http://www.sendspace.com/file/xczm97
1. Diamonds on My Pinky
2. No Denying (Channel 3)
3. Mas 4
4. The Light
5. Slow Down (feat. Heather Victoria)
6. Be With You (feat. Ludacris & Marsha Ambrosius)
7. Stutter (feat. Anthony Hamilton)
8. Silly (feat. Erykah Badu)
9. Something Is Wrong (feat. Lisa Ivey)
10. Strange (feat. Big Remo)
David Banner has cemented his reputation as one of the most thought provoking, yet club ready mc's to ever emerge from the dirty south. Need proof? look no further then his debut lp "Mississippi". The albums two biggest singles rested on opposite ends of the hip hop spectrum. "Like a Pimp" knocked so hard it blew more then its fair share of speakers; while "Cadillacs on 22's" was a soulful; thought provoking ode to everything wrong in the south, and how with enough perseverance we can overcome just about anything. The biggest complaint I've ever had with Banner though is that he never seemed to properly fuse these two sounds together in to one cohesive record. His songs were very much a "one or the other" type of affair. I'm very happy to report that with this 9th Wonder assisted lp though, he seems to have finally found that perfect balance and fully matured as an artist.
One line in particular sums up David Banner perfectly. It's found at the very end of 'Diamonds on my Pinky; the albums opening cut. Over a brilliant 9th Wonder beat, Banner closes the song with:
"But im from Mississippi where you let your nuts hang/
and where the white folks let my ancestors do the same"
My jaw literally dropped when I first heard this. Never has a single rhyme so perfectly reflected what an artist is truly about. If someone were to ask me to describe David Banner then this is the first thing coming out of my mouth. The line has a bit of everything that banner is about. It has his nut grabbing bravado, his socially conscious mind frame, and his no nonsense; almost militant bluntness. This is the David Banner that is presented throughout the whole lp, he's sure to offend more then a few people, but for those willing to listen with an open mind its nothing short of an absolutely fascinating look in to one of hip hop's most interesting minds. Lyrically David's style never falters; this is going to be the album that proves his worth to all of his critics. In a single verse he covers more topics then most mc's do on their whole albums. He effortlessly bounces from in-depth, thought provoking lyricism, to all out shit talking and never once misses a beat.
....Ok well that's no entirely true. If Banner does have one fault on this album its in his flow. Ive always thought Banner had a superb flow in the past, but here it sometimes comes across and sloppy and rushed. I think I may have an explanation for this though. I've read interviews with long time 9th Wonder collaborator Murs in the past; he was the first to point out that that when recording with 9th Wonder you only get one take to record your lyrics. 9th believes that the more takes you do, the less fresh and live the verse will sound. Therefore even if the mc flubs, the verse is kept. Is this what happened here? I cant say for sure, but at times it does indeed sound like that may be the case.
Speaking of 9th, his production here is some of the best he's ever churned out. His signature soul sampling is still intact, but he finds new and interesting ways to customize his beats to better suite his Mississippi partner. These don't sound like beats that 9th just gave to Banner; rather something he crafted with David in mind. The end result is a very natural sound that showcases both artist raw talents. Really the only other negative that can be leveled at the album is the running time. Originally intended to be a mixtape this lp runs incredibly short at times. Some of the best tracks clock in at just over 2 minutes, and the album as a whole only runs about 30 minutes. Though it should be noted that I copped the Best Buy version which features an extra 3 track that extend the album by about 10 minutes.
As a whole the album is superb. Though I feel that with a little more work it could have been better. Had some extra time been taken to really polish the release it might have been an instant classic. As it stands though its a very short, very sweet ride that shows an incredible amount of potential for the future of these two. Fingers crossed that we get a more fleshed out follow up.
Pro's
-Flawless production
-Fantastic lyrics
-.....moves at a brisk pace?
Con's
-Sounds somewhat sloppy at times
-.....moves at a brisk pace?
Overall 4/5
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