The lyrics of the group Tw12lve are the played-out chants of gangsta rap.
Money can't buy these MCs love, but they'd rather be a thug rollin' on dubs, goes the battle cry of the group who, without love, will probably never make the money to afford one rim let alone enough to roll on. Judging by their latest release, There Goes the Neighborhood, this will never be possible.
The first sound on the album is a shotgun being cocked, followed by an upbeat bass line with a bit of a funk. Tw12lve wants us to know we are listening to gangsta rap.
The first 30 seconds of each song on this album will be enough for anyone interested in hip-hop. The production on the album is quite nice. The problem is the MCs, who seem to have no interest in talent, practicing or rhyming about anything more than standard fare. It might have been better if they explained why guns and blunts are part of their lives. It's fine if they want to rap about bling-bling and women every once in awhile, but they could make it classier.
There Goes the Neighborhood has 18 tracks, and only a few are worth hearing. "Always Alone" has a good beat with good production. It uses some flamenco-sounding guitar and Latin percussion, but that's nothing like the rest of the album.
"It's Dangerous" has too much going on, with up to five melodies playing simultaneously. What makes the song worse is the repeated hook. In it, the rappers talk about how rap is dangerous, how everyone is blaming them, and their search for drugs. Poignant it isn't.
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"There Goes the Neighborhood" needs some work. A lot of the sounds used in the beat get too loud and become distorted, leaving an ugly noise repeating every four bars.
"Rain or Shine" begins well with a catchy horn sample. This is used throughout the song as a hook and is probably the best-recorded 10-second segment on the album. It's the one thing worth listening to.
The album ends with much less dignity than when it started. Tw12lve proved itself as a group with production abilities but without the knowledge necessary to accomplish anything.
Do hip-hop a favor and do not buy this album.
There Goes the Neighborhood
Tw12lve
Grade: D
