RECOVERY

[HipHopHead]

As I said, I love that album, but wouldn't claim it to be one of the most groundbreaking underground albums of all-time. Revolutionary Pt. II, Lifestylez Ov Da Poor & Dangerous (I consider it underground, it was mad slept on until he died, and it's still slept on), and a few others I would consider to be ahead of Operation: Doomsday.

Revoulutionary Vol. 2 by....Immortal Technique? lol. You lost me there...

[Nitro]

Revoulutionary Vol. 2 by....Immortal Technique? lol. You lost me there...

 

My bad, volume 2. And yes, it's one of my favorite albums of all-time, and Immortal Technique is one of the most highly acclaimed underground artists ever. Lyrically it doesn't get much better than IT, and the production on that album is also very different with its heavy latin influence. Obnoxious, Point of No Return, Harlem Streets, Leaving the Past, Freedom of Speech, Peruvian Cocaine...all tremendous songs.

[HipHopHead]

My bad, volume 2. And yes, it's one of my favorite albums of all-time, and Immortal Technique is one of the most highly acclaimed underground artists ever. Lyrically it doesn't get much better than IT, and the production on that album is also very different with its heavy latin influence. Obnoxious, Point of No Return, Harlem Streets, Leaving the Past, Freedom of Speech, Peruvian Cocaine...all tremendous songs.

 

I don't like him, unless I want a laugh from some of his punchlines. I agree with a lot of his politics but some of it (actually most) is outrageous. His production is pretty sub-par on most of his albums though, and I'm sick of all the suburban white kids getting all excited over "Dance With the Devil" as if it's the best hip-hop song of all time. Rhyming about raping your mom doesn't make you hard (at least it shouldn't), tough, or a great MC.

[Nitro]

I don't like him, unless I want a laugh from some of his punchlines. I agree with a lot of his politics but some of it (actually most) is outrageous. His production is pretty sub-par on most of his albums though, and I'm sick of all the suburban white kids getting all excited over "Dance With the Devil" as if it's the best hip-hop song of all time. Rhyming about raping your mom doesn't make you hard (at least it shouldn't), tough, or a great MC.

 

"Dance With the Devil" wasn't supposed to make him look hard or tough. It's supposed to tell a very realistic story of a kid wanting respect and to have it all, and while the ending is over-the-top, it's supposed to show how tragic things can be if you devote yourself to evil and such. He tells the story amazingly well, and the point he's trying to make definitely makes you think.

 

As for IT's overall ability...he's a tremendous lyracist, period. I love his metaphores and his techniques to relate things to real life. Sometimes he's outrageous as you mentioned, but his talent and ability as not only an MC, but as a poet/person who creates social awareness is undeniable.

 

And whether you like him or not, saying Revolutionary Vol. 2 isn't at the very least on the same level as Operation:Doomsday in regards to its influence and critical acclaim is completely unfounded.

[HipHopHead]

"Dance With the Devil" wasn't supposed to make him look hard or tough. It's supposed to tell a very realistic story of a kid wanting respect and to have it all, and while the ending is over-the-top, it's supposed to show how tragic things can be if you devote yourself to evil and such. He tells the story amazingly well, and the point he's trying to make definitely makes you think.

 

As for IT's overall ability...he's a tremendous lyracist, period. I love his metaphores and his techniques to relate things to real life. Sometimes he's outrageous as you mentioned, but his talent and ability as not only an MC, but as a poet/person who creates social awareness is undeniable.

 

And whether you like him or not, saying Revolutionary Vol. 2 isn't at the very least on the same level as Operation:Doomsday in regards to its influence and critical acclaim is completely unfounded.

Musically, it's a pretty drag album. Along with that the skits are pretty horrid and the [expletive] talking is a bit overwhelming too.

[Nitro]

Musically, it's a pretty drag album. Along with that the skits are pretty horrid and the [expletive] talking is a bit overwhelming too.

 

I wouldn't say it's a drag album musically at all. It certainly has a lot of latin flavor, that's where the influence. If it was poorly done I'd agree with you, but I think it meshes perfectly with his style. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but the production is well-done.

 

And who ever listens to that skits?

[HipHopHead]

I wouldn't say it's a drag album musically at all. It certainly has a lot of latin flavor, that's where the influence. If it was poorly done I'd agree with you, but I think it meshes perfectly with his style. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea, but the production is well-done.

 

And who ever listens to that skits?

Skits are very important, when done properly. I think we've seen that on PackFM's album and Wale's mixtape.

[JYD]

i always skip over the skits gimme music lol

[ManOnTheMoon]

^ Same here. [expletive] the skits.

[HipHopHead]

We've seen it be helpful and harmful on so many albums, from Operation: Doomsday to Bar Exam 3 there are plenty of reasons why skits have their advantages and disadvantages in hip-hop.

[His Greatness]

No, but those are (besides Operation: Doomsday, I'll get to that) the definitive albums of our time in the hip-hop genre (debate whichever you like). Shouldn't all artists strive for excellence? Oh yeah, it's too easy to make money through music and sell out then it was in '96.

You strive for excellence, but comparing every record to classics is just not a fair method of evaluation. While you still want to emulate the quality of those benchmark albums, if you're holding everything up to that standard, then everything you listen to will be trash.

 

Good music, or rather hip-hop in general, is everything that makes hip-hop what it is. It's simple to see the things that make up hip-hop and how when it all comes together perfectly (the full spectrum being Nas's Illmatic, Wu-Tang's 36 Chambers). Whether that is rhyme scheme, instrumentals, etc., etc..It's pretty obvious to see when some albums are at the pinnacle of the art of hip-hop while others are not.

Still a vague answer. You''re just referencing records.. What about Illmatic makes it good? Are you saying all hip hop should be modeled after Illmatic? How do you determine whether a track is good or nott? What about the rhyme schemes, instrumentals, etc.? What constitutes good rap?

 

Has nothing to do with him liking it, as I've said before someone can like the album all he wants but saying a bad album is good just because you "like" it is beyond stupid. From what I inferred from the article I got that vibe.

This is what he said about Relapse:

Now personally, I love Relapse. It's by no means his best album but my goodness; it's a wondrous display in meticulous lyricism and breathtaking delivery. With Relapse, Em strung a truckload of phonetically appealing words up inside a vocabulary yo-yo, inside a horrorcore casing, wound it up and flung it ferociously out of control, over haunting beats, with tongue-twisting delivery. But many felt the album failed in its style and subject matter.

 

Is that not a believable description on why he liked Relapse and thought it was good?

 

You don't seem to be able to grasp the fact that people interpret things differently. That the analysis and interpretation of music is very arbitrary and subjective. You look at music as a static concept with a rigid perspective; i.e.: "Oh that album was bad because it didn't meet my qualifications and it is absolutely impossible that I am wrong about this; therefore, if you think different then you are wrong and you know nothing about hip hop." While I agree with you that Relapse was not good, I'm still willing to respect other opinions, especially if they're ingenuous and insightful like the article.

[GoldenBaller]

Best Album Ever.