STRONGBONE’s Latest Artist is…

…a young up and commer passionate about making beats and music in general.  His style spans many genres, but he is constantly motivated to expand.

The most anticipated day of the year has arrived; Kanye West & Jay-Z’s latest effort dropped exclusively on iTunes early this morning. Since the release of HAM in January, it has certainly been the most talked about project in Hip Hop land.

The album takes off running No Church in the Wild, a rugged anthem to ferocious lifestyles filled with religious metaphors and verbiage. More striking than the lyrics, however, is the hypnotic rolling guitar riff that drives the 88 Keys/Kanye joint production. Frank Ocean also shines in the first of his two album appearances.

Watch the Throne continues the musical stampede with proceeding tracks featuring production by the likes of Q-Tip, Swiss Beats, the RZA, and the Neptunes. Lyrically, Jay and Kanye explore both the heights of braggadocio as well as the depths of their own emotion. On New Day, Kanye writes of his future son:

Don’t want him to be hated, all the time judged
Don’t be like your daddy that would never budge
And I’ll never let him ever hit a strip club
I learned the hard way, that ain’t the place to get love

Each gets his own share of boasting time, however. On the overwhelmingly soulful Otis, Jay showcases his classic Roman self-esteem: Photo shoot fresh, looking like wealth/ I’m ’bout to call the paparazzi on myself.  The deluxe version closes with The Joy, a Pete Rock produced classic released last year in Kanye’s “G.O.O.D. Friday” collection.  It’s a relief to see this song receive mainstream promotion;  it is undeniably Jay and Kanye’s best track.

If the album has any low points, they would be Made in America and HAM. Made in America is well-worn lyrical territory over subpar production; HAM seems to be a track intended to get purchases from the learner’s permit segment of the population.  Much of the album’s subject matter is tedious to long-time Hip Hop fans, many of which are bored with “Money” rhymes.

Despite the tiresome lyrical content, both Jay and Kanye’s delivery is on point and clever.  They rhyme about the high life in a way that is unique from other rappers.  Several of the the album’s tracks do have more meaningful lyrics though, such as “Murder to Excellence” and “The Joy”.  Overall, this album absolutely qualifies as a classic. When the game’s two heaviest hitters collaborate on such a massive project, the result cannot be taken lightly.

Score: 4/5

Standout Tracks

Gotta Have It
LOLOLOL to White America, assassinate my character
Money matrimony, yeah, they tryna break the marriage up
Who gon’ act phonier? Who gon’ try to embarrass ya?
I’ma need a day off, I think I’ll call Ferris up

New Day
And if the day comes I only see him on the weekend
I just pray we was in love on the night that we conceived him
Promise to never leave him even if his mama tweakin’
Cause my dad left me and I promise never repeat him

Murder to Excellence
And said the church ain’t got enough room for all the tombs
It’s a war going on outside we ain’t safe from
I feel the pain in my city wherever I go
314 soldiers died in Iraq
509 died in Chicago

Following 2009′s Chamber Music, Legendary Weapons is a compilation of Wu-Tang and affiliates, minus GZA.

This album is just what Hip Hop needed in the summer of 2011. Legendary Weapons is a really not a Wu-Tang Clan record, but more like complication album with the Clan members solo songs. The entire album has a classic Wu Tang Clan vibe without their lead producer RZA, but that doesn’t mean the producing is GZA it is just that the second string producers producing do their best to imitate the GZA style. In the absence of the Genius, the other Clan members step up their game with the intricate lyricism that made them famous. Method Man, Ghostface, Raekwon, U-God and Inspecta Deck bring all their game with lyrical skill and catchy sounds: Laidback beats are combined with tricky rhymes

The album’s downfall comes not only from the lack of the GZA, but also the RZA’s sagging performance. It’s common knowledge that the RZA works on many projects at once (Movies, soundtracks, etc.), but he has seemed to have lost the voracious hip hop hunger we’ve seen many times before. His performance was just sub-par throughout; His usual overflow of energy and tenacity is just not present..

