It is a tough feat to be considered the “greatest” by any means in hip hop today. It is a term that gets applied to just about anyone and any song, really without any merit or valued source to this claim. However, Royce Da 5’9, based on his skill alone, has been able to develop a stable movement of opinions and statements asserting him as the best emcee of the last two years. Considering he hasn’t even dropped an album, the fact that this notion does indeed make perfect sense is somewhat scary (Check our Top 10 Emcees of 2008 list). So, when Street Hop was announced, hip hop minds everywhere were intrigued with the potential this album already held. Evidently only getting better, Royce took a step in defining his career as a complete emcee, since making a solid and cohesive LP had yet to be in his repertoire. Could Street Hop, which consisted of production from DJ Premier, Streetrunner, Emile, and Nottz (amongst others), be that next step to “completion” in Royce’s impressive career? Could it live up to the hype of the last 2 years of his undoubted reign on the mic?
The immediate answer is yes, if judging by the first half of the album. The starter, “Gun Harmonizing,” is lyrical manslaughter at its finest courtesy of Royce and group-mate, Crooked I. Setting a tone this violently and viciously should be a staple in hip hop albums these days, but to make it sound so good so effortlessly is something to be admired and attributed to raw talent. The same could be said for the Slaughterhouse collective effort on “The Warriors.” The four emcees naturally weave in and out throughout the five minute Streetrunner gem, all dropping their fair share of quotables and shining when given the opportunity. Another valued feature is Busta Rhymes, who is no stranger to stealing a song when given a minute. But on “Dinner Time,” where the emcees speak quite vividly (and poetically) about figuratively eating emcees alive, the remarkable flow, cadence, confidence, and smoothness of Royce is what steals the show. Still, it would be nice to see Busta spit like this on a full album basis. Phonte Coleman’s chorus contribution is great on “Something 2 Ride 2,” even though the song’s concept and Premier beat seems made as much for Tay as it does for Royce. Royce certainly does the track justice though, including like likes “reigning king of boom bap/ bomb strapped to my chest asking where you goons at/I’m old school like a Star Tech / on a voyage like Star Trek / me unemployed is far fetched” and “street hop is a culture/ I rock with the vultures that make bread with the opposite toaster.” Of course, there’s the Gza-esque quick jab “if I’m the hyphen then you da underscore.”
The three DJ Premier tracks are undoubtedly the highlights of the album. Not only are they amongst the most cohesive and most “street hop” dedicated ideas on the project, they are flat out the best sounding 3 tracks on the overly long 19 track project. Premier gets it. He gets this vision of street stories heard musically and displays this comprehension through his sampling, percussion, skips, horns, etc. He creates a vivid picture musically and has challenged Royce to paint a better picture. This is seen ever-so clearly on “Shake This,” which displays Royce at his most vulnerable and most emotional state. The song evokes a flurry of feelings, that both Royce and the listener are sure the have in common in more ways than one. It’s a beautiful portrait.
Royce waxes his storytelling skills throughout Street Hop too. “Part of Me” is an interesting twisted club-story, but it more so speaks of masculinity, albeit, in a unique way. The song leaves a lasting impression via its climax, especially when taken in with Rik Cordero‘s vivid visual interpretation of the song [view here]. Still, while it’s a great song on its own, telling a disturbing and revealing story, “Part of Me” doesn’t feel comfortable or at home in the context of Street Hop and most of the songs on this project also could suit this description.
Taking in Street Hop as a whole, it’s hard to see the need for tracks like “Thing For Your Girlfriend,” “Far Away” “Bad Boy,” and “Part of Me.” These songs are unnecessary fat to Street Hop’s steak, while a song like “Mine is Thiz” is the sizzle wihout the steak. It bangs hard (especially in the whip), but it also fails to address untouched or essential content that many would love to hear Royce speak on, even if.
Aside from the album’s overall length and filler, the chorus selections are something to ponder about. They are highly questionable and cringe worthy; ranging from the annoying “Soldier” to the lazy “New Money” to the not so funny “Far Away.” Lucily, all of these joints display Royce on a superior lyrical level, forcing many to question the final song compilation, as opposed to Royce’s unheralded crafty penmanship.
Anxiously anticipated albums that take forever to drop only develop more problems as they go along (with few exceptions, see Cuban Linx 2). Street Hop suffers from this delayed drop because the longer Hop took to drop the better Royce got, the crazier and more eventful his career became (Shady signing rumours, Slaughterhouse, etc.). It also didn’t help that rumours swirled around regarding full album production treatment courtesy of DJ Premier. Instead DJ Premier contributed 3 tracks, while being in charge if executive production duties. It also would’ve been nice to see some Black Milk production and an Elzhi feature, considering the success these 3 have had in the last 2 years.
Many were expecting Street Hop to be a piece of perfection, but it is far from that. It’s composed of a handful of great songs, on a song by song basis, but crumbles like a once perfectly put together hamburger after one bite. Still, there’s a smorgasbord of material worthy of replay value; enjoy it at your own accord.
77/100
Gun Harmonizing (feat Crooked I)
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Dinner Time (feat Busta Rhymes)
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Shake This
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Related posts:
- Royce Da 5′9″: Street Hop [Snippets x Tracklist]
- Royce Da 5’9″: Dinner Time (feat Busta Rhymes)
- Royce Da 5’9″: October 20th
- Royce Da 5’9″: Gun Harmonizing
- Royce 5’9″: Part of Me
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