Customer Reviews

1st Class

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

His beats are progressive(very street and a grimey edge) with a little of old school feel. Overall, lyrically wise he's not a top MC (ie Nas, Common, Jay-Z, Talib etc.) but better then the 99% current popular MTV MC's and everybodies current popular producer turned MC, Kayne West.

Favorite tracks off this album are: Ultimate, Stay Chisel, In The Sun, The Man, Alive In Stereo, Blaze Rhymes, & Radioactive.

I'm a huge Large Pro fan and have been for years. So I was obviously impatiently awaiting this LP to drop since I first heard about it online. I copped it shortly after its debut, and its been in steady rotation ever since. Only recently did I pick up on some of the monotony and overall lack of creative energy that is displayed through a couple of tracks in the production and lyrics. But it succeeds on enough levels that this album should not dissapoint the faithful fan nor alienate the newbie casual fan. The name on the cover alone should make this a must buy for any self-respecting hip hop fan.

At last L.P. hits us off with an LP! Large Pro has been rocking it with other emcees for many years but never dropped an album until this. The album is near perfect, except that Hip Hop heads had to wait so long! A Must BUY!

This album is top notch yet it gets no heat. The beats are tight and large pro drops dope lyrics all over this album, I would say the most slept on album of the year, pick this up you will not be dissapointed.

I am a beat JUNKIE and a Large Professor/Xtra P fan, but with guys like JayDee/J Dilla, I think this is just alright. Evidently, The baton has been passed. Don't get me wrong, I think LP is EXCELLENT at what he does, but his style is no longer as unique and groundbreaking as it once was. I hope and pray for much more from XP.

After over 13 years in the game, the Large Pro finally releases his debut album "1st Class." Once you get by the Intro, you know that this album is almost a classic. The beats are phat, the rhymes are top notch for most of the tracks and the guests are all good except for Busta Rhymes (who appears on the worst track of the album "On"). The best tracks in my opinion are "Ultimate", "In The Sun", "Kool", "The Man" & "Radioactive".
Get this if you crave Xtra Pro's beats and flava. Don't sleep!

You can only imagine my joy when I heard that this lp was to finally drop! Large Professor has dropped nothing but classic material since his days with the Main Source and he continues to be one of hi-hop's top 5 producers. You would think after years of not spittin' lyrics that he would have lost a step in the game, but First Class proves that he hasn't and what fellow Queensbridge emcees Nas, Akynyele and Q-tip have been missing over the last five years-namely lyrical consistency! Stand out joints include Blaze Rhymez II, Stay Chisel w/Nas, It's About that Time and In the Sun/w Q-Tip. Here Q-Tip spits heartfelt lyrics I haven't heard from him since his Midnight Maurauder days. The amazing thing with this lp is that Large Professor holds his own weight lyrically with the few collabo joints without needing any help. The only downside to this outstanding lp is his attempt to appeal to mainstream consumers by including weak joints like Born to Ball and On which features a disgraceful ouput from the lyrically handicapped Busta Rhymes. Solid production from the Xtra P as well as J Live keep your head nodding and what fans of Large Professor have been saying has been long overdue!

I am sorry people, but this album is a piece of work most needed for our Hip Hop world today. Pro has always been the man and has stayed true to his roots. This album has gotten many bad reviews which are not deserved. This should get way more credit and it should have gotten more promotion. Here are reviews of each track on this classic:

1. Intro - 40/50 - It has an ok beat and Pro lets us know that he's back.

2. 'Bout That Time - 50/50 - The first of the two singles. It has a nice beat and above average rhymes by Pro. Addictive chorus.

3. Ultimate - 50/50 - The old school beat is what makes this song ultimate!

4. Brand New - 45/50 - Nice clapping beat, great hook, average rhymes.

5. Stay Chisel - 50/50 - Nas and P = History in the making!

6. Akinyele - 50/50 - Ak can sure show us that he is an unfortunate loss for the Hip Hop game!

7. In The Sun - 50/50 - Q-Tip and P get serious and right to the point with this track.

8. Born To Ball - 35/50 - Mediocre at best.

9. Kool - 50/50 - Old school beat and smooth flow by Pro.

10. The Man - 50/50 - A Large Professor version of Nas' song "You're Da Man".

11. Large Pro - 50/50 - Pro's best rhymes and grittiest flow and beat are demonstrated in this track.

12. Alive In Stereo - 47/50 - No Question. This is the Large Professor we were born to love.

13. Blaze Rhymes - 43/50 - Nice lyrics by Pro, boring beat though.

14. On - 30/50 - Busta is wack, the beat is different and Pro is average.

15. Hip Hop - 46/50 - Bopping beat, ok lyrics.

16. Radioactive - 50/50 - Second single. Ill beat. Great closer.

In all, Pro has come a long way and it shows. Pro still needs to work on his lyrics a bit more, but aside from that, he is still one the most influencial producers ever to come into this game!

BOTTOM LINE:

This album would make an EXCELLENT instrumental joint or a mixtape. But Large Pro will never be accused of being a tight rapper. It was painful to listen to him read his lyrics off the paper. It was that obvious. The guests by Busta, Tip, and Nas helped immensely! Still got luv for Extra P tho.

I don't know, I always dug Extra P's production. I've never been all that impressed with his rhymes though. He's a capable rhymeslinger, but that's not why I buy his joints. With that being said, the production seems kind of dated. To me though, that's a good thing. I know it came out in '02, but this album sounds like '92 all over again. There are plenty of solid joints all throughout the album and, with the exception of the chronically regressing Busta Rhymes, the guests do their thing too. Q Tip's verses on "The Sun" easily makes that track the standout in my opinion. But there are other tight joints on the album like "Akinyele", "Stay Chisel", and "Born To Ball" (actually, that four track span is probably the best sequence of the whole album).

To me, the only flaw on the album is Extra P's rhymes -- they're pretty elementary. I mean, he's never been all that stellar on the mic and he tends to get overshadowed by his own production (he even drops a wack line every now and then). Not only does he occasionaly drop a wack line, but he occasionaly drops a wack beat too (Brand New Sound). And, yes, there's a recycled sample/beat or two on the album. But for the most part, this is bass heavy, grimy boom bap hip hop music. I see nothing wrong with it.

1st Class isn't necessarily a bad album. I can think of plenty of albums out there that could've used beats like these. I think most people were expecting a jaw dropping release when P dropped this joint. The fact that they didn't get it is probably why most people are salty. Personally, I get a vibe from this album like I'm back in 1993 and I love it for that reason. I think this album is dope and I'd recommend it to anyone. Just make sure you leave your expectations at the door and listen with open ears.

Standout Tracks: Stay Chisel feat. Nas, Born To Ball, In The Sun feat. Q Tip (My Favorite), Kool, and Akinyele feat. Akinyele