Rap and Hip-Hop Music

I'm a huge fan of Lil Kim, and when this hit the shelves I was there to pick up my copy on release day. The problem with this album is that Crush On You, which was in heavy rotation on MTV at the time, was released in an alternative version on this album that cuts Lil Kim out of the song almost completely. The MTV version is no where on this disk. Buyer beware.

I am a HUGE fan of Lil Kim. I lost all of my cd's due to a change of address so when I purchased this, I anticpated all of the songs I used to hear. I was still intrigued by her lyricism after all these years of missing her cd. I am well pleased with this cd and La Bella Mafia and Notorious K.I.M. and The Naked Truth. Love'em ALL!

all i can say is if your not a fan dont bother buying it just so you can say negative things about it. of course the lyrics are disgusting,but you shoudve figured that out when you read the title"HARDCORE". HELLO PEOPLE!!! this woman can spit,she was the first to change the game,well season it up a lil'. the first album i purchased by lil kim was THE NAKED TRUTH,i loved it so much that i had to start from the very beginning following her career.glad i did cus now i kno who dis b*tch really is! favorite tracks:

1)BIG MOMMA THANG 5/5
2)NO TIME 5/5
3)DRUGS 4/5
4)WE DONT NEED IT 3/5
5)NOT TONIGHT 4/5
this one aint on here but CRUSH ON YOU(lil kim version)
hataz fall back and fellas,NO DRULLING OVER THE EXPLICIT CONTENT!!!!

I guess my review is going to be in the minority here. I'm not going to say that Lil' Kim is a bad rapper. She just managed to pull a garbage CD. A lot of these songs don't even pass as listenable. Biggie wrote the majority of these rhymes here, so you know that they sound out of place when they come out of Lil' Kim's mouth. The lead single "No Time" with Puff Daddy was decent, and was a good start of her career, but to tell you the truth, it hardly even picks up after that on this album.

The second track "Big Momma Thing" was a banger, possibly because Jay-Z had an awesome second verse. And for some crazy reason, I have a taste for the song "We Don't Need It" even though Lil' Cease is garbage. Thats all I can think of thats good about this.

Most of this album is just filler. "Spend A Lil Doe" just didn't make sense to me. "Queen Bee" is another of these songs that I saw no significance in. Although if you're from New York somewhere, you'll think these song are the best ever. I seem to can't grasp that concept.

Also some of these songs were remixed, and possibly for a good reason. Her most popular single "Crush On You" was one of those remixed tracks. Here on the CD, someone thought it was a good idea to let Lil' Cease have all three verses. The remix it has Kim and Cease rhyming with each other, and it sounds just a little better than the origonal. If this album ever gets repressed, tell them to wipe off the origonal version and add the remix on there. Also the song "Not Tonight" was remixed and titled "Ladie's Night". The origonal song was produced by Jermaine Dupri, and it sounds okay, but you'll get tired of it after awhile. If anyone is interested, the remix would appear on the "Nothing To Lose Soundtrack" and featured Da Brat and Left Eye. Also, if you're sexually orentated, you might be able to tolerate these skits that flow throughout this CD.


Overall, this album is just average album from the '96 era. Nothing special about, unless you just love Kim. I actually enjoy Kim, especially the "La Bella Mafia" album. I just don't think this album measures up to anything I heard from the East Coast during that time. If you like to, I recommend that you check out the album for the songs I said that stood out. If you don't own this album, you're not missing much.

Lyrics: C
Production: C+
Guest Appearances: C- (Cease himself weighs this one down big time)
Musical Vibes: D
Overall: C-

Favorite Tracks: Big Momma Thing, We Don't Need It

Peace everyone!

This album has to be the best female rapper album, hell in my opinion best album period. Even though this came out a decade ago, It stills bang to the fullest. Lil Kim is truely a one of a kind. No one can duplicate, and thats real!.
Queen Bee Lives on, Fu** the hatas!

Most overrated rapper of all time!This album is wack!All the beats are simple and the lyrics are boring.All he raps about is money,cash,hoes,cars,and how tough or great he is.That Hard knock life song was garbage!Joe camel gets worst and worst as time goes on.Save your money and don't by this garbage!

