May 28, 2025 at 7:31 PM

262. Jay-Z - The Dynasty: Roc La Familia (2000) [May 28th, 2025]

The often overlooked 5th Jay-Z album. A lot of people disregard The Dynasty... by relegating it as a Roc-A-Fella compilation record....which it is, but it's still a d--- good record.

The intro is one of Jay's best tracks, and the beginning lines are legendary

The theme song to The Sopranos
Plays in the key of life on my mental piano
Got a strange way of seeing life, like
I'm Stevie Wonder with beads under the do-rag


"Change the Game" is another great track with an awesome beat, and the Neptunes produced "I Just Wanna Love U..." is such a vibe man. Kanye has his first big production credit on "This Can't Be Life" which also has one of Scarface's best and most emotional verses. "Guilty Until Proven Innocent" is a great collab with the Pied Piper of R&B Robert Kelly, even if the title aged really badly. "Squeeze 1st" is a great solo track near the end, and "Where Have You Been" is a nice, emotional closer from Hov and Beans.

Aside from Jay, the Roc-A-Fella members hold their own, although it is pretty funny that Amil went from having 3 prominent features on Vol. 3, to having a single incredibly forgettable verse on this one. I think The Dynasty..., is still a great record, and a must listen for any Jay fan

 

May 29, 2025 at 4:54 PM

Redux #2. Ghostface Killah - Fishscale (2006) [May 29th, 2025]

(I wish the OG cover with the fish would've been kept)
I feel like my original review of Fishscale didn't really do the record justice, so here is the second redux review!!!

As great as 36 Chambers is, the strength of the Wu solo albums is what really solidifies their legend, for me at least. Classics like Liquid Swords, Only Built 4 Cuban Linx, etc. For many of the Wu's members though, the first wave of Wu solos held their best effort. GZA, Raekwon, Method Man, and so on, had decent records afterward, but most never achieved the quality of their mid 90's works,

Except for Ghost.

I'm pretty mixed on Ironman actually, but having a record like Supreme Clientele under your belt is a remarkable achievement, and Fishscale is amazing as well, The production credits on this record are insane. Pete Rock, J Dilla, Just Blaze, MF DOOM, and so on. "Shakey Dog" is an incredible intro, and having it be followed up by perfect songs like "Kilo" and "The Champ" is insane. "9 Milli Bros" is remarkable for having every single Wu member, and as a big Donuts fan, it's really cool to hear Ghost rapping over Dilla's beats on "Beauty Jackson" and "Whip You With A Strap". After the Ne-Yo collab, the albums does hit a bit of a lull with the exception of "Clipse of Doom", but as a whole, I think that Fishscale is an amazing album, and it's definitely the best post 2000 Wu Tang record in my eyes

 

May 30, 2025 at 7:10 PM

263. Ice Cube - Death Certificate (1991) [May 30th, 2025]

Cube's magun opus, and one of the angriest hip hop records ever made.

Ice Cube has already proven his skill on records like Straight Outta Compton and AmeriKKKa's Most Wanted, but Death Certificate shows him at peak. There are very few records that can encapsulate centuries of anger and discrimination as much as this record. The Life side begins the album off with some incredible tracks. "The Wrong n----- to f--- Wit" is an incredibly explosive intro, and tracks like "My Summer Vacation" and "Steady Mobbin' are literally perfect. "Givin' Up The Nappy Dug Out" is probably the catchiest song ever written about f---ing a Catholic minor, and "Alive on Arrival" is one of the best storytelling tracks ever made.

The Death side is where the album really shines for me however. "I Wanna k--- Sam" perfectly lays out Cube's hatred for the American government, and the anti-white "Horny Lil Devil" is one of the most impactful rap songs that I've ever heard. "Black Korea" is pretty controversial, but I feel that it works pretty well in the context of the record, and "True to the Game" is an incredibly prescient track all things considered.

The two closing tracks are absolutely incredible as well. "Us" depicts Cube's frustrations about the black community, and the ways that white america keeps holding it back, and it's an incedibly powerful outro. "No Vaseline" is definitely an outlier due to it's subject matter, but it's still one of the best Hip Hop songs, period.

Dropping 6 months before the start of the LA riots, Death Certificate is a testament of the frustrations felt by black Americans in the early 90's, and Cube does an incredible job when it comes to integrating his anger into his rhymes. A must listen for any rap fan.