Eric Mendes’ Official Blog

Similar to other aspects of life, within the hip-hop world, a rapper’s first impression means the world. That’s why the debut album is the quintessential album of an artist’s career. After all, if your first album isn’t up to par, who’s to say you’re going to get a second chance? Chances are you’ll be dropped in the blink of an eye. But, if you’re one of the few artists who can actually pull off a masterpiece of an album the first time around, all is not well. Just ask Nas and Jay-Z, both artists achieved overwhelming critical success with their first albums, and have been criticized for not recreating the magic in their preceding albums.  Now Mos Def represents a unique situation due to the fact that he has not one, but two classic debut albums to live up to, Black on Both Sides & Mos Def and Talib Kweli Presents Blackstar. While 2004’s The New Danger didn’t live up to expectations, it showed Mos experimenting and expanding his horizons into the Rock world. 2007’s Tru3 Magic featured an unfocused Mos that was clearly focused more on his film career than his hip-hop career.

It’s now 2009 and the boogeyman has dropped his forth-solo album, The Ecstatic. From the title alone, you can tell that Def is attempting to bring back the lyrics, and he doesn’t disappoint. Continue reading

     In the Hip-Hop world the month of March will forever represent both a time of mourning and a time of celebration over one of the greatest emcees of all-time – The Notorious B.I.G. On March 9^th 1997, six months after the death of Tupac Shakur, B.I.G. was murdered in Los Angeles, and fifteen days later his first posthumous album, Life After Death, was released to the masses. The album debuted at the top of the Billboard charts and in 2000 it was the first Hip-Hop album to be certified Diamond, just a mere three years after its initial release. Since its debut, Life After has been considered a classic effort in most Hip-Hop circles, but there has always been talk among Hip-Hop heads that the album is considerably overrated due to Biggie’s early demise. Additionally, there’s a continued debate on whether or not Life After actually surpasses his solo debut, Ready to Die, and for all these reasons and more, Life After is arguable one of the most controversial Hip-Hop albums to ever be released. In celebration of the life of one of Hip-Hop’s largest cultural icons, I’ll re-review Life After Death to see how the album holds up after twelve years. I’m assuming that the majority of the audience reading this article has atleast partially listened to this album, and if not, I suggest you finish reading this article then proceed to you’re local CD store and purchase this album, now. Continue reading

One word to describe Hip-Hop concerts in 2008? Spectacular, Yes! Not only did just about every major name in Hip-Hop tour in 2008, they also provided fans with those “I remember exactly where I was when it happened” moments. While some performances were out of this world, others provided fans with preeminent acts that extended across multiple genres. With the economy collapsing like a playing card pyramid left out in a hurricane, Hip-Hop concerts in 2008 provided the largest value for your ever declining dollar. It seemed that artists were competing against one another, and like any Econ 101 course will tell you, competition is great for the consumer. In the end if you missed out on these once and in a lifetime experiences, I figure you’ll be kicking yourself throughout the article, so brace yourself!

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     Consider this article the christening of my “Most Slept On…” series, so feel free to use this as your excuse to drink on a weeknight. This series will convey my thoughts on the most slept on albums, songs, artists, or just about anything that can be slept on, even mattresses, so learn to expect just about anything. As much as I would like to expect that everyone reading this article would understand the colloquial phrase, I acknowledge that some people are just not beefed up on their slang terms, therefore I’m here to help. The term “slept on” is akin to overlooking or ignoring something, i.e., you slept on that class your friend swore was an easy A, you know until you got a C. With that said, it’s with sheer enthusiasm that I present The Most Slept On…Album of Jay-Z’s Career.
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     With Valentine’s Day now done and over with, everyone can now continue to live their lives without fear of pink overload, or diabetes induced sweet talk that seems to monopolize the world during the first weeks of February. The aftermath of V-Day can stimulate a variety of feelings, some good and some bad; and while some singles might want to take a sharp object and stab themselves in the eye from all the V-Day television specials, most couples are putting aside their issues for 24 hours to craft genuine memories that will carry them into the next February 14th.

     But regardless of how you’re feeling, Hip-Hop can boost your spirits in ways no other art-form can match, and so I bring you Hip-Hop’s essential post V-Day playlists. Note that there is a fine line between Hip-Hop and R&B, and that these playlists are strictly Hip-Hop.

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      While I’m undoubtedly enthused about the monumental year in Hip-Hop that is ahead of us, I thought I would take some time out and reminisce on the year that saw the first African American elected to our highest office; not to mention the same year that saw the world’s financial system come crashing down faster than the Patriots’ Super Bowl hopes after Tom Brady went on the injured reserve.  Without further ado, here are 2008’s Hip-Hop awards.

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With 2008 firmly in the rear view, Hip-Hop heads can now look to 2009 with eager anticipation because the next 365 days look to have the best album line-up, in years. With albums from Hip-Hop heavyweights Eminem, Dr. Dre, and Jay-Z, fans shouldn’t be disappointed in 2009. So without further ado, here are 2009’s Most Anticipated Hip-Hop albums.
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     The Game is similar to Forrest Gump’s proverbial box of chocolates, because you never really know what you’re going to get. On one hand his albums have rejuvenated a West Coast that has seemingly lost its relevance, but on the other hand his constant name dropping has always been viewed as one of his faults. On LAX, The Game still continues his name dropping ways, but the main question remains: does the name-dropping detract from the album? Answer: not one bit. If anything, it actually adds to the album’s aura. Additionally, unlike his previous efforts, the guests appearances – Nas, Ice Cube, Ludacris, Common, Raekwon, Ne-Yo, & Lil’ Wayne – on the album essentially add relevance to his name-dropping by providing a diverse look at hip-hop’s OG’s and the current metaphor slingers.

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