Award Tour deserves to win based off the snare sound alone.
I voted for deep cuts only but the big three off this should gobble up the top three spots.
Voted Stir It Up cos the hook is great and there’s so many memorable lines:
Did not you know that my styles are top-dollar?
The Five-Foot Assassin knockin fleas off his collar
Hip-hop scholar since bein knee-high to a duck
The height of Mugsy Bogues, complexion of a hockey puck
It also has a perfect ending with Tips verse starting over the record scratch and abruptly ending.
Voted Keep it Rollin cos i love Large Pro. I also love every single verse and their interplay, feels like it was recorded on their first take in the studio, they’re having fun and keeping it lose.
Voted The Chase pII cos once again with the seamless interplay and phife’s first verse is so fun. Always appreciated how they used the Biz Markie vocal sample for the hook.
Award Tour
Just a really fun track that sets the tone of the album so well. Love Trugoy on the chorus, love the Weldon Irvine sample.
Lyrics to Go
Love how the Minnie Ripperton sample works - it’s her voice just reverberating through the entire track. Sounds kind of eerie, but the James Brown guitar sound and the Run DMC samples sound quite hard. I dunno - just really works for me. Bought a Minnie Ripperton album on the strength of this track - think I listened to it once.
Electric Relaxation
I usually hate these kinds of tracks, but the beat is so good, and the lyrics are goofy enough to make it work.
Let me hit it from the back, girl I won’t catch a hernia
Bust off on your couch, now you got Seamen’s Furniture
Works better after seeing the Tribe doc and learning that Seamen’s Furniture was an actual company.
Q-Tip is just amazing. Always remember seeing him just messing about with a record and turntable arm and basically making a pretty great beat. He has such an amazing ear.
ahh back when kanye hung out with normal folks. Tips got a steady hand. I’d have to think about it but he’s gotta be considered in the top 20 hiphop producers all time.
did not know that was the inside my love vocal sample stretched out (even longer than the original)! insane. Riperton created some of the most sensual and intimate music ever. inside my love in partic is really stunning, love the intro. you should def dive deeper into her catalog, and check out the her work with rotary connection too.