Search - Monoxide :: Chainsmoker Lp

Monoxide Holds His Own

madrox187 | Derby, VT | 01/05/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"The majority of juggalos (the zealous fans of Insane Clown Posse and Psychopathic Records) I have come in contact with believe that Jamie Madrox is the better member of Twiztid. I tend to agree, but I was interested to see if Monoxide could drop a classic Psychopathic album. The Chainsmoker LP contains above average lyrics (for Psychopathic Records). "Change" is very deep lyrically, and Fritz the Cat and Monoxide drop a dope beat. "Rite Quick" and "See Me" tell some interesting stories as well. Monoxide truly shows that he has developed his own style, sound and flow on this LP.



Many people disagree, but I like Fritz's producing. Although Monoxide had a lot of influence on the production, you can tell Fritz had something to do with it. I agree that Fritz won't last too much longer, because the bass and instrumentals sound much alike between this album, "Colton Grundy" and "Dirty History." Fritz has helped all the artists on Psychopathic move away from the beats with sloppy bass and guitar riffs that they used to use religiously. (Don't get my wrong - I'm not dissing classic tracks such as "Halls of Illusions" and "We Don't Die."



I thought this "solo" album would be loaded with guest appearances like "Wizard of the Hood," but I was wrong. I'm glad Monoxide knew he could create a bangin' album going dolo. The thing is, Jamie Madrox drops the best verse on the album. The line "There's something crawling up my back - whispering affirmations of enlightenment in one ear, screaming carnal curses in the other, so its kinda hard to hear" is lyrical genius, plus he flows better than any other psychopathic artist. ABK ruins "Shoe Fitz," which also features John Doe. ABK is also on "Evil," and drops a decent verse. Blaze makes a cameo, and Esham drops a nice verse on "Outta My Way."



Overall, Monoxide proves that he can make a good album on his own, but when Madrox finally drops his, I think we'll find that he is still slightly better than the M-O-N-O."

Good, But Not Great

J. Miller | Cleveland, OH | 04/12/2005

(3 out of 5 stars)

"I had very high expectations for this album because Twiztid is my favorite group on Psychopathic and they have put out consistently solid albums since their release of the OG Mostasteless in 1998. Many Juggalos feel that Madrox is arguably a better rapper than Monoxide, but I have always liked Monoxide's style and would personally consider them equal in skill. One of the main reasons this album doesn't stand out to me as a Psychopathic favorite is because it doesn't really seem to have the "Wicked Shxt" feeling that all of us Juggalos & Juggalettes have grown to love. That's not to say that I don't respect Monoxide's artistic decision to think outside the box and develop his own style, but it just seems like something is missing from this album.



Another problem I have is that the album seems short. While advertised as having 14 tracks, 2 of them are skits and "Lite It Up" and "Rite Quick" are only about a minute long each. So now we are down to 10 tracks, only about half of which are actually good. I agree with the juggalo who said that Fritz's beats are starting to sound repetative; the production on ABK's "Dirty History" & Blaze's "Colton Grundy", as well as this album, seem very similar. Monoxide always delivers tight raps on this CD, but some of the poor beats and choruses ruin a few songs. Here is a track-by-track breakdown of the album with my Entertainment Weekly-style ratings:



1. Lite It Up - (A) - Great intro!! It easily could have been developed into a full-length song.

2. Drive Thru (Skit) - This is a terrible place for a skit on an album. Funny, but nobody wants to listen to skits over and over again.

3. See Me - (B-) - Alot of juggalos seem to like this track, but for me it is nothing special. The chorus seems kind of boring and generic, even though the rapping is tight.

4. Wut Would You Do - (C-) - I'm not feeling this one at all.

5. Blaze - (B) - This one is decent, but if I want to listen to some weed songs by Twiztid, I'd prefer "Hydro" or "Bagz".

6. Outta My Way (feat. Esham) - (D+) - I'm sorry, but this song SUCKS. I was excited when I heard Esham was gonna have a track with Monoxide, but this is a complete waste. The chorus is extremely annoying and the beat isn't very good at all.

