Customer Reviews

Tarantula

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

This album is probably Mystikal's second or third best album, but sad to say...its wack. Yes Mystikal rips the mic on almost all of his guest appearances...but on his albums he lacks the beats to match his voice an flow. "Bouncin Back" is a good song but after that the cd runs outa fuel rather quickly. Even Juvenile showin up and providin a beat on this album cant save it. The beats by the Neptunes & Medicine Men fall short as well. Which is why this album is below average. If Mystikal could ever find the "RIGHT" production then he would be cool. But it dont look like that will happen anytime soon.

For fans of Mystikal's past album, "Let's Get Ready", this album is not a disappointment. "LGR" was a great album, and "Tarantula" tops it. With the help of the Neptunes on a few tracks, Mystikal shows that he's still at the top of the game. His raspy voice is his signature move, along with all of his sexual-pun/rhymes.

"Bouncin Back" is a great track, produced by my boys, the Neptunes, and features Pharrell on the chorus. One of the best songs put out by Mystikal next to 'Jump', and 'Shake Ya Ass'.
"Tarantula" follows next, and it's got a great beat. Mystikal flows nicely, and the addition of Butch Cassidy is great.
"If It Ain't Live It Ain't Me" has another great beat too, reminds me of something you'd drive too. Its got a great chorus too.
"Settle the score" is pretty boring song, but adding Juvenile is cool, but probably one of the worst Mystikal songs. It brings the album down.
"Pussy Crook" - may sound like a crap song, but it's pretty good. Got a good beat, and who else but Mystikal would call himself "the pussy crook"?
"Ooooh Yeah" - The second crap song on the album next too "Settle the score". Bad beat, but Mystikal does a good job rapping on it.
"Big Truck Driver" - A follow up to "Big Truck Boys"? Not too fond of this song, but it's got a cool bass line.
"Smoke One" - Has an R&B feel to it, which contrasts with the album in the perfect spot. A bit different from most of his other stuff, and he doesn't start rapping until 1:50 into the song, which is kind of annoying.
"Alright" - Sweet beat! Love the piano in the background. I also love the way Mystikal flows smoothy on this track. Great chrous too.
"I Get It Started" - I'm happy to see Method Man on this track, he's one of my favorite rappers, and him and Mystikal make a great pair. Heavy bass on this track, it's awesome.
"Paper Stack" - You can definatly tell that this track is Master P-produced, it sounds like a No Limit beat, and all of them sound the same. Shoonie Beezy? Who the heck is that?
"Go 'Head" - The best song on the album next to "Bouncin Back". The reason why it's great? Produced by the Neps again. I love Pharrell on the chorus, his voice is great contrast to Mystikal's raspy-ness. Mystikal proves he's one to mess with when him and the Neps collab.
"The Return" - Has a funk feel to it, which is strang comming from Mystikal. Shows that he can work with anything that he's given.

Overall, this was another great album put out by Mystikal. If you're a new fan of him, I suggest getting this album first, and then getting "Let's Get Ready". You won't be disappointed.

"Tarantula" is proof that Master P and No Limit might have made two very big miscalculations. The first one is obvious--they lost Mystikal, the best rapper they had or ever will have. The second error, while not as obvious, was probably more costly than the first. It sealed the doom of No Limit as a serious contender in rap music. What was this mistake? Well, they fired Beats by the Pound, the producers behind the No Limit jams we all used to love. Fortunately for us, KLC, O'Dell, and the other former Beats by the Pound producers stayed together under a new name--Medicine Men. The Medicine Men do most of the production on "Tarantula," and they do a hell of a job. The beats are booming, stinging, and creative. They work well with Mystikal's voice and style. The other producers on the CD are good too. In short, take "Shake It Fast" and make a whole CD like it, and you have "Tarantula". It's FUNKY--James Brown FUNKY!! Guest appearances include Redman, Method Man, and even Juvenile (the Cash Money exile). This is a great CD, and I'd encourage everyone to give it a shot. You'll definitely become a fan of Michael Tyler.

