Customer Reviews

Hear After

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

 

 

When you come to J-Live, you come for lyrics. The ten-year veteran of the underground rap game - who received praise from The Source's Unsigned Hype column before dropping his first single, "Longevity," in 1996 - knows this. "Before bills get paid, skills get honed, you can't get that? Might as well get gone," Live warns on the album's opener, "Here."

As a self-proclaimed "triple threat," J takes pride in the fact that he writes, produces, and scratches most of his songs. But his reluctance to enlist outside producers, such as "Best Part" alumni Pete Rock and DJ Premier, is what paralyses "The Hear After" into mediocrity.

Unlike his previous effort, "All Of The Above," where J was able to tackle the bulk of production and still sound fresh, "The Hear After" sounds underproduced and dated. An above-average street narrative on "Sidewalks" is ruined by a mid-90s throwaway synth. Despite potential in the song title, "Do My Thing" is a dreadful attempt at a Swizz Beatz-meets-Dr. Dre collabo, where newcomers Cvees rehash generic lines like "put the chrome piece to your dome piece." These tracks aren't quite as painful as "After," though, with its random guitar licks, choppy bass line and carelessly throw-in horn stabs.

And so, predictably, the listener is forced to focus on J's lyrics. On the aforementioned "Sidewalks," he blasts the current New York City rap scene dominated by emcees trying to emulate Jay-Z. "I've seen people influenced by the next man's flow, to the point that it controls where they content go. But if there's eight million stories and a handful of rappers, we can't all be pimps, players and gun clappers," he laments. "Brooklyn Public Part 1" deserves points for its sheer originality, as J pays homage to both the public school system and his former career as an elementary school teacher: "Welcome to Brooklyn Public, one of the hardest places to work, so please don't apply unless you really love it. It's not a 9-5, or rather 8-3, it's really 5-9 A-P, if it's your job: place nothing above it."

Live then gets back to what he does best - criticizing society - on the album's strongest cut, "Weather The Storm." He shifts from domestic problems ("schools lack, the prisons is packed, insurance is wack, the simple rights remain under attack") to individualism ("whatever your country's cream is, the theme is fukk yours, give me mine, it seems") to foreign policy ("we on a world tour against Mohammad my man, with a constitution, bible, and a gat in his hands") effortlessly, reminding listeners of why they first got into J-Live.

When all's said and done though, "The Hear After" will be remembered as a disappointment. Eerily, J predicts the demise of his lackluster career as a result of his stubbornness on the album's closer, "After": "The entrance was too long, the exit was too short, but it's my way or the highway, so fukk what you thought." Hopefully this former great won't have to settle for irrelevance.

J-Live returns with his 2005 release The Hear After. The results vary, but for the most part, the songs are tight. There are bangers on the album like "Harder", "Whoever", and "Aaw Yeah". You can also expect J to flip words and paint pictures like he's been known to do on tracks like "Audio Visual" and "Listening". To me, this is his strength. But if you're into J-Live, then you know that the lyrical aspect of the album will be on point and he doesn't disappoint on this album. Two thumbs up for the content.

As far as shortcomings, there are a few, but there aren't necessarily any wack songs. There are some beats that don't quite fit J (Do My Thing) and there a few forgettable tracks. Tracks like "Fire Water" and "The Sidewalks" are good, but they have a sleep inducing effect. They aren't wack, but they are a little slow/boring. But aside from a few boring tracks and a few weak beats, the rest of the album is tight.

As a whole, The Hear After is more than worth purchasing. J-Live's rhymes are always on point. The problem is that the production on some of the tracks isn't up to par (especially for J's standards). It's definitely one of the better 2005 rap releases though and would make a solid addition to any CD collection.

Standout Tracks: Listening feat. Kola Rock, Aaw Yeah, Audio Visual, Coming Home feat. Dwele, Whoever (My Favorite), Weather The Storm, Harder, & After

Let's get this out of the way first, if you're searching for beat-driven, crunk infused, boombastic thumpers, then conitnue your search. If there's one thing J-Live wants you to know by the end of the album, it's that MCing comes first. In this regard I agree with the other reviewer here who mentions the decline in production, and the subsequent shift to the lyrics. However, by my tastes, I really enjoy the production, the musical style and variety, and, of course, the lyrics.
The one thing that prevents me from putting this album at "All of the Above" level is the absence of thematic and structural creativity that made that album a classic. I'm thinking of songs like All in Together Now and the track with the varying endings.

