by Debra Au
Daily Lobo
Maybe I'm not that into rap music anymore, but listening to Canibus' new Hip-Hop For Sale didn't exactly persuade me to start listening again.
I guess I'm just a little nostalgic for those things that were back in the day. Like when Diddy was Puff Daddy, when Snoop Dogg didn't own a youth football league, and when Canibus was one of the rawest MCs with clever wordplay.
About eight years ago, Canibus gained mainstream notoriety for his feud with LL Cool J after a botched collaboration, when he released his rebuttal, "Second Round K.O.", in which Canibus sent an all-out assault on LL for dissing him on the song "4,3,2,1."
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Long story short, this was the first of his beefs but certainly not the last. He's dealt with problems with Wyclef Jean and Eminem. These rivalries and stinging lyrics gave Canibus his fame and popularity, but such has seemed to pass by the wayside in his latest venture.
Hip-Hop For Sale is a stagnant album full of tracks that are forgettable, over-done and unstructured. Now he raps insults toward no one in particular - just anyone who has done him wrong and anyone who plans to do so in the future. The song "Da' Facelift" tells of what he'll do to anyone who wants to "step up." On a more interesting note, brought up on this track is his dishonorable discharge from the Army. It seems Canibus likes the cannabis.
Also on his list of invectives is a talk show interviewer, Benny Riley, who attempts to compliment Canibus' music and relate to it, even though he is blatantly - oh, so blatantly - caucasian-sounding. The chorus is a mind-numbing repetition of Riley saying, "Listen, this is great!" Well, Canibus, it's not so great, and perhaps you shouldn't be insulting those who still appreciate your music.
And what would be a rap album without the incessant shout-outs? At least Canibus has consolidated all of them into one track, "Dear Academy," which recounts his encounters with his contemporaries. It samples a Carole King song by the same name and feels more than a little out of place because, basically, it's pointless.
One look at the album art and it is clear Canibus' style is no longer amorphous and resilient but rather much flashier. He is shown leaning out the window of a Rolls-Royce sporting a heavily-studded watch strategically placed to glimmer in the sunlight, all the while nonchalantly holding a stack of hundred dollar bills. What has happened here?
Sadly, the days when Canibus ruled the rivalries of hip-hop are over. In fact, he's putting them up for sale. Any takers?
