Customer Reviews

Magnificent City [Vinyl]

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

 

 

If you know anything about Aceyalone or RJD2, then you've probably been waiting for this album to come out for some time now. The results are mixed, but it hits a lot more than it misses. Of the 14 tracks, I'd say that 9 or 10 of them are pretty good. RJ even drops a pretty cool instrumental track on "A Sunday Mystery". I won't lie and pretend like I didn't expect more from this duo, but what they put out is still good.

There are a few passable tracks on the album in the form of "Cornbread, Eddie, & Me", "Solomon Jones", and "Mooore". They're not necessarily wack, but I tend to skip these tracks. Those are probably the only flaws I can think of with this album. The rest is pretty good.

Magificent City is definitely dope. I feel like the collaboration fielded more potential than what actually materialized on the album. There some songs where Acey doesn't quite fit or RJD2 might drop a lackluster beat. Like I said before though, the album hits a lot more than it misses. Magnificent City is still dope and is definitely worth checking out.

Standout Tracks: A Sunday Mystery, All For U (My Favorite), Disconnected, Supahero, Caged Bird, High Life, Heaven, and Fire

Norfeest aka One Man's Opinion

Excellent album here from Acey and Rj, simple as that. It's a complete album that only seems to get better as you listen deeper. The beats and themes are eclectic, yet cohesive. A couple of these songs really have a chance to take off in mainstream if given even the slightest opportunity ("Supahero," "Heaven").
These may not be Rjd2's absolute best in beats, but you can definitely notice the level of quality, especially comparing to other Acey albums. Aceyalone's not flipping any new styles or anything, but is reliable as ever, and then some. The way he intertwines words and phrases is remarkable. Many songs showcase his storytelling skills, a la Slick Rick. If anything, one thing that brings this album down is the consistency and that there are no sh**ty songs to make the good ones stand out more. This album is not for everybody out there (it could be), but reviews have been unanimously positive so far (unless you write for Pitchfork). My favorites are "Cornbread, Eddie & Me," "Junior," and "Here and Now."
If you were expecting a classic coming into this, that's on you if you're a little dissappointed. Is this the rap album of the year? Well, no. But is it fresh for 2006? Hell yes.
This album's been selling pretty decently, so if you have it and are reading this, why not drop your two cents here so people can gather a better idea of what kind of album this will be?

Aceyalone and RJD2 are definately not novice when it comes to the underground sound. They surely ink out their own individual persona's on this project without compromising their unique/distinct abilities. What I tend to appreciate from the underground sound is the lyrical messages that sometimes get overlooked because of a rush to judgement or simply hype. This project is full of those type of messages, life lessons which I attempt to digest more thoroughly during each listening session because this underground music is purposefull. Get this one for your inspection, reflection, recollection; inspire your direction.

This album has a very different sound to the previous Aceyalone classics, but this album hits HARD with topnotch lyrics by Acey and topnotch productions by none other than RJD2. I can't really say whether this album is better than some of his previous because all his albums are tight and have somewhat of a differnt sound and vibe. BUY THIIISS.

Magnificent City Score: 3.5/5
Aceyalone and RJD2 are both talented artists. Aceyalone has the ability to shine in his lyrics, and RJD2 almost always burns it up with unique beats. Magnificent City definitely has style and excellent beats, but as great as it sounds, I hate to say that it has it's pitfalls.