Still, J-Live flexes his lyrical ability as well as ever. To my understanding, J-Live used to teach middle school English, and being that I teach 7th grade English, "Brooklyn Public Part 1" is a personal favorite. Though I cannot empathize with the experience of those in Brooklyn schools, I can certainly identify with J's jabs at principals, school boards, lazy and cynical teachers, testing, and in general, the illogical and thwarting nature of the public schooling system. There's also a sweet verse which just continually gives name to the countless variety of students you encounter in schools, "Some are motivated, some are lazy, some are geniuses, some are crazy, the line between is hazy."
This track's selling point to me, is the way that J-Live delivers these points, not in a condescending tone, but as if we, the listeners, are on a moving belt, traveling through a school, witnessing what our guide, J-Live, is telling us.
The music backdrop is also great here with a piano sounding as if it was pulled right from a high school auditorium, and a reocurring "Ohhhh ohh" chant.

Other beats on the album don't impress as they did on "All of the Above" because I feel that album contains more breaks and change-ups during songs. I do not deduct points for this, though, because I feel the production is more precise, and the songwriting is more focused (perhaps the cause for the absence of songs that take a leap in creativity).

Despite the move towards songs with the fewer breaks, there is still a wide variety of songs styles, most with memorable hooks.

The album opener, "Here", featuring the well-known jam band Soulive, sounds like the child of "Black on Both Sides" and "The New Danger" by Mighty Mos Def.

"Do My Thing" has a cool synth loop, and "Whoever" features a surprisingly groovy latin/carribean mix with some well-placed scratching. This track also displays some of J-Live's best flow on the album.

The follwing track, "The Sidewalks", is another favorite and deals with J-Live's childhood stomping grounds, NYC. The beat is heavy, and the twisting, high-pitched synth line in the background is straight out of an Eazy-E track. The lyrics in this song simultaneously, and effectively, dismantle biter MCs from the area, offer praise to the capital of the world, and make clear J-Live's roots in the same communities so many other rappers use as an excuse to talk of (or more accurately, glorify) lives of depravity, self-absorbed behavior, and fantasical imaginings of grandiose lives drenched in death, sex, and drugs. I applaud J-Live's ability to persevere through life on the same tough streets, and come out a messenger of knowledge and hope.

J-Live perfectly embodies the ultimate frustration in hip-hop and all of pop culture today: he is an artist as talented as any in his craft, yet the wisdom and truth with which he speaks will prohibit his words from reaching the people, and the great number of these people, that they need to reach. Without sacrificing the infectious vibe that is absent in much underground hip-hop, J-Live continues in the long line of great African-American thinkers who see the still present entrapments of his race, and warns of the dangers of complacency and indiffence, all with the spirit of hope, and the purpose of a teacher. I hope it will be soon when we ALL are ready to learn

J-Live is always going to have a special place in my heart, but this album just did not have the same feel I expected from a J-Live album. Lyrically, Justice is just as he always is, killing the mics left and right. But musically, this album is flat. There is a lot of what sorts like stale 808 drums driving the beats, and the decidedly dark quality of most of the songs is overbearing by the end of the record. Overall, pretty solid, but "Then What Happened?" and "All Of The Above" are better primers for anyone out there considering getting into one of the greatest MCs of our time.

This Album is H-O-T! Get it no matter what...if you like hip-hop at all, in any way, you will love this. J-Live is so full of freshness it hurts, and his guests are fun too. There is a good variety of beats, from the sexy to the more hard-edged, and his vocals are Dialed!

Although this was not "The Best of" or "All of the Above" J-Live definitely swung for the fences with the hereafter. His signature style of mixing jazz, poetry, and hip hop is apparent in this release. There are a lot of outstanding tracks on this album with "Listening" being my favorite. Definitely a must have for those who love hip hop, or those who just want to chill. If you want to see J-Live, get Da Bassment T.V. on DVD. What he does with the turntables and the mic at the same time is crazee.

