Obie Trice
"Special Reserve"
Available Now
UPDATE: I was misinformed that this album was all new material. This was all recorded pre-Shady and is just now being fully released so no wonder I said some song titles seemed familiar. I edited those out of the review and upped my rating for the fact it's that old and timed so well.
The album begins with "Welcome" which is an angry fueled update on how he feels about his craft. The one flaw Obie has is being off-beat sometimes and this song kind of covered that and made it less obvious so maybe there's the first sign of his skills improving. "Got Hungry" sounds like what would happen if Eminem and Premier produced a beat together for Obie. Standing out on this album is the fact that there are multiple songs with cuts from a DJ. Helps the album feel underground. This song was a perfect re-introduction to Obie. I love the line, "While I roll to prison with the engine light blinking".
"You've Been Slain" also has an Eminem feel to the beat but then again, that's what we're used to from Obie. "On & On" is the first song to come off to not sound anything like Eminem. Obie's off-beat flow accents the beat this time around though. A part of me feels like these beats wee made for someone with a little better flow than Obie.
"I Am" begins with a fury like it's introducing a king. Obie starts his flow with "I been wrecking shots since I can hardly remember" and "I got the anecdote to fucking heat winter". This song is easily the best song so far. "4 Stories" sounds a little too mixtape-ish off the bat but the lyrics are a little above average for a mixtape cut.
"Roughnecks" is another one of my favorites. I just really dig the foundation of the instrumental. Not to mention, Obie completely wrecks it. In my opinion, this should've been track two. But "Got Hungry" fits there as well.
"Coolcats" also sounds like an Eminem production but the song just kind of falls flat. "What You Want" also sounds like filler. The story with "What You Want" does stand out but it just doesn't come across great.
"Jack My D**k" is probably awkward-est title of 2009. The second half of the album so far is flat. "Dope, Jobs, Homeless" is a lot better than the last three. "Dope, jobs, homeless, I done it all" is introspective for Obie but the verses fall short of the chorus. But I enjoyed the track.
Overall, the album has about six or seven great songs and then the rest are filler. I think the album probably should've been a 7 song EP but everyone needed something new from Obie to hold us over until "Bottom's Up". But what more stands out from this material is Moss' incredible production. Most "hip-hop" emcees should get in line for a beat from him if they can't get a hold of Premier.
LYRICS: 3.25/5
BEATS: 4.50/5
OVERALL: 3.8/5
STANDOUTS: "I Am", "Roughnecks" & "Got Hungry"
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