"Poll question: Did the beats on Soul on Ice suck?"
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?
1. "yea they did suck pre say nature of the threat ain't even a beat really ..." In response to Reply # 0
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.
4. "Thanks for reminding me..." In response to Reply # 0
...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.
13. "The production is perfect" In response to Reply # 0
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?
18. "yes, completely unlistenable" In response to Reply # 0
one of the worst collection of beats ive ever heard, especially when contrasted to ras kass' lyrical prowess
------------------------- “The other dude after me didn’t help my case. It was just like…crazy nigga factory going on.” Dre makes no apologies for his own eccentricities. “I was young, and searching, trying to find myself,” he says. “Never did.”-- Andre B
20. "hell no those beats are cold" In response to Reply # 0
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.
21. "They were more 'murky' and unfocused than they should have been" In response to Reply # 0
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.