Customer Reviews

Second Round's on Me [Vinyl]

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This album is much darker and grittier than the first one. The sound recording sounds intentionally analog-ish, deviating from that polished, big budget studio sound of the first album. If the idea was to capture the claustrophobic grainyness of the ghetto, then they've done it. Almost too well.

The sound is so seeped in grey-cloud moodiness that I had to stop it at one point and think pleasant thoughts of birds chirping and rivers running.

I mean, I liked the album. I guess. Or more accurately, I like Obie. I think he has a trademark voice and a presence that really could be better utilized. Obie doesn't have to be overshadowed by the remnants of people like Eminem and 50 Cent. His sharp voice and sometimes quick lyrics alone are capable of placing him among the A list artists. Talent is definitely not an issue. His rhymes are clever and so carefully crafted that I'm still finding new things on his old album. Already I've heard a few keeper lines on the new one.

So why does Obie and this album feel so B-listed?

I think it's memorability. There's nothing really memorable about this album. I mean, we're reminded by so many other rappers about this whole anti-snitch politic that there really is no reason to pay much attention when Obie is next in line to beat this dead horse. And the same goes with all the tough-talk songs like "Kill Me a Mutha" and "Violent" and "Average Man" and...wait! "Average Man" was from the last album wasn't it? Oh well... I think I see a pattern here.

Or not a pattern. What we're really seeing is marketing.

And that's what so depressing and defeating for a guy like Obie. With a good producer who can coach him on expanding his palette and subject matter a little bit, we might get more of songs like "Wake Up" which manage to be ghetto but a little more relevant and worth remembering.

Actually, I think the whole "bar" concept was a step in the right direction. They just never really completed the step. I thought "Cheers" with its irish green cover design, was kind of clever for a self-described "big lip" black guy. Right away, I thought I was buying a concept album that might use the bar as a background setting. Men love to talk sh** at bars, and the whole "Cheers" concept could have been the stage for Obie to tell some ghetto stories, but in a drunken fashion. And like all drunken stories they easily lend themselves to humor and exageration -- or just plain fiction! "Got Some Teeth" felt like it wanted to go there, but seemed transparent in its agenda to reach Em's audience.

Just the same, "Second Round's on Me" could have been a nice continuation of that concept. And if "Cheers" was the playful side of drinking, "Second Round" would have been the darker side. The tales told "at the bar" could be more self-reflective and regretful, like the songs "Mama" and "Obie's Story", which actually are the highlights of this album. The song "Mama" is, not lighthearted, but serve as the light and shade that every good album has. The song is produced by JR Rotem and has that 70's inner-city feel that matches perfectly with Obie's voice and vision. It airs out the album a little. And the last cut on this album, "Obie's Story" shocked the hell out of me, since it's so believable it's heartbreaking. And it's without a doubt one of the most ambitious songs I've heard -- the beat actually changes tone several times, oscillating from a childlike upbeat rhytm to aggressive and back to a celebratory optimism.

I'm not giving up on Obie. Of all of Aftermath/Shady's recent artist dispatch, Obie feels the most authentic to me. The Game put out a solid album with the Documentary, but his persona outside of the album seems uncertain. Busta is not convincing as a cocaine obsessed street hood, though sonically that album is one of the best I've heard. Obie, on the other hand is the least pretentious and actually seems like the guy you'd see rapping on the corner -- and you'd stop to listen to him. My advice is lets start a tab with Obie and tell the bartender to keep 'em coming. If he's smart, his next album will have JR Rotem as the exclusive producer, since he by far brings the most sophisticated tracks on here. Sooner or later Obie is gonna give hip-hop a classic album. I just hope it's not too late when he does it.

Obie Trice, a member of Shady Records, has released his sophomore effort, called "Second Round's On Me". His first album, "Cheers", released back in 2003, was a very promising debut. I loved that album, and I'm starting to like this one just as much as I like his first. Obie has definitely been through a lot this year. He was almost killed when someone shot him in a driveby in Detroit, and he also lost his cousin Proof (R.I.P.). So, I thought that Obie would definitely come with it on this album. I've been waiting for this for a long time, considering the release date was pushed back quite a few times. Well now it's finally out and it doesn't let me down at all.