I should start by saying that I'm a HUGE fan of J-Live. Since I heard the album "All of the Above" when it was first released he instantly became one of my favorite emcees. I own all of his albums, excluding "Always Has Been," but including the hard to find "The Best Part" as well as having seen him perform live at 3 different venues. J is a hip hop allstar, anyone who doubts this just has to see him perform "Braggin Rights" live, but for some reason his work has steadily gone downhill.

I have to say I anticipated that this album might not be that great from listening to "Always Will Be" which while lyrically strong was very weak production wise and thematically. Similarly, The Hear After, while I would definitely consider better than Always Will Be, seems to fall short of J's abilities that he so clearly has on both The Best Part and All Of The Above.

Lyrically, J Live is still strong as hell and if I had to rate this album strictly on the words he would get a 4 easily if not a 5. Check out tracks like Brooklyn Public or Weathering the Storm for some good relevant conscious stuff. However, even in this category, the lyrics of this album over all seem to lack direction and theme. The tracks seem sort of randomly thrown together, and many songs tend to wander into tangents or fail to make their point strongly.

I actually would say the album's best thing is J-Live's flow. Although he's weak on a few tracks, J-Live plays with his flow in ways that I've never heard him attempt before, and it's fantastic. Check out the great hook on Aaw Yeah to see what I'm talking about.

The Album's weakest aspect is, surprise, the production. Although there are some solid beats on this album (The first 3 tracks plus Harder, After, and Coming Home), most tracks, even the decent ones, don't seem to suit J that well. More importantly, two of the best tracks lyrically, Brooklyn Public and Weathering the Storm, have at best bland and at worst intolerable production (for me its the latter). And it must have taken all of 5 minutes to make the awful instrumental for Sidewalks.

All in all, the album is good and absolutely worth getting if you like J-Live or other people in his vein. However, J-Live ought to be putting out some of the best albums ever made, and the Hear After will be a BIG disappointment to anyone expecting another All of the Above, let alone hoping to see J-Live get even better.

J-Live has surpassed my level of expectations and has raised the bar for the hiphop community. From my perspective, he is now the barometer in which I will rate forthcoming hiphop/rap CD's. Its just that serious. The brother has exponded on some serious issues with the depth that I have been seeking from this genre. Just listen to what he is saying about our lives and realize that this artist has a level of commitment that is almost unthought of today. The beats, tracks, flow, delivery and knowledge is TIGHT------. You know it from the onset of the first track.(BOOM-BOOM-BOOM-BOOM)

His first joint "Always Has Been"(almost killed him) set him into motion which had serious beats and tracks but did not get quite deep as his second offering "All of the Above"(almost killed him) we began to touch upon his devotion to what this genre is really supposed to be about: teaching,life lessons, past discretions and new directions. You Get The Grammy. I have been listening to Kweli, Haiku D'Tet, and this joint they are all on the level but you just went a little deeper. Thanks J-Live. If you like real, authentic, organic hip hop you better run get this joint. On Second thought "Get ALL THREE" UNDERGROUND (underwater) CLASSICS. I can't believe the reviewers who say they love J are rating this offering so low. It really is his best All of the Above is running a close second. And for all of you reviewers who feels this offering does not suffice, maybe you need to go get some of that new dirty south, so you can come back to J- Humbly. And for Saltzman(reviewer), you lack direction, how much do you really know about the life of the bonafide rap community, not the johnny come lately riders or lifelong suburbanite who suddenly moved to the city and listens to hip hop (commercially used terminology which is really RAP MUSIC) because they are trying to be down. But those who can go back to Furious Five(5), Fab 5 Freddy, Curtis Blow, Kool Moe D, Run DMC, or oldschool LL back in the day. Make sure you know the history of this before you start to use words like direction. Because J's direction is clear, listen to Brooklyn Public, Sidewalk, Audio Visual, and Weather The Storm, (those are enough to get you started. The rest of the joints like Here, Aaw Yeah, Do My Thing, Firewater, and Whoever just establish his presence, help to develop a visual portrait and outlines his philosophical perspective. (if that is not direction, then what is? Coming Home(which is a banger feature Dwele) and Thereafter just put the icing on the cake. And for those who feels that The Listening is there favorite track. Well, I guess it doesn't take much for you. I am feeling that selection, but I put it on the level of an interlude. Sometimes I wonder, if there is really more lead in the water than first suspected. Go Get This Classic TruHop Music. To all of you 4 STAR REVIEWS stop cheatin J out of the credit he deserves for this phenonmenal project. It really pisses me off as challenging as it is for an underground artist with substance is to get respect. You all should be ashamed because I am. If you should read this J-Live: U WAXED IT!

