The Black Eyed Peas, MASTERS OF THE SUN VOL. 1, Album Review
The Black Eyed Peas
MASTERS OF THE SUN VOL. 1
Album Review
Ladies and gentlemen, The Black Eyed Peas have still got it!
When a friend of mine suggested that I should listen to the new Black Eyed Peas single "RING THE ALARM pt.1 pt.2 pt.3" shortly after its release, it would be fair to say that I was fairly reluctant. Seen as I virtually grew up listening to the Peas, I grew a little tiresome of the direction that they were going towards in the late 2000's in which they were essentially trading their traditional hip-hop inspired roots for a more accessible electro-pop sound.
However, upon my first listen of the new track I got one of the most pleasant surprises of the whole year! "RING THE ALARM" was a stellar track from the very get-go, with an engaging and upbeat production with some masterful lyrics to match. I found it comparable to material released by some of hip-hop's most relevant names currently. There was one other teaser track to come after this in the form of "BIG LOVE" which I also adore and will cover shortly. The rest of the album was then released last Friday on the 26th October, just one day before the first show of their new tour in London (which I was lucky enough to catch).
I gotta feeling that there might have been many factors that contributed to the groups drastic reversion back to their roots such as the fact that this is their first album in 8 years. And in that time, one of the four members, Fergie had parted ways from the remaining three. But for whatever reason, I am very glad that this album is the way it is musically, especially considering this would've arguably been their make-or-break album after so much time. As for who would now be doing all of the vocal segments, they already have that covered. A contestant of The Voice of the Philippines who Peas member apl.de.ap took under his wings certainly proved she could rise to the challenge and then some through both the album and the live performance. This album also has a wide variety of features included on it, from Nas to Nicole Sherzinger, allowing for a smorgasbord of differently styled tracks, all of which revolve around hip-hop.
The main attraction of this album for me is the production. It definitely presents an in tune-ness to how hip-hop has evolved since the days of Elephunk. It certainly feels very realised. Mix this with all things good about the Peas' accessible lyricisms, and you have a formula that definitely works in my eyes.
Starting this album off would be "BACK 2 HIPHOP" which holds nothing back when it comes to starting the album off with a bang. As well as this, its was wisely chosen to be the first track of their live set and it is very clear to see why that happened. The track has quite a consistent beat that feels very authentic and minimal enough to let the lyrics shine while also being very upbeat. The sample from Soul II Soul's "Back to Life" was cleverly utilised and the verse from Nas worked incredibly well with the nature of the track.
"YES OR NO" begins with a sinister sounding piano loop. Pairing this with the drum rolls that follow later and you have a production that has a similar effect to the track that came before it in which it feels very authentic and to a point, nostalgic. I also really like the message that this track is putting out in which listeners are being ushered to make their own decisions. A very good track thanks to its good flow, gritty atmosphere in the production and engaging message.
"GET READY" starts with a vocal segment which I find to be one of the songs highlights. It plays quite a few times throughout the song and gives the track a tonne of soul and passion. The soulfulness of the respective "hook" is followed by an unlikely mixture of some of the soulful elements and a much more club track kind of beat in the production, which I feel works very well. Towards the end, the production switches to a very nocturnal sounding jazz-inspired instrumental (complete with saxophone) which sounds quite a bit like something out of To Pimp a Butterfly.
Things seemingly tone down towards a much more chilled atmosphere with the next track "4EVER" which has quite a quiet and soothing sound. However, the lyrics in this track are still as effective at parts to the songs prior and is still all in all, a solid rap number.
What I would argue to be the best section on the album begins with this next track "CONSTANT pt.1 pt.2". This track is sort of divided into two halves, the first half being a warm and spiritual sounding experience with a solid rap beat and some good lyrics. But the way this track transitions into the next half was fantastic! With Will.I.am's "on and on and on" on repeat, each one getting progressively faster while a gorgeous melody plays behind it. It then all explodes into a dynamic dance beat, which make the following bars all the more energy inducing. This is an absolutely brilliant track.