After the intro, which is his mom yelling at him because he's selling drugs, the very first song is "Wake Up". I love this cut. He rhymes about how Black people need to wake up before society takes them down. Good track to start out with. "Violent" is next. Honestly, it's nothing special, but I like Obie's chorus and I like the beat by Eminem. Of course, it's about how he's violent. The next track, "Wanna Know", is the first track I heard from this CD a long time ago. This was on a certain video game's soundtrack but I can't remember which one. Anyway, I love this cut. The sample on the chorus is great. Obie's rhymes are on point as well. "Snitch" with Akon is a track I have mixed feelings about. One thing is, the whole "don't snitch" thing wasn't that good to begin with, and now it's played out. BUT, Akon's chorus is very, very catchy. It's hard to deny a song with Akon on the chorus (atleast with me it is). And the song sounds pretty good, despite the topic being too cliche. So it's actually an okay track. "Cry Now" is another cut that was released as a single (I think). I seen the video for it on IMF one day. The song is great. The beat by Witt & Pep is awesome, and Obie tells the haters they can cry now. "Ballad of Obie Trice" is nice too. Eminem made a beat that has an electronic voice saying "Ob-ie Trice" over and over again for the chorus, which I think is cool. "All of My Life" featuring Nate Dogg is a catchy song made for the ladies. It's kind of like a laid-back party track. I like the beat by Trell, and Nate Dogg's chorus is catchy, as always. "There They Go" is sort of like a Detroit posse cut, with Eminem and Trick Trick appearing. Everyone drops good verses, especially Eminem, and the production is good. Trey Songz drops a good chorus on "Mama", and 50 Cent stops by to give a decent chorus to "Everywhere I Go". "Obie Story" is probably the best song this album has to offer. It starts off with Obie telling how he was as a little kid, then to him slanging dope, and then his daughter being born and how he changed his life around. The production by Jonathon Rotem is excellent and so are Obie's lyrics. Perfect way to end the album.

The album does have a few duds as well. "Lay Down" isn't necessarily a bad cut, but Obie's flow doesn't match the beat that well. The song sounds a little off-kilter. "Jamaican Girl" falls flat, and is basically a filler song. "Kill Me A Mutha" is just another song in the same boat as "Violent" and "Lay Down". "Out of State", where Obie raps about how he's going to get his paper no matter what, is just another hustling track that fails to take off. "Ghetto" has a nice chorus by Trey Songz, but again, the concept is worn out. There's been way too many "this is the ghetto" type tracks and they get old after awhile. "24's" is another done-to-death song. Who cares what his rims are sitting on? I don't. Despite these drawbacks, the album is another solid one from Obie. I like that he doesn't overload his album with skits and that it doesn't play for much over an hour, as I think it only clocks in at 62 minutes. There are too many albums that have a whole 79 minutes worth of crappy music. I'm glad this doesn't.

Yes, the album may be a really dark album, but if I had been through what he's been through this year, my album would be dark as well. I still wouldn't say that this album beats Cheers, and I don't even think it's as good as Cheers, but it's definitely a good album. I think that on his next album, Obie needs to stay away from worn-out subject matter and topics in his songs so there won't be as much filler on his next album. Tracks like "Out of State", "Kill Me A Mutha", and especially "24's" don't belong on an Obie Trice CD. But all the good tracks this album has to offer override the bad ones. So all in all, Obie has made another good record. Nice lyrics and decent production make for a great listen. If you're an Obie Trice fan, you won't be disappointed by picking this up. I still recommend this to any one who likes Hip-Hop as well.

