Different Rhythms Different People - Us3, Simpson, M.
It's Like That - Us3, Parker
Just Another Brother - Us3, Hubbard
Cruisin' - Us3, Kelly, Rahsaan
I Go to Work - Us3, Monk, Thelonious
Tukka Yoot's Riddim - Us3, Covay, Don
Know Ledge of Self - Us3, Kelly, Rahsaan
Lazy Day - Us3, Powell, Kobia
Eleven Long Years - Us3, Hancock, Herbie
Make Tracks - Us3, Powell, Kobia
The Darkside - Us3, Kelly, Rahsaan
Hip-hop/jazzers Us3 have forged the most elaborate union between the styles since the early days of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. Blue Note's vast catalog gives them a huge advantage over several similar groups in t... more »erms of source material. Classic sounds by Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock provide zest and fiber to their narratives. When words and music mesh, as on "Cantaloop" or "The Darkside," Us3 show how effectively hip-hop and jazz can blend. US3:
Mel Simpson - keyboards (programming)
Geoff Wilkinson - (samples, scratches, programming)« less
Hip-hop/jazzers Us3 have forged the most elaborate union between the styles since the early days of Gang Starr and A Tribe Called Quest. Blue Note's vast catalog gives them a huge advantage over several similar groups in terms of source material. Classic sounds by Art Blakey, Horace Silver and Herbie Hancock provide zest and fiber to their narratives. When words and music mesh, as on "Cantaloop" or "The Darkside," Us3 show how effectively hip-hop and jazz can blend. US3:
Mel Simpson - keyboards (programming)
Geoff Wilkinson - (samples, scratches, programming)
Gery M. (gerysm) from LILBURN, GA Reviewed on 10/9/2006...
The first song alone is worth the price of admission!
CD Reviews
The Reason for Mixed Reviews
John Kearns | Baltimore, MD United States | 03/01/2004
(4 out of 5 stars)
"It appears to me that much of the criticism of this album comes from people who were expecting different. Rap fans who were looking for a great rap album were disappointed. And Jazz fans who despise rap were disappointed. But if you take this album for what it is, a true blend of hip hop and jazz, then you won't be disappointed at all. As jazz fans, you'll enjoy hearing familiar sounds of the samples that groove, and as hip hop fans you will enjoy the soothing flow of the rhyming. This album grooves people."
Support the beginning of jazz-rap
Henry Cooper | Atlanta, GA | 01/08/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"No jazz or rap fan should live w/o this. I don't understand why ya'll be hatin' on this album even tho it's good or it's not. I call this a classic 'cuz it shows a new level of the jazz legendaries we grew up around us. That's why a lot of people are dissin' on hip-hop 2day b/c it shows no mercy but lackness. I have love for dem cats right here.
Fav. picks: Cantaloop (Flip Fantasia), I Got it Goin' On, It's Like That, Just Another Brother, Tukka Yoot's Riddim, Knowledge of Self
This is recommended along with all of Guru's Jazzmatazz albums, all Tribe classic albums, Do You Want More??!!?!, Illadelph Halfline and Things Fall Apart by the Roots, Resurrection, 1 Day It'll All Make Sense, and Like Water for Chocolate by Common, The Antidote and The Quiet Revolution by Ronny Jordan, The Rebirth of Cool Series (all volumes, depends which one is better) and especially Heavens by the Martytroyd Trio. Definitely a Must-Have 2 date."
Clever mix of hip hop & Jazz- served with bits of cheese
radioactive_lemming | 01/11/2000
(3 out of 5 stars)
"I don't intend to downgrade this album. I really like parts. The instrumental parts. The musical heart of Us3, Mel Simpson and Geoff Wilkinson, snipped, looped and blended well crafted musical songs out of the golden vault of truly classic Jazz Blue Note Records still owns. The rap gets- well...annoying and too damn cheesey. The music has staying power mainly because of the source material used as musical structure. The rap sounds dated and paper thin lyrically in the year 2000. For a sound that sounds fresher check out Guru's Jazzamatazz. Its what this album wanted to be, but Us3 added too many trends to date the sound."
Stunning.
kilgore22 | Madison, IN | 01/03/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"I don't even listen to much rap. The music I've been listening to as of late, other than US3, are bands like Moe., String Cheese Incident, Neil Young, CSNY, James Brown, Allman Brothers Band, Radiohead, Talking Heads, Grateful Dead, and a lot of singer-songwriters such as Bob Dylan, Jim Croce, Don McLean, and so on and so forth. The point is this: it doesn't matter what you're into, just give this album a shot. I see that there are a lot of used CDs for sale on amazon for a very cheap price. Give US3 a shot and see what you think."
Great rap cd for a white guy
Scott B. Saul | COOPER CITY, FL USA | 03/08/2000
(4 out of 5 stars)
"I never appreciated rap until I heard this cd. It is very good. The rap lyrics acts as a percussive element towarsd the music rather than as a centerpiece. It is the first example of how sampling and technology has done something positive for music rather than cheapen it. Hardcore rap fans will probably find it illegit but I found this music to be a breath of fresh air. If you are a rock music fan and want to sample just one rap album try this one or Digital Underground's Sex Packets"