audio review : Detroit Versus Everybody ( song ) … Royce Da 5-9 + Big Sean + Danny Brown + Eminem ( featuring Dej Loaf + Trick Trick )

The hook is structurally okay. What’s annoying is Dej Loaf’s kid voice and the way she mispronounces “Versus”. I hear other rappers say it this way, including Danny Brown, but that makes it no less annoying. It’s actually a bit of a shame because a winning chorus is all that’s holding this Motor City anthem; all six vocalists are from Detroit; from being a notable (GOOD-Fridays-like) collaboration.

That’s despite the fact that Eminem, the obvious MVP, disappoints with a stiff and frenzied vocal delivery. If it’s him “verse” everybody in a race, he wins. If, however, we’re referring to quality, well, at least he outshines Danny Brown. The best part of the song is the beat, produced by Statik Selektah, especially when it strips down to a solemn piano groove during the aforementioned (Eminem) verse.

my rating = 3 of 5

2014

audio review : Shady XV

audio review : Cruel Summer

audio review : Cruel Summer

The hooks on the first two songs are annoying. R Kelly, for one, sounds silly stretching the word “world” out to so many syllables. Neither is as bad as on a song called Higher though, which is practically unbearable. There is “GOOD” music here, but most of it is confined to the actual music. The instrumental beats, even without Kanye West at the helm, thump with artistic flair.

The raps are neither here nor there; there aren’t really any stand-out MCs in Kanye’s clique; though feature verses from Ghostface Killah and Jadakiss serve as pleasant surprises. Song highlights include Don’t Like, an updated version of the Chief Keef song, which isn’t at all appropriate as the ending to an album that represents a record label he’s not signed to, Sin City and The One.

my rating : 3 of 5

2012