Customer Reviews

Fantastic 2

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(26)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In the vein of A Tribe Called Quest, De La Soul, The Roots and Common come the Detroit trio called Slum Village. Their name comes from the A Tribe Called Quest song "Vibes and Stuff." This album is supposed to be their second album (hence the title) but it sound like number three or four, it sounds so refined compared to the casio beats of Cash Money's Mannie Fresh and Ruff Ryder's Swizz Beats. The group consists of three emcees, one of which is one of hip hop's hottest producers, Jay-Dee, (not Jermaine Dupree) T3, and Baatin. The lyrical content on this album is pretty good considering the state of mind of rap music currenty. Most of the songs have at least one mention of sex (example, "I Don't Know"), money ("Get dis money") and cars ("Raise it up"). But the incrediblely beautiful beats make every minute flaw disappear. The shining star on the LP is "Fall in Love", the beat is different from anything your ears have heard, everyone you know will bump this song. Seriously this album has to be heard to be believed. Slum Village get a little "help out" with the guests D'Angelo (singin'), Kurupt (swingin'), Pete Rock (blingin'), Q-tip (strutin') and DJ Jazzy Jeff (cuttin'). It is not the best Hip Hop album of the year ( Common's Like Water for Chocolate is, and is completely produced by Slum Village's Jay-Dee) but comes damn close. This is what you SHOULD be listening to until De La Soul drops "Art Offical Intelligence" later this Summer. This album will leave hip hop heads satisfied ... for now.

Four out of Five Stars

You're going to read a lot of reviews about this album that talk about Slum Village's lack of lyrical ability but that the beats are so hot that you should get the album anyway. Only the latter part of that statement is true. I've been listening to hip hop since the seventies, when rappers had to beg djs to get on the mic. When the groove was what it was all about. When the hottest rhymes around were, "hip hop, a hippy to the hippy, say up jumps the boogie..." You get my drift.

Only the trained ear can hear what Slum Village is all about lyrically on this album. SV has discarded the overdone and almost pre-requisite lyrical bravado that began dominating hip hop in 1987 and has brought something more interesting to the table...VIBE!! Today's hip hop fans are so conditioned to judge by lyrical ability that anything different falls short of their expectations.

Let me tell you something, if you like, Low End Theory by ATCQ, you will love this album. The reason I chose Tribe as my example is that, by no means could you call Phife or Q-Tip lyrical geniuses. And no, I won't bother with a comparison between the 2 groups. In my opinion they are both about the same thing...Vibe!!! Why else did Q-Tip use Jay Dee (SV's Producer/Rapper) to produce songs on Tribes last 2 albums as well as almost every song on his solo album?

Slum Village is about vibe. The lyrics match the tracks perfectly. So well do they match in fact, that you couldn't even hear any of your favorite mainstream lyrical gods on any of these tracks. It just wouldn't sound right. Do yourself a favor. Try to put your conditioning away, pop this album in and then try to go a month without listening to it. This, ladies and gentlemen, is one of the top ten hip hop albums of all time. And I say this, having a lot more material to survey than most.

While it hard to call anything today a classic, yet alone an underground classic, this CD by SV is definitely an "undaground" classic and a true banger. I agree with many of the reviews I've read, this joint is truly a production "tour de force". Jay Dee's style is right at home for a couple of reasons. First of all, his work with Tribe and others like Common was tight, but in the case of Quest, I think it's accurate to say that most of us was focusing on the lyrical depth of Tribe and wanting to hear how abstract Q-tip would be. (Needless to say they lacked, but that's another review.) Therefore, JD's production was somewhat underappreciated. Otherwise, on 'Fantastic' JD's production stands out supreme because the lyrics are not frontstage here. Nevertheless, the mix is FIRE!!! Every track on here gets a head-nod and if you skip to a favorite you will no doubt come back to the track you skipped.
Everyone has many different standout tracks, I'm not gonna tell you which tracks are hot (you judge for yourself), I'll just tell which one I'm feeling right now (and I do mean right now cuz I know they'll change). Track 2)Conant Gardens, 3)I Don't Know, 12)Get Dis Money, 15)Players, 17)2U4U, 18)CB4, and of course the street classic Thelonius, Track 20. This a must-have and recommend CD!

