Customer Reviews

Black Hollywood

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

 

 

Camp Lo's third album, 2007's "In Black Hollywood," dropped quickly and quietly this week to little fanfare. This is too bad, because Camp Lo is one of the most interesting and unique hip hop crews around, and they also made one of the finest albums of the last ten years in their 1997 debut Uptown Saturday Night. Unfortunately, they have sustained a career of putting out exactly one album every five years, so ten years later they have yet to top that classic effort. Uptown Saturday Night was a party album that succeeded due to the style brought by Camp Lo's MCs Sonny Cheeba and Geechie Suede, as well as the producer Ski, the producer responsible for Original Flavor and Jay-Z's debut Reasonable Doubt. They brought a majestic, rich, and dense sound that nostalgically celebrated the blaxploitation era, with original sounds taking from jazz, funk, soul, and even international music in places. As MCs, Cheeba and Suede are definitely a little more style than substance, but this sets them apart. They use a huge amount of old-fashioned slang, so much at some points that their verses can be indecipherable. But when they rap back and forth to each other about made-up characters with disco slang, it's sure to bring a smile to your face. "Black Hollywood" finds Camp Lo paired once again with Ski, who produces each track.

The album's brief at 12 tracks, each averaging about two-and-a-half minutes (none even approach 4 minutes), altogether clocking in at about 35 minutes. But that aside, the album is structured pretty similarly to their debut. The production takes from a bygone era, and Ski's beats are creative and clever throughout. It's so much fun to hear Camp Lo rapping over great beats once again, and for the majority of the time, it really works. However, it's pretty clear that this just doesn't have the same energy as their debut. Geechie and Cheeba don't rap as fast or joyfully as they once did, and the level of creativity is also lower. A few tracks are dragged down by some pretty average subject matter, even though with their immense style it becomes bearable. With one or two exceptions, the album doesn't really recapture the magic of "Luchini aka This Is It," "Sparkle," or "Coolie High," but it's truly enjoyable anyway. The one-of-a-kind Camp Lo product is something I always really liked, and it's in full supply on "Black Hollywood."

The album starts with the upbeat "Posse From the Bronx," a head-nodding, bass-heavy opener. The hook is great and it's a nice start. "82 Afros" is a stylish, standard Camp Lo cut with the nostalgic slang and flair that is their signature. I really like "Soul Fever," a happy and fast song with another nice hook that really evokes the spirit of Uptown Saturday Night. "Pushahoe" is okay but a little uninspired, but "Suga Willie's Revenge" is better, with a nice flute-laden beat and the classic Camp Lo flavor. "Jack N' Jill" feels a little distant, but I really like the production even if the verses aren't the best. I feel the same about "Material," the lyrics are pretty run-of-the-mill but the nice production and style make it okay. "Money Clap" is alright but fairly forgettable, and the reggae-fueled "Ganja Lounge" is fun. The best song without a doubt is "Black Hollywood," the title track. The beat on this one is incredible, surely bringing back memories of "Luchini" with the majestic, rich, and upbeat horn lines. I love the way Cheeba and Suede bring chemistry and energy to this song, this is the soulful, nostalgic Camp Lo at their finest. The short "Zoom" feels a little low-key, and the album closes on a great note with "Sweet Claudine," one of its best songs, a sweetly soulful, string-laced joint.

As a low-profile indie release, I don't expect this album to find much press, but it's one of the more enjoyable albums of 2007. Uptown Saturday Night is an album I keep on regular rotation even today, and "In Black Hollywood" did not disappoint. The majestic sound and fun style is here, even if there is some subpar material in between. There's a drought of great rap music right now, but this is so refreshing in 2007, just like their debut was ten years ago. Don't expect to be blown away by this album, it's not spectacular, but to longtime fans of Camp Lo, definitely consider adding "In Black Hollywood" to the collection.

