The Auditorium, Vol. 1 by Pete Rock and Common: The Best Rap Album of April 2024

 

April 2024 marked a significant moment in hip-hop history with the release of The Auditorium, Vol. 1, a groundbreaking collaboration between the legendary producer Pete Rock and the iconic rapper Common. This album not only stands as the best rap album of the month but also sets a new benchmark for modern hip-hop with its seamless blend of soulful beats and thought-provoking lyrics.

Pete Rock, renowned for his innovative sampling and soulful production, brings a fresh yet familiar sound to The Auditorium, Vol. 1. His ability to merge classic jazz, funk, and soul elements with contemporary hip-hop creates a rich, immersive soundscape that serves as the perfect backdrop for Common's lyrical narratives.

Common, celebrated for his insightful and socially conscious lyrics, delivers some of his most powerful verses on this album. His collaboration with Pete Rock highlights his versatility, effortlessly transitioning from introspective storytelling to sharp social commentary. Common's lyrical depth and smooth delivery make every track on the album a compelling listen.

While the entire album is a testament to the duo's creative synergy, three tracks, in particular, stand out: "Dreamin'," "Fortune," and "All Kind of Ideas."

1. Dreamin'

"Dreamin'" opens with a mellow, jazzy beat that immediately draws the listener in. Pete Rock's signature sampling is evident, with a soulful loop that complements Common's reflective lyrics. The song explores themes of aspiration and the pursuit of dreams, with Common's verses painting vivid pictures of hope and perseverance. The smooth production and heartfelt lyrics make "Dreamin'" an instant classic, resonating deeply with listeners.

2. Fortune

"Fortune" is a powerful track that delves into the complexities of success and the moral dilemmas that often accompany it. Pete Rock's production shines here, with a beat that's both hard-hitting and melodious. Common's verses are sharp and introspective, examining the double-edged sword of fame and wealth. The chorus is particularly impactful, with a catchy hook that lingers long after the song ends. "Fortune" stands out not only for its lyrical depth but also for its impeccable production.

3. All Kind of Ideas

"All Kind of Ideas" is a creative tour de force, showcasing the dynamic range of both artists. The track features an eclectic beat with layers of instrumentation, creating a complex and engaging soundscape. Common's lyrics are both playful and profound, exploring the power of imagination and creativity. The song's innovative structure and energetic vibe make it a standout track, highlighting the duo's ability to push the boundaries of traditional hip-hop.

The Auditorium, Vol. 1 has received widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. It has been praised for its cohesive sound, lyrical depth, and masterful production. Many have hailed it as a refreshing return to the roots of hip-hop, blending classic elements with modern sensibilities. The album's ability to address contemporary issues while maintaining a timeless quality has resonated with a broad audience, cementing its status as a modern classic.

Beyond its musical excellence, the album has sparked important conversations about the role of hip-hop in society. It addresses themes of social justice, personal growth, and the pursuit of dreams, making it a relevant and impactful addition to the genre. The collaboration between Pete Rock and Common serves as a reminder of the power of creative synergy, demonstrating what can be achieved when two of hip-hop's most respected artists come together.

The Auditorium, Vol. 1 by Pete Rock and Common is more than just the best rap album of April 2024; it's a significant cultural artifact that reflects the evolving landscape of hip-hop. The standout tracks "Dreamin'," "Fortune," and "All Kind of Ideas" exemplify the album's excellence, showcasing the unique talents of both artists. In an era where the genre often leans towards the superficial, Pete Rock and Common have delivered a project that is both meaningful and musically rich, setting a new standard for what hip-hop can achieve.

The Best Original Rap Album of August 2021 is Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf by Westside Gunn.

The knee jerk reaction would have been just give Nas the title of the Best album released this month but that would not have been correct.

Don't get me wrong, the second half of King's Disease II is pretty dope and I will be listening to those tracks for a long time, it just didn't make for the best original rap album released this month.

Kanye West's DONDA didn't even make the list. I don't get where this version of Kanye west is musically. He is clearly not making music for my taste but give it a listen if you are a die hard fan of Mr. West.

