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Artist : Muro
Album Title : 20 Street Years
Styles : Organic Hip-Hop
Label : Cutting Edge
Reference Code : CTCR14413
Released : 2005/07/20
Running Time : 51:47
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REVIEW >>> Muro equals to funk which is not to be confused with with the term funky. Muro loves funk and breathes funk music and blesses his productions with the greatest and finest funk heavy hip-hop tunes which is the way it has always been and the way it will always be in the future when talking about Muro. 20 Street Years is the man's gift and a celebration soundtrack for hip-hop culture but also one of the biggest releases of the year 2005. We know we slept on it due to the heavy amount of releases this summer but now it's finally time to put rare treat to a test and see how it does on the culture universal rating scale. The album kicks off with the much hyped Microphone Pager (Muro + Twigy) re-union track and you instantly get the feeling that you're going back in time to the 70's in Muro's own time machine with the beat straight outta Shaft. Like always Muro has invited a wide range of artists to feature on the release including some of the members from his K.O.D.P. Family and younger upcoming acts to continue the legacy. Lyrically Muro is on top form all the way from the first seconds of the release and it's amazing that he's still able to improve after 20 years of activity. Unfortunately some of the young acts mentioned form into some kind of achilles heel during the album and drag the album from being an alltime classic into the great album category. Artists such as Mars Manie, Mousouzoku, Mikris & Tha Brobus make appearances on the album but can neither match the production level with their lyrics or the direction of the release compared to their own solo careers. However due to the good beats it's safe to say all these artists perform above their own standard which saves some of the songs from becoming filler tracks. Another dissapointing note is the fact that 8 of the albums tracks are interludes and skits and even though they create a better athmosphere for the album it makes you wonder what if the album would have come packed with 19 real tracks instead especially since Muro's albums tend to have many years in between them. Another complaint could be the fact that we hardly get to hear Muro himself on the microphone this time around due to the heavy amount of guests but that hiccup is more than well replaced with his talent on the production side and those afraid of him travelling into any synthetic realms can forget about it. In some form the production style of the album can be compared to Pan Rhythm Flight 11154 album in 2000 and the man's productions from that era and in some ways Muro has taken it back to his own roots with this album. Muro in his time has not introduced people only to hip-hop but to funk as well and some of the work on this album pays such a huge tribute to the old school funk that i wouldn't be surprised if more people would fall in love with it after this release. Out of the notable highlights on the album i definitely have to mention the track with Lord Finesse where Muro lays down beats similar to their earlier collabo on Vinyl Athletes from Muro's first album and the duo take it back to the glory of the old school in a major way. Another highlight would definitely be "Sound Of Savage" which features a real allstar line-up of mc's exchanging rhymes over the raw funk provided by Muro and also "New Yorkin' In T.K.O.", a more mellow effort featuring XBS and Osumi. 20 Street Years is a near classic that is only held back by some average guest appearances by some mc's that just do not quite fit in and hurt the replay value of the album. The production side on today's standards is pure excellency and will definitely make your ears sing along with the funk and ask you to repeat the songs over and over again. As said before 20 Street Years is also a tribute to hip-hop and to those living it who will surely embrace the album and cherish it for years to come. Rarely are albums executed as well as this release and it's easy to guarantee that the album will stay around your cd player all the way until the next Muro album gets announced. Until then make sure you do yourself a favor and buy a copy of 20 Street Years. Rating : Words By : Jesse Viinikainen |
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02. UHUHUHUHUHUHUH!!!!!!!