Kurtis Blow Albums (8)
What The Critics Say
Kurtis Blow's sixth Mercury LP wasn't a pretty thing to behold. He tried everything from autobiographical material ("The Bronx") to b-boy narratives ("I'm Chillin'") and novelty cuts ("Magilla Gorilla"), but nothing clicked, either commercially or aesthetically. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Consistent rap beats with poignant social commentary. ~ Bil Carpenter, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
By the time Kurtis Blow recorded 1984's Ego Trip, the Harlem MC was no longer considered cutting-edge in hip-hop circles. Blow, who was at the height of his popularity around 1979-1981, had come to be regarded as old school --and in 1984, cutting-edge meant Run-D.M.C., LL Cool J, the Fat Boys, the Beastie Boys, and Whodini. But even if Blow's rapping style was sounding somewhat dated in 1984, he still had impressive technique. Although uneven, Ego Trip has a lot going for it. Some of the material is excellent, especially the hit "Basketball" (which salutes the sport's big names), the skeletal "AJ Scratch," and the sociopolitical offerings "I Can't Take It No More" and "8 Million Stories" (which features Run-D.M.C. and puts an 1980s spin on the old TV series The Naked City). Other tracks, meanwhile, are decent but not great -- like Blow's previous LPs, Ego Trip isn't without filler. Hip-hop was becoming increasingly album-minded in 1984, but Blow had come out of an era in which singles dominated hip-hop and albums were the exception instead of the rule -- which may explain why his albums tended to be inconsistent. But Ego Trip has more plusses than minuses, and its best tracks are first-rate. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Things cooled quickly for Kurtis Blow following the success of "The Breaks" in 1980. He was unable to get any single from this record on the charts, even though "Rockin'" and "It's Gettin' Hot" were well produced and competently delivered. But rap was still far from being a mainstream phenomenon, and this album did very poorly commercially. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Back in hip-hop's old school era -- roughly 1978-1982 -- albums were the exception and not the rule. Hip-hop became a lot more album-minded with the rise of its second generation (Run-D.M.C., Whodini, the Fat Boys, among others) around 1983-1984, but in the beginning, many MCs recorded nothing but singles. Two exceptions were the Sugarhill Gang and Kurtis Blow, whose self-titled debut album of 1980 was among hip-hop's first LPs and was the first rap album to come out on a major label. Thus, Kurtis Blow has serious historic value, although it is mildly uneven. Some of the tracks are superb, including "The Breaks" (a Top Five R&B smash in 1980) and "Rappin' Blow, Part Two," which is the second half of Blow's 1979 debut single, "Christmas Rappin'." And "Hard Times" is a forceful gem that finds Blow addressing social issues two years before Grandmaster Flash & the Furious Five popularized sociopolitical rapping with 1982's sobering "The Message." Some of the other tracks, however, are decent but not remarkable. Switching from rapping to singing, Blow detours into Northern soul on the Chi-Lites-influenced ballad "All I Want in This World (Is to Find That Girl)" and arena rock on an unexpected cover of Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business." While those selections are likable and kind of interesting -- how many other old school rappers attempted to sing soul, let alone arena rock? -- the fact remains that rapping, not singing, is Blow's strong point. And Mercury really screwed up by providing only the second half of "Christmas Rappin'"; that landmark single should have been heard in its entirety. But despite its flaws and shortcomings, Kurtis Blow is an important album that hip-hop historians should make a point of hearing. ~ Alex Henderson, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
The well was exhausted by the time Blowfly issued this album. His rap style, while still attractive for its clipped, brusque cadence, was wasted on forgettable material and his productions were routine. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide
