Tag: album reviews

The True Story album from 2001 that was released on Power Records and U BE U Records which was distributed by ADA (WMG). Mack Tha Jacka – The True Story album charted #21 & #28 on the Top #100 Billboard Charts back in 2001.

Mack Tha Jacka was the first solo rap artist from Saginaw, Michigan to have an album chart on the BillBoard! Mack Tha Jacka did an across the country all over the United States and Canada for promotion and to gain support for The True Story album. Most of this album was recorded at U BE U Studios and Smooth Side Records in Saginaw as most of Mack Tha Jacka’s albums are. Leroy McMath, Pleasure Sparks, Gee Pierce lent a hand in production for this chart topping album!

Local artists whom were featured and made contributions towards this album were Bone Skanless of Skanless Family & Skanbino Mob (R.I.P.), Chicago/Saginaw/Flint rap group Ill Street, Saginaw’s Madame Dane, Daddy Madd (Napalm), Family Deep, Atlantic Starr, Dirty Jerk, Swift D, Pimpin’ P, and The Dayton Family’s own Bootlegg from Flint!

Mack Tha Jack’a is a reprise of the same song from Mack Tha Jacka’s self-titled debut album/EP from 1993. Mack Tha Jacka tells us where he’s been on this track. He tells us he has been on tour all across the country for promoting The True Story album. He’s no longer a thug from around the way despite being a gangsta rapper.

Dreaming is an interpolation of Am I Dreaming by Atlantic Starr. Dreaming by Mack Tha Jacka is basically a cover version of Am I Dreaming by Atlantic Starr. A real soul based slow jam. A great tune to play during the nighttime. It was a great song.

It’s Stevie Mack dressed in black carrying a semi-automatic gun weapon down the block. It could be down your block he’s walking to on Here Comes The Mack. Mack Tha Jack is taking no shorts and losses on Here Comes The Mack as he spits game from the old school to the new school. He wants it all as he’s in it to win it. Remember. Just watch yo back! The Dayton Family’s own Bootlegg from Flint makes an appearance on this ghetto ass track.

My Life Is A Battlefield is about trials and tribulation in the gangster lifestyle of Mack Tha Jacka. From the time he was a kid into the timeframe he was sentenced to bootcamp all the way towards 2001. Growing up in the ghetto is tough when you’re living the gangster lifestyle. Always worrying about whether or not you make it to the next day. Getting chased by police.

Watch yo back! Because Stevie Mack is dressed in all black carrying a semi-automatic weapon down the block on Watch Yo Back. He’s warning all busters, snitches, and bitches to watch out for themeselves. Sucker MC’s better watch their back. Haters too. Remember. Just watch yo back!

Bone Skanless and Swift D keep it real brehsive on I Keeps It Real with Skanless Family and Skanbino Mob. Keepin’ it real is something Mack Tha Jacka, Skanless Family, and Skanbino Mob know how to do. We get the privilege to hear Daddy Madd (Napalm) on Fuck’Em All! That’s a factor of what makes this album so great. Fuck’Em All is one bomb ass track!

Mack Tha Jacka is doing the right thing by having all those guest artists on this album.I know having a lot of guests artists on nearly all the tracks for one album usually annoys fans and listeners, but this an album you do not want a chance to miss out on or skip similar to the Lil Cease – The Wonderful World of Cease album from 1999! This whole entire album had the right perfect sound. Mack Tha Jacka – The True Story is the right way of having so many guest artists features, appearances, and contributions.

I rate this album 5/5*****!

Geno V released a Latin music infused rap album on Grapetree Records during its prime years of operation. He worked very hard with Knolly Williams to get this album released. Many people contributed to the recording of this album. Producers, vocalists, percussion ensemble, you name it. Take Me To Tha Homies was an album that was nominated for a Dove Award in 1997. Despite receiving a Dove Award, the album quickly lost the publics focus. The tracks are firme and tight.

In the introduction of Take Me To Tha Homies we are live on a radio station broadcasting airwaves. Now Take Me To Tha Homies turns into an oldies song with a catchy doo-wop chorus. A Latin oldies song. It’s his #1 hit song of all time.

