Search - Blaq Poet :: Blaqprint

The decade's "Livin' Proof"

Scott D. Gribble | Baltimore MD | 05/07/2010

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Group Home's Livin' Proof is simultaneously notorious for its classic production and sub par lyricism. To be fair, Tha Blaqprint is far superior in both aspects, but still shares many of its similarities.



Production wise this is one of DJ Premier's finest full album efforts (sans 2 tracks). Opening with the slow pounding "I-Gittin" you know that he's on his "A" game. "Legendary Pt. 1" is one of my favorites: screeching guitars, thumping bass and the classic type Primo hook. From the chilling "Voices", the chopped "S.O.S", piano looped "Sichuwayshunz", or the pulsating "Rap Addiction" it has all the makings of a classic... just imagine what Jeru or Guru could do on the mic with this. At times I wonder if this should have been the next (or last) Gang Starr album. At best, the beats make Poet seem deceptively incredible at times... in fact they are so damn good they make Easy Mo Bee and Germcrates beats almost wack in comparison.



Certainly the supreme production also motivates Poet to bring it as well. Blaq Poet fares better than Lil Dap & Melachi Da Nutcracker; often showing moments of cleverness, building decent concepts, and overall basic simplistic rhyming. It's enough to keep things going, but not enough to really add a whole lot. Make no mistake, Poet has some decent talent and he manages to always flow well, he's just not that great. I never find myself wanting to rewind a track for his lyrics. Poet still servers a solid purpose: continuing to keep the album listenable and interesting. "Voices" is an interesting concept track where Poet hears the ghosts of Hip-Hop past (shades of his previous work "A Message from Poet"). The NY banger "Ain't Nuttin Changed" he sounds inspired by the killer Primo cut and ferociously blazes through street rhymes. My favorite performance of his comes on "Don't Give a Fu***" where he speeds up his flow and intensifies his delivery to match the menacing beat. While Primo clearly helped, he also at times further point out the gap between the two aspects of the record. Poet simply cannot live up to enormous potential available within the music.



Don't get me wrong, I definitely enjoy the LP and I would highly recommend it for all DJ Premier fans. Poet holds enough of his own weight that he doesn't take away from anything. Die hards cannot afford to pass up on some of these classic cuts. However, it's no coincidence that the album is coupled with a full length disc of instrumentals. It just begs for a greater MC to get on and bless it. Maybe some of the legends will get inspired by what could have been a classic album on their resume. Primo proves here that he's still the best to ever do it on wax.

(6/10)"

Premo is the man!!

R. Laryea | knightdale,nc | 07/07/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"lets be for real here... blaq poet is an average mc but with premos fire on 92% of the album this is a street BANGER!! i mean premo has supplied pure fire on 13 of the 15 tracks on here! this is really hard i mean tough!! bp pulls off every song very well but i mean premo just blazes this cd. this cd is for the real hip hoppers not hip poppers! buy this people, support premo and his year round label!"

Blaq Poet + DJ Premier = Raw Hip Hop

B. Mcgilligan | Milwaukee/DC | 07/05/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Those of you who are fans of DJ Premier and/or Blaq Poet will not be disappointed when purchasing "The Blaqprint". Although many of the tracks here were released on mixtapes and previous LP's ("Hood Crazy", "Voices", "S.O.S.", etc) this is the first time they have been released in CD quality format. "Voices" in particular is a track I heard a couple years back, but it is extremely hard to find and I am glad Blaq Po decided to include it on the LP. Over a sinister Preemo-produced track, BLaq Poet summons the spirits and voices of old and dead MC's like Pac and Biggie to explain how they would perceive the rap game now. The intro track "I-Gettin" goes especially hard and is the perfect intro for the CD. DJ Premier supplies one of the hardest, toughest beats on the CD and Blaq Poet delivers with this classic hardcore lyrics. Poet's first single from the LP "Ain't Nuttin CHanged" meshes three samples together with a boom bap bass line typical of DJ Premier, and the results are phenomenal. Other standout tracks on the CD include "Hood Crazy" and the eulogy to Poet's former Screwball associate KL "Never Goodbye".

I first got into Blaq Poet because I was a huge fan of DJ Premier and they worked heavily together. However, Blaq Poet is an outstanding artist by himself, and he fills his second solo LP with the hardcore, grimey Queensbridge lyrics that he has become known for. Premier's ill beats defintley help the equation, which is clear when you hear the two non-produced Premier tracks ("U Phucc'd Up" and "Let The Guns Blow") and compare them to the rest of the LP. Overall, customers should def support this album because it brings to rap listeners some of that old school, back to basics hip hop that has been missing in the oversaturated market. PREEMO NEVER STOP MAKING BEATS!!!"