If there is one thing that really pisses me off, it’s pretentious Coffee Shop Art Rap. This album was released during the height of the “experimental” LA hip-hop movement, which gave us high-pitched whiny efforts such as The Pharcyde and The Wascals (who were just a shittier version of the former). I guess we should blame the Good Life Cafe, which was fawned over by RapPages and other music mags on account of being a refreshing alternative to rapping about girls and guns over P-Funk. The thing is, King T and the Alkaholiks proved that it was possible to make great rap out West without sounding like a bunch of jazz loving beatniks, but since they were basically brag rappers the hip-hop media craved something more “left-field”. Thus the world had to endure the “conceptual improve” styling that is the Freestyle Fellowship.
These guys are basically rap’s answer to those filthy hippies who indulge in drum circles and fire twirling in the local park, and on this album they were able to identify every single thing that the Conservative Rap Coalition dislikes about experimental, progressive hip-hop. Aceyalone, Myka 9, P.E.A.C.E. and Self Jupiter give us stupid voices, trippy jazz freak-out beats, ironic singing/harmonizing, high-brow/ridiculous song concepts and fail to deliver a single track that I can sit through without wanting to injure myself and those around me(including red herring “Bullies Of The Block”). Basically, these guys are like the first black hipsters, and as a result are deeply adored by many “progressive” rap bloggers, who no doubt traded rare tapes of obscure Freestyle Fellowship interpretive dance performances on Betamax.
All I can think of while attempting to sit through this shit sandwich of an album is, “Why am I listening to a poor man’s Last Poets?” The greatest tragedy is how they tricked the great man Daddy-O to contribute a couple of beats to this project. I can only imagine that one or more of the members of this raggedy bunch must have run over my beloved puppy in a former life, since my blood boils within seconds of hearing this record. Looking back, it was the carefree, devil-may-care experimentation and “courage” to break from tradition that set the stage for some of the abysmal rap that currently pollutes the atmosphere, and no doubt gave guys like Slug – funnily enough also from a crew called Atmosphere – the justification to make his own shitty rap. Slug begat Sage Francis, who begat Odd Future who begat whoever the fuck is making wacky rap today. Eff your Skat Rap. Don’t even get me started on Digable Planets…
agree 100. Tryed few times to get into this. Impossible. Same as with Saafir’s flow. Too overconceptualized for me
20 years later I still haven’t heard this album. I had a college radio show around this time and caught so much flack from whiny backpackers saying that Geto Boys, E-40 etc wasn’t “real hip-hop” and that I needed to get up on FF. Made me want to avoid this even more.
Perfect write up. Except i love me some Digable Planets and first Pharcyde.
I’ve noticed that the more “incendiary” (i.e. those expressing an opinion) articles usually get more comments from the internets. Therefore, here’s my bit – I bought the FF album when it came out, but I haven’t played it much in the past couple of decades. I even bought Aceyalone’s first album, and Saafir’s first, and Digable’s, and the Pharcyde’s. Oh shit! How can I redeem myself 20 years after committing these esoteric-rap crimes?
@Chris Ward: I would advise destroying the offending non-CRC LP’s, or selling them to some rube on Discogs so you can buy out-of-print PHD singles.
I found this album a few years after it was released, but just got around to listening to it a year ago. I like it, but I must say this write up is hilarious and may not be far from the truth. Last I knew, I was the only Saafir fan alive. LMAO. Good sh*t Robbie.
yea i never did get into FF.. although at the risk of getting my CRC pass revoked i did like Digable Planets and a couple Atmosphere joints
get em robbie.
btw hobo junction is dope.
That mothafuckin cover artwork is top 10 dope shit though! ….I will say that Good Life Cafe/Lyricist Lounge era was some ‘take it or leave it’ type shit….there’s jewels in there and then there’s shit like Anti-Pop Consortium/Blackalicious!?! Take the Good/Take The Bad …Facts of Life mothafuckas!
Damn i love this record and Park Bench People, album does suck on a whole but i disagree about this one. Thought the Daddy O feature was insane, especially after he dropped that Brooklyn Bounce single that i didnt like. I like Mic Check too but couldnt get into the album. Digable however released all great singles from the debut and Blowout Comb is one of my favorite albums
Aceyalone – Book of human Language is dope though.
Saafir is beyond dope, but I understand that’s not generally accepted (because most people are clones who just follow trends).
Yeah I used to be on this bandwagon about 12 or so years ago when I lived out in LA. I just tried to give that FF shit a listen and it really did not age well. Abstract rude is pretty corny and I used to cop every Abby Rude & Tribe Unique album. The good thing that came out of this era of West Coast rap is Project Blowed which was on Thursdays in Leimert Park which sharpened emcees freestyle skills and brought back the art of the battle to center stage. We got rap dudes like Dumfoundead & MC Nocando out of it so I’m happy.
I will respectfully disagree about the dislike for Aceyalone. Antipop Consortium feat Aceylone – Heatrays He does have some good music, though I will certainly agree that King T and Tha Liks are far superior in production values and rap braggadocio in general.
