Customer Reviews

1988

5 star:		(11)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As usual, Rhymesayers Entertainment doesn't disappoint. I've been anxiously awaiting this release for awhile. "1988 pays homage to the beats, breaks and themes of possibly the most revered year in Hip Hop, 1988" (description from Rhymesayers.com). Sure, all MCs have been heavily influenced by the golden age of hip-hop. A time when every record was groundbreaking. A time when styles were invented with each release. Everything that made those albums brilliant, has been captured beautifully on Blueprint's "1988". Lyrics were on the forefront of classic hip-hop albums, which is apparent on "1988" as well. The revolutionary advances in turntablism on albums such as Eric B. & Rakim's "Follow The Leader", and Public Enemy's "It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back" may seem a bit tame to new age ears. Blueprint uses samples and scratching very reminiscent of that time, and still keeps the beats fresh with the bells and whistles 2005 has to offer. Aside from that, Blueprint's dynamite flow is very old-school. It should also be pointed out that he wrote, produced and recorded nearly this entire record. Blueprint definitely has the tools and personality to do the golden age of hip-hop justice.

The thing that makes this album so reminiscent of the year 1988, are the stories, and riveting social commentary. Here's the play by play:

1. Introduction - a nice 30 sec. intro

2. Anything Is Possible - Starts of with an old Rick Ruben beat (LL Cool J, I think), Everything about this song is old school, but were still in the introduction area.

3. 1988 - This song is one of my favorites. The beat is tight and the lyrics are very old-school. He takes on that cocky "battle me" B-Boy quite well.

4. Inner-City-Native-Son - This song tells a story of a troubled teen, growing up in the city, exposed to guns, crack dealers, then eventually ends up living a life of crime, then his mom finds out...oh snap!

5. Tramp - This is definitely a standout track. It features a sweet looping guitar beat, and a story expressing the fact that his girlfriend is a tramp. The flow and timing on this track is sweet.

6. Boombox - It's undeniable that old-school rappers boast about their talent as MCs. Blueprint is no exception; his flow changes up here nice, reminiscent of Rakim (with a name drop). There is also a pretty funny lyric that goes "Fu*k hip-hop, I'm easy listenin'".

7. Trouble on My Mind - This song is lyrically my favorite. He raps about the struggles of starting his own record label; working so hard and not making any money. He even disses independent labels.

8. Lo-Fi Funk (Featuring Aesop Rock) - This one is also one of my favorites. Aesop doesn't flow much here; he basically takes care of the chorus, which is still cool. This one definitely has a dope beat.

9. Big Girls Need Love Too - The title says it all. He tells a story about how much he loves his fat girlfriend, which is why he keeps feeding her. Great song, but maybe a few more details then we need. It also features a sample from Digital Underground's "The Humpty Dance".

10. Fresh - Pretty much boasting about his mad skills. He backs it up nicely.

11. Where's Your Girlfriend At? - A tale of how he's gonna steal someone else's girl. The flows are sweet on this one.

12. Kill Me First - The beat on this one sounds very familiar, although I can't put my finger on it. It includes some Richard Pryor sound bites.

13. Liberated - One of the greatest tracks on the album. A dope beat and sweet lyrics close the album out with a bang.

Nice album...I enjoyed.

Kill Me First samples a piece of classical music (a Prelude by Rachmaninoff), which I very much appreciated.

Blueprint is the future of MCing. Even if u pay $20 for this record it'll be worth it. It's a future classic u won't be disappointed!

excellent album, 5 stars and most guys here already summed it up for me, can't believe some people actually gave it 1 star, c'mon now.

Blueprint is one of the very few artists that wears his heart on his sleeve and just gives it his all every time he laces a mic. Thankfully, more times than not this results in fantastic wordplay, humourous anticdotes+stories and ferocious flows when he's in battle-mode. As the title "1988" suggests, Blueprint attempts to recreate the "golden era" of real hiphop and for the most part he suceeds hands down. Tracks like "anything is possible", "1988" (my favourite), "inner-city native son", "tramp" (hilarious), "big girls need love too" and "fresh" make this release a must have for any Rhymesayers/real hiphop fan!! Other highlights were "kill me 1st", "trouble on my mind", "liberated" and its hidden bonus track "common sense". Infact FOR ME the only downers on this were "boombox" "lo-fi funk" and "where's ya girlfriend at?". Apart from that its phat from start to finish. Go pick it up, you wont be disapointed.

I'm not a "paid" reviewer, I just went to the CD Release party and bought the cd because a friend told me to. Thank goodness.

It was one of the best concerts I've ever heard in my life! The CD made it that much better. I have to say that Tramp and Big Girls Need Love Too are my two favorite tracks off of this disk.

Can't wait to see The Lab Rats and Blue Print at Comfest 05!

1988? What a great year...even though I was only two and can't remember it. I have gone back and coped the albums from hip hop's "Golden Age". Blueprint is a true b-boy, he knows his history and he ain't afraid to show it. Blueprint covers all the topics from 88 whether it's political consciousness (Liberated), battle rap's (1988), story telling (Inner City Native Son) or the braggadocio that so many of those original emcees had. Along with the lyrics print's got the beats to and he delivers an album that shows plenty of influences form the golden age but still includes the modern day twist on it. This album is fluid and amazing. Sitting here listening to it now I realize that compared to current hot albums this album is ages ahead even though he went age's behind to create it, a true masterpiece.

He took it back to the old days of hip hop. The Golden Age.

If you don't know whether to buy this or not, listen to the snippets of Fresh and the title track... that should be enough to convince you that this is currently one of the best hip hop albums of the year so far.

Does the album come with a lyric booklet? I'm a deaf rap fan who hears with a cochlear implant.

I absolutely love 1988 by Blueprint. I bought the Soul Postion album when it came out because I was into RJD2's music. I hadn't even heard of Blueprint at that point, but he was awesome on there. I had been waiting for him to come out with a true solo album, and I am not at all disappointed. The only thing I could ask for would be for more tracks. While he doesn't use the most complex beats or raps, the flow of the album is just amazing. He seems to be in perfect harmony with the beats and rhymes at all times. "Inner-City Native Son" is my favorite song on the album. I love the beat on this. "Big Girls Need Love Too" is just hillarious. Bottom line, this is a great hip-hop album. It isn't going to be for everyone, but I LOVE this album! Check it out...