Search - Blueprint :: 1988

Capturing the magic of the best year in hip-hop

Alan Pounds | Minneapolis, MN | 03/31/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"As usual, Rhymesayers Entertainment doesn't disappoint. I've been anxiously awaiting this release for awhile. "1988 pays homage to the beats, breaks and themes of possibly the most revered year in Hip Hop, 1988" (description from Rhymesayers.com). Sure, all MCs have been heavily influenced by the golden age of hip-hop. A time when every record was groundbreaking. A time when styles were invented with each release. Everything that made those albums brilliant, has been captured beautifully on Blueprint's "1988". Lyrics were on the forefront of classic hip-hop albums, which is apparent on "1988" as well. The revolutionary advances in turntablism on albums such as Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow The Leader", and Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" may seem a bit tame to new age ears. Blueprint uses samples and scratching very reminiscent of that time, and still keeps the beats fresh with the bells and whistles 2005 has to offer. Aside from that, Blueprint's dynamite flow is very old-school. It should also be pointed out that he wrote, produced and recorded nearly this entire record. Blueprint definitely has the tools and personality to do the golden age of hip-hop justice.



The thing that makes this album so reminiscent of the year 1988, are the stories, and riveting social commentary. Here's the play by play:



1. Introduction - a nice 30 sec. intro



2. Anything Is Possible - Starts of with an old Rick Ruben beat (LL Cool J, I think), Everything about this song is old school, but were still in the introduction area.



3. 1988 - This song is one of my favorites. The beat is tight and the lyrics are very old-school. He takes on that cocky "battle me" B-Boy quite well.



4. Inner-City-Native-Son - This song tells a story of a troubled teen, growing up in the city, exposed to guns, crack dealers, then eventually ends up living a life of crime, then his mom finds out...oh snap!



5. Tramp - This is definitely a standout track. It features a sweet looping guitar beat, and a story expressing the fact that his girlfriend is a tramp. The flow and timing on this track is sweet.



6. Boombox - It's undeniable that old-school rappers boast about their talent as MCs. Blueprint is no exception; his flow changes up here nice, reminiscent of Rakim (with a name drop). There is also a pretty funny lyric that goes "Fu*k hip-hop, I'm easy listenin'".



7. Trouble on My Mind - This song is lyrically my favorite. He raps about the struggles of starting his own record label; working so hard and not making any money. He even disses independent labels.



8. Lo-Fi Funk (Featuring Aesop Rock) - This one is also one of my favorites. Aesop doesn't flow much here; he basically takes care of the chorus, which is still cool. This one definitely has a dope beat.



9. Big Girls Need Love Too - The title says it all. He tells a story about how much he loves his fat girlfriend, which is why he keeps feeding her. Great song, but maybe a few more details then we need. It also features a sample from Digital Underground's "The Humpty Dance".



10. Fresh - Pretty much boasting about his mad skills. He backs it up nicely.



11. Where's Your Girlfriend At? - A tale of how he's gonna steal someone else's girl. The flows are sweet on this one.



12. Kill Me First - The beat on this one sounds very familiar, although I can't put my finger on it. It includes some Richard Pryor sound bites.



13. Liberated - One of the greatest tracks on the album. A dope beat and sweet lyrics close the album out with a bang."

Good Album

C. Misik | Edmonton, Alberta, Canada | 05/14/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Nice album...I enjoyed.



Kill Me First samples a piece of classical music (a Prelude by Rachmaninoff), which I very much appreciated."