1. "For starters, the joint with Puff was forgettable" In response to Reply # 0
I get it. Puff and Bad Boy ran 97 but I didn't need Mic over that fluff. Overall it just wasn't as good as The Natural.
Tracks i liked: Title track produced by Traxster Survival produced by Havoc For tha Family produced by K-Def Unstoppable produced by Pete Things Ain't What They Used to Be produced by Royal Flush Usual Suspects produced by Prestige
Not a terrible album at all. Kinda average though.
****************************************** Falcons, Braves, Bulldogs and Hawks
Dj Joey Joe Member since Sep 01st 2007 13770 posts
Fri Feb-22-19 01:26 AM
2. "We Didn't Like It Cause It Wasn't That Good" In response to Reply # 0
...and it still isn't a good album, to me it had about four dope songs on it, one of them being the Pete Rock joint that was off "The Fan" soundtrack, but what most don't know about that song is the version on the single & soundtrack is that Pete Rock retouched up the version that's on the "Vendetta" album.
The other three good songs on it were "Survival" produced by Havoc, "For The Family" produced by K-Def, & "Usual Suspects" featuring Tragedy, Ja Rule, The Lox, & DMX; the rest of the album was on some jiggy-era commercialized rap which people wasn't expecting when you listen to the first album expecting more of the same.
The self-titled song "Vendetta" was good but the beat didn't match the lyrics & flow to me; "Be On The Mic" was decent too but could've been more at the beginning of the album instead of halfway thru; the singing on "How You Been" is terrible; the joint with Jay-Z seem more like a forced feature with a throw-away verse from Jay, plus the beat or loop seem lame.
I'm one of the few who do have his 3rd & 4th albums and it's pretty much what you expect, it's later in the game he comes back and tries to capture what he did with the first album but still trying to fit in with the Triton-beat landscape with less sampling, lyrics are there but no solid albums to brag about to anybody.
--------- "We in here talking about later career Prince records & your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak
4. "I wouldn’t classify this as jiggy at all" In response to Reply # 2 Fri Feb-22-19 06:39 AM by Anonymous
And that’s my point.
The single you can classify as that but it seems like people write the entire album off for that one joint.
Title track is dope to me Survival Life N Lessons For The Family Street Life Be Like Mic Unstoppable Things Aint What They Used To Be How You Been (the singing ain’t the best but that shit ain’t terrible bro) Usual Suspect
All those joints I let ride.
I’ll agree with the Jay feature. Not my favorite but when I listen back to albums of that era, I’m a little flexible with one or two of those joints because I understand the landscape.
11. "RE: I wouldn’t classify this as jiggy at all" In response to Reply # 4
>And that’s my point. > >The single you can classify as that but it seems like people >write the entire album off for that one joint. > >Title track is dope to me >Survival >Life N Lessons >For The Family >Street Life >Be Like Mic >Unstoppable >Things Aint What They Used To Be >How You Been (the singing ain’t the best but that shit >ain’t terrible bro) >Usual Suspect > >All those joints I let ride. > >I’ll agree with the Jay feature. Not my favorite but when I >listen back to albums of that era, I’m a little flexible >with one or two of those joints because I understand the >landscape.
Other than it having the obligatory commercial attempt first single that seemed mandatory if you were a rapper on a major at the time this lp wasn't nearly as bad as ppl like to say.
Ppl also forget there was a dope cut making they mixtape rounds called "Hardrocks" with a dope slick Rick sample that got cut from the album as well as the original version of "Life N Lessons" that had to be replayed due to sample clearance issues. If you take off a 2-3 joints and toss those on there along with the nuthin move but the money remix with dmx & black rob & queens life cut with havoc & royal flush that dropped on vinyl you got a sophomore lp that rivals the natural.
--------------------------------------- Some words of wisdom to the idiotic okayplayers...
It Is Better To Be Thought Of As A Fool, Than To Open Your Mouth And Remove All Doubt.
29. "RE: We Didn't Like It Cause It Wasn't That Good" In response to Reply # 2
>...and it still isn't a good album, to me it had about four >dope songs on it, one of them being the Pete Rock joint that >was off "The Fan" soundtrack, but what most don't know about >that song is the version on the single & soundtrack is that >Pete Rock retouched up the version that's on the "Vendetta" >album.
