people forget to listen with their own ears instead takeing whoever the reviewer was as the end all be all

I've seen it for awhile and even tho it isnt relegated just to Illmatic it seems it is reaching a head with that lp

I cant count the times when in a debate the mic rateing of an album was used to justify or condem an lp

I always looked at the Source as a guide

but it seems that the mic rateing system has influenced a lot of peoples opnion to take their word as "absolute truth"

Benzino recognized the power of the media thats why he tried to take it over

you think other record companies also didnt learn this quickly? people dont realize that by clinging the review before they heard the lps that a baseline was allready established by which to interpret the music

people actually dont trust their own ears anymore

of course the Source is no more but that idealogy has handicapped the people to beleivethey need the confirmation/validation from a "reputable" party they deem credible

although I enjoyed the Source at the begining I never took it as law and allowed my ears to be the judge of what was dope or whack

let you listen to records in the store before buying
if you weren't ice cube or master p, ever priority release ever got anything more than 3 mics...lol
it was always strong east coast bias in the source, outkast may have been the only non-ny acts that got a high ratings and i don't think they got the coveted '5 mics'

SP got 4.5 and everything else got 4-even Idlewild, which is ridiculous to me

but i agree and have said many times before that the source was biased as hell and made illmatic bigger than it actually was.

but underground records from both coast. heads like co flow, loot pack, free style fellowship (after the first 2 lps), the liks, etc always got 2.5-3.5 mics. shit was comedy

the early period of the source got their 5 mics correct. afterwards, it was just BS...I tend to look at the 4.5 mic albums, because they were better than the 5 mics.

on another note, the independent/smaller labels who got 3.5 mics was another indicator of an album to check out

for an album that nobody listens to anymore
the Made Men stunt, the Lil Kim rating and the rushed efforts involving Bun B and Kaney really put the nail in the coffin for those ratings meaning anything
it surprises me that Kaney isn't mad about the fact that nobody gives a shit that he finally got a 5

the Kim shit was just embarrassing, and the Bun B shit was an obvious honorary 5 since UGK got the shaft in the past and their legacy was starting to coalesce once that album dropped.

. . .how people KNOW that they were selling mics, giving bias to certain acts and just generally operating dishonorably yet they STILL value those ratings.

~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

.

And when people use it to compare 2 or more completely unrelated albums. I always found it more interesting to read the 1-2 mic reviews.

Return of the One Hit Wonder...I may check that album in the near future

It seems like they were kind of the "Pitchfork" of hip hop reviews at that point, where a 2.5 mic or lower review would usually guarantee that you'd never hear from that person again.

(obvious exception here is the Lootpack album)

~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

for years...i like xxl better...

semantics softer than couples at wedding alters
this cops and robbers
and u cant hold a candle
rip ur antlers off and hang them on my mantle
str8 rambo--rocket science wouldnt even try it
these dudes cant compare their focus is on a diet~me

...they are both hot steaming garbage imo...carry on!

were The Source skewed East, XXL skewed towards POP Rap artist and their affiliates and the South