Legendary Weapons only runs 37 minutes with 15 tracks; including 4 skits. The Wu Tang Clan is about the only group that can get away with this, seeing as they seem to put out a much greater number of projects than their peers. Sometimes it seems like a song might be watered down by lesser Wu affiliates (or non members), you’ll find that the MCs actually add a great deal to the record. For example, on 225 Rounds, Bronze Nazareth ups intensity of the vibe by more than a few notches.
Die hard Wu-Tang Clan fans may not consider this a real Wu-Tang Clan album because it does not have GZA, but after listening through you will find it does contain the essence the Wu.

Standout Tracks:

The Black Diamonds
My finest hour, you sacrifice to a higher
Power. Fly from the tower, I fly sour
And raw powder, .40 cal give your pal a shower

Laced Cheeba
Broken ankle, fuckin with the Wallabee Clarks
Got them bitches still screamin my name! (Whattup Starks?)
I’m a bone crusher, ox’ll split your face like a Dutch Master
No more mixes polar bears from Alaska

Legendary Weapons
Revolutionary gangster, the will to kill
Everything up, my roots is steel
Do a big time march through the desert and shine
Let the seeds live free while we open the minds

Score: 3.5 out of 5

Thoughtcrime. by Dr. Strangelove is out now!!

Download the entire album for FREE here

8/4/11

Here’s the FINAL single before the release of Thoughtcrime. on 8/4!!

Why Not?

8/4/11

My My

For a Fact

He wasn’t scared of the Shogun, but the Shogun was scared of him.  Maybe that was the problem…

A haunting Kung Fu sample intro sets the tone for GZA’s lyrical masterpiece.  Backed by the ever-reliable talent of the RZA, the Genius forcibly tours the listener around his deeply philosophical mind.  This album’s release cemented Wu Tang’s dominance of 1995 and further contributed to their elite Hip Hop status.

Standout Tracks

4^th Chamber

And from that, sons are born and guns are drawn
Clips are fully loaded, and then blood floods the lawn
Disciplinary action was a fraction of strength
that made me truncate the length one tenth

Cold World

Destruction worker, who was caught for his bomber
No time to swing the hammer that was hangin’ from his Farmers

Ghostface’s solo debut, while of equal quality, stands slightly apart from his fellow clansmen’s individual works.  The extensive soul sampling is reflective of Ghostface’s more introspective side lyrically.  Although it may not be quite as gritty and raw as Liquid Swords or Cuban Linx, Ironman is real.  Ghost’s storytelling style sucks you in and creates an almost documentary-like atmosphere.

Standout Tracks

 All That I Got Is You

Seven o’clock, pluckin’ roaches out the cereal box
Some shared the same spoon, watchin’ saturday cartoons
Sugar water was our thing, every meal was no thrill
In the summer, free lunch held us down like steel

Assassination Day

With coke and a dollar bill stems and crack capsules
Take a blast fool but we trap up crews it’s natural
like soybean, burn like a laser beam
My vaccine I shoot it firm and it connects like sideburns

The first solo Wu Tang effort after 36 Chambers marks a significant turning point in Hip Hop.  Method Man’s flow completely redefined the word itself.  Both Tical and Ready to Die set the bar incredibly high for any current or up and coming MCs.  Meth’s way with words on Tical undoubtedly earns him the crown of Best Flow in Hip Hop.

Standout Tracks

Bring the Pain

In your Cross Colour, clothes you’ve crossed over
Then got Totally Krossed Out and Kris Kross
Who da boss? Niggaz get tossed to the side
And I’m the dark side of the Force

Sub Crazy

If you ain’t with me then forget me
Niggas try to stick me, retaliation, no hesitation, shifty
Creepin’ niggas in the dark, triggas with no heart
Rippin’ ass apart, I’ll be swimmin’ with the sharks now
Stay out my water or it’s manslaughter

Ailments

Passed

Release Date:    8/4/11

Thoughtcrime. is a concept album like no other before it.  The latest production by Dr. Strangelove; it is a congregation of instrumentals based on the classic dystopian novel 1984 by George Orwell.  The story centers around Winston Smith’s struggle at the hands of merciless Big Brother in a futuristic society in which its citizens are under constant surveillance and oppression.

Like all STRONGBONES productions, this album will be completely FREE

Release Date: 8/4/2011

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