7. Bring Me Down - (A+) - Finally the album gets good! This is one of my two favorite tracks on the CD. Awesome raps + Awesome chorus + Awesome production + Awesome concept = Awesome song!

8. I'm Out (Skit) - Funny, but another waste of a track.

9. Slut - (C-) - Not one of the better Psychopathic sex songs! The chorus is annoying, although the raps are good as always.

10. Rite Quick - (B+) - I like this one; it is short & sweet, but a solid track.

11. Shoe Fitz (feat. ABK & Cash Kola) - (C-) - Another below average song. The chorus sucks, as well as ABK's verse. That Cash Kola guy is good though! Hopefully we will hear more from him in the future, since he is down with Lavel.

12. Change - (B) - A good song about Monoxide's life; not your typical Psychopathic song, but a nice change of style.

13. Evil (feat. Madrox & ABK) - (A+) - This is my other favorite song on the album. This is a great track!! All of the rappers have great verses, the chorus is tight and the whole track is WICKED!! Songs like this are why I love Psychopathic Records.

14. Real - (A) - Another great song that doesn't sound like typical Psychopathic music. This one is a keeper.



Overall it's a good album, but not great. Let's hope if Mr. Bones comes back with another solo effort it will top this. I still love Twiztid and can't wait for "Man's Myth & Mutant"! MMFCL Juggalos & Juggalettes!!





"

New sound for Monoxide, but still fresh...

musiqstar87 | Huntington WV USA | 11/16/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I had no clue of what to expect when i picked up Chainsmoker. I halfway expected alot of Jamie Madrox even though this is a Mono solo but when you listen to the album there is no Madrox to be found. The LP has 14 tracks, which seems short considering 2 of them are skits. I wasn't feeling the sampler but now that i got a chance to hear the full disc its pretty good.



It begins with "Lite It Up", which is a small intro-type track. It has a nice beat but i would've preferred more of an intro. The second track is a skit called "Drive Thru" which is funny but nothing more...i would've liked it to be later in the CD rather than being right after the intro. Following up #2 are several good songs such as "U Don't Wanna C Me", "Outta My Way", "Bring Me Down" and others. These are all decent cuts, but "Bring Me Down" is the standout up to this point on the LP. Around track 8 is a skit that's also funny but really serves no purpose. I wish Mono would've added thsee in-between songs rather than as tracks themselves. The next track, "Slut", is a hilarious song about sex. I like the lyrics but i just don't feel the same when Mono is rapping on this track as i do on a normal Twiztid track. It just has a different vibe to it. Mono pulls off some funny lines ("I got more moves than ya mom's Craftmatic") so i put this track up there with my favorites.



By the time i get done hearing "Slut" i'm ready for something good but all i get is the halfway decent interlude-type track "Rite Quick". It's really strange hearing this track because its about a broken relationship and that's something you usually don't hear in a Twiztid track. Following this up is "Shoe Fitz", which is one of the best on the album. It has a good beat and Mono is joined by ABK and another guy (not sure who he his).



Following up that track is "Change", a very personal track for Mono where he talks about his ex-wife taking his daughter away from him. It sounds strange, once again, hearing Mono talking about this kind of stuff but he pulls it off decently. Right after that is "Evil" which is just a mediocre track as far as i'm concerned.



The final track on the CD ("That's Real") i expected to be huge but all i got was an alright song. It has a nice beat but it seems like something you wouldn't hear Mono on. I do find it funny how Mono calls out the E-40 riders ("Just give 40 his props & take his d**k outcha mouth") and it shows off his flow so i guess it's a good way to end the album.



Overall, this was a good purchase. I came in feeling like Mono would just lend verses here and there and allow Jamie to take the gust of the CD but Mono really delivered and carried the weight all on his own.



Album Rating - 4/5 Stars



Favorite Tracks: U Don't Wanna C Me, Bring Me Down, Outta My Way, Slut, Shoe Fitz, Change, That's Real"