1 out of 5

Label: Columbia

Producer: Northern State, Various

Why do I feel like this band just made it as far as it did because of the swing effect of sexism, where we’re scared to damn something for fear of being labeled judgmental, and so we go overboard the opposite way?  Is it because the group started as a joke but they aim for hip-hop legitimacy?  Is it because only the guest spots have any nod-able beats but even those tracks are pretty weak?  Is it ’cause the ladies three re-use the “rhyming with my made up name” convention a little bit too much?  Probably.  It’s probably all of these things, plus that the album is boring and bland.  See, we all know I’m sexist, so I don’t feel bad calling this a shitty record.  I’ll allow for the grrl power tracks, I mean, those are the flip-side of and crappy ‘bitches’ slingin’ rap song, so whatever, and I even started to lean toward two stars due to the guest spot tracks – ‘Siren Song’ with ?uestlove is admittedly catchy – but then everything I read about the group made me want to vomit.  And, sorry, it influenced my opinion.  But let it be said my overall take was negative initially, I was just trying to find some bright spots.

But let’s talk – briefly, please – about the music and writing.  The production on this, though varying from track to track with oversight from the band, is verrry hookless.  Nothing seems mixed to any effect, so even those beats that do get you moving initially fade into the middleground as a track wanes on.  I suspect this is due to none of the vocalists having a particular ‘style’ (no one is more aggressive or poetic or anything) or being very strong behind the mic.  Hip hop invites all types of delivery, but I’ll admit to not really digging the pansy-pants Anticon world of backpack style slingin’, which isn’t really slingin’ so much as drooling words into your computer’s mic as you read off your moleskin, or some other fucky reference I’ll unreasonably align with such groups / artists.  This lack of vocal definition isn’t assisted by the rhymes, which are a firm reminder that this started as a joke: all references to NY legitimacy sound staid, and the flip-flopping of gender roles (‘Girl For All Seasons’ and the party tracks where they’re cruisin’ for dudes) could’ve written themselves.

Respect.

Or just man up (womp) and tell these chicks to lay the hip-hop thing to rest.. except they got a record deal and I still haven’t finished one short story, so what do I know.  Maybe I need a vagina.  GIMME