This cd is hot and cool, the beats are fresh and the lyrics are full of style !
For example, if you listen to Jay-Z albums ( God let us a close shave !), you cry buckets out of despair of the beats and of the lyrics, but if you play this one, the life smiles on you.
The topical Hip Hop is rapresented in wrong way by worthless rappers that don't know where the good taste resides !!!
Camp Lo is a duo from the Bronx (NYC)constituted by Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede and they use slang often to the point of incomprehensibility. The result is a amalgamated mixture of rhymes, that slips on the beats as oil !!!
Enjoy it !!!

P.S.:Check up my rap listmania, just clicking on my nickname and clicking above my listmania, also at the American version of this excellent website. Here there are 40 Hip-Hop albums choosed by me just for winning people and not for fans of the mortal masochism rap !!!
I assure that in my rap albums' list you will find the best American Hip-Hop albums. There are dance beats and strong ones and lyrics just for the winninf person in the life !!!

Camp Lo will probably forever be remembered by hip-hop audiences for "Luchini". But the problem they have now is whether or not they can be said to still have a fanbase because they have taken half a decade off between each album. Thankfully, their latest album Black Hollywood is full of good stuff.

Sonny Cheeba and Geechi Suede still have the goods to paint vivid lyrical pictures, especially when it comes to stories. Case in point: while songs about gold-digging women are beginning to get played out, "Material" is rather interesting. And "Jack n' Jill" is a love story not to be taken lightly. Other highlights include "Sweet Claudine", "Posse from the Bronx" and the metaphorically dope "Pushahoe".

While only 35 minutes in length, Camp Lo proves with this album that they still know how to drop on-point rhymes. Though at times they might be showing signs of age (see "Soul Fever"), you still shouldn't mind taking a trip to Black Hollywood.

Anthony Rupert

After a stellar effort with the release of "Fort Apache" last fall, the Camp proved they could still dish it out with excellent flows, catchy hooks and head-noddin' beats. The mixtape was exclusively available on internet only. Several months later lead to talks of another mixtape in the works, this time available as a CD release. "In Black Hollywood" falls between Uptown Saturday Night and Ft. Apache (the new album contain s 7 new tracks and 5 from Ft. Apache). A lot of reviewers mentioned the redundancy of having the Apache tracks on this album, but in an interview, Camp Lo states that Good Hands records loved certain tracks on the previous mixtape so much, they wanted 'em combined with the new on Black Hollywood. So that's understandable, especially if fans missed the internet fare of Apache.

Posse from the Bronx - Reminiscent of "Krystal Karrington" and "Gotcha", the killer, bassed-out opening track of the album that propells you forward into the rest of the album. The stuttering technique is different and gets you awed in anticipation, leaving a good taste that the Lo is know for.

82 Afros - 1st of the 5 tracks featured on the Apache mixtape. I'm not too crazy about this track but it's growing on me. I would have considered "Good Green", "Digi Know" or "Lo Lean" as the next track. Ski demonstrates his lyrical capabilities near the end, with satisfying results.

Soul Fever - Reminiscent of "Soul Train" from Let's Do It Again. The perfect Foxy Brown-esque, boogie-down track for the clubs. Love the samples used in the background.

Pushahoe - Reminiscent of "Zoom" and "Rockin' It". If the Lo collaborated with Run DMC back in the '80's, this is the track that would have been created. True old-school flavor for that break-dancing sensationalism. Albeit, the Lo's lyrics aren't as stylized as from year's past on this song, but the content and flow are still apparent. My only gripe is that end of the track is a little too long with the repeating chrous.

Suga Willie's Revenge - 2nd of the 5 tracks featured on the Apache mixtape. The possible updated intro perfect for a Shaft/Superfly soundtrack. Nice flutes and guitar riffs. Another song that grew on me after a while. Jungle Brown makes an appearance, and he's gotten better over the years. Glad to see he's still rhymin' with the campers.

Jack 'N' Jill - Reminiscent of "Kill 'Em Softly", the dark, gritty track that lies between the middle of the record. Excellent storytelling of pimping and prostituting gone awry.

