West Coast Connection Forum

DUBCC - Tha Connection => Outbound Connection => Topic started by: Jome on September 02, 2003, 11:09:39 PM

Title: RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: Jome on September 02, 2003, 11:09:39 PM
Canibus :: Rip the Jacker
Label: Babygrande Records
Author: Steve 'Flash' Juon

Canibus is a riddle within an enigma shrouded by mystery; a confusing conumdrum of conflicting creativity forces contained within his cranium. The dichotomy of his rap is a truly scattered diaspora - greatness left behind on one album, whackness living within another. On underrated albums like "2000 B.C." and "Mic Club" the rapper proves himself to be more than a one-trick punchline pony with big words. On subpar albums like "Can-I-Bus" and "C True Hollywood Stories" he digs deeper into the abyss than a Pennsylvania coal miner. No one understands the reasons why, least of all Canibus himself. Still 'Bis presses on, and each time we hope for the dope and not a plate of dog food.

On "Rip the Jacker," Canibus may have finally found a producer who is capable of bringing out his best consistantly. If the long-winded name "Stoupe the Enemy of Mankind" doesn't ring a bell, then you probably aren't familiar with his work for the seminal underground group Jedi Mind Tricks. Nevertheless on a short list of indie rap greats, he ranks with Chops, Celph Titled, Alchemist and Madlib as among the best of the best in beats. Suffice it to say reading the words "All tracks produced by Stoupe" in the liner notes made this reviewer smile like a kid in a candy store. On "Rip the Jacker" Stoupe lives up to his reputation in spades. The martial arts sounds of "Spartibus" are perfect for 'Bis and his kung-fu rap style; the Rakim samples of the hook are just icing on the cake. "Indisible" switches up into a mariachi meets Kanye West dance of death so brutal it's beautiful. "Psych Evaluation" is appropriately dark and moody, putting the listener under the same microscope 'Bis has often found his career in front of - and again the appropriate chorus snippets could give DJ Premier a run for the money. It's also worth a break from discussing the beats at this point to see the power of his prose in this song:

"C-A-N dash, I dash, B-U-S
gets the last laugh before the critical mass
In half the speed of a ball flash, fire engulf that ass
into a molehill of charcoal ash
Only to be blown away by a cold draft
Whack MC's got no chance, it's so sad
They ask Canibus - will you ever run out of things to say?
How much breath can a man breathe in a day?
Needless to say, I think it's kind of deep in a way
People be like - 'Bis is too ill, keep him away!
It's a good thing I got patience
I been waiting here longer than Dr. Levernson's time equations"

But if you think 'Bis is only here to bust super-science or challenge inferior MC's, he lives up to the title and challenges himself:

"I used to be an undisciplined piece of fecal matter
An underdog rapper, but I closed that chapter
I deal with my adaptive difficulty faster
And question my projective technique as a rapper
I've lost interest in the battle glory and glamour
But I can't control Rip the Jacker when he gets amped up"

This is the form Canibus fans have come to expect when all the stars align and a perfect moment of his time is captured on wax, and this album is packed with such crystalized slices of powerful rap ability. Therefore a gimmick like having a song called "Genabis" would seem silly coming from any other MC really do come across as a God of the microphone giving his word to the masses. That's why on the former, which is also the lead single, Stoupe's beat sounds appropriately awe-inspiring. It's a mixture of bells, chanting choirs, and pounding drums appropriate enough to be the backdrop of a Final Fantasy boss battle. The only thing being attacked here though are your ears with lyrical skills:

"Yo, in the beginnin I discovered wordplay
I experimented with some syllables from the first to the third day
On the fourth I searched for the words to say
How to compress complex verbiage in the least amount of space
I was perfect at it and mastered the tactic
On the fifth day I decided I would combine it with mathematics
On the sixth day I became a fanatic, and I couldn't kick the habit
I would just look in the mirror and practice
On the seventh cycle, I had to take the day off
I was exhausted, I guessed my work will never pay off
But if it happened it to him, it could happen to me
And if it happened to me, it was destined to be"

Although it's instructive to single out individual songs and lyrics and break down their complex structure into the simple parts that make them dope, it's ultimately redundant to examine "Rip the Jacker" song by song. In truth, it's not as if any of the songs AREN'T dope. So effective is 'Bis over Stoupe's beats that it makes his past work better retroactively; making his claims on "Levitibus" that "even my worst album was sublime, if I don't slow down I distort the timeline" sound entirely credible. As a rap fan you will enjoy every minute of this far too short forty-five minute album, from the "Intro" to the finale "Poet Laureate II" at the finale. Everybody will have individual favorites of course - some may enjoy the floating flute and lackadaisical pace of "No Return" while others may be more attuned to the heavy concrete sounds of "Cemantics." Either way "Rip the Jacker" may be the first album of perfection Canibus has seen in his half decade career, and it showcases to an unparalleled degree why early on he was compared to greats like Rakim. If he continues to work with Stoupe and release albums like this, there's no limits to where 'Bis can take rap, or where hip-hop can ultimately take him.

