All in all, there are a few bright spots in all this that I thought was a milestone but those are few and far between. I thought it was nice to hear the transition of Bow Wow to more mature themes (he actually swears on this album--no censors) but is it just me, or is Bow sounding eerily similar to Lil’ Wayne? You can clearly tell that Bow is modeling his style after Wayne but Bow’s swagger allows him to pull it off slightly. It’s still not quite believable but I’d listen to Bow over most of these rappers out now so I guess I’ll have to give credit where credit is due. The only complaint is that if you’re going to be like Wayne then…step YOUR rap game up! Lines like, “maybe we can kick it like a soccer player” are laughable and, besides…it’s been said before so next time around…be a little more original.
As for Omarion, not much can be said about his contributions because he mostly just played the background. I felt that he never really got the time to shine on his own collaborative album, which is kind of strange, but that just goes to show how uneven this album really is. Other than the great production and save for a couple of stand out tracks, the album is a disappointment and makes me glad that I didn’t waste money on this forgettable piece of work.
80’s soul music is a thing of the past but what was once old is now new. Enter The Dream. Famously known for penning such hits as “Bed” for J. Holiday and “Umbrella” for Rihanna, The Dream steps to the plate with his solo debut and delivers an ultrasonic album reminiscent of Prince and the Revolution. Heavily inspired, the album indeed carries the vibe of a Prince record but to compare The Dream to Prince would be a little premature, if not naïve. All that aside, The Dream is supremely talented in what he does as a singer/songwriter and if his first album is a sign of things to come, then his career is looking brighter by the minute.
Getting things started is the catchy, lead single “Shawty Is The Sh**” featuring Fabolous but the album has quite a few noticeable cuts. Personally, I found the follow up single “Falsetto” to be a stand out among them all but joints like “Fast Car”, “I Luv Your Girl”, and “Nikki” are equally good as well. I guess the thing I like most about Dream is that he doesn’t follow the typical pattern of what a song is supposed to be. As an R&B artist, love songs are a prevalent theme but Dream’s approach to that is unlike any other artist of his time. Therefore, I respect the fact that he’s different and his uniqueness breathes life into an, otherwise, stale state of music.
Without question, music is holding on for dear life at the moment but with artist’s like Dream I think things will be ok. I’m not sure if it’s a lack of creativity or what but on one side you have people like Dream and on the other you have those like Soulja Boy. Music is definitely in need of something fresh and with “Love/Hate”, The Dream helps bridge that gap...just a little.
Maybe it’s just me but I don’t fuck with too many people, plain and simple. I have a small circle of people I consider “close” friends so everybody else outside that is more like an acquaintance, if you will. Now, as far as I’m concerned, I could care less about people who fall into that group but the thing that kills me is that some people actually take offense when you see each other and don’t speak. Call it whatever you wanna call it but it is what it is. I have no reason to justify my actions but if you want me to be blunt about it then so be it. Maybe…I don’t like you. For what reason? Go figure, but all that shit is elementary to begin with so, like I said, keep it moving. I think Jay-Z said it best, “males shouldn’t be jealous, that’s a female’s trait”…I’m not saying that I have anything, of note, for someone to be jealous of but I’m sure you get what I’m trying to say in a roundabout way.
Basically, I’m tired of people throwing dirt on my name over something that happened earlier this year. All of that is in the past and all parties involved are on to bigger and better, at least I hope. Am I wrong for wanting things to have never happened the way they did? Of course not and I regret a lot of bad decisions I made on my part but what’s done is done so what other choice do I have then to live with it? I was fully aware of the situation so for somebody to put their little two cents into all of this…I feel like none of that is needed nor wanted. Therefore, I suggest for future reference to keep any and all opinions to yourself because none of that shit matters to me, ya dig? On that note, I apologize to those who take offense but, again, like Jay-Z said, “...What you eat, don’t make me shit”
I’m not complaining but Deelishis is enjoying her little 15 minutes of fame, isn’t she? I never watched Flavor of Love and I absolutely refuse to but that’s besides the point, Deelishis is enjoying the “fruits of her labor” and soaking up every bit of the limelight. It’s no secret why people love her either and when it’s all said and done she’ll be forgotten for the next pretty face but until that time comes, I’m guessing she’s focused on leaving us wanting more. She’s damn near graced every men’s magazine possible and her latest photo shoot was for Smooth magazine. Overall, the pics came out kind of hot but once you’ve seen one Deelishis picture, you’ve pretty much seen ’em all. Anyway, click on the link if you want to see the rest but in related news, word on the street is that Ms. New York may be pregnant. Not necessarily from one of the guy’s from her show but it’s just a rumor so take it or leave it. When/if I find out more, I’ll blog about it but until then I’m out.
For more of the Smooth magazine spread featuring Deelishis, click here.
“The Roc is in the building!” Remember the glory days of Roc-a-Fella and how every release just had that feel to it? I’m not saying that it’s not there anymore because Kanye’s "Graduation", Jay’s "American Gangster" and, recently, Freeway’s "Free At Last" still have that knock to it but the latest release from Beanie Sigel is one of the biggest missteps in the line of releases from the ROC. Point. Blank. Period.
I pretty much think I’m one of the select few that actually enjoyed his first single off the new album that features R. Kelly but after hearing other joints like “Go Low”, “Gutted” and “What They Gon’ Say To Me”, I figured the album had the potential to be great if not classic. Needless to say, the album is far away from great and the biggest complaint I have, personally, is that Beanie Sigel seems to have forced everything. Lyrically, Beans is a monster when it comes to this “rap shit” as he would put it but he failed to deliver this time around and it’s nothing more than a huge disappointment.
Maybe I’m reading too much into things but it is what it is, you know? I expected The Solution to re-establish Beanie Sigel among the elite MC’s in the game but the way things are looking…I expect that when it’s all said and done, Beanie Sigel will be lumped into the same mold as Jadakiss. You know, rappers who are extremely talented but suffer from bad creative control and poor album sales. I never expect to hear any of the two to have a number one hit anymore and I doubt it will happen anytime soon but I could be wrong. Shout out to Jada for being down with the Roc though. Again, I doubt his stock will rise now that he’s with a winning team but maybe this is exactly what he needed to jumpstart his promising career.
Getting back to The Solution, however, I enjoyed the production mostly and here and there Beans came through with that “her-oin flow” of his. Overall, the album is solid though but caters to hardcore fans mainly. I respect him for taking things in a new direction and all with some of his song selections but most of the time I found myself scratching my head. I’ve never been good at math and I’m not sure if Beans is or not but my suggestion is that next go ‘round, he should check his work because he comes to a solution that leaves a lot of things unanswered.
I’m not much of a fan of Ghostface Killah but to say that he is one of the most complex rappers alive would be an understatement. I’ll admit, I was lost on his previous album Fishscale and I swore I would never subject myself to another one of his albums but his latest release, The Big Doe Rehab, had me intrigued. With little to no promotion behind it, I had heard from various websites of how good it was and to my surprise…I wasn’t disappointed. I mean, the album was really that good. It’s rare that an album these days has fluidity throughout and while Ghostface still managed to confuse the hell out of me, I found the album to be enjoyable from start to finish. The sad part about it though is that most people will never know that because the album will probably only be well-received by loyal fans of Ghost. All that aside though, the production was nice and it was good to hear members of the Wu-Tang vibing together once again…setting up perfectly for their new album 8 Diagrams dropping this Tuesday. And they say Hip-Hop is dead…