The most pleasant surprise this month was the album Dreams Still Inspire by Abstract Mindstate. I hadn't heard from them in damn near 20 years so when I first saw the album I thought someone new picked up their name and ran with it. But no, this was the group that formed in the 90's on the campus of Mississippi State University. 

They caught my ear at the time because their sound validated the influence of NYC still of rap all over the country including the south. 

As soon as the first song began to play it felt as if I was sucked back to the 90's in a time machine. This album is fucking amazing. Great soulful music, intelligent audible lyrics and modern storytelling make this one of my favorites of the year. 

However, as good as that album was there is one that is my standout choice for the best original rap album released this month.

I'm not going to call this artist a liar but he clearly stated that he was retiring after the last album. Am I sorry that he didn't? No I am not, I think his unique style has longevity left. 

The best original rap album of 2021 is Hitler Wears Hermes 8: Sincerely Adolf by Westside Gunn. 

Some may argue that this is just a features album including one with Little Wayne but I beg to differ. This is Westside Gunn at his finest sharing his dope beats and flow with the homies.

If you are a fan of original rap you are going to love this album. Enjoy.

The Best Rap Album of August 2012 - Theo VS. J.J. (Dreams or Reality) by Skyzoo

As the summer winds down, the mornings get cooler and the days get shorter the record companies of the world thought that they could hoodwink us with over-hyped BS artists while we felt sentimental.

Well, it didn't work. I will never call a rappers name and diss anyone or step on their dreams but some of these cats need to save some of their per diem for trade school and not think of buying more chains than the couple they have right now.

This month came down to the wire. I was afraid of having my first blank posting since the inception of this blog but two Brooklyn rappers bailed us out and turned in some very special efforts.

Old school MC Masta Ace blessed us with his album dedicated to the memory of his mother titled MA_DOOM:Son of Yvonne. I haven't always been a Masta Ace fan, seems that once he made Cali his state of residence he got very, how shall I say, west coast in his music and subject matter. I don't hate west coast rap music I just prefer the sound coming out of the Bay Area more than Los Angeles. I don't know what inspired Masta Ace to do so for this album but he got back to his traditional east coast flow with the good old boom bip that I love so much. He is now comfortable reminiscing about old soul music and childhood friends when rap music was still about having fun and being a raw creative outlet for underprivileged kids who grew up in a school system that provided no materials for creative expressions in music and art.

MA_DOOM:Son of Yvonne is not flawless mind you. A couple of songs including the one with Big Daddy Kane did nothing for me but the rest of the album is classic east coast and made me very sentimental to the way rap music used to be and that was a good thing. Normally this is where I would declare the album of the month but not so fast. Another dude from Brooklyn dropped a project and takes Masta Ace's album head on demanding consideration for the title as well.

Also, shout out to Rapsody and her album The Idea of Beautiful, she and the producer 9th Wonder did the damn thing on that album. Get that for real. I would pay to see Boog Brown and Rapsody in concert.

Skyzoo has mentioned Theo Huxtable and J.J. Evans on past records usually as a one line synopsis comparing the life of a young well off black man growing up in Brooklyn with two parents family to that of the young black man growing up in an inner-city project building in a single parent home with few options and opportunities in life. Once you see the title of Skyzoo's EP and listen to the album you quickly realize that these two sitcom characters really played a significant part in shaping his perspective of the world as he navigated from childhood to adulthood. All the while hoping to turnout like Theo while he grew up in Brownsville Brooklyn in a home much closer to J.J.'s. Skyzoo's album, Theo VS. J.J. (Dreams or Reality) is for lack of a better phrase, fucking amazing.

This is kind of hardcore so I can see why lots of people would rather listen to Masta Ace's album so I won't feel bad at all if you disagree with me when I say that Theo VS. J.J. (Dreams or Reality) is the best rap album of the Month of August.

The complexity of the word play on this album has really been taken up a notch however, what I appreciate the most are the nuggets of information he drops about his ex-girlfriend and her very famous brother. That took a little courage and was a lot of fun to hear. But he doesn't go cornball at all. This is street truth in a very raw but extremely creative form and it works to perfect. I can't wait until the full album is released later this fall however these 8 songs will suffice until the main album drops.

