Search - MF Grimm :: American Hunger

Has it's ups and downs, but remains solid throughout

T. Neves | Portland, OR | 01/21/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"American Hunger is a good quality album with a lot of really good tracks if not any one classic. Obviously with three discs there are some songs that are better than others, and although I didn't find myself skipping over the same tracks time after time there are a few songs with repetitive choruses that made me wonder whether MF was really trying emphasize something or if he was trying to fill up some space on this massive project. Content wise I would say there is a lot to be taken away from this album with some thought provoking material as well as a great diversity. From comical to political and even a clever and rather complete synopsis of the Godfather from the perspective of Michael Corleone to 'Fredo, Grimm lives up to his moniker, "Many Flows". The production has bright spots but is below average on many tracks. I don't fault MF too much for that because if you are going to buy this album it will likely be for the lyrics, which as stated were solid. The only other fault I can see in this album is that the delivery of MF is very deliberate and simple, which he even comments on in some of the songs on the album. Apparently he has done this purposely to make all of his thoughts accessible to the listener, which I don't mind, but some hip-hop heads will probably find it a little awkward sounding. Having bought this album without hearing a single track and only having heard a few things from Grimm before this I was impressed enough to go back and purchase more of his material. Despite the fact that there may be a bit of filler on here, you are still getting more than two albums worth of quality tracks and I still think it is a good value. As a fan of KRS-one and many other "conscious" rappers I appreciate MF coming with a message, even if I don't always agree with it. If you are considering this purchase I recommend you pick it up. I doubt that you will be disappointed."

A+ for Quantity, C- for quality

E. Hanna | Denver, CO | 03/09/2008

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Have you ever ridden in a car with someone who doesn't know how to keep constant pressure on the gas? They can't get the car to just cruise at 35mph, so they press on and off the accelerator to keep the car fluctuating between 32 and 38mph, all the while their passengers uncomfortably jerk back and forth in their seats, praying that the ride will smooth itself out before they throw up. Has that ever happened to you?



That experience is the closest comparison I can draw to what listening to MF Grimm's vocal stylings is like. Stop, start, stop, start, slow down, speed up, show promise, stumble, disappoint, repeat: That's the formula, and Grimm's the man that brings it to you.



Now before I end up upsetting the small army of Grimm listeners out there, let me say that American Hunger is still a very impressive release that features more than a couple excellent tracks. I sincerely doubt that most mainstream/big time underground rappers and MCs could pull off an album of this one's staggering size, and I have absolutely no doubt that none of them would choose to do so unless their life depended on it. Grimm should be commended for the incredible amount of work he put into American Hunger - it absolutely is one of those rare albums that qualifies as being a true accomplishment regardless of the quality of music that lies within.



All of that said, I feel the whole of the album is mediocre. Props to Grimm for not cluttering this album with worthless skits and spoken word tracks that no one in their right mind would listen to (DOOM could take a lesson from Grimm to this end), and the beats across all 3 discs are superb, but the vocals just aren't there for me. There's no flow to these lyrical flows, they're more lyrical stutter steps set to catchy hooks. Always listenable, but rarely engrossing.



American Hunger stretches across 3 discs, cutely titled "Breakfast", "Lunch", and "Dinner". Across the 3 discs, I was able to find 12 tracks that I really, earnestly enjoyed a great deal:



I Rather Be Wrong

M.I.C.

The Gingerbread Man

Playground

It's No Secret

United

I Love You

Traveling

Broken Glasses

Elevate

Twin Peaks

Simple Rhyme



That's 12 tracks out of sixty, or exactly 1/5th of the total album. But here's what kills me: if Grimm hadn't been so hellbent on creating an epic, he could have released those 12 tracks on one disc and thereby presented the world with a true CLASSIC (he could have even put his epic track "Book of Daniel" on there to top things off, though that one wasn't exactly my cup of tea). As is, American Hunger is just 12 great tracks stuffed between 144 minutes of pure mediocrity... if he'd only cut the fat, he could have really released something special."