Elephunk

Elephunk
February 10, 2005 @505

Elephunk


When I first heard "Where is the Love" last summer, I couldn't stand it. I dismissed the Black Eyed Peas as one hit wonders and waited for their moment to pass. Then I heard "Shut Up" and was surprised I liked it. It wasn't until I heard "Hey Mama" that I fell in love with them. This CD is by far the best hip hop album right now because each song, even "Where is the Love", sounds good when you listen to the entire album. In my opinion, they are just as good, if not better, than that other visionary hip hop group, Outkast. Each song sounds like a radio smash, and it's not surprising this group has moved past the one hit wonder tag.

Track Listing

01. hands up
02. labor day(it's a holiday)
03. let's get retarded
04. hey mama
05. shut up
06. smells like funk
07. latin girls
08. sexy
09. fly away
10. the boogie that be
11. the apl song
12. anxiety
13. where is the love
Bonus Track: let's get it started

Bridging the Gap

Bridging the Gap
February 10, 2005 @503

Bridging the Gap

Once upon a time, hip-hop was about having a good time and (brace yourselves) getting down! The Black Eyed Peas are bringing that mentality back to the future. They reinvigorated blasé dance floors and seduced discriminating heads with their debut, Behind the Front, and they do it again on Bridging the Gap. In the open-minded old-school tradition of producers like Afrika Bambaataa, the album is diverse and delicious, a grab bag of influences from reggae to drum & bass and beyond. Songs like "BEP Empire," produced by Gang Starr's notorious DJ Premier, give the Peas a harder-edged beat to roll with, which they rock rapturously. Then "Weekends," featuring Toronto down-tempo diva Esthero, is a fun dance floor number. And these two tracks are just the tip of the iceberg. Bridging the Gaps is a listen-all-the-way-through album. Every drum roll is vivacious, rollicking, and the judicious sample choices meld beautifully with the organic beats. Similarly open-minded, talented guests such as Macy Gray, De La Soul, and Mos Def also stop by to bless the mic. As James Brown would say, "Get up off of that thing, and dance 'til you feel better." --Lizz Mendez Berry Amazon.com

Track Listing

01. BEP empire
02. weekends
03. get original
04. hot
05. cali to new york
06. lil' lil'
07. on my own
08. release
09. bridging the gap
10. go go
11. rap song
12. bringing it back
13. tell your mama come
14. request + line

Behind the Front

Behind the Front
February 10, 2005 @499

Behind the Front

The Black Eyed Peas' debut, Behind the Front, may sound thoroughly familiar: like A Tribe Called Quest, they sprout positive, deftly delivered lyrics out of their light jazz, R&B, and funk tracks; like the Roots, this multi-ethnic outfit's three MCs drop science in front of a live band that builds its grooves organically; and at their best, such as on the pop and reggae-flavored "Karma," the group can out-Fugee the Fugees. For some reason, though, the mostly mild, largely scratchless and sample-free record can--at times--be downright tepid. But for the most part, it works--sometimes brilliantly--and as a break from the mostly belligerent voices in hip-hop's mainstream, we can definitely use more of what the Peas have to offer. --Roni Sarig Amazon.com
...Behind the Front offers an organic mixture of sampled melodies and live instruments aimed at those of us seeking a little enlightenment with our well-oiled boogie. --Rolling Stone


Track List

01. fallin up'
02. clap your hands
03. joints & jam
04. the way u make me feel
05. movement
06. karma
07. be free
08. say goodbye
09. duet
10. communication
11. what it is
12. que dices?
13. A8
14. love won't wait
15. head bobs
16. positivity