Funny story, I was once at a show that Abstract Rude was playing and he was in the crowd mackin’ it to some clueless broad and I went to say whatup since Acey and him knew the homie AK Tony from World Stage in Leimert Park and he actually got angry at me for coming up to him and disrupting his mack game. That was the point that I stopped pirating his music and providing any free marketing by word of mouth. Ironically that was probably around ’05 when most of these guys stopped being good.
The other good rapper to come from that era of LA rap is Dr. Oop of the Black Love Crew. Dude is hilarious with good production and raps, standout tracks by him are Generation Epps about jugglin’ hoes, the Smoking Man about what else but the weed, Jerk Chicken about not spending money on hoes and instead goin home alone and well, you get the picture. Don’t worry Robbie, one day we’ll have you liking more West Coast rap worthy of the CRC.
great album. dope song. Previous album was great too.
Don’t see how you chalk this up as setting the stage for some midwest stuff- really these guys inspired Hiero/Souls, then maybe Solesides crew/Latryx. Since none of them rhyme remotely like G Rap, I can see why you don’t like it. Thanks for sharing your opinion though. I as well have an asshole, but prefer not to take a shit on the internet, since there’s already enough of that going around.
I fux wits you Robbie, I really do. You bring me that esoteric shit that only a true head would love. BUUUUUT, your glaring flaw is that you don’t like your hip hop slightly askew OR successful OR intelligent.
What makes the culture what it is-is that it can be approached and expressed from all angles of creativity. Not Just a “Tribute to Ignorance”
Don’t know if you can compare BUC 50 to the Pharcyde but OK. And even as kid or teen his style was more rugged. Don’t see a lot of Lovesongs or crying on the Wascals album. Only thing them 2 albums have in common is dope crackheadbeats by J-Swift. Not the biggest FF fan, BUT the shit you wrote is funny. They just chose to express themselves differently, which is good considering coming from South Central. Peace is schizo and Myka also doesn’t appear to be very sane. Check the drug report some chick did with him. Factor and him living by couch surfing.
A lot of people bit they styles worldwide. Taktloss Germany for example…
I rather cosign them than a lot of punks doing 93 boom bap clone shit nowadays. Ill Adrenaline comes to mind and others… that 7 Gems LP is trash – TRAG rip offs
Also MellowMusicGroup – total SUCKERS since Low Budget died down…
Consider it done Robbie, I gave up my decision making to Unkut a long time ago. Never heard of PHD though. I lived in Sydney during 1995 and every now and then I would go to a shop called the Lounge Room and ask them what new albums were worth buying. One time I bought Boxcar Sessions, and shortly after I bought Coast to Coast, which must be the most polarised purchases from any single shop. I bought Blowout Comb from Woolworths in Sydney – Australia has a lot to answer for… While we’re on a west coast pseudo intellectual tip, what about the Hiero’s? I have confessions if necessary.
If all hiphop was stuff you liked it would be boring as shit. For me the point of it is freedom and variety.
I loved Inner City Boundaries but never dug the album. Tried again the other week, still a no. Same for LONS – Time (except Whats Next ofc)
Dig Plans on the other hand just improve with time, but I never expected to see them mentioned in a positive light here anyway
shoobie doo bap dowee ba ba ba badoobie dowee scribbedy beep boop dowahh. yeahhhh.
Funny how low the ‘esteem’ Talib Kweli is held in here nobody even mentions his bum ass in this discussion…
haha I love when you do these, Robbie.
Anyways, I bought this album on CD around the time it came out cuz I loved the “Hot Potato (Remix)” joint. I could never get into the album cuz it was just too damn abstract for me and the MC’s styles just weren’t somethin I liked. Aceyalone was the only guy I could actually stand. A few of the beats were cool from what I remember, but for the most part I didn’t like a lot of them. To this day I still don’t like them, especially Myka 9 even though I have a lot of respect for him.
“But , I kinda like it…” (In my De La Soul Is Dead Voice)..lol…yeah, its corny rap, but it has its place in hip hop history. Everyone cant sound like Queensbridge (in which Robbie is def a groupie)
Nah, I loved this tape. I got it off the strength of “Bullies of the Block”. The joint with Daddy-O was probably the most emo moment on this album. “Park Bench people” rocked the Bone Thugs flow way before they had it, and “Heavyweights” is one of the greatest posse cuts ever. I’m FAR from alt/emo BS type.
Nah…B. ACEYALONE WILL DESTROY YOUR FAVORITE RAPPER. PERIOD.
I bought this album when I heard Kool G Rap talk
about how ill it was. He was right on.
Please, get started on Digable Planets.
My man Junius Belmont!!! Kweli’s been a bum since after his first solo album, finally someone else sees it!! Beautiful Struggle was a drink coaster, kid!!! Robbie, you’re mostly on point, however, Pharcyde was ok in doses, Digable were dope, and the only song I liked from FF was the one with Daddy-O in it…
Volume 10’s album from this era was fucking dope! Only great album to come out of The Good Life.
Saafir would be dope if he ever had good production.
Hiero stopped being even remotely dope in the 90’s.
Digable Planets is Dope. They had some great production. The MC’s are a little too faggy though.
Aceyalone’s Book Of Human Language was dope.
I agree though Freestyle Fellowship was wack as fuck. Can’t stand Mykah 9. Don’t understand why he is so respected.
