Gutter Water

by Gangrene (The Alchemist and Oh No)

I think you should, if you are at all familiar with the underground hip-hop of the last decade, be able to look at this album cover and the names on it, and know exactly what this project is.

The Alchemist, who I always associate with groups like Dilated Peoples and the Beat Junkies, teams up with Oh No, the accomplished beat maker, so-so rapper, and less famous little brother (of Madlib) to put together these fifteen tracks.

The result is just about as gutter as the ugly album cover.  They fill this disk with nasty beats, and, to be honest, completely forgettable rhymes.  Some of the featured rappers aren't able to add anything to the proceedings (Roc C, Evidence, MED, Planet Asia), while the more talented (Raekwon, Fashawn, Guilty Simpson) aren't able to do much with the material.

When I type that, it sounds like I don't like this cd. The truth is, I'm pretty indifferent to it, except to say that it works as some decent head-nodding background music.  I'd rather see Oh No do something on the level of Dr. No's Oxperiment than this again.

Born Like This

by DOOM

I'm not sure how to approach this album, which is the reason why I haven't attempted to write about it before now. I bought this when it first came out, played the hell out of it for a few days, and then promptly forgot it. Doom's first album in years could have easily dropped in 2004. Aside from a very ill-advised autotune hook (on 'Supervillainz'), there is nothing on this disc to show that time has moved forward.

Doom is spitting the same fire he always does, except now it seems like his flow has become monotonous, and his puerile jokes even more puerile and inconsequential (I'm looking at you 'Batty Boyz').

Beat-wise, there's not a lot to be excited about either. There are a few recycled beats ('Lightworks' always sounds good, but again, it's 2009; 'That's That' uses a favourite Special Herb, and 'Angelz' was like my favourite song of whatever year it first came out), and others that just sound like the standard Doom fare. Jake One understands Doom's aesthetic, and provides four decent tracks, although I like Madlib's better. The villain rounds out the production himself, except for one other Dilla joint.

The thing about this album is that individually, many of the songs are very strong. Arranged together, as they are here, they tend to cancel one another out, and become a little boring.

In terms of guest shots, Raekwon and Slug both provide killer verses, although Slug gets a little drowned out in the mediocrity of the people he shares his track with (who the hell is Mobonix? The Lego Moby?). I was hoping for a lot more from this album, but then, I think that's how people generally feel about Doom these days, so I shouldn't be surprised.

I will give full props to whoever designed the album art. It's clearly the same people who do work for Jneiro Jarel, and it looks great.

Jay Stay Paid

by J Dilla

I've never been a big fan of projects made up of posthumous work of an artist, especially when those projects were conceived after the artist's death. They too often lack heart, and feel more like a cash-grab than anything else.

This project is different though, and I think that is completely due to the fact that Pete Rock is billed as 'Music Supervisor'. He manages to make sure that the 28 tracks here coordinate with each other, and that they bring honor to Dilla's legacy.

There are a variety of things to be found on this album. Some tracks are brand new Dilla instrumentals, while others feature more familiar Dilla beats, with new vocals laid down by a variety of artists. We get to hear from people who were often associated with Dilla, like Phat Kat, Frank Nitty, and Illa J (although that's a bit of a posthumous association still), but also from artist that we only wish Dilla had had more chances to work with, like Havoc, (MF) Doom, Black Thought, and Raekwon. I'd say the Doom and Black Thought tracks are worth the purchase of this disk alone.

I hope there aren't too many more Dilla projects in the pipe. As much as I respect the man, and miss his music, too much output now will simply water down his memory. This album is a fitting memorial, and works nicely as Dilla's final word.