Mystikal used to be tight. When he was on No Limit, every appearance he had would have a rewindable quote. His flow used to be dope and he used to sound hungry. But after leaving Master P's No Limit, he has made mediocre music. Yes, he has become more famous now thanks to the Neptune's produced "Shake It Fast", but Mystikals music now is all about sex and screaming obnoxiously. Gone is the wit of his old albums. His new stuff just sounds like less inspired rehashed No Limit material. So while Master P has moved on in his music career, Mystikals has hit a new artistic low. Not worth your money...

Sorry because I'm French, so my american langague can't be very good. In France music is more important than lyrics because we can't understand everything. This album is very good Mystikal have a nervous flow and the music are excellent. So 5 Stars...

...this rapper clearly has rapping abilities unmatched in the rap world. Completely recognizable, it doesn't matter if his lyrics make sense because it is not what he is aiming for. Mystikal is almost an ANIMAL. he is here to be unadulerated intensity. He can rap at incredibly fast tempos and with unmatched rhythmic funk that his voice is an instrument of his own. Simple put, you must listen to his voice, not his words. Mystikal is an intense man.

I own 'Let's Get Ready' and 'Unpredictable' and I would have to say that this album compares favorably to those two. The beats are fresh and give Mystikal more of a New Orleans feel than in either of the other two that I have. "Tarantula" - the track on the album (#2) - is fantastic in my opinion, and blends the smooth, laid-back voice of Butch Cassidy singing the hook with Mystikal's rough, forceful vocals.

I waited a while to buy this CD and the reason for that was that I didn't see "Bouncin' Back" to be as good of a lead track as say "Shake It Fast", or some of his other lead tracks - perhaps similar to what you may be thinking. Rest assured though, that there is some depth to this CD. I'd say that there are a good 5 tracks that you'll like, depending on who you are, and another 5 you'll think of as average or slightly above.

The vocals get slightly repetitive. Although I respect Mystikal a lot, his constant womanizing theme does grow a little tired after a while. A little versatility is added by some cameos by Cash Money's Juvenile in "Settle the Score" - another fine track - and the buddy combo of Method Man and Redman on "I Get it Started". However, if you are a hard-core vocals kind of person, you definitely want to set your sights elsewhere.

The beats, however, do not get repetitive. While I do sense sort of a jazzy theme, that does not at all detract from the variety of paces of the beats, as well as the way each fits its particular set of vocals. This seems a totally new sound from Mystikal, and while I sense a slight connection to 'Let's Get Ready' - that's just Mystikal evolving as an artist (even if the evolution doesn't include lyrics). Basically put, the beats are good.

So, while this CD is by no means perfect and I wouldn't put it in the top three releases from 2001, it is worth a look if you are a fan, or if you like 'Bouncin Back' or 'Tarantula' on the radio or TV. I'd say a more accurate rating is about 3.5 stars, but I'd put this closer to three than four.

wasnt what i was expectingg,i would rather give it 2 and a half,but i cant,so just think of this rating as 2 1/2

O.k. Mystikal's latest cd is not as good as his others to me but its not that bad. His first three cd's were all tight but this one (along with Lets Get Ready)is missing his unique gansta type flow, which most rappers couldn't compare to. When i bought this album i was hoping he went back to his thugin style of rap that put him up in the industry but instead he has strayed even more to pop music and leaving the smooth gansta beats a thing in the past. overall the cd is iight and it is growing on me. If u are a big fan of club party songs then u should buy this album. But if u are a fan of fast lyrics over tight gansta beats maby u should keep this one out of your mystikal collection and get a old one u might not have yet like, Mind of Mystikal or Unpredictable now those are some tight cd's.

This album is pretty good, but not as good as Mystikal's other albums. My favourite track is definitely "Tarantula" Featuring Butch Cassidy. Most of the other tracks aren't anything special though. If you're a big Mystikal fan it's probably worth getting, but don't expect it to be as good as his other albums.