Tuesday, August 30th.

DaX said:

Ill be there!! I hope the special edition is avaliable at Targhetto

Well I picked up the album. I was upset because the Special Edition did not feature the bonus DVD that I wanted (which I found it's being sold at Walfunkin Mart!!! )

So the album..its GREAT!!!!

Touch The Sky
Gold Digger
Drive Slow
Crack Music
We Major
Hey Mama
Roses
Addiction

Are probably my favorites....

I on one hand didn't feel that it was CLASSIC though, but just one notch off..some tracks sounded alike as in almost too much sampling. Though the affect brings a much more deeper and darker atmosphere.

This is a eclectic album, and much more real and deep than College Dropout musically. Though College Dropout contained more easily radio-friendly tunes, this one kind of lacks that...but in this case for a sophmore album that may be the benefit.

Another reason I just left just a notch of classic was because of the tracks again. It was about 2 songs off. But I may change my mind...

P.S. on Hey Mama I wish he turned down that kiddie xylophone just a notch in the mixing it almost drowned out the vocal.

I believe I will find myself playing this album for the rest of this upcoming month.

Kanye U did a good job man, but just keep ya mouth shut!!!

4.5 of 5 Stars

[Edited 8/30/05 10:57am]

Kanye not kayne

bought it today at 10am at Circuit City along with EPMD's Strictly Business cd. so far I'm lovin it, listening to "Bring Me Down". So far my favs are Touch The Sky, Crack Music & Roses.

BillieSparks said:

Is that PATTI LABELLE on ROSES!!???

FYI Reading this article will shed some light on the video and on Kanye's intentions here - lose the diamonds!


From: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/h...604165.stm

Diamonds are big business - the retail trade is worth over $30bn annually. But many of the stones are dubious in origin, coming from African countries immersed in civil wars. They are known as "blood diamonds" - sold by rebels and governments to fund their war campaigns.

Sierra Leone has vast mineral wealth - gold, bauxite, timber and copper, yet it remains one of the poorest countries on earth.



Until recently Sierra Leone was exporting millions of dollars worth of gems - but most were smuggled, many "blood diamonds" from the rebels.

Bordered by Liberia and Guinea, its porous boundaries have long been a popular route for smuggling raw materials, weapons and - most significantly - uncut diamonds.

In 1991, former army corporal Foday Sankoh led the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) from the jungles bordering Liberia and declared war upon the government. Sankoh's battle cry was a fight against corruption and the poverty of his people.



It even got to the point where you hid from the rebels, from the militia and even the government soldiers

Tamba Lebie
Backed by Liberian President Charles Taylor, the rebels succeeded in keeping their war alive for over 10 years, a war that claimed the lives of thousands, displaced millions and exposed the civilian population to a barbarism that shocked the world.

It soon became clear the RUF's political aims came second to their pursuit of mineral wealth as they battled the western-backed government for control of the diamond territories.

Diamonds and war

In Sierra Leone most civilians here have never set eyes on a diamond, much less benefited from the country's vast mineral deposits but they were caught in the middle.

Many were used as slave labour. Others fled in their thousands only to starve or die of malaria in the jungle. Former miners like Tamba Lebie tell a common story:


Tamba Lebie, miner formerly from Kono


"The rebels drove us out in 1992, we fled to another country. We went and lived in Guinea like refugees. It was a constant struggle. We came back and started to settle again, they drove us out again, burnt all our houses, our cars, took our money, everything... It even got to the point where you hid from the rebels, from the militia and even the government soldiers."

Tamba lost most of his family to the RUF rebels. Others suffered the punishment typical for anyone suspected of opposing the rebels - amputation of one or both hands.

Now however, sanctions have been imposed against Liberia - the rebels' major smuggling partner - and a certification scheme has been introduced to show where the diamonds originate from. The RUF is now being forced to sue for peace.

The RUF in Kono

We travelled to the heartland of the Rebel RUF in Kono. This was Tamba's hometown until the rebels forced him and most of the population to flee.

Destroyed by 10 years of fighting, the area is the key to Sierra Leone's economic prosperity. Both Kimberlite and alluvial mining possibilities have made it a target for both sides.



The government is just trying to destroy the image of the RUF

RUF Commander
Tales of slave labour, torture and murder against the civilians of Kono have made the town the symbol of RUF brutality. The area is cut off by destroyed roads and the threat of ambush. Few venture to the area to see the reality of RUF rule.

We were given unprecedented access to the town and the rebel forces who control the diamond mines. But what we saw raised questions about whether the moves made to stop blood and illicit diamond smuggling really work.

The RUF is now keen to put its side of the argument across and commanders denied all accusations of slave labour and random brutality.


Mining in RUF-held Kono

"The government is just trying to destroy the image of the RUF. But from the moment you go out onto the street here today, if you went to my house and back again, according to the government you'd see at least two or three people fighting on the street but I bet you didn't see anything like that, everybody is moving about on their own business, laughing on the streets. I am sure you saw it for yourself."

