BYHH GW3: Group D - 1995 vs. 2000

[kokkinos]

1995 was an essential year for any Wu fan and GZA - Liquid Swords is the prime reason for that. RZA is easily the star of the album, as he successfully goes for the typical dark and dirty atmosphere - saying it's a sequel of 36 Chambers wouldn't be that much of an exaggeration. GZA does his best to elevate the album even further by his great writing ("I'm just swingin' swords strictly based on keyboards Unbalanced like elephants and ants on see-saws I throw raps that attack like the Japs on Pearl Harbor MCs be out like bank robbers Fleeing the scene, to be a sole survivor DJ, the getaway driver Tried to dip, but he dive, I socialize on vocal vibes On tracks stabbed up with razor-sharp knives Criminal subliminal minded rappers find it Hard to define it, when narrow is the gate For fat tapes and then played out and out of date"), but the truth is I can't wait for the guests to show up, I find him so underwhelming as a rapper. The back to back hits of 4th Chamber and Shadowboxin' (both easily rank among the very best Wu songs) more or less summarise the whole album for me: top-notch production and everyone else being a more enjoyable rapper than GZA.
To sum it up, there at the very least 7-8 Wu related albums I prefer, but this is an irrelevant and unfair comparison and it should have nothing to do with the way I evaluate this one (as a classic, that is).
Next one is gonna be Goodie Mob - Soul Food

[kokkinos]

Goodie Mob - Soul Food is a weird choice to pair with Liquid Swords, they share nothing in common (except for the fact that they are both held in very high regard). I mean, this one has a track named Dirty South, so you know what to expect right off the bat. The instrumentation gives it a brighter and filled with soul tone that forms a nice contrast with the darker themes being explored by the lyrics ("See never did I think when I got grown That some pee wee sacks had been done took this town See, life's a bitch, then you figure out Why you really got dropped in the Dirty South See in the 3rd grade this is what you told You was bought, you was sold Now they sayin' Juice left some heads cracked I betcha Jed Clampett want his money back"). CeeLo Green is the man when it comes to rapping and overall mic presence ("But take yo time, guess who's the inspiration for the rhyme... My Moma"), but everyone has a meaningful -even if it may not be that memorable- contribution.
To sum it up, I would rank this as equal to Liquid Swords.
Next one is gonna be Kool Keith - Matthew.

[RoundTheBend]

1995 (captain: Mercury) (10.75)
GZA - Liquid Swords (2.75
Goodie Mob - Soul Food (2.75)
Luniz - I Got 5 On It (3) - damn... you keep pulling out these mega-nostalgia bits for me
The Coup - Fat Cats, Bigga Fish (2.25)

vs.

2000 (captain: Repo) (9)
Kool Keith - Matthew (2.25) - I think more of Andre 3000 for what was said?
Kid Koala - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (2.5)
Black Rob - Woah (2)
De La Soul - All Good? (ft. Chaka Khan) (2.25)

[kokkinos]

Kool Keith - Matthew may not be his best album, but it could very well be his most powerful, simply brutal -while keeping a sense of humour. This is how dissin' is supposed to be done, guys like Eminem should have taken some notes. There's no point even mentioning a quote or two, the whole album attacks relentlessly with line after line. The production goes again for the cold, minimal, almost too empty approach that fits the overall theme of the album like a glove (though I have to say I view this aspect of the album as slightly inferior to Dr.Octagon). But production is kinda secondary anyway, the absolute main focus of the album is obviously Kool Keith himself, a real madman. On the other hand, the thing with this kind of albums is that they apply not only to a particular taste, but to a particular mood as well (meaning even if you on general principle like it, it's not an album you can listen to everyday, it is far from an easy listen, you need to be in a specific mood to enjoy it). This makes the task of properly assessing it a rather tricky challenge. On a good day, I like this much more than both 1995 albums, but this "good day" is a rather special occasion, it appears once in a blue moon.
To sum it up, I would rank it slightly ahead of the 1995 albums, it seems the most fair outcome.
Next one is gonna be Kid Koala - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome.

[kokkinos]

Kid Koala - Carpal Tunnel Syndrome continues the trend of bizarre choices - one has to admit this is the kind of album that would feel at home next to Kool Keith, so extra ponts for that, crazy and funny to the point of being outright hysterical. Most tracks were on the shorter end of the spectrum, so there was enough variety to keep your interest throughout, which is always an issue in turntablism albums. On the other hand, this doesn't mean that he compromises originality for the sake of accessibility, quite the contrary actually. As the album progresses, things get weirder and weirder, but instead of becoming more captivating, I had the impression it was trying to kick me out.
To sum it up, major props for this pick, but overall it was too much for me -though I'd like it to give it some more listens so that I have another chance to get it- , I would rank it as the weakest of the four albums, meaning the two teams are about equal, too close to call right now.
Next one is gonna be the singles.

[kokkinos]

All four singes are total bangers and I can't build a convincing case for either side, so I'm gonna give a re-listen to both 2000 albums (the 1995 ones are well known classics, so there is no reason to repeat them, I 'm already highly familiar with them) and see what happens.

[cestuneblague]

Personally, an interesting matchup. The 95 album selections are deserving classics... that personally I wish I could get into a lot more than I actually do. Given liquid swords is still a very strong Wu solo album and Soul Food is a pretty immaculate bit of that gospel-inflected soul meets socially aware hip hop that was coming out of the south at the time and certainly holds up better and feels less preachy than, say, Arrested Development. "I Got 5 on It" is so brilliantly 95, and love to see a lot of East Bay heavyweights all guest star on an admittely already monster track, and I do indeed really enjoy The Coup as they had their own unique niche in the same scene even with the obvious hieroglyphics-influence (and Del-assisted track) here, maybe not their absolute-best single but sweet and funky nonetheless.

2000 is definitely unorthodox, which I'm still trying to decide how well it works or not. Repo def knows how to hit the nostalgia button with the singles, as All Good is perhaps the only song I've heard from De La Soul post '93, and it's rather brilliant so perhaps I'm missing out (or no?) and I have many fond memories of friends emphatically rhyming along with "Woah!" (and getting in trouble when they recited the "Fucked them in da head like..." part"), maybe those memories clouding whether or not I think this is a strong hip-hop track or not. I actually liked Matthew a lot more than I thought I would, and probably more so than Dr. Octagon, mainly just vibing with that weird, slick turn-of-the-millenium funky production even if i's Kool at some of his most indulgent weirdness. I remember hearing Kid Koala a while back and feeling pretty non-plussed about it, and listening it again it was pleasent enough but not in a hurry to return to it.


So I donno, I like the vibe and nostalgia of 2000 even if I think 95 has higher highs. Again will see how I still feel once polling starts.

[cestuneblague]

Bump so this doesn;t get lost

[LedZep]

Not to diss your choice Repo, but weren't instrumental hip hop albums/singles highly discouraged or even banned?
_________________
Finally updated the overall chart

2020s
90s

[Skinny]