4. "Dre/.paak/Preem - "Animals" (Compton)" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Feb-18-20 03:40 PM by Brew
I've found a lot to like on that album upon subsequent listens and stripped of my expectations/preconceived notions of what the album should've been, but it is still disappointing relative to Dre's lofty standards.
5. "Anderson .paak/Snoop - "Anywhere" (Oxnard)" In response to Reply # 0 Tue Feb-18-20 03:41 PM by Brew
Just the first two to come to mind lol.
But yea this album, IMO, wasn't tremendous and was a massive disappointment coming off of Malibu. Even .paak himself seemed to be let down by this one.
Glad he got it back together on Ventura. More than made up for this misstep.
But "Anywhere" is terrific. Beautiful song. Incredible Snoop appearance.
22. "6 Summers, particularly that second half would be my Oxnard pick" In response to Reply # 5
I'm not sure .Paak was disappointed in the project, I think he was disappointed in the reception. He absolutely feeds of the adoration, and that was his first miss. I think that's what was hard for him.
--
"You can't beat white people. You can only knock them out."
24. "Nah I'm pretty sure I read a bunch of stuff about how ..." In response to Reply # 22 Wed Feb-19-20 12:44 PM by Brew
... he didn't want the album to be the way that it was, was being pulled in directions that he wasn't entirely comfortable with, etc., but that Dre and team pushed for certain things, features, vocal stylings, and what not. So *then*, when the reception was predictably bad he dropped Ventura months later, which was the album *he* wanted to make.
I should revisit it absent my initial expectations. I definitely didn't hate it tho. But I listened 3 or 4 times through and felt it was really uneven and overall disappointing.
14. "Maybe not "forgotten" since it was a lead single but "Time's Up"" In response to Reply # 10
I always loved that track. Storch doing his best Dre impression like he did a lot during that 2004/2005 timeframe. Nate Dogg (RIP) on the hook. Dope track IMO.
I understand the disdain for it following the classics that were The Low End Theory and Midnight Marauders, but it's far from disappointing in my opinion.
39. "Differences in degrees" In response to Reply # 15
To me a 'let down' is an album that just didn't go in a direction that was expected but has redeemable qualities. A let down is better than a disappointing album which is something which has more objectively negative traits.
I liked Beats, Rhymes, and Life but it was a let down relative to their earlier work. But I can't honestly say that album was a disappointment. Immobalarity by Raekwon or Humboldt Beginnings by The Pharcyde were disappointments.
I'm a bit surprised to see that this post is controversial. Most reviews, from outlets and heads, said that BR&L was less liked than their first three.
35. "Eaaaaaasy now. I think that was the point he tried to make." In response to Reply # 34
By using two terms that mean the same thing lol ("let down" vs. "disappointment")
Beyond the error in verbiage I think the point was that it was a "let down" at the time compared to the work that they did prior to BR&L, rather than a literally bad album.
Maybe I'm putting words in his mouth but I *think* that's what he meant at least. And if so it's not really disputable. At the time most people *were* let down by it, tho most of us came to love it and realize how good it was later. Kinda like It Was Written, and many more.
"Bound 2" from Yeezus. Some other decent stuff on a disappointing album, but that one clearly stands out. One of the better songs of the decade too.
"No More Parties in LA" on TLOP. Again, the album is an absolute fucking mess and I have no desire to ever listen to it in full again. But this song is dope.
"Follow God." Feel bad even listening to something by post-Drumf Kanye, but I can't deny the quality of this track.
31. ""Black Skinhead" was the one from Yeezus IMO." In response to Reply # 30
"Bound 2" wasn't bad but also nothing exceptional to me. Just OK.
But you got "No Parties in LA" right for sure.
Ye and whatever this recent bullshit was aren't even worth mentioning.
>"Bound 2" from Yeezus. Some other decent stuff on a >disappointing album, but that one clearly stands out. One of >the better songs of the decade too. > >"No More Parties in LA" on TLOP. Again, the album is an >absolute fucking mess and I have no desire to ever listen to >it in full again. But this song is dope. > >"Follow God." Feel bad even listening to something by >post-Drumf Kanye, but I can't deny the quality of this track.
33. ""Saint Pablo" is THE track on Pablo that is a must-listen IMO" In response to Reply # 31 Wed Feb-19-20 04:33 PM by Oak27
I've warmed up on both Yeezus and TLOP after a few years. I think coming off of MBDTF I was bound to be disappointed with Yeezus, and I still had hope that can't-miss-Kanye would return for Pablo. Now after a few years of not expecting classics every go-around with Ye, and after two albums that proved that it could have been much, much worse, Yeezus and Pablo both are cool in my book. Yeezus is a solid 4 out of 5 for me with "Black Skinhead", "Blood on the Leaves" and "Guilt Trip" being my top 3, and Pablo is prob a 3 or 3.5 out of 5, with "Saint Pablo", "No More Parties in LA" and "Real Friends" being my favorites there. I also love "Fade" and "Wolves" but can understand people not liking those.
If I'm gonna pick a track I love on a forgettable Kanye album it's "Love Lockdown"
The Wordsmith Member since Aug 13th 2002 17070 posts
Mon Feb-24-20 11:59 AM
57. "I'm still surprised that cut was a single because..." In response to Reply # 52
...that beat was not commercial at all. Especially when you consider that the era it dropped was when a lot of one fingered keyboard club beats were the rave.
Granted, this is partially me still Stanning the MBDTF sessions a decade later, but this song felt like a real gift at the time. It's a little limp listening back to it right now, but it's also not the middle of summer with a blunt in hand.
61. "Definitely more overlooked/underrated than disappointing !" In response to Reply # 60
I agree with you on that 100%. I remember we had a post about this album here and most of us were in agreement that it was a gem that he seemingly dropped out of nowhere. IIRC he was talking about making "Doggystyle 2" around this time, but fortunately he did away with that awful idea without ever really even revisiting the topic. Then a couple months later this album came and we were all sorta pleasantly surprised.
I never really liked "Eyez Closed" at all because this is around the time I started getting really exhausted by Kanye (plus I just don't like that beat objectively), but "Gang Bang Rookie" & "We Rest N Cali" are both gems, I agree.
Funnily enough, I almost mentioned this album myself but decided not to because, like you, I thought it was more underrated than disappointing so I didn't think it would fit the criteria. But I'm glad you mentioned it so I could post the two songs I was gonna choose from it. Both produced by Battlecat, speaking of underrated:
>Like a lot of post-Ego stuff from him, really. > > >Gang Bang Rookie - >https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVtwPMnJ4gk > >Jake One's beat carries it, but Snoop on a beat like that is >the definition of feel good music. > >We Rest N Cali - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sk-M3-gKB9g > >Total "wearing a suit, driving a GMC, thinking back on the >block" song. Absolutely nails its vibe. > >Eyez Closed - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYTWQOZM03k > >Granted, this is partially me still Stanning the MBDTF >sessions a decade later, but this song felt like a real gift >at the time. It's a little limp listening back to it right >now, but it's also not the middle of summer with a blunt in >hand. > >~~~~~~~~~ >"This is the streets, and I am the trap." � Jay Bilas >http://www.popmatters.com/pm/archive/contributor/517 >Hip Hop Handbook: http://tinyurl.com/ll4kzz
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