White People (Clean) [Clean]

Handsome Boy Modeling School | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 9, 2004)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Clean
• Label: Elektra / Wea
• ASIN: B00066VUPW
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (35 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #464,413 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Intro

2. If It Wasn't For You

3. Are You Down With It

4. The World's Gone Mad

5. Dating Game

6. Breakdown

7. It's Like That

8. I've Been Thinkin'

9. Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2

10. The Hours

11. Class System

12. First...and Then

13. A Day in the Life

14. Greatest Mistake

15. Outro

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

After a five-year hiatus, superstar producers Prince Paul (De La Soul) and Dan the Automator (Gorillaz) join forces again, assembling an even more eclectic and arguably more rewarding sequel to 1999's So… How's Your Girl? Most producer-based albums suffer from guest overload, and certainly Handsome Boy has a challenge in juggling over 25 different cameos, ranging from Del Tha Funkee Homosapien to Barrington Levy to Pharrell Williams to Cat Power to John Oates to… you get the idea. Yet they thrown down with such creative aplomb that you're just thankful to have a ticket for the ride. The vibe jumps from the soulful slide of "Breakdown" (feat. Jack Johnson) to the high-powered hip-hop of "If It Wasn't for You" (feat. De La Soul and Starchild Excalibur) to the indescribably dense "Rock and Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This) Part 2," which includes DJ Qbert, Lord Finesse, and Linkin Park's Mike Shinoda among other guests. There's so much to digest as Paul and Dan stock the album with a wide range of treats, and each listen reveals something new and delightful. --Oliver Wang

Product Description

White People, the 2nd album from Handsome Boy Modeling School, follows where "So...How's Your Girl?" left off. Bringing together all corners of the musical spectrum: hip-hop, rock, roots, alternative and even jazz, HBMS have put together a seamless cast of players that include: Mike Shinoda and Chester Bennington (Linkin Park), RZA, Jack Johnson, Alex Kapronos (Franz Ferdinand), Mars Volta, Pharell and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

86 of 91 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Apparently Not For Everybody, December 15, 2004

By 

Brian Seiler (Tomball, TX USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: White People (Mcup) (Audio CD)

I'll admit that I have no idea what all the people who don't like this CD were thinking. I suppose that means that I'm not such a good person to review it. Oh well--here's my position, anyway.

I'm sick of hip hop, and I'd wager that if you're looking at this review, you're probably at least a little sick of it yourself as well. Everything sounds the same and there's little or no thematic differentiation in the mainstream. It's boring. This album is the antithesis of that, which is both good and bad. Let's handle them one at a time.

On the good side, this is really a terrific effort at blending musical formats without paying any particular attention to genre or style. There are hip hop type tracks and there are soul/alternative/rock/whatever tracks, but there aren't a whole lot that stick in the realm of a single genre. In that regard, this CD is much more liberated than its (excellent) predecessor in that it roams far more freely across the musical landscape. Lyrically, on the hip hop side it looks as though the record has taken a step back (is it just me or is Del bored with everything that he doesn't produce these days?), but it's still not bad by any means, and the other contributions on the record (notable tracks--Breakdown and Class System) more than make up for it.

Of course, this feature also doubles as the record's primary downside. If you only like hip hop, you won't like this record. Don't even try it. If you bought Lovage and didn't like it, then you need to be very careful here. This album is a lot of things, but one thing it is not is a pure, direct, singular expression of hip hop. It wanders far too far over the musical map to be confined to that single genre. That can make the record seem aimless if you're looking for a more focused or confined sound, and if that's the case, you probably won't enjoy this CD as much as I do.

The bottom line is this: if you want a hip hop record, you're better off with something else. If you just want a GOOD record, then go ahead and buy it. Whether you enjoy this album or not will depend almost entirely on how openminded you are about your musical experiences. Taken on their own, each track on this record (with the notable exception of The Hours, which I'm sure some people must like, but which does nothing but grate on my nerves--probably because I've grown to dislike most modern rock) stands well on its own and would be a welcome addition to any other album. Together, they make an interesting and engaging journey that I feel very comfortable in awarding a perfect five stars.

One piece of advice for the producers, though--skits are only funny the first couple of times through. After that they're just annoying. Either cut the bloody things out of the album or put them on their own tracks. If you want to do comedy, get a deal with a network. And it's not that the skits on here aren't funny--they should elicit a chuckle the first time. It's the thirtieth time when they just sort of blend into the background noise that they start to become more of a burden.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best record of 2004, December 24, 2005

By 

methatiswhoiam (jupiter) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White People (Mcup) (Audio CD)

Everything about this is perfect..ok a few of the skits could go. The actual songs - those are perfect. From The opening sample of if it wasn't for you, the incredible mike patton song right after.. Amazing piano in class system. I can't get the mars volta song on here out of my head.. The best part is that when mars volta or ..linkin park is on a track..it sounds nothing like their own bands.. Prince paul and dan the automator are badass. I'm ranting.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Good sounds; however,..., January 11, 2006

By 

A.Listener (San Antonio, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: White People (Instrumental) (Audio CD)

I'm a fan of Handsome Boy Modeling School, so I was excited to receive my CD. Maybe it's my mistake for not doing the research, but I was unaware that this is an instrumental version. Totally cool beats, as always, just be aware that it is instrumental.