This cd is an all-time great! Jay Z was on top of his game and this is some of his best work. I have this Cd in my car as we speak and i dont plan on ever taking it out. The hits that came from this cd like Hard Knocked life just for starters.. this Cd is one of my favorites of all time and i think it is some of the best rap lyrics also. I put the cd on and let it play through from the beginning. BUY THIS CD!!!

This CD is Jay-Z's hardest CD to date. He has awesome collaborations with the Roc-A-Fella camp and his most successful tour (Hard Knock Life Tour)featured music from this CD. If you do not have this CD, go cop it immediately!

Great album,one of Jay-z's best. An album you can bang from start to finish.

awww it must be such a hard knock life.
doing nothing and recording trash talk
and gettin millions and a nice car
on the CD cover.
what a hard knock life!
Crappa what, Crappa who?

Puffy is the most reprehensible person to ever disgrace hip hop and this posthumous "album" is proof. Instead of letting Biggie's memory rest with the excellent Life After Death, he decides to pull this dead rabbit out of his hat and destroys the memory of Brooklyn's Finest. Notorius B.I.G. feat Lil Kim and Puffy was a terrible first single and made me stay away from this album for a while(I didnt pick it up till 2000). Hope You N****s Sleep feat The Hot Boys and Big Tymers is a complete mismatch. Biggie over a Mannie Fresh beat(which wasnt a bad beat by the way) goes together like a size 20 foot in a size 6 shoe. Dead Wrong feat Eminem was and still is a banger even though I doubt Biggie would have made a song with Em. N****s, Dangerous MC'S(feat Mark Curry, Snoop Dogg & Busta Rhymes), Let Me Get Down(feat Missy Elliot, G-Dep and Craig Mack) and I Really Want To Show You(feat Nas, K-Ci and Jo-Jo) are lethally dull. Rap Phenomenon feat Redman and Method Man rehashes the same beat from Tracy Lee's Keep Your Hands High(also feat the same verse from Biggie) but the track actually works and is one of the better songs on the album. Come On feat Sadat X is a classic joint by itself Nuff said! If I Should Die Before I Wake(feat Ice Cube, Beanie Sigel and Black Rob) is tight also. Biggie feat Junior Mafia is a painfully bad and tracks like Big Booty Hoes(feat Too Short), Would You Die For Me(feat ludicrous performance by Lil Kim and Puffy) and Can I Get Witcha(feat Lil Cease) are only good for cheap laughs and nothing else. Dishonorable mentions: Who Shot Ya(the song was a classic that should have never been shortened) and Tonight(feat Mobb Deep). Bottom Line: Born Again is a disgrace to an Mc who is definitely capable of much better work. These verses were not Biggie's best verses and we all know that he would have not worked with the majority of these artists on this album(The Hot Boys and Missy especially)! This album was made to fatten Puffy's pockets at the expense of destroying Biggie's memory and as you can see it worked because this album went platinum. F*** You Puffy you acne-faced freak!

Rest In Peace BIGGIE!!!

Well to be completely honest I was disapointed with this album. And that's not B.I.G.'s fault. All of his lyrics and verses are on point. It's just the horrible production they chose to go with. None of it fits his style at all. And makes the album pretty boring. They should have stuck with the original beats and production he had recorded the songs with and it would have been a lot better. They really should re-release this with the original beats. . .

Ok, not every song is Ill... I read the reviews and thought twice but I bang that stuff just as loud as I do Ready To Die. Its got some jems on it.

lemme start off by saying DEAD WRONG IS ILL and eminem rips that track up, even better than big. other standouts include "notorious big" and "rap phenomenon" (which features the classic line 'all them rings and things you sing about bring em out / its hard to yell when the barrel's in ya mouth', which was used by jay-z on "what more can I say", and the jay version was sampled by swizz beats on last years hit "bring em out" by t.i.). the rest of the tracks range from good to bad, and none are outstanding like the first two.

buy it if you love big, otherwise just get the few best tracks from itunes.

