Like most mixtapes, House Rules features the rappers rhyming over a selection of beats delivered by pretty much whomever they wished, which is a refreshing alternative towards the traditional Shady camp. So instead of a shitstorm of musical mediocrity, we'll hopefully be receiving an interesting group of instrumentals delivered from the likes of Just Blaze, Emanny, Harry Fraud, and Nottz. I don't want to set myself up, but with that amount of talent, it'd be hard for these guys to screw it up.
Believe me, though, it's happened before...
1. House Rules (Intro)
Some of the members (Joe Budden) have been very critical of their work over the past couple years, so I thought it was interesting that they opted for a somewhat commercial sounding instrumental, but it still works pretty well. Aside from Royce's ridiculous singing mid-way through his verse, everyone sounds really fucking good. I wish Crooked I's verse would have lasted a little longer, because he's rapping his fucking ass off, but I'll give Joe Budden the best verse nod for the sole reason that he has the coolest voice. That's how even these guys are. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come because the crew is really coming into their own as far as making actually songs, and we all know how big of a problem that's been for them.
2. SayDatThen
This one doesn't work as well as the introduction, but that's only because of the instrumental. It's not all that good in the first place, but this song lasts for six minutes, and during that time period it becomes suicide inducing. So Nottz fucked up here, but all four members tackle the beat, each delivering rather personal verses, and but once again, Joe Budden, the supposed weak link (at least when the group initially got together, but most of that talk was developed by listeners only familiar with "Pump It Up"), provides the best verse, as he tells about his grandfather's cancer diagnose. He raps for what seems like seventeen minutes, and even throws a shot TDE before saying, "No offense cause them my niggas". Well God dammit Joey, maybe you should mean some type of offense. A TDE/Slaughterhouse beef would be beyond entertaining and help our hosts reach uncharted territory in terms of popularity. Just throwing the idea out there, guys.
3. Illmind Interlude
Only Crooked I and Joell Ortiz bother to appear on this interlude, but the other two Slaughterhouse members aren't missed, as the ones who did make the journey to the studio that day rip Illmind's pretty good beat into fucking shreds. Joell's verse is nice (he even takes care of the mandatory mention of how they're friends with Marshall Mathers), but Crooked I, man. Fuck. If his verse really was off the dome then I really have no words to describe what this man does to this track. Anyways, both rappers sound so good that you'll actually get a little upset when you realize that this is a song, and at some point songs have to end. The beat is alright, but the chemistry between these two are what make it work.
4. Trade It All (Feat. Emanny)
Although Emanny appears on the hook, this is essentially a Joe Budden solo song, which marks the first one of those on this mixtape. I like that the crew occasionally lets a single member shine, but this sounds completely out of place. Not necessarily bad, but it feels like something that should be placed towards the middle in one of Joey's Mood Muzik series. Joe spits what will most likely be the most introspective moment on the tape, but the beat is a little overly dramatic, and Emanny's hook isn't doing shit for me. Decent, but probably should have appeared elsewhere, which I've stated before. Shit, now I'm repeating myself. Time to move on.
5. Keep It 100
Keeping the solo songs running, Royce handles this one all by himself over an AraabMuzik instrumental that still sounds far too subdued for Ryan, but still ranks as one of the better beats so far. I've gotta say, though, Royce isn't wowing me on this project, which is quite disappointing considering he's one of the main reasons I'm still interested in this group. Does that mean the slot is open for another member to take the place as my favorite rapper in the crew? No, Royce's body of work is too good for that to ever happen, but I can still be disappointed.
6. Offshore
Although I had my initial misgivings about a ten-minute track of straight rapping, my fears were proven unnecessary, as this ranks as one of the best songs the group has ever recorded. All four rappers spit for an extended period of time, the art of songwriting be damned, delivering the kind of track that the initial Slaughterhouse fans want to hear from their heroes. Like all great rap crews, Slaughterhouse works best when all four rappers attempt to out-spit each other, and boy do they go at each other on here. My opinion on who has the best verse has changed with every listen, as everyone has quotables out the ass. I could seriously go on for paragraphs about these verses. From Joell Ortiz' story about his relationship with Crooked I, to Royce calling out the J.U.S.T.I.C.E. League manager (fuck that guy), this is one of the most lyrically satisfying songs you'll hear all year long.
7. Struggle
After the previous mixtape centerpiece, we're back to letting everyone prove their worth as solo artists. This time its Crooked I up to bat. Crooked sounds good over the instrumental, furthering the argument that he's been the most impressive member on House Rules. The problem, though, is that the initially poppy (although it darkens up once Crooked starts rhyming) beat doesn't really lend itself well to the darker material that is suggested by the incredibly generic and plain title. I mean, this works well as an interlude or break from lyrical onslaught that was "Offshore", but that's about all it does.
8. Life In The City
Instead of dragging this process out any longer, Slaughterhouse finishes the solo cuts, with Joell Ortiz taking this one for himself. I must say, Joell sure has improved since the earlier days of the group. Not that he was ever bad, but his Buzz Light-Year line on Eminem's "Session One" from a few years back left a bad taste in my mouth that I still haven't gotten over. (I know, I know, that's weird as shit) I didn't care for this song, though. The Heatmakerz beat is boring as fuck, and all this really did was remind me of the superior Wu-Tang song of a similar name. And what's up with Joell referring to himself as "Yaowa"? I've always thought it was an ad-lib, but is it some type of moniker now? Moving on...
9. I Ain't Bullshitin
The penultimate track gets things moving back in the right direction, proving that these songs really do work best when its a group effort. Joey continues his hiatus starting with "Offshore", and his presence is missed, but the other three members hold their own. Joell's contribution is rather worthless (sorry to keep shitting on him, but this mixtape hasn't exactly been his finest moment), but Royce delivers one of his best verses on the project. There's just something about his voice and delivery and makes me hang onto every one of his words and separates himself from the other three. Oh yeah, almost forgot about Crooked I. Dude fucking snaps. This shit was pretty nice.
10. I Don't Know
House Rules ends with three verses from Joell, Joe, and Royce. Although I would have liked to see Crooked I appear to put a final emphasis on his masterful performance, this still works out pretty well. This doesn't reach the deep introspection featured on the prototypical Slaughterhouse closer, but the hook (which I shouldn't like, but I do) and Harry Fraud instrumental provide a heavy surface for the crew to discuss the hardships of growing up in the hood. Continuing the reoccurring theme, I liked Budden's contribution over the other two's, but again, that might just be because of his voice. That's the type of thing that has to be taken into consideration when separating verses from this talented of emcees. The song itself lacks a real sense of finality, but this was still a decent way to close the evening.
Rating: 3/5
House Rules has some pretty obvious flaws: the beat selection, while improved, still isn't top notch, there's basically a complete lack of hooks (those are kind of important), and most of the solo songs feel completely out of place. However, and this is a big however, House Rules is a free project, and it has rekindled my interest in their upcoming album. Slaughterhouse is slowly but surely developing a knack for crafting legitimate songs, and many of these verses are extremely entertaining. Lyrically, the crew hasn't lost a step, and Crooked I seems to have even improved. "House Rules (Intro)" and "Offshore" rank among the best songs the four have ever created. Considering both of these songs feature what seem like endless verses from each of the four members, it proves that the competitive drive to out rap the next guy is every bit as powerful as a meticulously crafted song, and that certainly bodes well for Slaughterhouse. House Rules isn't perfect, but it provides hope that they finally have the right formula down for their upcoming album. Now its up to them to not fuck it up.