Customer Reviews

Port Authority

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I just want to clarify a couple things. I give this album a 4.5 because I don't like handing out fives like everyone else on this site. Also, it takes a lot for me to review an album, this is only my 2nd (check the resume), but when I heard this tape, I went nuts.

I first heard of MP back on Boot Camp's "The Last Stand", the track "He Gave His Life" was straight up banging. When I saw that MP was putting out a joint I check it out, when I saw that Masta Ace, OC, Kool G, & Kardinal (too name a few) were up on it, I almost cracked the case to get to the disc.

Lets remember MP is just a producer so we have to analyze this cd from a beat perspective. In the source they say a rapper has to do something new to get five mics. Well MP finds a great blend of soul with cuts. Don't get me wrong DJ Premier is one of the best to ever do it, but he just cuts, 9th is also one of my favorites, but he just brings straight soul. MP brings both, for that reason you gotta peep this cat. "Yeah I said it", I mentioned this new producer in the same sentence as 9th and Premier, that is what I think of him (or at least with the same potential). The real heads who understand my language are in their car already on the way to their local record shop.

The MCs on this album kill! OC and Masta Ace are two of the most underrated in the game, but my favorite is "All My Love" ft. Jayshaun. His first verse is one of the best I have heard in the last 5 years and believe the kid when I say I have listen to a lot of albums. So at this point I give you a quotable, but instead I am going to leave you hanging. Go cop this, the cat is a carnivore!

Man, I've really been worried lately with all this new (c)rap coming out. Where has hip hop really gone? This album really feels good to listen. It makes me feel that maybe good Hip Hop is coming back. Masta Ace, OC, Ed OG, Kev and Ken, Large P.... the list just keeps going on and on. What an incredible line up. This CD is for real hip hop heads. Beats, rhymes.... and with more albums coming out soon like Rakim, Common, Cormega, etc... maybe Hip Hop is rising again?

MARCO POLO COMES CORRECT ON HIS DEBUT LP "PORT AUTHORITY". EACH ONE OF THE BEATS ON THIS ALBUM HITS HARD AND GETS RIGHT TO THE POINT. "NOSTALGIA" WITH MASTA ACE IS ABSOLUTELY TIMELESS, CLASSIC BEAT, AND SPEAK SOFTLY NOW, HAS A GREAT SAMPLE TO RIDE OUT TOO. OVERALL ITS JUST A FLAT OUT GREAT REAL HIPHOP ALBUM THAT U CAN PLAY ALL THE WAY THROUGH AND FEET LIKE U GOT 100 PERCENT OF YOUR MONEY'S WORTH AT THE END.

GREAT JOB MARCO!

i'm a big fan of this album. marco is on point throughout. if you like old school hip-hop, you'll like this. no r&b pop nonsense.

Awesome start to finish. I love when producers put out albums with nothing but All-Stars on them. Well worth the money! OC's intro is better than most rappers' songs!!

its sad to say but some of the best albums of 2007 come from producers, but this is dope and one of the best albums in my collection. i mean dudes from canada, home of the best producers in the game.

1. Intro - NA - dont even bother playing this

2. Get Busy - 5/5 - dope song, sharp lyrics, dope scratches. its just a great way to start an album. get copywrites other music because its always dope.

3. Marquee - 5/5 - favorite cut from the album. love everything about it. i been a fan of OC sence i first heard Jewelz. one of the most over looked MC's proves again and again why hes one of the greats. D.I.T.C.

4. War - 4/5 - ok the beats hot. the verses are better then i thought they could be when kardinal is rapper. but the hook just doesnt flow right. i love the changes he talking about in the game of hip hop but it just doesnt sound right at points.

5. Nostaligia - 5/5 - talking about hip hop, future and present everyone needs to hear this song its a classic from a juice crew legend. the beat is amazing, lyrics are dope, cuts sound like some dj premier type music. i was amazed when i heard this song on much music.

6. Wrong One - 5/5 - been a fan for wordsworth from a long time and this is that track i love to play before i freestyle. this track gets you pumped. one of my favorite beats of the last few years.

