Terraplane - Arrives EP review
The Terraplane - Arrives EP is an album where hard rock meets psychedelic rock. A few touches of progressive rock are added here and there. Terraplane seems to have been inspired by the sound of Blue Oyster Cult when they had recorded this EP. Some of the songs on this album sound very similar to Blue Oyster Cult such as Secret Treaties and Jack The Ripper.
This album was released on vinyl in 1981. Their album on vinyl is difficult to find and has risen in monetary value as is the case with many indie rock bands from the 1980s.
Jack The Ripper begins with an instrumental driven by electronic synths from a keyboard. At the 15 second mark in the song, Johnnie G tells us, “My name is John but you can call me Jack The Ripper.” Johnnie G uses a faux British accent when talking and signing. The song is similar to what you would from the new wave of British heavy metal.
You won’t see him with your happy head. You won’t see Jack The Ripper on a sunny day. Jack The Ripper can only be seen at night. He’s got something you really oughta see. Screaming makes it much better for him. Hey, lady. He’s coming for you. So you better scream. Watch out!
Legs is a short instrumental skit which begins with finger snapping. The song has a bluesy feel although the upright bass gives off a jazz vibe. Terraplane pays home to the blues on Legs.
Now the song Legs should have been placed at the end of this EP rather than being the second song after Jack The Ripper. The song Legs would have calmed down the mood for this album if it was placed as the very last song for Terrplane’s EP.
The song has a soothing climax which does not throw the listeners under the bus as there is no elements of suspense or mystery. Legs does not end up in a cliffhanger leaving the listener(s) to wonder what happens next as the song has an upbeat but soothing mood.
Secret Treaties is a Blue Oyster Cult inspired song driven with an edge of hard rock. The song is similar to what you would from the new wave of British heavy metal.
Secret Treaties kicks off the song with an electric guitar playing some mean distorted musical notes which turn quickly into hard rock. A touch of electronic music is thrown into the mix.
Sexual Fantasy starts off with an upbeat drum solo which quickly turns into an ensemble of bass and electric guitars. Of course the tempo gets upbeat at a quick pace. The song is similar to something you would hear or expect from Van Halen.
4/5****!
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Black Hippiz - Life Sex Death album review
Black Hippiz - Life Sex Death is a hood classic among many Flint rap albums. Yet this has been the most overlooked album to have come out of Flint, Michigan. The album has some unique sound to its own right due to the production. Think electronic music meets gangsta rap and ghetto tech. Only it’s not electro rap from the 80s. Overall the lyrics represents hardcore gangsta rap from the streets.
Thugz Get Drug has some futuristic sounds due to the foley and sound effects used such as a UFO ship and cell phone beeps. This song is a Black Hippiz and Selby Hood posse cut with 5 different people featured.
Gargamel discusses how he is a madman in a whole full of crack babies in garbage cans. He is the real deal pimp who fucks hoes high and low. He goes knee deep in the back of a jeep. Most niggaz want to be part of the dope game, but couldn’t hang when selling large quantities of cocaine. Stay true to the game.
Being in the drug game is not an easy task. It comes with difficulty. You always have to be on your toes to look out for the Task Force.
Fuck My Baby Momma deals with the usual baby mama drama people who live in the hood experience. Only difference is the song uses an array of sampled songs such The Isley Bros. - Between The Sheets, Boogie Down Productions - The Bridge Is Over, Michael Jackson - Wanna Be Starting Something, Michael Jackson - Human Nature, and Notorious BIG - Big Poppa.
The phone rings at the very beginning of the song. It’s Gargamel’s baby momma. By initial response, he reacts towards her in a disgusting rude manner. He reacts by saying “Tell her fuck her and her damn baby.”. He proceeds by saying “Fuck my baby momma!”.
Stupid ass trick. 9 months ago she used to be up all on his dick. Stretch marks are showing on her vagina. Now she’s acting like she got clout. Gargamel shanked in her the stomach and mouth. Gargamel caught his baby momma slipping at the corner store. She was out to buy some zig zags with a dime bag in her purse. Gargamel starts seeing visions of a hurst.
Back to reality. It could have been a tragedy but he didn’t choose to go that route. Fuck a blood test. That’s what you get for trying to play out Gargamel. He knows it’s not his baby.
