Expansion Team [EXPLICIT LYRICS]

Dilated Peoples

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 23, 2001)
• Original Release Date: October 23, 2001
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Explicit Lyrics
• Label: Capitol
• ASIN: B00005PJG8
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (62 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #101,685 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Having threatened on their debut, The Platform, to bring the sound of the underground to the masses, Dilated Peoples hones their old-school hooks and breaks on Expansion Team to ensnare purists and the mainstream alike. Over downtempo beats, eerie Hitchcock strings ("Clock Work"), dinner jazz ("Pay Attention!"), '70s cop-show horns ("Hard Hitters"), and DJ Babu's turntable gymnastics ("Dilated Junkies"), their exhausting couplets wage war on the talents of fellow hip-hop crews while simultaneously validating their boasts of rhyme supremacy. Yet it's the instantly addictive slow roller "Worst Come to Worst" that best proves their point. Along with the "nobody comes close" taunts, there's a lot of regulation second-album material: "Trade Money" assures that success isn't without its downsides ("Since last year I've accumulated more money / On top of that I got a lot of people acting funny"), "Proper Propaganda" has a pop at the media, and there are countless reassurances that success doesn't mean principles will be compromised. Their messages may not be new, but the Dilated Peoples' genius is delivering them with simmering tunes that make them worth hearing again. --Dan Gennoe

Product Description

Japanese version featuring a bonus track --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Proving their caliber and earning clout., July 5, 2004

By	P. T. J. (Detroit MI) - See all my reviews

Dilated Peoples on the top of their game. For years, I've followed Dilated Peoples and their career. I'm a big fan. What's so great about them you ask? They have their very own style, so far out of the mainstream, so original, and so adventurous it's like listening to a new CD every time you hit play on your boom-box. Evidence and Rakaa come out both barrels blazing, their lyrical war-fare at a peak. There are too many tracks on the CD to list the stand-outs, more than 3/4 of the record is worth listening to, though I must confess "Night Life" and "Worst Comes To Worst" probably get the most rotation in my CD player.

There's not too much to really say about this album besides... no, it's not perfect. Upon first listening I was a little uneasy. I wasn't sure it would live up to my expectation, but shortly there-after, it warmed up to me, and went above and beyond my expectations. Sure there are a few songs that aren't very good, and one or two that could be classified as 'unlistenable', but you get that on almost EVERY CD these days. I can only think of a handful of CD's where that isn't the case, among them would be Talib Kweli's "Quality", Mos Def and Talib Kweli's "Black Star", and aside from that, Hieroglyphics is the only other group that comes close to that caliber (excluding R&B albums). Maybe Royce Da 5'9"s "Death Is Certain", but even then, there's a track or two I hardly ever sit through. Dilated Peoples has earned a spot among the best in the game TWICE OVER. I always say that if a CD has good beats, lyrics, and messages (I'm big on positive messages in music), then it's ten star CD, regardless of a few bad tracks. Dilated Peoples is right up there. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this CD for any lover of mainstream or underground hip-hop.

It's a step out of the ordinary, but a step in the right direction.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Above-underground, December 6, 2002

By	Anthony Rupert "shut up, Shut Up, SHUT UP!!!" (Milwaukee, WI) - See all my reviews (TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

What do I mean by the title of my review? Well, the last time I checked, Capitol Records wasn't underground. But that doesn't mean this isn't a good album. Basically this album showcases Iriscience and Evidence doing their thing as usual while Babu keeps heads boppin' as usual when he works the wheels of steel.

If there are any songs that are better than the rest, they would have to be "Clockwork" and "Live On Stage". And the addictive "Heavy Rotation" with Tha Liks deserves just that. Evidence couldn't have sounded better than on "Self Defense", but let's not forget how Iriscience rips it on...well, pretty much everywhere. "Worst Comes To Worst" is also a winner, although I'm not sure why Guru is credited when all he's doing is talking.

If there was anything disappointing about this album, it would be that some of the songs toward the middle of the album have too much talking and not enough rapping. Also, I'm sure about the lyrics in "Trade Money", but I'm not so sure about the production and wordplay. But Expansion Team is still a great record. I'll be looking forward to their next release.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Hip-Hop Classic, October 25, 2001

By	Jacob van der Meulen (Amsterdam, Netherlands) - See all my reviews

Dilated Peoples is back with Expansion Team. This time around, they hook up with DJ Premier, Tha Liks, Alchemist, Da Beatminerz, Joey Chavez, Juju, Phil Da Agony, Defari and Black Thought and the result is a chillin' album which definately surpassed my expectations. The lyrics in some songs are a little more slow-paced than what I'm used to from Dilated Peoples, but fresh nonetheless. The production is dope, but I expect nothing less from DJ Babu, Alchemist, Premier & others. The entire album is excellent, but "Live on Stage", "Worst Comes To Worst", "Clock Work", "Heavy Rotation", "Proper Propaganda", "Pay Attention", "Night Life", "Hard Hitters" are definately the illest tracks. Buy it!

-peace