS AN UNDERRATED RAPPER I DONT LIKE THIS SONG. "PROTECT YA NECK" IS ONE OF MY FAVORITE SONGS BECAUSE EVERYONE DID THERE THING ON THIS SONG ONE OF THE BEST SONGS ON THE ALBUM HANDS DOWN. "TEARZ" IS THE NEXT SONG WITH RZA AND GHOSTFACE KILLAH WASNT REALLY FEELING RZA BUT I KNOW HE IS MORE OF A PRODUCER THAN A RAPPER I REALLY FELT GHOSTFACE KILLAH ON THIS SONG. "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER PART II" IS THE LAST SONG IT IS THE SAME AS THE FIRST "WU-TANG 7TH CHAMBER" EXCEPT THEIR BEATS ARE DIFFERENT. I SAY THAT THE FIRST ONE HAS THE BETTER BEAT OUT OF THE 2. THIS ALBUM IS DIFFERENT FROM ALOT OF ALBUMS BECAUSE WU-TANG CLAN CAME INTO THE GAME WITH A UNIQUE STYLE THAT WILL NEVER BE DUPLICATED I WOULD RECOMMEND THIS ALBUM TO ANYONE WHO IS A FAN OF STRAIGHT UP FIERY AND HARDCORE LYRICS.

Wu-Tang Clan's debut album Enter The Wu-Tang is a certified classic and was also the launchpad for several succesful solo careers. I picked up this album quite a few years ago and have to admit I was underwhelmed at first, but after several listens I gradually started to realise why there was so much hype surrounding this album. Firstly and most important the Wu-Tang Clan consists of 9 almost equally talented emcees (Though Masta Killa features in only 1 verse on their debut, and the RZA is arguably not as high calibre emcee), all with different personalities and styles. This alone makes them hands down the best hiphop group of all time in my opinion, in fact I can't think of any other groups I even like nearly as much as the Wu. There's not much point in me naming my favourite emcees as I like them all, but when you first listen to the album Method Man & ODB (R.I.P) stand out mainly for their distinct flows, but the more you listen you'll notice the lyrical genius of the GZA & Inspectah Deck, and the great storytelling abilities of Raekwon & Ghostface. As far as strictly beats & rhymes go, this album is near perfect, there is nothing instantly catchy though, so I would urge anyone buying this to give it repeated listens before judging it.

Enter The Wu-Tang is however not quite perfect, as I mentioned above the production & beats though consistent are a bit bland. I have always personally thought that the RZA is a slightly overated producer, unless you have a good sound system you will not be able to hear the heavy bass in most of these tracks and theres not always a lot else going on in the beats. When I compare this to other classics from the same era (ie, Doggystyle, The Chronic) the beats are basic, although I realise this is the sound they were going for, it does mean you probably won't like this if your looking for hooks & melodies. I believe RZA has got better as a producer as his career has moved on, but obviously this remains their best album due to the fact it came first and the emcees are all hungry and at their peak. For the production alone, this album would not quite make my top 5 hiphop albums of all time, though it is still undoubtedly a classic and easily deserving of 5 stars, it was also a landmark album, as it marked a shift back towards East Coast dominance after a poor era for NY hiphop.

Best tracks are Shame On A Nig*a, Clan In Da Front, 7th Chamber, Tearz and the classic C.R.E.A.M. All hiphop heads should already own this classic album, if not cop it now!

the year is 1993 alot of great hip hop was dropping rapidly and steadily and all that dropped had well deserved praised but this particular group called the wu-tang clan dropped their respective and critically acclaimed debut in november and the hip hop went crazy. in 1992 and even before they were dropping singles and unreleased tracks before they blow up on the hip hop scene most notably "protect ya neck". this group consists of 9 emcees who all in there own right created styles that only rappers can imitate. the rza aka the abbott came out with the single "ooh! we love you rakeem" back in 1991 but wasnt successful with tommy boy. the gza aka the genius dropped his 1st lp "words from the genius" back in 1990/1991 the album was very good not great but the co-chillin' went bankrupt after the release. odb (r.i.p.) came out with a single called "cuttin' headz" in 1992 with the rza which was later put on his debut lp in 1995 called "return to the 36 chambers: the dirty version". method man, raekwon, ghostface killah had dropped a cut in 91' called "who da f*** r u" back in 91'. inspectah deck, u-god and masta killa also had memorable momkents not just in wu history but hip hop history as well. they really were making tapes and doing shows in throughout the 1980's regular people not knowing that they been thru it all and finally about 10 years afterwards they finally drop the perhaps arguably the greatest hip hop lp ever in the history of rap and was voted one of the greatest lps in music history. that means of all genres. i remember as a kid listening to these cats with there sometimes raunchy yet gritty and witty styles best descrbed as rugged anf raw with the beats being in the same manner as their lyrics and i keep saying to myself that was the good old days right there. this definitely a top 5 banger on your list. all tracks should deserve a 10 or more on your scale.

