 |  | The Master....The Legend.... |  |
Now whereas I can not agree with a lot of folks on here Eric B tried to take over too much...which to me hindered Rakim...but any person getting into hiphop or rap should listen to Rakim, he is what Hiphop truely is...now a days rap/hiphop is a joke with the exception of Talib Kweli, Nas...etc etc...but whereas this isn't his BEST effort its definatly one of the better albums coming out of rap in the last 15 years...
January 3, 2008 | | This album needs to be remastered | |
Dont get me wrong. I love Rakim and have all of his albums. Paid In Full, Follow The Leader, Let the Rhythm Hit Em and even the album you dont mention Dont Sweat The Technique are all classics. The 18th Letter was short of a classic but even it was better than this. The main problem of this album is that Rakim and the production dont mesh well together. Rakim is an MC that if you give him the right production, he gives you his full potential. Not to say that this album doesnt have its moments. Flow Forever and the DJ Premier-produced When I B On Tha Mic are great tracks. All Night Long sounds forced but Rakim was actually able to pull it off and Real S*** and How I Get Down vaguely remind you of the Rakim Allah that we are all fond of. Finest Ones with Clark Kent sounds forced and is awful. After the State Of Hip Hop interlude, three of the most bland tracks of Rakim's illustrious career follow. Uplift, I Know and Its The R are dull as hell and should be classified as skip material. I'll Be There with Nneka Morton is just a tepid as those three tracks. Strong Island takes the number two spot as the worst track on the album. Its A Must feat Rahzel is suspect. Not because of the neat production provided by Jaz-O but because of incredibly weak rhymes from Rakim. Rahzel was not bad on the hook though. Waiting For The World goes in the dishonorable mention category. Bottom Line: While The Master is not a terrible album, its the closest thing to a weak album that Rakim has ever made. Rakim doesnt have that fire that he had on his previous albums. On this one he just sounds uninspired and the uninspired beats match his uninspired raps. If you are a born-again hip hop head dont let this album be the first album you heard from Rakim because it gives you an unfair judgement of him. Pick up the albums I mentioned earlier and cop this one as a companion piece. Im not one of these reviewers who have no respect for the pioneers of hip hop (like this snooty a** reviewer who is screen-named after a well-publicized mule!). I love Rakim but I know that he is capable of much better work. Standout Tracks: FLOW FOREVER, WHEN I B ON THA MIC, ALL NIGHT LONG, REAL S*** and HOW I GET DOWN.
September 6, 2007 | | Not As Bad As It's Made Out To Be | |
This is certainly not Rakim's best album, but a great Hip Hop album nonetheless. There are a few skippable tracks, but for the most part the production is great, and of course Rakim rips every single track. His flow and lyricism is incredible, and he continues to improve. If you're just getting into Rakim, this shouldn't be the first album you check out, but by no means should it be overlooked! Rakim continues to prove that he truly is the Master.
May 11, 2007I dont need to say much about this album... only buy this if you're a big fan of Rakim, like myself.. Freddie Fox said it best "I Bought The Master, That Album Was A Total Hiphop-Disaster!" im just telling you like it is.. this album is very dispointning.. check his older records with Eric B.. much more dope old school rap!
February 26, 2007This is a great album. It is not as fierce as his previous albums but it is a great comeback.
All of the beats are tight. Lyrics are tight. Rakim has taken a slower flow than what the world knows of him and thats probably what alot of folks arent used to.
Listen to it once, and you will be hooked. It will grow on you.
I believe that his next album is going to be really fierce. I would like to hear a party song... like what I am used to.
Dont let the 4 stars discourge you.. this is an excellent buy.
June 22, 2006More reviews at Amazon.com ...
