|
MUSIC REVIEWS
J-Ritz - Contradictive Thought'z
Matt Sirianni
Hailing from Portland Oregon rhymer J-Ritz is an unusual duality of both hate and love. This disc plays out like somewhat of a roller coaster ride with transitions between extreme anger at life and his never present father, to words of admiration and ballads for his mother and son.
Thankfully J-Ritz like has succeeded to avoid the modern hip-hop crutch of sampling beats. All the backing tracks are originals that speak for themselves and hold their own well. J-Ritz and his producer Tribal came together to create all of the backing tracks using various sound modules. The result is one great collection of beats, all of which are easy to get caught up listening to.
My biggest complaint, if any, would be the placement of the slower tracks on this release. The track order could use some additional arrangement so that the album has a better flow to it overall. This is a common occurrence among the first albums of a lot of artists however – and seems to be the only notable weakness of this release. In addition, for a first release this album was mastered very well, which is a treat for anyone listening on a decent sound system.
J’s lyrical prowess is proven by his ability to flow quickly using complex thoughts – without losing the interest of the listener. The lyricis remind me of a blend between the story telling side of Ice Cube or Nas and the delivery of a young Warren G or perhaps Eminem at times. It becomes hard to define by comparison, but that should be considered a very good thing in a genre plagued with copy cat rappers. Based on this album I would definitely consider catching a J-Ritz live show the next time I’m in Portland. I would be interested to see if he performs better in the studio or on the stage.
I am not sure if this disc is for everyone however. When J-Ritz goes into his life hating, suicidal lyrical side he may suffer the side effect of losing a few potential fans and listeners. Anger is a good thing to channel as a lyricist, but the whole life-hating thing is getting pretty played out throughout the industry.
J is already starting the outline for his next album as you read this, in which he plans to work with a majority of producers as opposed to just Tribal – who produced this album.
For an up and comer this album is strong, and may have just enough duality to show potential label scouts his versatility of styles. With the proper push and word of mouth J-Ritz may find this album to be a stepping-stone to the next level of his career. This album is currently available at music millennium, and soon to be at tower records as well. Check it out for yourself
You can also hear this album at J’s official website (coming soon).
__________________
COPP J-RITZ / THE"CONTRADICTIVE THOUGHT'Z" L.P,
OR PEEP THA ALBUM SAMPLER AT http://www.havdreamz.com
|
Linear Mode