It is a claim that men like Tamba will never believe.

"In the RUF's territory, it is only safe if you're a member of the RUF, if you are not in the RUF and you go to the RUF territory, your life would be at risk. If you found a diamond the RUF would kill you and take your diamond away from you."

The whole town is being excavated as men dig for diamonds - under houses and along the main road. The RUF claims all these men are free labourers, working for a share of the profits - a claim impossible to verify under the eyes of their minders.....




.

This CD IMO is not classic status..I got it but I had to stop listening after track 3....the Curtis Mayfield sample was too much..it made me long for the orig version of MOVE ON UP..the way Kanye smapled it seemed corny..



.[/quote]

LoveAlive said:

[/quote]
Stopping after track 3? It has 21 come on now...

I agree on that track though, I want to bump the original too

gabeez said:

I agree but I wish he expressed this conern in the song too

paisleypark4 said:

Stopping after track 3? It has 21 come on now...

I agree on that track though, I want to bump the original too [/quote]

Yea man Ima go back and listen but I am SO SICK OF SAMPLES!!!!!

Silly Kanye... he got so caught up in the production he forgot to write some decent rhymes!

Navjot said:

Classic Album.
Im just upset about the Target Limited Edition.
Lyrically Kayne is on point, and the production is on point.
Solid album. I have yet to skip any track.

Crack Music is a hip hip anthem. Im glad The Game's verse was deleted.
This album is going to do very well, because it is a good hip hop album.

LoveAlive said:

damn, 21 songs? I hate really long albums

LoveAlive said:

[/quote]



Yeah..that's pretty ridiculous..As I stated in other posts the Curtis Mayfield track is the most blatant sample on the record..everything else is pretty mixed up with live instruments and some smart sampling..

Hot damn, this album is absolutely superb. He got me as soon as "Wake Up, Mr. West" and "Heard 'Em Say" blended so perfectly together. I'm currently on "Bring Me Down," and I'm lovin' what I've heard so far. Definitely worth the purchase...

It's definitely not a sophomore slump, but I could've done with the interludes and skits (just like College Dropout). Musically, its a little different than College Dropout, in fact, it's a little introspective in my ears. It does have a small number of filler like Gone, Bring Me Down, and Addiction. He has even improved lyrically on this album. Roses and Diamonds From Sierra Leone are the biggest highlights on this album, in my opinion. But overall, it's a great record with soulful beats, awesome production, and great raps and I'm lovin' it. But the real question is: will this be nominated or even win for a Best Rap Album Grammy like last year's excellent College Dropout???
[Edited 8/30/05 17:53pm]
[Edited 8/30/05 18:01pm]

LoveAlive said:

"Hata niggas marry hata bitches and have hata kids"-Kayne West

DaX said:

DAMN CAN YOU SPELL THE MAN'S NAME RIGHT FOR ONCE!!

IT IS "K-A-N-Y-E" GET IT??? NOT FUCKIN' KAYNE, JUST PRONOUNCE HIS NAME AND SPELL IT....
[Edited 8/30/05 19:23pm]

silverchild said:

EXACTLY, if he would lose those damn interludes and skits, the album would have been supurb, its still good though, just hate those damn interludes...

the production is great. ye takes sampling to a whole new level with this cd. his lyrics are classic as always too. my fav track is 'gone' with consequence and cam'ron. "my homie worked at taco bell and hooked us up plural, two weeks later got fired manager counted the churros"
still i feel its is missing some songs and is sometimes overproduced.
hey mama needs to be stripped more to the original version in my opinion. what happened to bittersweet and improvise and home and some of the other tracks that leaked a months ago?
still a great cd

DaX said:

OK the Game..I was like where is he? Why did it get deleted!!?? What happened?

Where's that one song u gave us..that track was hot..I wish it was on the album (the one with Q-Tip).

I was mad the Wal Mart DVD wasnt avaliable, but I wasnt gonna pay for no damn edited version

PS Is that Patti Glam Diva Labelle in "Roses" ???
[Edited 8/30/05 23:42pm]

Her name is not listed in the liner notes, but if that ain't Patti, my name ain't what it is.

A classic.

Next step - I challenge him to make an album without heavily sampling a really well known song.

It's good, but no where near The College Dropout.

lilgish said:

Musically, it's miles ahead of College Dropout..It has many more layers and grooves than his debut..I think by working with Jon Brion (Fiona Apples producer) Kanye has definitely extended his sound and he delivered on the hype...It's a damn good album and one of the best releases I've heard this year....By the way...I heard the numbers are looking like 850,000 the first week...damn...

A rap album without samples is like a rock album without guitars. Of course it has samples! It is the genius in which he uses them and combines them with rock, classic, r&b, and even gospel melodies and themes that makes this album so intriguing.