Spring Break
REVIEW: More bark than bite to this 'Beast'
Stephen Ortiz
Issue date: 9/4/08 Section: Focus
And you wondered why The Game retired.
V.I.C., label mate and friend to the chart topping Soulja Boy, has further proved that hip-hop is still slowly dying single by single. His debut album, "Beast" wishes to be taken seriously, but it can't. The rhymes are terrible, the concepts are tired clichés executed in the simplest paint-by-numbers form and there's not a lot going for the album in terms of staying power. Looks like he could have used a few more lessons from his "Crank That" counterpart.
The debut albums by both artists share a lot of the same flaws and powerful lead singles, but Soulja Boy stands apart because he, as terrible as it sounds, seems to care less about his music and fed listeners 13 more songs that were all as nonsensical and fun as "Crank That." V.I.C., on the other hand, is trying too hard to make something happen where it's not supposed to. But that's not to say he doesn't succeed at least once over the terribly long 19 tracks.
"Beast" begins strong. Too strong for its own good, actually, as the title track and album opener explodes over the stereos with V.I.C. displaying heavy amounts of swagger and confidence, leaving the rest of the album to shame. Deep breathing and growls throughout give off a tribal feel and the horns on the chorus add a triumphant flair that sets the bar high for everything that follows.
The true shining moment, and perhaps the only reason why someone would pick up "Beast" before hearing the rest of the album, comes in the form of the lead single featuring Soulja Boy, "Get Silly."
Complete with a ridiculous dance of its own (check out the music video; it's a must), "Get Silly" is just fun from start to finish - think of it as a more elaborate "Crank That." V.I.C. drops some witty lines and plenty of hilarious bad ones, combined with a bass-heavy beat sure to please your car stereo or at least annoy your neighbors.
Late in the song, he rhymes, "Drop, drop, drop / I'm a sell like silly / Cuz everybody dancin' and everybody feel me / With stack in my jeans just like my name was Billie." Definitely silly.
Now that's two down. What about the 17 other tracks? On "Bop, Bop, Bop," V.I.C. inflates his own ego ("They call me Mr. Get Silly / Even though they from overseas.") while chasing girls in the club, and on "We Ridin'," featuring Hurricane Chris, V.I.C. adapts the Batman theme in one of the most annoying ways ever.
The rest of the album includes tracks like "Beat That," "Jaw Jackin," "Wobble" and the mandatory slow song "Wifey Type" and they all kind of mesh together with no moment really standing out.
Despite a strong title track and lead single, the rest of the album sadly flounders under the weight of the two powerhouse tracks. After Soulja Boy's awful-yet-fun debut, one could have only hoped for something similar from V.I.C.'s "Beast," but instead it turned out to be one of the worst releases of the year.
1.5 Stars (out of 5)
V.I.C., label mate and friend to the chart topping Soulja Boy, has further proved that hip-hop is still slowly dying single by single. His debut album, "Beast" wishes to be taken seriously, but it can't. The rhymes are terrible, the concepts are tired clichés executed in the simplest paint-by-numbers form and there's not a lot going for the album in terms of staying power. Looks like he could have used a few more lessons from his "Crank That" counterpart.
The debut albums by both artists share a lot of the same flaws and powerful lead singles, but Soulja Boy stands apart because he, as terrible as it sounds, seems to care less about his music and fed listeners 13 more songs that were all as nonsensical and fun as "Crank That." V.I.C., on the other hand, is trying too hard to make something happen where it's not supposed to. But that's not to say he doesn't succeed at least once over the terribly long 19 tracks.
"Beast" begins strong. Too strong for its own good, actually, as the title track and album opener explodes over the stereos with V.I.C. displaying heavy amounts of swagger and confidence, leaving the rest of the album to shame. Deep breathing and growls throughout give off a tribal feel and the horns on the chorus add a triumphant flair that sets the bar high for everything that follows.
The true shining moment, and perhaps the only reason why someone would pick up "Beast" before hearing the rest of the album, comes in the form of the lead single featuring Soulja Boy, "Get Silly."
Complete with a ridiculous dance of its own (check out the music video; it's a must), "Get Silly" is just fun from start to finish - think of it as a more elaborate "Crank That." V.I.C. drops some witty lines and plenty of hilarious bad ones, combined with a bass-heavy beat sure to please your car stereo or at least annoy your neighbors.
Late in the song, he rhymes, "Drop, drop, drop / I'm a sell like silly / Cuz everybody dancin' and everybody feel me / With stack in my jeans just like my name was Billie." Definitely silly.
Now that's two down. What about the 17 other tracks? On "Bop, Bop, Bop," V.I.C. inflates his own ego ("They call me Mr. Get Silly / Even though they from overseas.") while chasing girls in the club, and on "We Ridin'," featuring Hurricane Chris, V.I.C. adapts the Batman theme in one of the most annoying ways ever.
The rest of the album includes tracks like "Beat That," "Jaw Jackin," "Wobble" and the mandatory slow song "Wifey Type" and they all kind of mesh together with no moment really standing out.
Despite a strong title track and lead single, the rest of the album sadly flounders under the weight of the two powerhouse tracks. After Soulja Boy's awful-yet-fun debut, one could have only hoped for something similar from V.I.C.'s "Beast," but instead it turned out to be one of the worst releases of the year.
1.5 Stars (out of 5)
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