Deuces thoughts on Dice Game -2012

Enter Apollo Brown a producer out of Michigan.  Enter Guilty Simpson one of the best out Detroit since Dilla (rip) introduced him to the masses in 07’. Both, present Dice Game.  

Hip-hop out of Motown means expect softened bass lines with tight snares and crisp syllables.  The type of bangers that sound just as good with the volume low.  It sounds complicated but its really not.  Simply put, beats out of Detroit sound like they were cooked slow in pots and pans rather than made on whatever other producer are using these days.  

Sometimes Motown samples even sound better than the originals.  Blasphemy?

On Reputation Apollo reaches out to the same Yvonne Fair samples that the Hitmen used for Jay-Z’s “Where I’m From” and on Let’s Play, goes into the same as “C.R.E.A.M”.  The difference being Apollo keeps the chops to a minimum and closer to the original while Guilty Simpson says mess like,

“Detroit, the city’s got a wild rep.  That explains why over 700 thou left.

The industry tends, to follow the trends, the same m#@$f!! from the mile set”.  .

With that said, early in the album moves along slowly for me until I get to I Can Do No Wrong, and things pick up the pace again.  Guilty Simpson seems at his best when the beat mumbles and he’s talking about the joys and stresses of life at the same time.  The irony here is that on a track about how changing his pace in life produced positive results.  Same goes for Change and Neverending Story.  

Expect simple hooks.  The efficient type that make you wonder why the current trend in pop music seems to be to complicate this part of the equation.  

Thing about rappers is they tend to use the same topics because these are topics that get the most attention.  Its function following form.  Guilty Simpson sticks to that script but does it differently.  His version of the story sounds as real as Detroit.  

“I was broke, rarely had dough, we had to ante up smoke, saying what I want with hope.  

I told myself you want change, that’s cool, but remember change starts with you.”

Don't expect a lot of features, the best appearance being Planet Asia on Nasty.

Detroit as a city was NYC, before NYC.  Yet, while Detroit as a city is falling apart,  it’s sound is just as consistent as NYC.  If not, more consistent.  

So is this album.  Headnod banger.