BYHH GW2: Group A - 1998 vs. 2005

[kokkinos]

Listening to Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star just a few days after listening to Mos Def - Black On Both Sides was definitely an interesting experience. Many similarities between them - yeah, who would have thought- this one feels better suited to casual listening, while the other one is a bit heavier, a bit more powerful. It sounds so 90's - don't mean that in a negative way, it perfectly captures the atmosphere of its era, a solid jazz based background, some soul elements, some reggae even. When it comes to lyrics, there are also many similarities, Astronomy (8th Light) shows the way, as it already begins to explore "black" themes that run through the whole album ("Black, my family thick like that-strap molasses Star on the rise, in the eyes of the masses Black is the color of my true love's hair Stars are bright, shining, hot balls of air Black like my baby girl's stare Black like the veil that the Muslimina wear Black like the planet that they fear, why they scared? Black like the slave ship belly that brought us here Black like the cheeks that are roadways for tears (Mm) That leave black faces well traveled with years Black like assassin crosshairs Blacker than my granddaddy armchair He never really got no time to chill there 'Cause this life is warfare, warfare"). The Definition - Re:definition concept was a cool touch. On the other hand, Brown Skin Lady is the one track I've never managed to get into, actually I consider skipping it almost every time, but so far I've always resisted temptation. It is followed by B Boys Will B Boys, which I also view as one of the weakest tracks. But then K.O.S. (Determination) signifies a return to form ("At exactly which point do you start to realize That life without knowledge is death in disguise? That's why, knowledge of self is like life after death Apply it, to your life, let destiny manifest"), those female vocals are heavenly. Yo Yeah is another noteworthy addition., short and effective, it makes a point. Then comes the back to back combo of Respiration("We New York, the narcotics Draped in metal and fiber optics Where mercenaries is paid to trade hot stock tips for profits Thirsty criminals pick pockets Hard knuckles on the second hands of working-class watches Skyscrapers is colossus, the cost of living is preposterous Stay alive, you pay or die, no options No Batman and Robin Can't tell between the cops and the robbers") and Thieves In The Night (""Give me the fortune, keep the fame" said my man Louis I agreed, know what he mean because we live the truest lie I asked him why we follow the law of the bluest eye He looked at me, he thought about it, was like, "I'm clueless, why?" The question was rhetorical, the answer is horrible Our morals are out of place and got our lives full of sorrow And so tomorrow coming later than usual Waiting on someone to pity us While we find the beauty in the hideous They say money's the root of all evil, but I can't tell You know what I mean, pesos, francs, yens, cowrie shells Dollar bills, or is it the mindstate that's ill?"), the best part of the album. What really makes this album stand out, however, is the chemistry between Mos Def and Talib Kweli. If I had to pick, Mos Def's style is more relatable and closer to my liking, but it's one of those cases where the old cliche "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts" does hold true and when the parts are so good individually, you know you have to do with something so very special.
To sum it up, its status is well deserved and it ranks as the best album of the matchup so far.
Next one is gonna be Little Brother - The Minstrel Show.

[kokkinos]

Little Brother - The Minstrel Show is the always tricky second album. Not sure how I'd rank this in comparison to their debut, both have their merits. Anyway, the production is clearly the star of the album. It is coming dangerously close to R &B, but it never crosses the line - in fact, I would argue those "borderline" instances are the highlights of the album. Now, I have to start by pointing out how much I liked Welcome to the Minstrel Show. It somehow has to be one of the most enjoyable opening tracks I've encountered in quite some time, it reminded me of the opener in Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Weird, I know. Other standout tracks would include Beautiful Morning, The Becoming and Lovin' It. Regarding the lyrics, there are many memorable lines ("Taxin' these niggas like no dependents 12 bar courtroom drama with no co-defendants", or "I was looking at your photograph amazed how I favored you I remember being young wanting to play with you Cause you was a wild and crazy dude And now I understand why my momma couldn't never stay with you From the roots to the branches to the leaves They say apples don't fall far from the trees") though there were some parts I didn't care that much about them and that would be the only thing that slightly drags the album down. The rapping on the other hand is great, I really enjoy Phonte's delivery, he is one of those rappers I am confident I will not miss a single word (this has nothing to do with the fact I mentioned right above that some of his lyrics were not that interesting) even without checking the lyrics- plus I had recently been checking another album he's involved in for my 2004 team, so you could say I'm in the mood at the moment. Even though the album contains 17 tracks, the transitions are extremely smooth, it flows so effortlessly, it leaves you with the impression of being much shorter.
To sum it up, I would rank this as about equal to Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star and above Où je vis.
Last album of this matchup is gonna be Sean Price - Monkey Barz.