Latyrx was WACKKkkkkkkkkkkkkk So fucking garbage.
Al that anti pop consortium shit was fucking garbage.
Any of those white pretentious fucks from the 90’s where fucking garbage.
I hate most of El-P’s shit. He’s wayy to fucking pretentious. His new shit with Killer Mike is fucking wack as fuck. Can’t stand his beats for the most part.
The pretentiousness of left field 90’s Hip Hop. mmm gotta hate it. lol
Oh yeah, for the most part I think Robbies taste in Hip Hop is pretty shit. He only seems to like things if it’s some garbage from some unknown MC left in someone’s basement on 90 minute maxell tapes.
Fuck all that freestyle shiiiit!!!!!!
Lol at everyone getting but hurt. Again. I personally like these random negative reviews of 10-30yo albums. Freestyle fellowship fans should be greatful it gets a mention at all at this point.
“He only seems to like things if it’s some garbage from some unknown MC left in someone’s basement on 90 minute maxell tapes”
^ You’ve got me confused with somebody else, pal.
Never listened to this album, the cover alone was enough for me to randomly pick up records by groups such as the RBL Posse and 415 click.
I didn’t mind it, but i only really play ‘bullies’ and ‘6 tray’, loved the pharcyde, but drew the line at blackalicious, fuck that shit.
Get started on Digable Planets.
Such garbage.
How is a crew going to base their whole style on a single song by another group (If The Papes Come by ATCQ) and even then make it so horrible?
Anti-Pop Consortium! These clowns were on at a show in Nottingham in 1998, and they tried doing a spoken word act in their slot onstage. The crowd weren’t having any of it so one of the MC’s started saying “sssh” so the other one could be heard, much to our amusement. I thought Madkap could have been a lot bigger than they were, they were dope and funny without being up their own arses like some of their westside peers.
Let me add my “two cents” about the Digable Planets. Paid no attention to the first album and probably never will, but Blow Out Comb, still to this day, is an incredible album. Just recently bought the vinyl re-issue and I’m lovin’ it.
ALL ABOUT THAT LA UNDERGROUND HIP HOP EVERYONE IN THE “INDUSTRY” BIT THE PROJECT BLOWDIANS STYLO!!!!
REAL RECOGNIZE REAL BITCHHHHH!!!!
I respect your opinion and all but this article is complete bullshit. It’s funny you compare them to some hippies and hipsters when all these cats come from gang backgrounds. These dudes just wanted to seperate themselves all the negativity in LA, and thats how theyre whole style formed. If you even bothered to listen, the album isnt so “alternative” you have songs like six tray a song about drive bys, way cool a song about killing people or mary a song about weed. What’s funny too though, is that these cats would probably rap circles around you and still knock your ass out.
YOUR A COMPLETE DUMBASS WHO HAS NO EDUCATION ON THE RAP GAME MYKA 9 IS THE BEST RAPPER TO EVER HOLD THE MIC YOU OBVIOUSLY HAVENT HEART ALL HIS SOLO ALBUMS?? ITS ALL LOVE AMERICAN NIGHT MARE?? BONE THUGS BIT THE SHIT OUT OF THESE LEGENDS RIGHT HERE AND EVERYBODY LOVES THEM?? BUT THE PIONEERS THAT GAVE BIRTH TO THE ONLY ADVANCED STYLE THAT STILL CANT BE TOUCHED TODAY BY GAY ASS NO PAYING HOMAGE KENDRICK IN CONTROL BUT YOU CANT GIVE THESE GUYS CREDIT? UNDEDUCATED AND IGNORANT. LISTEN TO CRACK LIFE BY MYKA9…TUPAC DOESNT HAVE SHIT ON THIS GUY. RESPECT TO ALL MY FELLOW BLOWDIENS BEST EMCEES THAT WILL EVER LIVE. PEACE.
basic people like basic music. basic people take the time to write articles about how they dislike music that is obviously occupies a space well above their ability to comprehend. it’s too bad really. stick to riding ’94 NY dick…the west is obviously far too progressive for you sir.
SHUT THE FUCK UP YOU UNINFORMED SON A OF A BITCH! FF ARE GANGSTERS. DO YOUR HOMEWORK. GET TO KNOW ‘EM DUMB ASS B4 YOU TALK. I SUGGEST YOU REMOVE THIS BEFORE EVERYBODY REALIZES WHAT A DUMB SHIT YOU ARE. WHY ATTACK THIS ALBUM YEARS LATER? WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING YOU KNOW THOROUGHLY AND ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT YOU IGNORAMUS. THIS ARTICLE IS SCIENTIFIC CLAIM WITH NO RESEARCH. BULL DIARRHEA!!! WRITE WHAT YOU KNOW, NOT WHAT YOU THEORIZE! WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING YOU KNOW! WRITE ABOUT SOMETHING YOU KNOW OR SHUT THE FUCK UP! YOU ARE BAD FOR JOURNALISM
I fuxx with (||) Saafir and most Hobo Junction projects.
funniest thing to me is that it took you 20 years to have the balls and wherewithall to speak yo mind. no style.
sorry we dont dumb dumb it down fa tha rest a yall transplants and fools who cant hear correctly out here. sorry some no comprende styles. 85ers are never ready. smdh.
