If you caught my last review I said I'd be trying to talk about some of the more acclaimed OC albums soon. Well, soon is here, and we are gathered here today to talk about a gem lost in the mix of classic albums that dropped in the '94. In case you didn't know, '94 is one of the greatest years in the history of hip-hop. It is also the same year that most of these classic albums didn't get nominated for a Grammy. I mean, the Grammys didnt have a hip hop category in '94, but lets noy kid ourselves into thinking Illmatic or anything of the sort would have win. But that's a story for another day. Actually, allow me to rant for a second. Unfortunately the Grammys are without a doubt the most prestigious awards in music, yet a grand council of old white guys decide who wins best hip-hop album. How the hell is that fair towards the artists that actually make the music for their given demographic, which rarely includes old white men? That is why instead of ever getting the best hip-hop album we get the most white America friendly album possible. While I don't think Macklemore's win this year was solely dependent on race, seeing as how this was the most prominent album in the mainstream, but it is not a coincidence that he's white. The Grammys are an honor, but no one who knows what they are talking about should use Grammys when they are talking about success and prominence in the actual world of hip-hop.
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This little number right here is a very interesting one. We have OC, originally from the Diggin' in the Crates crew, who went on to then release two amazing albums as a solo artist. We then have Ray West. Even after extensive searches on Google, I can't tell you much about this guy. From what I have gathered he is either the father of rap superstar Kanye West, or a Jazz composer, more than likely the latter. This album is only nine tracks long, none of which are very lengthy, and has started and ended within the blink of an eye. I love OC, which is why I bought this album immediately, but nine tracks for eight dollars is hardly a bargain. Nonetheless I bought this project played it, and enjoyed what I heard. I wasn't thrilled, but I liked it as a whole. All the songs have a heavy Jazz and soul influence, leading me to believe that I'm talking about the correct Ray West, and OC, while not spectacular like he can be, is solid on the mic. Obviously after as many years as OC has spent in the game, with little recognition, an extremely short jazz project alongside a man who very well may be Kanye's dad might not be the spark he needs to put his all into writing rhymes. That being said it is still a well written, and very well produced albums. While it is no Word...Life, there are some songs that I am really into, and that I think deserve a listen. If you are familiar with OC you might as well just give it a listen out of the respect I'm sure you have for the man.
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