Search - Cage :: Hell's Winter

One of the most honest and original rap albums of all time

Amazon3421 | 01/13/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Usually, when I listen to rap I'm more into mainstream stuff. As an Eminem fan, I checked out Cage's diss of him "The Illest 4 letter word", and was pretty underwhelmed. It was hard to make out his lyrics, and even if they matched up if you strained your ears to listen, I didn't think he was anywhere near Eminem's class as a rapper.



I checked out this album almost as a joke, like when I checked out fellow Eminem-enemy Benzino's album, figuring it would be good for a laugh.



But it really surprised me. The bravado and posturing is gone, and now Cage just tells it like it is, going over his addictions and the abuse he suffered from his father and step-father as a child. It's a depressing album to listen to, but it paints its pictures with vivid detail.



This might upset people into underground, but writing for people into more mainstream stuff, this album might seem underwhelming at first. With the album being as confessional as it is, Cage sounds lost and and insecure at times, so it isn't the confident, arrogant style of rap you might be used to. While the Def Jux production style is unique, the mixing and mastering on the recording doesn't have the same sparkle and sheen that say, a dr.dre record would have.



But look past these thing, and look at this album as being different from a mainstream record, rather than just being not as good as one. Once I got used to the style this album sucked me right in, and it was easily my favorite album of 2005, in any genre.



"

Cage is no good live?

K. Hammer | toledo, ohio | 06/24/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"your city must suck...i just saw him rock ann arbor



everybody on the bill was just hyped...people gotta realise that artists feed off the energy of the crowd, if you just stand around with your arms folded they're not gonna put on a good show. if you get hype and start mosh pits, they're gonna give you their all"