Awakening

Lord Finesse | Format: Audio Cassette

Product Details

• Audio Cassette (February 20, 1996)
• Label: Tommy Boy
• ASIN: B000003112
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,286,083 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Sermon (Intro) (Interlude)

2. Time Ta Bounce (Interlude)

3. True and Livin'

4. O' Lord (Interlude)

5. Brainstorm/P.S.K. [Remix]

6. Taking It Lyte (Interlude)

7. Gameplan

8. Words from da Ak (Interlude)

9. Flip da Style

10. Showtime (Interlude)

11. Speak Ya Peace

12. Food for Thought

13. Da Kid Himself (Interlude)

14. Hip 2 da Game

15. No Gimmicks

Editorial Reviews

With his third album, Lord Finesse representing D.I.T.C. (Diggin' in the Crates crew) brought together some of the finest rappers of the moment for an album almost entirely produced by Finesse himself. Known as producer and rapper, Finesse is gifted in metaphorical rhyming like other well-known MCs such as Big L or Chino XL, and again produces a great record deserving of any rap fan's archive. Guests like Akinyele, KRS-One, MC Lyte, O.C., AG, Diamond D., and Kid Capri make up the all-star cast. Topping it all off as a hidden bonus cut are verses by Large Professor, Grand Puba, and Sadat X on arguably one of hip-hop's finest tracks ever, entitled "Actual Facts." Contains the standout singles "Hip 2 Da Game" and "Gameplan". “...the beats more than hold their own against the work of hot producers of the moment... heavy on the drum kick, perfectly suited to an MC getting his flow on... ‘The Awakening’ is a welcome joint from a man who has long personified Hip Hop's favorite mantra: `True to the game.” -The Source (February 1996) “...Throughout every song, Finesse's permeating Hall of Fame punch lines are brought to that ass like room service... he made his well-deserved chump change the old fashioned way, he earned it.” -Rap Pages (January 1996) “...Acknowledged by many of his peers as quite simply the best MC in the world... raunchy-but-serene lyrical skills... spooky-sounding production... Though Lord Finesse may never create a pop hit, he continues to live up to his name.” -Vibe (April 1996) --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Too many skits, too many guests, November 10, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Awakening (Audio CD)

16 tracks and only 9 actual songs. I was a bit disappointed by this album. There are mad guest appearances, which at least I find kinda annoying. Don't get me wrong, the guests are good, but Finesse should have made more solo-songs. The (few) solo-joints on the album are kinda weak (for being Lord Finesse).

However, The Awakening has it's moments. The ill duet with KRS-One ("No Gimmicks") and the DITC-cut "Speak Ya Peace" are blazing. The bonus track with Large Professor, Sadat X and Grand Puba is also great. "Brainstorm/PSK" with KRS and O.C. is also fine.

Still, the large amount of skits and the lack of nice solo-material from Finesse make the album kinda disappointing. The Awakening could've have been much better.

I heard Lord Finesse is currently in the studio recording a new album. I can't wait!

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Less Impressed than I expected to be, April 7, 2004

By 

Adam P Boots (Valley Village, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Awakening (Audio CD)

I like Lord Finesse, but I have come to find that he's much better in a setting where he's part of a group, or rapping with others.

Given that I've said this, it's not surprising that my favorite tracks on this CD include guest spots by KRS-one and an O.C. track.(The CD is more realisitically an Ep, it's got 16 tracks and 8 interludes in those 16 tracks {sort of 7, the O.C. Interlude is a rap).

Finesse DOES have a good sense of humor, which does make the album a bit better, but also almost deteriorates from the rhymes too... Every line is a punchline, so it almost makes the songs all be a bit choppy.

If I were paying Out Of Print and Rare prices on a hip hop CD, I'd definitely be looking to the DITC, I just think I'd probably be leaning more towards O.C.'s "Word... Life," Show And A.G.'S "Good Fellas" or Show and A.G.'s "Runaway Slave" before this (maybe even the DITC group album too)... "The Awakening" is good, DAMN good, but... Probably not worth it as much to me as the other albums mentioned...

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Lord Finesse Staying True To The Rap Game (Rating: 8 out of 10- -4 stars), February 13, 2007

By 

Chandler "Infamous" (Atlanta (College Park), Georgia) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: The Awakening (Audio CD)

Just to clarify to the reviewers and anyone who heard this album and claims that it sounds like an EP, that it is an EP. Not only it was advertised as an EP (Amazon should state that in it's product discription), but it is mentioned as an EP on the second track of the album. A lot of reviewers say that there are as many interludes as there are songs, which I personally don't have a problem with. The point is that they are there listed as individual tracks, so in case you do not want to hear them, skip over them, rather than them being placed at the beginning of the song, causing the listener to loose interest in the track before the actual song begins. The interludes average about a minute and a half. Also they have some dope beats that are played in the back, like "Taking It (MC) Lyte". "O' Lord" has O.C. spitting a few short rhymes on his interlude. So they are all great to listen to, with the exception of Akinyele screaming all over one them ("Words From Da Ak"). Personally, I see the interludes as like a preperation for a track, while giving the listener the option to hear them if they want to.

Now that been said, the EP itself is excellent from Lord Finesse. Finesse is known for bringing you punchlines in your face, and he does them perfectly here. I disagree with one reviewer who claims that every other line is a punchline, although they are quite a few that flow all throughout this album. I find that the best tracks that Lord Finesse are on by himself are "True And Livin'" and "Hip 2 Da Game", because he flows more confortably on those tracks.

Some of the best tracks are when there are guests on as well. "Brainstorm/P.S.K. (No Gimmicks Remix)" featuring KRS-One and O.C. is a good one and it sound better than the origonal version of "No Gimmicks" that is towards the end of the album. The one that has my attention the most and had me hitting the replay button was "Speak Ya Peace" with Marquee, Diamond D, and A.G. Dope lyrics comming from all four members as well as as a dope beat from Myke Loe. There is a bonus track at the very end called "Actual Facts" and it features Grand Puba, Sadat X, and Large Professor. All four of them on one track alone makes it worth listening to as well.

So there you have it, Lord Finesse's EP "The Awakening". This EP is dope from beginning to the end and will gurantee satisfaction who is a fan of hip hop, especially in the early-mid 90's. This album was just reissued last year on Traffic Entertainment Group which was a very good idea to do. As for the price, I believe that anyone shouldn't pay no more than 20 bucks for this, seeing that the actual price is around 15 (and the fact that it is an EP, and the majority of them sell for around 10). But if you can find this EP at a reasonable price, go ahead and add it to your collection.

One more thing before I finish (and this really isn't that important to some people). The reissue that is here on Amazon, has the product discription, and it shows quotes from The Rap Pages and The Source. Just to let you know, The Source gave this 3 Mics, and the Rap Pages gave this a 6 (out of 10). I was just wondering if they actually listened to the same EP that the reviewers here were listening to.

Lyrics: A-
Production: B+
Guest Appearance (not including interludes): B+
Musical Vibes: B+
Overall B+

Favorite Tracks: True And Livin', Brainstorm/P.S.K. (No Gimmics Remix), Speak Ya Peace, Hip 2 Da Game, and Actual Facts (Bonus Track)

Peace Everyone!!!