The track LSD is pretty much self-explanatory. LSD is short for Life Sex Death. Life, sex, and death are what leads to paths of destruction for humankind. The song explains the life of a criminal. It’s a Gargamel solo. The track uses acoustic sounds warped with funky bass. Most of the beats stand out perfectly. The beats are not too thin or too thick.
You can’t see Gargamel as it’s so dark. Blood drips on his Converse chucks as he walks through the park. He stepped into the streets and almost got run over by a hurst. Lights shine on his all red Converse chucks. He wants himself a bitch can’t seem to love you fucking hoes. Rainbows in the dark are kind of like the sunshine. Putting in work (doing crime) is what Gargamel is known for.
He sells bags of those Black Hippiz Funk (marijuana) mixed with the wicked shit. Someone one Gargamel had a dispute with in the past blasts a shotgun towards him. Gargamel comes up with a plan to slit this person’s throat using a piece of broken glass.
Clearly Gargamel is in so much pain to the point where he asks anyone to take him out of his misery. Today he was mad as fuck. Feeling so disgusted. Who can he trust? He knows can’t trust himself. Gargamel is showing signs of distrust in himself in the these lyrics. For example, “Who can I trust?/I know I can’t trust myself” Everybody he knows is dead. Now he’s the only one left. The trigger is pulled on the glock and now his head falls apart. His life is filled with darkness. Now he is being carried to the graveyard. That’s you get for trying to behave hard.
Now back to reality. He sits alone in the park. As he sits alone in the park, he sees the colors in the back of his mind. Rainbows in the dark. It’s so dark he can’t see what’s in front of him. He doesn’t know what’s next for him. Is it life, sex, or death? How much time does he have left?
A cap is off a whiskey bottle indicating Gargamel is either drunk or is drinking away his pain. Either way, the whiskey gets drunk. Damn. He stepped on a bottle of OE (Olde English). It’s on ’til the break of dawn. It’s Sunday morning and he is mourning because his homie got shot the other morning.
Gargamel claims himself as a Selby Hood Original (Selby Hood OG). He’s down with the Black Hippiz. Cutt, Gargamel, Broomstic, and Cheese can’t be fucked with.
The Joint has a laid back chorus with a mellow vibe. The song is perfect to blaze up a blunt to and get stoned. Although Cutt & Gargamel do rap on this song, it was Broomstick from Selby Hood who wrote this song. He was the ghostwriter for many Black Hippiz songs and Selby Hood songs. Gargamel is a sick individual.
The track Evil is driven with heavy bass that will rattle your speakers and possibly destroy them if set at a loud volume setting. The song discusses how evil is good. What stands out the most is the bass and percussion. It is wicked shit!
I Want My Cut is not a posse cut unlike the other songs that are on this Black Hippiz album. It is a solo performed by Cutt.
City Slickers is a Black Hippiz posse cut with Cutt & Gargamel. Cutt wrote the entire song. This cut is a slow tempo driven cut ridden with heavy percussion and loud volume.
4/5****!
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Eminem – Stretch Armstrong Presents Eminem's The Slim Shady LP Snippet Tape album review
Eminem – Stretch Armstrong Presents Eminem's The Slim Shady LP Snippet Tape was released at the very end of 1998 on cassette only through Interscope and Aftermath. This snippet tape was released to promote the February 23, 1999 release of The Slim Shady LP. New York City radio personality Stretch Armstrong hosted this snippet tape which is why you can hear him all over the place.
The Slim Shady LP Snippet Tape features exclusive skits, explicit hilarious prank phone calls, comedy raps, acts, and dope freestyles which can only be found on this cassette. This tape contains lyrics which may be too intense for punk-ass MCs.
Verse 1 is actually Bad Influence. Eminem’s verses on this track had been reused in numerous radio shows he chose to have participated in around 1999. These verses come from a passage from his book Angry Blonde. The passage was about Bad Influence.
“The verses were meant to be thrown out there at college radio stations and shit like that. I call' em dummy verses. Somebody say, “Spit some shit.” This is what I’m gonna spit if I don’t feel like freestyling.”
It's only fair to warn you Eminem was born with a set of horns and metaphors attached to his umbilical cord. Eminem is the warlord of rap that will bash you with a 2x4 board and smash into your Honda Accord with a 4-door Ford.
