Most rap producers and their Roland keyboard mama?s wish they could ply their verbal wares on the mic, while their emcee counterparts often jones to twiddle a knob or two (or 24). So what happens when two of rap?s most ren... more »egade producers flip rhymes over each other?s beats for a full album? For starters, you get a whole heap of possibilities as to where hip hop can go sonically. On the Madlib-laced "The Official," the distorted bass lines and grimy drums are sure to make the jiggy, jaded, and conscious bob their head unremittingly. While Jay Dee (Dilla) rhetorically raps "and who says producers ain?t s?posed to rap?" on "The Mission," he doesn?t exactly do a great job disproving this theory on "Heavy" or "Mcnasty Filth" alongside his more talented Motown protégés Frank and Dank. Madlib is arguably the better emcee of the two, but not by much, as he?s just had more time to practice honing his mic skill with his numerous alter egos like the helium-voiced Quasimoto who appears on "Re act." Beats-wise, the album is borderline first-rate as Madlib and Dilla appear to be digging heavily in the Classical Indian music crates for inspiration. The sounds of Bollywood (Bolly?hood?) weave their way in and out of the title track and "Survival Test." No one wants to hear an album mostly filled with half-baked boasts and largely forgettable tales of female seduction. Thus, conceptually this dream project would have been even dreamier if they had enlisted the talents of Mos Def, Black Thought, or Pharoahe Monch. Yes, the sounds are of a champion, but the rhymes are more like the Los Angeles Clippers. --Dalton Higgins« less
Most rap producers and their Roland keyboard mama?s wish they could ply their verbal wares on the mic, while their emcee counterparts often jones to twiddle a knob or two (or 24). So what happens when two of rap?s most renegade producers flip rhymes over each other?s beats for a full album? For starters, you get a whole heap of possibilities as to where hip hop can go sonically. On the Madlib-laced "The Official," the distorted bass lines and grimy drums are sure to make the jiggy, jaded, and conscious bob their head unremittingly. While Jay Dee (Dilla) rhetorically raps "and who says producers ain?t s?posed to rap?" on "The Mission," he doesn?t exactly do a great job disproving this theory on "Heavy" or "Mcnasty Filth" alongside his more talented Motown protégés Frank and Dank. Madlib is arguably the better emcee of the two, but not by much, as he?s just had more time to practice honing his mic skill with his numerous alter egos like the helium-voiced Quasimoto who appears on "Re act." Beats-wise, the album is borderline first-rate as Madlib and Dilla appear to be digging heavily in the Classical Indian music crates for inspiration. The sounds of Bollywood (Bolly?hood?) weave their way in and out of the title track and "Survival Test." No one wants to hear an album mostly filled with half-baked boasts and largely forgettable tales of female seduction. Thus, conceptually this dream project would have been even dreamier if they had enlisted the talents of Mos Def, Black Thought, or Pharoahe Monch. Yes, the sounds are of a champion, but the rhymes are more like the Los Angeles Clippers. --Dalton Higgins
CD Reviews
Two great producers equals one good CD
Scott Woods | Columbus, Ohio United States | 10/12/2003
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The concept is deceptively simple: one great hip-hop producer raps over the beats of the another great hip-hop producer, and they inverse the method and split the record pretty much down the middle. If this were a couple of round-the-way producers that blow up on MTV every other day, this would raise about as much sand as the stale Jay-Z/R. Kelly "Best of Both Worlds" flop. Fortunately, we're offered an exciting match-up between one of hip-hop's most unsung beat-heros (Jay Dee - Slum Village, Tribe Called Quest, etc.) and one of hip-hop's freshest musical voice in years (Madlib - the Blue Note "Shades of Blue" re-imagining, as well as rapping alter ego Quasimoto). Putting these two crate diggers in a studio together for the length of a record is akin to putting Pharoah Snders and Lonnie Liston Smith in a studio for a month and saying, "Have at". Their styles are that distinct.Neither of these guys gets the props they deserve in the overall hip-hop community (Jay Dee should be living in Puffy's house if success came down to sheer button-pushing, beat-drawing talent and Madlib should be driving off with no less than five of Jermaine Dupri's Bentleys), and it is this underground freedom that opens the door for all of the potential in the world. Yet, it is this same freedom that hamstrings the album in spots. Make no mistake: Madlib brings the more diverse, ludicrously original music to this project, while much of Jay Dee's beat offerings are re-visited territory. Still good stuff, but not as mind-blowingly refreshing as his partner's action.Lyrically, the album is fun when it isn't taking barely satricial swipes at club gangsterism (the key word being "barely", meaning I'm not sure if they're satirizing it or if they actually intend to sell these stories in the same vein and path as the stories they're similar to). They've kept the guest appearances to a minimum, which pushes both of the artists to the limits of their expression. Madlib is forced to take a decidedly less jazz-oriented approach to the music for the record to be cohesive, while Jay Dee has to take on a lot of lyrical weight here he isn't exactly touted for any other time.All in all, we are left with a pretty darn good hip-hop record.
