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4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Wicked Clowns Are Back!!!!, November 22, 2005
I've got to say that my high expectations for an ICP album were finally met for the first time in a while. Don't get me wrong, I liked ALL of the albums that many other juggalos criticized. I thought that Hell's Pit, Shangri-La, The Calm, Bizzar, Bizaar, and even FF3 were all good albums and I felt that the absence of Mike E. Clark since 2000 wasn't necessarily a bad thing for a change of pace. However, when you look at all of those albums in comparison to their older material it just isn't as solid. Riddlebox and Milenko are my two favorite ICP albums and probably always will be (unless they pull some magic with The Tempest). That being said, FF4 gives us some very solid tracks. The two remixes produced by Mike E. Clark bring back the old-school, pre-Bizzar/Bizaar M.E.C. that we all love. There are also two '90s buried treasures produced by M.E.C., as well as several strong guest appearances, and the return of Terror Wheel's narrator, Willoughby Raggs. ICP definitely appears to be taking a step in the right direction with this album. Here's the trax~
1. Intro - (A+) - I usually don't like to rate intros or skits, but this is an exception. Why? Because it incorporates the "Guess Who's Comin" chants from Tunnel of Love!! I always loved these back in the day when they were used as filler on T.O.L. Now we have an entire intro based around it, as well as some speaking from Legs Diamond. Awesome!
2. People - (B+) - Give this one a few listens before passing judgment. I didn't like it at all the first time that I bumped it, but it has grown on me since then. It definitely has the Shangri-La "pansy" vibe that many ninjas hate, but I actually like the chorus a lot. It's rainin' diamonds biznatch!!
3. Clown Walk - (C+) - This is little too cheesy for me. It really adds nothing to the album... I usually skip over it.
4. If I Was A King - (A-) - Very cool track with J and Shaggs rapping about how the would react if they were kings. It's funny and has a tight beat that matches the theme of the song perfectly.
5. Dear ICP - (B+) - Crazy old-school M.E.C. beat on this one. The lyrics are equally insane. The one definitely takes me back in time... it gets extra brownie points just for being an early '90s rarity that somehow stayed hidden until now.
6. Madhouse (feat. Tech N9ne) - (A+) - Finally, ICP and Tech together on the same track!!!!! And yes, I remember "Thug Pit," but that doesn't count. The song has a dope concept and, of course, Tech's verse is the highlight. I can't wait to hear future collaborations from Psychopathic and Strange Music.
7. Feels So Right - (A-) - The two ninjas below don't seem to like this song, but I think it's a great track, especially considering that it was produced by Mike P. If you like rock/metal and the heavier stuff, this is for you. This is the wicked shxt and its most wicked!!
8. Homies (M.E.C. Remix) - (B) - This is a vast improvement over the original version and eliminates the soft sound that was easy to make fun of. M.E.C. puts a great spin on the track and improves the chorus. However, when it all comes down to it, it's still "Homies"..... not ICP's finest hour.
9. STAAAAAAAALE!!!!! - (C-) - The title of the song says it all. Probably the second worst track on the album.
10. Bodies Fly - (B) - This is a nice lil' filler track that probably should have been used on Hells Pit. It really gets good when Violent J tells you to put your hands in the air.
11. Wicked Rappers Delight (feat. Esham) - (A+) - This song owns!! No chorus, just wicked rapping. Esham is dope as always, as is the beat he made for this track.
12. Panties - (A-) - I can understand why people don't like this, but I love it. It has a club beat with ridiculous bass that could have easily been used by Lil' John. This is about as mainstream as ICP could ever sound. A nice sample of things to come from Shaggy's solo album.
13. If You Can't Beat 'Em, Join 'Em - (B) - This is the second vintage track from the '90s. I like "Dear ICP" slightly more, but this is still a good song which brings back that old school feeling.
14. Nobody Move (feat. Mack 10) - (A+) - I've been waiting to hear this song for a while and it doesn't disappoint. It's nice to hear ICP working with Mack 10 and a different producer for once. Awesome chorus and tight verses.
15. Yours Begins Tonight - (D) - Uhhhh... no. Without a doubt the album's worst song. It has so much of the happy/friendly/whiny Shangri-La vibe that it is almost unlistenable. ICP goes emo.
16. C.P.K.'s (M.E.C. Remix) - (A+) - I always thought that this subject matter of this song was great, but the beat of the original version was pretty weak. Now that Mike E. Clark has produced the perfect beat to accompany the song, it finally gets the treatment that it deserves.
