Customer Reviews

School Was My Hustle

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This album reminded me of the mid-nineties new york hiphop I loved but after listening to it for a while, I realized something interesting--none of the rhymes related to gun slinging or drug peddling. It is refreshingly clever and accessible to life-long hiphop fans like myself who have no romantic ideas about crime and thug life. The beats are pure classic hiphop and the entire effect is an album that is endlessly listenable and wholly satisfying. Definitely one of the standout debuts of the year.

One of my co-workers let me hear this entire album on his Ipod. This group Kids In The Hall is quite talented, as two Ivy League School emcees come correct on this here. This album shows excellent lyrical skills comming from Naledge with this album "School Was My Hustle" from the resurrected Rawkus Records. "Don't Stop" and "Cruse Control" were some of my favorites from this album, although I believe every track here was dope. Double O's production has a lot of samples, and it can be heard in most of the songs, but it is still dope. If you did the group Little Brother, I highly recommend that you check these guys out. This album may not be distributed widely like other rap/hip hop albums, but if you come across this here, snatch it up. Peace! (Sorry for the short review)

Lyrics: A
Production: A
Musical Vibes: A+
Overall: A

I would have to agree with my man Norfeest's review in the sense of, nothing new is being brought to the table, either lyricswise or in production. They are by no means wack but not exactly standout acts. Naledge reminds me abit of Lupe Fiasco just not as complex or tight and Double O's production is Kanye West-esque but not as sharp or unique. The standout is "Wheelz Fall Off" b'cuz its a remake of sorts of Souls Of Mischief's "93 til infinity" which is one of my all time favourite songs. Its also a standout b'cuz this is the best example of beats and rhymes from the duo by far. Its a nice album overall but again like Norfeest's review said, you probabaly wont be rushing to play this again 5months down the line. Tracks like "Ritalin", "Ms. Juanita", "Hypocrite" and "Day by Day" are all good, the others are abit weaker and very unoriginal. Now let me reiterate this is by NO MEANS a wack album its definitely NOT the album its being made out to be. All this "best underground album" and "the ones to ressurect Rawkus" is off the mark so dont get caught up in the hype. Not a bad album as a debut with potential.

Kidz in the Hall definetly come correct. Fresh sounding beats, Dope lyricism, and good vibes. It's good to see some new cats representin Hip Hop the right way. If they contiue with records like this, I'm sure that they'll become one of the next best things. A++
Peace!

Back in the late-nineties, when Diddy and his gang of faux-Big Poppas were dominating the airwaves, a little label called Rawkus answered hip-hop's heads cries; they gave them dope music. Black Star's album was brilliant, and showed that you didn't have to do your best 2Pac/B.I.G. impersonation to get noticed in the game; something most emcees have still yet to learn. Classic solo debuts from Pharoahe Monch, Talib, and Mos Def also helped solidify the label as a major force in the game, and the largest independent hip-hop label; then, things started to crumble. Fast forward to 2006, and Rawkus are introducing new artists, hoping to find relevance in hip-hop again, and perhaps, even strike gold yet again.

Kidz In the Hall won't be the group to bring acclaim back to Rawkus, though. Naledge is no Talib Kweli, and Naledge is no Hi-Tek; while both are talented artists, they're not phenomenal, as some die-hard Rawkus fans would like you to believe; they definitely have untapped potential, and talent, but as we speak, both of these individuals have a long way to go before they master their craft. Most of the hip-hop debuts found throughout 2006 were more about potential than they were about current quality, though, and Naledge and Double-O join Rhymefest as rookies who can go nowhere but up in the industry.

But, are their current incarnations talented enough to warrant purchasing this album? Honestly, I can't answer that. There's nothing on this album you haven't heard; from the flows, to the rhymes, to the beats. While they both have a lot of room for improvement, that's virtually their key-assett; as of now, there's little difference between them and the kids you know that kick freestyles on the playground. Naledge may claim that school was his hustle, but he doesn't exactly put his Ivy League education to great use on this album; lyrically, it's fair, but again, it's nothing you haven't heard before from a generic conscious emcee; and yes, those exist. Naledge's flow is also lacking many elements.. while he's technically sound, he sounds no different than the average Chi-town emcee, except he lacks many of their distinguished personalities. Lupe, Kanye, and 'Fest are still on top of Chi for a reason, whether you dislike them because of their commercialism or not.

Double-O often sounds like a novice Just Blaze. Now, don't get me wrong, I love Just Blaze; he's one of my favorite producers. However, without Blaze's polish, and soul-chopping techniques, Blaze's production would be rather lackluster; and unfortunately, that's exactly what Double-O's is. While this maybe an independent release, the sound quality on the most of the production is pretty embarrassing, and hinders this release; much like his emcee counterpart, Double-O is technically sound, but he lacks anything that sets him apart from the pack.

