"DJ Krush from Japan and no more need to discuss"
I went into this cold turkey, only knowing the names Black Thought and DJ Shadow as guests. Some other reviewers say that the rappers only get in the way of the beats, but I think while beats on their own is great, it's also great to give them a face/voice to work symbiotically. This is HIP-HOP, not chill out, techno trance garbage. DJ and MC work together to make art. Overall, brilliant. Beats are always on point, except one track with an odd baby noise that occasionally gets annoying. Black Thought drops some of the best rhymes of his career, and the other MCs do a damn good job themselves.
Krush has the beats.
This album overflows with rich down-tempo beats that take hip-hop in a new direction. It is a deft album - similar (though inferior) to the structural form of Dj Shadow, who also guests here in the massive Duality. It may not be approachable by non-hip-hop-heads, but to those who have a taste for the dope beats, this is unmissable.
If you like ninja-tune/toy-factory you will love DJ krush.
One of the best example of what happens when hip-hip culture transends it's native U.S home and move overseas to japan.
Excellent Album
This is probably one of the most excellent albums by Krush. Unlike other albums rappers on this one dont spoil the awsome beats. Pretty much all the tracks are good to listen over and over again. This is one of his better albums i believe.
Great CD
Great CD pick this one up!! The only downside to this CD are the rappers who get in the way of this great meld of jazz and hip hop
DJs like Krush don't make it easy for MCs to keep rap music primarily a tapestry for vocalists, as it's often perceived. DJ Krush doesn't write lyrics, he doesn't rap, he doesn't even understand English. But this renowned Japanese turntable maestro creates richly detailed and expansive tracks that, vocal or not, ooze hip-hop. Perhaps to gel with American notions of what constitutes hip-hop, Meiso, his third album, features guest appearances by well-known rappers like C.L. Smooth, Guru, and the Roots on four of the album's fourteen, otherwise instrumental cuts. Though the MCs perform admirably and provide welcome human contact, the raps seem mostly like an afterthought, even a hindrance to the music's ebb and flow. There's never any doubt the star of Meiso is Krush, who imbues his electronic collages with mystical soul. --Roni Sarig
