Customer Reviews

Re:Release

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

 

 

Breezly Brewin may have single-handedly changed the way I think about Hip-Hop. For those of you that don't know, Breeze is the front man from the Juggaknots, an MC who ranks up there with the best of all-time (make no mistake about this). He does it all with intelligent rhymes, a complex and unorthodox rhyme scheme, and the smoothest of flows. And that's not even the half.
It's incredibly difficult to talk about hip-hop other than adhering to the conventions of describing it in terms of flow, subject matter, etc. This album, and all of the Juggaknots' music, makes those bars that they normally rank hip-hop albums with look straight up silly. To reduce their music to production value, rhymes and cuts takes everything good out of it. There's something in them, unmistakably, but it doesn't amount to nearly half of what this group accomplishes.

Some of my favorite lines:

"But hard rocks become rock hard with rigor mortis/ and respect is the commandment the divine trigger taught us..."

"To inspire thought to the mic, there was marriage cause the competition, Verbal mis/carriage of the mental fetus, greet us with the rugged rhythm that I'm showin/ I think I feel my water break and thus I'm flowing..."

"I seen honey, and yo, I tried to hide the bulge, I'm thinkin of indulgin in an all-out makin', call out Breezly Brewin session of the flesh, and as this matter was discussed, this lust/expressed through my reasonin' would help in seasonin' that rump roast. Gassin up the blunt, most incredible, edible vision with precision -- had her fiendin' for incision."

The album is loaded with classics. On "I'm Gonna Kill U," Breeze delivers perhaps one of the best lyrical songs ever in hip-hop. There's the original title piece, "Clear Blue Skies," a dialogue between a son and his racist father that still strikes a chord with its "vision of perfection", the "clear blue skies". Intelligent, beautiful, political, amazing...this album is out there so buy it.

"So that's your vision of perfection; that's your clear blue skies, through those clear blue eyes, which seem to make you think you're better. But instead of simply sinking/ to the level of your thinking, I'll be ghost..."

One of the most incredible albums from an era when hip hop was actually good. This album ranks as my second favorite album behind Yeshua and SIah DaPoed's EP, get this album for Breeze's incredible lyrical style and rhymes. Not only is he mad talented he is also a real cool cat I met him at Fat Beats where he was working. This is one of the illest albums ever unless you are a fan of corny Hot 97 rotations or are pumping Right Therre or Lumidee in your car SUCKER!!!

Check it,
This Album is one of the reasons why i love Hip Hop so much,
Breeze Brewin is a SICK MC, saw them live at Forum too, Breeze Brewin isnt as good as a freestyler as he once was but they rocked it like their was no tomorrow. Anyway back to the album, Starts off with one of my fave Hip Hop tracks of all time 'Trouble Man' this is hardcore Hip Hop how i like it, Buddy slim and Brewin Own this bangin beat, 2nd verse by Brewin on here is a contender for THE best verse i have heard Ever.
'to the mic their was verbal miscarriage of the mental fetus greet us with the rugged rhythm that im showing, i feel my water breaking thus im flowing, timing my contractions concentrating on my breathing heaving..'
I aint gonna go on cos i aint got the time, but other tracks like 'You gotta do one of these songs' 'Loosifa' 'Epiphany' 'The Circle 1 & 2' and all da others to be honest have beats and rhymes so sweet, so hardcore, and brimming with skills.
Its one of the albums i truly put 10/10,
in my mind anyway along with Wu Tang 36 Chambers, Main Source Breaking Atoms, Artifacts Wrong Side Of the Tracks, Nas Illmatic, Gravediggaz Ni@@amortis, The Pharcyde's Bizzare Ride, Souls Of Mischief 93 til Infinity, Jedi Mind Violent by Design, Smif n Wessun Dah Shinin, Black Moon Enta Da Stage. ATCQ Low End Theory, Organized Konfusion.. Etc...
Along these lines of Quality Hip Hop Juggaknots fit there so easily among the top 3.
Also Check the sophomore 'Use Your Confusion' to hear more of the sister sibling Queen Heroine too. Its a good Lp but not as Classic as 'Clear Blue Skies'

Definately worth buying. my best recommendation on amazon infact.

Peace!

The triumphant return of a lost classic! This is one of very few albums that hits you as soon as you press play, and keeps you hitting the rewind button. Now, I could easily sit here for days trying to convince you why this is some of the best material ever to be brought back for hiphop fans, but you need to listen to this album to truly appreciate it's brilliance.
The Juggaknots are made up of the frontline Mc; Breezly Brewin (one of the most underrated Mc's), his little sister heroine and last but not least buddy slim on the boards (who also establishes his presence on the mic a few times too). Now, anybody who knows Breezly brewin will know that he is not only known best for his unorthodox rhyme style but also for his ability to tell vivid stories so well that he is actually considered one of the best to do it, up there with slick rick. A perfect example of this, is track 20 on this album (bonus track), where he portrays the conversation between a a white son who has a black girlfriend and his white Dad. Considered, to be one of the most important hiphop songs ever made, highlighting the issue of segregation of race in America, it sets a standard so high it would result in, for another group, their album seeming inconsistent and one-track based. Make no mistakes, Clear Blue Skies is one of the most consistent hiphop albums you can buy. Now, considering 11 of the 20 tracks were made back in the mid 90's, you would expect that typical NY hard hitting bass and dominating drum pattern that keeps your head nodding. Not here, Well, it definately keeps your head nodding but buddy slim blesses breezly with some of the most elegant piano loops, jazz breaks and addictive samples you will ever hear... resulting in each track having its own memorable individuality.How hiphop used to be. Whether it be the loungin' vibe you get from "loosifa" or the raw hardhitting feel you get from "trouble man", you can bet there is a track for every occassion. Now, aside from the amazingly fresh beats and the thought provoking lyrics there is something about the Juggaknots and their music that words can not describe. They give off an x-factor that, for me, no other hiphop group posess. Clear Blue Skies is as an album that any TRUE hiphop fan can not ignore, it has done wonders for me see what it does for you! PEACE P.S. this album is actually OOP now, so it will be tricky to find (but its worth it!)

