Sunday, June 22, 2008

Duke Da God - Harlem Classics













1) What’s Really Good (OG Version) (featuring Cam’ron, Jim Jones & Juelz Santana)

Dope beat, hits hard, and nice use of a DMX sample – “What’s really good?” Was liking this track, works well as an intro. Pretty much generic as far as the idea of the song, just life in the ghetto, but it works well. I liked the chorus, “Stash your glocks under the hood/And niggaz wanna know [Sample] What’s Really Good?” Not a huge Jim Jones fan, but it was a nice verse from him as well. All three rappers showed up, and it’s a nice Diplomats anthem.

2) Halftime Show (featuring Cam’ron)

Nice little Cam track hear, liking the sample, sounds a little like something you’d hear at the start of Sportscenter or something. Didn’t like the chorus: “What’s your name huh? Killa Cam, Killa Cam”, but it was a nice feel to it and the lyrics were decent, standard street shit with a lot of sports references, like “fuck Tiger Woods, there’s tigers in the hood”

3) You’re Gonna Love Me (featuring Juelz Santana)

Santana’s my favorite Dipset artist, and he does a nice job on this one. Nothing amazing, some of it sounds sorta stupid, to be honest, but for the most part he does well. Very dope production, nice little sample and Juelz flows well on it and has his swagger down. The lyrics are a little random, but the production is dope enough to make up for the few mistakes.

4) Shut The Fuck Up (featuring Cam’ron)

Some of the lines are standards – “Cake mix like Duncan Hines” – but for the most part its ok. The beat’s OK, but it gets even doper around the chorus…loving the instrumentation. Cam’ron always has some random lines, but its ok…most of the lines are forgettable though.

5) Questions (featuring Jim Jones)

Short little track for Jim Jones to reminisce a bit on. Nice production, has a nice feel to it. Jimmy holds his own on this track, talking about (what else?) life in the hood. Some lines are nice though: “He sparking, he took two and he passed it/Said, “there’s nothing to do but get blasted.” LMAO @ one of his adlibs though, he growls after he says “savage,” lol.

6) Royalty (Crown Me) (featuring Juelz Santana, Cam’ron & T.I.)

This track is decent. The beat is nice, and I guess the lyrics are pretty good too. The problem is, it all seems really generic. Example: “Man, I’ll show you what the piece and hammer do/Raise my arm with the piece and hammer you.” Its cool if you like tracks like this though, and T.I. does a nice job in it, despite a few unnecessary cocaine analogies.

7) Your Way (featuring J.R. Writer, Juelz Santana & Cam’ron)

Loving this anti-snitch track. The beat’s nice, though the background noise of a gun being cocked gets a little annoying. Liking the sample for the chorus too, and liking all three verses, particularly J.R. and Juelz’s. Cam’s was nice, but some lines were just funny, like him talking about Chuck E. Cheese. Overall a nice track though.

8) The Answer (featuring Juelz Santana)

Very rock feel to this track, but it works decently. Some of the lines are really non-creative: “Y’all say I find it funny/But I find it funny that you find me funny” and “The questions you, the answer’s me/The niggas questioning you, they answer to me.” Also, he mixes comments on death and tragedies such as 9/11 with bragging about how “nobody’s fucking with him.”

9) New Season (featuring Cam’ron)

Nice little track with Cam talking about a girl he met. The lyrics are nothing special, but nothing bad either. Loving the feel to this track, really relaxing and mellow, some good production.

10) Did U Miss Me? (featuring Juelz Santana)

Nice production on the track, the chorus is really simple (“Did U Miss Me? Did U Miss Me?), but the verses are nice. Some of the lines sound nice, though they aren’t really that creative, like “This time around is the big time around/Back to the future, switch time around.” That shows that Juelz’s swagger and flow overshadows his sometimes inconsistent lyrics.

11) Don’t Fool With The Dips (featuring J.R. Writer, Hell Rell & 40 Cal)

Darkish feel to this track, but it’s still pretty nice. As far as the lyrics go, they sound decent, but they sorta get a little old quickly, nothing of any real substance to them. Wasn’t feeling the chorus, just a repetitive chant of “Don’t fool with the dips.” Still, it’s a decent anthem and doesn’t have any real bad qualities to it.

