The Best Hip Hop of 2006... So Far - Page 2

7. 4:21 ... The Day After by Method Man. This is the Method Man album I've been waiting for. Just when he reached the precipice of irrelevancy (he was one more terrible release away from simply being reduced to "Redman's Sidekick"), he dug down deep and came through with what I feel is a fantastic album. The key - as always - is in the production. Rather than just assemble an all-star team of producers (although heavyweights like Scott Storch, Havoc, and Mr. Porter drop beats on the album) or rely on relative unknowns, Method Man leaned heavily on two veterans to lay the blueprint for the album. He got four tracks from old Wu-Tang comrade The RZA, which brings a gritty, Staten Island sound that Wu fans will recognize right away. He also picked up four tracks from beat legend Erick Sermon which provides more of the bouncy, Redman feel. These two significant portions of the album give it a base from which to branch off. There is the Versatile-produced "Walk On" featuring Redman, which successfully incorporates electric guitars (one of the better efforts at doing so outside of Kanye West), the made-for-heavy-radio-play "Is It Me," and a few heartfelt slow jams (including a syrupy sweet track featuring Genuine that I could have done without). Without The RZA and Erick Sermon setting the tone, those varied tracks would have felt meandering and out of place. Instead, they felt like nice additions to a consistent body of work. 4:21 ... The Day After is not only Method Man's finest work to date, it is also yet another example of why the producer is arguably the most valuable part of the equation in hip hop today.

(A quick tangent here. The producer-as-most-valuable-element-of-song sentiment was perhaps best expressed by Joe Buddens on the track "Fire" when he taunted, "Now I know why producers charge so much for their tracks, they do all the work, ya'll just supplying the raps." The irony there is that he was rapping over a Just Blaze track that completely outshone the rapping. Kind of hilarious, really, but I do agree with the sentiment.)

6. The Healing by Strange Fruit Project. I never thought I'd see the day that an underground rap group from Waco, Texas would forward one of the best albums of a given year. However, that is exactly what has happened with The Healing. The members of Strange Fruit Project craft rhymes filled with witty wordplay, positive ideology, interesting anecdotes, and the occasional boast to create some very memorable tracks. They have a sound reminiscent of Common and the three members of the group all have their own unique style. In my opinion they are superior to the likes of J-5 and Dilated Peoples and nearly on par with Little Brother (the fabulous North Carolina trio that is actually featured on the track "Rise"). It helps that they enlisted the help of sensational producer 9th Wonder as well as relative unknown but extremely talented beat makers such as Illmind, Nicolay, and Vitamin D. All of the tracks sound like big budget productions while maintaining their underground feel. That, my friends, is not easy to do. Be sure to check out the songs "Soul Clap," "Get Live," "Special," and "Pinball."

Article Author: Adam Hoff

Adam Hoff is the columnist for the Webby-winning WhatifSports.com. He can be reached at wis.insider@gmail.com.

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