Search - Bobby Digital Presents :: Northstar

Good....But I've Heard Better

jeda | east coast | 10/30/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"While my musical tastes have drifted a little bit so im not as concentrated on rap as i used to be, i have been listening to some underground Wu-Tang stuff lately. i got the Popa Wu album "Visions of the Tenth Chamber" and the soundtrack to the movie "Ghost Dog: Way of the Samurai", both good albums with some hot tracks from the Wu underground. One of my favorite artists from those compilations was Northstar, a West Coast duo who was on some tight songs on those albums. When I came across this album on Amazon, I knew I wanted to try it out. Luckily, I got a good price on it. I popped it in my CD player and was a little bit suprised. It was a little more commercial then I've heard them before, but still good.



"Luv Allah" is a good first song, with a nice beat and some good rhymes. "We Got It" is a materialistic song, different then what I've heard before. "Red Rum" is a great song, West Coast style, with good guest rhyming from Shacronz. Don and a reggae hook. "Crazy" is a celebration of going wild, with an R&B hook and some nice rhymes. I don't necassarily like the beat on "See Me", but on "64", the RZA drops a cool, dark beat, and it's a real good song. "So So Serious" isn't too great, but "Duckie" is a good song with some nice storytelling. "Ballin" is OK, but I really like "Destiny", with more good storytelling and a nice R&B chorus from Kinetic. "Black Knights of the Northstar", featuring Doc Doom and Midnight is definately one of my favorites, with great lyrics over a top-notch beat. It was on Popa Wu's "Visions From The Tenth Chamber" but under the name "Simply Ludicrous".



Overall, I was suprised by the commercial sound on some of the songs, and some of the more West Coast feel, and while I have heard them drop some nice songs, some of the songs on this aren't that great. A pretty good CD, but not the Wu's best. I did however, like a lot of it, so I'd recomend it to someone, just don't be suprised if all of it doesn't sound like classic Wu."

A very tight wu tang fam album!

TKitO | Hong Kong | 07/17/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Northstar is one unit from Wu Family,
My very first time to heard about this group is from the "Wu Tang Killa Bees The Swarm" album!
[ok, that Cd cover is bad but that cd is a pure wu tang joint, go get it too if you haven't.]
But their song is not too standout, not so catch my ears.Anyway, I got this album after it released for a while.
Because I don't have so much interest on it,
but once I listen to it in record store....
I think "God!!! I gotta have it!"
I haven't hesitate a second and go purchase it.Sh*t, and I have listen to the whole thing about 4~5 times that day I got it!Executive Produced by RZA is one of the selling point of this album, no doubt baby!
All rap fans got love for RZA,
And I'm very glad that Rza produce 4 songs in here,
I feel surprise!!!
Instead he just produce one song and label it's Executive Produce by RZA!1.Luv Allah - Produce by a producer that I never heard,
Armand Van Helden, but once I heard this song, I'll remember this guy, The beats is as old wu tang as it gets! AMAZING!!!
A Modern sounds of Martial Art Wu Tang beats! nuff say, 5/52.We Got It - This one is very nice too! Great sound sample, bangin' beats, You don't have to skip it! 5/54.Red Rum - Produce by RZA, but it just a drum machice plus a little noise, it's doesn't boring at all, but not good enough and it lack of a nice sound sample! 3.5/56.Crazy - This one is nice! 4/57.Nuttin' - Wow! another song produce by Armand Van Helden, and he did a tight job again! 4.5/59.See Me - Produce by RZA, But got no Wu Tang feeling in it, I guess it's the sound of Bobby Digital huh?
Ok, very electric/techno sounding beats, I feel it's weird first but now feeling better! 4/510.64 - This one sounds more normal, quite good but I think RZA can did better job than this. 3.5/511.So So Serious - Wow! another tight fast tempo song!!! 4/512.Duckie - This one remind me the sound of "The W" of Wu Tang a lot!!! Keep sampling a woman voice, mid tempo beats, very nice one! 4.5/513.Ballin' - Good song! 4/514.Destiny - Luckily, RZA did a AMAZING job in here, to rejoiced me a lot..... No doubt baby, 5 stars! 5/515.Black Knights of the Northstar - Last Song, Very Wu Sounding beats! Like something from The W and Iron Flag era! 4.5/5Northstar is a great artists,
2 nice rappers with ton of never-heard-guest-appear,
with TIGHT PRODUCTION!
If featuring some members from the clan, it should be CRAZY!
But anyway, THIS IS A GREAT ALBUM!
I'm sure it give you more than you expect!!!
Get it now!"

WU SOUND FOR THE YEAR 3000

GERHARD NOTHNAGEL | PRETORIA, PRETORIA South Africa | 04/28/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"THIS CD WAS A BIG SURPRISE, I HEARD THESE CATS ON KILLA BEES THE STING AND THOUGHT THAT THEY STOOD OUT, SO I WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO THIS RELEASE. I HOW EVER DID NOT EXPECT THIS CD TO BE AS GOOD AS IT IS.
ARMAND VAN HELDEN DELIVERS 2 AMAZING BEATS AND I HOPE RZA USES HIM FOR FUTURE PROJECTS, THE REST OF THE BEATS ARE HANDLED BY RZA AND MATHEMATICS SO YOU KNOW THAT THIS IS TRULY RARE. THERE IS REALY NO SONG TO SKIP HERE EXCEPT THE SKITS. NOTEWORTHY IS TRACK 11 SO SO SERIOUS, THIS HAS TO BE ONE OF THE MOST EXPLOSIVE BEATS IN A VERY LONG TIME AND IF THIS DOESNT GET YOUPUMPED NOTING WILL. TRULY WORTH GETTING.- G23 SOUTH AFRICA"