Citizen Dick Retrospective – Best of 2009 – BlakRoc

First off, I don’t know why in his recent Citizen Dick update Brian said I was taking time out to help coach the Browns. That simply wasn’t true. Actually, Dane Cook had a gun to my head for the past several days. I don’t know what his deal was, but one day I woke up and he was gone. Talk about one of your worst fears coming true.

So, Damon Dash is a huge fan of The Black Keys. I’m glad he and I have that in common, because if this album was BluRoc with the Blue Man Group, I probably wouldn’t be too amped. Although it would make Rob Fields happy, but he wouldn’t actually know it. Luckily for us, Dame took his love for the Akron band and cultivated it into a project that should serve as an instant classic. For the most part, I’ve been more bored than not with what’s come out of the mainstream hip-hop community lately. If I’m alone on that one, let me know. The good ole days of rap generally hang in the 90’s for me. Technically, my first hip-hop album was Tone Loc’s Loc-ed After Dark. It was the greatest Valentine’s Day present for a 10-year old ever (next to Master of Puppets), thanks Mrs. Wilson! Then the 90’s brought Dre, Snoop, Wu-Tang, Tupac, B.I.G., Master P, and Jay-Z. Plus all of the solid solo records from The Wu-Tang Clan. Method Man’s Tical, GZA’s Liquid Swords, and RZA’s Bobby Digital In Stereo were my top 3. Ok, Raekwon’s Only Built For Cuban Linx… and Ghostface Killah’s Ironman to make it an even 5. So, it was a good decade for rap if you ask me. To a degree, Dash was able to produce rappers like RZA, Raekwon, ODB, and Q-Tip, who encapsulated that era.  The Black Keys gave it a relevant blues-rock vibe and at the same time, complimented most of the artists styles. They didn’t miss a beat on any of the tracks and I really dig Pat Carney playing the keys.

There’s not much to dislike on this album. All of the rappers bring their A-game for the most part. ODB slings fire on the album’s opening track “Coochie”. He’s in Dirt McGirk mode on the track, and unleashes the creativity that built-up in prison. The  song “Dollaz and Sense” includes a riff courtesy of the RZA with his lyrical delivery that has gained him so much love over the years and a hook that you wouldn’t expect out of Auerbach. Nikki Wray brings a soothing R&B feel to a lot of the tunes on the LP, including the song “Why Can’t I Forget Him”, where she is the only featured vocalist. I’m not a big R&B fan, but in this situation, both sides kill it and I like it. I also have a new found respect for Mos Def and Jim Jones. BlakRoc wouldn’t have been the same without them, in the way that you get the feeling they were born to be on this album. NOE hasn’t been on my radar before, but he is now. They should call him Dr. NOE in terms of his lyrical crafting. Good old Billy Danze from the Mash Out Posse (M.O.P.), comes hard with his aggressive “I’m from the hell hole” mentality. I can’t get enough of this guy. I want him to be my kid’s Godfather (if I have one). “What You Do To Me” stands out as one of the best songs of them all. Auerbach, Jones, Wray, and Danze sound like they put everything they could into this one. It’s also the song from the trailer that was first released for the album, which had people’s expectations hitting the ceiling. BlakRoc met those expectations, especially for an album that took 11 days to make. Would it have sounded better if they had a month or was the formula complete by not allowing for them to over think it?

Blakroc.com had eleven weekly webisodes building up to the release of the album. It showed several sides of the production process that most of us aren’t privileged to see. The awkward “I haven’t heard of you guys before” moments, the candid conversations, the spiritual processes, the booze and some glimpses of really exciting music being created. Luckily they saved one of the best videos for last, which I posted above. I’ve never heard of  ”twistin’ a biscuit” before, but it definitely lends itself to some interesting dialogue between the collaborators, thanks Raekwon. Below is a BlakRoc appearance on Letterman and tonight they will be on Jimmy Fallon with the RZA. There’s also a documentary coming out with footage from in and out of the studio.

BlakRoc – Stay Off the Fuckin Flowers (feat. Raekwon)