Search - Slum Village :: Fantastic 2

The second eccential hip hop album of '00!

couchbum7 | Las Cruces, NM USA | 06/13/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"In the vein of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Roots and Common come the Detroit trio called Slum Village. Their name comes from the A Tribe Called Quest song "Vibes and Stuff." This album is supposed to be their second album (hence the title) but it sound like number three or four, it sounds so refined compared to the casio beats of Cash Money's Mannie Fresh and Ruff Ryder's Swizz Beats. The group consists of three emcees, one of which is one of hip hop's hottest producers, Jay-Dee, (not Jermaine Dupree) T3, and Baatin. The lyrical content on this album is pretty good considering the state of mind of rap music currenty. Most of the songs have at least one mention of sex (example, "I Don't Know"), money ("Get dis money") and cars ("Raise it up"). But the incrediblely beautiful beats make every minute flaw disappear. The shining star on the LP is "Fall in Love", the beat is different from anything your ears have heard, everyone you know will bump this song. Seriously this album has to be heard to be believed. Slum Village get a little "help out" with the guests D'Angelo (singin'), Kurupt (swingin'), Pete Rock (blingin'), Q-tip (strutin') and DJ Jazzy Jeff (cuttin'). It is not the best Hip Hop album of the year ( Common's Like Water for Chocolate is, and is completely produced by Slum Village's Jay-Dee) but comes damn close. This is what you SHOULD be listening to until De La Soul drops "Art Offical Intelligence" later this Summer. This album will leave hip hop heads satisfied ... for now. Four out of Five Stars"

Open Your Minds People!!

Robert C. Alexander | Yonkers, NY USA | 03/13/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"You're going to read a lot of reviews about this album that talk about Slum Village's lack of lyrical ability but that the beats are so hot that you should get the album anyway. Only the latter part of that statement is true. I've been listening to hip hop since the seventies, when rappers had to beg djs to get on the mic. When the groove was what it was all about. When the hottest rhymes around were, "hip hop, a hippy to the hippy, say up jumps the boogie..." You get my drift.



Only the trained ear can hear what Slum Village is all about lyrically on this album. SV has discarded the overdone and almost pre-requisite lyrical bravado that began dominating hip hop in 1987 and has brought something more interesting to the table...VIBE!! Today's hip hop fans are so conditioned to judge by lyrical ability that anything different falls short of their expectations.



Let me tell you something, if you like, Low End Theory by ATCQ, you will love this album. The reason I chose Tribe as my example is that, by no means could you call Phife or Q-Tip lyrical geniuses. And no, I won't bother with a comparison between the 2 groups. In my opinion they are both about the same thing...Vibe!!! Why else did Q-Tip use Jay Dee (SV's Producer/Rapper) to produce songs on Tribes last 2 albums as well as almost every song on his solo album?



Slum Village is about vibe. The lyrics match the tracks perfectly. So well do they match in fact, that you couldn't even hear any of your favorite mainstream lyrical gods on any of these tracks. It just wouldn't sound right. Do yourself a favor. Try to put your conditioning away, pop this album in and then try to go a month without listening to it. This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the top ten hip hop albums of all time. And I say this, having a lot more material to survey than most."

BANGIN'!!!

Neyetro | Atlanta, GA (Austell) | 11/14/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"While it hard to call anything today a classic, yet alone an underground classic, this CD by SV is definitely an "undaground" classic and a true banger. I agree with many of the reviews I've read, this joint is truly a production "tour de force". Jay Dee's style is right at home for a couple of reasons. First of all, his work with Tribe and others like Common was tight, but in the case of Quest, I think it's accurate to say that most of us was focusing on the lyrical depth of Tribe and wanting to hear how abstract Q-tip would be. (Needless to say they lacked, but that's another review.) Therefore, JD's production was somewhat underappreciated. Otherwise, on 'Fantastic' JD's production stands out supreme because the lyrics are not frontstage here. Nevertheless, the mix is FIRE!!! Every track on here gets a head-nod and if you skip to a favorite you will no doubt come back to the track you skipped.
Everyone has many different standout tracks, I'm not gonna tell you which tracks are hot (you judge for yourself), I'll just tell which one I'm feeling right now (and I do mean right now cuz I know they'll change). Track 2)Conant Gardens, 3)I Don't Know, 12)Get Dis Money, 15)Players, 17)2U4U, 18)CB4, and of course the street classic Thelonius, Track 20. This a must-have and recommend CD!"