Material - 3rd of the 5 tracks featured on the Apache mixtape. When I first heard this, the sample sounded like it was used from Tevin Campbell's "Can We Talk?". Not officially confirmed (there's no information in the CD's sleeve jacket on production credits) but I'm sure it is. Laid back storytelling about materialistic females. The song for the summer.

Money Clap - Reminiscent of "Luchini" and "Glow"; the main reason is because money is the subject. Catchy chorus, great dramatic tempos while albeit, not very complex lyrically, still showing the fans how to have fun, although Cheeba steals the show with some heavy '70's references.

Ganja Lounge - 4th of the 5 tracks featured on the Apache mixtape and reminiscent of "Coolie High" with a touch of Bob Marley. It also reminds me of "Carnival 4 Sha" in terms of the unique production. One small flaw is the fading out at the beginning of this song with "I Couldn't Carless" from Apache. Even it being a few seconds into the song, it could been noticed and corrected.

Black Hollywood - The first single (b/w Soul Fever) to be released. Production nearly mimics that of Just Blaze, but not a bad thing. Another track reminiscent of "Luchini" with the horn-driven tempo. Suede shows he's can still creatively display his unique slanguage. A song perfect for Jay-Z to collaborate on, and it makes you think: Will Jay and the Camp ever collab on a song? I guess we'll never know.

Zoom - 5th of the 5 tracks featured on the Apache mixtape. Another '80's driven track like that of "Pushahoe" with plenty of nostaglic references pertaining to that era.

Sweet Claudine - Reminiscent of "8 Moons Ago", but more on tune with "Skybox", the closer on LDIA that finished the album on a good note. Based on the movie, perhaps of the same name, the campers switch back and forth telling the story of a young woman down on her luck. Great production, not too sappy and preachy and gives the listener yearning for more once the song comes to an end.

It's inevitable; the Luchini brothers may never hit the world as heavy as they did 10 years ago with the critically acclaimed USN, but instead of giving up due to label discrepancies that nearly sealed their fate, they stayed in the dying light of what is now commericialized hip-hop, and this proves that creative control and dedicated fans can go a long way.

Next year, the Lo plans on releasing "Another Heist", a 7-track EP. Although it's sparingly on the number of songs, it's refreshing to know that creative hip-hop still exists along the terms of Talib Kweli, Common, Little Brother, Kanye West, Nas and others (famous or not) still holding it down.

Live on Camp Lo. We can dig it.

Camp Lo's long awaited return sets the record straight once and for all that their first album (the classic Uptown Saturday Night) was not a fluke after all. Many people were disappointed by their sophomore effort, Let's Do it Again, but Black Hollywood comes strong to rebuff the nay sayers. Black Hollywood is a collection of songs that every hip hop act tries to do (the club banger, the song for the ride, the weed song, the song for the ladies, the I got money song, and the song that represents where they from) but they accomplish all this while sounding fresh regardless of their obvious love and belonging to the old school. Lo sounds right at home flipping their dense blaxploitation slang and liquid flows over tight production by Skibeatz (aka Ski producer of UTSN, and several songs off Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt and In My Lifetime).

The Good: This album just rolls! None of the songs really sound the same, and Lo's flows are catchy as always. Chiba's rap style has picked up a lot of alliteration lately. On "Money Clap" he casually runs lines like, "I say Morning! Morning! Money! Money! Money! Give em Molotov cocktails for breakfast/Bunnies, Bunnies bouncing/Sin City citizen/I'm Count Mac-ula"

Suede takes control in the title track "Black Hollywood" which announces the return of the Lo with that 70s sound: "Black Ceasar bumblebee bonita a billion dollar theatre/ Lo premiering in surround sound cinematically glaring/ Click! Click! Flash! Flash! Frosted Flakes on the frames/ It's addictive, when you know the world is screaming your name".

The album kicks off strong with "Posse from the Bronx" and "82 Afros", and the 80s style beats on "Pushahoe" and "Zoom" are a nice throwback. Even the 90s have become a nostalgic sound on the dark storytelling track "Jack and Jill", which sounds like a beat from 92-93. Ganja Lounge could be one of the best songs advocating narcotics that I've heard in a few years. Sweet Claudine closes out the album with such a great feeling.