It really had slipped under my radar that Obie Trice was coming out with his second album this month. I hadn't really heard anything from him in awhile except for recently. It's been three years since his debut dropped which was an excellent effort! Cheers was a very enjoyable album with it's lighthearted humor, tales of things he'd been through, dis tracks and deep, painful songs. It was probably one of the more underrated albums of '03. Second Round's On Me didn't quite reach the level of Cheers after me first listen, but there is no sophomore jinx in my view either. It is still good listen. The CD starts off with what Obie talked about in his listen album with him and his mom, a skit that revisits that moment when his mom discovered the work he was selling and kicked him out the house. It leads into a track called Wake Up, which Obie challenges his people to wake up and realize what it is they want to do with their lives. Violent is a cool track, then after that you have Wanna Know and Snitch, which were the first two tracks I heard before the album. They have grown on me a lot. Wanna Know has a rock edgy feel to it as it samples from Van Halen and Snitch features Akon on the hook which made the song even tighter! Cry Now is probably one of the better tracks along with Ballad of Obie Trice and Jamaican Girl. After that, the album kind of tails off in the latter half. Maybe only a few songs that you can take out of there. The song with Eminem, Big Herk and Trick Trick is one of them as Obie and Em really work well together as they did on the first album. The track where Nate Dogg makes an appearance as okay for now. Everywhere I Go with 50 kind of caught me by surprise. When I saw the package, I figured it would be a violent song or a type of clubbanger beat to it. Not even! It's kind of slowed down off-pace beat on which at the end they talk of how thoughts change once you get a chance to step outside the hood and see other things. Pretty decent track! Obie's Story is probably the best on the back end. He tells his story from childhood when he was excelling in school to young adulthood with his being a drug dealer to growing up as a man and becoming a father which changed his whole demeanor and way of life into being a rapper. What makes even tighter is how they switched up the beat to match the points in the story. The beat starts off all happy-go-lucky with its upbeat feel, then goes into deep heavy bass and drum type deal where you can feel pain and anger of the beat and goes back again when he starts to talk about life with his daughter. Listen for yourself to see what I'm talking about. It was a very nice wrap-up. This album kind of strays away from Cheers as Obie tries to take it in another direction with the production he got, although he kind of stays with his first album in the aspect of going a bit deeper into his own life. I cannot give this album the level status of Cheers, but Obie keeps himself around with another good effort. Thanks for seconds!

Obie is a great rapper from Detriot and his sophomore album is no joke it is hard as hell and worth every penny you pay. I love the first single "Snitch" which a great collabration w/Akon and it has a great hook. Obie has a lot of personal songs on here and that is a step-up from the commercialized debut but that is my opinion I seen the other reviews and they think it is corny. Anyways this is a great album and if you are a rap fan than this is your album. BUY IT!

Obie Trice provides another solid album with his sophomore release "Second Round's On Me" (2006). The Detroit MC provides a relatively dark album, which has good track-to-track continuity. I noticed some other reviewers, saying they would like him to diversify his subject matter, and I basically agree with that. I would also like to see more variety in production. Having followed what his life has been like recently though (Getting shot on Freeway, friend Proof of D12 dying) it's no surprise that his rhymes be related. After the stellar Eminem produced "Wake Up" and thugged out "Violent", Obie provides a banger with "Wanna Know". The album's first single "Snitch" has Obie Trice teaming up with singer Akon for a distinct cut. Another album single has Trice collaborating with R & B singers Brick & Lace on "Jamaican Girl". Obie Trice collabs with Nate Dogg providing a decent party cut with "All Of My Life". Obie Trice, Eminem, Big Herc and Trick Trick provide a banger with "There They Go", everyone comes on point while repping their city. Another standout is "Everywhere I Go", 50 Cent laces the cut with a smooth chorus while Obie rhymes about his rise in the Rap Game. Obie Trice puts some heart into the album's closer "Obie Story" remembering his early days growing up with his mom, then hitting the streets and hustling, and then changing his life and pursuing his dreams to make it in the Rap game. Overall "Second Round's On Me" is an album worth checking out. 3.5.

