The 1 means this is supposed to be the first in a set of Kanye West and Ty Dolla Sign collaborations, but that seems excessive. This album alone would’ve been better as an EP. There are good pickings; Paid is Friday night club fun and Back To Me ranks near the most beautiful of either artist’s unconventional “love” odes; but not enough to feed the wake.
my rating : 3 of 5
2024
2022
gab.com
2022
infowars.com
2022
timcast.com
2021
This song would be better without Twista. That’s not a knock on his rap skills. All four verses are up to par. It’s just that, with Sleepy Brown, Killer Mike and Big Boi already being associated with each other, he seems out of place, especially considering the fact that Big Boi fails to mention him when name-dropping each rapper as if Jay-Z included him as an afterthought.
It’s a good song though, despite Brown emulating the beat on the chorus, which I normally detest. What saves it is the slight alteration in melody, though the song would be less repetitive if there were a new layer; not just Jay-Z ad-libs; added to each break. The title is a reference to buying expensive clothes, which makes this not only baller music but maller music.
my rating : 4 of 5
2002
![audio review : The Blueprint 2 [ The Gift And The Curse ] ( album ) ... Jay-Z](https://marcellee.com/posts/112513.jpg "audio review : The Blueprint 2 [ The Gift And The Curse ] ( album ) ... Jay-Z")
2002
The only thing I dislike about this song is the way Kanye West leaves the word Time out of the title phrase every other time he says it. I understand he does it for melodic purposes and it’s a catchy hook in that regard, but it doesn’t make grammatical sense. Perhaps he should’ve said something about the “song” instead of repeating it.
It’s a flagrant flaw but not significant enough to ruin what sounds like a damn good song demo. The music is charming; I can’t tell what the girl or kid is saying on the loop; and the Soulja Boy verse is a welcomed addition. It’s his vocal flow/delivery that makes it work and I like the way it ends, despite him rhyming Long Time with Long Time.
my rating : 4 of 5
2022
2021
2021
Shenseea almost ruins this song. Her coda should’ve been cut entirely. The organ sounds nice, but that whole end section threatens to drag the overall aesthetic quality down a notch.
It would be better as a Roddy Ricch song featuring Kanye West, who actually provides the best part. “Father, I’m yours exclusively,” it goes, “Devil, get behind me; I’m loose, I’m free.”
my rating : 4 of 5
2021
