Jean Grae--Attack of the Attacking Things
First off let me say that I'm enamoured of this title, you can get no better than Attack of the Attacking Things, except perhaps Thugs Don't Say Thank You or The Fruity/Pork Dynamic. *LOOK OUT FOR DA HOT SHIT COMING SOON!* Ahem, anyway let me also say that I've been looking forward to this album for a long time. Jean Grae, formerly known as What What, has been a staple of my diet for a while. From "Baseball" to her guest appearance on Mr. Len's Pity the Fool I have been proudly following her career. Needless to say, I had high--very high--expectations for this album. Upon first listen, I was disappointed to say the least. As a matter of fact, I contemplated grinding it down into a fine powder to make into paper so that I could wipe my ass with it, but I chilled. I put it away, forgot it existed, and later came back to it.
It's a wonder what a little time can do; I now love it despite the fact that most other reviewers mirror my first sentiment or are simply ambivalent. I now know that my high--very high--expectations and lazy ear got in the way of me enjoying this fine piece of work. Be forewarned, it's not for everybody. People have already complained that her lyrics are too "personal," for we all know rap lyrics are supposed to be objective lessons in bullshit. I think the average hip hop ear is still unused to hearing the particular experiences of black females apart from the perils of horniness and the pursuit of the perfect party/dick/iced wrist. The album is subtitled "The Dirty Mixes" cuz....well Jean is broke, but she had to get it out. This results in a less than crystal-clear listening experience, but it's audible so stop complaining. However, she's provided a fine table of stereo settings in the liner notes to maximize your listening experience. See, she's quite accomadating.
Okay, now the songs. First up is "What Would I Do," questioning her life's mission if she didn't have a mic. Nice track, I wanna tell you Evil Dee produced it, but I can't find my liner notes, sorry. Next. "God's Gift" is written from the asshole male point of view, with Jean telling her/his very patient "girlfriend" just what she means to him, jack shit. It's kinda fucked up, one because you sense that she's been in more than her share of these type of relationships, two because there are plenty of "men" like this. Oh well, nice track, next. "Block Party" starts off with little humor from Jean and her girl Apani B Fly Emcee, maybe you've heard of her. After a little good clean cussin' on the phone we get a track urging people to get up, get out, and get something. The track is cool, kinda mellow, I like it and I like the message, but I don't enjoy the song. In attempting to make all of her points, she forgets to ride the beat and the result is a little sloppy. In the context of the album it's listenable though. "Thank Ya," is one of my favorites, with Jean riding a bouncy beat with some dudes singing in the background. She's thanking wackables and fans alike for letting her get in where she fits in, it's pretty tight, not to mention funny as all hell. And yeah, let me take this time to say that besides being a damn good lyricist (if you're lucky enough to check the retrospective mixtape that came with the album, you'll see), she also has a nice brand of quirky humor. We need that, the humor. "Love Song" is another nice one, with Jean exploring her past relationships and ability to keep bitterness at bay in the third person. Eventually she gets to the "I," but not before airing a lot of laundry. I love it. The fact that she's willing to be this(i hate this word) vunerable and honest on something intended for strangers is really endearing. The album ends with a couple more of these moments on "Live For You" and the outro dedicated to her cousin. The former reveals that sometimes she just doesn't feel the whole life shit. The subject matter clenches it for me, I relate too hard not to feel this song. The latter is a goodbye to a departed cousin, again I feel her on this one having experienced the same. That's the album, twelve tracks deep. You don't really get her trademark humor and best verses on the entire album, moreso you get a work in progress being honest and thoughtful over some nice tracks. For those of you unfamiliar with Jean Grae or those already initiated, this may be a turn off as it was for me initially. However, on subsequent listens I hope you learn to love it as I do cuz the girl needs to sell some units so that we can get that masterpiece I'm sure she's capable of making.
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