[noisereductions]

I haven't heard that one, but I do like Kurupt.

"No Chorus" is the best. "Your fans are mad/your performance is garbage bag."

[foreverasskiss]

im still kicking MAD city GOOOD kid. still waiting on Kanye.

damn, this thread is still on.

[foreverasskiss]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

 

Ol' Dirty Bastard - Return To The 36 Chambers: The Dirty Version
This was the second solo album in the first wave of Wu-Tang solo albums (the first being Tical, or the real first being Words From The Genius). As such, it is produced almost entirely by RZA and certainly retains that early Wu-Tang lo-fi, creepy sound that made Enter The Wu-Tang so compelling. Indeed several tracks here could fit pretty well on Enter - "Snakes" being the most obvious. But what really makes Return set itself apart from the group effort - even when there are plenty of guests to boast - is none other than Russell T. Jones. Not for a moment will he let you forget that this is his show. And really, the album is better for that somewhat spastic hand taking the reins. While it does sound like Wu-Tang, it pretty much always sounds like ODB's version of Wu-Tang. Which means a long, drawn out intro about venereal disease. It also means that between bouts of incredible rapping ("Brooklyn Zoo" being the obvious overground example here) he'll also be seeing how long you can make a throaty sound, using words that seriously are not even words, or trying his hand at singing "New Jack Swing" style ballads that his father learned from your nana ("which is good!"). While it's not a perfect record, and while some of the choices that ODB makes lyrically and vocally fall in line with some of the more surreal output that Kool Keith would be known for a few years later, repeated listens reveal that this album is just plain fun, and ultimately that thematic consistency makes for a surprisingly solid whole.

u should do a touch up review on Liquid Swords. i just realized "Swordsman" lead into "Gotcha Back" may be my fav songs off the record. both have made me cry. so intense and atmospheric.

Return to the 36 chambers is a sick record indeed. love everysong.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

I haven't heard that one, but I do like Kurupt.

"No Chorus" is the best. "Your fans are mad/your performance is garbage bag."

Streetz iz a mutha is like I said, probably Kurrupt's best solo record. The production and beats were top shelf selection and it still managed to have that 1990s east side LA backyard party feel.. first come first served is an art-rap masterpiece. Dr dooom perfectly satirized that spooky gothic or film noir rap that started with 7Day Theory and peaked with E-40 The Element of Surprise.. rap that was dark, street, and with str8 up spooky ass beats and production. Dr dooom nailed it, perfect rhymes and with such potent satire that you wouldnt know it unless you really knew that kool keith shit. The beats are still some of the sickest examples of pure Yay Area sound you'll ever hear and it was definitely that undisputed best rap album of 2001

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

One of the most underrated aspects of 7Day Theory was how politically and socially conscious that record was.. I think it helped to influence the rise of conscious rap movement of 1998-2004 groups like Common, Black Star, or dead-prez. Pac revived the pure root of hip hop which commercial success had watered down which is music with a social message

[noisereductions]

Originally Posted by foreverasskiss

u should do a touch up review on Liquid Swords. i just realized "Swordsman" lead into "Gotcha Back" may be my fav songs off the record. both have made me cry. so intense and atmospheric.

"Gotcha Back" is intense. I remember hearing that single from the Fresh soundtrack way before Liquid Swords dropped and being blown away. The beat always reminded me of Gangstarr's "Code Of The Streets." Anyone else?

@suchfriends: Yeah First Come First Served is by far my fav of Kool Keith's albums. It's just perfect.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

"Gotcha Back" is intense. I remember hearing that single from the Fresh soundtrack way before Liquid Swords dropped and being blown away. The beat always reminded me of Gangstarr's "Code Of The Streets." Anyone else?

@suchfriends: Yeah First Come First Served is by far my fav of Kool Keith's albums. It's just perfect.

Whoah, really?

Call me traditional, boring, whatever, but to me there's nothing in Kool Keith's extraordinary catalogue (from Ultramagnetic mc's to Dr. Dooom 2 and Lost Master's) that can even compare with Dr. Octagonecologyst.

Though, shit, that ninja does have a lot of badass albums. Still, Docta Octa all the way.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

That just more reflects your eastcoast taste because dr. Dooom is a distinctively westcoast evren more so bay area sounding record. I actually.rank.BOTH dr dooom records better than doc oc.. I also really dig the diesel truckers shit and.on the right day mr nagacto..

[noisereductions]

Octo is good. Great yeah. But... I don't know. I guess that's like saying Nevermind is your favorite Nirvana album. I'd be like "uh yeah it's amazing. But there's better." First Come is better.

Yo did y'all watch SVDDXNLY yet? Amazing.

[noisereductions]

Originally Posted by SuchFriendsAreDangerous

That just more reflects your eastcoast taste because dr. Dooom is a distinctively westcoast evren more so bay area sounding record. I actually.rank.BOTH dr dooom records better than doc oc.. I also really dig the diesel truckers shit and.on the right day mr nagacto..

