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Obie Trice : Cheers |
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The Undercover Review Award for the greatest marketing ploy of all time goes to Obie Trice and Eminem for the golden ticket idea. Three golden tickets go into Obie Trice CD's which entitle the winner to spend time in the studio with Eminem as he records his next album. Eminem has the incentive because he owns the record company so he makes the most cash from each album sold! Marvelous how the music industry works isn't it? Eminem's last signing had considerable success thanks to its huge promotional campaign that didn't seem to actually involve talking about the music. Obie Trice however has put together an original album that should be able to stand on its own two feet. With Eminem producing, he's showing he can find his way around the studio as 'Average Man' shows off clever use of samples and bedding Obie's smooth lyrics that simply sound as though he's not thinking, just doing and it works as naturally as walking! 'Cheers' sums up the feeling of the album with the sing along line "grab your cups o' beer/put 'em up let's hear/here's a toast to all my soldiers who ain't here!" The (inevitable) Eminem appearance works well as he mixes his cleverly thought out rhymes complimenting Obie leaving you wondering who is better! 'Don't Come Down' takes a funky sample from the old school of rhythm and blues and gives the album a whole new perspective. Dr. Dre, the (grand?)father of gangsta rap joins the Trice crew for 'Shit Hits the Fan' and when Dre is there, how can you not have respect for someone who fathered an entire revolution? He show's he's still just as relevant in 2003, nearly twenty years after his initial success. It seems he's been hanging around my area (near Chapel St, Melbourne) as he raps about the wannabe gangstas! While we're on the gangsta trip (which I admit isn't representative of the whole album) 50 Cent, Lloyd Banks of G-Unit and Eminem use the tired method of rapping about their cash as they detract from the man who's name is on the front cover, Obie! 'Spread Yo Shit' brings the fun sound back into the album with the help of Kon Artis of D-12… another member of the fun-gangsta crossover scene. "Yo this is DJ Seven Deuce! Fresh about yo mama's mouth…" (It continues, but I won't repeat). Kicks off the fun! Busta Rhymes guests on the track 'Oh!' letting his powerful voice rip through a huge amount of effects processors, but the greatest line on the album goes to 'Never Forget Ya', a heartfelt shout out to those no longer with us, interrupted by the line (I admit I'm not sure if it's a joke or not…) "This is dedicated to my dick friends/never-stuck-my-dick-in friends/you know who you is!" Brilliant! This
album transcends genres effortlessly. Its only downfall is the amount
of guests on the album, and while yes it is simply what is done in
the hip hop genre, I found myself listening more to the guests and
often forgetting this is a new artist trying to showcase his talents,
but this is certainly well worth a listen and no doubt you'll be hearing
more of Obie. By Tim Cashmere Track
Listing Label Universal |
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Buy
Obie Trice Cheers now from HMV.com.au