Customer Reviews

Against All Odds

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

One of the best lyricists in hip hop history, the father of the style Capone-N-Noreaga used to get famous, he finally releases another solo album after 8 years. One of my all time favorite albums, packed with 15 songs, 3 are ok, about 5 or 6 could be considered classics, and the rest are very good. Guests are from his 25 II Life crew as well as a couple others. Production is great and about half is done by Spunk Bigga and 5 others contribute as well. He has lyrics that are very deep and touching at times, as well as complex metaphors that are great and a flow that is near the top, its a shame he isn't well known because both cd's I have of his are 2 of my all time favorite rap CD's out of the 620+ I have (as of 12/04) and he should be multi-platinum and getting radio play not the garbage cupcake $*!+ that's on the radio. Everyone of my friends that heard this went out and bought it as well as his newest cd "Still Reportin". Part of this cd is his "Thug Matrix" which was never relaeased. A must have rap album from one of rap's greats out of Queensbridge.

#2 - 10 (classic - great beat)

#3 - 10 (CLASSIC - f/ Headrush Napoleon & Tasha Holiday -- it is edited out on this but he's talking about Noreaga after the 2 had a falling out)

#4 - 7

#6 - 10 (classic gangsta song -- f/ Ja Rule & Headrush Napoleon -- great beat)

#7 - 7

#8 - 9.5 (f/ Cormega -- deep song -- also on Mega's "Realness" & "Hustler/Rapper")

#9 - 10 (very deep song -- f/ joya & b minor)

#10 - 8.5 (f/ killah shah & headrush napoleon)

#11 - 8.5 (f/ dave bing & killah shah -- about trife h0*$)

#12 - 9.5 (gangsta song w/ great beat -- talking about NORE again)

#13 - 9 (f/ killah shah & angel dust)

#15 - 7.5 (f/ milz)

#16 - 8 (message to killa black)

#17 - 8.5 (odd but good beat -- f/ killah shah & angel dust)

#18 - 10 (another very deep song -- f/ olu -- dediacted to many of his dead homies)

Percy Chapman -- b. 8/13/71 -- Queensbridge, NY

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QB is at it again with another street album. This is Trag from Qb housing featured on "QB Finest album" aka Intelligent Hoodlum from back in the day.This album had an early release called "Thug Matrix". So I have had it for a while, so some tracks may be on this Cd or not but majority are. It is a street classic. Well he has hooked up with Havoc, Imani Thug,Cormega(They forced my Hand), Camron(Enemy of the State), Killa Sha,Ja Rule(Bing Monsters) and RZA(Enemy of the State) to bring you Against All Odds. This is easily is one of the best street album this year.With rugged beats,asiatic type rhymes and thug lingo, go this album. You will not be disappointed. peace. one.

If you don't know who Tragedy Khadafi is, listen to Capone-N-Noreaga's album "The War Report", he was on more than half the tracks. He more than lives up to his rep on this CD. Surely one of QB's best lyricists (and actually he was on track 2 of the QB's finest CD), he can flow over any kind of beat, displaying all of talents on this great CD. By far, one of the best albums of 2001

Intelligent Hoodlum, a former member of Marley Marl's Juice Crew, released two excellent albums in the early 90s, spent eight years in and out of the streets and incarceration, and reemerged in 2001 as Tragedy Khadafi with "Against All Odds." The transformation experienced during this time is fairly drastic, but Khadafi remains the incredible lyricist he was at a young age. Tragedy Khadafi is the blueprint of a Queensbridge lyricist. His dramatic, literate tales of street crime, depression, and loss over somber beats create a sound that is quintessentially Queensbridge, and really not too far removed from the familiar sounds of Cormega, Capone-N-Noreaga, Mobb Deep, and Nas. "Against All Odds" is a good album, but at times it can be frustrating. At his best Khadafi is as effective as any of the aforementioned, capable of evoking great emotion and telling grim and enticing stories. Sometimes though, he is weighed down by conventional rap clichés, and the boring hooks and subject matter make it sound like a good lyricist on cruise control. One might accuse him of being a little one-dimensional. There is an incredibly impressive list of producers, but at times, the production doesn't help his case either. Producers include legends Prince Paul, Just Blaze, Sha Money XL, and Spunk Bigga. For every great, east coast hardcore beat on the album there's a completely uncreative and boring one. Guests appear on eleven of the fifteen songs, and they do a good job. The good songs do outweigh the skip material on "Against All Odds" though, and it really does show the amazing rapper and character that Tragedy Khadafi is. This is an album I recommend to fans of Queensbridge hip hop.