After their first album (which everybody slept on, unfortunately), the Slum comes back HARD with their latest album, a for-sure hip-hop gem, "Fantastic, Vol. 2." Words can't describe how beautiful this album is; Slum is very relaxed, smooth, and come with that mellow hip-hop vibe that ANY hip-hop head can enjoy. This beats 99% of the hip-hop junk out currently (like all of that Cash Money/jigga-jigga/wobble wobble/shimmie-shimmie-cocoa puff garbage). Q-Tip said it best, "I'm gonna leave it in the hands of the Slum now," and he does just that as Jay-Dee, Baatin, and T3 come with almost that exact same vibe as Tribe Called Quest did back in the early 90s. Slum Village is totally unappreciated by music lovers and it's a shame because they're dope. All of the tracks are tight, but the stand-outs are definitely "Climax (Girl Sh-t)," "Fall In Love," "Raise It Up," "Once Upon a Time," and "Players." This is definitely one of the hip-hop gems of 2000, along with Jurassic 5's "Quality Control," Dilated Peoples "The Platform," Common's "Like Water For Chocolate", Bahamadia's "BB Queen," and De La Soul's "Art Official Intelligence: Mosaic Thump."

After a LONG wait, these three Detroit hip-hoppers finally get their music out on the independent level. For the average hip-hop lover... its worth the wait! Jay Dee's enchanting soundscapes are worthy of three stars by themselves, and while a bit more complex lyricism would really have set off the beats, that's not what the group is about. They're about FUN, as you can hear on the playful tracks featuring Busta Rhymes and Kurupt.

They've been compared ever since they arrived on the scene with vintage A Tribe Called Quest, and Q-Tip doesn't do anything to wipe away that comparison with his appearance on the album (he raps: "I'ma leave it in the hands of the Slum now"). But "SV" carves out their own niche with this album, packed with enjoyable punchlines, fun bouncing cadences, and subtly magnificent beats. Easy to rap along with-type lyrics are layered over resonant snare/handclap/vibes to end up with a head-nodding hip-hop treat.

ive had this album for about a year and everytime i listen to it the cd gets better and better to me jay dilla has fresh and long lasting production which makes the cd a very easy to listen cd and T3 and Batem along with dilla have nice flows over great beats, so if you want some hot real hip hop music pick this one up!!!!!!!!

The harmonic, Detroit-based trio of Slum Village first shocked the world with their mainstream debut, "Fantastic, Vol. 2." After "Vol. 1" (an unreleased demo) and "Best Kept Secret" (released under the name J-88), S.V. returns here with a borderline-classic album.

The crew, headed by producer and disc jock Jay Dee, manages to mix soulful R&B laid-back rhythms, with funky guitars and basslines, out of this world keyboard and Rhodes sounds, and some of the most innovative beatmaking and sound effect techniques in a long time. S.V. shines throughout this recording with harmonic unity reminiscent of old Motown Records days (which ironically-or maybe not, was also based in Detroit).

Jay Dee lays down smooth tracks as he, T3, and Baatin focus their rhymes on everything from Love ("Climax"), to fun-having ("What's It All About"), to sex ("Go Ladies"), to addressing envious peers ("Jealousy"). It's clear that the group (or at least member Baatin) has underlying spiritual content, but still know how to rock the house with fastfoward flows and rhyme techniques, as well as show their humorous side (check the Louis Armstrong skit after "Once Upon A Time"). The James Brown sample on "I Don't Know" is filled with enough funk to make you sing right along with the chorus. While "Get Dis Money" is a relaxing ode to the great paper chase.