Este Vato copies the percussion ensemble kit of Santana – Oye Como Va. The Latin samba comes complete with the percussion sample. The percussion ensemble is played in a virtuoso manner as the song quickly turns into a Latin dance melody. Geno V uses a twist of linguistics in word from the Spanish language. He uses both English and Spanish languages. (Este Vato is “That Friend” in Spanish.)

Geno V dedicated Madre Mia to his mother. He speaks the entire track in Spanish. An eclectic selection of drums are chosen for the percussion ensemble. The percussion ensemble for Madre Mia is much lighter than Este Vato as Madre Mia is a much darker song. Geno V sheds light on the controversial subject of child abuse. (Madre Mia is my mother in Spanish.)

Chisme quickly turns into an upbeat Latin samba dance melody of happiness. The beats are loco! The entire chorus sings in Spanish as Geno V raps in Spanish. Maracas and bongos are added to spice of Spanish flavor in this song. Such bongos are appropriate to match the upbeat tempo of the percussion as Chisme is a heavy percussion song.

Geno V rambles on about the craziness in his crazy lifestyle on Mi Vida Loca. The timpani drum in the background matches the beat of Michel’le – No More Lies. Mi Vida Loca is an acoustic guitar ridden song driven by an earthly percussion ensemble.

Geno V gets deeply religious on Who’s Got My Back? He raps about how Jesus has back. Jesus has guided Geno V through the rapture where he saw the light. That light was a wake up call because he lived a crazy lifestyle. He had an epiphany.

I rate this album 5/5*****!!

Breaking Atoms was a jazz rap classic masterpiece of an album. Main Source grouped together and made this awesome album called Breaking Atoms that was in 1991. This album is where Jazz meets Hip Hop/Rap. Both Jazz rap and Jazz hop are stylistically incorporated on this album as Breaking Atoms was recorded during the golden age of hip hop. Its heavy original use of sampling and production made the album an instant classic underground. The album was high favored by music critics as being deemed as a classic album in hip hop. Breaking Atoms is both Canadian Hip Hop and Canadian Rap at its finest.

Main Source was a Hip Hop/Rap group from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and New York City, New York, US. Main Source was just like Dream Warriors for example. Dream Warriors was another Canadian Hip Hop/Rap group similar to Main Source. Think Canadian-American Hip Hop/Rap when listing to this album.

Looking at the Front Door was hit single that received minor success with radio play across the United States and Canada. The song hit #48 on the Billboard Charts. Main Source was smart for using a funk sample accompany a jazz instrumental. Funk and jazz blend in well with each other. We can that they had fun with this track because it gets funky right away!

Watch Roger Do His Thing was another moderate success that received airplay on the radio and was played on television. Watch Roger Do His Thing has a funky jazz sound that meets hip hop. Large Pro produced this cut.

This is the best Jazz rap album ever! This is a must have album for ALL Hip Hop heads and Rap junkies! As well as you vinyl junkies out there.

I rate this album 5/5*****!!

Lez Moné tells us how she runs her own and handles her business on Take Care Ya Bizness. The whole track is about how the pimpstress takes care of business every day. Lez Moné tells us to take care of our own business and mind our own business on Take Care Ya Bizness. This track strictly aimed at the nosy people up in everyones business. Take Care Ya Bizness proved to be a hit in the Houston music scene for Lez Moné. The beats and lyrics were so dope! Funky G shit straight from H-Town.

The remix for Take Care Ya Bizness is a Houston style Jackin’ 4 Beats. Samples used on Take Care Ya Bizness (Remix) are as follows, Atomic Dog by George Clinton, Bop Gun (Endangered Species) by Parliament, More Bounce To The Ounce by Zapp, Freedom by Zapp, Flash Light by Parliament, Sing a Simple Song by Sly & the Family Stone, Trans-Europe Express by Kraftwerk, and It’s Yours by T La Rock.

