Album Results
Handsome Boy Modeling School
So...How's Your Girl?
Genre:
RAP/HIP HOP
Label:
Tommy Boy Music Limited
Release date: 1999
Album Reviews
The concept behind Handsome Boy Modeling School -- if you separate it from its origins in a Chris Elliott sitcom -- can be taken as a subtle parody of hip-hop's player affectations: two geeky producers masquerading as jet-set male models. Given that framework, and the fact that those two producers are eccentric geniuses Prince Paul and Dan the Automator, you might expect So...How's Your Girl? to be a goof from top to bottom. And that isn't the case. The album ends up as more of a showcase for their eclecticism, tailoring productions to their collaborators and creating a colorful universe where classicist rap, turntablism, trip-hop, and electronica all get along comfortably. Parts of the album are surprisingly atmospheric, and rely more on the texture of the sound than the star power of the guest -- which makes sense for a producer's album. The finished product does lack some of the sheer craziness one might have anticipated, but the meatiness of the best music also keeps the Elliott-centered comedic interludes from turning the project into a mere novelty. The DJ cuts -- the duo's own "Rock n' Roll (Could Never Hip Hop Like This)" and the DJ Shadow/DJ Quest team-up "Holy Calamity (Bear Witness II)" -- are some of the most exciting tracks on the album, and of the rappers, Del tha Funkee Homosapien and Brand Nubian's Grand Puba and Sadat X turn in the most memorable performances. The electronic collaborations range the farthest afield, and provide some of the most intriguing highlights -- especially the bluesy trip-hop of "The Truth," featuring Moloko crooner Roisin Murphy. Meanwhile, Alec Empire and El-P -- each arguably the most abrasive experimentalist in his field -- live up to their billing on the massively distorted "Megaton B-Boy 2000." It's true that a few of the quirkier experiments never quite get off the ground, but by and large, So...How's Your Girl? is packed with imaginative, intriguing music. ~ Steve Huey, All Music Guide
Track Listing
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Live Your Life T.I. Feat. Rihanna |
| Following a shaky year, plagued with problems with the law, no effort has been spared for the launch of T.I.'s sixth album "Paper Trails" with up to four different lead tracks sent to promotion at nearly the same time: First came his recent US number one "Whatever You Like"; hip-hop's magnificent four joint bash "Swagga Like Us" promptly followed; "Dead and gone", a duet with Justin Timberlake, and last but not least, this one that has quickly replaced "Whatever..." atop Billboard singles and looks likely to break the Atlanta rapper in the European markets. A few years ago, this overwhelming campaign would have been spread over a full year; but these days it pays off to concentrate all efforts at once, as the first week sales of the album, far beyond the half million mark, seem to prove. "Live Your Life's" main appeal is Rihanna singing the chorus over the pseudo-Tyrolese intro of O-Zone's recent eurosmash "Dragostea Din Tei", whereas T.I adds his distinctive eeeh-oooh hailing and throws in some rhymes that sound like a declaration of principles for everybody who wants to replicate his rags to riches story. | |
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