…and Anti-Pop is untouchable.
IF YOU ARE EVEN REMOTELY TRYING TO DISS F.F YOU ARE A COMPLETE PIECE OF SHIT EATING , LIL WAYNE DICK RIDING , CAN-I-BUS NOTE PAD READING , BROKE BACK FRANK OCEAN ASS EATING FAGOT!!!!!!! THESE GUYS HELD AND CURRENTLY HOLD A WHOLE MOVEMENT OF TRUE PIONEERS IN THE WHOLE HIP HOP UNIVERSE!!! FUCK YOU RETARDED ASS MUTHERFUCKERS!!!!!
The greatest trick that the record industry ever pulled was to make you actually care.
Personally, i think its lame to just say negative stuff about people’s creative work, as surely it’s all personal taste, and you can’t be always right.
but, i respect you for sticking an opinion out there.
can’t wait to see what you’re writing after one of these dudes taps that jaw!
peace.
not really, war.
Fuck y’all niggas fellow ship change the game period. They spawned what we now know is underground. And wtf are you reviewing a twenty year old album any way.
this review was the most bullshit bullshit i ever read.
Who ever wrote this is an idiot and you do not know anything about hip hop, the guy who wrote this must be a fan of Kris Kross, vanilla ice, mc hammer, and all the wak shit from mainstream, that album came out in like 92 and patched the way for style in hiphop, where were you in 92 mr. writter? Still pissing your bed and crying for your mommy? You call them hipsters lol say that to their faces and see how quick things get get ganster! Dumb ass, just cuz you can’t understand the words doesn’t mean everyone is a moron like you.
“To whom it may concern” is what set it off for me b4 “innercity griots”…Freestyle Fellowship broke limitations on mcing…as well as many other Goodlifers/Blowdians…Hiphop Klan…Cve..Omd…Atu..Whatch L.A. take they styles back!!
West Coast blows up tha most!
So this is the place where dumb mutherfuckers get together to vent their frustration about not being able to understand intelligent hip hop lyrics. Enjoy your roach motel bitches.
You are right if you come from the perspective of someone that does not know anything. This is probable the stupidest article that I have ever read relating to hip hop. You obviously don’t like people that can write and flow. They influenced entire styles of rap that everyone jocks today. Listen to Eminem before he went to LA and battled the good lifers and after. Listen to “mary” on this album and you will see where Bone Thugs in Harmony and all those shit groups got their sound. Listen to Gangsta Paradise by coolio and then go to the first project blowed comp and see where he stole the whole song. These guys created the chop style that everyone started using 10 years after. Maybe you should learn about this culture before you talk that way you don’t sound like a sarah palin type.
honestly great piece. . .except for the last line. How you gonna hate on DP, a group that not only had their own sound, but created a timeless vibe within a genre that is immediately dated? Digable Planets are legendary, and BOTH of their albums will stand the test of time.
your a huge fag whoever wrote this
hey 20 years later and you write something shit review on hip hop you cant even comprehend bro? LOL sounds like you rather listen to shit music like gucci meng or Kendrick Lamar disses all day, you know nothing about real hip hop and how it started, and to all you who cant get down with FF ITS CUZ YOUR BRAINS ARE SHIT SLOW, go back to school and learn something HAHAH!!! losers
you FF haters must have just got your pubes last week. Seriously I understand you are used to rappers with a vocabulary limited to 6 words… but these dudes were “conscious” something that young ignorant materialistic “hip hoppers” will never understand.
As Per Xolo’s request… FUUUUUUCK YOU!!!!!
Most ignorant article i have ever read. You have no idea what these heads did for the hip hop community. You dont like it dont listen. They created a whole style (chopping) that is still being jocked by mainstream rappers. And to say slug begat sage? Sage has been rapping a lot longer than slug. Go listen to some more big seam and chris brown.
WTF!!!!????? 20 years later??? why bother giving it a review now??? pick something current.
You really should know better than this.
Too bad you didn’t end up in daddy’s sock like all the luckier sperm before you. Your a moron plain and simple and should you ever come round my way I will teach you how to keep your mouth shut and your fingers off your keyboard. And that goes the same for anyone who could agree with this hack job.
ALL YOU FOOLS DISSIN FF HAVE NO CLUE WHAT TRUE UNDERGROUND HIP HOP IS REALLY ABOUT, DOESNT SURPRISE ME THOUGH…ALL THIS COMMERCIAL ASS GARBAGE PLAYED ON THE AIR WAVES IS DOING ITS JOB OF DECEIVING PEOPLE ABOUT HIP HOP MUSIC…FUCK ALL YOU WACK SUCKASS!!!
this article is laughable. maybe you should stick to coolio.
