The Chronic

Here is my review:

This was the first solo album by Dr.Dre since the separation of N.W.A. This album introduced G-Funk aka Gangsta Funk into the Hip-Hop community.

Dr.Dre altered the West Coast sound into a smooth and laid back delivery of rapping style. It also introduced Snoop Dogg( then Snoop Doggy Dogg) into the industry. Snoop Dogg was heavily involved in the album as seen by his guest appearances. The sound was sample-reliant from Funk artists like George Clinton.

It also made Gangsta Rap into a "party-like" theme.

It has been regarded by many to be the most well-produced hip-hop album of all time. It also received the honor of being in Rolling Stones List of 500 greatest albums of all time.

Ranked 137th which was very high for a rap album.

It is the masterpiece of West Coast Hip-Hop and one of the greatest and influential hip-hop albums of all time.

Rating: 5/5 stars ( Timeless Classic)

Chalet

Tomorrow is the day that i will finally meet up with Jun Huang, Evonne, Ryo & Tetsu.

Tetsu organized a 3D2N chalet at Downtown East Costa Sands resorts. I have not seen them for more than half a year.

Besides, a Happy 19th Birthday to Jun Huang!!!!

PS: I am getting fed up with waiting on my hip-hop albums. When are they gonna arrive? 9 weeks has passed by.......

The Marshal Mathers LP

Here is my review:

This is perhaps the most aggressive & controversial album by Eminem. The background of the album takes a serious tone with suppressed frustrations and anger being thrashed out.

Controversy surrounds due to the violent and homophobic lyrics displayed throughout the album.

The whole album talks about the problems with his marriage, life & success. The song The Way I Am attacks those who criticized his debut album and the fans that harassed him. Even with the harsh tone, Eminem also displays his creative lyrical ability to write stories on the song "Stan".

"Kim" is probably the most violent & gory song by an artist. It talks about his hatred of his wife and how he murdered her in the end for her infidelity as he delivered the song by shouting.

However, even with the controversies... It is considered as Eminem's best record and one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time.

Rating: 5/5 stars

Graduation

Here is my review:

This is the 3rd album by Kanye West. This album has a more laid back feel than his previous works. It was also his shortest album.

Production-wise, Kanye West explored more genres like retro music. The album has a personal feel compared to his previous albums which focused on life.

This has a rougher and slower sound.

The album definitely does not possess the smoothness of College Dropout & "kick" that Late Registration had.

Track Picks:

• Stronger
• Good Life
  

It was worthy to note that all his albums received awards and many accolades from critics and magazines.

Rating: 3.5/5 stars

Late Registration

Here is my review:

This is the second album by Kanye West. This album has a more cinematic & atmospheric feel compared to the soulful The College Dropout.

For this effort, Kanye West is sampling more diverse genres and the album flowed with different sounds. Featured guests are all in their top-form and makes the record very enjoyable.

Smash hits like Gold Digger talks about women greed for money. Diamonds from Sierra Leone talks about how diamonds came from bloody wars.

Track Picks:

• Gold Digger
• Diamonds from Sierra Leone (Remix)
• Celebration
• Roses
  

It received universal acclaim from many critics upon its release. This album was almost on par with The College Dropout but i will give the 1st place to The College Dropout.


Rating: 4.5/5 stars

The College Dropout

Here is my review:

This is the debut album by Kanye West.

The album has an autobiographical feel and was humorous. The release gave people a fresh feel of hip-hop that diverts away from the crime, violent & sexual fantasies which many rap albums possessed.

It talks about life in general and how college life is. Having fun and be serious at the same time is spread throughout the album. It was also sample-heavy and smash hits like Jesus Walks topped the charts around the world.

Track Picks

• Jesus Walks
  
• Slow Jamz
• Breathe In Breathe Out
  

I consider this to be Kanye West's masterpiece and his best record.

It has landed a covet placing in Time's Magazines 100 greatest albums of all time. Definitely my favourite Kanye West album.


Rating: 5/5 stars ( Modern Classic)

Curtis

Here is my review:

This is the 3rd album of 50 cent. The album can be considered the weakest in his discography though there is a smash hit song in the charts(Ayo Technology).

The featured singers/rappers are platinum-selling artists like Akon, Mary J Blige, Justin Timberlake etc.. But the overall sound of the album is generally disappointing for an established rapper. Although the lyrics are witty and creative, it is still weak compared to his debut album Get Rich or Die Tryin' .

The album is also divided between hard and soft songs thus ruining the flow.