12) 145th and Broadway (featuring Juelz Santana, Jim Jones & S.A.S.)

Some of the lyrics are really unimaginative – the track, for example, begins with Santana rhyming “avenue” over and over for like 8 bars. The chorus is pretty dumb too, and the beat is really nothing special. Still, there’s a nice feel to the track, and even when the “avenue” thing is happening, it still sounds nice, which is always important. Just a decent track, all around.

13) Cali Love (featuring Cam’ron)

Nice track from Cam, though I’m not sure why he’s glorifying California so much (cause Duke asked him too?). The beat is sort of weird, nothing special, just decent. Cam talks a bunch of random bullshit, but it sounds ok. Another track which is simply decent.

14) Hold The Fuck Up (featuring Juelz Santana & DJ Clue)

More dope production, a real nice feel that literally had me nodding my head to it. Real nice flow by Juelz, just a real nice sounding song. Even the really unimaginative chorus doesn’t take away from the sound of the song at all.

15) The Slaughter (featuring Cam’ron)

Wasn’t feeling this track much at all. The production isn’t that good, despite the rock feel to it. At only a minute long, Cam’s lack of lyricism is much more noticeable. Still, its so short that it doesn’t really matter that much that the track was weak.

16) Uhh Ahh (featuring Hell Rell & Juelz Santana)

Liking the track, its got a real heavy hitting sound to it. Hell Rell’s verses aren’t all too amazing, talking about his life as a dope boy and making random threats, but he doesn’t do too bad. Liking Juelz’s parts though, “Labeled the class kidder, labeled the crack dealer/Now look, I’m stable, and labeled ‘that nigga’” and “you ain’t gangster, you play Rambo like Sylvester Stallone.” Chorus is pretty meh, but still liking the track.

17) You Oughta Know (featuring Juelz Santana & Cam’ron)

Nice 80’s sample with a nice sounding beat, so the production is definitely on point. They use the sample in their verses pretty well, and the lyrics are pretty decent. Cam had some funny bars too…”I get head with the lights on, lights out/I used to drop Lewinsky at the White House”

18) Magic (featuring JR Writer)

Another 80’s sample, and another nice sounding beat. Still no variety to the lyricism from the artists, but JR does a nice job on this one, thinking about his struggle in the game “From the days in the rental, to a page and a pencil/Who would have though I’d make it after all the hate I went through?”

19) From Bottom To Top (featuring Fort Minor, Celph Titled & Juelz Santana)

LOVING the sample on this one, classic “Sweet Child O Mine” sample with a nice bass part to compliment it. Real nice lyrics too, and liking the Jay-Z sample at the end “And if my situation ain’t improving, I’m tryna murder anything moving.” All three verses are nice, loving Celph Titled on this one though, “Old school 80’s guy that’s me, hip hop head/Female rappers give me dope, and that’s just that hip-hop head/Flip off the Feds, it’s been said I’m out my mind to the fullest/Alone in the crib, bugging, fucking with Russian Roulette with six bullets”

20) Dreamer (featuring 40 Cal)

Another sample, this one’s a little annoying and sounds sorta clownish, nice beat though. Nice track for the most part, the lyrics were pretty nice. “I’m flattered, I’ve lived the life most niggas day dream/Since eighteen, dog I did great things.” Pretty good job.

21) Around My Way (featuring Jim Jones)

Jimmy talks about Harlem life. Not liking the chorus too much as the singing sounds a bit off. The flow and lyrics aren’t that consistent, and so this track pretty much stops at decent.

22) Long Time Coming (featuring Cam’ron & Juelz Santana)

Nice sample and nice beat. Liking this track, though the verses don’t really connect with the chorus too well. Nice verses, and a good way to end the CD with some reflective shit from Cam and Juelz.

So for the most part this album was really good production-wise. In fact, if we were just talking production, this would probably get a higher grade. A lot of the lyrics were inconsistent though, and so it didn’t reach its potential. Definitely sounds nice if you just like beats, so I would recommend it for some chill, nice-sounding music to play at a party, in the car, or just relaxing at home.

Grade: B-
-DKE

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