Disco de Slum Village: “Slum Village”

This is one of the best albums of 2005 period. Along with Common,Little Brother, and Lawless Element, but back to Slum i have been on these guys for a long time and they are even better as a duo. This is soulful music not that Bullsh&& we hear on T.V. and the radio. If you wanna blessing buy this

This is Slum's best album YET. Slum Village has been one of my favorite rap groups ever since the Trinity album and this album is a great reminder of the immense skills they posess. Even though they are borderline mainstream they still keep it fresh and flow like they are starving underground artists. Go out and cop this, you won't regret it.

Slum Village has gone through a lot of revamping over the years. It all started with Jay Dee, Baatin, and T3 on their debut release Fantastic, Vol. 2 (there was no Volume 1, although some point to their demo as the first installment.) The collective continued with Elzhi joining the group (after losing super producer Jay-Dee) for Trinity: Past, Present, and Future. The group finally manifested to just T3 and Elzhi for Detroit Deli (now missing the schizophrenic Baatin). Fighting to stay in the game and keep the Slum Village name relevant, they release Prequel To A Classic in early 2005. By this point, they've discovered their direction and purpose and are ready to start all over again to validate their existence. The rock-solid duo release their self titled Slum Village album in hopes of doing just that.

"Multiply" resurrects the signature Slum Village sound that Fantastic, Vol. 2 fans will appreciate the most. "Set It" is an upbeat track that promises to make your head bob back and forth to the beat. "Call Me" features long-time collaborator Dwele singing the hook over an Isley Brother sample that is done like no other song. "05" gives a retrospective of their ongoing transformation as a group and utilizes live instrumentation for a change of pace from the norm. Slum Village dives deeper and gives even more particulars regarding their constant reconstruction with the song "Def Do Us." Other stand outs include the energetic "Ez Up," the equally upbeat "Hear This," and the poignant "Can I Be Me."

Slum Village (simply known to "day one fans" as just 'Slum' ) has done all that it can do to satisfy the powers that be. They finally arrived at the right formula of beats, rhymes, and life to get their point across to the masses. Now, if the masses don't respect them for their work or just simply want a 'canned' product, then they can continue listening to same songs repeat over and over again on these Top 40 radio stations. Slum Village is an album that only true hip-hop fans can appreciate anyways, so T3 and Elzhi won't have to worry about any devoted followers running for the hills any time soon.

I was skeptical about picking up this album...but i wanted to hear what they were about so i went and purchased and was pleasantly surprised :) I enjoy this album very much and listen to it all the time most definantly one of my favorites! RIP J dilla

HOW DO I BEGIN TO DISCRIBE THIS ALBUM? I CONSIDER IT A BRIEF INTERPRETATION OF ART, MUSIC, AND THE BLACK EXPERIENCE "IN AMERICA" INTERTWINED. I START BY SAYING THAT T AND EL ARE TWO OF THE BEST SUBLIMINAL RAPPERS IN THE INDUSTRY RIGHT NOW. LYRICISM IS A FORTE FOR SLUM VILLAGE AND HAS ALWAYS BEEN SINCE THE BEGINNING. THIS ALBUM IS FOR THOSE OF US WHO HAVE FOLLOWED THESE GUYS STRAIT FROM FANTASTIC AND THE DIRTY DISTRICT MIX ALBUM, YOU KNOW, THE LESS "MAIN STREAM" ALBUMS, TO THE COLABORATION WITH DWELE AND JOHN LEGEND. THESE GUYS REPRESENT WHAT IS LOST IN MAIN STREAM HIP-HOP AND R & B, TRUE TALENT AND MUSIC INSPIRED RAPS. LET'S GET ROWED FOR THE REUNION FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO KNOW WHAT I MEAN!!!!!!!!!!!