2Pac,
All Eyez On Me Okay wow, this album is seriously amazing. I was put off by it's 2 hour runtime but it's so damn good that it doesn't matter. All of the 27 songs range from great to amazing with hard hitting wonderfully produced beats, solid hooks and of course the absolutely remarkable rapping of 2Pac. His flows on here are so satisfying, you can't help but love the aggressive high energy tone of his voice. The lyrics...oh my God there are some serious highlights and profound moments here.
"Life Goes On" is my favorite song of the bunch, it has so many show stopping lines and featuring the more reflective side of 2Pac like "Dear Momma". It's such a beautiful song, with the perfect sample, backing vocals and it gave me the chills. I'm not overstating it's one of the best Hip Hop songs I've ever heard, it's going to stay with me for a long time. "How Do U Want It" is my second favorite song here, I love the fast dirty lyrics and tone. The way 2Pac raps about sex is on a completely different level from any other rapper I've heard, there's something more charismatic and playful about it. Those songs like "Run Tha Streetz" and "Ratha Be Ya _" ended up being my favorite. The reflective tracks, lustful ones and light hearted party jams like "California Love" are contrasted by harder tracks like "Ambitionz Az A Ridah" and "No More Pain". The variety makes it enjoyable throughout. 2 Pac could deliver the emotions of every song so well, making you feel the meaning behind every line.
Disc 1 is amazing song to song. It's perfectly sequenced and well balanced without any bad songs. Disc 2 is steady, it gets in a groove of similar songs but the last five tracks are expectational. There are not as many highlights on Disc 2 but it's still really solid. Nothing feels bad or out of place on this entire album.
I haven't listened to Hip Hop very much at all in the last few years but this album has absolutely everything I like about the genre, it's almost perfect! 2Pac's rapping is irresistible, you can't stop listening once he goes, and it's made me want to listen to the album again after finishing it! This thing is nearly 5 stars, just fantastic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jB4t4-4xHPA Ooooooohhh... On the TLC Tip I've never given TLC a chance so I figured I'd start with the first album. This is a pretty dated one and not really in a good way. I don't like the production, it's busy and cluttered and the vocals don't sit very well. The girls don't come through as clear as they should over the New Jack Swing style instrumentals. I like the energy and attitude, it starts off on the Hip Hop side but goes more towards R&B towards the end. There's some decent moments like "Hat 2 da Back", "Das Da Way We Like 'Em", "His Story" and the ballads at the end like "Baby-Baby-Baby". I like the messages and everything on here but the music is just...okay. I'm expecting more out of the CrazySexyCool album, this seems like a stepping stone. Not bad but nothing overly special. I'm not in a rush to listen to it again.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q2H6pTtEVlo Nas,
Stillmatic Wow, this album comes out swinging! "Stillmatic (The Intro)" clearly states Nas' intentions for the album and for the rest of the track list he fires off great verse after great verse with a real impassioned delivery. "Ether" is such an aggressive diss track, every line is sizzling! It's a complete and utter decimation of Jay-Z. "One Mic" is such a dark track with a boiling intensity. It's the most stunning song on the album, Nas explodes and then slowly eases off at the end of the last verse. My favorite track is "Rule", his flow is so cathartic and the Tears For Fears sample is perfect. "What Goes Around" is a real attention grabber, amazing verses. This one lyric is, to me, the best on the whole album. "
Life is short is what some _ said, not if you measure life by how one lives and what he did".
The production is great and I love the overall spirit of Stillmatic. Nas is making a strong statement song after song and there are tons of stand outs. I really enjoyed this one, and it's good to listen to something from Nas besides Illmatic. These song sounds timeless because of his remarkable lyrics and clear aggressive delivery.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IpPHRIWxaKs Outkast,
ATLiens This is an interesting album, maybe it needs a few more listens from me though. It didn't connect with me or really move me in any way. I think there is something about this album that isn't so direct and in your face like Stillmatic and All Eyez On Me, so it's not really what I'm personally looking for. "Wheelz of Steel" is fantastic, I love the trade offs in the verses and the flow. "E.T." is solid as well. Otherwise the songs came and went. Not bad, but on first listen I have little to say.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Xju1Wavoc