1. All For U: RJD2 gives one hell of a beat here, Aceyalone delivers a so/so hook and decent lyrics. Fun song. 4/5
2. Fire: RJD2 delivers a seventies disco reminiscent beat and Aceyalone has a strong delivery, with decent lyrics. Good song, although the beat gets a bit repetitive after 3-4 plays. 4.5/5
3. Cornbread, Eddie & Me: Again, RJD2 delivers, and this time Aceyalone has a powerful delivery with equally powerful lyrics. 5/5
4. MOOORE: RJD2 falls short on this beat, it gets plain out annoying, but it's Aceyalone's repetitive and annoying chants of "MOoore moore more more more" are silly. Skip this track 1/5
5. Supahero: The beat has a cool vibe at first, but gets old. Aceyalone has a strong delivery, but the lyrics aren't very good. It's a decent song, worth listening to a few times. 3/5
6. High Lights: Aceyalone's tribute to drugs, fun beat, creative lyrics, a decent listen. 3.5/5
7. Disconnected: Good beat by RJD2, Aceyalone's lyrics are right on, but it gets repititive after a while. Still a fun listen. 4.5/5
8. Caged Bird: The darn bells on this beat get so repetitive that I only listen to the first 30 seconds of this song. Too bad too- the lyrics on this song are excellent. 3.5/5
9. Solomon Jones: Bouncy beat with some gunshots and other miscallaneous sounds to give you a Wild West bar feel. A storytelling song that isn't excellent, but a fun listen nonetheless. 4/5
10. A Sunday Mystery: just music, listen to it, it's quite soothing. 4/5
11. Junior: A very fun beat by RJD2, another storytelling song, well done and fun. Good delivery, a song that almost was perfect. 4.5/5
12. Heaven: A strong guitar beat with an equally strong hook, a decent song with a pretty good lyrics. Gets old quick though. 4/5
13. Here & Now: Probably the best song on the CD. Aceyalone really shines on this one, with a powerful delivery and excellent lyrics. The beat has some sampled strings and some vocals that accent Aceyalone very well. A good listen. 5/5
14. A Beautiful Mine: Personally I didn't like this beat that much, but it's still a solid job. Aceyalone really comes through with his lyrical prowess and delivery. 5/5

Overall, I enjoyed this CD, but it could have been much better. A fun listen, but where are the clever lyrics?

Aceyalone has let me down a lot recently in terms of releases. He hasn't had a consistently good album for quite awhile.

I loved him about ten years ago, but he's slowly slipped since. Given that, I only picked "Magnificent City" because it was produced by RJD2. RJD2's beats are pretty good throughout this album, as you would expect.

Aceyalone seems to have aged a bit and isn't quite as on-point as he used to be. There are some really stellar songs on here, but then there are some so-so songs. It's about 50-50 in terms of good vs. average.

For example, the album starts out really strong with the first two songs, but then drops at the next two songs. So I found it inconsistent.

"Magnificent City" could have easily been a 5-star classic, but it came up a little short. 3.5 stars.

Although I'm a huge underground hip hop fan, I've never really paid any attention to Aceyalone, and probably never would have had he not colabed with one of my favorite producers Rjd2, with that said after picking this up, I'm still not completely sold on Aceyalone's some what old school west coast vibe, but I definitley have more respect for the man as an artist. There are some real solid gems on this disc, my favorite being "Supahero", that joint is simply crazy, and you'd have to be souless, or a redneck to not be feelin that song. The rest of the album is pretty thorough too. I'd recomend this album to folks who listen to quality hip hop, you can't go wrong with a disc full of Rjd2 beats.

I think that this album is great in some ways, and yet falls short in others. Ace and RJ are amazing artists in their own rights, and together on an album they shine bright. But what falls short is sometimes songs get repetitive. Mostly the lyrics and sometimes the beats. The hooks range from somewhat tight to just plain annoying. This is a sort of solid release that everyone should check out because it is tight, but don't expect anything groundbreaking. Most of the songs have a commercial feel to them, as I am not an Ace fan I do not have a grasp of what his other albums sound like. I am a huge fan of RJ and these beats on this album are tight, but don't really compare to his solo stuff or Soul Position.

This album I feel like has a lightweight feel to it. It is atmospheric and has some atmospheric sounds produced by RJD2 it is not a bad album but it could have been better. He does not go on a real huge Lyrical Joyride nore our the beats soundscapes but it does provide some entertainment value to it as at times it can sound a little fluffy and Harpish. If I were to download several sons I would choose:Supahero, A Beautiful
Mine and Heaven you will not be blown away but it's good stuff.