7. Low Budget - 3/5 - the flaw is this feels to long its not like a wu tang clan song where you can have all these dudes rapping. still worth a listen but its not one i had on replay but still gets respect when compared to the other music coming out.

8. Speak Softly - 5/5 - never heard of this rapper but i was impressed but this track. come on fellaz we can all relate to at least one part of the song.

9. Time & Place - 5/5 - long time fan of EdO.G and this is a good song for new fans because it shows if ability. i really hope these to make some more music in the future.

10. The Radar - 5/5 - Another classic i loved the scratches and the beat. large pro the legend kills it just like it was 1990.

11. All My Love - 5/5 - and deep song that should make so of you think about your past growing up with struggle. its dope love the samples and beat.

12. Lay It Down - 5/5 - takes me back to 1988 i love this beat and could listen to it over and over again. but it you dont love oldschool you might think this track is annoying. i loved it.

13. Go Around - 5/5 - long time fan for black moon and its nice to hear buckshot on some mellow tip. i loved this track and you still get the black moon feel on the hook/ DUCK DOWN.

14. Hood Tales - 5/5 - kool g rap has yet to fall of this song sounds like something off of roots of evil. i love this track g rap kills very verse. the perfect song.

15. Heat - 4/5 - the beat has high and low points. at times i feel like im listening to some swollen members or somthing like that. lyrics not that dope when compared to others but the scratches are dope. WATCH THE MICROPHONE BURN.

16. Rollon - 4/5 - real smooth, nice song to sit back to but not grimy enough for me. love sadat x he kills it.

17. For The Future - 3/5 - not a bad song it just boring i mean the beats dope it just moves slow, but has a few dope parts. i could see some fans loving this song.

18. Relax - 3/5 - love female rappers but this dosent work. sounds oldschool, but not golden age.

On the intro to Marco Polo's 2007 album "Port Authority," he announces "They say you're only as good as the people you surround yourself with...and that I do believe, you know what I mean?" This statement proves much more ironic than Marco knows.

Before buying this album, I was only vaguely familiar with the Toronto producer, mostly from his work with Masta Ace on A Long Hot Summer. The incredible list of guest rappers made me want this album. From a lyrical standpoint, this would be a producer's dream, having such legends as Large Professor, Masta Ace, Sadat X, O.C., Ed O.G., and A.G., as well as young underground rappers like Kardinal Offishall, Kev Brown, Ken Starr, and Wordsworth, on a debut album. As you'd expect, they don't bring their absolute bests, because these are all guest appearances, but you couldn't ask for any more from these guys. They bring clever lyricism and concepts to an album, and in that respect it brings back memories of these type of dream-team collaborations from the nineties.

Problem is, Marco doesn't make the kind of show-stealing beats that would normally warrant a producer's solo album. When a producer makes a solo album, I'm expecting the type of grabbing, show-stopping production like I've seen on Pete Rock, Jay Dee, No I.D., and DJ Jazzy Jeff's solo releases. On those producers' albums, they bring the same kind of big-name collaborators, but the spotlight never leaves the production. This is not the case on "Port Authority." Marco Polo doesn't really wow you with any beats here. There are some good beats, but not too many great ones. Too often, his beats are very repetitive, electronic, sparse, and even boring. There is also some definite filler material, on a tracklist that is a lengthy 18 tracks long, and almost every track is well over four minutes. It's too long. He gets outshined by the MCs on almost every song, and while it's expecting a lot for a young producer to stack up with legends, it's quite noticeable. The lack of creative and interesting beats is a problem.