Lyrics - 10/10
Beats -10/10
Originality - One of the most original yet, up there with Bizarre Ride II
Replay Value - 10/10
X Factor - IT has it!

If you found this helpful, check out my other reviews

The rewind button was made for emcees like Breeze Brewin. When he is in the zone he can rhyme with the best of them. The punch lines are extremely witty ("deeper than a hooker strictly boning seven footers" - Epiphany and "The only L's that I'm catching are the ones that I'm puffin'" - Jivetalk). Breeze Brewin is extremely clever and also a fine narrator as proven with songs like "Loosifa". He is somewhat of a thinking mans artist because his messages are substantive and require repeated listens to pick up on certain meanings because of his penchant for deep metaphors and alliteration. One gripe that people may have is that Brewin lacks flavor as if his voice is enveloped in monotony. His energy remains constant and doesn't change, during the course of the album. You won't find any emphasis on evoking emotions through vocal inflections, however, what Brewin lacks in flavor he makes up for in lyricism. The emotion is generated through what is being said rather than how it's being said. This emotionalism is no more apparent than on the albums centerpiece "Clear Blue Skies". This is one of the most conceptual records you will find. Breeze Brewin assumes the role of two characters. One character that he plays is a young white teen boy who is dating a black girl. The other character is the young white teen boys father who is bigoted against his son dating a black girl. It is a tale that rings all too true in an era where many are trying to move away from racial tension, as opposed to race mixing. This is an album that underground Hip Hop fans rave about and it is easy to see why.

I nearly set fire to my Jugganots LP pressing that needle on it so long You could slide a penny between the grooves, but years later I was the first to buy the Clear Blue Skies album and extras finally released on CD. Riding away listening to it with a girl friend of mine who digs good music said "On the real, this is exactly what hiphop is. It's so clean and so fresh and was expected to be a force to reckon with if they could have followed up their releases and guide it by their own hands. I can't comment on the 2nd recent "release" just yet, but I'm hoping to see some of the connect between these guys I used to know and what they're givin me now.

This is an outstanding album. Breezly Brewin's flows are super-smooth, grounded in clever braggadocio at times, and transitioning into amazing narratives the next. The beats produced by Buddy Slim for Breeze to flow over are complex enough to keep the listener hooked after repeated plays, yet subtle enough to let Breeze do his thing and own each beat. Heroine is also an accomplished emcee, but allowing Breeze to do the bulk of the rapping on the cd, while she as well as Buddy Slim kill it on several tracks, was the right choice.

This is a gem that will smack you in the face from the very first full-length track, Trouble Man, and continue to amaze you until the last bar.

one of the hottest cd's most people never heard. production and rapping is at its peak on this classic album

The day I stop spinnin this disc is the day The Brewin drops a whack verse (hint - it'll never happen).

Breeze Brewin doesn't put out a lot of material but everything he has ever done has been nothing short of mind blowing.

Eventhough, like other "backpacker" rappers, he lays down some wordy abstract verses with a rhymescheme from pluto - he somehow still has the polished sound and musical vibe of any platinum artist. Amidst the more subtle cleverness he also spits some classic clever punchlines that even Eminem finds suitable to bite (like kickin' pregnant women in the stomach).

Brewin as an emcee's emcee. Actually he takes it one step further, he's an emcee's emceee's emcee. It just don't get better than this, kids. Oh and don't think for a sec he's spittin over whack beats. Buddy Slim certainly earns his keep producin beats that are worthy of sharing your ear space with The Brewin's rhymes.

Peace to the 'knots and I'm out!

Juggaknots' "Clear Blue Skies" (a.k.a "Re:Release") epitomizes bothe the good and the not-so-good aspects of underground hip-hop. The lyrics are several grades above the crap you hear on the radio, with witty turns of phrase bending and flowing every which way on every track. The emotions expressed are genuine and honest, with clearly no focus groups or label heads pulling it towards rap cliches. However, the production is gloomy and repetitive, and over the course of an album it all blends together into a sort of grayish blob. There are definitely some highlights: "Clear Blue Skies" tells a heart-rending story, "Trouble Man" skillfully uses a John Coltrane sample to communicate a feeling of low-lying menace, and the all-too-short "Watch Ya Head [Remix]" serves as a showcase for Breezly Brewin's considerable rhyme skills. But c'mon guys, how about mixing it up occasionally with a few hard-hitting lively jams, in the spirit of Breezly's radio appearance on "Up at the Stretch Arrmstrong WKCR Radio Show"? Just because you can dance to it doesn't mean it's not art.