Lez Moné takes a pro-black stance on Too Black Too Strong. She experiments with political rap by using a fusion of gangsta rap to the mix. Consistently makes her presence known. Too Black Too Strong is the political rap cut of the album. Yes, Too Black Too Strong has samples from Footsteps in the Dark by The Isley Brothers. Dig the Ice Cube – It Was A Good Day sample out too!

The stellar production was mixed by Richard Johnson, Grizz, and legendary Houston producer Crazy C. Corey “Funky Fingaz” Stoot performs on tracks 1 to 4. Production by and from Grizz and legendary Houston producer Crazy C stand out the most as their production styles and technique are most memorable. Crazy C production truly stands out. Most of the production has a West Coast sound.

Lez Moné was very similar to the raw uncut raunchiness of The Conscious Daughters, Lady of Rage, MC Lyte, Bloody Mary, Yo Yo, Lil Mo, and so on. If you love The Conscious Daughters, Lady of Rage, or Yo Yo, then you will love this album! Lez Moné was from the second wave of Houston rap. She was one of the first female rappers from Houston next to Choice, Cl’Che, 380, and others. Lez Mone is a really good rapper!

When being a gangsta rapper did not work out or pan out the way she wanted, Lez Moné went on to become a top realtor of Houston. Today Leslie Hall is one of Houston’s top realtors thus earning the moniker “Houston Top Realtor”.

I rate this album 5/5*!!

Lez Moné tells us how she runs her own and handles her business on Take Care Ya Bizness. The whole track is about how the pimpstress takes care of business every day. Lez Moné tells us to take care of our own business and mind our own business on Take Care Ya Bizness. This track strictly aimed at the nosy people up in everyones business. Take Care Ya Bizness proved to be a hit in the Houston music scene for Lez Moné. The beats and lyrics were so dope! Funky G shit straight from H-Town.

I Flows On is a Lez Moné posse cut involving herself and other including the smooth Harvey Love, rapper 2-Fancy, 350, and 88 Fingers. The smooth Harvey Love stands out the most on this Lez Moné posse cut. And so does 350 and rapper 2-Fancy.

Lez Moné is straight talking shit on the phat title track Talkin’ Sht. Lez Moné lets it be known she likes it rough. She is busting at the hood rats. She takes us on a nice and slow Gulf Coast journey on Talkin’ Sht. The beats and lyrics were so dope. Talkin’ Sh*t is more West Coast sounding and oriented than fans of both southern rap and Houston rap would think. Funky G shit straight from H-Town.

Lez Moné has a good voice with an incredible flow on Sprung. Sprung is influenced by that West Coast sound. Most of Sprung is about that baby mama drama. The beats were so dope.

Lez Moné takes a pro-black stance on Too Black Too Strong. She experiments with political rap by using a fusion of gangsta rap to the mix. Too Black Too Strong is the political rap cut of the album. Yes, Too Black Too Strong has samples from Footsteps in the Dark by The Isley Brothers. Dig the Ice Cube – It Was A Good Day sample out too!

The beats are simply bangin’ on 3 Hidden Chambas. Also dig the Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sample from Julie Andrews and Dick Van Dyke. The Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious sample was dope. Harvey Love and J Reale were all over the 3 Hidden Chambas track.

The remix for Take Care Ya Bizness is a Houston style Jackin’ 4 Beats. Samples used on Take Care Ya Bizness (Remix) are as follows, Atomic Dog by George Clinton, Bop Gun (Endangered Species) by Parliament, More Bounce To The Ounce by Zapp, Freedom by Zapp, Flash Light by Parliament, Sing a Simple Song by Sly & the Family Stone, Trans-Europe Express by Kraftwerk, and It’s Yours by T La Rock.

The stellar production was mixed by Richard Johnson, Grizz, and legendary Houston producer Crazy C. Corey “Funky Fingaz” Stoot performs on tracks 1 to 4. Production by and from Grizz and legendary Houston producer Crazy C stand out the most as their production styles and technique are most memorable. Crazy C production truly stands out. Most of the production has a West Coast sound.

