Tupik wrote:B4.DA.$$ is very good, and although I anticipated more hard-hitting songs like Christ Conscious, in the end it's still a very satisfying album. Love Paper Trail$ in particular, along with the singles which are all awesome.
the first listen of the album had me feeling like all of the songs blended into one. it seemed just "okay".
took the second listen while on a intercity bus, on a beautiful morning and was instantly hooked.
whatever "it" is, Joey has it. he's one damn good emcee. I love how he can change up from his laid-back voice to that commanding flow on "No. 99" and "Christ Conscious". He's able to switch up speeds faster than Bruce Lee riding a Fuji in a movie, can randomly sing one line out and then get back to rapping or change his flow throughout the song. Almost reminds me of Method Man's abilities.
While I enjoy his delivery and word-play, he certainly isn't an outstanding lyricist. But his technique and versatility certainly makes up for it. When the metaphors aren't that ingenious, they still seem impressive because of the way he's able to quickly and wittingly drop those lines.
With all due respect to some emcees, ones that I even love, sometimes it can just get on your nerves when some abstract hip hop artist goes on for 70mins about capitalism without any change in his delivery or choruses. Joey, on the other hand, is entertaining to listen to as he changes up frequently.
All in all, a **** great album. Doesn't feel like there's any filler tracks. Plenty of different types of songs, whether it's a cool chorus by some singer ("Teach Me", per example, which I love) or that Jamaican-type of rapping on one track (I think it was "Escape 120").
The overall jazzy vibe is also cool. The whole release seems cohesive, even if the fore-mentioned versatility is there.
Favorite songs: Big Dusty, Hazeus View, No. 99, Christ Conscious, OCB, Curry Chicken, Teach Me.
An early candidate for album of the year. I liked Joey before, but this album convinced me that he has that "charisma" or whatever you want to call it that a good emcee has to have.
