Reviews Written by kevin
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July 22, 2006
The Lovely Lara is back
Pros: Nice game, interesting new features
Cons: A bit short
Tomb Raider Legend is a huge improvement over the disappointing "Angel Of Darkness" in 2003 which suck the Tomb Raider franchise but this new game in 2006 is wicked. It's a lot more easier and fun than the last entry as well as fascinating locations such as cliffs and caves and by upgrading the graphics. Lara travels to Bolivia where she's looking for the ornate stone dais and you'll go through an action packed story to uncover the relic. If you're a fan of Tomb Raider you'll enjoy it and it's an inspiring game in the saga. ...
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July 21, 2006
Panther Power
Pros: just a few adequate songs
Cons: terrible audio and lazy production
Please note that the overall is 2 stars, I accidentally saved with3 stars but anyway..Tupac Shakur's "Lost Tapes" according to the back cover of the CD were found in basement of Chopmaster J's mother's house where he stored his belongings during Digital Underground concert tours. Made back in 1989 when he Tupac was roughly 17/18 years old and a complete unknown, he does do a great rap on the mic. But however these recordings are completely different to your noraml 2Pac LPs, there are no songs here like California Love or Brenda's Got A Baby, it's quite strange mainly because these were mixtapes which only have the sound of a TR-808 and a SP-12 drum machine that clatters in each song in the album. "Panther Power", "Let Knowledge Drop" and "Never Be beat" are the only highlight songs here but the rest are very unoriginal, repetitive and are heavily similar to the those songs just listed. Chopmaster J hasn't really inspected the tapes carefully because there are some poor fade outs and slightly echoey audio which feel like it's been covered in cobwebs, dust and moist in a cellar which ironically probably were LOL. The whole production is clumsy at times but rather than blaming the music Tupac isn't as convincing as he later would be in his music career so don't expect the "Thug Angel" to be excellent in these songs. I'd strongly advise you not to buy this album but to have a listen to those few songs I listed, I was generous when I gave it a 2 star review. But you'll get sick and tired of it easily I'm afraid. ...
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July 21, 2006
Regulators!!! mount up!
Pros: Amazing music and great songs
Cons: Limited but gets the job done
Warren G might not be a great mainstream and popular artist at the minute but we take a trip 10 years earlier when his debut album was the bomb and was one of the important rappers in the music industry. In 1994, just after Dr. Dre had dropped "The Chronic" and Snoop Dogg released "Doggystyle", it wasn't long until G-Funk was the new era of music on the West Coast. Dr Dre's stepbrother Warren G who used to appear with 213 which featured Snoop Dogg and Nate Dogg who would then be signed to Death Row Records makes his debut solo album that year called "Regulate...G-Funk Era". Warren G writes, produces and sings all of the songs in Regulate and feature some unknown faces and a few familiar faces. The opening track is "Regulate" which of course you all know in case you don't is the famous soundtrack song to the 1994 hip hop/basketball film "Above The Rim" which samples Michael McDonald's classic hit, "I Keep Forgettin'. The song is about the gritty nature of gang life in LA which has a smooth sound and partally to both Warrenand Nate Dogg's voice, it's a pure classic no doubt. What makes Warren so brilliant in his production is the fact his style is far more unique than Dr. Dre's, rather than sampling Parliament/P-Funk songs from the 70's and adding whiney synthesisers. He has a more calm and soulful approach to his music. Laid back, silky and smooth collection of songs with "whistles" from the synthesisers. "This D.J", "So Many Ways" and "What's Next" demonstrate Warren's MC and rap skills on the mic, sure he says the f word a few times but his way of rapping is a lot more different than his West Coast rappers. Warren isn't the type that calls drive-bys, 187s, disrespecting hos or pushing the dope, he's interested in good ole fashioned hip hop that he was influenced back N the Day. He's good natured which the album a great play. Length wise it's short but it's great quality and it's a wonderful play. Overall Warren G's debut album is amazing and whilst some people have forgotten him because of his up and down career but when he really wants to make music, he could do it. ...
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July 8, 2006
Talentless Tramps
0 of 1 Yahoo! Users found this review helpfulPros: Adequate Production
Cons: Terrible lyrics and ridicilous songs
Pussycat Dolls, I don't know why people are giving this album five stars. It's one of the worst pieces of crap I've listened too. Of course the point of their image is sex and sex sells. Girlfriendless morons can go out and buy this by looking at their bodies.
They don't write any of the songs and have no work on production, their "voices" are the only use for their career and the fact that their music is a joke, why do this? The money of course. Trashy songs like "Don't Cha", "Beep" and "Buttons" have some of the cheesiest lyrics you'll ever hear.
The real nail on the head is their cover of "Tainted Love" which this time *gasp* has more seductive singing and funny music, oh please can we shoot ourselves now.