Even though Slum Village are by no means lyricists (much of their lyrics can be easily interpreted as tasteless ignorance and idiocy), they still manage to draw in even the most stern advocates of Hip-Hop lyrical progression with cuts like "Once Upon A Time," and "Hold Tight." "Tell Me" is another smoothed out romanticized song with D'Angelo, as the album is has tons of chilled vibes and hypnotic melodies. Nothing can be said about how great this album is until it's heard for the 3,237,378 go-around (in other words, it gets better with time).

Despite it's lack of thought provoking lyrics (Baatin's verse on "Untitled" featuring Common-which on his fourth album appears as "Thelonious," is for the most part, the only piece with any deep substance expression) it's still a very notable album, easily reminding one of the glory days of A Tribe Called Quest and possibly others. The X-rated Native Tongues-esque trio (which is now comprised only of T3, Baatin, and newcomer Elzhi) without a doubt makes you "Raise It Up" through the 75 minute playtime. Guests include the aforementioned D'Angelo and Common, as well as DJ Jazzy Jeff, Kurupt, Busta' Rhymes, Pete Rock, and Q-Tip.

-Musicologist

Having heard Slum Village on Common's CD, it was easy to have high expectations with respect to their own effort. I expected those expectations not to be met. Having listened to Fantastic, Vol. 2, I can state unequivocally that this is the best hip hop album I have ever heard, and one the best albums as a whole that I have had the pleasure of buying. By now we all know how tight JayDee is as a producer. His rhyme skills are equally tight, and T3 and Baatin just compliment his virtuosity, bringing out the nuances of each track with game-tight lyrical deliveries of their own. On this CD we hear what hip hop sounds like when it's made by real musicians (big up to the Roots as well). JayDee picks up where Pete Rock left off. And did I mention that Jazzy Jeff's use of some very over-used James Brown grunts and riffs is the best ever? As a native Detroiter who has lived in New York for some years, and who had all but given up on hip hop with the break up of Tribe, the silence of De La, and the perplexing success of some truly dreadful rap (Read: Nelly, every Jay-Z album other than Reasonable Doubt, and all things Puffy), I feel guilty for ever thinking that hip hop was dead. Acts like Mos Def, Common, Pharaoh and SV have restored my faith. Maybe it just speaks to me as a Detroiter,a Midwesterner and a man who can truly appreciate the finer points of mackin' and ballin', I don't know. Buy it, you won't regret it, and if you're not feeling it, then you're not worthy of it in the first place.

The most popular thing in hip hop right now (or was) is to label some obscurely jazzy hip hop group the next tribe...Especially the incredibly mediocre Black Eyed Peas (may i remind people that BEP has never received more than 3 mics in the source). I bought into this hype as well when I bought Fantastic Voyage vol2 the first week it came out. Like D'Angelo said, the sonicly ingenious beats are out of this world..most of them anyway. Like any producer, Jay Dee falls on a lackluster loop now and again. But the fault here lyes with the lyrics...Phife and Tip are known for their clever rhyme schemes...Where as the very forgettable lyrics on this album are mediocre at best, there is nothing remotely clever...and most of the time you can hardly hear what they're saying. Common's Like Water for Chocolate is a better display of Jay Dee's capability beat wise anywa..So all in all this album is just average. Jay Dee is a genius in his own right, and if he were to team up with the Pharcyde for a whole album (fatlip or not), then I think labeling this pioneer as being part of a new Tribe movement would be incredibly warranted...keep it up Jay Dee..

PS: Check out some of the rare vinyl of cats you may not have heard of when produced by Jay Dee. Especially this dude named Phat Kat aka Ronnie Cash and his track "Dedication to the Suckers"

This album is so ill- i've had it for a few years now and I really think its the perfect album.

I listen to it in the car, chillin with a lady, doin whatever- its got the most laidback out vibe it just fits in anywhere

The rhymes arent the Most complex but its not about verbal battling its about just flowing and doin whatever, just vibin to the beat. Its a masterpiece

do yourself a favor and buy this right now