After the intro, the album begins with the title track, which is excellent, one of the best on the album. Over an awesome, fast, and angry beat, Tragedy spits three of his finest verses, explaining "the saga of his life." The collaboration "Crime Nationalists" with Headrush Napoleon and Tasha Holiday follows, a nice cut. "Lift Ya Glass" is boring musically but has pretty good verses from Khadafi and Imam T.H.U.G. Ja Rule makes a high profile appearance on the interesting prison commentary "Bing Monsters," which also features Headrush Napoleon. "Live By the Gun" is a nice song, fairly similar to a lot of the album, and it is followed by my favorite song, "They Force My Hand," a Queensbridge classic featuring fellow QB underground legend Cormega. Over some beautiful production, the duo delivers some truly heartfelt verses about growing up hard between a great chorus. The slow and thoughtful "Permanently Scarred (I Don't Wanna Wait)" uses a similar concept, telling sad stories while provoking deep thought, and an unlikely hook from the "Dawson's Creek" theme for another very effective song. "Sidewalk Confessions" has understated, tough production with great lyricism from Tragedy, Headrush Napoleon, and Killah Sha. "Say Goodbye" is a fair song, skippable for me, an angry shout to dishonest women. "Blood Type" is an angry diss track aimed at another QB rapper, a decent listen. "What Makes You Think" is boring, clichéd, and forgettable. The Milz collabo "Never Bite the Hand" is a highlight, and "T.M. (Message to Killa Black)" is a strong track musically and lyrically. The album ends with two of its very best songs. "2-5 Radio" is an upbeat party track, the only one of its kind on this disc, with a great beat and chorus. "In Memory Of" if a heartfelt song to his lost friends and family, the best verse being about his mother.

"Against All Odds" is a very appealing yet inconsistent album. Big fans of Queensbridge hip hop should surely add this to the collection, while more casual fans might find it a little redundant. In any event, it's a very entertaining and emotional album that listeners are sure to like. I don't like this as much as his next album, Still Reportin', but I still recommend it.

this album is what true thug aka reality rap should be like! tragic circumstances and life on the streets presented in a way that is fresh and intelligent. all tracks are great but its tracks like memory off, perminantley scarred and the excellent TM is when tragedy excels him self from the Cliché my gun is bigger than your gun mentenality like other thug rappers. after listening to this i now see that trag was the true brains behind capone N noreaga and how they have fell off with out him.

This album is bangin. Although its official release wasn't until 2001, it was named one of the top ten hottest "bootlegged" rap albums for the year 2000 in XXL Magazine. As the true creator of the Queensbridge rap lyrical flow, this album shows Tragedy's gift for weaving street poetry from his pain and talent. This album is basically his sixth "solo" album effort, between his appearances on most songs on his proteges Capone N Noriega's the "War Report", his two solo albums with A & M, and his appearances as a member of the Juice Crew on In Control Volumes I and II.

Tragedy Khadafi's first 2 albums are well worth picking up...but this album is as much a fall off from those 2 albums as Mobb Deep's "Infamy" was compared with "The Infamous". What happened to the beats? How can these beats be considered good is beyond me...to my ears they just sound like someone has pressed some demo pre-set button on a casio keyboard. (except for the first track after the intro, which I admit is okay. the rest...forget it).

Tragedy Khadafi is a solid emcee but I cant listen to this because of the beats.

Yo, you cant get better than this. This guy is incredible with everything he does. I have all his cds and Im glad I do. This is his "BEST" cd in my eyes. Its worth the price, if u dont wanna pay this much there is always best buy, fye, circuit city all them and they sell it cheaper hahahahaha. Forreal though this cd is a classic and this guy is definetly slept on big time. If you're new to Tragedy get this cd first I have yet to pass up one of his songs and I was introduced to him thru this cd and you all who buy this cd will find out why.

This is definetly wut a QB cd should sound like, grimey beats and hot lyrics definite banger. Tragedy is one of QBs finest.

Tragedy Khadafi is one of the best M.Cs alive possibly THE BEST his verses are deep and his word play is put together so nice its almost hard to believe.Personally i cant think of another rapper with the skills he displays.Now as for his albums i cant choose one i like better than another thats like asking me which one of my kids i love better LOL.So all i can say is get them all.

Yo Biggy was nice 2pac was nice but Tragedy is on another level.PEASE