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Prodigy Reviews

Prodigy & Alchemist – Albert Einstein album review

There’s a lot to be said for the producer-artist dynamic in Hip-Hop. Mind you this is the era where anyone can be a “producer” and anyone can be a “rapper”, and that inconvenient convenience saturates the game. The chemistry between an MC and Producer who know each others’ ins and outs is sorely lacking and should be appreciated in it’s few instances. Where “Rapper ____” and 8 different producers on one project fail, Prodigy and Alchemist have delivered together for years now.

Even though Prodigy may not be at his 1990s height lyrically, he’s managed to carve out a nice second (and third) act as an underground stalwart rhyming over the grimy soundscape of a producer seemingly molded in part by the original Mobb Deep catalog. Funny how that works. Between tracks on Prodigy’s classic HNIC, various other moments and 2006’s unheralded Return of the Mac, when the two get together it’s as close to the gritty glory of the 1990s as many artists old or young get.

That dynamic is intact on Albert Einstein, which may be their best collaboration yet. Riding the wave of Alchemist’s unprecedented run of collaboration projects, he helps Prodigy create a project with direct elements of New Yitty’s dark roots, that still manages to push the boundaries of that original format.

The album comes in at 16 tracks but manages to feel like even more with Alchemist’s deeply layered, shape shifting beats. It’s an album that manages to be tightly sinister and cloudy at varying moments and still sound cohesive. It can be boundlessly imaginative (the standout “Bible Paper”) and loop focused (“Give Em Hell”) and works together to sonically channel the dark New York streets.

Prodigy sounds re-invigorated after an HNIC project that was criticized for too many commercial excursions. It’s as if he’s resolved to ride the last chapters of his career like the first: brutishly callous and menacing as ever. While not as lyrically dexterous or energetic with his delivery as past projects, his knack for telling the QB narrative is still intact. He’s mastered living within his liquor soaked world of ghetto paranoia, challenging all comers on and delivering vivid lines like “throw him in the acid and get rid of the gooey mess.”

This is the perfect example of chemistry working to the fullest degree. Though Prodigy is no longer a lyrical wunderkind, he has the veteran’s sense of what he wants to do with a record and Alchemist’s otherwordly production picks up the slack in ways the average producer wouldn’t be able to. The features (from Raekwon to Action Bronson to Havoc) contribute seamlessly because of familiarity with Prodigy and/or Alchemist. Everyone involved is familiar with the soundscape they entered and collectively made a well put together album.

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Reviews

Prodigy – H.N.I.C. 3 album review

Prodigy, half of Queensbridge duo, Mobb Deep, releases his third installment of the H.N.I.C. series, H.N.I.C. 3. This album features Wiz Khalifa, T.I., Willie Taylor of Day26 and Havoc. This album is strange, and awkward. P’s lyrics seem to be constructed lazily, and his lyrical content strays very far from what we have known him for. Moreover, the production is generally snooze-worthy. The end result is something that should have never seen the light of day.

After spending time in prison, Prodigy changed his lyrical style from his formerly intricate and cleverly delivered rhyme structures, to a generally non-rhyming scheme. P definitely gives us a taste of the latter in this release, which at times, is very comedic (in a bad way).

Lyrical content is the primary source of my criticism. We know Prodigy as the “hardcore” Queens rapper that helped to bless the game with albums such as Hell on Earth, The Infamous, and Murda Muzik. These are what we know P and the M-O-B-B for—rather, P delivers multiple love songs over sappy beats. This is not the lane he should be exploring so late in his career.

There are few, if any, notable tracks on this album. “Get Money” offers a catchy club-banger track, but one which cannot possibly save such a poor album.

H.N.I.C. 3 sounds like a sell-out project. Love songs and terrible lyrics on top of boring production is a combination that should be avoided at all costs. It is a disappointing result, especially from a rapper that has proven to be so capable, even in the late H.N.I.C. 1 and 2. Easily one of the worst albums this year– a real chore to get through.

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Press Releases

SUPER PRODUCER JAKE ONE SIGNS TO RHYMESAYERS TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM! FEATURING APPEARANCES FROM FREEWAY, BROTHER ALI, MF DOOM, YOUNG BUCK, SLUG of ATMOSPHERE, M.O.P., BUSTA RHYMES, LITTLE BROTHER, PRODIGY, ALCHEMIST, CASUAL, KEAK DA SNEAK & MORE!

SUPER PRODUCER JAKE ONE SIGNS TO RHYMESAYERS TO RELEASE DEBUT ALBUM! FEATURING APPEARANCES FROM FREEWAY, BROTHER ALI, MF DOOM, YOUNG BUCK, SLUG of ATMOSPHERE, M.O.P., BUSTA RHYMES, LITTLE BROTHER, PRODIGY, ALCHEMIST, CASUAL, KEAK DA SNEAK & MORE!

Over the past 13 years, Rhymesayers Entertainment has brought critically acclaimed artists such as Atmosphere, Brother Ali, MF DOOM, Soul Position, P.O.S., Psalm One, Eyedea & Abilities, Grayskul & more to the the attention of the world and in 2008, Rhymesayers gives you the debut album, White Van Music, from Seattle hip hop producer, Jake One.

To many, Jake One is known as part of the G-Unit production team that has been a part of their top 10 Billboard charting and platinum success. But Jake One has an equally important voice in the underground hip-hop scene and for many, will serve as the bridge between the mainstream and indie worlds. Taking a cue from Vitamin D in 1992, Jake One put down his first beat on a Casio Voice Sampler and got his official start at Conception Records in the late 90s, citing DJ Premier, Dr. Dre, Pete Rock & DJ Quik as his early influences. Jake One made his name doing production work with artists like the Gift of Gab, Boom Bap Project & John Cena (yes, the pro-wrestler!) and went on to solidify his presence in mainstream hip-hop, appearing on albums by De La Soul, 50 Cent, Snoop Dogg, Young Buck, E-40, G-Unit & Lil Scrappy, among others.

White Van Music (October 2008) marks Jake One’s first foray into producing a complete album in his well reputed style. The self-proclaimed ‘perfect beat writer’ and master record collector has put some of the most recognizable voices in hip- hop against a glitchy & soulful musical backdrop. Reading like a who’s who of hip-hop, White Van Music features appearances from Freeway, M.O.P., Slug, MF DOOM, Brother Ali, Busta Rhymes, Young Buck, Prodigy, Alchemist, Casual, Keak Da Sneak, Little Brother, Evidence, eLZhi, Royce Da 5’9″, Posdnuos, Black Milk, Nottz, Bishop Lamont, Ish (aka Butterfly of Digable Planets) and more.