Epinions Recent Reviews for paulyoungotti

Thank God the gangsta's back: Ice Cube's "Raw Footage"

Thu, 23 Oct 2008 13:18:23 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - Not many embody a sense of boiling rage better than one of gangsta rap's all-time iconic figures, Ice Cube< b>. He made his name in the 1980s as the figurehead of pioneering rap group...

Life and death crystallised on wax: Life After Death

Mon, 25 Aug 2008 23:12:02 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - What happens when life imitates art? Having just reviewed The Notorious B.I.G.’s instantly classic solo debut album <
i>Ready
To Die (1994), I came to the conclusion it is one of the most cinematic...

"Tell God I said Hi": New York's prodigal son unleashes Ready To Die

Tue, 5 Aug 2008 21:19:38 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - There’s a pretty familiar contextual historical approach to opening any “Ready To Die” review. For the Eastcoast, it single-handedly wrestled back part-control of the 1994 mainstream hip hop scene from a rampant, Dr. Dre and...

"The best rapper alive"; aka smoke & mirrors; aka Lil Wayne's Tha Carter III

Mon, 28 Jul 2008 11:12:25 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - You have to hand it to Lil Wayne. Tha Carter III is one of the most talked about records of the year. Wayne himself is one of the most fervently discussed rappers around, an MC who has sold records in a time when it’s...

Method Man's final apocalyptic stand: "4:21... The Day After"

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 17:09:30 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - Method Man is one of the most problematic rappers and artists ever. Mr. Mef debuted on one of the absolute greatest rap albums of all time – the Wu-Tang Clan's Enter
The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers) (1993) -...

Untitled - Nas: "The people need someone to believe in": Nasir Jones, Untitled

Tue, 15 Jul 2008 19:45:19 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - It seems not a day goes by without Nas getting involved of some sort of controversy. After all, his last album was called Hip Hop is Dead (2006) – and with it, the rap legend blew up a veritable shit-storm. In 2008, Nas is back...

"I don't have to brag about the size of my gun, son": Livin' Like Hustlers

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 16:06:47 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - The late 1980s and early 1990s was a tumultuous period for rap music. Public Enemy's trail-blazing anti-establishment (and anti well just about everything) kicked things off, and N.W.A. took this mentality and culture to its most violent extremity. And...

The Game plays himself, and loses: The Doctor's Advocate

Thu, 13 Mar 2008 22:41:10 GMT

rating: 3/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - I remember writing about The Game in 2005, following the release of T
he
Documentary. Jaycen Taylor came from absolutely no-where to release his debut, and yet bizarrely the guy had a level of hype behind him...

"Don't Call It a Comeback, I've been here for years": The Score

Fri, 7 Mar 2008 02:04:41 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - “It’s been a long time, I shouldn’t have left you Without a strong rhyme to step to" - Rakim Hello Epinions, its been a while hasn’t it? The last time I put out a review was in 2005, a whole 3 years ago, and I’ve been...

From a place where hardcore is beautiful: AZ's A.W.O.L

Tue, 6 Sep 2005 09:49:36 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - Ever since his career defining performance on Nas’ Illmatic (an extraordinary guest verse on Life’s a B!tch), AZ has become something of a cult hero within the Eastcoast underground. A flamboyantly gifted rapper, AZ has often...

Kanye West touches the sky but hits the ceiling: Late Registration

Mon, 22 Aug 2005 16:14:11 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - Yep another mini-comeback for me. Wattup y’all, it’s been a long time… The rise of Kanye West has been as impossible to ignore as it has been meteoric. Starting off as one of Roc-A-Fella’s leading producers – dropping...

Common just wants to "Be": real hip hop from the soul, y'all

Tue, 10 May 2005 12:47:24 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - Common is quite simply one of the most consistent rap artists ever. He’s been through multiple image, content and style changes throughout his lengthy 14 year career; skipping seemingly with ease through raw, jazz rap (“Can I...

Aiming for the Top Spot at the Roc; Beanie Sigel's The B.Coming:

Tue, 5 Apr 2005 14:19:06 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - Beanie Sigel has had one of the more tumultuous rises to success that you will find amongst the gimmicky hit single and mixtape fuelled routes to stardom of the rap world. The Philly bred, self titled “thug poet” Beanie simply started out...

