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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
I rather stimulate your mind then emulate your purpose, December 7, 1999
In a time where many of the pioneers of Hip Hop have put there creative minds aside to pursue fame and fortune in the mass sewage pool of commercial mediocrity, the "Good Book" is here to show the Know Not the way of the enlighten path. Not only does Aceyalone bring clarity, focus, substance, continuity and pure organic creativity to this art form, but he also proceeds to do it lyrically "alone". Rarely will you find artists willing to push the envelope, yet alone by themselves. As you may well know, in today's society many solo artists have to respectively come with a compilation album to have any type of credibility. Also, due to their obvious lack of lyrical skills and cadence they regurgitate many of the old time classic beats and melodies in a hope that the music will over shadow the message. When in all actuality, the music should be a compliment to the message. "The Book of Human Language" is a perfect example of majestic rhythmic flow combined with strategically intertwined melodies. Producer Mumbles extraordinary ability to give and take in his production only enhanced this work that much further. From the beginning to the end of this album, Acey takes you on a journey through his mind, expressing his views on life death and everything between. Like he states in the album; his goal is to stimulate your mind, not emulate your purpose. Undoubtedly a Hip Hop classic.
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7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Pure poetry, October 23, 2004
I almost jumped out of my shoes when I found this one in a record store! I knew it was out of print. Since I had discovered Acey as a member of Freestyle Fellowship and I already had "All Ball Don't Bounce," I could only imagine obtaining this album. With the cover, and the title, I wanted this cd so bad. I was almost pinning it as my favorite Hiphop album ever before I even bought it. See this is why it's bad to go into albums with specific expectations because we need to keep an open mind at all times...not saying that this album was a disappointment, but my expectations were unfairly high for this 1998 album, a year in which underground/conscious Hiphop was making a comeback.
If you don't know, Aceyalone is an incredibly talented and unique MC. He can pull off gangsta-type bragging (with Freestyle Fellowship) or go conscious, abstract, comedy, or off-the-wall. Acey is probably the most slept-on MC in history. This was his second solo album, and it is approached with a loose concept theme. He covers everything from death, time, balance, the state of Hiphop and mankind, etc. Twenty tracks all in the same focused manner.
It took me a few listens through to regard this as a five-star album, mostly because it's so tough to pull off what he attempts. I still regard most of my favorite songs here in the first half, although the second half contains standouts "The Face," "The Thief in the Night," and "Human Language." The ones I like in the first half are "The Guidelines"(Hiphop guidlines that is-maybe the album's strongest song), "The Balance," "The Energy"(the best short song here, out of quite a few short ones), and "The Walls and Windows." "The Grandfather Clock" is solid as well. "The March" and "The Vision" in the second half are both short, but have nice jazz music in the background. The vocablulary here is impeccable, of the highest quality, like you would never expect from a rapper. Some reviewers have complained about the beats on "ABOHL." I liked it though, although none were upbeat, many of the backgrounds produced by Mumbles were unique and organic. I like how Acey rhymes with no background music at times, and there is a live recording at the end of track 19.
I think the reason this album wasn't the best Hiphop cd ever was because it is a tough task to accomplish throughout an album. Acey gives us straight up poetry in its purest form, and if you love poetry, you need to get this! He tackles heavy issues, while barely even cussing, or bragging, and never mentioning anything about hoes, sex, his sexual triumphs, etc. No cliches, very little ebonics! An album of this sort is almost impossibly unattainable, and Acey trys hard and nearly pulls it off. You have to commend him for that. It's just that even though he experiments with his voice, his flow (flavor basically) it's almost impossible for the album to not come off as dull. Just keep listening to overcome this notion. I guess it does kind of depend on the mood you're in before you listen to this. Like I said, while Acey is positive and telling the real, nothing upbeat is to be found (even though there's a reason for that). This album is serious. Although when Ace is experimenting with his voice and flow, at times it seems as though he's not taking his own subject matter seriously (check track 7 for this). Nonetheless, Aceyalone is a talented, intelligent artist who goes for the unthinkable in this album.
Like I said, my high expectations for this album almost caused me to overlook the beauty that it contains. So, is "A Book of Human Language" the best album ever in Hiphop? -I wouldn't go that far. Does Hiphop need an album like this? -Definitely. An album that expresses Hiphop in it's truest form (poetry), and steers away from superficial subject matter. I'd say, if you like mainstream rap or want to get deeper into Hiphop, this album is a great place to begin (if you can find it)! Don't forget about the vocabulary though, oh my God it's beautiful! Instead of the best Hiphop album ever, it should be regarded as another exceptional, high-caliber disc from a gifted, multi-dimensional artist that has a catalog of high-quality releases. I can't think of any MC from the West Coast that is as smart, talented, versatile, and dedicated to the Hiphop art and culture as Mr. Aceyalone.
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
As Fly as a Buffalo Wing in the Sky, May 17, 2004
Hip-hop is known to have some of the most unfairly underappreciated talents of all time. Stretching from Kool Keith to MF Doom, but if one artist of the last 20 years has been criminally slept-on, it's been Acey des uno. Aceyalone. Ever since his debut with Freestyle fellowship, Ace has shined for at least a decade. With classic material all throughout the 90s, Acey has proven to be in the upper echelon of emcees through out the history of hip-hop. But, as awesome as Ace's other work has been, nothing is as monumental as "A Book of Human Language". This could be one of the greatest concept albums of all time, and not just in hip-hop, and Acey is completely flawless and magnificent on the mic as you can get.It's a shame that "A Book of Human Language" is out of print now, because it is an opus of magnum force. For all you that doubt the steez, pick up The Book and listen to what an underappreciated prophet has to say.
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