17. Swallow This Nut (feat. 2 Live Crew, Vanilla Ice & MC Breed) - (B) - Nothing groundbreaking here, but it's still a tight collaboration. Vanilla Ice recycles a portion of his verse from the song "Hooked" on To The Extreme (actually just the "Randy" and "Candy" part). MC Breed spits a dope verse and 2 Live Crew are average as always (Fish-N-Gritz is much better than Fresh Kid Ice by the way).
With regards to the Hallowicked Compilation, we've all heard these songs before and it is great CD. The only thing that was unexpected was the fact that they gave "Thug Pit" a new beat, which is much better than the original. I always thought that the original beat kind of sucked, which was a shame since they got all of those great artists on one track. In addition to the new beat they also took out Esham's old verse about killing Eminem, which really pissed me off. That was a great verse!!! Esham also spits one extra four-line verse in the new version too.
In conclusion, if you're a juggalo you obviously need to pick this up. For those of you that gave up on ICP when Mike E. Clark left, now is the time to start listening again!! The few new M.E.C. tracks that we've heard so far are the shxt, so obviously my optimism is high for The Tempest. Let's hope expectations are met... MMFCL to the juggalos & 'lettes!!!
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Good Appetizer 4 The Tempest, July 13, 2006
Forgotten Freshness Vol. 4, the 4th installment in the compilation releases ICP has put out throughout their career, is pretty fresh. There were some songs I wish they could have put on here, more rare ones ("50 Bucks", "Jacob's Word", etc.) but it's still fresh.
"The People" is a feel good opener showing love to the Juggalos, and about how ICP does everything for the Juggalos. "Clown Walk" is a short club joint about doing the clown walk lol. A lot of ninjas won't like it at first but after a while I grew to like it. "If I Was A King" is a fresh joint about what it would be like if J and Shaggz were kings. "Dear ICP" finally showcases some old school freshness. Basically people ask for ICP's advice (mainly Shaggy's) and he proceeds to give them real uh 2 Dope advice lol. "Mad House" is an alright track. It features Tech N9ne, who as always, rips the track to shreds. J and Shaggy's lyrics fall a little short on this one though. Still, it's fresh enough. "Feels So Right" is my favorite track off the album. For some reason, it was left off Hell's Pit. It is definitely that wicked/horrorcore stuff that ICP's known for. Definitely love it. Next is a remix of "Homies" which I still dig. I like both versions equally as they song itself is one of my favorites. I think "Staaaaale" comes next though I don't really wanna know. That is the only truly terrible song on the CD. I tried to like it but I find nothing really appealing about it. They basically talk about stale stuff and scream the word out every other second. "Bodies Fly" is an aight track which woulda fit Hell's Pit really well too. It's a simple plot about J and Shaggz seeing bodies flying into the sky and exploding. "Wicked Rappers Delight" is somewhat of a historical song. As far as I know, it is the LAST song ICP and Esham recorded together before Sham left the Hatchet and started dissing. It's basically a freestyle session between the three rappers and is pretty fresh. "Panties" is a 2 Dope solo that took me time to get used to. It's kind of pointless and stupid but after seeing him do it live, I came to dig it a lot lol. "If You Can't Beat Em Join Em" is another Shaggy solo basically from the old school days. Fun song to listen to and J comes in at the end to sing about coming to the Carnival. "Nobody Move" is a thugged out track straight up featuring Westside Connection's own Mack-10. J and Shaggz actually throw some pretty fresh gangsta rhymes, reminiscent of the Psychopathic Rydas days. Mack also rips it up (hearing him shoutin out the Juggalos and Faygo is fresh). "Yours Begins Tonight" took some time to get used to, but it's a pretty fresh track altogether. It's basically about your paradise beginning right in front of you. Really diamond rain days type stuff but fresh nonetheless. Next is the remix to "CPK's" which I think is a lot better than the original. I never liked the old beat, but this one by Mike E. Clark blows it away. "Swallow This Nut" is a fun song to listen to featuring Fresh Kid Ice, Fish N Grits, MC Breed, and Vanilla Ice. Umm the title says it all.
Basically this serves as a good appetizer for The Tempest, which is bound to destroy the competition altogether.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best in the FF series yet, February 4, 2006
Forgotten Freshness 4 is my favorite Forgotten Freshness yet. We get a glimpse as to what the sixth joker's card could've sounded like with Mike E. Clark's remixes of "Homies" and "C.P.K's" which are both improvements over the originals. "If You Can't Beat 'Em Join 'Em" and "Dear ICP" are old school songs from ICP's heyday. Mack 10, Tech N9ne and Vanilla Ice all make great guest appearances on "Nobody Move," "Madhouse" and "Swallow This Nut" respectively. If this album is any indication, it appears that ICP's music is taking a turn for the better, and hopefully the Tempest will pull ICP out of the dark ages and remind us all of why we started liking ICP in the first place.
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