[kokkinos]

Sean Price - Monkey Barz is an album that in all likelihood won't be someone's first exposure to Sean Price. He's been involved in so many projects you must have heard him somewhere. Not an expert on his discography - a long way from it to be honest - but as far as I can remember his other stuff, this one has a strong case to be his best. Its sound isn't that groundbreaking, but there is enough variety to keep it going and that's obvious right off the bat. The opening track, Peep My Words, comes with a chill, relaxing beat and a corresponding delivery. The next track, One Two Ya’ll, already provides a change of pace following a more up tempo approach accompanied by more energetic rapping. This goes on throught the whole album. The lyrics were my biggest issue and what stopped me from connecting with this even further, not my taste at all. Can't say I really got into his humor, many times it just passed me by. Also, there were some instances where I got the impression his mouth is a bit too dirty without it being necessary, but that's a relatively minor complaint - and a weird one for any hip hop album, I know. Plus, the whole "Sean P" concept was rather pointless, if not outright annoying. There was no need of informing us again and again who he is, we got it. In terms of standout moments, it has to be the self titled track ("A-yo we Mighty Joe Young-ing it, thugging it Straight from the jungle my brother, my niggas Banana Republic-ing Rang-a-tang slang, Chewbacca not ragga Two socks fulla rocks, plus the cops watch us") and it's not even close, loved this one.
To sum it up, I would rank this clearly below both Little Brother - The Minstrel Show and Black Star - Mos Def & Talib Kweli Are Black Star, but at the same time clearly above Shurik'N - Où je vis, meaning that 2005 is ahead up to this point, but the score is by no means irreversible.
Next one is gonna be the singles.

[kokkinos]

Even though I'm very familiar with all of the singles, I had to go through multiple re-listens to make up my mind, all of them are highly enjoyable for me.
My ranking for the singles:
1st: Jay-Z - Can I Get A... (ft. Ja Rule & Amil)
Jay-Z and Amil prove to be a devastating combo.
T-2nd: Cam'ron - Down and Out (ft. Kanye West)
Another fantastic combo.
T-2nd: Dangerdoom - Sofa King
MF DOOM is on form -as usual-, but the beat is so catchy it almost steals the show.

4th: A Tribe Called Quest - Find A Way
Different from their typical stuff, but great nonetheless.

So, it's super close, but the singles cancel each other out (maybe 2005 has a so very tiny edge as both of its singles are almost equal to the Jay-Z single, while ATCQ's one comes fourth with some distance) and the albums decide the matchup in favor of 2005. Case closed.

[Skinny]

Quick ranking:

Albums:

1. Sean Price - Monkey Barz (any Sean P slander risks disqualification)
2. Little Brother - The Minstrel Show (a warm and generous take on some rather depressing subject matter, it manages to espouse the "real hip-hop" doctrine without ever feeling nerdy or preachy in doing so - they captured the spirit of De La here, and I'd maybe take this over any De La record)
3. Black Star - Black Star (a stepping to stone to Black on Both Sides and Train of Thought, both of which are more focused, more distinctive, and just better albums - still great, because Mos Def is a genius and Kweli was good back then)
4. Shurik'n - Ou je vis (it's a French hip-hop record - I actually like the string-laden beats here, and the flow seems more nimble than a lot of French rap I've come across, but it's just never been my thing)

Singles:

1. Dangerdoom - Sofa King (one of my favourite DOOM songs, period - those opening lyrics are ridiculous, and I think Danger Mouse's sheen here does him favours in providing those rhymes space and clarity that he's not always afforded, even by himself)
2. Cam'ron - Down and Out (it's Cam'ron at his peak over some luxurious Kanye chipmunk soul, what else could you ask for?)
3. A Tribe Called Quest - Find a Way (far from Tribe's best, but definitely a post-Midnight Marauders highlight - Dilla's fingerprints are all over this)
4. Jay-Z - Can I Get A... (the worst possible 1998 Jay-Z single selection, including features - just never vibed with this song as much as others, and Vol. 2 in general was his worst album until, at earliest, The Blueprint 2)

I mean, this makes it seem as though I dislike that 1998 team, which is absolutely not the case. Everything here is very good (except maybe 'Can I Get A...', which probably sounds ridiculous given my near-constant Jay-Z fanboying on these forums), but that 2005 team is pure rap catnip to me. An incredible selection of albums and singles which I utterly adore. Sorry Seth.

EDIT: Also, apparently that Shurik'n album hit #1 in France, which is crazy. I could've sworn Manu Chao was #1 on the French album charts for basically the entirety of 1998 (and beyond).
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2021 in full effect. Come drop me some recs. Y'all know what I like.

[KitchenSink]

alright one french album later and I think I can say I'm voting 2005. which isn't to say I disliked Où je vis, actually thought it was really solid (imo the French language actually lends itself wonderfully to rap music when used skillfully enough, and while this isn't the best example of that I've heard it still firmly illustrates that point) just not quite solid enough to push a good 1998 team over a great 2005 team
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A Variety of Artists

[RoundTheBend]

Sounds like the mixed take on the Shurik'N release means I shouldn't have gone for the spice of life and gone for the more obvious Big Pun or even Goodie Mob.

That and PossiblyMichigan is awesome.

[Skinny]

[KitchenSink]

yea I'm kinda with Skinny (although I probably could've been swayed by Goodie Mob). just generally appreciate seeing albums I'm unfamiliar with show up (ones I like at least haha, this is the better new find of the tourney for me)
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A Variety of Artists

[RoundTheBend]

Well thanks for the kind words.

Then there's just a solid team from PossiblyMichigan, right? Can't wait to review this one.

@Skinny, as a Jay-Z fan, what makes this track less appealing. By the way I think the YouTube cut of this sounds like garbage - go for the spotify link if you can:
https://open.spotify.com/track/4LGMSdeK...D-L34h5gIw