I didn't know that....what was the main differences bte the touched up album version, and the other versions? Was it just EQ/mastering? Or are there different instruments/sounds?
12. "I think the same applies to Jewelz, which also came out in '97" In response to Reply # 0
Just like on Vendetta, the lead single was a clear attempt to break into the mainstream. And also like Vendetta the style of the first single was completely different from the rest of the album. Unfortunately neither album sold in the amounts that I think the artist's planned.
While I haven't heard Vendetta, Jewelz's lack of success is disappointing to me. I was one of the folks who heard the first single and thought OC sold out. Even though the video had the intro to My World, which I think I liked, attached to the beginning of the video I never got around to listening to the album. (man, was I spoiled as a kid. I'd kill to have an album drop like that now.) But I got more familiar after hearing random singles on Spotify and really liked those and eventually heard the album and was amazed.
Now that I'm typing this, do you think Nas' success with It Was Written altered the ambition for Vendetta and Jewelz? Meaning that Nas' ability to jump from an underground phenom to a platinum artist opened their eyes to the possiblity of making a commercial impact.
Dj Joey Joe Member since Sep 01st 2007 13770 posts
Thu Feb-28-19 02:18 AM
13. ""Jewelz" Was Dope Ass Hell" In response to Reply # 12
I think I played the hell out of "Jewelz" for mad years, yeah "Far From Yours" was sort of a crossover song but to me it fit so well on the album to me, I didn't take it as a corny song, even the singing was decent.
I think O.C.'s second album is better than his first one, not too many rap artists could pull that off especially when people were saying how dope the first one was; his third album is the one that took people for a loop, cause that was when him & Buckwild was pandering hard as hell with what was current for a lot of the commercial NYC pop rap acts at the time.
I would never compare "Vendetta" with "Jewelz" at all, those are two different albums completely.
--------- "We in here talking about later career Prince records & your fool ass is cruising around in a time machine trying to collect props for a couple of sociopathic degenerates" - s.blak
14. "Jewelz is an all-time favorite album for me" In response to Reply # 12
No disrespect to you or anyone else but, there were definitely rap fans that would write off ANY hip-hop song that had singing on the hook as opposed to judging the song based on the actual quality. And that shit always bothered me because it came off as people not really knowing music and just forming their opinion on what they thought hip-hop had to be.
I was never like that. I actually loved when there was singing on the hook and it was done properly. Far From Yours was always a dope ass hip-hop song to me. Maybe it was an attempt at a cross-over but it was by no means the same formula as something like Nothin Move But The Money.
As far as your question...it started with Puff and Biggie and Juicy.
The success of that is why IWW sounded the way it did and while all labels felt they had to demand a specific sounding single to make as much money as they could.
That’s why I was always a little forgiving when an artist had one or two joints like that because I knew the game. I didn’t love the mainstream attempts on Vendetta but I understood them and could rock with them because the rest of the album was dope to me.
17. "No disrespect taken" In response to Reply # 14
I was kind of a backpacker (and not the Black Moon type either) so I would be snobby when looking back I had no reason to be. My loss because Jewelz is a dope album like you and the other folks here have mentioned. I missed out all those years not having taken it in.
Hip hop songs with sung hooks didn't bother me if they were done well. Something like Discipline by Gangstarr. It had a sense of rhythm but was rugged as well. Those songs I liked. And looking back Far From Yours would have matched up too. I was just being young and dismissive.
And I think I do like it more than Word...Life, like Nick does.
20. "Jewelz is better than Word...Life imo" In response to Reply # 17
1-6 on Word...Life are hard to beat and you can probably count on one hand how many albums have a better 1-2 punch than Born To Live and Time’s Up.
But Jewelz is damn near a perfect album to me. He covers so many bases with his topics and emotions on that album and does so without compromising his sound which makes it very cohesive.
21. "I didn't think Mic was a very good rapper" In response to Reply # 0
And without a Masta I.C. or The Natural, I passed...
You're such pests...now, what is it you want? In your depths of your ignorance, what is it you want? Well, whatever it is you want, I can't deliver because I just don't see it. - Orson Welles
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