Ha, leave it to non americans to be protective highschoolers. Luckily for me hip hop wasn’t my nerdy secret pet and I could appreciate Freestyle Fellowship for what it was. While Robbie might of been thrown off by freestyle fellowships styling ny emcees from Pharaoh to Talib were checking for them. Lyrically these guys are heavy weights….they’re not going to sound like Kool G Rap nor should they because hip hop shouldn’t sound like a bunch of clones. I mean the critique of this album is more so it’s paper thin production then it’s lyrical content. And even with the badly engineered thin drum beats the production still manages to give you build up and bridges something that outside Pete Rock you weren’t getting from ny 90s hip hop (not that it made it better or on it’s level…many 80/90s hip hop heads couldn’t get into freestyle fellowship like they couldn’t admit to liking house music..mean while all the people they admired came up on that shit) . The album is ahead of it’s time hip hop wise in it’s arrangements. It falls behind simply on it’s production…but these are some L.A. bangers minus Acey. This characterization of hippy hop is cliche and might be more reflective of their later white audience that came with the attention they gained from horrible experimental labels like Anticon. This is very well the review I’d expect from a freshmen on a college radio station but not someone who’s has listened to as much hip hop as you =)
I can sum this review up in one sentence, “I don’t like jazz and I don’t like rappers who like jazz therefore I don’t like this album”. Very Biased and Very late review.
My advice to you, Robbie, is that you crawl into a cave somewhere and hide, because the backpackers and underground hip-hop heads are now out to get you. I hope we haunt your dreams forever.
Some people like their hip hop in bold block letters so its easy to understand. Some people like their hip hop in wild style with creativity and free expression.
Fellowship and the Goodlife Project Blowed were some of the most forward and expressive mcs to come out of south
Central and surrounding areas.
This lp is an undisputed classic and you sir are a complacent killjoy who only understands simple shit.
Freestyle fellowship is one the BEST HIPHOP OF ALL TIME. Also, who in the fuck does a review 20 years later!?!?
You sound like a complete idiot. Keep promoting them by talking about the album though.
Yo this article is SHIT!
Freestyle Fellowship is real dope HIP HOP.
Saafir is another Heavy Weight!
RObbie eat a Dick!
Obviously you are a fucking retard, and the stylings of Freestyle Fellowship are on another level, therefore way too advanced for the likes of an idiot like you, these guys are your favorite rapper’s favorite MCs.
Wow…I thought closed minded idiots were all dead…maybe this asshole just wants attention…hey, “World Wide Web look at me, my opinion counts too guys” nobody cares that you don’t have good taste in music.
I heard this is really Bill O’Reilly’s secret blog.
Superhumanhiphopheads: join the nation: https://www.facebook.com/groups/181291818554859/
Hey FUCK BOY! Why would yo bitchass review a 20 year old album anyway??? Go kill yaself!
The good life was in the hood! and we are all from hood in LA. don’t get it twisted. just because we didn’t do gangster rap don’t mean we didn’t get into gangster shit. we did and do are own thing. not that NY rap… We did it our way! like it or not… but dissing the good life movement now is safe. almost 20 years after and 3000 miles away.
LOL look at all these pretentious hip hop backpackers crying because someone dosen’t like their “artistic boundary pushing vocabularyistic” bullshit. Coffee shop rap isn’t for everyone. Some people wanna hear actual street stories and struggle rap. If “styling on” is that shit Busdriver does, y’all can have that shit.
LMAO! Backpackers are pissed that someone has a different opinion than them.
pretty stupid article from a supposedly respected hiphop journalist who just lost all his credibilitiy with this one, as if we weren’t already 99% sure he was born with Tragedy Khadafi’s dick in his mouth. apparently through all your years of riding east coast dick, you never took the time to understand what happened in the west coast back in those days, an entire movement that continues to affect so many areas of the game. but i guess you are a blogger, not a journalist. and this one confirmed it. i hope you enjoyed your temporary spike in traffic.
For anyone that doesn’t know, pay attention to Riddlore’s comment. This Robbie Ettelson cat talks about hipsters and blogging, when thats exactly who he is and what he’s doing!! This cat’s probably never been in the hood, who’s he to be callin out names!!! To the dumbass above me, talkin about struggle stories and such, have you bothered listening to this album!!?? Freestyle Fellowship isn’t some ignorant coon shit, listen to all their albums, group and solo, they have a wide electic variety of different music. For example listen to Late night streets and lets go (rogues and hoes) by myka 9, or listen to danger and for no reason by FF themselves, those are all examples of songs that wouldn’t even be considered “backpacker”.
I didn’t think this was a real article at first. Very silly comments with shallow opinions. Vanilla is great ice-cream but at least respect the other flavors.
This is a Rap troll residing at a Toilet bowl blog. Shit alert.
I think like 50 of these posts are the same guy punching in different names.
Robbie Ettelson the writer of this article has absolute no clue about HipHop/Rap music at all..so Robbie better get a job u punk..
i thought that west coast movement when it came to that boombap jazz purist hiphop was dope the whole likwit crew defari,exhibit, alkaholiks phil tha agony dilated, the pharcyde hiero rascals, cypress hill all that shit was dope i didn’t get into freestyle fellowship but that’s me i rather listen to them than all that threat, mister grim, south central cartel e40& the click, mack 10 caution, warren g, westside connection, and yes i dare say it TUPAC when he was on death row i take the side of the backpackers on this on but i see your point some of those groups were kind of weak, but that g funk era shit to me was trash ALL OF IT but i’m a boombap type of guy so my opinion is somewhat bias
Looks like I was bang on the money with this idea.