Rating: 2/5 stars

The Documentary

Here is my review:

This is the debut album that ushered The Game into the music world. He comes out as a hungry person determined to leave a huge footprint in Hip-Hop.

The album production is excellent with the essence of West Coast. One drawback is the constant name-referencing of renown rappers and personalities that undermine his lyrical ability thus lacking originality. However, this is not really a true Gangsta Rap album as it appeals to the mainstream.

This album can be considered his best record in term of sales and sound.

Rating: 4/5 stars

All Eyez On Me

Here is my review:

This was the first double Hip Hop album in history. 2Pac moved away from the socio-conscious mindset to a more gangsta and thug-orientated behaviour in this album. The album was easily the most well produced in 2pac's discography.

It embraces "party-club" songs that leaves the listener head bobbing. Many of the tracks are consider "classics" in my view and arguably the best West Coast album in the rap world. The album still contain soulful songs that reflects about his past life and deceased friends.

It can be considered as 2pac's magnum opus.

Rating: 5/5 Stars.

Life After Death...

Here is my review:

The was the last double album by late rapper The Notorious B.I.G. This is one of the first Hip Hop albums to successfully cross over to the mainstream.

The sound of the album are more upbeat & polished than his debut album Ready to Die. However, it retained the dark theme and gangsta rhetoric that blended well with his flow.

Production-wise, the album was very well produced and the flow is excellent with dark stories on the mafia lifestyle. This is certainly a landmark Mafioso Rap album in hip-hop and a must have for rap fans.

It stands besides Reasonable Doubt as defining the theme for Mafioso Rap.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Finally......

Hello there folks.

Finally, i hung out with Mark & Zi Jie yesterday to catch the movie Mall Cop at Tiong Bahru. The show was very funny although it was quite short. We had our lunch buffet at Sakae Sushi and crack jokes with each other while catching up with our lives.

It was fun hanging out with y'all and hope to meet up soon.

As forJia hao's clique. Yo guys, i apologize for not being able to attend today's BBQ as i am dead-beat from yesterday's outing. However, i will make myself available next time and been wanting to play bowling with y'all for a long time.

Military State Of Mind

Went back to SP to return materials and borrowed some more documentaries.

After that, i trained down to The Heeren to get a DVD on military documentary: Future Weapons. It showcases the latest military technology around the world but mainly in the US. At this age, i am increasing drawn to military stuff and been checking out weapons of the present and future.

Shoutout to Jun Huang: Yo buddy, you should get this documentary, i guarantee that the showcased weapons will leave you amazed.

Whew.......

Finally the results are out.

I cleared every module thus qualified for year 2. I thought that my DE might fail but i am relieved that i cleared it.


I am still waiting for my rap albums to arrive.

American Gangster

Review:

This concept album was inspired by the movie American Gangster. Much of the album was produced by The Hitmen.


This album feel almost like Jigga was making Reasonable Doubt 2 with topics that deal with the life of hustling on the streets but with another character Frank Lucas. This album embodies retro music but possessed a polished sound compared to his debut. The album does not have any chart topping songs which what i think Jay-Z can demonstrate his best rapping and lyrical skills without having to worry about making "clean" songs to fit the radio.

The album flowed well with upbeat and introspective moments but it would be perfect if Jigga did a one-man show.

Jay-Z sounded relax and adjust his flow very well and thus this is one of my favourite hip-hop albums in my collection. I just can't stop listening for this album.


This was definitely one of Jay-Z's best records.



Rating: 4/5

Illmatic

Here is my review:

This was the landmark debut of Nas. This can be considered his best record in his discography and his career.

The overall sound has an underground tone and although it only contain 10 tracks, each of the song are flawless and flow seamlessly thus leaving you yearning to listen to it over and over again.

The album had been listed by magazines and critics to be one of the greatest hip hop albums of all time. I agree strongly to their views and this is also my favorite East Coast album in my collection.

It could be the greatest hip-hop album ever as it recevied more accolades than any other hip-hop albums.

The production was perhaps the most perfect ensemble of well-established producers like DJ Premier, Pete Rock, The Large Professor which critics hailed them to be among the greatest hip-hop producers of all time. They surely did not disappoint in the album using their trademark sound and unique scratches.

The complexity of the lyrics led Nas to be hailed as one of the greatest MCs of all time.

Rating: 5/5 (Timeless Classic)

808s & Heartbreak

Here is my review:

This is a drastic change of style from Kanye West. The entire album was sung using Auto-tune. Initially, i was skeptical of the album's sound and the success rate compared to his previous works.