There's always been one thing I didn't like so much about Biggie's music, and that was the fact that it is so beat based. When I listen to some of 2Pac's material, I get caught up in the lyrics much easier. On Pac's songs his voice is standing out on the track so you notice it, while Biggie's voice is just there, while the beat dominates.

His voice fits the beats very good on this CD, just like his other Albums. This CD starts with an intro, and after that possibly my favorite track on the CD, simply called "Notorious B.I.G.". It's just the whole beat in this you just can't help loving. The CD continues the success with another great track after that, "Dead Wrong". But, sadly, after these two great tracks, this CD is only going to get worse. The next 5 tracks are also pretty good, all with rather good beats, but none that compares to the two first. Once you're about half way through the Album the songs starts getting really bad though, it seems that at this point Puffy had run out of good beats and just wanted this CD over with, but what do I know.

All around a pretty good CD, definetely worth picking up if you like Big's material, however, I would recommend getting Life After Death and Ready to Die instead, if you haven't already got those.

I'm a huge K-Os fan -- I have all of the man's albums. I was seriously disappointed when I found out I would have to order his new album Yes! online because it wasn't being sold in stores.

K-Os really returns to his old school-style hip-hop roots with this album while experimenting with new sounds that leave him more "current" than his previous albums. His last album Atlantis, though very brilliant, leaned into a lot of classic/retro pop. I loved the album but it definitely didn't add him any credits as an M.C. but this time he returned showing all of his influences in previous albums with respect to a mature and a very "today" sound.

If I have to knock him one star for ANYTHING it would be he still delves more than necessary into retro sounds -- I think for K-Os to really showcase his talent and remain relevant he needs to be more cutting edge and lead trends rather than stay on the cusps of trends in hip-hop music. However, I am very pleased to see he has found himself and exudes confidence -- the type of confidence that only a man who is comfortable in his skin can convey.

K-os named his new album 'Yes!' to reflect the positive and unrestrained approach from which he created the music.

A major strength of k-os is his ability to use a genre within his hip hop, and -- while definitely doing hip hop -- making the borrowed genre come alive in its own identity. He does it extensively with indie rock on this album. He does it especially effectively with reggae(ton), including an excellent sequence where he raps against what seems to be but isn't his own echo. There are also some great doo-wop elements, which are not especially subtle except that most listeners will be unfamiliar with the genre. (Also I have to suggest listeners look to "Valhalla", my favorite track from his last album, for a sublime use of the spiritual form as a chorus against rapped verses.)

This is "fusion" in the best sense. More than that, it is the "recontextualization" (c.f. "found art") sophisticates like to talk about, except that unlike an old sneaker put on display in a museum, what k-os does is worth paying attention to. Certainly it is metaphorical, not documentarian, that k-os is pictured on the album cover holding a sampler with his face obscured. The ability of hip hop to incorporate any other genre should, in principle, render hip hop the universal musical form, supremely flexible and given to profound novelty. Reflect on how limited so much of hip hop actually is, and you will see that k-os' disappointment in hip hop is deeper than its fixation on money. Or perhaps its fixation on money, so superficial, has rather deep consequences.

One of the k-os' funny characteristics reappears in this album: while he attacks the pompousness of other rappers, he maintains a way-large ego himself. For example, he begins a track with Neil Armstrong's famous transmission of "one small step for [a] man," cutting it off by sighing melodramatically before launching into a song.

K-os has made impressive strides in becoming a better singer; his rapping, always good enough, does not show the improvement of his singing. And, compared to previous work the instrumentation in this album really is novel. This brings us to a potential "problem" with the new album. The beats of several songs are so intricate they border on sounding busy instead of musical. Personally, I like intricacy, so it doesn't bother me -- but if you tend toward stripped-down beats leaving the rap front and center on a track, you might be put off.

Then there is k-os' ambition for this album -- he wanted it to be enjoyable, easy, free of the baggage of his prior work. K-os' baggage comes in two main forms: disdain for mainstream hip hop, and philosophical musings. Actually, considering that most of these new songs address these topics, it seems that when k-os lets his mind drift freely he turns right to the weightiest of thoughts. K-os was the guy at the party who would have a few drinks and more, feel the music bumping, and nonetheless find himself lost in serious thought (or conversation..) about the meaning of life when everyone else was busy forgetting all the seriousness of life.