Obie is back and hotter then ever he spits the flames. Ofcourse everyone has heard his single snitch which really is a great song and w/ Akon on the hook make sit even better. He reps Detroit with pride and he is the new replacement for Eminem when em finishes. No doubt 5/5

The first time I remember hearing about Obie Trice was on D12's Devil's Night skit where Obie lays down a preview verse of things to come. I was impressed and patiently waited for his debut album 'Cheers.' I got the album and I wasn't disappointed at all, it was a great album in almost every aspect. After the 'Cheers' hype died down, I couldn't wait until his new album. Finally, after all the push backs and delays, he release 'Second Round's On Me.' I'll have to admit that I was a little disappointed with the album, although it was very good, it was no 'Cheers.' I think the bar was set a little too high because of it, but it's not unusual for an artist to not surpass his debut with his later albums. However, Obie still delivers a solid album.

The album starts off with a pretty useless intro that he could've done without. It's just a little skit of his mother finding dope in his room and kicking him out of the house. That leads in to the first song "Wake Up" which is a great start to the album. He just lays down a long verse and a hook at the end. All the singles "Snitch," "Cry Now" and "Jamaican Girl" are great songs, it's a shame that MTV and other stations wouldn't play "Snitch" because of the content. The album didn't get much promotion because of this, and it's probably going to hurt his sales big time. Eminem does most of the producing for the album, and he does a nice job with that. My favorite songs are "Cry Now," "Everywhere I Go" and "Obie's Story." Most of the choruses are good but some could use some work. "Ballad Of Obie Trice" is a prime example of this, the chorus was annoying. All the guest appearances do an amazing job on the album, especially Akon on the "Snitch" chorus and Eminem's nasty verse on "There They Go." Obie shows off a variety of different flows on this album, it really shows his versatility. This album is definitely worth your money and you won't be disappointed. I would suggest it to any real hip hop fans and any fan of Shady/Aftermath/G-Unit records.

Obie Trice's sophmore album, "Second Rounds on Me" is probably the best album of 2006 by far. This album is one of those albums you can blast in your car or listen to on your headphones. I read a lot of the reviews and people feel the album is "dark" or depressing. This album is just a little more rugged than cheers. I don't see this album as "dark" at all. Songs like "Jamaican Girl" and "All of My Life" do not give the album a gloomy feeling. In fact, only a 1 or 2 tracks on the album will give you a depressing feeling. Songs like "Lay Down" or "Ballad of Obie". So if what you're looking for is a Britney Spears album, I'm sorry but you might want to keep looking through the shelves. If you're looking for an album that brings a gutter street presence with incredible lyrical talent and production, this is the album for you.

1. Intro
2. Wake Up 4/5 - Good song to start off the cd. I heard the base in my car and I had to pull over for a second. The beat is so pure and Obie's lyrics through flames on the song like a lot of other songs on the album, as you'll read on.

3. Violent 5/5 - Very strong chorus from Obie. This is a song where I think he lets some of his anger out from him being shot. Eminem's production is sick. One of the best songs by far.

4. Wanna Know 3.5/5 - Good song also. I think the guitar is too much though. Obie's lyrics really helped to save the song.

5. Lay Down 3/5 - This is one of the songs that give a gloomy feeling like I was talking about. The beat is very plain. If you really listen to it, it just sounds like snares. In my opinion, just an album filler.

6. Snitch 5/5 - First single off the album, and rightfully so. This song sticks out like a sore thumb (sorry for the cliche). Akon gives an amazing appearence with the chorus and produces the song as well. Obie did the track justice with his verses as well. Akon is very underrated.

7. Cry Now 5/5 - This is absolutley my favorite song on the album. This just shows us that Obie Trice is nothing but a beast. He showed so much energy in the song and gave it everything he had. You can tell in his voice.

