Janet Jackson
Pete Rock
Show & AG
Fat Ray & Black Milk
BLACK SPADE
LUPE FIASCO

Janet Jackson
Discipline (Universal)
crumpets: *

A whole album based around one of Janet’s defining aspects of her character - discipline. It’s like De La’s version of R&B…
It’ll take some severe ‘discipline’ to wrap your head around Janet Jackson’s 10th studio album Discipline. The Rhythm Nation slayer (and lets face it - she should’ve called it a day after that) croons more R&B than pop over 23 songs and seven interludes (!). I don’t mind a bit of R&B (I said a ‘bit’) but when you have to sit through an hour of Janet whispering shit nothings in your ear and trying to decipher if it’s her or her older brother Michael singing, because, at times they sound suspiciously similar. You soon realise she’s not giving us anything earth-shatteringly new (besides The 1 featuring Missy Elliot) then R&B should effectively be dubbed R&B, De La style – ‘rhythm and bullshit’. On the flip, Janet’s boyfriend Jermaine Dupre produced it - you’d think he’d help his GF out of her album-rut though - and tracks Greatest X, The 1 and Curtains are mediocre bangers. And she’s not bad looking for a 41-year-old duck - just peep the album art. Hot diggity.

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Pete Rock
NY’s Finest
crumpets: * * *

In hip hop terms, Pete Rock has been around for ever and a day. He was been part of one of the 90s’ most revered duos and since parting ways with CL Smooth has remained one of the scenes finest producers. On NY’s Finest, Pete has linked with some of the brightest modern day emcees, some forgotten favourites and proved you don’t need to move with the times if your sound is timeless.
Pete Rock’s productions have always been amongst my favourites, from lacing countless mid 90s classics with CL Smooth through to artists like Biggie, very rarely has my head not bobbed in appreciation. On NY’s Finest not a damn thing has changed; where other follow trends aimlessly looking to sell big or become huge on ring tones (don’t scoff cause it happens), Pete continues to make classic boom bap. Digging deep in his extensive selection for classic samples and breaks, and punctuating them with dope horns or reggae tinged sirens. There is versatility too, as he crafts his productions to suit the likes of reggae artist Chip Fu, through the gangsta style of Styles P, Sheek Louch & Jim Jones. The only guest production comes courtesy of Green Lantern who delivers one of his best for Don’t Be Mad.
Lyrically it is 95% good things hitting your ears. Pete himself surprised me, I had always considered him an average emcee, but one of his solo tracks Don’t Be Mad is close to my favourite and he more than holds his own alongside many high credentialed guests. Guest wise Little Brother shines on Bring Y’all Back while Lords Of The Underground had me searching for their debut album in my collection with the dope The Best Secret. Also featuring is a seriously faded sounding Raekwon & Masta Killa, and Royal Flush reminding everyone how dope he is ripping the beat on Questions. The only lyrical downers come from the somewhat lackluster Papoose, one of my favourite up and coming emcees his contribution to Comprehend is flat.
There is no more compelling reason for you to buy this than the fact it is Pete Rock, this should feature highly on many yearly top ten lists.

Xpizzle

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Show & AG
The Show & AG Experience: Live Hard
crumpets: * * *

Show & AG epitomize all that was phenomenal about mid 90s New York hip hop. Show created the perfect boom bap soundtrack while AG flexed his lyrical muscle time and again. After a roughly ten year hiatus and on the back of AG’s recent excellent solo, work the duo have reunited for the Live Hard EP.
The EP kicks off with an absolute banger: with Show on the boards, AG on the rhymes and DJ Premier on the cuts, it’s a wet dream for any hip hop fan born prior to 1985. Show keeps his production fairly simplistic throughout, with the beats running quite simple loops and sometimes lacking variation, but still thoroughly enjoyable and perfectly suited to AG’s style. On Can’t Relate, AG flexes his credibility. reminding insignificant emcees he doesn’t relate to them because he has always been above their level. The other real lyrical standout is Land Of The Free featuring fellow **DITC member OC on the hook, AG rides the beat to perfection, sharply analyzing the current position of the US in the world and the hardships the entire planet faces. Closer Magic features the only guest production from E-Blaze, but he to keeps it true to the DITC sound.
While Show seems happy with a somewhat stripped back production sound, AG has elevated his game over time. While many classic emcees return after a hiatus as a shadow of their former selves, it may actually be possible that Andre the Giant has gotten better. The package also includes five instrumentals meaning a whole new breed of emcees can compare themselves against classic artists on their own tracks. From Runaway Slave to Goodfellas to Live Hard, all hip hop fans should own all Show and AG releases.