Before I start off, I would like to mention that I wasn't all that big a fan of J-Live prior to "The Hear After." And yes, I do have "All of the Above." While there were some killer tracks on "AOTA," on the whole the album was a little bland and hard to listen to even twice in a row (I'll expound on this in a minute). Anyways, I didn't hesitate when this came out, because I was interested in seeing if he was at the end of his career or not...
The only lousy song was "Do My Thing," which had a subpar beat and tried too hard to be 'club-ish.' There are a couple other songs ("I'm Coming Home" and "After") that aren't so interesting, but good enough, and everything else ranges from on-point to phenomenal. For real, the first song goes for the jugular with live instruments and J spittin' nonstop for over 3 minutes straight. Quite the leadoff! J can be found throughout putting more personality and messages in the rhymes than I thought he was capable of. While digital and synthesized sounds are tolerable in small doses, he takes a risk and does back-to-back songs ("The Sidewalks," "Audio Visual") with those in it. Although a tad annoying at first, he pulls it off because those two tracks happen to be among his strongest moments lyrically on the album. "Harder" is an outstanding jam, with numerous live instruments, and I wonder if J's ever gotten down like that on a track before. "Fire Water" has a hard, yet laid-back beat with a guitar in the foreground, "Whoever" kinda has a Spanish feel to it, and the beats of "Brooklyn Public Pt. 1" and "Listening" add to the diversity of the album. "Weather the Storm" almost sounds like it has a bagpipe, while J delivers some heavy-handed political and socio-political raps.
The top five songs are: "Here," "Sidewalks," "Audio Visual," "Harder," and "Weather the Storm." And that list seems to discredit such great songs as "Fire Water," "Brooklyn Public," "Whoever," and "Aaw Yeah."
The thing that was appealing about "All of the Above" were the numerous concepts that J incorporated in many of the tracks. The concepts were admirable ("All In Together Now," "Stir of Echoes," "One For the Griot"), and definitely great on paper, but the execution on some of them just wasn't that interesting. That whole album just seemed to lack personality and any separation from other undergrounders. This album, however, seemed to have plenty of personality, as I started to understand him more with tracks like "Sidewalks" and "Brooklyn Public."
He doesn't really try for any lofty concepts this time around, although he does seem to find a term for letters "A" through "L" within 10 seconds on "Whoever." The vocabulary and metaphors were aplenty as it is on this album (check the well-executed metaphor of "Fire Water"). I love that line: "Throw it on the rocks it'll still burn, go ahead and throw it on your wounds, it'll kill germs." The quotables are incalcuble on "The Hear After." The production is sometimes excellent, but for the most part solid and commendale throughout (bar "Do My Thing"). The "Hear After" is much more cohesive than the bloated "AOTA," and like I said, this one has plenty of diversity. This former Brooklyn teacher proved how serious he is with this Hip Hop thing, and delivers an album that is easily one of the finest of the year. So if you already spent your money on Kanye West, turn right around and pick up this piece of gold from the store. My only problem now is...finding out where I can get "The Best Part." Peace yawl, peace yawl, pe-da-de-da pe-da-de-da peace yawl!

The Hear After is an album that true hip-hop heads will enjoy. Guest artists on the album include Soulive, Cvees, Kola Rock and Dwele. The album opens up with the song "Here." The production on this song is wicked. A real stand out track on the album is "Fire Water." This song is so hot. The track almost sounds like it is mixed with a song from The Cure. This is a great song. The song "Whoever" is another song with crazy production. It's a great bouncy summer song with a slight salsa feel to it. "Audio Visual" is a laid back sounding song.

New Yorker's will enjoy the song "Brooklyn Public Part 1." This song laments about the overcrowding and bad situations plaguing the New York School System. Female rapper Kola Rock shines on the song "Listening." This is a song with a unique concept.

The Hear After is a very musical album and the lyrics are engaging. If you like Wordsworth, Tribe Called Quest, Common, Talib Kweli, Heiroglyphics, Mystic or other hip-hop artists, you will enjoy this album.