Why the hell did XXL give The Ownerz a "L" ??

[Jome]

Seems hella strange to me..  

But Rapreviews is usually more on point:
http://www.rapreviews.com/feature.html

I bought it today, and it's getting closer to classic status for every time I hear it...
The more obvious bangers is Rite where you stand, Who got gunz, Peace of mine, Militia pt.3, Skillz.. but the more you listen to it, the more heaters you find..

Giving this anything below XL is a scandal..
And I know XXL's copy can't be that different than the retail, cuz the most obvious bangers was already out on the net, when XXL reviewed it.

[Twentytwofifty]

Why the hell did they give The Fix an L?

When you have a rating system outta 5 (without halves), there aren't many choices.  Probably like 85% (if not more) of albums get an M, L or XL.  That's 3 choices.

And I think they rated an advanced version of the album and not the exact one we are listening to.

[_That_Cracka_J]

Yeah, it's a very tight album....Best CD I bought today.  Deserved an XL....

[Danté Williams]

I just bought it and after a quick listen I would give it an L. But I am SURE that I would give it XL or more in a couple of weeks since Gangstarr albums take a while to grow on me, but when they do...THEY JUST DO IT BIGG!!!

But it aint no Moment Of Truth tho, that cd is more than classic.

[LyRiCaL_G]

aiight aiight..........im gonna be honest, i was expectin abit mo from this, but its better than a L but for the standards they have set themselves, its dissapointin imo, but theres some sick joints on it to............

peace

[smartass]

the shit sounds generic to me..its gotta be the first gangstarr album ever that i haven't enjoyed..which is really disappointing considering premo is my favorite producer...

[Don Breezio]

an interview with guru said that xxl had recieved an advanced copy with only 4 tracks on it...they were under the impression that xxl wanted a listen to see how it was going and was not going to review it...heres the interview:

After a five year absence, veteran group Gang Starr is finally set to release the critically acclaimed, The Ownerz. Just days before the album debut, front man Guru sits in his Las Vegas hotel room and takes time to address the album's countless set backs, the 50 Cent/Ja Rule beef, XXL and studio gangsters in Hip-Hop.

"It was due to us not wanting to put the record out without the proper set up," Guru told SOHH.com via phone about their label's mishandling of the album project. Guru cited Virgin Record's haste to get an unfinished album reviewed as the reason for the lukewarm rating in the May issue of XXL magazine. XXL awarded Gang Starr's The Ownerz an "L" rating after hearing only 4 tracks out of what is now a 19 cut opus.

"They [XXL] didn't even let us know it was a review -- we thought it was an in studio type of thing," Guru said about the particular writer's slick practices. "They just said they wanted to hear something."

Though a large rating seems less than what we've been accustomed to from Gangstarr, Guru is confident that the group's quasi-extinct sound is relevant in today's watered down market. Though he and partner Premier are disgusted with quite a few rappers' departure from the New York sound, the king of monotone applauds 50 Cent's commercialization and Nas' return to his roots. "'Made You Look' is some New York sh!t, it opened doors for us."

While he's feeling 50 and is also cool with his nemesis, Ja Rule, Guru thinks both camps should "fall back." "We should have learned from Big and Pac especially when you're getting money."

With their latest Gang Starr has once again eluded current trends. On "Put Up or Shut Up," one of the LP's stand out tracks, Guru addresses studio hustlers. "I don't want to hear that from certain rappers," said Guru of rap's overabundance of flossing and drug selling claims. "If you ain't Cash Money, The Clipse or Jay-Z I don't want to hear that from you," added Guru. "There's a lot of other things to talk about."

Gangstarr's sixth album The Ownerz features Jadakiss, M.O.P., Freddie Foxxx, Fat Joe and Snoop Dogg drops this coming Tuesday, June 24, 2003.

[Darksider]

Why the hell did they give The Fix an L?

When you have a rating system outta 5 (without halves), there aren't many choices.  Probably like 85% (if not more) of albums get an M, L or XL.  That's 3 choices.

[AlerG]

this shit is at least an XL...wow, it's gonna be hard for anything to top this...i think the canibus and stoupe shit has a real good chance though, peace.

[Jome]

One thing about the album.. I would have liked to see harder tracks on it..
I would except a few more tracks like GangStarrs "Battle", Premos "Golden Child remix" or the "Boom"-beat he did for Royce..

[JaVi from SG]

this album continues to get better after every listen.....im liking every track now.  this is at least an XL

[Skindiana bon3z]

It also gave Kristyles a "L"  

Both of those albums deserved an XL and Kristyles maybe an XXL...

[Jome]

"The Ownerz" is classic... after 50 listens, this is my final judgement.

[JaVi from SG]

"The Ownerz" is classic... after 50 listens, this is my final judgement.

PALABRA ARRIBA