The Bad: The only weak tracks on the album are "Material" (obviously aimed at the ladies), and Soul Fever - but I know there will be a lot of people who really like this song. My problem with it is that it sounds like what Lo thinks the audience expects from them.

Overall the production of each song is strong, sometimes the beats sound a bit thin, but mostly dope. The problem is the Executive Production. There is some ham-fisted production on songs that seem to end suddenly with a quick fade out, or songs that appeared on the Fort Apache Mixtape have not been remixed so they still carry the beat of another song on the first two seconds. Some of the songs sound somewhat incomplete and the beat is left to ride without vocals, or they lack a proper chorus and many of them run under 3 minutes. The entire album is just under 36 minutes long which seems short considering fans have been starving for some new material from the Lo. That combined with the fact that 5 of the 12 songs on this album were on the Fort Apache mixtape, make this album slightly underwhelming for the fans who have kept up with their career. It also begs the question, what happened to the song "Ticket 4 Two" that we heard on Skibeatz Myspace page, and the 9th Wonder produced "Milky Lowa"? In interviews we had heard that the third album would be titled "A Piece of the Action", so it makes me wonder if this album was somehow rushed out so as to ree up for the next album.

In the future it would be nice to see Lo try to round out these short songs, perhaps with guest stars (Only Ski and Jungle Brown make guest appearances on the mic) or by adding another verse themselves.

Overall, I'm pleased with this album. It's consistently good throughout the whole thing. It can't outshine Uptown Saturday Night, but it does help Lo escape it's shadow and make some quality material. This album will be especially better for those of you who never heard the Fort Apache mixtape. The Lo has returned!

AAwww at last, my boys are BACK! A little of the old, a little of the new... New beats yet the same soulfull swagger! The album was long overdue but well worth the wait. Big ups to the LO! This is definately a keeper!

Camp Lo's first album, Uptown Saturday Night, was one of those albums that instantly blew my mind... it was hip, fresh, catchy, and MC's Sonny Cheeba and Geechie Suede complimented each others voices and flows so well that the whole album felt like catching lightning in a bottle and putting it to wax. Before they could truly be appreciated... they were gone. Fast forward five years and they dropped their sophomore release, Let's Do It Again, but unfortuantely it had such big shoes to fill after the classic debut (not to mention years too late and pretty weak lyrically and production wise) that it was a let down for the fans still waiting around for something new. Well, fast forward five more years and we've got a new album of material for the even fewer fans still hanging around for new material (myself sadly included). This is one of those albums that dropped out of nowhere, with little to no press or promotion (that I saw at least), and it's too bad really because it's a step back in the right direction for the crew. The first 3 tracks off of Black Hollywood are nearly as good as anything from thier debut (track 2, "82 Afros" is actually one of the best Camp Lo tracks ever with a backdrop of guitar feedback and a sample of a guy counting "1, 2, 3, 4") and set the bar high for the rest of the album to follow. From there on it's a mix... "Suga Willie's Revenge", "Material" and the title track, "Black Hollywood" all bang incredibly hard while the final track on the disc, "Claudine", takes us out on a definate high note. In between we get some decent to passable tracks that either falter due to some sub-par production (Ski Beatz produces everything here and overall does a pretty impressive job) or ho-hum lyrics ("Jack N' Jill", "Ganja Lounge", and "Zoom") but nothing bad enough to have you instantly reaching for the skip button. All in all a short and sweet return for Camp Lo (album clocks in at 35 minutes and 12 tracks deep) that I like more and more everytime I listen to it. Here's hoping it gets enough positive attention to press the boys for another album sooner than their usual five-year hiatus (2012!?).

Camp lo is back on the scene again to give the industry another weak album. The only thing you can say about this group is they are consistnt with putting out garbage. Uptown saturday night was a fantastic album and is a classic to this day. But the follow up releases display weak lyrics, subpar beats, and some horrible hooks. I tried to like the album but it just didn't work out. Luckily, i got the album for free so I'll just delete it instead of using it as a coaster.