
THE BEST HIP HOP ALBUM EVER SORRY 50 CENT
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Miles Davis' "Kind of Blue", Beach Boy's "Pet Sounds", The Beatles "Sgt. Pepper", Marvin Gaye's "What's Goin' On", etc...There are so many mind blowing albums created. Jazz Bassist/Composer, Charles Mingus, was paraphrased as saying everything gains credibility with time, even hookers. I know he meant that the things that seem worthless in their own time began to show evidence of the unique and priceless character over periods of time, but this can work the other way around too. The older a piece of work is, the more seniority points it can rack up, thusly, discrediting newer works. I've taken that statement into consideration when making this proclamation. I mean, could you imagine fans of Stravinsky (after the mind blowing release of "Rite of Spring") putting up with all these kids saying that Sgt Pepper is the greatest release of it's time. Bottom line here is, different value systems support different needs. The two can actually be compared, as long as you keep them within their own context (sort of like both teams maintain home advantage during a game).
When a few years had passed after the initial release of the first full length Beastie Boys album (released in 1986), we got antsy. The rumor had spread that they had a prior piece of work known as "Cookie Puss", and the hunt was on. This demonstrates the desperation for a new album from the Beasties. Then the word hit the street. The Beastie Boys had a new song with some promotional footage airing on YO! MTV Raps (a show that began well after the release of the debut Beasties' project). The excitement was in full rage, and as I caught the video for "Hey Ladies", I was confused, and after a bit of thought, I was very confused. Where were the Rick Rubin produced 808 beats that Def Jam records became known for? Where were the tee-shirt and cut off jean wearing bufoons that I could laugh at/with? What were all these colors and additional characters? This was more than Hip-Hop had ever offered. This wasn't Hip-Hop. Many friends just simply gave up at this point, forgetting Cookie Puss, and forgetting the upcoming album. I mean, let's face it. Goatees, retro '70's leather jackets, idolizing James Brown rather than just sampling him, this just wasn't Hip-Hop in 1989, and I don't blame my friends for giving up. But my curiousity was just too aroused to let it die that easily. Though I kept it a secret, I still had 50% of my yearnings left.
One day as the school bell rang, my friends and I met up on the hot, black, asphalt parking lot for the daily ride home in the Bass-Mobile known as Victor's car. That's when I saw that weird looking group of skate kids approaching the car next to ours. Before the group of kids that took pride in their 'red hair, baggy pants, exposed tops of their "boxer" underwear, and occasional dread locks' could reach their car, I saw it. The Beastie Boy's: Paul's Boutique lying in the front seat of their car. I could see the both the actual tape and the cover thanks to the way they had left it opened. I was sort of confused and enchanted by the tape itself. It had an affixable sticker sporting the old Capitol records logo the way tapes used to in the '70's. The j-card displayed a picture of an open air street market style storefront with clothes hanging around, waiting to catch someone's attention. There was no picture representing the Boys in the way that rap albums had become.
Another friend of mine had purchased the "Hey Ladies" single (also known as the "Love Ame
Review ID: 10000000003003443

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