I just started listening to this and I'm still gathering my thoughts. There are some really great tracks, but I think the Public Enemy semi-cover is a bit unnecessary. Anyway, anyone else heard it?

I'd agree with you about "Welcome To the Terrordome", but overall I think it's a fantastic album.

Not surprisingly, the lyrics (at least upon first few listens) are fantastic. But the production seems sterile, lifeless, and lacking bombast. Of course, in my eyes, a great deal of modern hip-hop suffers from sterile production. I also think that a guy with Monch's verbal dexterity could benefit from upping the BPMs.

I actually think the production is pretty great. If it wasn't for the production on "Push," it would be a pretty pointless song. I like the minimalist approach to "What It Is", love the grooves on "Body Baby" and really dig Black Milk's work on the tracks he contributes.

Best Rap Album to come out this year so far... Period.

Wow really Everyone...? I have heard this album and it did absolutely nothing for me. This is the kind of rap/hip-hop that makes people make hasty comments like "Rap sucks." Not that I would ever think that but this is all that is bad in this style of music.

The beats are stale and don't do anything, the production was boring and repetitive and the rapping was sub-par. A pretty awful album, in my opinion.

quote:

Originally posted by Everyoneanindividual:
Best Rap Album to come out this year so far... Period.

Yeah, absolutely. It just solidifies that fact that Pharoahe Monch is one of the best mcs of all-time.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
Wow really Everyone...? I have heard this album and it did absolutely nothing for me. This is the kind of rap/hip-hop that makes people make hasty comments like "Rap sucks." Not that I would ever think that but this is all that is bad in this style of music.

The beats are stale and don't do anything, the production was boring and repetitive and the rapping was sub-par. A pretty awful album, in my opinion.

Sigh...are you one of those people who fawned over that overrated Clipse album?
I think this album has a great, classic hip-hop sound. A lot of stuff that passes for 'innovative' in hip-hop these days is just annoying.

quote:

Originally posted by cuneyt81:
Sigh...are you one of those people who fawned over that overrated Clipse album?
I think this album has a great, classic hip-hop sound. A lot of stuff that passes for 'innovative' in hip-hop these days is just annoying.

I am not too sure what me liking Hell Hath No Fury has anything to do with this but yes, I did like it quite a bit. If I remember correctly, it did make my top ten and I still listen to it often. I also don’t ever remember calling it “innovative;” on the contrary, I find it to be a return to classic hip hop with simple MCing and big, grimy beats. The Neptunes laid down some of the best beats for Clipse last year and they did a great job on that album.

It’s cool if you guys like this new one by Monch, I was just opinionating that I don’t find it to be anything special. I definitely don’t see it as the best hip hop album of the year nor one of the best. I do think it is kind of flat and hackneyed and his attempt to try to make it soulful and meaningful doesn’t work too well. Like I said though, if you like it then that’s great for you.

I hate to say it, but the more I listen, the more I'm falling to FragileKidA's side of this argument. Monch is one of my all time favorite MCs, but, despite some great lines, he sounds largely uninspired here. And again, with a few exceptions, the production on the tracks I've heard haven't done anything for me at all.

However, I'd like to quote a line from "Desire" which is not only hot, but appropriate considering the recent posts:

"Still get it poppin' without Artist & Repertoire,
'cause Monch is a monarch only minus the A&R.
When my brain excels, your train derails.
Pop shit, make you feel the 'Clipse' like Pharrell."

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
Wow really Everyone...? I have heard this album and it did absolutely nothing for me. This is the kind of rap/hip-hop that makes people make hasty comments like "Rap sucks." Not that I would ever think that but this is all that is bad in this style of music.

The beats are stale and don't do anything, the production was boring and repetitive and the rapping was sub-par. A pretty awful album, in my opinion.

I just thought it was fun... I'm sorry you didn't find it as enjoyable.
P.S. I also liked Hell Hath No Fury!

quote:

Originally posted by cuneyt81:
Sigh...are you one of those people who fawned over that overrated Clipse album?
I think this album has a great, classic hip-hop sound. A lot of stuff that passes for 'innovative' in hip-hop these days is just annoying.

Yeah, I really really dislike the Neptunes and didn't understand all the fuss over Hell Hath No Fury.

Desire on the other hand is eclectic, multi-conceptual, and Monch remains one of the best lyricists in the game with an amazing knack for wordplay. Pharoahe simplified his flows but the content is still top knotch. I like it more with each listen. Right up there with Internal Affairs, as much as I would have doubted that before I heard it.

I was just kinda screwing around with the Clipse comment, though I do think that record is overrated.

But Monch sounds great on this new record, very fun and soulful. Doesn't sound forced or flat to me.

Hey, you're cool with me cuney. I have heard that many people thought Hell Hath No Fury was overrated but I like it.

Too bad I don't like this new one by Monch, it has been a pretty slow year for hip-hop/rap so far this year.

I'm with ya there, but the new Common is promising, and that El-P disc is outstanding. Maybe it'll get better?

Yeah I agree with you, the El-P album is great. I haven't heard anything yet but the new Common is supposed to be great. And I know that not a lot of people like him, but I do, so I am really looking forward to the new one by Kanye West. I really like both of his albums quite a bit.

There is also a new one by Talib Kweli coming out that I hope is a a few steps up from his last effort, that mysterious Wu-Tang album, maybe that Only Built 4 Cuban Linx pt. 2 and that collaboration between Ghostface Killah and MF Doom. If all of the aforementioned release stellar albums then it will be a great year for the hip-hop/rap genre.

quote:

Originally posted by FragileKidA:
If all of the aforementioned release stellar albums then it will be a great year for the hip-hop/rap genre.

That's a few variables, given that some might not come out this year at all, but there's a lot of potential, that's for sure.

Gah. Let's not bring up Kanye West in a Pharoahe Monch thread. Show a little respect.

I just brought Desire home from my local CD store and it is a welcome addition to my 2007 purchases. I like the soulful vibe and his flow is thoughtful. I don't see how his sound could elicit a "Rap Sucks." I played it for a friend of mine who dislikes rap and he actually liked the first few tracks because of the gospel feel and the message Pharoahe was dropping. This coming from a guy who argues about the best Merle Haggard song (My Favorite Memory) and just repurchased Sweet Baby James.

I just got this one and I really like it. After a first listen I think that it is really spectacular and I love the production. It's clean and has a throwback feel to it. I do agree, however, that the Public Enemy cover was pretty pointless. This is going to make top ten best hip hop of the year for me easily. I'll come back after a few more listens.