Despite how good the last track was however, it only gets better! My current favourite track on the entire album has to be "DOPENESS" which begins with this awesomely enigmatic trumpet loop which then uncovers one of the catchiest bass riffs I have ever heard in a song! This track just has funkiness in spades and has an awesome chorus that anybody could get stuck in their heads. While the lyrics might not be as unique, the way that the Peas use the flow of their lyrics to accompany the rhythm of the production is perfect. I must've had this song stuck in my head for about 2 whole days and I still don't grow tired of it. In fact, I don't think I ever will.
The following track "ALL AROUND THE WORLD" has really grown on me recently. While I found it hard to invest much hype into the track at first listen after I spent most of it on the previous track, I can now appreciate this track just for how well it conveys the nostalgia of 90's rap classics. The production that spans throughout the first two thirds of the track, along with some lyrical factors, remind me a lot of a Notorious B.I.G production with its cool-as-ice bass riff and colourful electronic elements. I equally love the switch-up in production throughout the final third of the track, which sounds much more like an orchestral, Tyler the Creator inspired melody which pairs incredibly well with the initial production. I feel that this song wouldn't really be near as good as it was however if it weren't for the other artists that featured on it. With the likes of A Tribe Called Quest members Ali Shaheed Muhammad and Phife Dawg (may he rest in peace) as well as De La Soul's Posdnuos (or as it's put in the track, "A Tribe Called De La Peas"), it only adds to the nostalgia factor. I love this track!
The way I feel about the next track "NEW WAVE" is a little mixed. On one hand, I find it to be repetitive and a bit too simplistic in its lyrics. But on the other, I can appreciate it for having quite a unique production which has this very aincientesque atmosphere in the verses which then becomes a lot more jazzy in the hooks. Nevertheless, it was a very fun experience to listen to this track.
I actually really like the first part of the following track "VIBRATIONS pt.1 pt.2". It's very soothing and reminiscent of a lot of current rap albums from upcoming artists such s Buddy and noname. However, I felt that this track kind of fell flat a little bit with its second half where it sounded like they were trying to go for a more trap-inspired beat and I just felt like that sort of style would never really work with a group like the Peas. On top of this, I also found this song to be the least memorable. I just don't think its has enough uniqueness to stick out nearly as much as some of the
other tracks on here.
Honestly, Nichole Sherzinger's feature on the next track "WINGS" was quite a lot better that I expected it to be (keep in mid this is someone who was never that into her music to begin with). Despite this, it still does kinda feel like that token romantic song you get on a lot of rap albums that can be very hit-or-miss. It also seemed very repetitive and with a runtime of over 5 minutes, it does kind of overstay its welcome in my opinion.
The last two tracks on the album are actually the two teaser tracks, "RING THE ALARM pt.1 pt.2 pt.3" and "BIG LOVE". I've spoken already but I still wish to mention the three parts of the track. The first being a fast-paced, upbeat and engaging wake-up-call to the listener, followed by the next segment which is similar in rhythm but a lot more chilled in terms of instrumentation and gives the bars the spotlight. And finally the third and final part is a slow-bouncing and highly jazzy production which pairs very well with Will.I.am's vocal style. All-in-all, the track is a very masterful hip-hop experience which is exciting from start to finish. "BIG LOVE" has a very powerful message, telling us how we seem to be losing a lot of love in the world and it needs to be recovered. The intentionally shocking music video definitely helped connect the message to relevant issues in America. The track is incredibly soulful and has a gorgeous production to boot. I'm very happy that they chose this to be the last track of the album as I don't think there is a better song to conclude it.
Overall, I am very, very pleased with this album which has rekindled my love towards The Black Eyed Peas that I last felt quite a long time ago. This is honestly my favourite album they have released since "Elephunk" and is deserving of all the praise that it receives. If you're a fan of early 2000's Peas, I implore that you listen to this album and hope that it leaves you feeling the same way as me.
Thank you for reading
BBP
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