MIND INVERSION

The original Blackout! album came out 10 years ago, I picked that shit up when I was 12 years old, and I’ve been playing it ever since. To me Blackout! will always be a classic. Blackout! 2 has Method Man & Redman sticking to the same formula as an incredible two man duo with great production and witty ass rhymes. I am pretty surprised at how mediocre the reviews have been for this album because I personally think it’s an incredible album, and it should hold up as one of the contenders for album of the year. I could pretty much sum up this entire review with one mathematical equation: Method Man + Redman x DOPE beats = one hell of an album.

One thing that is pretty huge for me when it comes to albums is the introduction. “BO2 (Intro)” is as close to it gets as a perfect introduction, Method Man & Redman set the album off perfectly with a beautiful beat by Wu-Tang affiliate Mathematics. Red spits, “When you see smoke in the air/two hot boys that put coke in your ear/fuck pimp, I wanna get dope of the year”. The second track on the album, “I’m Dope Ni**a”, has one of the grimiest, gulliest, greasiest beats I’ve ever heard, and Redman and Method Man slow down the flow to ride the track like a low rider on smooth ass pavement. Soul Brother #1 donates the soundscape for the track “A-Yo” with swift moving piano keys and the signature Pete Rock. Bun B brings the Southern tone to Blackout! 2 on the track “City Lights” and in my opinion it’s one of the best tracks on the album, not to mention Nasty Kutt‘s beat with hard hitting drums and spaced out synth is nothing short of a masterpiece.

As many people would expect, I feel as though “Four Minutes to Lockdown” is the highlight of the album. Anytime you throw Method Man, Redman, Ghostface & Raekwon on the same track the outcome is going to be absolute astonishment. Long time Roc-a-Fella affiliate Bink! provides an uptempo beat with glorious horns and short vocal samples, which is perfect for every one of these emcees. I would have to say “Four Minutes to Lockdown” might be one of the best collaboration tracks I’ve heard this year.

All in all this album has everything that makes a great album. The production is nuts, the guest appearances are clutch and Method Man & Redman still kill it. There are a few tracks that I casually skip over, but it doesn’t ruin the quality of the album at all. Blackout! 2 is much more than an average album, I highly suggest you go out and spend the cash on this one I know I did.

8.5 Dangerous Emcees out of 10

This entry was posted on Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 12:56 pm and is filed under Music Reviews with tags Bink, Blackout 2, Bun B, Ghostface, Mathematics, Method Man, Pete Rock, Raekwon, Redman. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.