When i played the album, i was taken off by the tip-top quality of production and it flowed well throughout the tracks. My favorite songs are Welcome to Heartbreak, Robocop and See You In My Nightmares. The effects were great in symbolizing the feeling of being heartbroken and the song Coldest Winter is the most emotional song.



Rating: 3.5/5

Human Beings( The Harsh Reality)

I am writing down my personal thoughts.

Humans are said to be the smartest among all living organisms. The difference between humans and animals is humans knows how to dress themselves and knows how to take revenge against each other.

No matter how much alike and united humans may be, when danger looms, they only cared about one and one thing only, their own survival.

There are many examples of harsh realities.

People always liked to see those high up in place plummet to the very bottom and think of unpleasant comments inside their mind while gossiping about that particular character. There are many publicized issues like this in recent times.

Some have no qualms in putting success above morals.

Throughout history, people had been fighting and killing one another for resources and power. They just wanna prove that they are the best flat-out.

EQ is way more important than IQ in my opinion. So what if you can achieve many merits and earn million or billions but you cannot get along with people around you. Then you will just be an empty vessel. Many Singaporeans know how to manage work very well but lack EQ to be a person.

Around the world, people say that Singapore is a great city. I agree to a certain extent. But on social level, Singaporeans are way behind many countries. People here are "cold" and reject hardship as they are living too comfortably. I heard comments from Singaporeans overseas that they complain about minor things and love compare our living standards. I am disgusted with them.

I recount my experience in primary school where my peers were always laughing about my size. Fat people are always a target for bullying. My youngest brother also experience the same issue in primary school now, where his peers "borrowed" his stationary and "forget" to return them. I was furious with those snitches that pushed my brother around and there are times that i wanna beat them and show that fat people are not to be pushed around.

Humans are evil by nature. There are times that youngsters like us will wish that the adults are not around so that we can enjoy our freedom.....

That's all i have right now.... Maybe back for more.

The Slim Shady LP

Review:

This is the commercial debut of Eminem.

The entire album's talks about his difficulties in life and was very comical in his tone. However, this album was not for those who get offended easily as "Slim Shady' does not think twice of the words he say in his songs and the people he was going to offend.

This may be the most offensive rap album yet since N.W.A's Straight Outta Compton.

The singles like: My Name Is.... , Guilty Conscience are produced by Dr.Dre while the rest of the album was produced by The Bass Brothers and has an overall underground feel. Comical as he may sound, his lyrical skills and creativity and flow are worthy of a honorable mention.

This album has recevied the honor of begin in Rolling Stones' list of 500 greatest albums of all time.

Rating: 4.5/5 stars

Watchmen

I caught Watchmen today and here is my review.

The story is about a bunch of superheros trying their best to prevent nuclear war by the United States and the former USSR(Soviet Union). The show lasts for more than 2 hours 40 mins and i almost fell asleep halfway because the dialogue was too long and not much action scenes. Above all else, the movie have gory fight scenes.

Overall, the show was boring and the plot was confusing. It is not worth the money to watch.

I will be looking forward to Fast & Furious 4, Terminator Salvation and Transformers 2: Revenge of the Sith.

Documentary Addiction

I went back to SP to return Planet Earth DVD today. Meanwhile, i borrowed The Blue Planet to watch as to pass the time well.

I love watching documentaries since young. My favorites are usually animals and military. As for the animals documentary, David Attenborough's are the best in my opinion.

I also visited my god parents and my god niece Megan as well and she is getting playful and cuter.

Finally, i bought 2Pac greatest hits at HMV and it is the best Hip-Hop classic i have this far.

That's all for the mini update. Cheers:))

Enrolled

Yo whassup folks.

I enrolled as a private candidate at the Ubi CDC today. The total cost are quite expensive to say the least.

I enrolled as a private due to difficulties in booking time slots be it theory or practical for those who enrolled as school candidates. Though there are rumors that it is easier to pass as a school candidate.

I maybe visiting my god niece tomorrow as i will be going down to SP to return a DVD that i borrowed.

That's all folks. By the way, here is one old school G-Funk for y'all.

Replacement

I went to Ubi with my parents today to order a new rosewood sofa to replace the leather sofa.

The state of our current leather sofa can be described as " Skin Disease" as flakes of leather can be seen dropping out every morning. We bought this sofa for only LESS than a year and the condition now is......................

Along the way, dad showed me how to get to the Comfort driving school. I am heading there this week to apply for the BTT which falls on the 3rd of April.

I guess that i will be spending the holiday on my Monster Hunter 2G and with some exercising to keep myself fit.