J Dilla's Rising (Rating: 8 out of 10- -4.0 stars)
Chandler | Atlanta (College Park), Georgia | 05/13/2007
(4 out of 5 stars)
"Slum Villages album "Fantastic Vol. 2" was slated for a 1998 release, but never saw the light of day until 2000. For me, the standout on this album is J Dee's production. Most of the beats here are fantastic themselves. I find some of the best beats on the album are on songs such as "I Don't Know" that features Jazzy Jeff scratching at the end of the song, and "Hold Tight" feauring Q-Tip with the help of D'Angelo's piano. The production is easy to vibe to and more than likely gurantee to nod your head.
That being said, what weighs this album down is the most obvious lack of rhyme skill. Seriously, these guys borderline wack. As one reviewer stated, the obvious is that they rhyme about materialistic things (i.e. money, women). A lot of people don't seem to realize that, because the production overshadows their bad rhymes. Heck anybody can sound good if they can flow smoothly over the the correct production. And that is what Slum Village does. Just listen to "Get Dis Money" & "Raise It Up" if you want examples of wack rhymes being spit smoothly over dope beats. Not to mention they are easily outshined by the guest appearances. Well people like Kurupt and Common back then I can see, but even Pete Rock outshines them on "Once Upon A Time". Thats probably the best verse I've ever heard from Pete, not to mention that the beat for that song is dope. People are giving this album all kinds of accolades, when the lyrics are barely average. If J Dee didn't produce this album, this would have easily been a 2.5 star album.
Overall, "Fantasic Vol. 2" is a good album, mainly because of the production. If you can, I recommend you search for the instrumentals for this LP. It's a shame Slum Village wouldn't capture the same vibe on their later album as they did on this one (and probably never now due to J Dilla passing). More than likely, if you're a fan of groups like A Tribe Called Quest and The Roots, you'll more than likely like this album. I recommend that you add this to your collection. This was also reissued in 2004 which is also available on Amazon. Peace.
Lyrics: C
Production: A+
Guest Appearances: A
Musical Vibes: A+
Top 5 Favorite Tracks:
1. Once Upon A Time (featuring Pete Rock)
2. Theonlinus (featuring Common...also appears on "Like Water For Chocolate album)
3. I Don't Know (featuring Jazzy Jeff)
4. What It's All About (featuring Busta Rhymes)
5. Hold Tight (featuring Q-Tip)
"
A must buy!
TayG2 | KY, USA | 03/22/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Listen, I first heard this group back in 2000 when I was in college from a partner of mine, Zo!, who is from the D! He gave me a couple of CD's from their past work and instantly I was hooked! I wound up buying this album and haven't turned back since. You can hear the essence of hip-hop from track to track. Although the lyrics are a bit quirky and lethargic, they DO put it down when it comes down to it. Too bad that the core of this group is not together anymore, (Dilla's passing, Batin's exit from the group a few years ago. So, it's just T-3 and Elziah is holding it down for now). An instant classic for a TRUE hip-hop head! And yeah, I discovered that some white people bought this album too! It's too good to keep for yourself, you "gots to" share this. If you are tired of the commercialism of today's music recycling itself then this album is a breath of fresh air. RIP Dilla!"
Very special hip hop
Vincent Purdie | Brooklyn, NY United States | 06/13/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"You hear classic this classic that tossed all over the place these days and many of those albums fall way short. If you never trust a single one of my reviews again you must trust me when I tell you this album is very special hip hop. This a classic on the level of ANYTHING on your shelf.
If you claim to like hip hop music and this joint isn't in your collection you ain't really real son. You're just playing a hip hop fan."
Track Listings (19) - Disc #1