However in this freestyle, Eminem aims toward dropping an acapella. Which is what these lyrics mean, “But I'm more toward droppin' an acapella/To chop a fella to mozzarella worse than a helicopter propeller”
He is feasting metaphorically on other rappers who have nothing to say. He is talking about enjoying the rewards of their success. Eminem is enjoying ‘the fruits of their labor’. It’s a contrast comparison to a lack of success other rappers face regardless of whomever the verse might be directed at. This is the portion of the freestyle where he shows ruthlessness as toys with them by hurting them.
He metaphorically starves rappers as he locks them in a cellar. They are developing anorexia. Eminem is eating a full course meal as he watching them starve to death. Better call the fire department quick as his verses are pure fire!
The most humorous part of this freestyle was the very end. “Got your bitch wrapped around my dick so tight you need a crowbar to pry her apart with”
Verse 2 is actually a freestyle song called Greg which appeared as an acapella on The Slim Shady LP: Special Edition in 1999 which was the 2 CD version. It was not the standard retail edition of The Slim Shady LP. Greg is one of his most well-known freestyle songs. Eminem raps verses over the instrumental of Dr. Dre - Bitches Ain’t Shit on “Greg”.
Eminem explained the Greg freestyle in his Angry Blonde book.:
“I kicked this during my first big radio appearance. It was on the Sway and Tech show in L.A. It was the day after Rap Olympics. That was actually one of the first few rhymes that I wrote as Slim Shady. Yeah, it’s one of the get you mad. This is another of those verses that I write to throw out there if somebody says ‘'Yo, let me hear you spit’‘. If somebody really want to hear you rap, they don’t want to hear you freestyle like ’‘Yo my house, I got a house with a blouse’‘. Nobody cares about that shit. If you really want to show someone what you’re about, you have a written rhyme already, a rhyme that you fucking wrote and took your time with and thought out and spit that for them. People used to ask me who Greg was. Honestly I don’t know. I just decided to start the rhyme off with “I met a retarded kid named Greg with a wooden leg/snatched it off and beat him over his fucking head with the peg”. If there is a kid named Greg with a wooden leg reading this, it was only a joke.”
Eminem met a mentally retarded kid named Greg who had a wooden leg. Eminem disassembled Greg’s wooden leg by snatching it off him only to beat him over the fucking head with it. That’s where he commits this heinous assault on poor Greg.
Eminem goes to bed with a beer keg and wakes up with a 40 oz (40 ounce). After waking up with a 40 oz, Shady decides to combine Alka Seltzer (an antacid) and formula 44-D (a congestion relief drug). Fuck an acid tab. He strapped the whole sheet of antacids to his forehead. He waited until the acid tabs absorbed in and fell to the floor dead. Of course this can result into liver failure.
Eminem be blowin' up like spontaneous human combustion leaving you in the aftermath of holocaust and traumas. He’s showing no mercy to anyone.
Eminem is as good at keeping a promise as Nostradamus. Because now he is not making any more threats. Now he is doing drive-by’s in tinted Corvettes on Vietnam war vets. He is more or less sick in the head. Who knows. He sabotaged himself as he smoked crack today, yesterday, and the day before. Lyrically and literally, Eminem describes himself as a saboteur. A saboteur is a person who has tendencies to engage in sabotage. No more said. Case closed. End of discussion.
Verse 3 is actually Hazardous Youth. This Eminem freestyle is performed over the instrumental to Dr. Dre - Nuthin' But A G Thang. These lyrics would later be reused on Hazardous Youth which was an acapella featured on The Slim Shady LP: Special Edition and as the second verse of the track “Bad Influence” in 1999 and 2000.
Eminem claims himself to be the illest rapper to hold a cordless microphone. He is patrolling corners as he is looking for hookers to punch in the mouth with a roll of quarters. He is meaner in action than Roscoe beating James Todd Sr. in a fight. Eminem think about smacking his back with vacuum cleaner attachments.
Eminem grew up wild in the hood as a hazardous youth with a fucked up childhood. He uses his fucked up childhood as an excuse for his odd erratic behavior. Nothing has changed but he still kept the same mind state since the third time that he failed 9th grade. What a hazardous youth.
You probably think that Eminem is a negative person. Eminem ironically doesn’t promote violence. He just encourages violence in his rap songs such as Role Model and Sing For The Moment for instance. He laughs at the sight of death as he falls down a cement flight of steps, landing inside a bed of spider webs.
