ARTICLE JUMP
With the good comes the bad, or in many cases, not necessarily the bad, but just vastly overrated. Hip-hop/rap is a genre, like hardcore, fueled by hype. Here's the cream of the crop in regards to the hip-hop/rap albums that were gloriously praised but, in our opinion, didn't deserve the recognition.
- Lil Wayne - Tha Carter III (Cash Money)
- Kanye West - 808s & Heartbreak (Roc-A-Fella)
- RZA as Bobby Digital - Digi Snacks (Koch)
- Gnarls Barkley - The Odd Couple (Atlantic)
- Saigon - The Greatest Story Never Told (Fort Knocks)
I guess I'm the only one not hearing what makes Lil Wayne so good. The whole Cash Money phase didn't catch my appeal back then and what he is doing now does nothing for me. To me it's just the same thing repackaged and delivered in a new look.
Kanye gave into the public. Whether he admits it or not, this album is exactly what everyone else is doing in hip-hop... and that means it's nothing special at all. Plus, he loses points for inspiring people to wear shudder shades.
While his counterpart found his place on the good list, RZA didn't fare so well. For his latest disc under his Bobby Digital moniker, RZA produced a lackluster affair with bland beats and uninspired rhymes. Now he's working on a hip-hop/rock project with members of System of a Down... not good.
Danger Mouse and Cee-Lo hooked up for their sophomore effort as Gnarls Barkley. Unfortunately, there just seemed to be something missing from this album when compared to their debut. Sure, "Crazy" was good, but there were other songs that helped the album reach it's praised status. This one just seems flat when compared to their debut, the demise of having such a great debut.
What? This album wasn't released. Yeah, that's why it's on here. Will it ever see the light of day? Chinese Democracy made it out in 2008, so its got to be possible.
(Michael)