I actually own this and their second album thanks to the misleading nature of a few good live shows I attended back in the 90’s. I get confused and angry when I listen to them. It’s a bit like a cirque du soleil show, you know there’s a lot of talent and (lyrical) gymnastics going on, but ultimately it’s not something to chill or bang your head to.
I do bump P.E.A.C.E’s “Southern Fried Chicken” album a whole fuck of a lot though so feel free to disregard any and all of my opinions.
Wow someone must have let the FF Fan Club in on this
“too overconceptualized for me” = not smart enough, and easily frustrated by intelligence that emphasizes your own lack of intelligence. these are not overly conceptual artists, they are just conceptual, and lyrically and technically more gifted than almost any emcees in the game ever. on a purely technical level, mikah 9 is untouchable, and the only one touching jupiter and peace on the mic is mikah. on a tech level acey isnt as sophisticated, but his general vibe, intellect and what would now be called swag, is peerless in hip hop. FF broke ground and blew minds (and still do), apparently they blew yours too, as this brainless article would indicate.
You the man Robert, but I’m going to have to disagree because your opinion is not on the same page as mine. All of our boats must go in the same direction Robert.
I’m not sure Ive heard a freestyle fellowship song but it’s obvious the white Munson or whatever the fuck it is a member of this “fellowship”
you must be one of those skinny jean wearin dick blowers to talk about this incredible album, the pharcyde, and the wascals like you do…what the fuck are you thinking man, this is an all time classic Hip Hop album, your whole shit must be wack as fuck, it’s people like you that contribute to the fucked up music they are playin on the radio these days, keep talkin like this and get smacked!…then hopefully you will wake the fuck up!
Who let this guy do a review? Every word out of your mouth is ridiculous and redundant. You do not know anything about anything…not just hip hop. How old are you robbie? You need an education and to stop doing reviews and speaking on things you do not know about. Freestyle Fellowship is one of the best and most influential groups and inner city griots is one of the most important and best albums…dissing pharcyde too come on man, this review is a joke right? some fool who needs to stop playing. YOU KNOW NOTHING FOOL.
Who let this guy do a review? Every word out of your mouth is ridiculous and redundant. You do not know anything about anything…not just hip hop. How old are you robbie? You need an education and to stop doing reviews and speaking on things you do not know about. Freestyle Fellowship is one of the best and most influential groups, and Innercity Griots is one of the most important and best albums…dissing The Pharcyde too come on man, this review is a joke right? Some fool who needs to stop playing. YOU KNOW NOTHING FOOL.
Why the hell would you post the same comment twice with different names?
I don’t think any of the critics even listen to lyrics, let alone those their brains cant comprehend due to the complexity of style and word play. The poetry behind the beat probably confused many so called “hip hoppers.”
and FUCK YOU… 20 yrs later
Critics are men who watch a battle from a high place and then come down to shoot the survivors- Hemingway
@Soltan because it’s the same dude who posted the last 50 responses under different alias’s and has run out of things to say.
You’re trying too hard with this one. If you can’t respect Myka and Ace-1, something’s wrong with you. Early 90s Blowedians shit all over Samhill or whatever other mediocre NY MCs posted about on this blog. I respect Unkut’s hustle and work for underground heads, but not being able to take something from the great West Coast FF is worrying. But hey, you got some extra hits….mission accomplished.
Wow, you got the great Radioinactive to respond to the post!
I don’t and do overstand all the vitriol surrounding one man’s OPINION about an artist’s particular body of work. I have often gotten the same responses when stating that I don’t feel the whole Jay-Z “oeuvre”. Dude is alright, better than many, but not nearly, in my opinion, worthy of all the blind adoration that’s been heaped upon him over the years. I guess my point is, to everyone, comme de fuxx down. You like what you like, and to each his own.
I’m laughing at the West Coast luminaries coming out of the woodwork to rail against this post, which was obviously done with a bit of satire in mind. Moral: Don’t criticise artists, lest thou be set upon with vicious anger.
go fuck a latte and snap your fingers to your bullshit jazz laden horribly emotional “freestyle” music while wearing Birkenstocks impressing unshaven white girls who champion your ass-hat movement with daddy’s money
*Robbie sitting back, smiling and enjoying some alligator souffle and a martini while reading White Munson using his many aliases lol
It’s easy to find subpar material by any artist. Most material by most artists is subpar. The FF/Blowed catalog is massive. I guarantee there is stuff in there most of these 2-bit haters would enjoy. Robbie is pretty clear about the fact that he champions a very narrow slice of music. No one should be surprised about his closed mind. And L.A. hip hop shouldn’t have an inferiority complex, but it does. Oh well. But even Robbie will admit that most hip hop from anywhere these days is subpar. On that I think most of us will agree.
so you just don’t like this genre of hip hop music..big fucking deal..i hate gangster rap..does it mean that too short was not a talented mc?..you could say that de la soul were hippies..do they suck too? it was an experimental time, f.f. does not sound like that today..you way over analyzed this album review..F+
Great article!
I respect that you have a right to not like something or I would not have come on the site. The album is a classic to me!
I bought it when it first came out and remember the heavy bass and the fact it was a fresh different sound, mc’s harmonising but still rapping hard. Not everyones cup of tea I guess.