Music Vibes: 10 of 10 Lyric Vibes: 10 of 10 TOTAL Vibes: 10 of 10

http://www.rapreviews.com/feature.html
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: T.J. on September 03, 2003, 03:27:58 AM
no matter what anyone says, canibus is not a 10/10 rapper.
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: Adriano on September 03, 2003, 06:14:07 AM



word hes a bitch....fuckin BIATCH......
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: Adam Donnelly on September 03, 2003, 06:48:04 AM
Canibus is dope
End Of

Bout time some 1 gave him props
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: eS El Duque on September 03, 2003, 07:32:00 AM



word hes a bitch....fuckin BIATCH......


??

Canibus is dope...just needs some help on making a commercial song  :P
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: NewJack on September 03, 2003, 09:07:21 AM
I'll say it again. In terms of raw talent, I don't think there are many rappers who can match Canibus, but he has two horrible problems.

1. He can not write a hook to save his life. If a song has an annoying hook, I'm not going to want to listen to it repeatedly.

2. All he raps about is how "He's the best." He needs some topics other than how he is in "lyrical fitness" and is the best rapper alive. It gets old quick.
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: white Boy on September 03, 2003, 09:48:09 AM
i agree somewhat , but lyrics arent 10/10, but stoupes production is def 10/10
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: _That_Cracka_J on September 03, 2003, 12:03:53 PM
It's a good album, but by no means a 10.  Probably his best work to date though IMO.
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: N-Sane Brain on September 03, 2003, 12:23:05 PM
Yeah, that's whut I'm sayin', best album of the year! Isn't that the "Flash", who ownes Ohhla.com?
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: caTASHtrophe on September 03, 2003, 12:25:24 PM
Easily the best album this year.
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: Twentytwofifty on September 03, 2003, 12:54:55 PM
It might be his best album, easily atleast his second best but it's no 10/10.  Canibus just isn't versatile enough.  Every song it's the same vocal tone, same speed, same flow and most of the time it's the same subject matter.  

I still give this album a 8.5/10 cause the production is great and he has some incredible rhymes.
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: Lincoln on September 03, 2003, 01:57:41 PM



word hes a bitch....fuckin BIATCH......

coming from a guy with Snoop in his sig.... Why is Bis a bitch?
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: PLANT on September 03, 2003, 02:34:51 PM
Canibus is dope
End Of

Bout time some 1 gave him props

word up.
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: The Watcher on September 03, 2003, 05:20:30 PM
10/10? wtf? i'd say 7-8/10 @ the most.. dude sounds the same on every song
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: Jome on September 03, 2003, 06:31:33 PM



word hes a bitch....fuckin BIATCH......

Lmao..  :D



I'll say it again. In terms of raw talent, I don't think there are many rappers who can match Canibus, but he has two horrible problems.

1. He can not write a hook to save his life. If a song has an annoying hook, I'm not going to want to listen to it repeatedly.

2. All he raps about is how "He's the best." He needs some topics other than how he is in "lyrical fitness" and is the best rapper alive. It gets old quick.

Agree.
This album could need another type of beats too, too many of the tracks sound too similar.
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: Darksider on September 03, 2003, 10:17:55 PM



word hes a bitch....fuckin BIATCH......


??

Canibus is dope...just needs some help on making a commercial song  :P
Title: Re:RapReviews GIVES CANIBUS 10 of 10, 10 of 10 and 10 of 10 !!
Post by: wolfgang1369 on September 04, 2003, 08:30:37 AM
are you people insane? i wanna know how many of you actually listened to the new canibus album? first of all, EVERY SINGLE BEAT is NASTY! not one is wack ... or even close to wack ... and the beats are very different, from mexican folk music samples, to accordion samples, to middle-eastern samples, to ominous orchestra samples, to reggae samples, to ... shit i could go on forever ... so whoever said the beats are anything less than nasty .... WRONG! LISTEN before you open your big ugly mug ... my personal favorites are psych evaluation and the second beat from poet laureate II ... 10/10 (beats)

on to the lyrics ... definitely his most complex and intricate to date ... as you might expect, he drops the ill one-liners and metaphors ... some of the references might be above your heads ... but hey, ignorance is not MY fault ...

Quote from Newjack:

I'll say it again. In terms of raw talent, I don't think there are many rappers who can match Canibus, but he has two horrible problems.

1. He can not write a hook to save his life. If a song has an annoying hook, I'm not going to want to listen to it repeatedly.

2. All he raps about is how "He's the best." He needs some topics other than how he is in "lyrical fitness" and is the best rapper alive. It gets old quick.

did you listen to this album? ... i guess not ... because you failed to notice that canibus spits ONE hook (two, if you count "this is no return" as a hook) throughout the entire album ... stoupe (the producer) created all the other hooks ... and by the way, "no return" is a song that has nothing to do with canibus or the rap game ... admittedly, he talks alot about himself, or the state of hip-hop ... but he does it in such creative ways (i could list, but i don't have the time) ... i would give his lyrics a 9/10, my favorite verse: tie between the 2nd verse from psych evaluation and the 2nd verse from levitibus ... so anyway buy the cd and LISTEN before you write garbage on the internet

peace  8)