|
Purple City - The Purple AlbumAlbum Review by:
Blaksicilian
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
 Preview/Download MP3
After releasing successful mixtapes and a French collabo album last year, Purple City return with that “pif” for your stereo in the form of Jim Jones Presents…Purple City - The Purple Album. Executive-produced by Jim Jones, the compilation release allows Shiest Bub “the Emperor”, Agallah “the Don Bishop” and Un Kasa to showcase themselves as more than mixtape rappers with a serious street following. Despite sticking to the long-standing script of sex, money and drugs as subject matter, The Purple Album still manages to deliver some clever material over notable production.
Standout tracks on the album include “Picture Me Rollin”, “Knick Knack” and “Head Bust Open”. With a sonic synth groove (courtesy of Agallah) and hypnotic hook it’s easy to get lost in the production of “Picture Me Rollin” without being distracted by the lackluster rhymes. The bouncy “Knick Knack” takes us to the club where Jim Jones, Max B and Un Kasa floss heavily over a crunk-influenced track. In the traditional flossy fashion of a Harlemite, Un Kasa brags, “U never seen these jeans in ya life/Only made two pair/And I had to cop ‘em twice.” Self-proclaimed as “the next big thing since Voletta’s son”, Un Kasa also shines on his solo track “Live Your Life.” As the most lyrical of the trio, Kasa flows lovely over moody horns while dropping hot lines like “Lyrically I’m Farrakhan/This a million man march/ I put fire in a million man hearts/This is a marathon/Purple City and we run this shit/ We a family m*thaf*ckas don’t want it with/You hear some hot sh*t, you know who the author is/A dot wild/ Please pay that child.”
A Down-South influence is evident on this album but Purple City manages to sound original, not gimmicky like many of today’s rappers who are influenced by Southern Hip-Hop. With songs like Buddy Klein’s “Grind Slow”, the funky, country-fried ode to female thickness and the B.G.-assisted “Bankroll”, Purple City should have no problem getting love from fans below the Mason-Dixon Line.
While Purple City falls short lyrically, their production never disappoints. Co-produced by Agallah and Shiest Bub, the menacing “Head Bust Open” is East Coast gangster music at its best, with its eerie synth violins and hard-hitting basslines. On “Hustlers”(feat. Boot Camp Clik), Harlem’s own Dame Grease creates the perfect sample-free backdrop with his sonic organs and drums.
Although The Purple Album is an enjoyable departure from Purple City’s mixtapes, the material lacks mass appeal. For now, it looks like The Purple Album will stay on repeat in Harlem, only making it harder for their competition Uptown to stop the reign.
 ( 6) Comments | Post a comment »
|
|
