Apr 11, 2017

The Listening means more to me because it reminds me of the transition from high school to college but I think The Minstrel Show is technically superior. Production, concepts, skits. Fav tracks: Not Enough, Hiding Place, Lovin' It, All For You, We Got Now.

Got to see them perform "Lovin' It" live with Joe Scudda, that was real dope. I think Phonte and Big Pooh signed my copy (I've never met 9th) at Fat Beats.

I think it's somewhere between 4 and 5 (out of 5) rating wise.

 

Apr 11, 2017

Apple Music - Google Music -Spotify - Tidal

Themes

The album has a running concept based on a fictional television network called "UBN" (U Black n----s Network), which is a satire of stereotypical programs and advertisements for African Americans. For example, on "Cheatin", Phonte (performing under his alter-ego "Percy Miracles"), spoofs the over-dramatic R&B sagas performed by singers such as R. Kelly and Ronald Isley. Many of the skits contain tongue-in-cheek references to black pop-culture in the United States.

Controversy

For many reasons, the furor surrounding The Minstrel Show overshadowed the music itself. On August 16, 2005, hip hop magazine The Source's Editor-in-Chief, Joshua "Fahiym" Ratcliffe, announced his retirement due to conflicting opinions on the rating The Minstrel Show was to receive in the next issue of the publication. According to Ratcliffe, his original rating of 4.5 (out of 5) was reduced to 4 by the magazine's Chief Brand Executive, Raymond "Benzino" Scott and CEO Dave Mays because Ratcliffe gave then-upcoming artist Young Jeezy a rating of 4. After they refused to change the rating back to 4.5 he decided to step down from his editorial position. For his part, Benzino admitted at the time of questioning, that he had yet to listen to the album for himself and had no problem with Ratcliffe's original rating.

While this may have built up anticipation for the album, another more serious obstacle reared its head when the entertainment network BET (Black Entertainment Television) refused to play the group's video for the single, "Lovin' It", allegedly because they deemed it "too intelligent". Michael Lewellen, a publicist and program director for BET, responded, "It's not true, not in that context. BET reserves the right to show or not to show music videos of any type based on the network's own standards and decision-making processes." In a portion of the video, the group lightly pokes fun at the different stylistic aspects of hip hop subgenres such as "gangsta", "backpack", "earthy" and "icy". The rest of it sees them performing to a zealous crowd.

Reviews

A.V. Club: A
HipHopDX: 4.5/5
Pitchfork: 6.0/10

Spoiler

@RateThisAlbum