This is an absolutely amazing album created by the reflection eternal. Another release that focuses on making classic songs that mean something positive to people. Songs that you can play twenty years from now and they are still dope and relevent to your life. Support emcees that have talent, not materialistic artists that make songs that will help you into a jail cell.

You may not think this review should even be considered when i tell you im a 13 year old white kid who usualy listens to classic rock, punk, and metal but if thats what u think, dont read it.

I got this CD becuase a freind suggested it. I was a little wary because i HATE basically all the rap/hip-hop thats on mtv.Lyrics about crunk,and bling are stupid and shallow as hell. But, after gettting this album i realized, not all rap is crap.

WOW-is all i can say, this album is amazing. Talib Kwali has the most amazing rhymes ive ever heard. His lyrics arent just about having bling or being crunk, there about his real life and topics that matter.Oh, and Hi Tek's beats are amazing. I love almost every song on here.

If u like hip jop or rap or are tired of todays rap music or what ever, u MUST get this!!!

this cd is great, so use the 5 star overall ranking as indication of its greatness. Hi Tek makes dope beats, and Kweli spits unbelievable lyrics song after song. Unfortunately, people like Robin J. Cantone have to say that it "is not very good", and "kweli does not have a good voice for rap" Ok, what is that supposed to mean? I think that he has a great voice for rap. He also does not just have amazing lyrics, but also a great flow to deliver them to perfection. O yeah, and if you say that Dilated Peoples says that rappers should write a book if they don't have a voice it nonsense. In case you are too stupid to realize it, Dilated Peoples is great friends with Kweli and has done many projects with him, so I doubt he was talking about Kweli when he said this. Oh, and another thing, you complain that Kweli is not conscious enough? You gave "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" 5 stars once, and 4 stars a second time! If you say Kweli isn't conscious enough and that is why this cd sucks, then how is 50 (one of the least conscious rappers I have ever heard) any better? Exactly, he is much worse. Kweli speaks about emotions that everyone can relate to and he does it eloquently, so whats wrong with this cd? I say nothing at all. O yeah, and you say it is too long, but i find this is one of those cds that i never skip songs on. So this has quality AND quantity, so how is this a bad thing? If the songs are all classics, then why should there be less songs? And you say that dead prez is better than Kweli? They may talk about more political things than Kweli, but they have much worse flow, and their lyrics are decent at best, whereas Kweli's are among the best of all time. You cannot say that a political message is the only thing that matters in a cd, because it is not. All right, now back to the cd, it is great, dont hesitate to buy it because someone like that says that the cd is trash. If i had listened to someone like him, I would not have had such an incredible time with this classic cd that i have. There will always be people who disrespect things that you like, and if you listened to these people, then you would have a very short list of things you can enjoy...o and by the way...im not a kid, i just do not have an amazon account. And one last thing, if i spent this much time writing about one of the few naysayers of this album, then imagine how much it must mean to me. And how much it will mean to you if you give it the chance...its cheap, get this asap!

This is an absolutely amazing album created by the reflection eternal. Another release that focuses on making classic songs that mean something positive to people. Songs that you can play twenty years from now and they are still dope and relevent to your life. Support emcees that have talent, not materialistic artists that make songs that will help you into a jail cell.

You may not think this review should even be considered when i tell you im a 13 year old white kid who usualy listens to classic rock, punk, and metal but if thats what u think, dont read it.

I got this CD becuase a freind suggested it. I was a little wary because i HATE basically all the rap/hip-hop thats on mtv.Lyrics about crunk,and bling are stupid and shallow as hell. But, after gettting this album i realized, not all rap is crap.

WOW-is all i can say, this album is amazing. Talib Kwali has the most amazing rhymes ive ever heard. His lyrics arent just about having bling or being crunk, there about his real life and topics that matter.Oh, and Hi Tek's beats are amazing. I love almost every song on here.