Bay Area yeah. Cuz it feels pretty South Coast in the minimal beats too.

[SuchFriendsAreDangerous]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

Bay Area yeah. Cuz it feels pretty South Coast in the minimal beats too.

I said yay area cuz thats who made the beats on that record. Actually that down south sound of 808s, clicks, and high hats originated in the bay with too $hort

[noisereductions]

Word. Too $hort is legit.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by noisereductions

Octo is good. Great yeah. But... I don't know. I guess that's like saying Nevermind is your favorite Nirvana album. I'd be like "uh yeah it's amazing. But there's better." First Come is better.

Yo did y'all watch SVDDXNLY yet? Amazing.

Aw come on bro, don't play me like that. It is not like saying Nevermind is the best Nirvana record. Or maybe it is , but who cares? You make it sound like I don't know my Keith just because it happens to be my fave.

And while there are a number of his records that I don't currently own, I promise you nothing could be further from the truth. I'm partial to his science fiction themed shit, but I LOVE Ultramagnetic MC's, and I love every whacked out alter-ego he's ever come up with. And yeah, my allegiance will always be to doc oc, because it's a sort of "meeting of the minds" at the perfect place and time. It's about more than just Keith. It's about all the brilliant input that lead to it being a kind of trip-hop horror-core record with production and beats that are better than anything else in his catalogue.

I love the Dr. Dooom albums mostly for Keith's insane rhyming, and the way they simultaneously mocked rap culture while and created timeless & brilliant rap records. It's the kind of genre critiquing that very few artists have been able to pull off, and I love it. BUT Dr Oc is way more than a great Kool Keith album. It's a great album, period. Even the instrumentals should be considered required listening. And if the instrumentals were all that existed, it would still be one of the best hip hop albums of the '90s.
...

Bro u hurt my feeeelings!!!! Not really but fuck it.

Black Elvis is siiiiiick

[louder]

Originally Posted by foreverasskiss

u should do a touch up review on Liquid Swords. i just realized "Swordsman" lead into "Gotcha Back" may be my fav songs off the record. both have made me cry. so intense and atmospheric.

amazing post!! yes, some of the most intense rap ever.

Investigative Reports -> Swordsman -> I Gotcha Back.. a runner for the greatest 3 track run on a rap album EVER.

[noisereductions]

Originally Posted by Severian

Aw come on bro, don't play me like that. It is not like saying Nevermind is the best Nirvana record. Or maybe it is , but who cares? You make it sound like I don't know my Keith just because it happens to be my fave.

nah dude you misunderstand. I mean, if you told me Nevermind was your favorite, I wouldn't think you knew nothing about Nirvana. I wouldn't think less of yr taste. I'd just be like "really? Weird." But Nevermind is an amazing album. Like, beginning to end it's pretty much perfect. Yet, for some reason I'd be surprised if it was your favorite. Does this make sense at all?

To put it another way, Octo is easily his best produced album. And probably his most focused. But I reach for First Come way way way more often. Just me personally.

I think the Black Elvis album is really good too. It's crazy that and Dooom came out the same year.

[louder]

NR, are you gonna write about Tical next? love that album to death, Meth is the man.

[louder]

i will always feel bad about Deck, dude's rhyming skill is unreal and he played one of the main roles on 36 Chambers, he should've dropped a classic debut just like the others.. but he missed his opportunity. i've heard a story about how RZA's basement got burned so he lost his beats for Deck's album, which might be a big part of the reason. but anyway, for that, he'll always remain underrated. sad.

[noisereductions]

Originally Posted by louder

NR, are you gonna write about Tical next? love that album to death, Meth is the man.

probably not cuz I don't have a physical copy right now. You know the deluxe edition dropped last week? It's got a bonus disc with all the remixes... plus "The Riddler" haha.

[Severian]

Originally Posted by louder

i will always feel bad about Deck, dude's rhyming skill is unreal and he played one of the main roles on 36 Chambers, he should've dropped a classic debut just like the others.. but he missed his opportunity. i've heard a story about how RZA's basement got burned so he lost his beats for Deck's album, which might be a big part of the reason. but anyway, for that, he'll always remain underrated. sad.

Yes- I've always felt this way. When asked to list my favorite Wu emcees, I always hesitate, because I known Inspectah Deck would be in the top 3 if only he had more material, and had been given as much spotlight time as the others on the first record.

He's an insanely good emcee. Remember when's we had that underrated artists thread? First thing that came to mind was Deck, and all y'all agreed.
Have you, by any chance, listened to CZARFACE? It's Deck with 7L & Esoteric; they dropped a dope album a year or so back that I found out about embarrassingly late.

I fully agree that Deck is underutilized. As much as I love Meth's cadence and presence, and as much as his voice defines the Wu sound, I would have rather seen a first wave Deck release than Tical. Inspectah Deck is the superior emcee, and all he lacked was star power.

[Severian]