But this tendency of his does not harm the album. K-os giving it free range (and free reign, and free rein) has rendered both his philosophical musing and his commentary on mainstream hip hop more productive, less encumbering -- they are no longer baggage. In the case of his meaning-of-life issues, he puts more emphasis on the fact that some things are, ultimately, unknowable. (This is not entirely new, as listeners might recall from his debut album.) He also allows the instrumentation to more clearly reflect his weighty subject matter, no longer setting metaphysical raps into good-but-conventional beats (...although I should note that the more-apt eerie-echoey-disoriented beats verge on annoyingly repetitious in this album). In the case of his complaints about mainstream hip hop, on this new album k-os employs a bigger arsenal than ever in his fight, including especially satirical mimicry. Thus in both channels k-os succeeds in the artist's mission to show rather than say -- per Archibald MacLeish, to not mean, but be. We're always ourselves, whether guarded or relaxed, but that if we accept our own identities that same self becomes constructive rather than awkward.

I don't know if I like this album more than k-os' others or if I will listen to it more often. There is a solid chance of this album defining k-os within the broader history of music. Moreover I do suspect that this album's sharp, catchy, contemporary productions stand the best-so-far chance of generating big-time popularity for k-os. That is a little ironic though, for the simple reason that on this album those catchy, contemporary-sounding songs are vehicles of irony. "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman" IS catchy. It is TOTALLY a standout. AND its singalong breeziness stands across a fearsome chasm from its story of the loneliness that a person must accept if they want to accept themself. If you recognize both the breeziness and the pain that make up the song, the divide between them appears as well. It is a song of agony. And so it weirds me out to know that people will be bumping it like a party tune.

"I Wish I Knew" is also a song of triumph, anthemic of the album. Creativity means making something good from the darkness -- a metaphysical metaphor k-os has pursued from the beginning of his artistry. It IS a happy song, even if I hear a dangerous relationship between the happiness and alienation. "I know I'll find a recipe / for me / but I can't really make you love me."


P.S. A legit pronoun, "themself"?

To put it simply, the help of money and better producers continue to aid K-Os in his success. This album is the best composed and produced albums from K-Os but unfortunately not the most fulfilling to listen to. Regardless the album is worth a listen if one had never experienced the hip/hop essence that K-Os brings, and for those familiar you won't be disappointed.

Ok, it's not completely hip hop in form, but it is definitely maintained in essence. It's darker than the last disc, Atlantis..., but it's still probably the most fun hip hop album to come out in some time. The blend of the old school, and the current, enables the listener to recall hip hop's rosier parts of its past. Meanwhile, the "indie rock" portions mashed up against the 808s, give the album a distinct feel, but somehow or another it just makes sense. How many albums do you know of that can put Saukrates, Emily Haines, and Murray Lightburn - on back to back songs - and it sounds cohesive?

It's not an absolutely flawless album, but then again, I don't know if it's about that. I think he just wants you to feel genuinely 'good' when you listen to music. In a time of darkness economically and otherwise, it's a refreshing and rich listen, especially the deluxe edition. Most of the remixes are on par with the originals, i.e. 4 3 2 1 (TheSoundCrate Remix)...nice driving song. Definitely the perfect album for the spring, going forward into the summer time. It's worth your twenty US dollars, and whatever that converts to in anywhere else in the world.