Ironically Eminem encourages violence at the end of this freestyle song of his. Read the following lyrics to get a better understand of how Eminem encourages violence in his rap songs, “You and a friend can jump off of a bridge and if you live/do it again/Shit, why not?/Blow your brain out/I'm blowing mine out/Fuck it/you only live once you might as well die now”
Eminem changes things up a bit by using the Ken Kaniff persona on the Cock Message skit. Cock Message is a nod to homosexuality. Eminem uses the Ken Kaniff persona to make prank calls to a massage parlor. He calls for a “sensual body rub”.
Now contrary to popular belief, it is not underground rapper Aristotle doing the voice but Eminem instead. This because the two had a falling out over who owned the Ken Kaniff character as Eminem used it on SSLP without his permission. It was Aristotle who came up with the Ken Kaniff character.
5/5*****!!
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Eminem - Stretch Armstrong Presents Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP Snippet Tape album review
Eminem - Stretch Armstrong Presents Eminem’s The Marshall Mathers LP Snippet Tape was released in the middle of 2000 on cassette only through Interscope and Aftermath. This snippet tape was released to promote the May 23, 2000 release of The Marshall Mathers LP. New York City radio personality Stretch Armstrong hosted this snippet tape which is why you can hear him all over the place. The cassette plays the same tracks on both sides.
The Marshall Mathers LP Snippet Tape features exclusive skits, explicit hilarious prank phone calls, comedy raps, acts, and dope freestyles which can only be found on this cassette. This tape contains lyrics which may be too intense for punk-ass MCs.
Paul Rosenburg, Eminem's manager, uses the intro of this tape to talk about how things got different after Marshall's The Slim Shady LP album was released. Samples from various reenactments of awards given to Eminem's which glorified commercial debut album are used throughout the intro. Intro comically nods at the huge success The Slim Shady LP album made.
A sample of Carson Daly on Total Request Live MTV is used on the intro. Talk about a nostalgia trip. Total Request Live hardly ever gets brought up these days.
The Watcher Freestyle (Watcher) is where Eminem raps over the instrumental of Dr. Dre - The Watcher.
The beginning of the freestyle is where Eminem changes into a psycho. He develops a love for weapons. Things just ain't the same for psychos. The strangest things can happen from jabbin' pregnant women in the abdomen so they can't have children. Bitches get slapped up and drastic ass kicks. Gay-bashin' fags with tire irons and ratchets.
The following lyrics have imagery of how certain homosexuals do act.:
“I seen 'em come, I've watched 'em go/Versace "Whoa, hey!" Liberace "ho!" (echoes)/I might have bashed of somebody you probably know/Buncha' faggots in your clique screamin' "It's not me! No!"/Drag 'em out the closet and across the floor/Went you paid 'em a visit in the hospital/Stab 'em in the fuckin' tonsils with a popsicle/Stick, and sit back and watch 'em choke”
People sue Em for dough. They press charges on him. That is until they can’t fight it anymore due to depleted finances. Of course he has lawyers.
The Light Speed Freestyle (Light Speed) is where Eminem raps over the instrumental of Dr. Dre - Light Speed. The sound quality is good and is probably the best since this freestyle came from a cassette tape. This freestyle was recorded on Stretch Armstrong’s radio show in 2000.
Eminem stays higher more than controversy over race. This was controversial as Eminem was still not taken seriously at the time due to him being a white male in rap. Critics hated his music and have criticized him for his music in general as a whole. Critics often look for something to use against him. But they never win. His fans can’t wait until the next album is released.
Parents complained and asked him to tone down his music to be not so explicit so their kids could listen to it. Of course we know Eminem didn’t do that much to their dismay. Parents complained that he cussed a lot. When SSLP came out in 1999, a lot of parents complained and threatened to sue him. This was a huge deal. They asked him to tone down his music to be not so explicit so their kids could listen to it.
Eminem’s music is for people that are looked upon as misfits or rejects of society. He isn’t afraid to censor himself in his music. His music often goes against societal norms. Perfect for people want a role model that isn’t afraid of being censored. Misguided people look up to him. Eminem will never stop recording his music as long as people buy it or stream it. That's the level of respect each album gets.
He is a real person from an artists point of view. That what these lyrics mean, “I’m just a realistic impression of artistic expression”
Close to the middle of the freestyle is where he is snorting crushed Aspirin through a straw. He’s gasping (hoping) for air and then he passes out in the middle of the mall. That’s what you get when you are snorting a crushed pill. The sensation of snorting a crushed pill up your nose burns.
