blazing arrow vs. arrhythmia

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the first two great hip hop full-lengths of 2002 (i could be forgetting somebody). take a side! blackalicious has it wrapped for jazzy, lush instrumentation, while antipop consortium goes for the jugular with jagged, experimental productions. blackalicious has smooth but mundane rhymes while antipop goes for the jugular (again) with abstract, polyrhythmic flow. who will win?

fields of salmon, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

havent heard blackalicious but probably would like it more than antipop which has the most half-assed pathetic idea of 'modern' production of any record since that david bowie d'n'b one

ethan, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

ok bowie is an easy target but i really dont like arrhythmia!

ethan, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

imagine a weird al timbaland parody

ethan, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

or tmbg 'pastiching' rockwilder

ethan, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I have yet to hear Arrhythmia but my guess, based on their live show, is that they've improved only not that much: Ethan's right insofar as their production sounds "modern" on the surface but isn't really innovative in action, and good God can they get mind-numbingly monotone vocally. I'm for Blazing Arrow -- which is not only very solid but has been impressing me with some of the really structured vocal and rhyme organizations.

nabisco%%, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

are you guys forgetting El-P's Fantastic Damage? It is a pretty great disc, though El-P isn't the greatest rapper. I'd have to say Blackalicious wins though, it just seems so much more spirited. Antipop has become this ridiculous parody of what innovative hip-hop should be, and Def Jux is approaching that also. Blazing Arrow!!

tyler, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

as my local Warp-Demon, i should really defend Arrhythmia, but to be honest, I found it a bit half-baked also too and as well. I felt that despite the heaps of praise APC seem to be getting, they only manage to work about 38.7% of the time, in which case they are bloody flip-geniuses. The remaining 61.43% of the time, they seem to fail with production that is, yes, a bit splendshodworthy but has it's heart in the right place. I reckon the release after Arrhythmia is going to blow everyone's socks off but in the meantime, the album is simply okayish with a few decent bits which grow on you like a hot pie or a pasty burnt into the retina of an elderly yet garrolous granduncle.

dog latin, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I didn't find either to be that great. I suppose Blackalicious turns out a more solid package, but there's this sort of J5/nu-soul rootsy thing going on there that I'm not too fond of. Antipop are a bit funny, but ultimately they're a better reference point than a musical project.

Honda, Thursday, 30 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I deeply pheer that El-P's rhyming will ruin whatever awesome production is on there. (Though I hope he hasn't gone off the deep end trying to be too "visceral" with his production - El-P does smooth so fucking well, I wish he wouldn't fuck his beats up so much. "F-Word" is gorgeous.)

Clarke B., Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

are you guys forgetting El-P's Fantastic Damage?
No, this one is the GREATEST record of the year so far. Yes,and that includes Eminem. I do not NEED to hear it to know I am right.

cuba libre (nathalie), Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i don't get blazing arrow... i haven't heard arrhythmia but i've never enjoyed APC very much.

You all know Watermelon, Chicken & Gritz is where it's at.

Stuart, Friday, 31 May 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)


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