Once again, The Best Rap Album of August 2012 - Theo VS. J.J. (Dreams or Reality) by Skyzoo 

Theo VS. J.J. (Dreams vs. Reality) - Skyzoo

The Best Rap Album of October 2011 - Population Control by Statik Selektah

When I first discovered the album Red Dot Plot by the rapper Smoovth I expected to be as disappointed with it as I was with the other albums I listened to this month. I just knew it was going to be more of the same old lazy beats, lazy lyrics and mediocre production I had been hearing for the past 30 days. I had never heard of this cat and figured he was probably some other dude living out his dreams on some low budget rap record he cobbled together between shifts at White Castles that I'd have to plod through just to maintain my integrity on this blog.

Well, I was wrong. Red Dot Plot is an amazing, melodic jazz tinged masterpiece. Smoovth's lyrics won't induce any epiphanies about the meaning of your existence on this planet or give the definitive answer to the economic crisis the world is facing but they are clever enough to be neither boring or insulting and work perfectly with his musical arrangements. This is a wonderful album and I am glad I found it. You absolutely should add it to your collection.

However, it is not my selection for album of the month.

No, the best rap album this month is from a guy who doesn't rap at all.

Using his years of experience as a DJ, his love of 70's soul music and employing diverse rappers from around the country who have the skill to take advantage of his beats and production DJ Statik Selektah has crafted the amazing album titled Population Control.

I am so tempted to give a song by song break down of this wonderful album but I won't. I'll leave that to the "writers" who get paid by the word to review albums for magazines and websites. It's just my job to steer you in the right direction and allow you to decide for yourself which songs are your favorites. My readers simply know that I am knowledgeable about hip hop music and we share similar tastes. They are certainly intelligent enough to make up their own minds about their favorite songs. And on Population Control you are sure to find many you like.

So there you have it, The Best Rap Album of October 2011 is Population Control by Statik Selektah. Enjoy

 

                                                                                

The Best Rap Album of April 2011 - Fat Boy Fresh Vol.1 by Rapper Big Pooh

This month Rapper Big Pooh released what is actually his third solo album and has really found his sound and does it big for what I chose as the best album of the month.

The Best Hip-Hop Album of April 2011 is Fat Boy Fresh Vol.1 by Big Pooh.

With a tremendous ear for beats and a clear love for old hip-hop Big Pooh does an amazing job producing a simple yet driving sound that stays true the genre without electronic gimmicks, out of tune hipster sung hooks and odes to tight jeans wearing punks looking for something cool to play while doing tricks on their skateboards. This is straight grown man hip-hop, like or hate it. I love it and can't get enough of it.

Big Pooh really made a daring move by only putting out a 42 minute 12 song album. Three or four bad songs could have really put an end to his career but the cat comes through like a champ and bangs from start to finish.

The song that I only give three stars out of five is titled Access and although its not a bad song it just seems to over produced and created to appeal to the popular southern sound as if he's looking for a hit instead of maintaining his integrity as an artist. Easy for me to say since it isn't my responsibility to sell his album but I have to be honest. Maybe it'll grow on me but it prolly won't. The rest of the songs are far and away the best hip-hop released in April.

Fat Boy Fresh Vol.1 by Rapper Big Pooh, get it today and take pleasure in people stopping to ask you “Who dat is?!?” when you bang it in your trunk.

Fat Boy Fresh Vol.1

Zone Out: 5 stars

Get It In: 4 stars

State of the Union: 4 stars

Special: 4 stars

HVAC: 4 stars

Fortune & Fame: 4 stars

Wooden Wall Silverware: 4 stars

Let It Be: 5 stars

I'm the Man: 4 stars

Freebasin': 5 stars

Access: 3 stars

RapperPooh-a-lude: 5 stars

The Best Rap Album of February 2011-The Greatest Story Never Told by Saigon

2011 started off great with the release of Talib Kweli's album Gutter Rain which received my best album of January pick and it was tough because Mistah F.A.B. From the west coast came in at a very close second.

This month's choice was more difficult but not because of the quality of Hip-Hop albums released but the quantity. A lot of straight bullshit was dropped in February. I guess the record companies were doing their spring cleaning. It was painful having to listen to all that garbage but I dig in the crates so that you wouldn't have to.