Robbie, Robbie, Robbie….
I respect most of ya drunken rants but pulling FF and Good Life’s card? You over did it holmes!
Do your readers know that you rapped as ‘Rob Natrule’, battled at Revolver & won etc… or how you were asked to step down from Lyrical Commission (for quality control purposes)..
Continue to speak on what you know…
I dare you to step to anyone from the Good Life that was allowed to grace the stage for more than 5 minutes.
You’ve battled in the past.
Whilst throwing stones from ya glass house here’s a little something from 2000 YOU released:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8yTxSu_r6c
You write for Acclaim bro & you have the audacity to call them out as hippie/hipster ‘coffee shop art’…
Damn, I hoard like most hip hop heads but Acclaim is a subscription I regret & ends up in the bin.
At least I had the decency to move onto to other things once the joke wore off, unlike the rest of Australia.
Paid by acclaim > Paying for acclaim.
@Gx it was a free trial subscription… (glad it’s over)
I’m glad Robbie gets paid to do his thing.
The majority of unkut is proper!
Occasionally, I don’t agree… But, this is Robbie’s thing, not mine.
It is “A Tribute To Ignorance (Remix)” so I guess the joke is on me… Robbie is just on an ignorant rant.
Out of all the wack shit that’s been released over the years you choose FF? I get it, you do it for attention… You could’ve pulled Bone Thugs’ card but that wouldn’t get the response your looking for.. True heads that check this blog don’t give a rats ass about them.
Now ya saying: “At least I had the decency to move onto to other things once the joke wore off, unlike the rest of Australia”
Jokes on you bro. It doesn’t even make sense that an entire continent hasn’t the decency “to move onto to other things”. From what? To what? What!?!
Keep up the good work. You know when ya not being a straight up tosser. Big ups to the majority of unkut.
@Pace612: I’m saying if you’re trying to pull my card over some shit from the 90’s, you’re barking up the wrong tree.
As for this article, I have plenty more so-called “classic” albums to tear down in the near future, since this post alone has earned me enough blood money to buy a new jet ski and some premium hoo-ers.
@Robbie
Unkut raw gets stepped on & cut with impurities…
for $$$.
That ol’ dichotomy of style/art vs $$$.
Jay-Z’s approach too right? rockin’ that triplet style (bitten by Jaz-O)…then slowly dumbing it down for mass appeal. Got him paid & forgot where he came from too.
“Jazz loving beatniks”… damn, that’s that NY shit, man. DITC… I wont even list them all, you have interviewed many jazz lovers here at unkut. Pharcyde, FF etc were known on our Aust shores before the RapPages exposure… That was refreshing to read about, in amongst all that wack shit that started infiltrating around that time. Even the wack shit from back then is classic by todays mainstream standard.
Do us a favour & rip Kanye & Jay-Z etc. up…& stop tainting the raw.
I sometimes appreciate your conservative opinions about rap and you often make me laugh with a bunch of good words. But come on ! 99% of past & present rappers are too arty for you, or too experimental, or too militant, or too this, or too that… Let’s face it, you don’t really like Rap.
You’re just fetishizing your Kool G Rap and a bunch of mostly second zone NY rappers. (Grand Daddy I.U, really ?). And that makes a difference.
@Pace612 Dude doesn’t like FF… Why catch feelings? Your problem is the same as a lot of the other humourless fanatics commenting on this article. You think certain artists/groups are untouchable from criticism or disrespect of any variety, cause they have some golden age immunity card or something… Robbie’s got a certain taste. Clearly anyone who reads the site knows that. He has a strong point of view. That’s what makes it interesting. It’s good to hear some difference of opinion, particularly from his hilariously over the top staunch perspective. The world’s better for it. Some people like their steak a certain way.. & some people like their rap a certain way. Get over it.
Nice, T-BONE making steak analogies.
If rappers were steaks ff are lentil burgers.
I like this album but pretty much just for “Cornbread”. In general Aceyalone seems like a guy who should be somewhere in a G.O.A.T. discussion but his records tend to be not-quite-there. There’s the one with the Mad Men theme but I imagine everyone switched to the instrumental version after the first couple spins.
I like Freestyle Fellowship but not half as much as the ‘Liks, their first and third albums are classics and Tash is one of the most slept-on of all time in ratio of skill to fame.
Honestly I like the stuff that Aceyalone’s doing now, it’s adult-oriented and it almost works. I respect that he’s trying to find his own niche and make a living. Again, it doesn’t quite work, I don’t think I’ll be listening to it years from now, but it beats the diminishing returns crap that every other middle-aged rapper has been putting out for the last 15 years. Or at the very least trying something new has a potential upside whereas Jay-Z and Eminem can only get worse as they repeat themselves forever.
I never really liked most of the stuff Robbie’s into–Mobb Deep isn’t in my top 100–but who the fuck cares, we’ve all got some questionable tastes and he always makes his case in an entertaining way.
Wow, this shit actually got 119 comments?? Didn’t think these cats were on that many heads’ radars. Never heard the album and don’t feel too inclined to put hearin’ it on my bucket list no time soon…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q84N7sn6Lls
“way cool” from that innercitygriots LP… then u should change yo mind Rob. That aint fair if its about breaking sugar on em, better not to make any article especially for such a group who arent makin billions like other rappers but preservin culture. Indeed?
