The Majesticons Beauty Party LP
This is the second installment in Mike Ladd's trilogy - his story of hiphops internal battle told through the battle between Infesticons and Majesticons. We were first introduced to this battle for hiphops heart in 2000 with the Infesticon produced 'Gun Hill Road' - this LP gave up some serious gems and proved that conceptual hiphop can have a foot firmly planted on the back of your neck. This record takes the trilogy to its next stage - the conflict between glimmer/bling and substance has been redrawn in this battle response from the Majesticon camp.
I'm not sure whether anybody gives a flying fuck about the inner workings of an artists mind when they record an LP - who continuously thinks about the story behind a piece of music when they're actually listening to it? It only works when the music hits the spot - you cant hide behind a concept if your music's plainly shit. For my personal taste - irony doesnt make this record a more listenable. Its a real nice George Lucas style idea - I just think this record goes overboard with its continuous blinging/digital production. It doesnt take 15 tracks to make me understand the part this cliched 'playa style' plays in Mike Ladds overall story (aka moralistic tale).
I think the record has too many fillers cos there are tracks on here that absolutely rip it. For example, 'Fader Party' takes things to the next level with a super synth backdrop swooping out of frenetic drum shots - the emcees ride the beat with panache and it all sits in a nice verse/chorus stucture to hit the headnod nerve. 'Brains Party' sounds smooth and soulful this simmers along with some cutting lyrical swipes at the superficial elements of hiphop sales - and the chorus guarantee's a smile. 'MajestWest Party' is a neat lyrical pisstake of the Westcoast gangsta hiphop, 'Helicopter Party' loops itself into a soft lather with some soulful female/male vocals matching the catchy hooked out beat, the emcee's absolutely smack it on 'Dwarf Star Party' this vocal performance makes the LP's simplest, least overtly blinging and best track. On the flipside of Mike Ladd's imagination come tracks like 'Prom Night Party' which sounds like a broken video game with cheesy lyrics thrown across the top, 'Platinum BlaQue Party' has a musical background that becomes tiresome quickly, 'Game Party' aint funny, 'Parlour Party' has a bit to say but after three minutes without a switch in message you've lost the will to listen, and 'Suburb Party' is a mindfuck with the same looped fx making some straight nasty humourless production.
As a sidenote; I've got no idea who the vocalists are across the LP - everyone rocks psuedonym's - and I'm assuming Mike Ladd did all the production work. Probably people will say I've missed the point and that this record is meant to be slightly repetitive and soulless because its a cutting comment upon the state of mainstream hiphop - I understand that but feel this comment would be more edible in smaller bites. Someone who is truly clever says the most in the least amount of words.
Overall, this is a record with some nice moments - it just gets a bit tiresome over the course of fifty minutes - the joke/concept wears desperately thin. People will definitely lap this record up if their either into Mike Ladds intellectual concept or simply a fan of a more mainstream digital soul sound. But if you played this to someone who had no idea of its underlying conceptual framework I dont think they'd rate it as a good album. Surely thats the test of good music - it shines through whatever the conceptual framework within its construction.
- Smiffy | profile
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