I do not usually write reviews, but DAM! I had to for this one! As a long time K-Os fan I have always looked forward to every release with an equal amount of excitement & curiosity as to what he was going to put out next. For an artist to be as diverse as the multiple forms of music that have obviously influenced them, is a special thing. K-Os is one of those kinds of artists. From the opening track all the way to the final now customary hidden track, he floors you with flat out great music. "Zambony" & "Astronaut" are once again futuristic/retro hip-hop gems, while "Burning Bridges" & "Uptown Girl" hit you with the rock/pop influences that he effortlessly maneuvers to so well. A wonderful extension of hip-hop through the eyes of guitar laced tracks. My personal favorite is the strangely titled "I Wish I Knew Natalie Portman", I could care less what the name of this track is, it is absolutely the s***! Bump this one loud because the beat, the rhythmic strut, K-Os flow, even the guest rapper are absolutely killing this track. To keep this short, the rest of the tracks on the album wonderfully display what an artist should always try to do, grow, expand, & challenge themselves. Never forgetting what their fans love about their work, & yet being bold enough to advance their craft & take the chances that allow them the position to truly call what you do art. K-Os, keep doing what you do so well, & to his fans both old & new (even the curious ones), buy the record, because this is definitely one of 2009's finest! Peace!

Sophmore release from Atlanta's lyrical acrobatic and character Ludacris with Word Of Wouf. As the introduction "Coming 2 America" delivers a royal platform for the album which becomes apparent in the third verse with his rapid fire delivery. Demanding privacy on "Rollout (My Business)" should be respected over the Timbaland produced track. The song is filled with questions asked by enquiring minds as he answers with rapid fire responses. "Go 2 Sleep" featuring I-20, Lil Fate & Three 6 Mafia has a hard street edge as the chant of the title driven by the violin sequence over the drum kick. Catching the white lies of women on "She Said" featuring Lil Fate could also be used during a stripper's performance. The comedic interlude "Howhere (Skit)" is perfectly placed before "Area Codes" featuring Nate Dogg. Aside from the graphic contents of the song it has a mainstream and dance swing arranged by producer Jazze Pha. Taking it back to adolescence and the struggles of growing up on "Growing Pains" featuring Lil Fate & Keon Bryce the duo reflect over past fads. "Move B***h" featuring Mystikal & I-20 is a highlight of the album capturing the concept of the LP's goals. Quite the crowd mover "Saturday (Oooh! Ooooh!)" featuring Sleepy Brown has the formula of good instrumentation/production by Organized Noize and the usual antics of Luda performed with style. Taking both gospel and soul twist with keeping secret of sexual escapades on "Keep It On The Hush" featuring Jazze Pha. "Word Of Mouf (Freestyle)" featuring 4-Ize has a lot of punchlines over beatbox instruments highlighting on surprising metaphors and punchlines. Ludacris collaborated with crew members from Disturbing Tha Peace on "Get The F*** Back" featuring Shawnna, I-20 & Lil Fate as they flow back to back sharing verses. "Freaky Thangs" featuring Twista & Jagged Edge is just as the title suggests over instruments of the Middle East for a perfect one-two combination. Closing with "Block Lockdown" featuring I-20 "...I'm a dentist making women open their mouth wide..." explains the takeover of this genre. As a majority of the LP is produced by Shondrae with five the other tracks added to complete a wide array of feelings, styles and sounds. Word Of Mouf was perfectly named for this album as Ludacris talked the talk!

Ludacris, one of my favorite rappers, solidified his star status by releasing a sophomore album filled to the brim with hook laden singles, dope beats and catchy rhymes. The first of the onslaught of singles produced by this album was `Roll Out', a song that still makes me turn up the stereo. But Luda didn't stop there. He hit us again and again with tracks like the infectious `Saturday Night' and Rush Hour jam `Area Codes' featuring the great Nate Dogg. Luda hits every right chord with the power anthem (or fight song as they are reffered to at times) `Move B****', a song you can't help but sing along with, but he drives all this home with the slow jam `Freaky Thangs' featuring Jagged Edge and the brilliant Twista!

Other than the great songs Luda also supplies us with some hilarious skits, my personal favorite being `Greatest Hits'. I'm white and I died laughing. It reminds me of a Chappelle Show skit. `Howhere' is great too, but nothing beats Ludacris hits sung by random white people, nothing!