8. Ballad of Obie Trice 4/5 - This is another dark song, but this one is really good. It's one of those songs you would listen to on a rainy day in my opinion

9. Jamaican Girl 4/5 - Very uptempo song. Brick n Lace makes a feature on the song by singing the chorus. They have very good voices and the beat went along great with Obie's lyrics (If you haven't figured it out, Obie's lyrical talent is a huge factor in why this album is so good)

10. Kill Me a Mutha - 4.5/5 What can I say, I'm a sucker for songs with "Scarface" samples. Song is catchy as well. Sounds like a song that would've have made it on "Cheers"

11. Out of State - 3/5 Great beat with this song. I was a little worried because it was a little faster than Obie's regular flow but he kept with the beat. Shows us that he can switch up his flow and it could work either way.

12. All of My Life - Nate Dogg, , Obie Trice - 4/5 I like this song because of the westside feel that it brings. Nate Dogg is also another underrated artist on this album. Great hook that he gave.

13. Ghetto - Trey Songz, , Obie Trice - 3.5/5 Trey Songs really didn't bring much to this song. I'm sorry to all of his fans that are reading this, but I think he is just a poor R.Kelly impersonater. Again, it is Obie that saves the song.

14. There They Go - Eminem, , Obie Trice - 5/5 WOW!!!! This song is absolutley incredible. Obie Trice and Big Herk destroy this song with their solid lyrics. Eminem just slaughtered the track with his verse. Very tight song. They should make a video for it.

15. Mama - Trey Songz, , Obie Trice - 4/5 This is the better of the two songs with Trey Songs. Obie gets personal on this one and thats why I like it.

16. 24's - 4/5 I think every rapper in the world has made a song about 24's once in their career. But I liked this from Obie. Has a gangsta feel to it.

17. Everywhere I Go - 50 Cent, , Obie Trice - 4.5/5 I was kind of hoping for a verse from 50 but the song still came out good. Again, Obie's lyrics are untouchable.

18. Obie Story - 5/5 Great song because, again, Obie gets personal and tells parts of his life. Very genius in changing the beats when he tells a sad part of his life from a happy part of his life.

Again, I would reccomend this album to any rap fan. Def the album of the year so far.

Alright, first off let me address the topic that Obie sophomore album, "Second Round's On Me", is not better than his debut, "Cheers". Don't get me wrong, Cheers was a great album, one that i also rated 5 stars. However, over these past couple of years since, Obie has gotten better in flow, delivery, and overall lyrical skill.
You know what i think, i think obie and the whole aftermath management f***'ed up when they decided that "Got Some Teeth" should be Obie's debut single. They put out one of the worst songs on that album. There were so many other choices. That is why he is not in the mainstream of hip-hop right now. However he does deserve it. He already had 3 singles shown on tv before the cd came out, all of which are great songs... Jamaican Girl, Cry Now, and Snitch. All 3 of these are definitely worthy of airplay of both tv and radio. Obie doesnt get that though, he gets his loyal following from those who bought and liked his first album. He is not that well respected as an artist because of that.
However, Second Round's On Me is one of the best albums I've heard in a while, probably since The Carter 2. I think the highlight of the album is of course, song 18... "Obie's Story".
He starts off... "It's such a beautiful thing, being raised by a woman thats a queen// with big dreams for the youngest sibling// O couldnt do no wrong, according to report cards Obie brought home//" He then shows how the environment around him changes him, and that, coupled with his father leaving turns him into a soldier... "Now a ni**a's out in the streets// Two Nickel-plated 38's on me// Cant stay away from beef//" Then he finally has a baby girl and it once again changes his life... "Had to slow my roll//Plus my PO's got a ni**a pissin in a bowl// Lower my temperament, cuz i see such innocence when i look in Kobe's Pup-ils//"
The Cd is great, not just that song, but almost every one. I've been bumpin it in my car ever since i got it... something i couldnt necessarily do with the first one. My advice, go get it, its unbelievable.

this is definitely one of the top cd's to come out this year if not the best. the cd is strong beginning to end in every way. the beats are incredible and as far as im concerned obie is one of the most underrated rappers out there. his story telling abilities are second to none. i definitely recommend buying this cd. it's one that deserves the couple dollars, and im usually very harsh when it comes to that grading scale. you wont be disappointed.