fans of Madlib who come to this will miss some of the fuzzy lo-fi jazz that is his stock in trade, but will find enough here to keep them playing it. Fans of Jay Dee's work can't lose; they will have hit the motherlode here in the accumulation of even more of Jay Dee's trademark-funky beats, but also in having uncovered another incredibly original cat in Madlib."
Christen your car stereo to these beats
B | houston, tx | 01/13/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This album is the kind of collaboration that is more of a competition, featuring both producers trying to outdo each other with loud, bass heavy, head bobbing, all-out dope beats. Jay Dilla is known for his soulful Detroit bounce, and Madlib (here, at least) employs a kind of wobbly, throbbing, jazz sound. They are both going for similar things in production, sometimes going the far east route, sometimes taking jazz loops or mangled soul loops, but usually relying on the thumping drum tracks instead of rich musical loops. If you like these guys' work, you will enjoy the beats.
The rhymes are okay. Neither one of these guys try to push boundaries as far as subject matter. They talk about how good the music is, how dangerous Detroit and LA are, and complain about how women want things in return for sex. The guests are a little better than Jay Dilla and Madlib (Quasimoto makes a couple visits too), but even the incredibly skilled Talib Kweli doesn't deliver any lyrical depth.
But even though the rhymes were thrown together, the album is bangin, and that is what it was supposed to be. Not a classic, and maybe not something that will stay in rotation for several years. But the beats are how."
The album title says it all
W. Turesky | East Amherst, NY USA | 04/01/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I'm gonna get right to the point, This CD is amazing. It is a CD put together by two producers, so everyone saying how bad the lyrics are, its not really about the lyrics. The Beats are sick, nuff said. This CD, production wise, blows anything away. No matter what kind of Rap/Hiphop fan you are, I'm sure you will like this CD. But I do have to say this CD has grown on me, if you are a first time listener, be aware. It could give you a weird vibe at first. Check it out."
"Try Again"
Patrick J. Montalvo | Florida , repin BX ! | 01/21/2007
(3 out of 5 stars)
"Hey, Red Ant-I dont know what hood UR from but you better check your ears for excess wax-kid. I agree this album aint that great and I agree on your selections but YO! how did you not like "Nasty Mcfilth"? Ya'll betta do your homework and dig deep cause that shhhh right there is fire. The beat is sick and J.Ds flow is crazy on this joint. My opion, "Nasty Mcfilth" is the illest track on the album. You betta listen again. R.I.P J-Dilla, your a god with the beats, definitely up there with Primo,Pete Rock and the rest. OUT!"
R.I.P. Dilla, If you want ill Beats, and dope rhymes cop it!
Kareem | New York, Queens | 02/22/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First off iv'e been seeing lots of negative vibes twords this album.Real "reconize" real. And Dilla and Lib Are definatly real. These beats are so good you can really hear Lib hittin those drums hard. This is true hip hop not that lolipop garbage that you hear on Hot97. I usually pick out the best tracks but for "Champion Sound" you really don't need to. The whole album is dope!"
Track Listings (17) - Disc #1