If u like hip jop or rap or are tired of todays rap music or what ever, u MUST get this!!!

this cd is great, so use the 5 star overall ranking as indication of its greatness. Hi Tek makes dope beats, and Kweli spits unbelievable lyrics song after song. Unfortunately, people like Robin J. Cantone have to say that it "is not very good", and "kweli does not have a good voice for rap" Ok, what is that supposed to mean? I think that he has a great voice for rap. He also does not just have amazing lyrics, but also a great flow to deliver them to perfection. O yeah, and if you say that Dilated Peoples says that rappers should write a book if they don't have a voice it nonsense. In case you are too stupid to realize it, Dilated Peoples is great friends with Kweli and has done many projects with him, so I doubt he was talking about Kweli when he said this. Oh, and another thing, you complain that Kweli is not conscious enough? You gave "Get Rich Or Die Tryin'" 5 stars once, and 4 stars a second time! If you say Kweli isn't conscious enough and that is why this cd sucks, then how is 50 (one of the least conscious rappers I have ever heard) any better? Exactly, he is much worse. Kweli speaks about emotions that everyone can relate to and he does it eloquently, so whats wrong with this cd? I say nothing at all. O yeah, and you say it is too long, but i find this is one of those cds that i never skip songs on. So this has quality AND quantity, so how is this a bad thing? If the songs are all classics, then why should there be less songs? And you say that dead prez is better than Kweli? They may talk about more political things than Kweli, but they have much worse flow, and their lyrics are decent at best, whereas Kweli's are among the best of all time. You cannot say that a political message is the only thing that matters in a cd, because it is not. All right, now back to the cd, it is great, dont hesitate to buy it because someone like that says that the cd is trash. If i had listened to someone like him, I would not have had such an incredible time with this classic cd that i have. There will always be people who disrespect things that you like, and if you listened to these people, then you would have a very short list of things you can enjoy...o and by the way...im not a kid, i just do not have an amazon account. And one last thing, if i spent this much time writing about one of the few naysayers of this album, then imagine how much it must mean to me. And how much it will mean to you if you give it the chance...its cheap, get this asap!

Classic album. One of my favorite of all time. This cd is so good that i feel like buyin it again, i just cant get enough of it. Every song is off the hook. From my personal favorite Ambitionz Az A Ridah to the hit single California Love. Most two Disc cd's that i own are usually just ok, but this one is a club banger. Its a shame that pac went so fast, he could of been a even bigger force than he was. Overall, I give this album 5 brickettes.

The kat below me is absolutely right. To say that Pac is a joke is just immature. If Pac is such a joke, than why has he sold 3 times more records than BIG? Biggie has sold 13 million worldwide, and Pac has sold 36 million. That's a 3:1 ratio there, little kid, do the math you freakin 6th grader. Anyways, forgetting about record sales, yeah, biggie didn't write his rhymes down, but he did memorize them just like any other rapper does. That's impressive, but that doesn't make him a better MC. And Biggie made 3 albums in a span of 3 years. 2Pac made 10 albums in a span of 5. Talk about impressive. Beside's, who's going to listen to somebody who writes a 3 sentence review anyways? Especially someone who wrote- BIG is betta....top of dome...yeah...forever... Come on you wimp, step ya game up, buddy. I own all of Biggie's and 2pac's albums, so I know what I'm talking about. No doubt, Biggie is one of the best rappers ever, probably in the top 2. But to say Pac is a joke is in fact a joke. Just check the average stars for this cd, 5. Go spend your time doing something else, cause you're a big joke. Biggie And Tupac Forever....

C,mon kid u know it very well that Pac was better than Biggie. I Love Biggie too, but Pac was just somebody that was in another level. Your right pac spend hours and hours in the studio, but what do u get in return he did over hundreds of material still waiting to be released this year, and of course this masterpiece. Many critics, fans, and even rival rappers have said that "All Eyez On Me" is the best rap album of all time. He copy Pac on "life after death" when he made the 2-disc album, not just him but lots of rappers, we all know it. Nobody couldn't do it like pac, on his song "Hit Em Up" Man do u even wanna go there!! That song has been declared as the greatest DISS song of all time. He talked about real issues, subjects that people can relate too.

This is more that portrays how he really feels (A no holds barred album), unlike "Me Against the World" is more of a sorrowful soul searching. He did this album in nearly 2 weeks, not 1 or 2 years. He recorded this 72 hours after his release from jail, anyways i don't want to go further about how Pac was better. Well both discs are good, but Book 1 holds out a little more. Theres no need to review each song cause all of them are great.

I had this record on vinyl originally and ended up losing it to one of my friends. So i got it on CD just the other day (after having a burned copy) and it still sounds amazing. They'll never make another record like this ever again. Many consider this their best, but CHECK YOUR HEAD is my personal fav. Don't let this pass you by. If you don't own this already, buy it now!

I have a dirty little secret I must confess, I just recently got Paul's Boutique. As someone who has been called a music snob, you'd think I would have gotten back in '89 and look down on everyone who overlooked what is widely considered not only the best Beastie Boys album, but the best rap album ever made, but much like the rest of America at the beginning of the 90's, I was expecting License to Ill 2 and could quite understand the direction they were going in.