After the intro, the album begins with the solid "Get Busy," a Copywrite collabo with a beat that sounds early Wu-Tang-esque, with winding violins and piano. I was excited to hear O.C. on "Marquee." While the beat's a little too repetitive, O.C. does a nice job like always and I like this song. A typically energetic Kardinal Offishall spits some nice verses on "War," but once again, I feel like Marco gets outshined on this track, the beat is pretty average. I like the single "Nostalgia" with the legendary Masta Ace. The beat to this song sounds just like the beat to the Masta Ace song "Soda & Soap" from A Long Hot Summer, but Ace's verses set this one apart, this song is very memorable. Wordsworth shows up for the okay "Wrong One," and the posse cut "Low Budget" is so called for its bare-bones beat, not the type you'd hope for on a producer's album, although the verses are all clever. I like Jo Jo Pellegrino's spot "Speak Softly," although it doesn't really stand out. Veteran Ed O.G. raps over a boring beat on "Time & Place," but his raps are substantial. One of my favorite rappers, Large Professor, shows up for "The Radar." His lines and concept is great, which is why I wish the beat was better, it's very average and forgettable. I had never heard of Jaysaun before "All My Love," but after hearing him here I know he is a rapper I will be looking out for in the future, because he provides the best guest appearance on the whole album. He tells an insightful and inspired story of a poor upbringing and struggles as a young biracial man. Unfortunately, I was not feeling this beat at all, the instrumentals sound uneasy and the vocal sample doesn't fit, the beat drags this song down a lot. "Lay It Down" is weak, a very repetitive and boring beat covered by monotonous verses from Rock Marciano. "Go Around" is by far the best song on the album. This has easily the best beat, a laidback, jazzy, and horn-driven number, and Buckshot's verses and great hook make this song very nice. Kool G Rap and D.V. Alias Khryst appear on the frenetic "Hood Tales," a pretty good song, and "Heat" featuring Supastition is also pretty nice. A very impressive crew of Brand Nubian's Sadat X, D.I.T.C.'s A.G., and the Beatnuts' JuJu rap on the decent "Rollin'." The beat on "For the Future" is creative, using a harp as the main instrumental. The album closes with "Relax," which is a cover of A Tribe Called Quest's classic "Electric Relaxation." As much as I love the original, truly one of my favorite songs, I have a hard time really loving this one because Marco didn't tweak the beat at all, nor did J. Davey significantly alter the lyrics. Nevertheless, it's hard to go too wrong when working on a classic of "Electric Relaxation"'s level, so it's a nice end to the album.

"Port Authority" impressed me in a way I didn't expect. Buying this, I was hoping for a producer's showcase, but this is definitely more of a rapper's show than the producer's. The star-studded guest list of legendary rappers makes for some good fun, but Marco's beats don't always. Marco is a solid producer, and I think he will continue to have a career as a low-profile beatmaker making music with talented lyricists. To join the company of the best producers in the biz, he will have to show more than he shows on "Port Authority." I recommend this album only to the more intense hip hop fans, because they will no doubt love hearing verses from O.C., Large Professor, Ed O.G., Masta Ace, and the other veteran rappers that grace Marco's beats, and the younger underground cats also do a nice job on the mic. But if you're looking a producer's showcase that features a similar guestlist, I'd steer you towards DJ Jazzy Jeff's recent release, The Return of the Magnificent, a really great and complete album with a similar concept.

overall this is an OK album

the beats are sicks but there are several skippable songs

You remember when you got that "feel"? You know the one where you were FLOORED when you heard an album. This is the album of 2007 that has given me that feeling. I was sold when I heard the Nostalgia / War 12" single; I knew this album was going to be dope. It didn't let me down. While the Masta Ace "Nostalgia" cut stands out as the feel good joint of the year, don't sleep on Large Professor's "The Radar", Supastition's "Heat", Kardinal Offishall's "War", Buckshot's "Go Around", and the sleeper pick, Jaysaun's "All My Love".

If you have lost faith in hip hop or are just looking for a slamming album, grab this one. It will make you remember why you liked the music in the first place.

Damn this album is bangin, I'm serious. Marco Polo really got a great line up of lyricists on this CD such as O.C., Kool G Rap, Buckshot, Masta Ace, Large Professor, Sadat X, A.G.,Ed OG and more. Also Marco's beats seem to be Influenced by The Beat Nuts and The Beatminerz so the album holds that boom bap sound. Even while i'm typing i'm listening and it is crazy! Because this really brings back classic classic 90's hip hop. From start to finish it really doesn't stop. The songs that stand out to me are "Marquee" "All My Love" "Time And PLace" "Nostalgia" awww forget the list all the songs are great in their own way. This album is so refreshing, it almost seems unreal.