That said, this isn't music. The Pussycat Dolls might have had their 15 minutes of fame but I strongly doubt these girls will have a successful career and will actually be spilling more albums. "PCD" is one of the dopiest and dumbest album you'll ever hear. Avoid like Hell ... -
July 7, 2006
Second album by Tupac Shakur
Pros: Good lyrics and a few outstanding songs
Cons: Weak cast and slightly dated production
Tupac Shakur's second album was released about year after his first and during 1992 he would witness the results of 2pacalypse Now and how it would effect his music. Dan Quayle who had spoken out against the record after the brutal shooting of a cop by an influenced youth brought trouble to Shakur by turning him into public enemy #1 when it wasn't intentional.
His second album Stricly 4 My NIGGAZ picks of where it last left and this time he is more focused and knows what to do. It's more different this time than 2pacalypse Now, there are new producers, new sound and more issues in his songs such as social life and his own life in which he never mentioned in his predecessor. But not all is perfect here, the production is weaker in this album since he does not have Shock-G/Digital Underground (whom which does one song in the album) that appeared in the last album. In some of his songs 2Pac is getting more egotiscal and arrogant which might take away the seriousness from the songs but fortunatly when he's more concentrated he drops some landmarks here like the heartfelt "Keep ya head up" which maybe the best song in the LP and of course "Papa'z Song".
The album starts with a bang "Holla If Ya Hear Me" which is all about standing up to the strong forces and next few songs, "Pac's theme" and "Something 2 Die 4" shows off some great beats in the interludes. Any last werdz is the first major collabrative song and it's not bad, Ice-T is slightly off but you would have consirded just Cube whom of which was an influenec to Pac.
After that in the mid of the album there are some off moments such as "Soulja's Revenge" which is very dissapointing to the superb "Soulja's Story Part 1" on 2pacalypse Now. The album is soon saved by "Guess Who's Back?" which is an awesome song and some great music in it. Representin '93 is another bomb which really gets you going. We get to hear "Keep Ya head Up" which is powerful track aimed at women showing how sympathetic he is. Soon afterwards we dance to "I Get Around" which is a hot track on the album where Shock-G does some nice work on it, props to him. Papaz song is quite good but he doesn't need a few collbarators in the song and Strictly 4 my Niggaz ends with the weak song "5 Deadly Vemonz" which is very dull.
A nice second album by 2Pac but needed better production, collabarations were slightly off here as well as a few of the songs and if more concentrated we could have heard a landmark album here. ... -
July 5, 2006
Nice album
Pros: Hot debut from Digital Underground rapper Money-B
Cons: Forgotten, Production could have been better
I thought this album was wicked by Money-B. Production is slightly weak by he has a nice voice and the lyrics are said with great pace. He is most likely another Too $hort with his great chemistry on the mic. ...
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You gotta have the Juice
Pros: Good acting, great soundtrack,
Cons: Script can be slightly clumsy at times
Director Ernest R Dickerson picks up where Boyz N the Hood left off in this ghetto flick set in Harlem where 4 teenagers are grown to their quest to get "Juice". "Juice" which is the hip hop slang for respect and like "Boyz N the Hood", the four characters are disgunished from each other. Q, who is main character in the film played Omar Epps is a Scratch N Mix DJ who's hopes are to make it big and is having a relationship with older girl Yolanda, Raheem is a father who has gotten his (former) girlfriend pregnant, Steel is the lazy, fat guy who is up to mischief along with his friends and often gets picked on by the guys. Tupac Shakur plays bad guy "Bishop" who is the leader of the group. The group spent their time ditching school, playing arcade games, running from the cops and stealing LPs from music stores. Bishop often gets into trouble with rival gang member Radames who oftens bullies him but slightly hesitates to fight him. Afterwards Q witnesses a local friend in a bar sticking up the place and refuses to join which leads to once again another chance to get "Juice" but failed. Bishop eventually after witnessing the TV broadcast of the robber being shot and killed gets sick and fed up of the guys attitude and is desperate to get "Juice" any means neccessary even if "you have to die for that sh*t". The guys plan a stick up robbery in old man Quile's store but Q's DJ audition is in the way so it's planned after the audition and the boys unsucessfully do the robbery after Bishop loses control and kills Quiles. The boys flee in a abandoned building and begin to argue about the evening's events. . Raheem and Bishop begin to argue with each other, and Raheem tries to take the gun back from Bishop. A struggle ensues and Bishop shoots Raheem. The boys panic and run to another building. While there, Bishop threatens to kill the other two if they tell anyone else about what Bishop has done. They soon realise that "Juice" isn't what it's worth to be after the troubled events which follow. The film is great at times and there are some great moments but there isn't enough time spent deeply annalysing the boy's personalities which is often spent at Q which is the gripe of the film and the script doesn't pack the punch at times too but the acting is superb, special praise goes to Tupac Shakur and Omar Epps to that. Ernest R Dickerson's excellent use of camera through the New York streets is great viewing and the directorial technique is convincing. Overall his powerful and his well acted plea to stop the evil internalized violence of the ghetto seems to have fallen on deaf ears but Juice is still an important film in black cinema. ...