2003: Best Rap Albums

Those rascals in Zion I chose to start this album with a few boring overtly commercial sounding tracks, making me terrified that the west coasts brightest modern star was history within two albums. But as soon as Finger Paint starts up you know everythings gonna be just fine. And sure enough the rest of the album is sublime rhyming and the usual wizardly trippy beats you can expect from Amp Live. While most of Zion I's albums go for a single unified sound and style, this one instead is a wonderful compilation of all sorts of different sounds and styles. There's fuzzy funk rock on "Finger Paint", an almost southern soul sound with "Kharma", arabic stuff "Dune", and exciting uplifting electronic music "Mind Blow". And don't forget the two "hidden bonus" tracks which are fantastic integral parts of the whole and should not be written off as not actually being part of the procedings. When many of the other West Coast Renaissance new acts were starting to sag it's wonderful to see one of the best of the bunch still forging their path straight ahead.

Rating: 4
Highlights: Finger Paint, Kharma, Boom Bip, Mind Blow

Aha! This is finally the Canibus album I've wanted all along, or as close as we're probably gonna get anyway. After his long string of disappointing albums from a guy who was supposed to be the next big thing (in 98') Canibus decided to just up and join the military. I guess he was fed up with music, but not enough that he didn't record a bunch of vocals and hand them off to newfound friend Stoup the Mankind, the producer in Jedi Mind Tricks himself. It's ironic on multiple levels. One, that Stoupe ends up making some of the best beats of his career but not on the JMT album of 03' which was a dud. Two, that Canibus threw his music career off just as his vague last manuvers result in his first truly great album. Stoupe makes some of those wonderful epic beats you would expect to be the soundtrack of a hip-hop take on Ancient Rome or something, and it adds an almost fittingly gladiatorial feel to Canibus's rhymes. His best album beyond question, and a fantastic aside for Jedi Mind Tricks fans as well.

Rating: 4
Highlights: Genabis, No Return, Indibisible, Poet Laureate II

If De La Soul weren't already the greatest rap act, then it would be Outkast. Hell even De La Soul hasn't had the consistency of Outkast, when this is your worst album you know you're an amazing act. The basic problem here is that they've essentially made solo albums and packaged them as one. While Big Boi stays within the hip hop sphere making more classic Dungeon Fam material, Andre flies off into wacky soul territory. Both sides are interesting but I can't help but wish they tried meshing them. Not just the tracks on display, but had meshed what they were both as not Big Boi or Andre tracks, but as Outkast tracks. Of course the big question is which is better? Well, and I'm not trying to be neutral but, I think they're both equal. Big Boi's has the classic sound, but it misses Dre's quirkiness, and Dre's side misses Big Boi's anchor of sticking down into the hip-hop world. What's most amazing though is that even while the Crunk legions pulled a coup on Atlanta, Outkast managed without ANY concessions to them, to make the biggest hit album of their career. Bam.

Rating: 4
Highlights: GhettoMusick, Bust, Roses, A Life in the Day of Benjamin Andre

"I know I said KRS had some sort of magic about him last time, but nothing lasts forever."............. go to youtube or whatever and put "Gunnen Em Down" in the search. Please listen. You done? Welcome back. So you see. You see that ....well...damn. Goddamn. Absolute goddamn. There is a reason that KRS-1 is considered one of the gods of hip-hop, even beyond his....beyond...hahaha, y'know just beyond his prime, not beyond his ability to kick musical ass, because this album is an utter surprise and joy sporting a bunch of completely satisfying and utterly respect reaffirming tracks. It's actually his best album since 95'....MAYBE even 93', meaning ten years and he still can blaze up a "4" scored album. I can't even explain how he did it, this is only a year later following the turd of Spiritual Minded and it couldn't more different. It's funny, I've loved his work, given him some big grades, called him a LEGEND. But I never actually felt it deep to the core of my soul, all the way, until this.

Rating: 4
Highlights: What Else Happened, Things Will Change, Gunned Em Down, Philosophical

For those who find Atmosphere all upset and no soul, Brother Ali might be a little more to your liking. He too gets Ant on production, and he has very similar lyrical content, but but but... he has a vastly different delivery, which shows just how important the most ignored of the three major rap elements is. Everything comes across different, more impassioned, more exciting, more well..true. Though there's alot of room for improvement here, he's a guy to keep your eye on for sure.

Rating: 3.5
Highlights: Prince Charming, Forest Whitiker, Dorian, Victory

Well hey! This wasn't half bad! In fact it was pretty good. I remember the radio singles here well from when they first came out, the ones that gave me my first taste of T.I., a bad taste. But tracks like "24" and "Rubberband Man" are actually the exception here. Instead we get mostly more of what his debut briefly promised. Some genuine reflective yet gritty southern rap.

Rating: 3.5
Highlights: No More Talk, Doin' My Job, I Still Luv You, Let Me Tell You Something

I'm not gonna mince words, the Cunninlynguists are the brightest star in rap even as of my typing (09'), when an album like this is your nadir your in good good graces. Overall this LP offers alot but shows that the boys may have been stagnating a bit at this point. The first half for instance does nothing for me, nuttin'. The second on the other hand is great, reminding me of why I dug the hell out of their debut. But you get the feeling they're shaping up to be a one album wonder on this route. Good thing they restrategized for their third.

Rating: 3.5
Highlights: Seasons, Nasty Filthy, Falling Down, War

Their first since 98' and judging by the talk from Guru since their last period. It's a decent album really, just that since it's Gang Starr you expect better even if they're past their prime. It's a lot like Moment of Truth if you need a frame of reference so there's probably more here for people who loved that then the mid-90's or early 90's GangStarr fans.

Rating: 3
Highlights: Put Up Or Shut Up, Rite Where U Stand, The Ownerz, Zonin'

The curtain was closing on the Eminem/Jay-Z era and the new order was rising that would come to truly define 00's hip-hop. At first before a certain other man popped up the next year the main face of the period was that of 50 Cent. This is what the state of hardcore/gangsta rap was in. Bad bad shape. That sub-genres been the most sickly of all, alt rap's been doing well, in fact damn well, better then it was in the last years of the golden age. But where did all the great grimey gangsta shit go? POOF. Just like that. And this watered down pap is what passes for it now. It gets by mostly on decent production work from Dr. Dre and others, and 50 has a good feel for hooks. But the dude can't rap for shit. His lyrics are dumb, and his flow....god I hate his mush mouthed bullshit flow. For a time 50 seemed like an unstoppable depressing force, but thankfully nothing lasts forever.

Rating: 2.5
Highlights: In Da Club, Get High All the Time, 21 Questions, Lifes on the Line