These two maybe Ivy League students, but after hearing School Was My Hustle, you'll be inclined to go back to the College Dropout. The concept's been done, and much better; it's not even really in effect in this album. Both Kidz have a lot of potential, but they're only average at the moment, and lacking character. Bottomline is, Kidz In The Hall's debut is worth checking out, but not much beyond that. Recommended if you want a brief glimpse of the future, but you'd probably be better waiting for a Sophomore effort(which, if released on Rawkus, may never see the light of day).

Anyone that knows me knows that early 90's hip hop is what I live for...especially '94. I bought this album months ago because of the (misleading) reviews and I've been somewhat disgruntled with and disappointed in this album, so I figured I'd give folks a heads up before they made the same mistake. I was gonna ignore this album and not review it until I read the previous review. Unless you can remember cats biting Jay Z's flow over B level production back in '93 - '96, I'd have to say that this sounds nothing like the golden era stuff. Anyone who says otherwise was probably just getting into rap in '00. Here's an off the wall idea: Let's quit trying to heap all kinds of praise and accolades on this group and let them actually earn them. Bottom line: the rhymes are decent, but they aren't saying much and the production is decent but nothing out of this world like you're being told. You've heard it before, trust me.

There are some positives though. "Wheelz Fall Off (06' Til)" is easily my favorite. Not because of the rhymes but because "93 'Til Infinity" is one of the best beats I've ever heard in my life (I use the original instrumental as theme music....no, seriously, I do) and I'm a sucker for any incarnation of it. Outside of that, and a few nice beats here and there, I found a large amount of this album pretty much forgettable. Ask yourself, will you be reaching for this album 5 months from now? Probably not.

School Was My Hustle is a solid, though somewhat uneven, release from the the Kidz. I think some underground heads feel compelled to say this is great even though it's just okay. Don't let the little razor blade logo dictate to you whether you should like it or not. These are average lyrics over above average production. If I'm being honest, I'd have to say that this sounds like plain pop rap by an act that couldn't get signed by Pharrell. Again, don't let that razor blade logo fool you... I recommend downloading this album and testing it out before you actually pay for it.

Standout Tracks: Wheelz Fall Off (06' Til) (My Favorite)

This CD is okay. I really like the single "Til the Wheels Fall Off". I'd put this cd in the same category with Kanye West as far as its sound. Most of the tracks are fairly mellow.

Welcome back to the world, hip hop-- this album is for all the fans that remember listening to Lyricist Lounge CDs years ago, and smiling every time they heard a De La Soul beat or listened to a Black Star line for the second or third time- only then figuring out the trick, the pun, the joke, or why it all sounded so damn good. One of the few hip hop releases in a long time whose lyrics and beats both match up to eachother on every track. Take a close look at the album cover graphics-- the #2 pencils, grid paper, calculators, but also dice, girls, and stereos-- and this'll give you a good idea of what to expect from a HUGELY satisfying debut: sharp, on-point lyrics worth multiple listenings (something you can't say about most hip-hop these days), mixed with crazy well-crafted rhythms and beats that could equally stand on their own as instrumental versions. When's the next album coming, cause i'm waiting...

Simply put, this was one of the best hip-hop albums I've heard in a while. While maybe not as lyrically adept as Ghost or the Clipse (the other two stellar 2006 hip-hop releases) the combination of beats and rhymes had me pining for the summer of '94.

One listen to "Go Ill" should confirm this which has a floating melody reminiscent of other early 90's production from groups like the Digable Planets.

Speaking of production, while the beats for the most part are slammin' (skip Ms. Juanita however) you get the feeling that Rawkus (who are issuing their "rebirth" with this release) didn't have the budget to really shore up the mixing as sometimes they just don't bang like they perhaps should.

Nevertheless tracks like "Ritalin," "Wassup Jo," "Wheelz Fall Off," which uses the beat from the SOM's "93 Till Infinity" and "Dumbass Tales" pack a good punch sonically. (Also, check for an all too familiar beat that's been used by Just Blaze lately.)

MC Naledge does DJ Double O's tracks justice with a tight yet not overly imposing flow and shows he's equally adept and punch-lines and stories (see "Hypocrite.")

While Rawkus has lost some of their torch-bearers from their previous incarnation (Mos Def, Talib etc) "School Was My Hustle" is a great way to hit the "reset" switch.

ijust bought the cd today and i really enjoyed the songs. I like the song don't stop, it has the same sample as show me what you got thats by Jay-z. Double O is a pretty creative prodcuer, he has a different style. Listen to this cd at least and get a taste of Naledges' lyrics. He's a real MC, and he has a tendency to say big words that he learned in college.