Standout Tracks: COMING TO AMERICA, GO TO SLEEP, CRY BABIES,GROWING PAINS, MOVE B---H, SATURDAY, FREAKY THANGS, COLD OUTSIDE, BLOCK LOCKDOWN, WELCOME TO ATLANTA(Luda's verse made it worthwhile). Filler: She said is the dumbest song on this album plus the beat sounds like retarded ice cream truck music, Keep it on the hush is a dull girlie record, Get the f--k back is a street anthem wannabe and Area codes was filler on the Rush Hour 2 soundtrack and its filler now. Bottom line: Ludacris made an album that was 1,000x better than Back for the first time. His trademark goofiness doesnt bring down this album and his skits are funny(especially the one with random white people singing his songs). This is how you prove that your a great rapper. By making a great album. Now If he could make more albums like Word of Mouf and less albums like Back for the first time, Chicken&Beer and The Red Light District he would be worthy of respect and would rightfully be placed in the same category as the greats in this game.

I have stood by Luda for sometime now. Even though all my friends hate rap (including me because I hate most rap because its cookie cutter) I latched onto Ludacris. And the reason was because of this album. He is funny enough to be interesting and street enough so he isnt Will Smith.

What I like about him also is he doesnt talk street language. Like T.I. or 50 Cent or Lloyd Banks they all speak a mumbled ebonics lesson to you throughout a song.

The album is strong with songs like "Rollout" "Saturday" "Area Codes" "Get the F*** Back" "Move B***h". I even love the song Word of Mouth (Freestyle) because it shows how creative he can be.

If your going to pick up anything from Luda, grab this one. Its his best to come!

After releasing his multiplatinum debut, "Back for the First Time", Ludacris didn't wait long at all to return with his sophomore effort. With his new single at the time, "Rollout (My Business" getting major airplay, Luda is out to dominate the billboard chart once again with "Word of Mouf."

1. Coming 2 America - 4/5

2. Rollout (My Business) - 4.5/5

3. Go 2 Sleep (Featuring I-20, Lil' Fate & Three 6 Mafia) - 4/5

4. Cry Babies (Oh No) - 4/5

5. She Said (Featuring Lil' Fate) - 3.5/5

6. Howhere (Skit) - No Rating

7. Area Codes (Featuring Nate Dogg) - 4/5

8. Growing Pains (Featuring Lil' Fate & Keon Bryce) - 5/5

9. Greatest Hits (Skit) - No Rating

10. Move B**** (Featuring Mystikal & I-20) - 4.5/5

11. Stop Lying (Skit) - No Rating

12. Saturday (Oooh Oooh!) (Featuring Sleepy Brown) - 3.5/5

13. Keep It on the Hush (Featuring Jazze Pha) - 4/5

14. Word of Mouf (Freestyle) (Featuring 4-Ize) - 4/5

15. Get the F*** Back (Featuring Shawnna, I-20 & Lil' Fate) - 4.5/5

16. Freaky Thangs (Featuring Twista & Jagged Edge) - 4/5

17. Cold Outside - 4/5

18. Block Lockdown [Bonus Track] (Featuring I-20) - 4/5

After track....Welcome to Atlanta (Featuring Jermaine Dupri) - 4.5/5

Overall:

66/80

4 Stars

Once again Ludacris's lyrics and voice grab your attention, but some of the production and hooks just don't live up to the hype. Hooks are the main problem with this album, very few songs have catchy hooks. But besides that, this album is lyrically fire.

this product came very late. it was supposed to come by February 27, which was already a very late date for it to be received. Then i did not recieve it until March 6. I contacted the company and they told me that they were not even able to track it. i would never order anything from this company again. it came from the UK.

Bought this CD because I saw the video to the song "Thousand Kisses", it has to be the most beautiful song that he has ever written & the fact that Jade sings this with him, wow. I like most of the songs on this CD though some of his earlier music leaves something to be desired. His music has gotten better with age.

I ordered this CD to use with Quantum Learning. It is good because the language is acceptable for most students.