Grasping at straws means to make a futile attempt to achieve something. Em is saying that critics are looking for something to use against him, but to no avail.
Eminem’s verses are worse than Ma$e’s before he went the religious route by going to God and cleaning up his act. He takes a jab at Ma$e in this freestyle. This is nothing new as Eminem has made references to and took jabs artists/musicians before countless times.
The lyrics “I’m sorry kids I dismissed this class/I’m going back in the broom closet to sniff this gas/Um, Mr. Mathers just missed the bathroom/Pissed his pants and the world still kissed his ass” are a reference to the song The Kids which was a bonus track off the MMLP album where Eminem plays the role of a substitute teacher.
If you don’t like the lyrics you’re hearing from Eminem, then you can deep throat his dick. Then blow him until your lipstick is smearing.
The outro wraps up the tape by Eminem giving his verdict on people that hate him just for his music. It’s a big “fuck you” to all the critics who hated his music and have looked for something to use against him. Critics often criticized him for his music in general as a whole.
Eminem wraps up the tape by telling us if we like what we hear then we should go buy the MMLP album. He does not give a fuck if you don’t like the album. How about that? That’s basically it.
Fat Beats (Skit) is a follow-up skit to the Record Store skits from the Stretch Armstrong Presents Eminem's The Slim Shady LP Snippet Tape that was released back in 1999. Eminem follows up the previous prank calls made to the Fat Beats record store on The Slim Shady LP’s snippet tape to ask for his upcoming album The Marshall Mathers LP before it came out.
Carry Out (Skit) is very similar to the Taj Mahal skit on The Slim Shady LP Snippet Tape. Eminem uses a Hindu accent you would hear from a Pakistani-Indian person to make a prank call to an Indian food restaurant. It will remind you of Ownage Pranks.
Curtis (Skit) is about a transexual man named Curtis who is looking for someone to do a sculpture of his body.
He asks the sculptor to make a sculpture of his penis. All he really wanted was a sculpture of his penis for his girlfriend. The sculptor tells Curtis he can’t do that.
This angers Curtis. His response is, “This is really messed up! You're doing psychological damage to me. Physically and mentally.” The sculptor tells Curtis, “You know, I have your phone number, by the way. So don't make obscene phone calls.” I'm not making obscene phone calls.
Curtis wasn’t bluffing. “I'm being dead serious with you, sir.” The sculptor tells him, “Well I can't do that for you.” The skit ends with the sculptor explaining that an add was put in for trucking. Curtis hangs up in embarrassment.
Rex (Skit) is similar to the Cock Massage skit on The Slim Shady LP Snippet Tape. The skit is a nod to homosexuality.
Now contrary to popular belief, it is not underground rapper Aristotle doing the voice but Eminem instead. This because the two had a falling out over who owned the Ken Kaniff character as Eminem used it on SSLP without his permission. It was Aristotle who came up with the Ken Kaniff character.
Eminem uses the Ken Kaniff persona to call up a male massager with intentions of getting laid. While portraying the Ken Kaniff character, the two get into a lengthy conversation over the phone.
Ken asks to speak to Rex. He is looking for a butt buddy to have sex with. Rex asks, “What do you need?” Ken says, “Someone to pal around with.” Then Ken asks for a cock massage. Rex doesn’t follow as does not understand Ken’s request. As soon as Rex figures out what’s going on, he hang ups on Ken and laughs.
The Men With Van (Skit) is where Eminem uses the Ken Kaniff persona to make, yet again, another prank call. Eminem does the voice instead of Aristotle. Ken looks for two strong men to have an orgy with. Ken ends getting pranked as they speak in another language and they hang up on him.
Ken calls the mover after reading their advertisement in the newspaper. Ken asks for the persons name. His name is Tom. Ken asks how big the van is. Ken then asks, “Is it big enough to fit a bed in?” “All I need is just one bed and two men” He gives them the address to his house. Ken’s address is 15843 Novara Street, Detroit, Michigan, US 48205.
He asks how much the price is. The going rate is $90/hr. Two strong men with a van is what Ken desires. Things seem to be going perfectly according to Ken’s plan. However this ends quickly.
The van rental service man Tom realizes the prank and says, “I fucked your mother.” in Russian (“я трахнул твою мать”). The rental service can be heard laughing. Tom hangs up on Ken after this.
5/5*****!!
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