Author Topic: Matty's Blaqkout Review (Read 220 times)

Matty · « **on:** April 03, 2010, 09:45:20 AM »

Ok so i wrote most of this a while back when I was high as fuck and felt like putting something to paper on how I was appreciating this album. This is not a properly written or objective review or anything, more a 'fanboys' musings on the record. And as with a lot of my comments, the emphasis is more on the production and musical vibes than the lyrical content. I know a lot of people were dissapointed with the project or thought it was straight up poor, so I welcome responses from all sides of the fence. Format is a track by track account:

1) Blaqkout Intro - A big, extravagant intro. Uptemo, lounge vibe with a lot of high, sparkling drum sounds. Vocals are mixed to suit this perfectly and a fast, groovy bassline. This really sets the vibe for the album nicely. It's big and clear. Lyrics stay on some general flossing. Great instrumental outro too.

quotable: Quik - 'And even though I don't win no grammys, I still get love in the streets, From the papis and mamis'

2) Cream N Ya Panties - Bombastic funky bounce hits you hard with a classic Quik bassline. Quik really steps the mixing up here with the drum sounds and guitar licks jumping all over the place. This has all the bounce of the most classic Quik records, but with much sharper, clearer sounds. Crazy wailing synth sound on the hook. Lyrics stay on an explicit, over the top, party, female vibe. The back and forth between Quik and Kurupt works well, stays on a funky tip.

quotable: Kurupt - 'See its a contest, This fool wanna check me, His girl got the perfect contour breasts'

3) Do You Know - Epic skyscraper music. Quik shows his sampling skills using strings from Tony! Toni! Toné! and chopping in some vocals to create a big, airy atmosphere over the boomy 808 style loop. Similar to Snoop's 'Press Play' in the extreme laid back vibe. Lyrics stay on the flossing but more of a high-class, romantic, celebrating life vibe.

quotable: Quik ‘I like them outta towners, Who come from the Copacabana, This beat is bananas, It hits your antennas, Cause DJ Quik’s more gifted than Santa’

4) What Cha Wan Do - First questionable track. The drum loop on here is bouncy enough and the extreme low-end is mad but the main melody is really annoying. The content of the song itself is crude/silly to match the sounds and repetitive melody. Drinking, fucking, repeat. Not disliking it as much as at first cause the drums are cool, but this is still very skippable.

5) Ohh - Chopped up vocal sample and Quik with another ‘crunk’ inspired rhythm. This one is real fresh though, layers some nice synths under another over the top, repetitive melody. This is what the Fixxxers material should have sounded like. Content is more flossing and females, fits the vibe perfectly though.

6) Fuck Y’all - Now we get into the serious musical genius territory. Quik uses that classic funky guitar, a stuttering clap and boomy keyboard bass. The way this record is mixed together so crisp is really something crazy. There is a whole load of strings stuff going on under the verses which is mad subtle. Massive amount of bass on outro too. The vocals are on a big, funky fuck the haters vibe. Quik sounds at ease over the beat:

quotable: Quik: ‘We We let it go, You gotta get it though, Kurupt is the venom, And Quik is the antidote’

7) Hey Playa - Not sure if this genre of music has been invented yet. Quik takes an obscure sample and builds a westcoast safari of a soundscape around the wailing Moroccan vocals. This track is a sonic masterpiece, no two ways about it - huge drum sounds, a ridiculously low melodic bassline, familiar synth effects and the sampled Morrocan horn effects on the hook. Even one off jungle noises that leap out from the background. Classic from top the bottom, even non hip-hop listeners can easily appreciate the sheer innovation on offer here.

8] Exodus - Kind of like a Quik’s groove, with the ‘Jump, Stomp’ chant from Kurupt repeated over a fast, reggae inspired, synth-laden instrumental. It’s quite the head nodder, but the vocals become highly repetitive and annoying very quickly. Would have been nice as an instrumental or with less of the chanting.

9) 9x’s Outta 10 - Experimental production with a basic metallic drum loop and chopped up choir sounding vocals. Very fresh in terms of the rhythm and it’s pretty much Kurupt spitting through the whole track. Comes with a lot of intricate rhymes compared with the rest of the album and on the whole a good, slow burn track.

10) Jupiter’s Critic & The Mind of Mars - Very experimental. Quik dons a robotic voice and creates a pseudo-alter ego which is used to delve a bit into the more eccentric side of his personality. One of those tracks you might turn you off immediately. Have to admit I’m not feeling it too much, but I appreciate the creativity of it.

11) The Appeal - Wow! Classic west coast sounds here. Sharp snare, boomy bassline and licks of guitar paint an epic, laid back picture. Kurupt’s first verse is accompanied by increasing instrumentation and culminates in a female vocal hook where the bassline really opens up. Then a shift into Quik’s verse with a meandering strings section as he raps about the temptation and obvious appeal of the female gender. The ultra laid-back, dreamy atmosphere then closes out the track with more female vocals.

12) Problem Skit - Problem on here, sounding drunk and talking about some random shit to do with women. Not funny or anything, instant skip.

13) Wat Cha Wan Do - Same as the first time but with added Problem verse. Still skippable, waste of time adding this to the end of the disc.

14) Bees to the Honey - Bonus track. Sounds just like the Fixxxers joint ‘Can You Werk Wid Dat?’ Kind of funky, but on the whole not very good. Electronic voice effects and a repetitive melody. Bumps nicely enough, but no replay value whatsoever.

Overall - This is definitely a project I can appreciate. I give it up to Quik & Kurupt for putting it together, even though some of it I am not feeling at all. Also, it isn’t the kind of album to sell many copies, so the fact that some different things were tried is welcome. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t, but there are some real gems on here that make most new music sound amateurish from a production standpoint. Quik proves that he very much still has it, especially in his specialist field of funky, west coast sounds. Kurupt isn’t firing on all cylinders as such, but this isn’t really the time or place and his unconventional wordplay coupled with sharp delivery are well suited to the music. The lyrical content is never particularly deep, but this is deliberately a fun and as Quik described it, eclectic record. A shame about the skippable tracks, but the best material on here more than makes up for it. Rating - 7/10.

Dre-Day · « **Reply #1 on:** April 03, 2010, 11:11:13 AM »

nice review, you really put effort into it.

LOL at the high part, i didn't notice the influence of that.
if you look at what some people write on here, when they're not drunk or high, then it's clear the final result of your review is nothing to be ashamed of at all

anyway, i can definitely understand why you like the album.
it was definitely not for me though, with Fuck Y'all being the exception