Search - 9th Wonder :: Vol. 2-Dream Merchant

The Merchant Got The Dope Product {4 Stars}

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 10/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"9th Wonder is one of those producers that's hit or miss for me. Well, this time, he hits and he hits hard. People, me being one of them, have made complaints over the years that 9th's beats start to sound the same after you hear enough of them. I don't know if 9th was listening, but he brought some heat this time around. The production, of course, is handled by 9th wonder (even though I thought I heard Phonte shout out Khrysis for the beat on "No Time To Chill"). Since he doesn't make wack beats, the only question mark was the rappers and they fill their lanes and do their thing for the most part. I think "Saved", "Brooklyn In My Mind", and "The Milky Lowa" are unquestionably dope. "Backlash" showcases an improved Sean Boog and Buckshot getting nice over a mellow creation. In my mind, "No Time To Chill" is the obvious standout on the entire album -- Little Brother do their thing and remind me of why I liked them to begin with. The Dream Merchant rarely disappoints with the roster picks and the end result is an album that will be in rotation for months.



The only drawback I can think of is the occasional boring rapper, but there really aren't any wack tracks to be found here. Not that I'm calling them wack, but "Merchant Of Dreams" (despite a great Chaundon verse), "Reminisce (Take Time)", "It Ain't Over", and "Shots" didn't do anything for the ears of this listener, but fans of 9th Wonder should dig them just fine.



The Dream Merchant Vol. 2 is an album that surprised me in a good way. 9th Wonder crafted some real winners on this release and gathered a solid roster to compliment them. It's an album that I recommend grabbing when you get a chance.



Standout Tracks: The Milky Lowa feat. Camp Lo, Brooklyn In My Mind feat. Mos Def, Jean Grae, & Memphis Bleek, Special [Remix] feat. Strange Fruit Project & Median, No Time To Chill feat. Little Brother (My Favorite), Sunday feat. Keisha Shontelle & Chaundon, Backlash feat. Sean Boog & Buckshot, and Saved feat. Saigon & Joe Scudda"

He's head and shoulders above the rest

Olukayode Balogun | Leeds, England | 11/09/2007

(4 out of 5 stars)

"9th Wonder came to my attention relatively recently, via Little Brother and two of their albums. 2002's The Listening and 2005's The Minstrel Show are among my top ten purchases of the last year or so and are already among my favourite albums of all time.



9th pulls the rabbit out of the hat again on this release but it is not as solid overall as his LB stuff (other reviewers have done a much better job with the specifics than I could ever do) and, judging from Getback, LB's new product which does not feature 9th Wonder's input, all I can conclude is that these three dudes are much better together than they are apart. I really hope they eventually put their differences aside and get back (no pun intended) to giving us the quality hip-hop we all know they are capable of.



In the meantime, I recommend this one. The lyrics do their best to earn the CD's Parental Advisory Warning sticker and I question the intelligence of some of the themes explored here (by the featured MCs) but this is, in my opinion, still head and shoulders above the vast majority of the stuff I see and hear on the Billboard charts, on MTV and on commercial urban radio. Well worth checking out. If only more people made this kind of quality hip-hop. This man obviously knows his classic music. I don't get the sense that he's one of those producers who only turns to the vinyl vaults looking for cool grooves whenever he needs to lay down some beats; I could be wrong but I truly believe this man loves his soul & funk intimately.



All the better for me. Personal fave tracks include: "Shots" featuring Big Dho & Sean Price; "Sunday!" featuring Keisha Shontelle & Chaundon; "No Time To Chill" featuring Little Brother; "It Ain't Over" featuring Jozeemo & Tyler Woods; "The Last Time" featuring Royce The 5'9, Vandalyzm & Naledge of the Midwest Wrecking Crew - The Chim The Lou & The D; "Saved" featuring Saigon & Joe Scudda; "Thank You" featuring D.O.X. & O-Dash and "You Wanna" featuring NBS. I got my money's worth, for sure."