Solid effort from EXTRA P
The long awaited debut album from Q.B.s most underrated producer(on the mic).And it's got some classic material including Stay Chisel w/ Nas & In the Sun w/ Q-Tip(produced by Xplicit who did tracks Every other day' and Acknowledge on Masta Ace Disposable Arts).Large also reps on the mic solo with tracks such as KOOL(produced by J-Love),"Ultimate","Large Pro",& "Blaze Rhymes 2".This album may have a dull moment or two, but the rest is solid.Yo, I got my copy w/ a free Large Pro/1rst Class t-shirt and a copy of the never released LP album which was to be released in the mid-90's as the Professors official debut which also has a vintage Nas jam. The LP is also very solid ,I would compare it to an album like Group Home Livin' Proof(dope beats and ol' skool lyrics). 1rst class is a must have for large pro loyalists and if you do a little diggin' maybe you'll find the same deal I got w/ the unreleased LP material(no wack bootlegs either). And for all the kiddies who ain't heard of the Professor, he's the cat behind the boards of Stillmatic tracks Rewind & Your Da' Man.Not to mention, "The Come Up" on Cormega's last album and the bangers he did on Nas' Illmatic.
Large Professer- 1st Class
Large Professers first album "1st Class" is a mediocre album, which to be honest I wish I had never copped. Large Professor has done some of the nicest production in the game,but as an artist I am simply not impressed by him, I get bored when listening to this album, theres been so much hype and such a long wait for this album, and when it comes out, just isnt up to par. Nas, Busta, and Q-Tip all make guest appearances on this album, "Stay Chisel" with Nas is a semi decent track, Busta is wack as usual in "On"(no offense meant to those busta fans out there just never felt him), but there is one ray of light on "1st Class" and its "In The Sun" Feat. Q-Tip this track is amazing, Q-Tip and Large P drop an excellent memorable collab on this one, and the track has great replay value. Majority of rest of tracks P drops riducluous boring, bragging songs with lines like "this'll be the hottest s..t you ever heard" to the background of bland and repetitive beats. Rhymes are wack, and content is old and weak. Reading this review you would think I hate this guy, but thats not how I feel, I just feel it sad that somebody with so much talent could release such a poor album. Large Professer's "1st Class" not an album for the collection. 2.5 (Give it passing grade because of one excellent song).
don't X-P ect too much, seriously!!!
At first, when i heard of this release. I ran to the nearest records store. This, only from tracks P had done for others, i mean, specialy beat wise, the guy's a reknown. But the down to earth truth is this album couldn't live up to the hype.
Here's how it goes, the beats are original (I begin with the beats cause that is where LP shines), he seriously came with an album vibe that resembles no other. His rhymes.. well, rhyme. His flow... pure XP! So far it's all good...
but here's where the problem sets in, for his classic/old skool style and lyrics, he shouldn't have went with such groundbreaking beats(wich i can only describe with oldskool/futuristic/Jetson/2"). He can't rock it for what it's worth. I mean, the tracks he sounds the best on are 'intro'(wich should be a track), 'in the sun'(the Abstract does it up) & 'Kool' (real peacefull)... that's at first...
Then you discover all those other amazing tracks, yeah, those two or three 20second interludes after beats where P kills it on the boards, preventing him from having to brag a track good!
No diss, nobody can front on the xtra p, all i'm saying is wait for his next album, it will probly be alot better. Peace.
The Don Corleone
Take a pass on 1st class
First of all, this album was a HUGE disapointment. After hearing his first (un)released full album, The LP; I couldn't wait to hear more of Large Pro's solo projects. I have been a serious Hip-Hop head for over a decade, and Extra P has ALWAYS come hard with sick production and decent mic skills.
Remember, this is the man who broke one of the most celebrated MC's in history, Nas, into Hip-Hop; back in the day when Large Pro was backing the groundbreaking trio, Main Source.
He also takes credit for "Halftime," & "It Ain't Hard to Tell" off Nas' classic Illmatic. He has done bids with artists like, A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Leaders of the New School, Mobb Deep, Akinyele, Diamond D, Pete Rock & Slick Rick. It's plain to see, you can't front on his credentials. I have to admit, my expectations were sky high for this LP. I have listened to it about 3 times straight through, just hoping the tracks would grow on me...I gave it a very fair chance. But as I heard more, it became clear as day that this is a terrible album. It is nothing like his (un)released, The LP.
Almost all the songs sound the same. His beats are uncreative & they sound forced. He uses the same tired flow & vocab, way more than he should have. The only bright spots within this album come from "Stay Chisel" w/ Nas & "In The Sun" w/ Q-Tip. The latter is an amazing track, unfortunately Extra P didn't produce it.
One last thing. Large Professor is a PRODUCER...not an MC, although he tries to be (he's had some sucess in the past). If he wanted to make this album work and actually be good, he would have rounded up every MC he's ever made a beat for in the the past (this album's guest appearances are limited to Nas, Q-Tip, Akinyele & Busta Rhymes).
Take Pete Rock for example; he's a producer, yet he raps on occasion...but he doesn't force it, because he knows his limits. On his first solo LP, Soul Survivor; Pete Rock brought together a rediculous arsenal of sick MC's to guest appear on his LP. In fact only 1 track out of 17 had PR rhyming solo. The end result was an amazing album. This is the formula and recipe Extra P should have considered when cooking up 1st Class.
Bottom Line: It's painful for me to write such a bad review for someone I respect so much, but this album was a disapointment, plain and simple. 1 star. Peace.
Large Professor - 1st Class: Underated and Unappreciated
I am sorry people, but this album is a piece of work most needed for our Hip Hop world today. Pro has always been the man and has stayed true to his roots. This album has gotten many bad reviews which are not deserved. This should get way more credit and it should have gotten more promotion. Here are reviews of each track on this classic:
1. Intro - 40/50 - It has an ok beat and Pro lets us know that he's back.
2. 'Bout That Time - 50/50 - The first of the two singles. It has a nice beat and above average rhymes by Pro. Addictive chorus.
3. Ultimate - 50/50 - The old school beat is what makes this song ultimate!
4. Brand New - 45/50 - Nice clapping beat, great hook, average rhymes.
5. Stay Chisel - 50/50 - Nas and P = History in the making!
6. Akinyele - 50/50 - Ak can sure show us that he is an unfortunate loss for the Hip Hop game!
7. In The Sun - 50/50 - Q-Tip and P get serious and right to the point with this track.
8. Born To Ball - 35/50 - Mediocre at best.
9. Kool - 50/50 - Old school beat and smooth flow by Pro.
10. The Man - 50/50 - A Large Professor version of Nas' song "You're Da Man".
11. Large Pro - 50/50 - Pro's best rhymes and grittiest flow and beat are demonstrated in this track.
12. Alive In Stereo - 47/50 - No Question. This is the Large Professor we were born to love.
13. Blaze Rhymes - 43/50 - Nice lyrics by Pro, boring beat though.
14. On - 30/50 - Busta is wack, the beat is different and Pro is average.
15. Hip Hop - 46/50 - Bopping beat, ok lyrics.
16. Radioactive - 50/50 - Second single. Ill beat. Great closer.
In all, Pro has come a long way and it shows. Pro still needs to work on his lyrics a bit more, but aside from that, he is still one the most influencial producers ever to come into this game!
