So, as most of you already know, blues/alt-rock duo the Black Keys (by way of Damon Dash) have collaborated with some pretty amazing names in hip hop/r&b to release Blakroc. The album features the likes of RZA, Mos Def, Q-Tip, NOE, Nicole Wray, GZA, and more rhyming and singing over spacey, bluesy Black Keys compositions. Instead of 808’s and synthesizers, Blakroc offers a strange new hybrid of genres – good hip hop and good rock music. I was greatly anticipating the release and picked it up this past week. I only heard a few tracks prior to buying it, and I was a little nervous we’d be seeing something reminiscent of the late 1990’s, but excited for the possibility of something HUGE. I didn’t really get either.
The album is great, really. I’m not a music critic so I’m not gonna get all pretentious and douchey about it, but with the level of talent all around, I guess I was expecting something more groundbreaking. While I enjoy the album in its entirety, there’s nothing about it that makes me lose my shit. Maybe that’s all they were going for: good jams and mutual respect coming from an all around great group of artists. I’d definitely recommend picking up a copy of Blakroc - a couple of standout tracks: “Stay Off The Fuckin’ Flowers” (Raekwon still kills it after C.L. II); “On the Vista” (took me a few listens, but Mos Def really spaces this one out); “Done Did It” (NOE manages to sound identical to Jay Z?); and “Tellin’ Me Things” (Bobby Digital sings the blues…).