Robbie is wrong as usual.
This album has a few week songs but still is classic and a must have for any DJ … So many joints I can still pull out and make bboys get down … Slippin as usual, you ain’t HipHop … You a gimmmick, my word.
HipHop Philosophy Radio was here!
your an idiot you don’t even know what you’re talking about the good life cafe is where hip hop started plain and simple that’s where styles started. BONE got their style from the good life. Ice Cube is a biter. those guys are all biters of the good life. do your homework you want some serious kick ass gangster rap check out east side bAdstads or ellay Khule aka rifleman. Project blowed what’s the code!!!
Great read as always, but the only thing I truly agree with is Odd Future being total garbage. Otherwise, I still welcome your opinion.
I agree that Inner City Griots was terrible, like a lot of sophomore rap LPs are, but I’m saying, you don’t like ‘To Whom it May Concern?’, their first record?
Just heard that rob natrule bullshit. . LMAO! U got the nerve to cry about dude givin u shit about what u did in the 90’s? Thats exactly what the fuck u did with this review! Fuckin troll! P.s. ur music sucks n u sound like a turbonerd.
haha Robbie by the sound of your music I understand why you wrote this ill informed diatribe.Your Rapping is weak, beats are boring.
Great website though, keep that up at least.
Wow, I had supressed this trash article haha, thanks for the reminder Awkward! Rare garbage from this place. And I love that Riddlore CVE came by to comment – legend! I didnt know Robbie made music though?
Contrarian clickbait much? lol
@PAS yes, as Rob Natrule. You tube it lol
What about Young Thug? Future? Do you even understand what the funk they are saying? Mr.writer??
I see where this is coming from but still love a lot of Blowed stuff. They were experimentalists and they did just that. They did things others werent doing and did them well. Too often artists are hated on because of the peoppe who fawn over them and make them into more than they intended to be. I dug FF and aceyalone on his own. Mikah 9 is difficult to listen to at times but his shit was very interesting to say the least. Busdriver is on point when hes on point. And some of the affiliate dudes like dumbfoundead and nocando had some cool shit.
I also dig straight up hip hop but ya know…its another flavor.
Robbie you have an incredibly shitty opinion,
you wrote this article before Kendrick Lamar
payed his respects to freestyle fellow ship at the awards.
more than 20 years later and still relevant.
they are held in high regard by people who like to use their minds.. is there a college class studying your lyrics?
sorry you couldn’t bear the intellectual weight, but your adherent distaste for that movement suggests that your an idiot. and it shows.
Who the hell did this write up? You obviously have no clue that the LA underground birthed a ton of styles but never got the credit. I understand it may not be your style, but to shit on it is absurd. Do your homework (Robbie, is it?). This write up is horrible. The East Coast even acknowledges this style was banging.
Ellay Khule, Myka, Orko, Eligh, Scarub, CVE, man!! I can go on! Y’all Trippin
Lady’s and gentlemen, there’s Haters and then there’s Haters with passion. The guy that wrote this is a HATER with PASSION LOL
…he said while jerking off to Lil Kim. If you’re not at least up on Daddy-O’s more recent works then shut the fuck up.
Fuck you sir right in your face ass. Worthless review from an equally useless mouth. You must eat with your ass to make up for all the BS that cumms out of your face hole.
some of you dudes are on crack…that Innercity Griots album was fire….there was a few cuts on that album that were little adventurous but overall the album is right up there with all the other greats…and Myka 9 is more than likely the greatest Emcee of all time….retarded fuck boys wouldn’t understand….and all these West Coast rappers did everything in their power to keep them a secret, because the FF would make them look retarded and antiquated
Who the fuck is this asshat?!? Kooks Among Us. Gwaaan Bwoy
how dare you diss my teachers!
I had to come back to this ‘article’ to have another laugh
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_rY1NA6RDXM
Damn. Rob Nat ay. Music is subjective. Nothing is or isn’t as you say it is. It’s just your opinion. I’d probably hate 90% of what you think is dope and think it’s basic as fuck. I personally like FF and LOVE Sage Francis. I also LOVE artists like Ceschi, Open Mike Eagle, Living Legends, P.O.S, Awol One, Onry Ozborne etc etc etc all artists you’d probably hate as well. I really dispise reviews and articles with people’s opinions on music and art the older I get. We all have different taste and view music differently and THANK FUCK FOR THAT! What a boring dumb arse world we would live in if we all loved the same bullshit. I prefer my hip hop with meaning and substance and flows and style and intelligent. We can’t all love dumb simple shit. Peace. Thorts.
This articles entertaining, but you know that Bone Thugs, Kendrick Lamar, amongst others (even Talib) wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for the Fellowship.
Fuckin hilarious that people still lose their shit over this post.
I’d love it if Kendrick Lamar didn’t exist…
This is a very uneducated review, as well as the people that co-sign this garbage. Just like you can make a slanted review, I can make the same regarding your wack ass viewpoints. Please stop reviewing hip hop records! 💯🤦🏽♂️