Memphis Bleek Albums (4)
What The Critics Say
For all its action-packed Frank Stallone bombast, the opening track of Memphis Bleek's fourth album, 534, opens the door with a key instead of a battering ram. Things then get flat-out bizarre: a brief interlude lifted from an obscure folk artist (Lisa Koch, known for a song titled "Beaver Cleaver Fever") sets up "Dear Summer" -- a (decent) Jay-Z feature with no other MCs present. The Swizz Beatz-produced "Like That" is T.I.'s rallying "Bring 'Em Out" at half power; "Infatuated" is the obligatory track for the ladies, containing the phrase "You complete me" in the hook. The album improves in its latter half, although it's usually the production work -- from the likes of 9th Wonder, Just Blaze, and Bink -- that attracts the attention. ~ Andy Kellman, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
Despite his longtime association with Jay-Z, the best and most popular rapper alive during the early 2000s, Memphis Bleek nonetheless continually struggled to overcome his protégé reputation and break through on his own, and his third album, M.A.D.E., again falls a bit short of that mark. Even so, it's a marked improvement for Bleek, a definite step forward and a sure showcase of his growing maturity. His first two albums, Coming of Age (1999) and Understanding (2000), had their moments, usually on the singles, but for the most part, they weren't lasting statements. If anything, they stated that Bleek was no Jay-Z and had a long way to go if he ever wanted to approach those heights. Then he dropped off for a while. In fact, it took him three years until he returned with M.A.D.E., which is longer than some less fortunate rappers' careers -- in other words, a short lifetime in rap years. But the time off seemingly served Bleek well. Throughout M.A.D.E., his flow is tighter than ever, he gets the best beats of his career, and he performs with ferocity on most songs: the opening run of "Everything's a Go" (with Jay-Z), "Round Here" (with Trick Daddy and T.I.), and "Just Blaze, Bleek & Free" (with Freeway) -- all of which are produced by Just Blaze -- get the album off to an astounding start. There's really nowhere to go but down from here, of course, but the remaining hour of music has its moments, albeit sporadic ones. In particular, Kanye West turns in a surprisingly straight interpolation of Michael Jackson's "P.Y.T." (titled "I Wanna Love U"), Scott Storch turns in a moody Dr. Dre-sounding production ("We Ballin'"), and Just Blaze turns in yet another hot track, a laid-back collabo with Beanie Sigel and Jay-Z ("Hypnotic"). In contrast, there are some fumbles, in particular a run-of-the-mill Nate Dogg duet that aims for "21 Questions" territory but misses. Taken as a whole, M.A.D.E. isn't the standup statement of purpose that Bleek needed to drop, especially after he spent three years on the down-low, but it's a noteworthy stride forward for the young rapper. Sure, a lot of the accolades should go out to Just Blaze, who carries the bulk of this album with his endlessly inventive productions, but Bleek deserves his share of props too. A lot of would-be critics wrote him off years prior, yet he soldiered on, held his composure, and returned with a sporadically great album. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
For his second album, Jay-Z protégé Memphis Bleek makes small strides forward from his debut album, Coming of Age. Yet like Coming of Age, the tracks on The Understanding may be a level above those of most rap but still aren't in the same category as those of Jay-Z or the other superstars from New York's hardcore school of rap: Nas, Ja Rule, Mobb Deep, and Raekwon. ~ Jason Birchmeier, All Music Guide
What The Critics Say
A collaborator on many of Jay-Z's albums (and a fellow native of Brooklyn's Marcy Projects), Memphis Bleek debuted his own solo career with the album Coming of Age, released on his mentor's Roc-A-Fella label, a subsidiary of Def Jam. Bleek's rapping style is a bit more street-level than Jay-Z's, making for a distinctive album that comes as a bit of a surprise given the large amount of samey records that often come from the same hip-hop labels. Besides the obvious cameos -- from Jay-Z, fellow Roc-A-Fella rappers Ja Rule and Beanie Sigel, plus Noreaga and Da Ranjahz -- Memphis Bleek sounds good throughout. For the spotlight single "Memphis Bleek Is...," the rapper recruited Swizz Beatz, the hottest producer in hip-hop. The move pays off, too, as the track is a solid DMX-style shouter, with the obvious catch phrase in the title. Many of the productions were recorded by Roc-A-Fella comrades, and the highlights ("What Do You Think of That," "Murda 4 Life," "You a Thug Nigga") have the same emphasis on bruising urban-funk as most Jay-Z material. Still, Coming of Age is a fine debut that shows Memphis Bleek already leaps and bounds ahead of most rappers. ~ Keith Farley, All Music Guide
