by Jared - September 2, 2009 - - Comment Now »
I was anxiously anticipating it and it is finally here. Did it meet my expectations? I think so. It may be Hov’s most ambitious effort yet and it is an excellent piece of work. I will definitely cop on September 11th. Here is my initial track by track review (all ratings are subject to change) off of two listens…
1. What We Talkin’ Bout: Good intro, the chorus is a grower. Not his best opener though. 4/5
2. Thank You: Dope, feel good music. Crushes fools on the last verse. Insane. 4.5/5
3. D.O.A.: Everyone has heard this by now. Still flames. 5/5
4. Run This Town: See above ^^ Could be his most successful single ever. 5/5
5. Empire State of Mind: Classic. New York anthem. 5/5
6. Real As It Gets: Young Jeezy brings some flavor. Final verse is bananas. 4.5/5
7. On To The Next One: Swizz provides a better backdrop than I expected…this bumps. 4/5
8. Off That: I am an admitted Timbo fan. Good club type joint. 4/5
9. A Star Is Born: I love the feel and concept here. One of my favorite tracks. 5/5
10. Venus Vs. Mars: Witty lyrics, good strip club type beat. 3.5/5
11. Already Home: Hot beat, good concept, aggressive raps. Banger. 5/5
12. Hate: Different, comical in a good way. The end is hilarious. 4.5/5
13. Reminder: Track that has caught a lot of hate. I am a fan. AUGH! 4/5
14. So Ambitious: The Neptunes laced him. I want to drive with the windows down right now. 4.5/5
15. Young Forever: Corny. But in a very good way. I can see mixed opinions on this one. I like it. 4/5
I am a Hov Stan so I could be a little biased but I honestly like every track. GodamnyamanHov cracked the can open again…(I promise only one more blog on this album and that will be my final review.)
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*I forced my girlfriend to listen through one time (on laptop speakers mind you). Here are her thoughts…
1st: I expected more hype from the first song. Was not able to hold my interest.
2nd song: Boring. Can’t comment yet.
3rd song: Overplayed (but still okay for bobbing your head to because of the saxophone)
4th song: Best song – only because it sounds like the umbrella song. And I like the Caesar part
5th song: He is rude! He made the Yankee hat more popular than a Yankee can?!
6th song: Why rawh and all these random noises on this record?
7th song: Okay this is my favorite song yet. Is he saying bringing on the knicks? I like the reference to Oprah.
8th song: Why are all his songs about predicting the future?
9th song: Rob loves this song! I don’t.
10th song: I don’t generally like the word “shortie” but I like this song.
10th song (amendment): Rob said this a good strip club song. I no longer like this song.
11th song: I think he may be worried about getting old. He is gone already?
12th song: I generally like songs about haters.
13th song: Reminder. Jay-z thinks he is awesome.
14th song: Rob likes this song.
15th song: I like this song. It is a sweet lullaby. Should end the album on this song. Oh, he does.