Clear the award of The Best Hip-Hop Album of February 2011goes to Saigon and his released titled The Greatest Story Never Told.

Only time will tell if its a classic but it is clearly the best album of February 2011.

Joined by an all-star cast including Jay-Z, Marsha Ambrosius, Raheem Devaughn, Faith Evans, Bun B, Fatman Scoop and Q-Tip, amongst others. The Greatest Story Never Told succeeds in not sounding like so many albums that are nothing but duets. These artists add their talents respectively to elevate Saigon's craft and enhance each song rather than dominating them and that in itself is a feat worth praising.

Is this a perfect album? By all means no. The songs Better Way with Layzie Bone and It's Alright fell kind of flat to me but hey, they might be perfect for you. Several others fell just short because I heard potential not realized either musically or lyrically but they may be perfectly acceptable to you.

Back to the point of it all, there are enough songs that are winners that provide more than an hour worth of head nods guaranteed to produce a stiff neck if you aren't careful.

The Greatest Story Never Told

Station Identification: 3 Stars

The Invitation: 5 Stars

Come On Baby: 4 Stars

War: 3 Stars

Bring Me Down Pt.2: 3Stars

Enemies: 4 Stars

Friends: 4 Stars

The Greatest Story Never Told: 4 Stars

Clap: 4 Stars

Preacher: 4 Stars

It's Alright: 3 Stars

Believe It: 3 Stars

Give It to Me: 5 Stars

What Lovers Do: 4 Stars

Better Way: 3 Stars

Oh Yeah: 3 Stars

And the Winner Is: 3 Stars

Too Long: 4 Stars

And there you have it The Best Hip-Hop Album of February 2011 is The Greatest Story Never Told by Saigon, get it.

The Best Rap Album of January 2011 - Gutter Rainbows by Talib Kweli

After blessing the planet with what was in my humble opinion the best Hip Hop song of the year, “In the Red” on the second album Reflection Eternal ( Reflection Eternal being the group comprised of super producer Hi-Tek and Talib Kweli.) album Talib begins 2011 were he left off with the release of his solo album “Gutter Rainbows”.

The first part of this album sounds as if the producers were channeling Willie Hutch and on the deepest, dopest Foxy Brown type shit and it worked immediately to reflect the fact the Talib is a very soulful cat on some serious grown man b'ness with this joint and it was appreciated. Especially in this age of Barbie Doll figures and fake gangsters posing for rap artists, to hear someone who appreciates the music take it back to the soul of this genre so early in 2011 was refreshing to say the least.

It's not a complete love fest, there are about three songs that I don't really care for but ain't that what play lists are for?

The song I like the least is “Uh Oh” featuring Jean Grae. Since I really can't take Jean Grae's voice the song missed for me instantly but you may like it so give it a shot. “Tater Tot” and “Wait For You” aren't necessarily bad I'm just not feeling them. Maybe some time this year I'll revisit the entire album with a Zig Zag and some Cognac and give those tracks another shot. Right now I updated my Talib Kweli play list with everything I rated four stars and up as seen below.

With eleven bangers out of fourteen tracks I have to give this album a solid A and name it the Best Hip Hop Album of January 2011.

Honorable mention goes to the album “I Found My Backpack” by Mistah Fab. Bay area cats I feel the most of west coast artists so I am partial to his flow and sound.

Check on this blog at the end of each month to peep my selection for Hip Hop album of the month and feel free to leave your comments but remember it's just my list I don't have the final word on taste nor am not the Grand Puba of Hip Hop....yet.

It is time for Hip Hop music lovers to grow up and vote for music we like with our dollars and not just head nods.

Gutter Rainbows

After the Rainbow: 4 stars

Gutter Rainbows: 5 stars

So Low: 4 stars

Palookas: 4 stars

Mr. International: 4 stars

I'm On One: 5 stars

Wait For You: 3 stars

Ain't Waiting: 5 stars

Cold Rain: 4 stars

Friends and Family: 4 stars

Tater Tot: 3 stars

How You Love Me: 5 stars

Uh Oh: 3 stars

Self Savior: 4 stars