Since Lez Moné – Talkin’ Sht was released in 1994 by Beatbox Records, the album got lost in the market with other albums. Lez Moné – Talkin’ Sht is one the many forgotten rap albums from the G-Funk era that unfortunately got very overlooked. Talkin’ Sht has everything you would want or expect from a gangsta rap album. From tight beats, urban ghetto sound, whiney eerie sines, uncouth temper, to raw uncut uncouth lyrics, and dope samples. There are no throwaway songs. West Coast rap meets southern rap on Talkin’ Sht.

Artists that stood out on this album were Harvey Love, 2-Fancy, 350, 88 Fingers, J Reale, and 380. J Reale from B 4 Reel and Harvey Love from Woss Ness were all over the Lez Moné album. Harvey Love took over mostly. J Reale handled the spoken word portions.

Lez Moné was very similar to the raw uncut raunchiness of The Conscious Daughters, Lady of Rage, MC Lyte, Bloody Mary, Yo Yo, Lil Mo, and so on. If you love The Conscious Daughters, Lady of Rage, or Yo Yo, then you will love this album! Lez Moné was from the second wave of Houston rap. She was one of the first female rappers from Houston next to Choice, Cl’Che, 380, and others. Lez Mone is a really good rapper!

When being a gangsta rapper did not work out or pan out the way she wanted, Lez Moné went on to become a top realtor of Houston. Today Leslie Hall is one of Houston’s top realtors thus earning the moniker “Houston Top Realtor”.

I rate this album 5/5*****!!

Choppa’s Choppa Style album was very underrated for its day in spite of having a hot buzz single called Choppa Style. Most of these songs are booty shakin’ music perfect for the club. Add the mixture of bounce music with Southern rap and the result is this Choppa album. 2002 was a good year for New Orleans music.

Many non-New Orleanians tend to believe Choppa is referring to firearms and motor vehicles. Choppa is actually referencing how women love his charm and style. That is what the song Choppa Style is about.

The song Choppa Style was already a breakout smash hit and big song in the street of New Orleans, Louisiana and the South before Master P signed Choppa to No Limit Records. The song was originally released in 2002 on his debut album of the same name. The song was #1 for 3 months.

This version of Choppa Style is not the same version as the No Limit version. This is the Take Fo Records version of Choppa Style without Master P.

The song Choppa Style saw a revival in popularity in 2018 when it was chosen by the New Orleans Saints football team to become the anthem for the team. This song was played for the team made at the Super Bowl during a Super Bowl run before losing in the NFC Championship. The city of New Orleans adopted this song as well.

Now he don’t mean to sound rude or intentionally hurt anyone. Choppa wants an independent woman working. He wants a slim, fine woman with some twerk with her. He wants a big fine woman with some pop in her. And all my independent women, ya heard me?

You’re the One was a rap love song that was produced by DJ Jubilee. The subject matter was similar to One Mo’ Chance and Love Me Like You Did.

That Bounce S**T serves as an ode and tribute to New Orleans bounce music. New Orleans was huge on the bounce music tip at the time this song was released. Heck even Cash Money and Mobo Records released bounce music at one point.

I rate this album 4/5****!

The Life Of Pablo album by Kanye West has been given the popular abbreviation TLOP by Kanye West fans and Kanye West stans. This had made The Life Of Pablo album rise in terms of popularity. TLOP is the most discussed Kayne West album of 2016 by music critics, journalists, and fans alike. It’s scattered nature gave the album positive reviews due to the musical content of the album.

The album cover artwork of The Life Of Pablo by Kanye West seems to have been slapped up in MS Paint. Is the new standard to have album covers created in MS Paint now? Is this the new standard? Kanye must have copied the idea from Frank Ocean – Channel Orange album. Kanye is trying to be like Frank Ocean and Future on TLOP.

TLOP was produced by a handful of producers such as Rick Rubin, Noah Goldstein, Frank Dukes, Havoc, Madlib, Plain Pat, Caroline Shaw, Swizz Beatz, and many more. TLOP was recorded in recording studios in various locations and not onto one property as SOME of Kanye’s other album were in the past. To sum it all up… Kayne used various locations to record the TLOP album.

