While artists who get unfavorable album reviews question the current need for album reviews, album reviews still exist. Based on the page views and comment sections, they still draw the attention of the readers. Any complaint from an artist in regards to a specific review is acknowledgement that said artist did indeed read that review. So clearly, people are still paying attention. At times, the opinion of a HIpHopDX reviewer and the readers go hand in hand. Together, site and readers, we came to a consensus that Wiz Khalifa’s Blacc Hollywood had some catchy singles but left a lot to be desired as an album. While moments like this are great, it’s not the job of a DX reviewer to give an album the score he or she believes readers would like. It’s their job to be objective and judge the project in its entirety. The comment section allows the readers to then judge the project themselves, with a score and their thoughts. Unlike the “good old days” of magazines, readers can now see how both the general public and the media outlet providing the review felt about any given project.
Now, of course, all comments can’t be taken seriously, (i.e. the guy who rates every Jay Z album a 1, and reminds everyone how Nas “Ethered” him). But there is something to be taken from the user reviews. Unfortunately, sometimes, it’s just that the artist’s fan base is completely biased.
While the level of our disagreement differs for each of the following albums, it’s clear we weren’t always on the same page. In hopes of finding a happy medium, we looked at ten albums that were rated significantly higher by the readers than they were by DX.
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The Lox – The Trinity
DX Rating – 3
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DX User Rating – 4.25
On the opening record on The Lox The Trinity Jada drops a line that pretty much sums up how we felt about the album: “If your formula work, then don’t change your shit.” But they changed it still, and instead of their chemistry sounding like the grand-ole, flawless composition of disparate emcees that it was, it sounded like papa was trying to get a brand new bag. There’s nothing wrong with that, in theory, but over cupcake beats and R&B dudes wailing into a sound machine? Our writer just wasn’t having it.
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You were, though. Mostly because you could afford to overlook the hokiness of the presentation to get to, well, The Lox ridiculous chemistry. That’s admirable, and all, but the production hardly ever matched the deft, clever flows, and while the chemistry was obviously there, it wasn’t at the level it was on earlier projects where they found themselves thinking the same thoughts, acting out a gritty vulcan mind-meld. That isn’t to say it can’t be, though. It was their first project in 13 years. So we’re looking as forward to We Are The Streets 2 as you are.
J. Cole & Dreamville Records – Revenge Of The Dreamers
DX Rating – 3
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DX User Rating – 4.30
A loose composition of solo tracks and inter-crew features make upRevenge Of The Dreamers, an introduction of sorts to the rest of team J. Cole. And the highs are interesting here. “Omen” with Motion Picture features a Madlib template that’s seductive and familiar. The very next song reveals a Miguel rip, which Bas rhymes over in lazy, Q-borough vernacular. The whole tape carries on this way: nice and easy, lulling you into easy familiarity. But almost nothing on it is superlative. At least that’s what we thought. Of course, you thought something else entirely.
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An anonymous commenter came heavy with the critique, “The hip hop editors know so little about hip hop. Using irrelevant similes and metaphors and pedantic language to deceive people into thinking they know what they’re talking about…” But, then again, a few agreed, like WTF who said, “This mixtape sucked big time by J.Cole standards Friday night lights destroys this..” Whatever the case was, the mixtape garnered a 4.3 from you, which, arguably would have put in the running for AOTY contention. We didn’t think so highly of it, obviously.
Pro Era – Seccs Tap.e 2
DX Rating – 2.5
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DX User Rating – 4
Strangely, Pro Era’s Secc$ Tap.e 2 faired much better in the user rating section than it did in the comment section itself. A vast majority were disappointed in general with the crews output, and so was our reviewer. This shellacking was firm, but it did not get a strong reaction, which leads me to believe the folks who commented did not vote. Regardless, the tape was a questionable bunch of raggedly strung together sex-fests at best. And what’s wrong with that, right?
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It’s hardly for us to begrudge something someone enjoys, but our reviewer thought the tape came off truly-uninspired. A shame, because the crew has a real ear for music and a base of talent with a legitimate upside. Let’s hope Joey’s debut makes for a more interesting listen.
YG – My Krazy Life
DX Rating – 3
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DX User Rating – 3.93
We may have given My Krazy Life its worst review. In fact, on Metacritic, you’ll find us down there at the bottom of the list, anchoring the thing. All this in the face of very positive adjectives being thrown around by other publications. Where we knocked YG for his simplicity, others lauded him. Where we scoffed at the album being so steeped in what we thought was an unfocused West Coast gangsta’ tradition (the Menace II Society for Kendrick’s Boyz In The Hood), others called it a breath of fresh air.
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The same exact thing was happening in the comments, as well. So it seems like our readers themselves were divided along the same lines. It’s interesting to note that the user rating itself did not creep above a four, so maybe we were more on the same page than we imagined. Still, for an album that many thought was one of the best of the year, we were certainly the anomaly.
Nas – Illmatic XX
DX Rating – 3
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DX User Rating – 4.42
We’re feeling like this one was a nostalgia pull. Of course Illmatic is a classic. It’s arguably the greatest Hip Hop album of all time, and for that high marks are alway necessary. Still, as a standalone, IllmaticXX did little to satisfy. All of us who would have bought the album already have multiple copies of the original (you know, just in case your shit eats tapes) so something new was required to make this rehash worth it.
