Shady Records

Sorry to disappoint some Eminem groupies and some die hard Shady Records fans, but this is GOOD news as far as I am concerned! Obie didn’t receive the attention he deserved at Shady Records. The Detroit emcee is inventive, lyrical, creative as hell… leaving Shady Records is the best thing he could actually do…Obie deserves much more, as far as I am concerned:)

Read the original article here.

By Tai Saint-Louis
Following the heavy circulation of Obie Trice’s new single “The Giant” signaling the Detroit rapper’s departure from his situation with Shady Records and it’s parent company, Interscope, the brass at Shady issued a statement Monday (Jun 30) reaffirming its support of Trice’s decision.

“Shady Records has agreed to allow Obie Trice to pursue his craft in a different forum free from the constraints of the current major label model,” Eminem’s long time partner and manager Paul Rosenberg told AllHipHop.com.

Sources on the web have erroneously reported that the new explanatory track released to the web on Sunday (Jun 29) included lyrics meant as a diss to his former label and Eminem, who added Trice to the label’s roster in 2000.

At issue was the song’s opening verse, on which Trice raps “Guess it was meant / for me to branch off from my Caucasian friend” and “Nope, no more 2nd place to Eminem / question if I was 2nd is the question to many men.”

“Eminem will continue to support and work with Obie on many levels of his career,” Rosenberg stated frankly. “He remains a close friend and member of the Shady family.”

During his time as a Shady/Interscope artist, Obie Trice’s two albums which were well received critically, established the artist as Eminem’s heir apparent.

The first, 2003’s Cheers, sold over 500,000 copies worldwide, while its follow-up Second Round’s On Me found slightly less commercial support.

Obie has a brand new blog…check it for the Obie exclusives:)

It’s called Detroit. Listen to it here.

Global rating of the product: 4 stars

Shady Records artist Obie Trice recently released the We Run Detroit mixtape in collaboration with Stretch Money. It offers an interesting panel of Detroit talents participation. Most tracks are good compositions which will allow the listeners to discover Detroit hip hop’s specificity.

Although I’ve never been a big Jay Z fan, the song allows me to be very much appreciative of Obie’s skills. Obie owns the lyrical part of the song. His verbal storm totally matches with a rich orchestral background.
The only detail that spoils the song from a musical point of view are the loud horn sounds. They are supposed to create a quite cocky atmosphere, but they seem overshadow the quality of the song.

Ignorant S**t featuring Jay Z and Beanie Sigel also enlighten Obie’s know how: creative lyrics, stormy flow delivery, good instrumentals. However, the chorus and horn sounds seem spoil the song again.

Quest M.C.Q.U.O.D.Y’s Fade Back song has some blues and rock’n roll accents. The artist s vocal efforts are truly enhanced by the electric guitar sounds. A raw sound, combined with heartfelt lyrics will allow you to appreciate the track to the fullest.

Helleva and Eminem are working together on the I Can Be song.
Dark and rhythmic drum beats mixed up with massive violin sounds unveil the dramatic meaning of the song.
Eminem’s part is a little bit disappointing: not that it is bad, but one could expect a little bit more of lyrical creativity from the emcee who wrote complex songs such as the Infinite song. Moreover, Em insists too much on his bad boy image.
Another weakness of the song is-once again- the introduction of those horrible horns. This is not a football match-it is supposed to be a rap song.

Strech Money’s Punishment song is a very rhythmic, lyrically well handled song. With its slight Ruthless sounds and the gangsta spirit it carries, Stretch Money’s talent illuminates the whole track.
I’m Clean : come into Stretch Money’s world, walk through the Detroit area with him. A rich musical background, swinging drum beats, a hustling spirit will reveal a talented emcee straight out of the D.

The CD is strengthened by Royce da 5.9 s participation. Follow Royce in I Get Money. Feel the Southern musical flavor of the track, the good sense of rhythm that allies lyrical talent and a raw hood spirit, enjoy his fast flow delivery.

Rewind is another demonstration of Royce’s hip hop mastery. Listen to his rhythmic lyrical bullets shot from his mouth on a flute and drumbeat background. Very well done!

Open your ears for Famous& Flame’s Skrilla Gorillas anthem.
Some astute wordplays, a dark and rhythmic musical background, a real good lyrical effort welcome you into a hustler s world.
They are coming to you like a bulldozer, ready to erase everything on their way. Don’t sleep on them.

In Dark Moon, Obie and his partner in crime Famous are killing it again.
You will probably enjoy the combination of a bass and drum background.
Dark Moon totally represent the streets of Detroit City.

Globally speaking, the We Run Detroit mixtape is really worth your interest. A few weaknesses such as the massive use of those horrible horns should have been avoided. However, let s point out that the mixtape is rich of tight Detroit artists participation. If you are in love with the Murder Capital s merciless spirit, you are definitely going to enjoy its music.

Copyright© 2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

Check out Short Distance here.

Obie Trice/ The Most Underrated mixtape review

Rating of the product: 4.5 stars

Most underrated on the Detroit scene and among mainstream artists? Obie Trice certainly is…the worst is that the average listener often doesn t pay attention to the Detroit artist s lyrical skills.

So Why isn t Obie on top of the tops? That’s what he d actually deserve!
Too many times outshined by 50 Cent, people should definitely have a closer look at the Detroit talent.

DJ Woo Kid introduces the mixtape that is followed by Most Underrated in which Obie assails his opponents with some astute lyrical bullets. Built on some crazy vocals, Obie s words will merciless knife you, making his obvious lyrical talent shine. You might hate the man, but you cannot deny his talent!

Hope is introduced by some violins and trumpet sounds, mixed up with some swinging drum beats while Obie spits his venom, exposing his vision of hope, despite the negative elements surrounding him.

Gangster is instrumentally softened with toothing stone and flute sounds. While Obie excels at composing his words, the song leads you into a pleasant ballad during which Obie challenges his rivals.

Can t Stop is a rhythmic track whose scurrilous dimension is reinforced by repetitive drum beats and electric guitar notes. Let Obie show you his artillery. The song is highly enjoyable. It will lead you into an incredible, incisive battle of words. Obie s flow delivery is quite impressing.

Terrible will take you by surprise with its euphoric sounds. Keyboard sounds, instrumentals work together with the catchy beats to create an enthusiastic atmosphere of a confident emcee who is heading towards victory. I recommend you the song, particularly for its original choice of the instrumentals. No doubt: you gonna like it!

Fooling With Fooling starts with some sharp harpsichord notes, gun shots and is a powerful outlet for Obie s rage.

A Detroiter shows you his spirit and sense of realness. Never afraid to tell the truth, Obie carries the proud spirit of the Detroit underground, fully representing the 313.

I was a little bit disappointing by Show Me Love Bitch that is more R’N’B sounding and has more mainstream appeal. However, Obie s lyrical skills are still great on this track!

Poet, drug dealer, eternal hustler, weed smoker, drinker, Obie portrays life at a rock bottom level in the hood with an incredible lyrical brilliance and a lot of humility. I loved Coupe. A must hear!

Globally, Obie Trice s work on the Most Underrated mixtape is the result of hard work. I highly recommend it to you.

Let Obie transport you into his universe and show you how real hip hop should sound.

Download Obie s mixtape here.

Copyright© 2007 by Isabelle Esling
All Rights Reserved

hopefully a review of Obie Trice s The Most Underrated mixtape in collaboration with DJ Whoo-Kid…stay tuned, folks:)