Customer Reviews

Half a Klip

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

 

 

ok first of all i would like to start by saying that i have been a G Rap fan for years and own almost all of his records. i have said this many times before when legends release new cds you cant compare them to the classics because they are not on the same level or mind state anymore. if you want to hear something like Road To The Riches, Wanted Dead Or Alive or Live And Let Die then just play those albums and dont look anywhere else because nothing can top those. i give this album a 4 star review not because i compared it to other G Rap albums but because i looked at hip hop in general. Roots of Evil and The Giancana Story where both dope albums. but i personal loved the album 4,5,6. this new G Rap album Half A Klip to me is similar, both albums you wish where longer but have dope tracks. these are not commercial they are ruff sounding street songs. if you want singing go listen to 50 cent because your not gonna find it here. i think G Rap is still in his prime and that this album is worth buying for any G Rap fan. this is only the EP i have heard that G Rap has a full length album coming later this year.

This ep was suppose to tide fans over until G Rap dropped his full length lp, 'Full Extended Klip', but when this dropped it sold very, very poorly, resulting in the eventual shelving of the lp. It didnt help of course that this ep was also released to mixed reviews. Some fans, such as myself, loved it while others felt that there just wasn't enough here to justify spending money on. Honestly though, I cant think of any better way to part with your hard earned cash.

Let's tackled the negatives first. Out of 11 tracks on this album a handful of them are remixes/OG versions of songs that hardcore fans will already know. Fans will be familiar with '100 rounds' for example, because the remix appeared on Domingo's 2006 lP, 'The Most Underrated'. 'With a Bullet' is a blistering and masterful remix from Marley Marl of '#1 with a bullet' that originally appeared on G Rap's 1992 masterpiece 'Live and Let Die' (though it cuts the fantastic Big Daddy Kane guest verse). 'Whats More Realer Then That' is also featured twice on the album in two different forms, as is the DJ Premier produced 'On the Rise Again', which shows up in both its uncut and edited form.

If that doesnt bother you though you're in for a treat. The production is amazing from top to bottom. The bigger names like DJ Premier, Marley Marl and Domingo are no brainers for dope beats, but the smaller names such as Frank Dukes and Marks stand just as strong in the mix. Preemo turns in his vintage dusty new york sound in a long overdue (official) collabo with G, the track finds G Rap and Premier blending together effortlessly and turning in one of the albums strongest cuts. Likewise, in the flawless opening cut 'Risin Up' Domingo serves G Rap a beat that sounds tailor made for him and G Rap doesnt waste the opportunity, spitting

Yeah, from his rise from the bottom/

City where the crime be on the rise like its Gotham/

Doomed from the stuggle, destined to bubble/

Hustle hard, eyes on the stars like the Hubble/

Sadly, the album is derailed almost immediately by the only weak cut on the whole ep. 'Turn it Out' is a blatant grab at the club scene. The beat is an absolute mess. It couldnt sound anymore generic if it tried, and the less said about the chorus the better. G himself holds his rhymes down well enough on the cut, but when everything else sounds as bad as it does its pretty easy to reach for the skip button.

Luckily the album bounces back fairly quickly with the '100 Rounds (OG Version)' and never falters again. What follows is 7 amazing songs that find G Rap bouncing from storyteller to all out chest thumping bravado. Lyrically he stands head and shoulders above his peers with his effortless multi-syllable rhyme scheme and spot on flow. He attacks the beats with the energy of a man half his age, and his matured voice sounds more and more menacing with each year he puts behind him. He never ventures outside of his comfort zone with his subject matter, but at this point in his career I think we can all agree that we wouldn't have G Rap any other way.

The album ends on the the haunting OG version of 'Whats More Realer then That' and on the somewhat pointless edit of 'On the Rise Again'. Personally I could have done without the edited Preemo laced track but I suppose its nice to have it anyways. Overall though the music here is near perfection, I can understand how some people would be upset about having so many variants of the same songs, but personally I think each and every version of these classics is essential, none of them sound half assed, and they all offer something new to the already established sound.

Cut 'Turn it Out' and 'On the Rise Again (edited version) and replace them with '100 Rounds (OG Version) and the original version of 'Risin Up' (which features an ill Rocky sample, do some searching or contact me and I can hook you up) and you have yourself an amazing little ep. Def worth the time of hardcore fans and newcomers alike.

Pro's

-Amazing production

-Flawless display on the mic

-Some great remixes

Con's

-Turn it Out sucks

-If you dont like remix's or alternate versions of songs then prepare to be extremely annoyed.

One of the all-time greats of old school Golden Age Hip-Hop finally retunrs with a solo after over 5 years (he has his "5 Family Click" album 4+ years ago but that wasn't really a solo or much good). Although this one is rather short with only 9 songs, only 1 has a guest on it so you get to hear a little from G Rap Giancana. Of the 9 songs, 7 are good, a couple being real good but classic worthy, and 2 are ok. There is also 2 bonus songs (just a remix and an edited version of songs on the album). production is pretty good as well. Domingo does 3 songs, 5 Family Click does 2, and Peter Rock, Marley Marl, MoSS, and Ricky Snow each do 1 song. Although into his 40's, he still hasn't lost a bit on the mic since he started back in his teens. A must have album from a legend, though not his best still worht checking it out and I can' twait for a full length new album from G Rap.

#1 - 9

#2 - 9 (nice beat)

#3 - 7.5

#4 - 8 (good story line)

#5 - 8.5

#6 - 8.5

#7 - 7

#8 - 8.5 (f/ KL of Screwball)

#9 - 8.5 (good beat)

Nathaniel Wilson -- b. 7/20/~1968 -- Corona, Queens, NY

Check all my reviews

can say much good things about this product, cause I never got it. First I got the wrong one. I did send it back, but the right one was never sent to Me.

Let me start by saying that I love Kool G. Rap. I consider him in the list of one of the top 5 rappers of all time.

Unfortunately, Not his best, but mainly due to production on this CD. His lyrics and flow are still outstanding though, even though the music is not the best.

Man look at his track record on who he done influenced in the game and tell me he aint the greatest lyricist. And im not talking about record sales either. The boy is still a beast & he is so detailed with his stories, its almost like a movie.

I am really disappointed with this release from Kool G. This is a very boring and forgettable release. The beats are bland and boring, the lyrics lack energy as if Kool G was just reading them from a paper, and the lyrical content is weak. Kool G is talking about guns and drugs as usual but manages to sound extremely uninspired with his delivery. Scarface talks about the same topics and his last album is way better than this one.I listened to this extremely short release a few times and I found very little replay value in it. The album doesn't suck, but it is not the best either.

This album is Great. They have called it a EP in the press but it is far more then that. As a life long G Rap fan I can tell you, He is back. This single with Haylie Duff has to be the best song of 2008. Alot of people are going to hate, and a few will claim this is not G his best...but you see this is just because A REAL HIP HOP ARTIST is back working with Major people..and you what WHATS MORE REALER THEN THAT!!!

5 STARS

I've been a Kool G Rap fan for a few years now and this EP is definitely one of his best. As usual his lyrics are fire and he delivers dark street tales about the grimy hood life. The two tracks that I liked immediately were "#1 With A Bullet" produced by Marley Marl and "On The Rise Again" produced by DJ Premier. Both veteran hip hop producers whose beats I have enjoyed over the years. Later, after a few listens I started liking the other tracks especially "Risin Up" and "Real Life and 100 Rounds". Marley Marl did a good job on "With A Bullet". It definitely needed a remix and it's slamming. Overall, hardcore fans of Kool G Rap will like this EP. A dose of real hip hop. Peace!