As for the musical content of the album, Wolves, Only One, and All Day were great choices for singles due to the songwriting and productions skills. No one can write and produce like Kanye West can. Kanye West has a signature production style prevalent on his albums. Kanye blends in Electronic sounds into hip hop music thus somehow turning music into pop. This production style makes his albums go platinum Just listen to his previous albums such as College Dropout, Graduation, Yeezus, Late Orchestration, 808s & Heartbreak, and Lat Registration just to name a few.

Wolves is a great song, but can get redundant and annoying real quick due to the usage of autotune. Autotune is played out. The bridge is heavily auto-tuned. Yet somehow Wolves has that melodic feel. The “Bluesy” chorus is performed by Vic Mensa. Sia lends a hand in songwriting with Vic Mensa and Frank Ocean. Mix the genres of Blues, Hip Hop/Rap, and Pop and the result is the song called Wolves. Yet somehow Wolves feels melodic.

Kanye West catches the fade on the track Fade. Note the fade in and fade out features used. Fade is played out. The autotune is played out. People and fans should know that by now. In fact, Fade is similar to Facts by Kanye West. Fade and Facts have similarities in terms of sound.

I Love Kanye is an interlude about self-awareness and Christianity. Kanye takes it to the gospel on this one. Kanye really showcases off his gospel roots on I Love Kanye.

TLOP is the most discussed Kayne West album of 2016 by music critics, journalists, and fans alike which has made The Life Of Pablo album rise in terms of popularity. TLOP’s scattered nature gave the album positive reviews due to the musical content of the album. Despite that, the overhype by news media and overuse of autotune make TLOP the most unbrehsive shit ever heard.

I rate this album Ø/5.

Geno V released a Latin music infused rap album on Grapetree Records during its prime years of operation. He worked very hard with Knolly Williams to get this album released. Many people contributed to the recording of this album. Producers, vocalists, percussion ensemble, you name it. Take Me To Tha Homies was an album that was nominated for a Dove Award in 1997. Despite receiving a Dove Award, the album quickly lost the publics focus. The tracks are firme and tight.

In the introduction of Take Me To Tha Homies we are live on a radio station broadcasting airwaves. Now Take Me To Tha Homies turns into an oldies song with a catchy doo-wop chorus. A Latin oldies song. It’s his #1 hit song of all time.

Este Vato copies the percussion ensemble kit of Santana – Oye Como Va. The Latin samba comes complete with the percussion sample. The percussion ensemble is played in a virtuoso manner as the song quickly turns into a Latin dance melody. Geno V uses a twist of linguistics in word from the Spanish language. He uses both English and Spanish languages. (Este Vato is “That Friend” in Spanish.)

Geno V dedicated Madre Mia to his mother. He speaks the entire track in Spanish. An eclectic selection of drums are chosen for the percussion ensemble. The percussion ensemble for Madre Mia is much lighter than Este Vato as Madre Mia is a much darker song. Geno V sheds light on the controversial subject of child abuse. (Madre Mia is my mother in Spanish.)

Chisme quickly turns into an upbeat Latin samba dance melody of happiness. The beats are loco! The entire chorus sings in Spanish as Geno V raps in Spanish. Maracas and bongos are added to spice of Spanish flavor in this song. Such bongos are appropriate to match the upbeat tempo of the percussion as Chisme is a heavy percussion song.

Geno V rambles on about the craziness in his crazy lifestyle on Mi Vida Loca. The timpani drum in the background matches the beat of Michel’le – No More Lies. Mi Vida Loca is an acoustic guitar ridden song driven by an earthly percussion ensemble.

Geno V gets deeply religious on Who’s Got My Back? He raps about how Jesus has back. Jesus has guided Geno V through the rapture where he saw the light. That light was a wake up call because he lived a crazy lifestyle. He had an epiphany.

I rate this album 5/5*****!!