Search - Giant Panda :: Fly School Reunion

Bringin' HipHop Back...

? | United Kingdom! | 07/08/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"2005 saw many remarkable underground releases ; Oktober - The Art Of Raw, One Be Lo - Sonogram, O.C. - Starchild just to name a few, but it has to be Giant Panda's "Fly School Reunion" that reigns as the most hard-hitting, original & refreshing album to come out at a time when authentic & fun-loving music was missing. Maanumental (Black lead MC), Newman (White MC/Producer) & Chikaramanga (Japanese Producer/MC) are a trio that make up the group Giant Panda. Hailing from 2 different places ; Seattle (Newman, Maanumental) & L.A. (Chikaramanga), Giant Panda offer a very diverse listen on Fly School Reunion, in terms of both the artists' own personalities & indeed the music they make together. The most notable thing about this particular group is that they sound remarkably like their close LA affiliates, People Under The Stairs (Thes One & Double K). This mainly being down to the fact that for some odd reason both Maanumental & Newman are indeed very reminiscent of Thes One, in both delivery & charisma. However saying this, it has to be said that no matter how much of a massive fan I am of the P, both Maanumental & Newman are on a totally different level, lyrically, to both Thes & K, purely for their complex, flavorful & innovative word-play that both successfully demonstrate. Straight B-Boy's.



The production courtesy of Chikaramanga & Newman (the majority) is also very similar to that of PUTS, with the SP sounding funk, snares, hi-hats, pefectly flipped samples, cuts & alla the rest of that good stuff! that has made both Thes & K, two of my favourite producers, period. The production here is AMAZING...with Thes One actually dropping by for the tracks "Super Fly" & "Racist". The best part of FSR, is that not only does every single track have for 1) amazing production but also all provide flawless, charasmatic lyricism throughout, a combination that just begs for more spins. The highlights of the album have to be the fantasticly charming "With It", the hard-hitters "Just Cause" & "Sho' Improve", the laid-back "Always Dope", the thought-provoking "racist", the ridiculously funky "TKO" & the beautifully atmospheric "Strings".



A very original & fresh quality about GP is Chikaramanga, who is a Japanese MC/Producer who demonstrates his own flava & lyrical ability (in japanese mostly) over approx 1/3 of the tracks. Very different, and it works fantastically only adding to both Newman's & Maanumental's additional impact.

It is evident that Giant Panda stay true to their roots, but maintain both their originality & progression at the same time...resulting in an essential to those, fortunately, who have not subcumb to the brain-washing material being put out under the name of "hiphop" (and other genres). If they carry on in this direction, I believe that they may even become as successful, respected & indeed just as untouchable as the legendary P.



Bottom Line>> I can't say enough postive things about this album, it is quickly becoming one of my favourites & best-buy's for a long time. You have to listen to truly appreciate Giant Panda...cop this ish. PEACE



Lyrics - 10/10

Beats - 10/10

Originality - 9.5/10

Replay Value - 10/10



If you found this helpful, check my other reviews



"

Good rappins

Jesse Astin Tarlton | Golden, CO | 07/24/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this at BestBuy and bought it for the band name and figured it would be cheesy and bad, like alot of rap and hip-hop, right?

It was actually really good. I checked out their site and they use only analog equipment, no digital stuff, for their samples. In addition they have excellent lyrics (the song Racist especially), though cheesy at times.("Make a hotty shake her body, that's what I'm about man," for example.) For some reason I have yet to get tired of this cd. I usually tire of a cd within a month of when I buy it, but I have had thyis one for about two months now, and am still listening to it regularly.

Oh, I almost forgot, the band consists of the members pictured on the cover of the cd, one of whom is Japanese, and raps in japanese, which sounds surprisingly good, especially when compared to more popular rap like Lil' John or 50 Cent.

If you liked that elevator music in the driving scenes of Broken Flowers, and you like good rhymes, you should check this out. It's pretty overlooked."

Top to bottom dope album

thunk | Oakland, CA | 09/17/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"About a week after picking up this album I went to see these guys perform out at Slim's in San Francisco with PUTS and Time Machine. GP definitely knows how to rock a set. But that's not really the point is it? Fly School Reunion is one of those albums that I wish I could forget about just so I could discover it all over again. From the intro to the end, this album hits you with lush, varied beats that all manage to sound cohesive enough to fit together on the same album, but nowhere near repetive or boring. The production from Thes One (personally my favorite producer), Newman, and Chikaramanga keeps your foot tapping and head nodding in the nicest way. Plus, all three of these cats can not only rock a mic, but can come together to make a song with meaning and feeling, something that is seriously missing in todays mainstream hiphop scene. West Coast to East, America to Japan, This is quality music.



Favorite Track: "Racist""