Search - J-Live :: Hear After

The Demise of a Former Great - 3 Stars

withthebeatzwiththerhymez | 09/01/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

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When you come to J-Live, you come for lyrics. The ten-year veteran of the underground rap game - who received praise from The Source's Unsigned Hype column before dropping his first single, "Longevity," in 1996 - knows this. "Before bills get paid, skills get honed, you can't get that? Might as well get gone," Live warns on the album's opener, "Here."



As a self-proclaimed "triple threat," J takes pride in the fact that he writes, produces, and scratches most of his songs. But his reluctance to enlist outside producers, such as "Best Part" alumni Pete Rock and DJ Premier, is what paralyses "The Hear After" into mediocrity.



Unlike his previous effort, "All Of The Above," where J was able to tackle the bulk of production and still sound fresh, "The Hear After" sounds underproduced and dated. An above-average street narrative on "Sidewalks" is ruined by a mid-90s throwaway synth. Despite potential in the song title, "Do My Thing" is a dreadful attempt at a Swizz Beatz-meets-Dr. Dre collabo, where newcomers Cvees rehash generic lines like "put the chrome piece to your dome piece." These tracks aren't quite as painful as "After," though, with its random guitar licks, choppy bass line and carelessly throw-in horn stabs.



And so, predictably, the listener is forced to focus on J's lyrics. On the aforementioned "Sidewalks," he blasts the current New York City rap scene dominated by emcees trying to emulate Jay-Z. "I've seen people influenced by the next man's flow, to the point that it controls where they content go. But if there's eight million stories and a handful of rappers, we can't all be pimps, players and gun clappers," he laments. "Brooklyn Public Part 1" deserves points for its sheer originality, as J pays homage to both the public school system and his former career as an elementary school teacher: "Welcome to Brooklyn Public, one of the hardest places to work, so please don't apply unless you really love it. It's not a 9-5, or rather 8-3, it's really 5-9 A-P, if it's your job: place nothing above it."



Live then gets back to what he does best - criticizing society - on the album's strongest cut, "Weather The Storm." He shifts from domestic problems ("schools lack, the prisons is packed, insurance is wack, the simple rights remain under attack") to individualism ("whatever your country's cream is, the theme is fukk yours, give me mine, it seems") to foreign policy ("we on a world tour against Mohammad my man, with a constitution, bible, and a gat in his hands") effortlessly, reminding listeners of why they first got into J-Live.



When all's said and done though, "The Hear After" will be remembered as a disappointment. Eerily, J predicts the demise of his lackluster career as a result of his stubbornness on the album's closer, "After": "The entrance was too long, the exit was too short, but it's my way or the highway, so fukk what you thought." Hopefully this former great won't have to settle for irrelevance.

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Beats, Rhymes, and Live (4 Stars)

Norfeest | Washington DC USA | 09/04/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"J-Live returns with his 2005 release The Hear After. The results vary, but for the most part, the songs are tight. There are bangers on the album like "Harder", "Whoever", and "Aaw Yeah". You can also expect J to flip words and paint pictures like he's been known to do on tracks like "Audio Visual" and "Listening". To me, this is his strength. But if you're into J-Live, then you know that the lyrical aspect of the album will be on point and he doesn't disappoint on this album. Two thumbs up for the content.



As far as shortcomings, there are a few, but there aren't necessarily any wack songs. There are some beats that don't quite fit J (Do My Thing) and there a few forgettable tracks. Tracks like "Fire Water" and "The Sidewalks" are good, but they have a sleep inducing effect. They aren't wack, but they are a little slow/boring. But aside from a few boring tracks and a few weak beats, the rest of the album is tight.



As a whole, The Hear After is more than worth purchasing. J-Live's rhymes are always on point. The problem is that the production on some of the tracks isn't up to par (especially for J's standards). It's definitely one of the better 2005 rap releases though and would make a solid addition to any CD collection.



Standout Tracks: Listening feat. Kola Rock, Aaw Yeah, Audio Visual, Coming Home feat. Dwele, Whoever (My Favorite), Weather The Storm, Harder, & After

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