I honestly never got this critique, and honestly think it fucked up Ras' whole career. Like what kind of beats did people expect? Shit was the exact type of beats for the lane of spitter he was. I mean "Jack Frost" which sampled Nat King Cole was his set-up song (the one that got him noticed). People were looking for club bangers? Did folk really want Ras Kass over Dr. Dre beats. And you see how that worked out.

Kinda raises another point, on the subtle way in which a trend which had nothing to do with the artist in question radically changed who they were. I mean yeah Coolio did exec the album (still blows my mind) but is that what fools expected? Ras Kass over Fantastic Voyage?

Poll question: Did the beats on Soul on Ice suck?

Poll result (20 votes) yes (8 votes) Vote no (12 votes) Vote

I think its casue the beats on his demo was better cause of the samples that had people upset.

They did work for what he was doing most lyrical rappers have minimal type back drops cause they want you to hear what they saying and not be overshadowed by the beat.

I think cause the quality drop off from the demo is what upset people but I love the album casue they did make you pay attention to his words.

that song with coolio did need a way better beat tho.

That song still gets play on the reg

...that I really need to find this album and listen. It's been way too long since I heard this shit.

I don't remember hating the beats and I agree with those saying that the style of beats being "minimized" to allow the listener to focus on the lyricism was probly done on purpose and was definitely the way to go.

Resurrection is another example of this, though I think the beats were a lot better on Res from what I remember of Soul on Ice. But NoID and YNot kept the soul samples subtle and groovy to allow Common to flex his lyrical muscles. I think Soul on Ice was similar.

I'm now excited to dig thru my crates to find this album and listen again.

Soul On Ice is literally my favorite Hip-Hop album ever.

I like Soul On Ice more than Illmatic.

It's a personal classic, everything about that LP was perfect to me when I first heard/that moment in time.

so.... I disagree wholeheartedly

The Evil that Men Do is a top 5 hip-hop song for me.

I love that album

Don't slander it.

or else

I'll e-rage.

Soul On Ice is >that< album for me.

Most of his demo and white label songs had better beats than half the joints on the official album. Check the beats on the following songs for proof

Remain Anonymous
Won't Catch Me Runnin'
Jack Frost
Blood Is Thicker Than Water
Oral Sex
High IQ
Core Audience

The "Soul On Ice" remix really cemented the fact that Ras should be rhyming over production that can actually stand on it's own.

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"Etc.", "Marinatin'", "Sonset" and especially "Ordo Abchao (Order Out of Chaos)".

Unlike Nas where I can tolerate his mediocre or bad beats I generally think that the beats on here are good to great. They were dark and kinda trippy.

shit spoke to my soul in a good way

Maybe that was the point of the album, to kinda give the feeling of being alone in prison and thinking.

+1

The production captured the mind set of the album cold, dark and isolated. When people tell me the production suck I always ask how should the production have sounded?

But it doesn't suck either.

That's why it's still so debated. Because it's so middle of the road that nobody can decide.

~Austin

"Where in the world is your inspiration to say the things you're aching to say?"

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http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus

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Cold dark isolated. Drama and marinate was the only two songs that was not dark but they're still dope to me.

most of the east coast didn't care, and those that did kind of expected what they got.

i have other thoughts on this in general but i'll wait til someone start's speaking on the other issues raised in the OP.
________
Big PEMFin H & z's
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"I ain't no entertainer, and ain't trying to be one. I am one thing, a musician." © Miles Davis

"When the music stops he falls back in the abyss."

one of the worst collection of beats ive ever heard, especially when contrasted
to ras kass' lyrical prowess

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Dre makes no apologies for his own eccentricities. “I was young, and searching, trying to find myself,” he says. “Never did.”-- Andre B

>one of the worst collection of beats

I've heard so much worse.

And I've heard so much better.

God, can no one in here admit when something is just average?

~Austin

"Where in the world is your inspiration to say the things you're aching to say?"

http://austintayeshus.blogspot.com

http://www.last.fm/user/Austintayeshus

http://twitter.com/Austintayeshus

maybe he could have had DJ Muggs or something but otherwise, yea, what do you expect? that was a dark album. those were really good beats. This critique is filed away with Stakes Is High/Beats Rhymes & Life critiques as coming from folks too set into some kind of way.


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Some beats had good ideas, but were presented improperly, like "Anything Goes," with the background women's vocals mixed low, and the main loop mixed low too. As a single it should've been brighter. "Realism" sounds rushed with a murky bassline as well. As much as people shit on "Drama," everything on it is crisp and pops and clearly should have been a single. The murkines only helps "Evil that Men Do," which has a great mood throughout it.

The thing is that beat-wise the album begins and ends on high notes, its just the second half that has lackluster beats like "If/Then" and kinda "Soul on Ice" (especially in comparison with the remix, which I'm sure everyone wishes was on the album instead).

I think ultimately hype from preceding tracks and the complexity of the lyrics made people expect a really focused album. Think of GZA's Liquid Swords production. I think some of those samples should have been replayed, and only a handful of beats should have been replaced. Its just the focus of the beats didn't match the focus and drama of the rhymes (me and all my friends thought every single thing on that album was true when we first heard it). Could be possible not even the producers or Coolio knew what they had with this album, certainly Priority didn't.

I liked the beats and LP overall. Miami life was my shit.

peace

oh...Soul on Ice Remix was CRAZY

...the album ....because the Remix is by FAR the high point of Ras Kaas entire career

>...the album ....because the Remix is by FAR the high point
>of Ras Kaas entire career

Its not that the beats are bad, because they
aren't....in fact, quite a few of them are
good

But that Diamond D remix....jesus christ...that
beat just works PERFECTLY with Ras Kass...it
sorta makes you look at the rest of the album
sideways


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