Straight from the Cash Money vault, Birdman's latest album Pricele$$ is everything you've already heard from the Lil Wayne music factory. Loads of money, ice gleaming off every visible body part, and of course, tons of spinning shiny rims on flashy rides, sounds like Weezy is cutting some chunky checks for Birdman -- that or he's really nice and the goodies are on loan. And not to worry, Drake gets his part on a few hooks to secure Young Money's financial success. But whose album is this anyways? The cover says Birdman, but Lil Wayne, Drake, T-Pain and even Kevin Rudolf make saving grace appearances drowning out all chirps from the Man.
Birdman admits it's always "Been About Money" which quickly fades right into the ever notorious spending habits of the Cash Money crew on "Money To Blow" and, oh wait, if you ever wanted to know the insider details on their business plan it's all revealed on "Money Machine."
Now that we've covered that, Bird goes on to rap about the things that really matter. From the streets to riding around with suicide doors, Birdman spits his hustle on "Priceless," but it's Weezy's flow over a rocking guitar that really saves the track. Birdman's southern style and twangs surprisingly compliments Wayne's autotune whine. Trip-rock track "I Want It All" featuring Lil Wayne and Kevin Rudolf sounds like Wayne is testing his rock side on Bird's album, and it actually works for the most part.
Sans all the paper chasin' tracks, Bird and Drake are BFFs when it comes to partying in style on "4 My Town (Play Ball)" and "Mo Milly." And what's a party without a banger or two -- the autotune king T-Pain gets it done on "Shinin." And Bird actually manages to shine on "Always Strapped," but not long enough to remember Pricele$$ as an affective album.
Chheeaaayyyaaahhh! Can't wait to be all sweaty in da club with this jam blastin'! I see half-naked guys acting a fool and low self-esteem biatches stripping down to this one... too bad summer's over. A little late on this one, T-Pain, but dancing nonetheless. Take a listen!
Fiiiiinaaaalllly! Our girl Lil' Kim is back and could Hip-Hop be any happier?! Seriously, females MCs have been M.I.A. in the game for a while now... Foxy's free but ain't no one heard a thang from Miss Crazy, Miss Keri Baabaay is a glorified backup singer, and Divalicious Beyonce, well, let's be honest, she's got the vocals but ain't no MC. Queen B burned the dance floor on Dancing With The Stars, and, SMH, should have won, and now her nasty self is jumping off 2009 with "Download." Thank you, T-Pain, for using autotune to revive a career... I think. Enjoy the video!
Seriously -- cannot stop listening to "Layback" off of Ross' new album Deeper Than Rap. Rick's album is thugalicious beginning to end, but it's Robin Thicke's smooth vocals on the chorus that undresses women instantaneously. Sure Robin's really a poor man's Justin Timberlake, but the boy really goes bring magic to the track. Rawse-poo just sold over 125 million records, so it's not to say the rapper doesn't still have game, but how much of that is really thanks to his collabos?! Think about it: Pain, Wayne, Kanye, Legend, Ne-Yo, The Dream, Trina, Foxy Brown -- that's a lot of chart toppers on a steroid-juiced budget. Ross still has what it takes to move Hip-Hop forward, but is riding into mainstream on the curtails of Billboard's Top 100 list really what he's about? Jury's still out, but until then, press play and repeat. Maybach Music is this summer's anthem.
Huey comes out barking on the intro to his album, Notebook Paper (Jive Records), promising to be different and attempting to stray away from the rapper stereotype. Unfortunately, the St. Louis representative lacks in the lyrical department. However, thanks to a great production team, Notebook Paper is actually a bearable listen. Tight beats and unoriginal lyrics fill this weak album.
Huey’s going to have to fight one-hit wonder status with the popularity of “Pop, Lock, and Drop It.” Bakery Productions produced a slamming beat that is already a club favorite, but as for the rest of the album, Huey’s sound is redundant and overdone. On “2 Nite,” Huey attempts to create another party popper as he boasts about his player status and macking abilities, “Maybe later on 2 nite we can get us a room/She can have a couple of friends that come with her too/Let’s drink, get drunk, and see what it do.” Luckily, this song is saved by its energetic bounce and Huey’s double-time flow.
Notebook Paper has a high production value, and it’s too bad Huey couldn’t follow suit lyrically. Song like “Closet Full of Clothes” and “Money Ova” have perfect precision rhythmically, but with lyrics like “Money ova bitches/Getting rich is what I live by,” Huey needs to spend some more time actually writing in his notebook. Huey’s collaborations with Lloyd and T-Pain show some promise for success. On “When I Hustle,” Lloyd’s smooth R&B voice and Huey’s precise flow seem perfect together. And on “Glad 2 Be Alive,” T-Pain and Huey combine their mindful lyrics about getting out of the ’hood with a soulful rhythm—a refreshing sound compared to a mostly fast-paced record filled with heavy beats.
Perhaps the best song on this album is “Nobody Loves The Hood.” It’s one of the few songs where the music is outshined by lyrical abilities. Huey raps about “out of control” ghetto and the lack of hope in its children, “Some say they’ll die before they do time/Because jail ain’t the place to be/Might be the place for you/ But ain’t for me.” It’s the latter part of Notebook Paper where Huey keeps his word to be different. Cluttered with tired lyrics, Huey’s got a lot of work to do if he doesn’t want his notebook’s entries to fade out of the scene.
Originally Published @ http://allhiphop.com/blogs/reviewsmusic/archive/2007/07/01/18207589.aspx