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Fat Ray & Black Milk
The Set Up
crumpets: * * *

After the booming street sounds of Guilty Simpson’s release impressing in 2008, two more Detroit artists look to prove that there is much more to their city than Eminem.
Black Milk and Fat Ray are two thirds of the Detroit posse BR Gunna, who previously caught some regional US buzz with the release of their 2004 LP ‘Dirty District Volume 2’. Black Milk will be the more familiar name here, as his release of last year ‘Popular Demand’ was a hot one, although it was also somewhat slept on. He also had a beat on the aforementioned Guilty album. ‘The Set Up’ is eleven tracks of underground US goodness, proving that there is still thoroughly enjoyable music coming out of the States if you are prepared to dig a little deeper.
All eleven tracks are produced by Milk, and he shows several facets of his arsenal throughout the album; from the Neptunes styled spacey beat of ‘Lookout’, to the Reggae tinged sounds of ‘Bad Man’ and the simple-yet-ill key driven beat of ‘Ugly’. In between he creates more traditional hip hop beats that are a cut above the generic fodder often filtering from the US to our ears. On the microphone Ray and Milk have great chemistry, although lyrically there is nothing out of the ordinary. It’s pretty much the standard braggadocios flow meets street tales you get on any hip hop release, although the finished sound keeps you hooked. The addition of the laconic sounding Guilty Simpson lifts ‘Bad Man’ to another level, but the only real letdown is the terrible choice of hook on ‘Ugly’.
With only eleven tracks – one of these being an outro – this is short, sharp and sweet. It’s a quality release and definitely one that should alert more fans to the good things coming out of the Motor City.

Xpizzle

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BLACK SPADE
To Serve With Love
crumpets: * * *

This debut release from St Louis artist Black Spade hits stereo speakers with pretty much universal praise from the likes of URB, Fader and Vapors. Spade himself is something of a one man band, as he produces, provides samples, rhymes and sings across the nineteen tracks. This is his take on the future of hip hop.
I really want to like this release a lot more than I actually do. I have given it repeated listens searching for the all important x-factor needed to elevate it into the realms of ‘classic’, but I just can’t find what it’s missing. The production here is thoroughly enjoyable, it is heavily layered in parts and quite minimal in others. Spade’s eclectic tastes range from Dilla and Prince through to Bloc Party, and it’s evident in the – at times – quirky production. It’s hard to pigeonhole his style, but I guess that’s what keeps it interesting and provides a quality backing for his lyrics.
The lyrics are, unfortunately, where it falls down. While the harmonies and rhymes do fit nicely together, too often the subject matter left me feeling bored. The first half of the album is almost like a lyrical take on late 80s love songs, with the title track joined by others like Her Perfume She Wore, Love’s Right Here and She’s The One. Maybe I’m just a little too musically rough in my tastes, but the limited subject matter had me reaching for the skip button. It was a case of style in abundance, but substance sorely lacking. Things do pick up in the latter half of the album, as we finally get some lyrical variation with tracks like Actioneer, Good Crazy and Not For The Bullshit. They’re all bangers that demand your repeat attention.
Perhaps I’ve been a little harsh here, but my expectations were built up with quite a bit of hype for this album. The album is solid, and it’s definitely a long way from horrible, but it just isn’t as good as some had promised it to be…

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LUPE FIASCO
The Cool (Warner)
crumpets: * * *

The long awaited follow up album to Food And Liquor, sees this skateboarding Muslim nail it again with his panache for indie hip hop. The food is consumed, the liquor dried up… time for the next feast of Fiasco fine dining. With extensive wordplay up his LRG sleeve, Lupe possesses the vocab of 10 rappers and the attitude of at least three in this concept album about (what else?) life on the streets. Like MF Grimm’s The Hunt For The Gingerbread Man, Lupe’s gem revolves around four main characters: the streets, the game, the cool and Michael Young History. Like Kanyeasy’s Graduation, the hooks, beats and indie hip hop vibe is on the same eclectic tip. Like Common’s hit single Drive Me Wild with Lily Allen on Finding Forever, Lupe too has a catchy single Superstar featuring Matthew Santos (sounding eerily similar to Chris Martin from Coldplay). Like Jay-Z, please don’t retire anytime soon. Coolness to the max.

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