"Get Love & Respect, with no special effects"; Xzibit is At the Speed of Life

Thu, 17 Mar 2005 13:02:05 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - 1996 was a very underrated year for hip hip. Not only did Jay-Z, Ras Kass, Redman, 2Pac, Nas (plus a whole load of others who I can’t remember right now) release great albums, but erstwhile Likwit Crew member and Westcoast heavyweight Xzibit...

A Massacre of my ear drums: 50 Cent returns

Thu, 24 Feb 2005 00:20:45 GMT

rating: 2/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - If anyone is the living, breathing embodiment of EVERYTHING the commercial rap game is about in 20005: commercial whirlwind and drama extraordinaire 50 Cent is it. The infamous Get Rich Or Die Tryin exploded onto the rap scene in...

A UK Hip Colossus: Roots Manuva is Awfully Deep

Mon, 7 Feb 2005 14:40:31 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - Ask any British Hip Hop head who the most respected artist on the UK scene is, and they will respond by saying Roots Manuva. The premier rap artist on the UK scene is one of the most talented, versatile and wide-ranging artists around: his...

Sign your Death Certificate: Ice Cube defines an era

Fri, 28 Jan 2005 00:39:17 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - To a generation of fans, Ice Cube is known for his catchy, bouncing club anthems (“You Can Do It”) and popular smash hit movies. What this generation of fans usually don’t know – and perhaps wouldn’t appreciate (sue me) –...

A gluttony of di*kriding, hot beats & punchlines: Game's surprising "The Documentary"

Fri, 7 Jan 2005 12:42:10 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - The rise of the newest emcee to get a record deal from Dr. Dre and Eminem's Aftermath/Shady conglomerate is Game. You may have heard of him. Over the past few weeks hype has been building, hype similar to that experienced by 50 Cent before his...

"No fu*king hypeman for Tina Turner": Klashnekoff and "The Sagas of..."

Mon, 20 Dec 2004 15:21:49 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - I first heard the hottest UK emcee of the moment, Klashnekoff, way back in 2001. Bursting out with the soulful, brassy 12” Daggo Mentality, I knew right then and there that I was hearing something special. A fantastically gifted,...

Almost dodging the Double Disc curse: Nas returns as the "Street's Disciple"

Tue, 14 Dec 2004 15:44:28 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - When I heard that Nas was releasing, of all things, a double album, I was immediately sceptical. How can an emcee who has proven to have some absolutely awful beat selection manage to sustain interesting music over two rap albums, combined as one?...

Turning your neighbourhood into a parking lot: Xzibit's "Weapons of Mass Destruction"

Tue, 7 Dec 2004 16:44:00 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - When Westcoast heavyweight Xzibit dropped his fourth album Ma
n
Vs Machine, I have to be absolutely honest in saying that I thought one of my favourite artists' career was over. Met with lukewarm critical...

Just Lost It: Eminem's bubble bursts with Encore

Tue, 30 Nov 2004 21:13:21 GMT

rating: 1/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - To be honest, there is no need to spend any lengthy amount of time on an intro to this review: I think I'm right in saying that everyone in the world knows everything about the hip-pop superstar that is Eminem. Ever since his explosive, brilliant...

Straddling the Trans-Atlantic Drift: Phi-Life Cypher's Millennium Metaphors

Thu, 16 Sep 2004 13:16:06 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - In what many people have described as a new “golden age” for UK Hip Hop, the heralded trio of Phi-Life Cypher are standout players. DJ Nappa, emcees Si Philly and Life – although they have now added rapper Skit Slam to their ranks...

The Puppet Master: DJ Muggs presents his Soul Assassins

Fri, 10 Sep 2004 10:38:27 GMT

rating: 4/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - DJ Muggs is perhaps the best, most unfairly slept-on and underrated producers there has ever been in hip hop. Remember the smoky, atmospheric soundscapes that a certain legendary group called Cypress Hill dropped their rhymes over? Remember...

"You can pray for yours, I'ma go get mine": Kam's Neva Again

Mon, 6 Sep 2004 10:43:59 GMT

rating: 5/5 by: Epinions Author paulyoungotti - As those of you who had followed my comprehensive list of the Gre
atest
Emcees Ever will undoubtedly know, judging from the comments section it is apparent that Kam was one of the illest 90s rap artists to slip...