Customer Reviews

Better Late Then Never

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

If anyone wants a definition of NY rap they should buy this album and listen to it from the start to end. lets stand up for trife, he deserves the respect, he worked for it. concert after concert, feat after feat, trife is a hard worker and a dope dope MC. a must buy!!!

I saw Trife live last night with Streetlife, Ghostface, Redman and Method man and they gave the crowd a classic performance I never saw such a dope show in my life and Ive been to a million concerts I had to go and buy this cd today and It's nuthing less than a classic debut album and if you ever get a chance to see any of these guys live go.

It's been about 8 years since we first heard Trife on some tracks with Ghostface, since then he has been part of the Theodore Unit album and put out a very good collabo album with Ghostface a few years back. The album title is fitting as finally the very skilled and talented rapper drops his solo debut album, and it's a classic and probably be a top 5 album of 2009. With 16 songs, you get 3 almost calssic tracks and the other 13 are good, mostly very good songs. Guests ar eon 10 songs, rapping on about half and are most of his Theodore Unit counterparts with a few other good MC's on here as well. His lyrics and delivery are on point and he has some songs with nice storylines, some deeper ones, and some street tales and songs as well. Production is also very well handled. Blunt does 5 songs, DJ Snips does 2, Lee Bannon, Bean One, DJ Snips, Neenyo, Mental Instruments, Quincey Tones, Animal House, Milkcrate Fam, Noize Therapy, Lewis Parker all do 1 song. A must have album from one of the better lesser-known rappers out.

#1 - 9.5 (tight beat)
#2 - 8.5
#3 - 9 (nice beat)
#4 - 9.5 (tight beat)
#5 - 8 (f/ Kryme Life & Tommy Whispers)
#6 - 8.5 (f/ Freeway & Termanology)
#7 - 9.5 (f/ Shostface Killah -- tight beat)
#8 - 8.5 (f/ Tommy Whispers & Kryme Life)
#9 - 9
#10 - 9 (f/ Ghostface Killah & Shawn Wigs -- funny story line on this one)
#11 - 8 (f/ Kryme Life)
#12 - 9 (f/ Royce da 5'9" -- nice beat)
#13 - 9 (nice beat)
#14 - 8.5 (f/ Tommy Whispers -- good beat0
#15 - 8 (f/ Slash)
#16 - 8.5 (f/ Mike Payne)

T. Bailey -- b. 1980 -- Stapleton, Staten Island, NY
Check all my reviews

this is a great debut album from a talented artist. The production has an authentic feel with some great samples. His lyrical ability is nice and he got great flow. I was anticipating this album for weeks and i wasn't disappointed. From beginning to end there's varying topics and subjects and some good guest appearances. My top 5 tracks are Better Late Than Never, Heads or Tails, Blind Man, Stronger Man, and Mother Like You.

Staten Island's Trife da God has been wowing listeners on Theodore Unit projects such as 718, Put It on the Line, and of course Ghostface Killah's infamous solo albums for the better part of a decade now, and in 2009 his long awaited solo album, appropriately titled "Better Late Than Never," finally arrived. Assuming the name Trife Diesel, he finds no problem living up to high expectations. Trife's a classic New York MC, passionate and lyrical, capable of straying into Ghostface's beloved metaphoric and mafioso rap styles, and armed with a flow and delivery reminiscent of Jadakiss. "Better Late Than Never" contains few surprises, but the constantly high quality makes it one of the best rap releases of 2009. Production is solid throughout; some tracks sound like they were left over from Fishscale, while others take a contemporary East Coast approach with chipmunk soul. Trife makes sure the entire tracklist is aimed right for the street, but his stories are compelling and his charisma powerful enough that a wide range of listeners should enjoy it. My favorite tracks are the collaborations, featuring a wide range of great rappers. It's always a joy to hear the chemistry of Theodore Unit, and Tommy Whispers, Kryme Life, Shawn Wigs, and Ghostface show up frequently. In addition, there are top performances from Freeway, Termanology, Royce da 5'9", Mike Payne, and Slash.

The opening title track has lush, soulful production, and Trife joyfully welcomes the listener to the show with an amazing tale of working toward his big break, going on to impress on the heavy bangers "We Get It In" and "Heads or Tails." "Prey Vs. Predator" is classic Theodore, and "Project Leaders" is an absolute gem with three East Coast heavyweights. Termanology and Freeway lend some of the best guest verses in recent memory, and quotables abound in Trife's verse as well. "Respectfully" (Ghostface: "Steinbrenner of rap, everybody's getting' laid off / I'm in the Philippines, like Bernie, I Madoff") and "Listen Carefully" are more frenetic Theodore collabos, and both shine. Here, the album enters its best stretch. "Blind Man," my favorite song, has a phenomenal beat, and Trife does it justice with a reverent profile of blindness, referencing Ray Charles, and likening it to life. "Live Night Out" is a catchy, majestic, and classy party cut with soul like only Ghost and friends pull off, and "Stronger Man" is a haunting, somber gem. Royce and Trife trade off vicious verses on the sinister "Powerful Minds," and "World Today" features a Barack Obama sound byte as a foundation for Trife's assessment of current affairs.

My only beefs with the tracklist are "Wanna Be a Rapper," which is unnecessary, and "Mother Like You," which despite being a good song seems to take a few too many pages out of Ghostface's book (Fishscaleanyone?).

Trife impresses endlessly on "Better Late Than Never," one of 2009's best albums with a great tracklist, strong production, excellent collaborations, and a superb, likable MC. Great things should await him in the future, but for now this debut suffices as testament to his skill and a wonderful listen.

Trife Diesel, or Trife da God, blessed the mic on several tracks from several Ghostface Killah albums. I remember thinking, "Wow. This Cat can spit fire and hold his own with the Wu-Tang legend." (Check out "Biscuits" on "The Pretty Toney Album.") So naturally, with the release of his debut album, "Better Late Than Never," I wanted to give Trife his day in court.

Like Ghostface, Trife is talented. Even a casual listener will hear Ghostface's influence and tutelage. Trife's flow and delivery are on par with Ghostface. Think of it this way: Ghostface is the mentor; Trife is the pupil.

First things first: the lyrics are smart, even thought-provoking. Trife ain't ignorant: he reads the newspapers and watches the news; he questions the media and writes his own thoughts. He raps as an editorialist, always spitting street knowledge. Fortunately, these lyrics are laid over some nice, smooth, Wu-Tang-style production. I was pleased...but obviously, you're not gonna hear these raps on the radio. (The radio sucks anyway.)

If you like Ghostface Killah (or any other Wu-Tang Clansmen or affiliates) give this album a spin. This is REAL hip-hop. It's raw, it's gangsta, but more importantly, it's the truth - straight up.

Wu-Tang and Theodore Unit forever.

Peace.

Trife is always reliably laying down hard verses on quality tracks. He did have a classic collabo album with Ghostface Killah in 2005, Put It On Da Line. His new solo album is exactly what I've expected from him. Either way, this new album is packed full of diesel Trife verses,and I say this album is classic material. The production is okay. There aren't any weak tracks at all.