Even when I got those songs, I still didn't pick up Paul's Boutique until discussing the rap troupe around the release of To the 5 Burroughs and a co-worker of mine asked to borrow my Beastie Boys collection and then chastised me for my lone omission from their catalog (granted, keep in mine that this dude had none). So this exchange finally to plug the hole and the album somehow exceeds all expectations.

Much like every Beastie Boys album, the songs are chock full of enough pop culture references that would make Buffy Summers and Veronica Mars blush even if not all of them are all that popular. Am I the only one who looked up Sadaharu Oh? Also the wordplay is tight with my favorite being the phonetically pronounced "knowledge" from The Sound of Science. But the key to making this the greatest album is all the intertwining samples, roughly four hundred, throughout most of the song from such diverse artists as Chic and Johnny Cash as well as some artist so obscure even I've never heard of the. And thanks to licensing fees put in place right after the release of this album, it's a good bet that Paul's Boutique will stay on top of the best rap album list for a while.

The songs on the album are some of the group's best. Hey Ladies is a great transition from the sophomoric lyrics heard on their debut but trade rock riffs for disco beats and a cowbell that even Christopher Walken could approve of. Looking Down the Barrel of a Gun shows you how good the rap/metal genre could be in the hands of real artists. And High Plain Drifters showed that rappers could slow things down and still be creditable. Shake Your Rump should be required be on the playlist of every house party. Or if you are lazy, you can just throw Paul's Boutique on and everyone will be happy.

I mean, really. This is one of the best albums of all time. No doubt.

gotta love tupac. he was one of raps legends. all his songs bopped and this cd showcases his best works. a lot of these new rappers need to learn what being real means. they go around claimin to be gangsta but they run at the first sign of trouble.

The production in this was not top seeing some of Pac's early hits are noticably absent. However every song on this is Pac at his best with most of his 1991-1996 hits plus 4 previously unreleased tracks. This is a collection of hits from when he was alive so don't post silly reviews saying it should have later hits like I Wonder If Heaven Got A Ghetto and Do For Love. I rate the songs the following.

1. Keep Ya Head Up 10/10
2. 2 Of Amerikaz Most Wanted 10/10
3. Temptations 9.5/10
4. God Bless The Dead 10/10
5. Hail Mary 10/10
6. Me Against The World 9.5/10
7. How Do U Want It 9/10
8. So Many Tears 10/10
9. Unconditional Love 10/10
10. Trapped 10/10
11. Life Goes On 9/10
12. Hit Em Up 8.5/10

1. Troublesome 96' 10/10
2. Brenda's Got A Baby 10/10
3. I Ain't Mad At Cha 10/10
4. I Get Around 9/10
5. Changes 10/10
6. California Love 10/10
7. Picture Me Rollin 10/10
8. How Long Will They Mourn Me? 10/10
9. Toss It Up 8.5/10
10. Dear Mama 10/10
11. All About U 6/10
12. To Live & Die In L.A. 10/10
13. Heartz Of Men 10/10

In conclusion this is a great album. If you are a big Tupac fan than you would have all the CDs most of these songs are from. However it is worth buying this to get the previously unreleased tracks
God Bless The Dead
Unconditional Love
Troublesome 96'
Changes

Man, this is the definitive 2Pac's greatest hits collection, it features some of the best songs he recorded while he was alive in 2 discs. It has some mistakes and a couple of missing tracks, but it's the perfect gift for Pac's begining fans.
Some of the tracks are edited and there's two missing essential tracks: The so-sampled "Me and my girlfriend" and "All eyez on me", that for some reason aren't included.
After all this is a gorgeous collection of hits and of 2Pac at his best.
It includes the songs that made him famous worldwide. favorites include GOD BLESS THE DEAD (Unreleased), HAIL MARY, which is one of the first songs I heard from him. ME AGAINST THE WORLD, the US #1 HOW DO U WANT IT, the melancholic SO MANY TEARS, LIFE GOES ON, where he talks about his own funeral and the infamous Bad Boy diss HIT 'EM UP. CD 2 is hot too starting with CALIFORNIA LOVE and the amazing ALL ABOUT U, both soulful tunes, TROUBLESOME '96, PICTURE ME ROLLIN', HOW LONG WILL THEY MOURN ME, TOSS IT UP, TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. and HEARTZ OF MEN, which is better than the remixed version of his remix album.
2Pac was an smart rapper, he had songs with a lot of topics, (Love, Teen pregnancy, Racism, etc...) and that's something I liked of him, because a lot of rappers talk on his songs only about one or two topics.