Joell Ortiz Hip Hop Remix & Album Review
Joell Ortiz - Hip Hop feat Jadakiss & Saigon (remix)
Album Review by Samir Siddiqui below
Joell Ortiz - The Brick (Bodega Chronicles) Album Review by Samir Siddiqui
I am hip-hop”! This proclamation from hip-hop newcomer Joell Ortiz is of vital importance to a genre overrun with disinterested emcees looking for a quick buck. Yes, Ortiz does indeed hold what has been speculated to be a wealthy deal with Aftermath boss Dr. Dre, but the honesty and passion with which he lays his rhymes is a welcome change from what has so far been an under-whelming first half in the rap game. Leading up to his major-label debut comes the Koch-released street album The Brick, which gives the streets a preview of the highly talented, true-to-his-roots MC repping New York to the fullest.
His underground hit “Hip Hop” is the most notable single of the year, as Joell’s love for the music clearly overrides any outside bullshit that comes with being a rapper, “I wake up hip-hop, go to sleep hip-hop, dream bout hip-hop.” “The Bio” explores the background story of how Joell has gathered the sizable buzz he has today, and Ortiz also provides an ode to “Brooklyn” with the help of Cashmere, Maino, and Big Daddy Kane, just one of the several solid collabos on the album. Immortal Technique’s fearless rhymes mix well with Ortiz’ gruff rhymes over the piano driven “Modern Day Slavery,” where Tech spits knowledge through a sped-up sample, “Our people are the product of genocide and slavery, everything in the ghetto is how it was made to be.”
The production of The Brick isn’t the main focus on Bodega Chronicles, but for the most part, Ortiz has little problem displaying a strong mic presence over throwback east-coast beats. Few bars are wasted here, as Joell and company vividly illustrate the connection between their real-life situations and the focus they have on making “real” hip-hop music. The Brick may lack glitz and commercial appeal, but this was meant to be a street record, and Joell has delivered a solid debut. Koch can’t be the graveyard, they just dropped one of the top albums of the year.
Suggestion Box
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:43 pm
hell yea..im fiending to hear that track with tech!
May 2nd, 2007 at 7:52 pm
Joell Ortiz is what is hot right now. His album is the epitome of a true Hip Hop album and definitely is what Hip Hop needs. This album gets played non-stop all the way through..no skips. If anything rewinds it back to what he said.
BQE, all the 125 Grams, Brooklyn Remix, Brooklyn High, Caught Up, Latino…I can go on.
This album is probably been the album I been playing non-stop in a long time
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:04 pm
This guy is waaaaaack stop posting stuff about this guy!!!
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:16 pm
MarkWilly wrote on May 2nd, 2007 at 9:04 pm
This guy is waaaaaack stop posting stuff about this guy!!!
^^ Marky Mark > MarkWilly
Willie Nelson > MarkWilly
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:30 pm
song coulda been better.
the chorus needs work. alot of work.
and no saigon. add styles.
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:31 pm
no sai? He had the best verse by far
May 2nd, 2007 at 9:32 pm
^lol. i know why niggas keep sayin he wack. cuz of his delivery. i think he nice, but a lotta niggas think he wack. its kinda like when u hear a white boy rappin, even if he nice, niggas is gon say he wack cuz of eminem. niggas gon say ortiz is wack becuz of big pun. its on some minority in hip hop shit
May 3rd, 2007 at 4:45 am
yeah im feelin this joel ortiz guy…..
May 3rd, 2007 at 4:59 am
J.O ALBUM IS FIRE . CANT WAIT 4 THE NEXT 1 ON AFTERMATH.
May 3rd, 2007 at 6:38 am
STRAIGHT SPITTING SOME EAST COAST FIRE!
May 3rd, 2007 at 7:36 am
That “Hip-Hop” joint is on point.
May 3rd, 2007 at 10:20 am
Hip-Hop iz definiley back in tha building w/ Joell Ortiz!!!! The Album iz Crazy too!!
May 3rd, 2007 at 5:52 pm
the album was alright in my opinion. few of them tracks were serious though. hopefully his album on aftermath will exceed the quality of this one.
June 14th, 2007 at 1:12 pm
Joell Ortiz is by far Hip-Hop. Just like KRS-1,Rakim,Public Enemy so on and so forth this brother is bringin’ straight heat. The (HipHop)”GAME” has been longing for a true and fresh MC. Please believe that JO is here to STAY. Hey Joell keep it blazin’ money bump the nay sayers….
KO