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Unfortunately, it only came with two truly unique artifacts. The Stretch Armstrong and Bobbito freestyle that showed a young Nas fumbling over his fairly uninteresting bars, and “I’m A Villain,” which is early demo material that we hungrily devoured. That was it, though. The other joints were powdery compared to the originals and of course they were. This is Illmatic we’re talking about.
Iamsu! – Sincerely Yours
DX Rating – 3
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DX User Rating – 4.25
Fans of the Bay Area rapper Iamsu! weren’t the only ones disappointed with DX’s score of Sincerely Yours. Iamsu! himself even admitted to feeling momentarily salty of Sheldon Pearce’s review. According to the DX freelancer, Sincerely Yours tried to do a lot sonically but failed more often than not while never reaching the peak in previous releases. “There’s a good chance that Iamsu! may have already reached his apex and we just missed it; in hindsight, Kilt II may be his magnum opus,” Pearce said.
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Some commenters felt the review missed the theme of the project in its entirety. Others suggested hydroponics before the listening session but, inebriation is never a good indication of quality. Here’s hoping Iamsu! can give us something we can both agree on with the next one.
Styles P – Phantom And The Ghost
DX Rating – 3
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DX User Rating – 4.31
2014 saw a return of East Coast triumverate The Lox. Alongside the proviously mentioned album, The Trinity, there was also that phenomenal collaboration “Gotti” with Lil Wayne. When it comes to material, there isn’t a member with the amount of output as Styles P and this year was no different despite The Lox’s reunion.Phantom And The Ghost suffered from lackluster production despite functional lyricism from P. Could the Yonkers MC be spreading himself too thin?
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According to Bruce Smith, “Phantom and the Ghost appears to try to go too many places it probably shouldn’t. Styles’ verses are normally on point, but the production is generally a miss.” Some commenters felt the project was his best since 2010’s The Green Ghost Projectcollaborative effort with DJ Green Lantern. Once The Lox reunion is over, maybe SP will have more time to focus on his solo albums.
Riff Raff – Neon Icon
DX Rating – 1
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DX User Rating – 3.90
DX freelancer Jesse Fairfax couldn’t tell if Riff Raff was attempting an exercise in self-aware parody or really trying to make debut Neon Icon a good album. From the looks of things, the Houston rapper failed terribly at both. Even viral hit “Tip Toe Wing In My Jawwdinz” or the DJ Mustard produced “How To Be The Man” couldn’t save what we described as a proverbial mess of an album. Simply put, we thought Neon Icon was probably the worst album of 2014.
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Clearly, DX readers were in on the joke as they reviewed Neon Icon a full 2.90 points higher than the initial score. One fan of the album going by JV said the album was “entertaining in some way” and “of course he ain’t Talib, there was never a Houston rapper that was…. At least he’s better than Paul Wall.” Yup, everything makes much sense now.
50 Cent – Animal Ambition
DX Rating – 2
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DX User Rating – 4.14
There was a time where many thought 50 Cent was invincible in Hip Hop. After his groundbreaking debut Get Rich or Die Trying, the man who survived several gun-shot wounds brought New York Hip Hop back to the forefront. Then The Massacre happened, followed by Curtis and the ultimately underwhelming Until I Self Destruct. Fiddy was attempting a revival through the shelved Black Magic project before going the independent route. The end result of life post-major label; the utterly forgettable Animal Ambition. While many felt the album was a return to form for G-Unit’s insanely wealthy general, that was its biggest problem.
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Everything from production to lyrical content and delivery felt too out of date for today’s climate. And, of course it was, right? The producers went on to tell us that most of those beats were made years ago, and popped up on the album without them even knowing it. According to comments from DX fans, that was totally satisfactory. On the bright side, Animal Ambition eventually led to the reunion of G-Unit (minus Game) which should’ve made everyone happy right?
Canibus – Fait Accompli
DX Rating – 3
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DX User Rating – 4.48
There hasn’t been a rapper more notable for his ability take punishment like Canibus. From his career hampering duel with LL Cool J to the now infamous battle against Dizaster ending by way of notepad, the East Coast MC hasn’t had the fairest of luck. That’s probably what inspired last year’s Fait Accompli, which relies on conspiratorial themes that wouldn’t feel out of place on radio shows with Alex Jones. Yup, that means the Illuminati, Area 51 and various other X-Files like theories. Too bad the heavy social commentary didn’t mask what HipHopDX thought was an uninspired delivery and sub-par production.
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Having a message is an important part of an emcee’s repertoire. However, sometimes it’s more about how one says something in comparison to what. This is where the project fell flat for the reviewer. And, for someone who garnered so much attention during the mid-90s, and is still so squarely beloved by his fanbase, Canibus’ project proved his mettle, though not necessarily his true worth.
Andre Grant is an NYC native turned L.A. transplant that has contributed to a few different properties on the web and is now the Features Editor for HipHopDX. He’s also trying to live it to the limit and love it a lot. Follow him on Twitter @drejones.
Ural Garrett is an Los Angeles-based journalist and HipHopDX’s Senior Features Writer. When not covering music, video games, films and the community at large, he’s in the kitchen baking like Anita. Follow him on Twitter @Uralg.