One of the most successful and, more importantly, lyrically respectable rappers, the multi-faceted career of Will Smith should understandably make a lot of other rappers jealous. As the "Fresh Prince" half of DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, he rapped his way to one of the definitive summer anthems in history, the aptly-titled "Summertime". Unfortunately, like many other rappers, both talented and not-so-talented, he has a fairly intense craving for samples, and to that end, he uses too many great songs that were just fine as they were, and makes no effort at all to hide that fact. On "Men In Black" which borrows from the classic Patrice Rushen hit "Forget Me Nots", he even has Cheryl "Coko" Gamble of SWV singing to the tune of it in a very Rushen-esque voice. As I said before, though, I do have high regard for his rapping ability.

This is an album that I wake up to every day now! Fantastic!!!

Everyone knows his hits and his distinctive "flo", but aside from his big hits this cd falls sort of flat. Not my favorite

I thought I would like this CD but the on;y good song on it is Low which its lyrics don't even make sense to me. It would be good if you liked the genre though from which I do not.

Overall, I like this album a lot. Like most albums, there were a few songs that made me cringe, and laugh a little, but for the most part, this is a good album. I like the fact that the first track features Lil Wayne (One of the Greatest Southern Hip Hop Artists of the day, in my opinion). Actually, there were a lot of great collaborations on this album. Sean Kingston, Will.I.am, Timbaland, Birdman etc... But if you don't like it, you can always resell it!!

It has a real great beat to it and you can still understand the lyrics.

Flo-Rida took the world by storm with his TPain assisted single LOW which produced a many ringtone and single downloads. While that song is undoubtedly on everyone's nerves it was still a pretty good song until it got absolutely played out. I like many others cannot stand that song anymore. It's completely played out. Sorta like those Nelly songs some years back....Speaking of Nelly, LOW sounds like a song he should have done because it seems like Flo-Rida has gotten some of his thunder. None of Nelly's five singles have seemed to pop off ever since LOW came out despite them having similar styles, looks, and voice and Nelly's obvious star power. The chorus even has "apple bottom jeans" and Nelly attempted to be on the remix which wasn't as engaging as the original song.

Okay anyway back to the album. Mail On Sunday is a decent release and Flo-Rida is a decent rapper. He's not horrible on the mic but he's not good either and doesn't say anything to make me think he's amazing. He's not very memorable how about that? I guess you could say it lacks personality. His flow is pretty good and production above average. He has some songs that are riding such as American Superstar, Elevator, Roll, Ms Hangover, Still Missin, Don't Know How To Act, Freaky Deaky.

Mail on Sunday is underwhelming. Flo-Rida technically can rap but he isn't as engaging as some of the other new rappers coming out. He doesn't make you want to listen to him. Overall it's a decent release but I doubt his popularity will increase in the future.

Midnight Marauders is the true definition of a hip hop classic. I do not understand why this album did not get 5 mics in The Source. Yes, People's Instinctive Travels and The Low End Theory were masterpieces, but so was Midnight Marauders. First of all, "Award Tour", which in my opinion is their best single, is on here. This album is bangin' from "Steve Biko (Stir It Up)" through "God Lives Through". There is absolutely no filler on this album. 1993 was Hip Hop's golden year, and this, along with "Enter The Wu-Tang", were the best albums to come out that year. If you don't have this album, you're sleeping on a CLASSIC.

Ashamed to say it but this is the first time I've ever listened to ATCQ. My honest reaction is what was I thinking?... If you have a passion for real hip hop that's original buy this album. The beats are laid back and the rhyming is on point.

What group in history can claim to put out 3 straight 5 star classics? Tribe called quest. Midnight was yet another great album from arguably one of the best groups in Hip Hop History. I wish many kids today could live in in the early 90's because this was the golden age of HIP HOP. This album was one of many that was golden.

Classic! In this case we loot for ears... Uh? Do you really need to read a review about any TCQ album. If you don't know by now,...you'll never know. I bought this to replace the cassette tape version I used to rock back in the day when I was a teenager.

One of the best hip hop albums of ALL TIME. Smooth beats and catchy yet clever rhymes.

I will be the first to admit that I am a huge Dante Smith (Mos Def) fan. His music is incredible and his lyrics are always well thought out and mind numbing. His third solo album is somewhat different than his previous ventures although, but in a good way!

