Slaughterhouse – Slaughterhouse [2010]
Written by Big D
Throughout history, when forces have combined and united on the same front, it usually has lead to incredibly strong results (see Captain Planet, Voltron, and The Mega Powers, brother). In hip hop, time and time again we see alleged “supergroups” fail to even get off the ground (see The Horsemen, The Firm, etc). It seems like every year we see attempts made, but have any really captured the imagination since the Juice Crew did in the mid 1980s?
Along came Slaugherhouse, a hip hop foursome composed of rappers that hardcore hip hop heads adore. Royce Da 5’9, Joell Ortiz, Crooked I, and Joe Budden have all shared differing levels of success, from one or two big hits (Budden, Royce), to a glimmer of hope as a barnacle on a would-be successful project (Crooked I), to a horde of mixtape appearances and hypenitis (Joell Ortiz). Together though, Slaughterhouse hopes to repackage the meat that we call hip hop music and bring it out of the chilly, icy freezer that it’s been locked up in.
Indeed, one of 2009′s most anticipated rap albums is the self titled Slaughterhouse. But were the combined forces of these guys raw enough to melt the polar ice caps? Let’s find out.
Clocking in at almost six minutes but feeling more like ten (in a good way), “Sound Off” personifies the word epic as all four emcees slice and dice the mic. The trumpets sound off, almost as if a biblical event was occuring. The follow-ups, “Lyrical Murderers”, “Microphone” and “Not Tonight” are all spectacularly epic battle raps. A lot of people would normally consider these cons (including myself), but it’s impossible for me to hate due to how dangerously dope these tracks are. “Not Tonight” stands out because it sprinkles a bit of social consciousness and also samples William Bell for the 3,452nd time. Later in the album is “Cut You Loose” is a nice mix of anti-commercialism with metaphors. Remember Gza’s “Labels”? That’s what is done here at times. The only catch? William Bell for the 3,453rd time.
But that’s certainly the key here – the album IS all brag and battle raps. Really all you have to distinguish tracks is the production, which suffice to say, is consistently amazing throughout Slaughterhouse. Other standouts include the punk-rock influenced “The One”, the laid back funk of “Salute”, and the hammering violins of “Onslaught 2″. “Salute” actually mixes some street poetry with the battling and also presents Pharoahe Monch as a hook-singer rather than a tongue twister.
Everything on Slaughterhouse just sounds epic and meaningful even though beneath the surface, it’s just a battle rap disguised as world-beating music. Having an all battle-rap laced album has held back a lot of artists, but the difference between Slaughterhouse and say… Canibus is that here you not only have more vocal variety because you have FOUR rappers, but also none of these guys have that grainy voice and overtly-scientific conspiracy-theory rhyming that makes Canibus so difficult to rewind at times.
The strongest and most memorable moments from Slaughterhouse are the songs that actually provide some kind of insight to the performers through hip hop storytelling. The retrospective “Pray (It’s a Shame)” finds the four rappers looking inside themselves and seeking religion for salvation. Topics range from growing up without a father, to drug addiction, to surviving on the streets. “Killaz” stands out just because they try something totally different – violent horrorcore rhymes. Oh yes, Royce IS from Detroit. “Rain Drops” is a borderline-suicidal look at each emcee losing an important family member as a youth. Crooked I comes off here as the most emotionally affected and is certainly his most powerful performance on the record.
Out of all four members, Royce Da 5’9 and Joell Ortiz stand out as the true superstars of the album, consistently providing the best verses and performances. Everything that come sout of Royce’s mouth is from the heart and Ortiz is one of the most versatile emcees in terms of vocals, rhyme schemes, and flow.
While a tad bit one-dimensional, Slaughterhouse is an amazing album and shows that if you’re that damn talented and have production that damn good, you can take a certain niche and raise the bar. Royce, Joell, Budden, and Crooked I are respectable emcees in their own right, but together, this is like Peanut Butter, Cookies, Chocolate, Vanilla, and all of that tasty isht – despite most of the album primarily being just one flavor. Slaughterhouse is a refreshing, true-school hip-hop release that is a fine addition to the collection of any rap fan who likes it raw.
4.75 Stars
