Search - Fort Minor :: Rising Tied

My first favorite CD

PeechyRose | Birmingham, AL United States | 03/12/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Over the years, I would not have been able to name any one CD as my favorite. I could provide a list of "favorites", but no one CD would jump to the top of the list. From the first time I listened to this CD, that changed. This is bar none, hands down, without a doubt, my favorite CD (crossing all music genres).



The music software I use on my computer allows for the ranking of each track using stars on a scale of 1 to 5. One of my typical CDs (even those that made my "favorites" list) would probably have 1 or 2 five star tracks, 3 or 4 four stars, 5 or 6 three stars, 3 or 4 two stars, and perhaps, 1 or 2 one stars.



A look at my computer shows I have given 8 of the 21 tracks from The Rising Tied 5 stars. The other 13 tracks have earned 4 stars! Even the intro and a battle interlude received 4 stars. I usually give interludes and intros 1 or 2 stars.



Mike Shinoda has given this CD all the elements I look for in my Rap music. First of all, there is actual music behind the rap. Music with layers and depth, melody and strong rythm. Secondly, The lyrics are clear and understandable. And, thirdly, there is meaning and value behind the lyrics. There is nothing I can't stand more than listening to a rap track that is nothing more than some monotonous beat with someone mumbling something over it and when you do figure out what they are mumbling, it is nothing more than some tired rhetoric glorifying some anti-social behavior. This CD meets every criteria I have to be labeled as "intelligent" rap.



I am not your typical rap music lover. I am a nearly (not there yet!)middle-age, professional white woman. So, I am not as inclined to accept whatever the industry wants to shove down my throat as "good" music. But, I think anyone, regardless of age, race, or social standing who has any appreciation for modern and contemporary music would be able to find some level of enjoyment from this CD. Buy it! You will not be disappointed. I do recommend you invest the few extra dollars to purchase the extended version. The extra tracks and bonus DVD are worth it.



I hope we hear more from Mike Shinoda and the rest of the Fort Minor crew soon. I eagerly await their next release.



"

Definitely something different, yet excellent.

hauk | 11/25/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is very different from the usual hiphop you are accustomed to listening to. the lyrics can move you emotionally and paint mental images (like Kenji), and they sound awfully original compared to the sea of gangsta rap that is often overplayed and can be found everywhere. musically, mike shinoda handplays 99% of the instrumentation that you hear (with the exception of the strings audio clip used in "Believe Me"), which makes the album sounds more realistic and less synthetic. Guest artists are also chosen wisely, like Styles of Beyond, Common, Black Thought, and John Legend, to name a few. Honestly, what has been said about this album is already pretty much said... go check out reviews for the standard/normal explicit edition of the rising tied in amazon.com.



however, this is the special edition, and it boasts 3 extra tracks and a dvd featuring the making of the album. here is the breakdown:



Be Somebody - a song about, well, being yourself and just striving for that goal, and overcoming those in your way. A track that many people can relate to.



There They Go - more of a party track to me though, but it's pretty damn catchy, thats for sure.



The Hard Way - yet another deeply lyrical song, i'm surprised that this wasn't on the standard edition of the album. i don't want to spoil the content about this one much, but the lyrics themselves has that Linkin Park-like vibe to it. Also something that people can relate to.



DVD - the content in the DVD itself helps, in my opinion, make the album itself stronger. Just like a story, Shinoda explains how the project was born, the people involved, among other things. It was nice to see actual musicians performing in the studios for the samples that Shinoda uses. You can also catch Jay-Z and Brad from Linkin Park helping with choosing the songs for the album. The DVD also showed a bit of the European tour that Fort Minor did with Styles of Beyond and a drummer from Queens, New York called Beatdown. Also included were how the artwork was conceptualized and parts of the making of the video for "Petrified," plus more.



Four stars for the album itself along with the extra tracks, and the final star for the DVD that explains it all."

Everything i expected (and hoped for) and more

hauk | 12/03/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"-i hope you take the time to read all this-

i've been inot mike's rap since i first heard linkin park, and this album really did it for me. the total effect lives up to the artist name, with moods ranging from frantic to tragic to matter-of-fact. this is one of those albums that you dont skip any tracks on, and that you can listen to over and over again without getting bored. the tracks are catchy at first glance, but further in you see the depth of the music, and the lyrics convey messages ranging from subtle to blatent, all portrayed cleverly with tons of emotion. when mike writes a verse, it feels like he's telling a story - and oh yeah, it rhymes too. the messages arent based around the rhymes, its the other way around. this gives the album an amazingly clean and understandable feeling - it just feels right. i also respect mike intensly for making this album totally organic - nearly every instrument was played by mike and actually recorded specifically for the song - not taken off a keyboard, like in much hip hop. even though i'm new at song reviewing, here are my thoughts on each of the songs (except the intro):



2 remember the name (feat. styles of beyond) - a nice debut for the album, this combines a catchy strings tune with a nice third person theme



3 right now (feat. black thought & styles of beyond) - this cross section of everyday life actually makes you stop and think about what everyone else, the people that you never notice, are thinking about as they go about their everyday life



4 petrified - a great heavy beat makes this song perfect for dancing



5 feel like home (feat. styles of beyond) - something about this song just feels clean. i cant put my finger on it, but the song really flows smoothly



6 where'd you go (feat. holly brook & jonah matranga) - this song made mike's wife cry when she heard it. that about sums it up. it manages to convey sadness and anger alternately but smoothly, and contains some specifics but leaves the situation open for interpretation



7 in stereo - this song hearkens back to the days when mike would make tons of beats and the ones that were good enough, that "passed the cut" so to speak got to be tested out in the car



8 back home (feat. common & styles of beyond) - probably my least favorite song on the album. still, its a good song, just not necessarily standout in my mind, although it is growing on me



9 cigarettes - this song provides an interesting view on the world of hip hop. the slow moving beat really holds your intrest



10 believe me (feat. bobo & styles of beyond) - some nice strings back an overall great song that seems so good it could be made to be a single



11 get me gone - possibly my favorite song on the album, i only have one quibble with this song - its too short. other than that, the song amazes me. his tone through the song is so familiar to me



12 high road (feat. john legend) - a nice chorus by john legend really compliments this middle finger up to the critics song



13 kenji - this is a really powerful song about mike's family who was locked up in an enternment camp in WWII for being japanese. it really conveys thier emotions at the time and mike's now well



14 red to black (feat. kenna, jonah matranga, & styles of beyond) - this song gets you feeling the emotion, not just listening to it



15 the battle (feat. celph titled) - a short interlude, this freestyle (i assume) links red to black with slip out the back extrodinarily



16 slip out the back (feat. mr hahn) - im sure we've all felt this way every once in a while. it makes you wonder if slipping out the back is bad or good



[17 & 18 are short blank tracks]



19 be somebody (feat. lupe fiasco, holly brook, & tak of styles of beyond) - this song has really grown on me. not a standout, but a nice song



20 there they go (feat. sixx john) - another that has grown on me (all that have done this i had liked in the beginning, i just love now). it really gets you in the mood of franticity



21 the hard way (feat. kenna) - not a standout, but a nice closing"