Mos Def's 1999 debut, "Black on Both Sides" was a staple in the the hip-hop community. It was the prime example of what hip-hop was and is a wonderful album all together. His second solo album, "The New Danger" is very different from his debut. The second album incorporated rock music from Mos Def's house band Black Jack Johnson. Many considered it as a concept album of sorts. I felt that it was just Mos Def evolving and creating "music".

That is exactly what Mr. Mos Def has done here on "True Magic". Mos Def has returned a bit more to his hip-hop roots on this album when compared to "The New Danger", although it also is a very different album. I see this album as Mos Def maturing musically. His tastes have changed as well as his performance and delivery. Whenever someone criticizes any of his albums claiming "it's no Black on Both Sides" it almost disgusts me, because it truly shows that they can't appreciate Mos Def for what he is and does. This album is perfect example of Mos Def changing his tune and creating real "music". I honestly would now consider him an artist more than ever. Not just an Emcee anymore, Mos Def uses hip-hop to create his own universe and world of music which I for one find mesmerizing.

Although production is not quite at its finest here, the style more than makes up for it. Mos Def brings many meaningful lyrics and well thought out ideas for songs. But as always, he brings his unique flow and rocks the microphone! Long live Black Dante! Be sure to pick up his fourth solo effort entitled "The Ecstatic" due out June 9th, 2009. Definitely give this a shot, I don't think that you will be disappointed, and hopefully many of you will respect and view Mos Def in a new light as I have!

I always think that my favorite rappers are going to amaze everytime I buy their latest cd. Although I did like True Magic. I didn't think it was anything special. It seemed homemade. The beats were average loopdy Loops. One thing I will say is that Mos Def came correct with the lyrics, as usual. So, buy it for Mos but don't expect any ground breaking material.

A few great songs but not enough to give it any higher than 3 stars. Wish that he would make his music a priory and put together a solid record with more than two or three keepers.

Not his best work but close to it. True Magic is worth buying every track.

i like this cd, what can i say, it's mos def. favorite tracks are dollar day and there is a way. i think they're now selling it with a cd cover, but i have it with just the cd in the clear plastic case.

Say, man...I was never a huge fan of Paul...nothin against him, but his other albums just weren't my style. But HOOOLD UP!!!! Man, this album "Fast Life" is some seriously jammin sh**!!!! The production is OFF THE HOOK!!!!! Everytrack (except Lemon drop, which is the only dud) is fkkin FIE!!!! Just really well done. And Paul, while not being the most introspective, MC's like a pro. Who gives a fck if dude mostly raps bout Blazin, Ridin, & fkkin??? That's what we all do so we can all relate!! Numtumbot!! Rap is supposed to be fun sometimes, and this whole album does that. Great record, i'm def feelin it, 110%

I was pleasantly surprised w/ "Fast Life" by Paul Wall. I think Paul is evolving as an artist, UNLIKE most rap/hip-hop artists these days...

I'd say I REALLY liked 8 of the tracks... the rest are the either not my flavor or still have to grow on me, but I'm overall impressed w/ Paul Wall's effort on this one.

I'd say it's a worthy buy, no doubt. Too bad there's only 13 tracks on the CD though.

BEST TRACKS (IMO): I Need Mo', Got To Get It, Fly, Daddy Wasn't Home, One Hundred, I'm Clean, Sumn' Like A Pimp & Look At Me Now.

This is Paul Wall's best CD. I'm from Houston and love that style. If you like this style too then this is going to be a classic. Many guest appearences and the original michael 5000 watts representin' that swisha house up in the mix. Paul got some new sick ryhmes as well so don't think it's all the same stuff. What it do!

This cd has some dope beats that help Paul Wall's somewhat weak rhyming skills. He does good enough to keep you listening. If your a fan this is his best cd yet. If your not listen to the samples and you be the judge.

It'd get 4 stars but for the Tech N9ne feature alone this gets 5 stars, Definitely worth gettin! people sleepin on this too much it sold even less than Mike Jones come on Texas. But anyways if Texas stuff aint your cup of tea check out Meth & Red and Eminem's new releases for sure.