Search - DJ Khaled :: We the Best (Clean)

Beat Novakane Indeed {2 ½ Stars}

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 07/19/2007

(2 out of 5 stars)

""DJ" Khaled's sophomore effort is pretty easy to break down. Dude is trying too hard to come off hard and it's having the opposite effect on him. He looks more and more lame after every track. It's albums like this that make me say that rap is a lot like pro wrestling -- exaggerated and fake. "Brown Paper Bag" features Young Jeezy, Juelz Santana, Rick Ross, Fat Joe, Lil' Wayne & Dre (of Cool & Dre) on what is easily the corniest song of '07. I mean, have you ever seen or heard a guy trying so hard to prove how hard they are that they end up sounding or looking like a clown? Well that song, and so many of the other tracks on this album are like that. That's what makes this album so silly. Some will say I'm hating on the south, but this album could've come from Canada and it would've still been terrible. I'm still on my crusade to have Rick Ross placed in front of a firing squad because he's been garbage from day one. He alone is responsible for 3 or 4 songs going from "okay" to "doo doo" and he almost ruined "We Takin' Over". Anything Rick Ross doesn't destroy gets finished off by Baby aka Birdman. Him and Ross manage to soil too many songs to make purchasing this a good idea. It would also help a lot if Khaled would quit screaming "we the best" on every track. I'm not talking like once or twice either. He starts almost every song off with it and there are tracks where he says it at least 10 times. Another gripe of mine is that the large number of guests seems like overkill. Again, he's trying too hard.



The best songs on the album are the ones where Khaled abandons the formula and tries something different. Despite a hit and miss hook and Khaled's constant yapping, I found "Before The Solution" quite enjoyable after hearing Beanie Sigel unload over some dope production. "The Originators" is another interesting track that features Bone Thugs-N-Harmony. The problem with the good songs is that Khaled has to run his mouth for 45 seconds before the start of every song.



We The Best is actually one of the worst releases of 2007. It's generic, recycled material that anyone with even a little bit of common sense can see right through. Generic, thoughtless song titles, drugs, guns, jewels, lame rappers....I mean, this is straight up by the book factory rap. I see why he calls himself Beat Novakane now....my brain feels numb after hearing this. I recommend downloading the singles and steering clear of this sorry excuse for an album.



Standout Tracks: We Takin' Over (Remix) feat. Akon, R. Kelly, T-Pain, Lil Kim & Young Jeezy, Hit 'Em Up feat. Bun B & Paul Wall, The Originators feat. Bone Thugs-N-Harmony, and We Takin' Over feat. T.I., Akon, Birdman, Lil' Wayne, Fat Joe & Rick Ross"