CD-Charts Position 71
Average Rating:

Heavy Rhyme Experience, Vol. 1

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: The Brand New Heavies

Release Date April 28, 1998
Grand Puba. Also, Kool G Rap ( yes, he can curse up a storm even against a semi-funky live beat), Ed OG, Black Sheep and even Masta Ace (the track, with its KRS 1 sample, grows on ya).

Jamalski and Tiger come off, unfortunately, like those annoying drunk guys at a dope house party who pin you against the wall and breath their stinky breathe in your face, while talking a whole lotta nothing. Fast forward past their booty tracks, please.

The fratrockish, Brit-funk beats, honestly, are nothing to write home about, but the novelty of a live band mixing it up with some real-life hip hop cats is enough to make this a must-have CD for your hip hop collection.

CD-Charts Position 72
Average Rating:

Carboot Soul

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: Nightmares on Wax

Release Date April 20, 1999
What a great selection of smooth and chilled tracks!!! "Carboot Soul" is my favorite homework and relaxing music. It's very calming with KILLER basslines!!! I enjoy the entire album, but my favorites are "Morse", "Ease Jimi", and "Ethnic Majority".
I have heard most of the new CD, "Mind Elevation", and it doesn't have quite the flow and mood setting of this album. I do like a few tracks on "Smoker's Delight", but I don't own the album yet. I agree with Robert J. S. that "Night's Interlude" is better than "Les Nuits" because it is so original and is sampled by everyone!!! The original is the best but "Les Nuits" is still a great relaxer.
All I ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 73
Average Rating:

4am Eternal

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: Various Artists

Release Date July 24, 2000
Okay, since this is an older title, AND an import, AND pre-chillout explosion AND unlikely to be read (since typing Chill won't call it up in a search) I'll be brief.

Big hits from Nightmares on Wax, Bent, Thievery Corporation and some others are proven winners. Regular Fries "Cyanide" hauls hand claps and xylophone for a spritely twist, Space Raiders bear a 303 running laps, Scanner and The Herbalizer work hard to make it sound so easy, and Danmass close with the keeper of the lot, a heady mix of swimming vocal, electric guitar and tight beats. Whiffs come from Japanese studio wizards Boom Boom Satellites, who can't restrain their trip-hop girl, and Underworld's blathering "Skym."

Disc two goes more downbeat. Ekova doesn't ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 74
Average Rating:

Vulnerable

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: Tricky

Release Date July 01, 2003
Many know Tricky through Massive Attack and while i have much love for Massive Attack I am a huge fan of Tricky and his music.

This CD is easily the best effort yet, Costanza flows perfectly with her deeply intoxicating lyrics that mesh with the dark background 'rap' of Tricky.

Best songs:
Car Crash, dark ballad of a woman in a car crash.
The Love Cats, perfectly meshed slow and sensual.

Very moody and deep, this album is another chapter in a very interesting career.

CD-Charts Position 75
Average Rating:

Ussr: Art of Listening

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: DJ Vadim

Release Date October 01, 2002
I bought this CD immediately after hearing the Amazon audio samples. What I thought I was getting was some really deep and complex tracks and a lot of different sounds. However, once the CD arrived, I was very disappointed with what I heard. There is just something monotonous and annoying about many of the tracks.

This is one of those CD's where the tracks start out promising, and you expect it to explode into something awesome...however, that just doesn't happen - I just skip tracks until the disc is over.

This CD just did not impress me, and if you, like me, was excited by the sound samples provided, you will probably be disappointed. I own a few hundred CD's, most of which are the similar style of music, and this is ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 76
Average Rating:

Recipe for Disaster

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: DJ Food

Release Date September 09, 2003
This is some of the best to emerge from the Ninja stable - highly recommend this one. If you've enjoyed DJ Food prior, you'll love this. Get it now while it's still in stock. If you're unfamiliar here's a few words to help you gain an impression - jazzy (but in a warm way), cinematic (ditto), musical (i know. "musical music? wtf?"), dreamy, listenable (ie it's foreground music, not background), thoughtful. (That sounds way earnest, which is a pity because it's simply enjoyable - not just for the head-nodders, y'know?) Taking contemporary music trends of the hip-hop, trip-hop flavours, it's circa mid-late nineties stuff I think, but has aged well, and has been on medium rotation for me since I was introduced five years ago. I've since bought everything with ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 77
Average Rating:

Angels with Dirty Faces

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: Tricky

Release Date January 24, 1996
Tricky is a genius. This is his best album ever, and the bonus tracks are an added plus. He creates moods and soundscapes -- you see and feel things when you listen to this record. His creativity has no bounds. His experimentation in sound, turns into meditation and song. When I listen to this music, I leave all stresses and worries behind. I imagine listening to this album on my deathbed and feeling contempt w/ my life. Not sure if that's sad or not. Tricky and Solex need to work together.

CD-Charts Position 78
Average Rating:

Awfully Deep

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: Roots Manuva

Release Date April 19, 2005
I have, ever since I was in Middle school even, been exposed to a smattering of Hip-hop of all different styles. From the gangsta rap in MS and high school to things like the Roots, Outkast, and The Beastie Boys. Yet these days a lot of the stuff that comes out is all the same. Can you really tell me that Akon and J-kwon don't sound somewhat similar or that they rhyme about anything that matters? But here on this album by Roots Manuva, I've found the first hip-hop in a long time that I feel is truly unique. His beats and hooks are wonderful, his lyrics are deep and meaningful, and his one of a kind delivery and voice really seal the whole thing up. If you want great, meaningful hip-hop buy this album. If you want whats out today, why pay money? It's all on ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 79
Average Rating:

Bloque

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: Bloque

Release Date October 06, 1998
I discovered Bloque because of a David Byrne article that mentioned them. The article was about how the idea of "world music" is silly, because a) how can you possibly lump all the world's music not from the US and UK into one category? and b) the idea of world music implies that there's "authenticity" in the traditional sound of a particular country, which should never change.

Bloque was mentioned in the article as a band that blows gaping holes in this view of things, and do they ever. This record is loud, brash, energetic, a delightful mish-mosh of disparate genres, and doesn't quite fit on any shelf of the music store but would be much more at home in the rock section than the "world" one. I don't know a word of Spanish so I've no idea what they're ... Read More:

CD-Charts Position 80
Average Rating:

Tank

CD-Charts > Music > International Rap
by: Asian Dub Foundation

Release Date March 07, 2005
I have to say, if you're a fan of ADF avoid being disappointed.

They've lost their soul. ADF should consider dropping Asian since all I hear is the usual jungle, dub and rasta with some metal guitars.